Russia began evacuating diplomatic staff from Ukraine, its embassy in Kyiv told AFP, a day after lawmakers in Moscow granted President Vladimir Putin permission to use force abroad.

Asked if the evacuation had begun, the embassy’s spokesman Denis Golenko told AFP by phone: “Yes.”

Moscow’s foreign ministry announced Tuesday it would evacuate diplomats from the country soon, saying this was in order to “protect their lives”.

The Russian flag was lowered over the embassy’s building, according to eyewitnesses.

An AFP reporter saw several families leaving the embassy Wednesday with suitcases.

Golenko said the evacuation was “linked to the fact that Western embassies announced evacuations of some of their staff, and that our ministry also took this decision.”

Some Western embassies, including the United States and Britain, moved their staff to the city of Lviv near the Polish border.