Russia urges its citizens to leave Yemen

Russia has reiterated its call on its citizens in Yemen to urgently leave the country, where an unrest has claimed dozens of lives, Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said on Thursday.

“We would like to confirm the call for Russian citizens to refrain from nonessential trips to Yemen, and for those staying there to urgently leave,” Lukashevich said at a news briefing in Moscow.

He said Russian Consulate records show 198 Russians and 350 citizens of Commonwealth of Independent States member countries are staying in Yemen.

Russia has already evacuated the family members of officials serving in its diplomatic mission, he said.

“If there is a need…additional necessary steps will be taken,” he said without specifying what those steps may be.

Yemen has been in a state of conflict since February, when protests against President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s 33-year rule broke out amid unrest across the Middle East. Dozens of people have been killed and hundreds injured in Yemeni security forces’ violent crackdown on protesters.

MOSCOW, March 31 (RIA Novosti)

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