Hungary temporarily moves its embassy in Ukraine to Lviv

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

ANKARA (AA) - Hungary on Thursday decided to temporarily move its embassy from Ukraine's capital Kyiv to the western city of Lviv.

The decision has been made due to the “deteriorating security situation” in Kyiv, the Hungarian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said all 20 people who work in the embassy are safe and in constant contact with the ministry.

Szijjarto added the embassy will run with a reduced staff in Lviv and it will return to Kyiv as soon as it is safe to do so.

Russia's war on Ukraine, which began on Feb. 24, has met international outrage with the EU, US and UK, among others, implementing tough financial sanctions on Moscow.

According to UN figures, 227 civilians have been killed and 525 injured in Ukraine since the start of the war. Ukrainian authorities, however, put the death toll at over 2,000.

More than 1 million people have fled Ukraine to neighboring countries, the UN Refugee Agency said.