Amid escalating tensions and the growing likelihood of fresh Russian aggression in Ukraine, many countries have urged their citizens to leave Ukrainian territory.

On Sunday, the Foreign Ministry called on Kosovo citizens not to travel to Ukraine, and urged those who are there to return as soon as possible.

“After the dramatic increase in tensions between Russia and Ukraine, caused by the presence and large movements of Russian troops near the border with Ukraine, the beginning of an open armed conflict can no longer be ruled out,” the ministry wrote on Facebook.

For current information and concrete assistance, Kosovo nationals currently in Ukraine can contact the embassy in Prague on: + 420 257 217 775 or at the email address: [email protected], writes MFA.

Dozens of countries have urged their citizens to leave Ukraine.

The United States, Britain, Germany, North Macedonia and Serbia are among the many countries that have asked their citizens to leave. Some countries have also withdrawn diplomatic personnel from the capital, Kiev.

On Saturday, the United States announced it was withdrawing most of its embassy staff. Australia and Canada have since followed the US example. 

The White House has warned that an invasion could happen at any time and could start with an aerial bombardment.

Russia has described the allegations as “provocative”. It  has denied any plans to invade Ukraine, despite having deployed about 100,000 troops on Ukraine’s borders.

On Monday, Ukraine called for a meeting with Russia and other members of the European security group over the escalating tensions on its border.

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Russia had ignored official requests to explain the deployment of its troops, the BBC reports. He said the next step was to request a meeting within the next 48 hours, seeking transparency regarding Russia’s plans.

Ukraine has asked Russia through the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, OSCE, to explain the deployment of its troops.

However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, has also criticized the “panic” being spread about an invasion, and said he had seen no evidence of a planned attack in the coming days.

Tensions between Ukraine and Russia, both former Soviet states, escalated in 2013 when violent protests erupted in Kiev  over a historic trade deal with the European Union.

In March 2014, Russia annexed Crimea, an autonomous peninsula in southern Ukraine, on the grounds that it was defending its own interests and those of Russian-speaking citizens. It has also sponsored the creation of two small unrecognised republics in eastern Ukraine.

According to OSCE, there have been more than 3,000 conflict-related civilian deaths in eastern Ukraine since March 2014.