Australia is evacuating its embassy in Kyiv as global concern mounts around the security situation on the border of Ukraine with the build-up of Russian troops.
Foreign Minister Marise Payne said in a statement on Sunday morning the government had directed the departure of staff and temporarily suspended operations at the embassy.
Staff and operations will move away from the Russian border to a temporary office in Lviv, a city in the far west of Ukraine about 70km from the Polish border.
"We continue to advise Australians to leave Ukraine immediately by commercial means. Security conditions could change at short notice," Senator Payne said.
"Russian military action in Ukraine will severely limit our ability to provide consular assistance to Australians."
Senator Payne said Australia continues to support Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
"We remain in close contact with our Five Eyes and other like-minded partners on the ground," she said.
She said Australians in Ukraine seeking consular assistance should call the Australian government's 24-hour consular emergency centre on 1300 555 135 or on +61 2 6261 3305 outside Australia.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Saturday said any Australian citizens still in Ukraine should leave the country as soon as possible.
On Sunday, Mr Morrison told reporters in Adelaide the “autocratic, unilateral actions of Russia to be threatening and bullying Ukraine is something that is completely and utterly unacceptable”.
He also hit out at China for criticising Australia for holding talks with the US, Japan and India this week under the Quad grouping, but having been "chillingly silent" on the Russia-Ukraine situation.
“When autocracies start working together and cooperate and partner in this way, that obviously raises real concerns to loving liberal democracies like Australia, and that's why it's important that we have taken such a strong stand on these issues," he said.
United States President Joe Biden , where he again called on his Russian counterpart to pull back more than 100,000 Russian troops massed near Ukraine's borders.
He also warned that the US and its allies would "respond decisively and impose swift and severe costs" if Russia invades, according to the White House.
Western countries have warned an invasion could be imminent, but Russia denies that it intends to launch an offensive against Ukraine.
What are other countries doing with staff and citizens?
Australia aside, about a dozen other counties have told their nationals to leave Ukraine or pulled staff from embassies.
Britain, the US, Germany, Italy, Israel, Japan and the Netherlands are among the other nations to call for citizens to leave as soon as possible.
Canada is also moving its embassy staff to Lviv and the US has ordered "most" of its Kyiv staff to leave, but Britain is keeping a "core team", including ambassador to Ukraine Melinda Simmons, in the capital.
Britain and the US have pulled out most of their remaining military advisers.
Russia itself on Saturday pulled some of its diplomatic staff out of Ukraine, with the foreign ministry in Moscow saying its decision was prompted by fears of "possible provocations from the Kyiv regime".
With AAP, AFP.
