KYIV, Aug. 28 - Ukraine has shut down its representative offices in member countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), RFE/RL reported on Tuesday.

The CIS is a loose grouping of former Soviet republics.

CIS Executive Secretary Sergei Lebedev said on August 28 that the Ukrainian offices were closed earlier this month, adding that the grouping's ties with Kyiv are being maintained through the Ukrainian Embassy in Minsk.

"I still hope that Ukraine will preserve its presence within the [CIS]," Lebedev said.