The Croatian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs (MVEP) has advised against travelling to areas in Ukraine that border Russia and to postpone travel to the rest of the country.

“Due to the deteriorated security situation in Ukraine and concentration of armed forces of the Russian Federation in areas bordering Ukraine, we advise Croatian citizens to avoid traveling to areas in eastern Ukraine that border the Russian Federation,” MVEP said on its website.

That in particular refers to areas under Ukrainian control that border the temporarily occupied areas of the internationally unrecognised Donetsk and Luhansk entities, the ministry said.

The ministry further advises citizens not to travel to areas near the annexed Crimea peninsula or areas of northern Ukraine that border Belarus.

For other areas of the country it is advisable to avoid all unnecessary travel and postpone trips if possible. Anyone travelling to Ukraine should take care and stay informed about the situation in all local media.

The warning comes after the US State Department withdrew the families of its diplomats from Ukraine on Sunday, due to the threat of a Russian invasion.

Ukraine’s foreign ministry said on Monday that it considers the US decision to be premature.

There have not been any major recent changes in the security situation: the threat of a new wave of Russian aggression has been constant since 2014 and Russian troops began to gather near the border in April last year, the ministry said in a press release.

European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell on Monday said that the EU would not follow suit with the US because it does not see any reason for the time being to withdraw its diplomats from Ukraine.