Both countries are currently at war: the Russo-Ukrainian War began in 2014 after the Russian annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, bilateral relations between successive states went through periods of relations, tensions and direct conflicts.

The Indian embassy in Kiev on Tuesday issued a statement in which citizens whose stay in Ukraine is not obliged to consider "leaving the country temporarily". She said the embassy would continue to function normally.

Russia's top diplomat advised President Vladimir Putin to continue talks with the West on Moscow's security requirements, signaling the Kremlin that it intends to continue diplomatic efforts amid US warnings of a heavy Russian invasion of Ukraine. Moscow wants assurances from the West that NATO will not allow Ukraine and other former Soviet countries to join and that it will stop sending weapons to Ukraine and return its troops from Eastern Europe, the West has rejected the demands.

Moscow denies planning an invasion of Ukraine, but has deployed more than 1.30,000 troops near its borders and, from the US perspective, built enough firepower to launch an offensive in the short term. The United States and its NATO allies have repeatedly warned that Russia will pay a high price for each invasion - but sometimes have trouble presenting a united front.