US shuts Kyiv embassy due to ‘potential significant air attack,’ tells Americans in Ukraine to be ready to seek shelter
The US and other Western countries have closed their embassies in Kyiv due to “specific information of a potential significant air attack” in the Ukrainian capital — days after Ukraine launched US long-range missiles into Russian territory for the first time.
The warning, which led the Greek and Italian embassies to also shut their doors, comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to hit back after Kyiv fired American-made ATACMS missiles to blow up a Russian arms depot on Tuesday.
“Out of an abundance of caution, the embassy will be closed, and embassy employees are being instructed to shelter in place,” the US Department of State Consular Affairs said in a statement on the embassy’s website.
“The U.S. Embassy recommends U.S. citizens be prepared to immediately shelter in the event an air alert is announced.”
The British and French embassies in the Ukrainian capital remained open.
President Biden on Sunday gave Ukraine permission to use the long-range ATACMS to strike deeper into Russia, marking a potential game-changer in the conflict as the war reaches a grim 1,000th day milestone.
The outgoing administration’s sudden policy shift was prompted by the arrival of North Korean troops in Russia’s Kursk region, which adds a new international dimension to the war.
Russia has been signaling to the US and its allies for weeks that such a decision would be viewed as an escalation and would warrant a response.
Putin in turn lowered the threshold for allowing for a nuclear strike on Tuesday, with its updated law permitting a potential nuclear response by Moscow even in response to a conventional attack on Russia by any nation that is supported by a nuclear power.
Western leaders dismissed the alarming doctrine update as an attempt to deter Ukraine’s allies from providing further support to Kyiv.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s military intelligence agency confirmed Wednesday that a Russian military command post had been “successfully struck” with ATACMS missiles in the town of Gubkin in Russia’s Belgorod region — around 105 miles from the Ukrainian border.
Kyiv was targeted in a missile strike overnight Tuesday but damages were only minor.
Ukraine’s military claims it shot down 56 drones and lost track of 58 more as a result of what it described as “active counteraction.” Six drones also flew out of Ukraine’s air space and two out of six missiles were shot down, it added.
Russia carried out a massive missile and drone strike on Ukraine’s national power grid on Sunday that left seven dead and reignited fears over the country’s patchworked energy network.
With major outages possible as a result of the Russian strikes, the embassy urged US citizens in Ukraine to stockpile water, food and other necessities.
“Persistent Russian attacks targeting civilian infrastructure throughout Ukraine may result in power outages, loss of heating, and disruption of municipal services,” it said.
With Post Wires
