A scheduled Russian Emergencies’ Ministry flight to Libya to evacuate Russian diplomats has been cancelled due to the tense situation in the country. Moscow is studying alternative means of evacuating embassy staff and citizens of CIS countries from the conflict zone in conditions of the “no-fly zone”.
The Foreign Ministry notes that no Russian citizens have been hurt in the air strikes.
Protests and riots first swept Libya in mid-February, demanding the removal from power of Muammar Gaddafi, who had ruled the country for over 40 years. The unrest escalated into armed confrontation between government forces and the rebels.
On March 19th Western nations launched the military operation “Odyssey Dawn” against forces loyal to Gaddafi.