DPR Requests To Immediately Prepare Evacuation Operations To Rescue 148 Indonesian Citizens In Ukraine

Ilustrasi Kota Kyiv (Photo by Oleksandr Zhabin on Unsplash)

JAKARTA - Commission I of the Indonesian House of Representatives regrets the start of the attack in the Ukraine-Russia conflict. Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously declared war with Ukraine. Putin claims Russia is conducting a special military operation.

"We really regret this attack and hope it doesn't cause many casualties," said Member of Commission I of the House of Representatives Christina Aryani to reporters, Thursday, February 24. "The safety of our Indonesian citizens in Ukraine is the focus of our attention," he continued. The Golkar politician explained that since last February 13, Commission I of the DPR has communicated intensively with the ambassador at the Indonesian Embassy in Kiev, Ukraine to ensure that the Government, in this case the Indonesian Embassy, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and related parties, has an evacuation contingency plan for 148 Indonesian citizens there.

"We are monitoring and waiting for today's update whether the time has come to evacuate," said Christina.

For information, the Ukrainian military claims to have shot down a Russian military aircraft and helicopter in the Luhansk region. Five planes and one helicopter were shot down.

Reported by AFP and CNN, Thursday, February 24, Luhansk is known to be one of the regions that broke away from Ukraine. Recently, Russia recognized the independence of Luhansk and Donetsk thus sparking a full-scale war in Ukraine,

The TASS news agency reported that the Ukrainian claims were denied by the Russian military.

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian military forces had attacked his country's "military infrastructure" and border guards. Despite the full-scale invasion of Russia, Zelensky asked his citizens not to panic and he was determined to win.

In a video message posted on Facebook, Zelensky also declared a national emergency. The announcement made after the operation to 'demilitarize' Ukraine was echoed by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

On Thursday morning local time, explosions were heard in Kiev, the Ukrainian capital and the port city of Mariupol. AFP correspondents in both cities even heard strong explosions in Mariupol, close to the Russian front line and border, residents reported hearing artillery on the eastern outskirts of the city.

Explosions were also reported in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, located 35 kilometers (20 miles) south of the Russian border and outside the eastern zone, where Ukrainian forces have been fighting Moscow-backed rebels since 2014. In the eastern Ukraine war zone, four Loud explosions were also heard in Kramatorsk, which serves as the effective capital of the Ukrainian government for the eastern war zone.