Ukraine’s KYIV The United States announced on Wednesday that it has closed its embassy in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, on specific notification of a possible major airstrike.
Following Ukraine’s initial attack on Russian territory using long-range weapons provided by the United States and President Joe Biden’s approval of the transfer of antipersonnel land mines to Ukraine to aid in repelling Moscow’s soldiers, the decision was made.
In a security advisory, the embassy stated that it had closed out of extreme caution and that staff members were being told to stay indoors. It further stated that in the event of an air alert, Americans should seek shelter.
In light of the war, which entered its 1,000th day on Tuesday, closing the embassy is not a novel tactic. Following the U.S. warning, the embassies of Greece and Italy reported that they had also closed. Although it encouraged its citizens to exercise caution, the French embassy stayed open.
Later, the Defense Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine claimed on Telegram that Russia was launching a large psychological and information assault. Additionally, it stated that a phony letter with grammatical problems was being disseminated via social media and communication apps.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin issued the warning after claiming that Russia’s altered warfare strategies were the reason behind the decision to send the landmines to Ukraine.
“Ukraine needs things that can help slow down that effort on the part of the Russians,” he told reporters while visiting Laos. “Russian ground troops are leading the movement on the battlefield instead of forces more protected in armored carriers.
When combined with the other munitions that the United States provides Ukraine, the mines, which can be quickly deployed and are made to impede ground forces’ advances, will greatly aid Ukraine’s defense against Russian advances in its sovereign territory, especially in the east, a U.S. official told NBC News.
According to the official, it was anticipated that Ukraine would employ these mines on its own soil and that the United States had asked the Ukrainians for guarantees on their usage in order to further reduce the risk to civilians.
The official claimed that the U.S. mines were non-persistent, meaning that they would not explode when their batteries ran out and would turn inert after a predetermined amount of time, often two to four weeks, in contrast to Russian mines.
The International Campaign to Ban Landmines, the largest mine clearance donor in the world, stated on X that it was unthinkable that the United States would supply the weapons. It urged the Biden administration to overturn the ruling, stating that even in extremely challenging situations, citizen security cannot be jeopardized.
An escalating wave of Russian aerial attacks has killed over a dozen people in Ukraine, targeting electrical facilities nationwide and causing extensive blackouts.
According to Serhii Popko, the head of Kyiv’s City Military Administration, Russian drones attacked the Ukrainian capital early on Wednesday. He also mentioned that debris had fallen in the Dniprovskyy neighborhood.
In a post on Telegram, he stated that a fire had broken out in an apartment of a multi-story residential structure and that details on the victims were being clarified.
According to officials, multiple buildings in Kyiv, including a kindergarten, were struck.
The easing of U.S. sanctions on its partner has sparked a fierce reaction from the Kremlin, and Russian President Vladimir Putin publicly updated his nation’s nuclear doctrine early on Tuesday, reducing the threshold for his nation’s use of nuclear weapons.
According to the updated policy, if a nonnuclear nation supported by a nuclear nation attacked Moscow, Moscow could defend a nuclear strike.
According to an embassy official, the shutdown was due to the continuous threats of air assaults and had nothing to do with Putin’s announcement. The representative informed NBC News that employees are working from home.
Kyiv has increased its cross-border strikes as Russia intensifies its aerial attack.
In response to reporters’ questions on whether Putin’s daily schedule had altered following the reversal of U.S. policy, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated on Wednesday that “no changes there.”
Russia intercepted forty-four Ukrainian drones overnight, the Russian Defense Ministry announced on Telegram.
Ukraine claimed to have hit a Russian command post in the Belgorod border region, where three of the drones were shot down.
Mithil Aggarwal reported from Hong Kong, Courtney Kube from Washington, and Daryna Mayer from Kyiv.
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