Serbia is not evacuating embassy, contrary to Russian reports: diplomats left Kyiv in March
EUROPEAN PRAVDA -- SUNDAY, 16 OCTOBER 2022, 19:36 A number of Russian [and later, Ukrainian] media have spread false information about the temporary closure of the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Ukraine. Source: European Pravda
Details: Initially information to this effect appeared on Russian sites, in particular Ura.ru, EADaily and on the website of the Tsargrad TV.
The above-mentioned outlets are controlled by the Russian government and are systematically used in special information and psychological operations. Quote: "The Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Ukraine was temporarily closed today. Three diplomats and one more employee of the embassy left Ukraine and were safely evacuated," EADaily wrote, claiming that they quoted a message from the Serbian Foreign Ministry.
As of today, 16 October, Belgrade [the capital of Serbia -- ed.] did not issue such a statement.
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Furthermore, all publications refer to messages from the website of the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Ukraine. Information about the temporary closure of the embassy and the evacuation of staff to Belgrade had indeed been published there, without specifying the date of publication.
However, as Oleh Nikolenko, spokesman for the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, explained in a comment for European Pravda, in fact, the closing of the Serbian Embassy took place immediately after the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation began. Quote by Nikolenko: "Employees of the Serbian Embassy left Ukraine at the beginning of March. Since then, Serbian diplomats continue to work from Belgrade."
It is possible that the news about the closure of the Serbian Embassy was published deliberately, to create the impression of increased threats to Kyiv. Background: Earlier, Kazakhstan announced plans to evacuate part of its embassy staff in Kyiv. However, they also said that the embassy would continue its work.
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