Editor’s note: An earlier copy of this article attributed complaints to the fleeing diplomats. This has been rectified. Any error is regretted.
Malaysian diplomats have fled Kyiv in four cars, and government sources have allegedly complained that their evacuation was bungled due to Wisma Putra's belief that a Russian invasion would not happen.
According to the South China Morning Post, the party, comprising eight Malaysians and two foreign national dependents, decided to "make a run for it" after their chartered bus failed to arrive.
This group is reportedly heading towards Lviv, near the Polish border.
Citing sources, the officials reporteldy laid blame on others in the government, including Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob and Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah, for their dismissive stance towards Western intelligence in January about the imminent Russian invasion.
One source told SCMP that Putrajaya regarded the intelligence as a "Western narrative", causing the evacuation mission to become a "cluster f***".
"This situation is partly the consequence of having a minister who is so desperate to not fall for Western narrative, he starts believing the nonsense peddled by the other side," a source told SCMP.
Earlier today, Ismail Sabri, in a statement, had acknowledged that the Malaysian embassy in Kyiv was "currently undertaking evacuation".
The prime minister described the situation as an "escalation of conflict" in Ukraine and did not refer to the situation as an "invasion", unlike some regional neighbours who condemned Russia outright.
According to international news reports, Russian troops are rapidly advancing on Kyiv over the past 48 hours, causing civilian casualties.
Able-bodied Ukrainians are currently being conscripted while others flee for neighbouring countries. - Mkini
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