Australia has asked its citizens in Ukraine to think about getting out of the country asap and has changed its travel advice to ‘Do not travel’ there. However, English teacher Colin Palmer, one of the estimated 1,400 Australians in the country, has made it clear that he has no intention of leaving.
“Honestly,” he told SBS News, “it’s just another day. Just another normal day. Nothing is different. Not a single thing.”
Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Travel (DFAT), like the UK and US governments, is evacuating its non-essential embassy staff from Kiev. It’s also told its citizens that if they stay they may not be able to leave later if tensions between Ukraine and Russia escalate and flights are suspended.
As reported by SBS News, a spokesperson for the DFAT said, “Australians who decide to remain in Ukraine should review their personal security plans, be prepared to shelter in place if required, maintain heightened security awareness and register with [the] DFAT.”
However, Palmer countered by saying, “This is my home, it’s the longest in my entire life I’ve ever lived at the one single address. I have a wife, I have a family. I’m not going anywhere. Nobody here is concerned for their safety at all. I don’t know a single person who is worried.”
