Russia begins evacuating its diplomatic staff from Ukraine

Russian servicemen drive tanks during military exercises in the Leningrad Region, Russia, in this handout picture released 14 February, 2022

Russia has started evacuating its diplomatic staff from all of its diplomatic facilities in Ukraine, the TASS news agency reported on Wednesday, citing a representative of Russia's embassy in Kyiv.

The United States and its allies sought to step up sanctions pressure on Russia on Wednesday over the deployment of troops in separatist regions of eastern Ukraine, in one of the worst security crises in Europe in decades.