Israel evacuated its embassy in Kyiv on Tuesday, relocating to the city of Lviv in western Ukraine.

Later on Tuesday, in a major escalation of tensions, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian troops into eastern Ukraine.

Israel opened a temporary consular office in Lviv last week and the embassy staff will work from the office there. Lviv is located near the borders of Poland, Hungary and Romania, and Israel has prepared an emergency land evacuation plan. The Jewish Agency relocated its emissaries from Kyiv to Lviv on Monday.

The US and UK already relocated their embassies to Lviv last week.

Only 3,100 Israelis have left Ukraine, with almost 12,000 still in the country. Additionally, there are about 150,000-200,000 Jews living in Ukraine.

Israel is preparing for the possibility of an emergency evacuation via land to neighboring countries as well as for the possibility of a mass aliyah of Ukrainian Jews.

“The consulate in Lviv has been working to issue travel documents to Israeli citizens since Thursday, and it will help citizens who want to leave the country, mainly from land crossings to neighboring countries,” Israel’s Foreign Ministry stated.

“The Foreign Ministry is prepared for all developments, including the possibility of a land evacuation. Israeli diplomats sent to Lviv as well as those serving in Poland, Slovakia, Romania, Moldova, and Hungary, visited their border crossings and held meetings with the border authorities to ensure passage of Israeli citizens who wish to leave Ukraine.”

Foreign Minister Yair Lapid on Tuesday thanked Ukraine’s neighboring countries for agreeing to allow Israeli citizens passage through their land border crossings if needed.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)