Switzerland advises citizens to leave eastern Ukraine
The foreign ministry has advised Swiss nationals to leave the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine amid concerns over the increase in armed clashes in eastern Ukraine.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/reuters/jdp
Español
es
Suiza aconseja a sus ciudadanos que abandonen el este de Ucrania
The travel adviceExternal link, which was updated Saturday evening, recommends against tourist and other non-urgent trips to Ukraine and urges Swiss nationals to leave the eastern region temporarily by their own means.
More
More
SWISS suspends flights to Ukraine
This content was published on
Amid further escalations of the crisis in Ukraine, Swiss International Air Lines has decided to temporarily suspend flights to Ukraine from next week.
Many commercial airlines have reduced or suspended flights to the country including Swiss International Airlines, which announced on Saturday that it was temporarily halting flights to the country as of Monday, February 21 for at least a week.
The Swiss embassy in Kyiv remains open but if the situation deteriorates, it will have limited options for providing services or assistance in emergencies, writes the foreign ministry.
On Saturday, the ministry expressed concern about an increase in armed hostilities in eastern Ukraine in a tweet: “We call on all sides to recommit to the ceasefire and actively contribute to de-escalation.” This includes a substantial withdrawal of Russian forces from near Ukraine’s borders, it said.
“Constructive dialogue is vital and Switzerland is ready to support it,” wrote the ministry.
Russian troop deployment in the border region with Ukraine has heightened fears of a Russian invasion. On Sunday, there were reports of multiple explosions in the centre of the separatist-held city of Donetsk. Incidents of shelling across the line dividing Ukrainian government forces and separatists increased sharply last week. Two Ukrainian soldiers were reported killed and four wounded on Saturday.
Macron will attend Swiss summit on Ukraine, says Zelensky
This content was published on
French President Emmanuel Macron will attend the peace conference on Ukraine at the Swiss Bürgenstock resort next month, according to Volodymyr Zelensky.
Top politician tells ‘corrupt’ Eurovision to stay away from Bern
This content was published on
A social media post by the president of Bern’s cantonal government critical of the Eurovision Song Contest has created waves and will be discussed in the cantonal parliament.
Swiss centre records over 200 victims of human trafficking
This content was published on
Last year 317 people took part in a protection programme run by the Specialist Unit for Trafficking in Women and Women’s Migration (FIZ) in German-speaking Switzerland.
This content was published on
The Geneva-based International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and partners are opening a field hospital in southern Gaza on Tuesday.
Lack of smartphone sustainability in Switzerland hits environment
This content was published on
Almost half of all Swiss citizens hang on to their old smartphones, tablets and laptops, according to the Federal Statistical Office.
Police clear out pro-Palestinian students protesting in Geneva
This content was published on
The police intervened early on Tuesday to dislodge pro-Palestinian students who had been occupying the University of Geneva for almost a week.
New gel developed in Zurich renders alcohol harmless
This content was published on
A newly developed gel composed of whey proteins breaks down alcohol in the body and could reduce its harmful and intoxicating effects in humans.
Pro-Palestine protests extend to Basel and Fribourg universities
This content was published on
Demonstrators called for an academic boycott of all Israeli institutions and disassociation with Chaim Weizmann, the first Israeli president.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
‘The Ukraine conflict is likely to last a long time’
This content was published on
Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis is in Ukraine this week. Former ambassador Toni Frisch has some thoughts on what should be on his agenda.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.