US embassy in Kyiv closes after warning of possible ‘significant’ Russian airstrikes
The U.S. embassy in Kyiv said it received a warning about a possible Russian airstrike on Wednesday and will be closed as a precaution.
In a statement, the embassy also ordered staff to shelter in place and recommended that US citizens in the Ukrainian capital be prepared to take shelter immediately in the event of an air strike.
The embassy said its closure and attack warning were issued in the context of ongoing Russian missile and drone attacks in Kyiv and a return to normal operations is expected soon.
The warning was unusual in its specificity as Russian airstrikes have become a regular, daily occurrence in Ukraine.
But it comes a day after Moscow said US-made ballistic missiles were used in a Ukrainian attack on a weapons depot in the Bryansk region after US President Joe Biden authorized their use.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has lowered the threshold for using nuclear weapons, with a revised doctrine he announced on Tuesday that allows for a possible nuclear response by Moscow and even a conventional attack on Russia by any nuclear-backed nation. That could include a US-backed invasion of Ukraine
Western leaders dismissed the Russian move as an attempt to prevent Ukraine’s allies from providing more support to Kyiv, but tensions rose in stock markets after Ukraine used US-built ATACMS cruise missiles for the first time to hit a target inside Russia.
Ukraine: The US Embassy in Kyiv has received some information about a possible significant airstrike on Nov 20. The embassy will be closed and recommends that US citizens be prepared to take shelter immediately if an airstrike is announced. pic.twitter.com/m8cWXCXT2V
Putin said in September that if the West allows Ukraine to strike inside Russia with long-range weapons, “it will mean that NATO countries, the US, European countries are at war with Russia.”
“And if that’s the case, if we remember to change the context of the conflict, we will be making the right decisions based on the threats that will be put to us,” said Putin.
Russia has recently stepped up its airstrikes, launching coordinated drone and missile barrages to target energy infrastructure this week as temperatures begin to drop.
After nearly three years of bombings, many Ukrainians are welcoming the possibility of retreating deeper into Russian territory as the US is warned not to escalate the war.
Military analysts say the US decision on the range that US missiles can use is not expected to change the war, but it could help weaken Russia’s military, according to the Institute for the Study of. War, a Washington think tank.
“Ukraine’s long-term strikes against Russia’s rear-end weapons are critical to degrading Russia’s military capabilities in all theaters,” the statement said.
After confirming that Ukraine had struck Russian territory using long-range missiles supplied by the US, the Kremlin announced that it was lowering its limit on the use of nuclear weapons.
