Greece has commenced on Tuesday an operation in Ukraine for the safe evacuation of the Greek Consul General in Mariupol, Mr Manolis Androulakis and staff from the city's branch of the Organization for Security & Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) according to Greek diplomatic sources.
This operation includes many family members, and is being carried out in close cooperation with OSCE, sources noted.
According to the same sources, they are expected to head west. Due to security concerns, it is not possible to provide any further details, it was added.
Meanwhile, the Greek Red Cross on Tuesday announced it was sending yet more large quantities of humanitarian aid to Ukraine, continuing its practical support of those impacted by the war.
Specifically, three trucks loaded with 40 tons of humanitarian aid left from the central warehouse of the Hellenic Red Cross in Athens on Tuesday morning, bound for Siret on the Romanian-Ukrainian border and from there to Chernivtsi, Ukraine in order to deliver the aid directly to the Ukrainian Red Cross. Along with the aid, a mobile Red Cross Health Unit will also be going to Ukraine, complete with professional nurses and a rescue vehicle manned by volunteer rescue workers.
The Greek Red Cross, thanked members of the public, companies and organisations from all over Greece for their huge and touching response to the call to assist those stricken by the war.
Anyone wishing to assist those impacted by the war in Ukraine via the Hellenic Red Cross can visit the website www.redcross.gr.