Embassies are being returned en masse to the capital/Photo by KSCA
Already about 20 embassies from different countries have returned to work in Kyiv. At the beginning of a full-scale war unleashed by Russia, they suspended their activities or moved to other cities.
However, the city authorities of Kyiv insist that it is still dangerous in the capital. Experts told the Channel 24 website what the mass return of embassies to Kyiv means and how safe it is.
Which embassies have already returned
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine said that as of April 18, the embassies of 16 countries returned to Kyiv, and this step is another evidence of peace support.
Thus, diplomats from 16 diplomatic missions – the EU, France, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, Turkey, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, the Vatican, Moldova, Iran, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan are again working in the capital.
In recent days, the Ukrainian the embassies of Uzbekistan and the Netherlands also returned to the capital, and in the UK they announced that they plan to resume work next month.
Why the embassies decided to return
The Ministry of Defense said that Russia does not abandon its plans to seize all of Ukraine, including Kyiv, so it is too early to talk about the security of the capital. The Kyiv city military administration is also confident that the danger to Kyiv remains, so the city must be ready for defense.
Alexander Khmelevsky, Candidate of Economic Sciences, an independent expert, noted that the intelligence services of the United States and Great Britain knew about Russia's plans to attack Ukraine for about six months. They had the details of the operation and its purpose. In particular, they knew that Putin was going to take over Kyiv and establish a pro-Russian regime in Ukraine. Western intelligence agencies informed both the leadership of Ukraine and other countries about this.
Due to the threat to the lives of embassy workers, most embassies stopped working in Kyiv and were transferred to the western regions of Ukraine. Now the embassies of some countries are returning to Kyiv, although not all of them. This decision is based on information from Western studies that Russia abandoned the idea of capturing Kyiv and focused on the occupation of the East and South. However, the situation cannot change yet, the danger remains. Therefore, a number of embassies, in particular the United States, are in no hurry to return to Kyiv,” Khmelevsky explained. War is a relative concept. For example, the Polish ambassador did not leave Kyiv during the most difficult hours of the enemy offensive – it was a convincing demonstration of solidarity with Ukraine.
Kyiv is ready for defense/Photo of KSCA< /p>
It is important for the Embassies to return to the capital not only for reasons of solidarity, but also because of the importance of the continuity of the process of resolving issues of bilateral relations, especially confidential ones.
This primarily concerns the embassies of the EU member states. Thus, they prove their confidence in Ukraine's ability to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity. In addition, the return of embassies to Ukraine works for the post-war prospect of renewing the economy and infrastructure of Ukraine. After all, the states that have proved friendship with Ukraine not in words, but in deeds, will have preferences in the process of concluding contracts for the reconstruction of the Ukrainian economy. Martynov emphasized.
Hryhoriy Malenko, head of the Holos faction in the Kyiv City Council, believes that the return of embassies to Kyiv is a good sign. This is a signal that Western partners believe in Ukraine as a sovereign state and that over time we will repel all the territories occupied by Russian troops by military means.
This is a good gesture of support that it is relatively safe in Kyiv, that our city remains the capital and attempts to forcibly establish a puppet regime here will not work. The planned return of the US embassy is a powerful sign that our main support partner is with us in difficult times, Malenko noted.
The US Embassy plans to return to Kyiv/Photo by VisaGlobal
Evgeny Savysko, expert of the public movement “All Together!”, I am sure that the return of embassies to Kyiv indicates several important moments:
- The first is the conviction that Ukraine will win the war with Russia.
- The second is that our capital is becoming a fairly safe city, there is no threat of its capture.
- The fourth is the desire to strengthen one's positions and get new ones in modern Ukraine.
< li>The third is a gesture of support for the Ukrainian people in this war.
It is already clear that Ukraine is beginning to play an increasing role in global geopolitics and economics. The entire security system, not only in Europe, but throughout the world, needs to be urgently reformed. And here Ukraine will have the opportunity to become an influential global player. A modern, hardened army. Renewed, dynamic post-war economy. Powerful human resources. All this will contribute to the growth of the strength of Ukraine. Our foreign partner countries are well aware of the real situation and the prospects for its development, therefore they are trying to be by our side during the decisive period of the war,” Savysko added.
Some experts do not consider the return of embassies to the capital a safe step/Photo of the KSCA
At the same time, Anna Katrullina, a strategic communications consultant, believes that if you take a digression into history, you can see that embassies are always at risk, because they are representative offices of some state, regardless of whether there is martial law in country or not.
I think that the resumption of work by embassies in Kiev is not safe because of the risks, – said Katrullina.
