US Shuts Down Embassy In Ukraine Over Anticipated Attack From Russia
This was disclosed in a statement issued by the Department of State Consular Affairs.
The United States’ government has directed the closure of its embassy in Kyiv, the capital city of Ukraine over an anticipated air attack from Russia.
This was disclosed in a statement issued by the Department of State Consular Affairs.
“Out of an abundance of caution, the embassy will be closed, and embassy employees are being instructed to shelter in place,” the department said in a statement published on the website of the U.S. embassy in Kyiv.
“The US Embassy recommends U.S. citizens be prepared to immediately shelter in the event an air alert is announced.”
The warning comes a day after Ukraine used U.S. ATACMS missiles to strike Russian territory, taking advantage of newly granted permission from the outgoing administration of U.S. President, Joe Biden on the war’s 1000th day.
Russia had been warning the West for months that if Washington allowed Ukraine to fire US, British and French missiles deep into Russia, Moscow would consider those NATO members to be directly involved in the war in Ukraine.
Russian President, Vladimir Putin, said in October that Moscow would respond to Ukraine’s strikes with U.S.-made weapons deep into Russia.
Russian air defences reportedly intercepted five of the missiles, while a sixth was damaged.
Fragments from the damaged missile fell on a military facility, sparking a fire that was later extinguished.
However, no casualties or significant damage were reported.
The attack marked the first instance of Ukraine using the ATACMS missiles to strike deep within Russian territory.
While Kyiv has not commented on the attack, the strike follows President Biden’s authorization on Sunday for Ukraine to use longer-range missiles within Russia.
The move ended a months-long restriction intended to prevent further escalation of the conflict, while still providing Ukraine with the means to defend itself.
The decision came at a critical point in the war, now in its 1,000th day, as Russia continues its offensive in eastern Ukraine and launches missile and drone strikes against Ukrainian cities, aiming to cripple the country’s power grid and leverage freezing winter conditions as a weapon.
Meanwhile, thousands of North Korean troops have reportedly been deployed to Russia’s Kursk region, a site of a recent Ukrainian counter-offensive.
