42 people evacuated from Ukraine (updated)

The first evacuation of 42 civilians from the Ukraine, including children and elderly, has been successfully completed, Cyprus foreign ministry spokesman Demetris Demetriou said on Tuesday.

On Twitter, he said the evacuation was organised at the initiative of the Cyprus embassy in Ukraine and the crisis centre at the foreign ministry.

The 42 evacuees are Cypriot and Greek nationals, Ukrainians with family ties to Cyprus and EU citizens.

They include an infant, young children, and a pregnant woman.

Ολοκληρώθηκε επιτυχώς ✅ με πρωτοβουλία @CyprusinUkraine @CyCrisisCentre η πρώτη απομάκρυνση 4️⃣2️⃣ αμάχων από Ουκρανία στους οποίους περιλαμβάνονταν👇
▶️Πολίτες Κύπρου🇨🇾 Ελλάδας 🇬🇷
▶️Ουκρανοί 🇺🇦 με συγγενικούς δεσμούς στην Κύπρο
▶️ Πολίτες ΕΕ 🇪🇺
Ανάμεσά τους παιδιά, ηλικιωμένοι pic.twitter.com/AICcctJt08

— Demetris Demetriou (@demetris_dem) March 1, 2022

The individuals, trapped in Kiev, had sought consular help from Cypriot authorities. Their evacuation was completed on Tuesday morning.

The evacuees are currently in Romania, the foreign ministry said. Arrangements have been made for a flight to take them to Athens.

The ministry said it continues to work to make possible the safe evacuation of all Cypriots in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, The Animal Party has called for the simplification of the procedures for Ukrainian refugees to bring their pets to Cyprus, following the example of other countries.

The party welcomed the recommendation of the European Union that member states cut red tape for Ukrainian citizens fleeing from the war with their pet animals, and give refugees “one less thing to worry about”. The advice was issued following a call by the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE).