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The Ìýhas blocked entry to thousands of Ukrainians looking to fleeÌýÌýof Ukraine, by suspending its visa-free policy just days into the war.

The news was announced on the official Facebook page of Ukraine's Embassy in the UAE, after the unprovokedÌýwar by RussiaÌýforced hundreds of thousands of to flee their homes as Moscow's forces bombard major cities, including the capital Kyiv.

The UAE's decision likely came as a shock to the 15,000 Ukrainians who live and work in the Gulf state.

Around 90 percent of the UAE population are expatsÌýand up to 250,000 Ukrainian tourists visit the country every year.

The UAE has restricted entry to other victims of war and has even been accused of, where they face detainment, torture and death.

Ìýseems preparedÌýto intensify its onslaught onÌýUkraine as a of Russian troops heads to Kyiv. Moscow’s troops have already used internationally-banned weapons such as cluster bombs against Ukraine’s population - as they have in Syria.

fear Russian assaultsÌýare about to get much worse, with at least dozens of civilians killed.

Abu Dhabi, which isÌýmoving increasingly closer to Moscow, is one of the few countries that has notÌýcondemned Russia’s actions in Ukraine, angering Europe and the US.

This stance is seen as tacit support for Russia's brutal assault on Ukraine, as were comments by the Gulf state's leadership that Russia has "legitimate security concerns".

Russia’s President Putin to Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed on Tuesday to discuss energy issues, according to , the UAE’s news agency.

The Kremlin’s press release stated that Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince "", suggesting that the UAE supports Moscow’s invasion.

The UAE was one of only three countries that refused to support a resolution at the UNÌýcondemning Russian aggression and calling for an immediate ceasefire of hostilities. The other two states were India and China.

The UAE has strong relations with both the US and Russia. US troops are stationed in the country, but Abu Dhabi has also cooperated closely with Moscow as they are both members of the OPEC+ alliance of oil-producing nations.

Analysts say that Russia's Putin and the UAE's MbZ share the same vision for the region, which would see autocrats and military leaders take control of civilian government.

Both countries have played a key role in crushing democratic uprisings in the region, Russia in Syria and Libya and the UAE in Egypt, Libya and other countries.

Moscow and Abu Dhabi also have strong relations with Israel, which continues to occupy Palestinian land.