The Canadian government has ordered family members of diplomatic staff in Ukraine to leave the country, though embassy staff will remain in place. In a statement, Global Affairs Canada said that the government has decided to “temporarily withdraw” the children of embassy staff if they are under the age of 18, as well as family members accompanying them. “Officials at Global Affairs Canada and at the Embassy of Canada to Ukraine in Kyiv will continue to closely monitor the situation,” reads the statement. “The safety and security of Canadians, our personnel and their families at our missions abroad is our top priority.” The decision to extricate diplomats’ families is due to “the ongoing Russian military buildup and destabilizing activities in and around Ukraine.”
Late Monday night Canada updated its travel advisory suggesting any non-essential Canadians should leave Ukraine.
“If you are in Ukraine, you should evaluate if your presence is essential,” reads the updated guidance to avoid non-essential travel to the region.“You just have to look at the pictures to know that this is a situation in which you don’t want Canadians to be going there, and Canadians that are there should think about getting out,” said Colin Robertson, former Canadian diplomat and vice president of Canadian Global Affairs Institute in an interview on CTV News Channel. “You only leave the most vital people because if things go badly, then you’ve got that many more people to worry about.”
This comes after the U.S. and the U.K. began withdrawing some of their embassy and diplomatic staff and their families from Ukraine over the weekend, amid heightened concerns of a Russian invasion.
Source:ctvnews.ca
Thursday, April 23, 2026
