WISMA Putra should have moved to evacuate Malaysians in Ukraine weeks ago as the warning on the invasion was loud and clear, former ambassador Noor Farida Mohd Ariffin said.

She questioned why the Foreign Ministry did not act on the matter sooner as it concerned the safety of Malaysians.

“I think it was a disaster. We had warnings of a Russian invasion weeks ago, and Wisma Putra was sleeping on the job,” she told The Malaysian Insight.

“Why didn’t they immediately arrange for diplomatic staff and their families to be evacuated from Ukraine?”

She was commenting on the eight Malaysian diplomats and two foreign national dependents who fled by road from Ukraine to Poland yesterday.

Wisma Putra said Malaysian Embassy in Kyiv Chargé d’Affaires Fadhilah Daud led the group comprising nine Malaysians, two Ukrainian dependents and one Singaporean national.

The group reached the Korczowa-Krakovets border between Ukraine and Poland at 10.45pm local time and was received by two officials from the Malaysian Embassy in Warsaw, it added.

The group is scheduled to return home via a commercial flight from Warsaw, Poland, later today.

On the advice of the Malaysian Embassy in Kyiv, 13 Malaysians fled Ukraine between February 14 and 24, following a statement from Wisma Putra on February 14.

Noor Farida said the ministry has mishandled the situation.

“They (Malaysians) had to leave at the last minute, travelling on congested roads to flee to Poland.

“They should have been evacuated weeks ago. I don’t know why Wisma Putra didn’t act earlier. It was a total mishandling of the situation.”

Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah should have advised Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob to immediately act, she added.

“I think the foreign minister should resign. He should have advised the prime minister to order the evacuation of our people there.

“He could have done that (the evacuation) even without the prime minister, by just informing the cabinet.

“It is for the safety of the diplomatic staff. A war is going on there.”

Foreign Ministry had evacuation plan in place

However, Wisma Putra has denied “sensational and misleading reports” that it mishandled the evacuation of Malaysian diplomats in Ukraine.

The Malaysian Embassy in Kyiv, like other Malaysian embassies, had an evacuation plan ready to be activated if necessary, it added.

“The government discussed the evacuation plan for Malaysians in Ukraine and its implementation in detail during a cabinet meeting on February 16.

“The foreign minister informed the cabinet on developments in Ukraine, especially the security and welfare status of Malaysians in the country.

“Taking into account the deteriorating situation, the prime minister decided to activate the evacuation plan on February 24.”

Wisma Putra said the evacuation mission is sensitive information that cannot be disclosed to the public to ensure the safety of all those involved in the mission.

“Allegations that our diplomats fled (Kyiv) as an evacuation plan was absent are baseless.”

Farida said the ministry needs to support the affected Malaysians by bringing them back home and compensating their travel.

Ismail should appeal for peace to be restored and the war to be stopped, said the former ambassador to the Netherlands.

“Malaysia should use all efforts to bring calm and peace back to Ukraine. It is not benefitting anyone for the war to continue.

“There is no excuse for war and violence. The only thing we can do now is to appeal for the violence to stop.”

On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “military operation” in Ukraine and called on soldiers there to lay down their arms, defying Western outrage and global appeals to not launch a war.

Putin’s statement comes after the Kremlin claimed rebel leaders in eastern Ukraine asked Moscow for military help against Kyiv. – February 28, 2022.