Dnieper River in Kyiv, Ukraine. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

JNS.org – Israel’s Foreign Ministry and the Israeli Embassy in Kyiv have asked Israelis in the country to provide them with contact information, apparently in preparation for a possible military confrontation between Russia and Ukraine. Some 3,000 people have answered the call thus far.

Officials following events on the ground in Ukraine have made no mention of plans to evacuate Israelis from the country at this time.

The Jewish Agency, meanwhile, informed its employees in the country it was preparing to evacuate them should that become necessary.

As Russian forces continue to amass on the Ukrainian border, several Western states, including the United States, have evacuated some diplomatic staff. Washington evacuated relatives of diplomats “out of an abundance of caution” and recommended that all US citizens leave the country immediately.

Officials in Kyiv expressed disappointment with the move, which they blamed on fears of a repeat of scenes from the hasty US withdrawal from Afghanistan.