KYIV, UKRAINE – JANUARY 24: View of the United States Embassy in Kiev, Ukraine on January 24, 2022. According to media reports, the embassy has ordered families of embassy staff to leave the country and urged U.S. citizens in Ukraine to leave. Russia has massed tens of thousands of troops on the Ukrainian border, raising international concerns about an impending military invasion. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
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The United States closed its embassy in Kiev on Wednesday, warning it had “received specific information of a potentially significant airstrike” amid heightened tensions with Russia.
U.S. Embassy said in a statement It said it closed the building “out of an abundance of caution” and instructed embassy staff to shelter in place.
“The U.S. Embassy advises U.S. citizens to be prepared to take shelter immediately if an air warning is issued,” the statement added.
Air warnings in Kiev are common as the Ukrainian capital is regularly hit by Russian drones and missiles. But the latest alert comes amid heightened tensions between Moscow and Washington after reports that the White House on Sunday allowed Ukraine to use U.S.-made long-range missiles to attack targets on Russian soil.
On Tuesday, the Russian Defense Ministry said it intercepted five U.S.-made ATACMS missiles and destroyed another that Ukraine had used to attack its border region of Bryansk. Ukraine has not officially commented on the use of U.S.-made long-range missiles in an attack.
The Pentagon also declined to comment when asked about the development.
The attack prompted a strong reaction from Moscow, with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov calling the move an “escalation” by the West.
On October 5, 2022, the United States and South Korea conducted joint training at an undisclosed location and launched the U.S.-made Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS).
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The Kremlin has repeatedly warned the West not to allow Ukraine to use long-range weapons to attack targets on Russian soil. On Tuesday, President Vladimir Putin approved amendments to Russia’s nuclear doctrine that change the parameters within which Moscow can use nuclear weapons.
The updated document now states that any aggression against Russia by non-nuclear states backed by nuclear states will be considered a joint attack.
It also outlined that the Kremlin could use nuclear weapons in the event that its sovereignty and territorial integrity and that of its ally Belarus were seriously threatened, and that launching ballistic missiles at Russia would be considered one of the conditions for a possible nuclear response.
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