The United States closed its embassy in Kyiv on Wednesday morning due to 'specific information of a potential significant air attack,' amid heightened tensions in the capital following a major Ukrainian strike. The Italian and Greek embassies also shut their doors following the unusual US warning, while the French embassy remained open but advised its citizens to exercise caution.
Air raid sirens briefly sounded in Kyiv in the afternoon, prompting the air force to urge residents to seek shelter due to a missile threat. Senior officials emphasized the importance of heeding the alert. On Tuesday, Ukraine utilized US ATACMS missiles to attack an arms depot within Russia, taking advantage of newly granted permission from the outgoing administration of US President Joe Biden.
Russia has warned the United States and its allies for weeks that allowing Ukraine to strike deep into Russian territory with Western-supplied missiles would be considered a major escalation. '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 stated on the embassy's website.
The Kremlin declined to comment, but Russian foreign intelligence chief Sergei Naryshkin stated that Moscow would retaliate against NATO countries facilitating long-range Ukrainian missile strikes. Ukraine's military intelligence agency reported that a Russian military command post in the town of Gubkin, near the border with Ukraine, had been 'successfully struck.'
The war is at a critical point, with a significant portion of Ukrainian territory under Russian control, North Korean troops deployed in Russia's Kursk region, and uncertainty surrounding future Western aid. On Sunday, Russia launched a massive missile and drone attack on Ukraine's national power grid, killing seven and renewing concerns about the resilience of the already weakened energy network.
The US embassy in Kyiv advised its citizens to stockpile water, food, and essential medications in case of a 'possible temporary loss of electricity and water' due to Russian strikes. Persistent Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure could lead to power outages, loss of heating, and disruptions in municipal services.
On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin lowered the threshold for a nuclear strike in response to a broader range of conventional attacks. The US stated it had not seen any reason to adjust its nuclear posture. Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Ukrainian Security Council's Centre for Countering Disinformation, commented that Russia was prepared to conduct more missile strikes.
Kyiv was targeted in an overnight drone attack, causing minor damage. The military reported shooting down 56 drones and losing track of 58 more during 'active counteraction.' Additionally, six drones flew out of Ukraine's airspace, and two out of six missiles were intercepted.
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