PUTRAJAYA – The last group of Malaysians who managed to leave Ukraine is scheduled to return home from Warsaw, Poland, tomorrow via a commercial flight.
The Foreign Ministry (Wisma Putra) said this through a statement today after the evacuation mission – involving seven citizens, two foreign nationals and one Singaporean – was successfully conducted by the Malaysian Embassy in Kyiv.
The group, led by the Chargé d’Affaires ad interim of the Malaysian Embassy in Ukraine, Fadhilah Daud, and assisted by Second Secretary, Aminuddin Osman, travelled from Kyiv by road since Friday afternoon and arrived in Poland at 5.45am Sunday (MYT).
Responding to allegations from some parties regarding the implementation of the mission, Wisma Putra explained that sensitive information involving the evacuation plan had not been disclosed to the public in order to ensure the safety of all parties involved.
“This approach is important to ensure that the mission runs smoothly according to the plan,” it said.
According to Wisma Putra, the embassy in Kyiv – like other Malaysian missions – has an evacuation plan that is ready to be activated if necessary, and is constantly updated based on the current situation and needs.
“The decision to implement the evacuation mission was made based on the latest report from the relevant Malaysian embassy,” it said.
Wisma Putra added that the ministry was constantly monitoring developments in Ukraine and was constantly in close contact with the embassy in Kyiv involving, at times, direct communication between the Foreign Minister, Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah, and the embassy’s Chargé d’Affaires.
“Important developments are also raised for the information and attention of the Prime Minister from time to time,” it said.
Apart from that, Wisma Putra said the government also discussed the Ukraine evacuation plan and its implementation in detail during the Cabinet meeting on February 16.
“The Foreign Minister has informed the Cabinet of developments in Ukraine, especially regarding the security and welfare of Malaysians there,” it said.
Taking into account the deteriorating situation and to ensure the safety and welfare of Malaysians, the Prime Minister decided on February 24 that the evacuation plan be activated immediately.
Wisma Putra asserted that allegations, such as embassy officials fleeing, and the absence of standard operating procedures (SOPs) for evacuation, as reported by some quarters were completely baseless.
On the use of four cars in the mission, including two embassy vehicles, Wisma Putra said the decision took into account the number of individuals involved in the evacuation, and to facilitate their movement and maintain their safety during the journey.
According to Wisma Putra, the government had previously carried out various evacuation missions from foreign countries, whether due to conflict or natural disasters, including the repatriation of Malaysians from 99 countries during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Such missions are carried out by Malaysian diplomatic delegations with the coordination and cooperation of the Foreign Ministry and relevant ministries/agencies in Malaysia,” it said.
Meanwhile, Wisma Putra said the operation of the Malaysian Embassy in Kyiv had to be temporarily suspended due to two embassy officials being directly involved in the implementation of the evacuation mission.
It said that so far only a few foreign embassies have suspended their operations in Kyiv or relocated their operations to other cities in Ukraine.
Wisma Putra also took the opportunity to express its appreciation to all those involved in the success of the evacuation, especially to Fadhilah and Aminuddin, as well as the officials of the Malaysian Embassy in Warsaw.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday had announced a special military operation in the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine. Following that, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky declared a state of emergency throughout the country.
Ukraine has also announced the closure of its airspace for public use, as it is deemed “high risk” to civil aviation. – Bernama, February 27, 2022
