What Is The Fate Of Indonesian Citizens In Ukraine After There Is A Territory That Is Annexed By Russia?

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Foreign Affairs ensured that no Indonesian citizens (WNI) were affected by Russia's annexation of Ukrainian territory.

Director of Protection for Indonesian Citizens and BHI of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Judha Nugraha explained that currently there are 34 Indonesian citizens who chose to stay in Ukraine and were not evacuated to Indonesia in early March after the war broke out between Russia and Ukraine.

"Of the dozens of Indonesian citizens who still live in Ukraine, we noted that several people were in conflict areas," Judha said while giving information to the media online on Friday, October 7.

Judha said that the Indonesian Embassy in Kiev, which is still fully operating in Ukraine, continues to establish communication and monitor the condition of Indonesian citizens.

"Currently, their condition is still safe and the Indonesian Embassy in Kiev stands by to provide assistance if they need help," he said.

Most of the Indonesian citizens who are still in Ukraine are female citizens who are married to Ukrainians, so they choose to stay with their families.

Previously in March, the government had carried out evacuation operations from Ukraine with a total of 133 Indonesian citizens successfully returned to the country.

Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin approved the ratification of the merger of Ukrainian territory, namely Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia, and Kherson into the Russian Federation. The Russian parliament also ratified an agreement on annexing Ukrainian territory.

Putin has signed an agreement with separatist authorities in the self-isolating Ukrainian region to join Russia, following a referendum held on 23-27 September 2022.

The vote has been in place for more than seven months since Russia and Ukraine began their war on February 24, 2022.

The referendum was condemned by the international community, including the United States and European countries that called the referendum fake and underlined that they would not recognize the outcome.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Putin's decision to annex the four regions was invalid and had no legal consequences.