After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine today, flight paths have been rerouted across the continent. According to the Associated Press, a commercial flight tracking website showed that an Israeli El Al Boeing 787 from Tel Aviv to Toronto turned abruptly out of Ukrainian airspace before detouring over Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, and Poland.
The U.S. Embassy in Ukraine has urged American citizens not to travel to Ukraine. Furthermore, those currently in the country have been told to “depart immediately using commercial or private means due to the increased threat of Russian military action.” The State Department has also provided a list of recommended border crossings, including specific ones in Poland, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, and Moldova.
Those travelers should be sure to carry an ID, ensure all travel documents are valid, monitor local and international news for updates, and complete an online form so the State Department can communicate with them. Today, the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv posted on Twitter that if anyone currently in Ukraine finds themselves under attack, they should seek cover if they “hear a loud explosion or if sirens are activated.”
Myriad other countries, including Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and beyond, are encouraging their citizens to leave without delay, if possible.
Ukraine and Russia both have “Level 4: Do not travel” warnings from the U.S. State Department due to the conflict. (They’d previously been on the list due to COVID-19.) At this time, only two other countries have Level 4 warnings for “unusual and concerning Russian military activity around Ukraine”: Moldova and Belarus. Moldova closed its airspace to civil flights, and Belarus has banned flights over the southern part of the country.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
Associated Press contributed reporting.
