BAGHDAD

The Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday said that it has approached Ukrainian universities and educational institutes to grant Iraqi students "emergency study leaves in case the security situation worsened."

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation early Thursday in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region.

Iraqi Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Al-Sahaf said in a statement that his country's embassy in Ukraine "approached 27 Ukrainian universities and institutes where Iraqi students are studying, and requested them to show more care and attention to them and to facilitate granting them emergency study leave in case the security situation deteriorates."

He noted that the embassy also requested those Ukrainian universities and institutes to provide it with detailed information about the conditions and numbers of Iraqi students studying there.

The embassy also urged Iraqi nationals to "exercise caution and not visit dangerous areas in eastern Ukraine," according to the statement.

The Russian military intervention in Ukraine sparked international outrage, and the European Union imposed sanctions against high-ranking Russian officials, including Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.