The US embassy in Kyiv has temporarily closed its doors after receiving intelligence that Russia is planning a large-scale attack on the Ukrainian capital.
In a rare warning, the embassy said it “received specific information of a potential significant air attack on November 20”, prompting it to shut down on Wednesday and advising its staff to “shelter in place”.
An embassy official told the Financial Times the intelligence was about “a combined missile and drone attack”, adding that the attack was unrelated to Russia’s lowering the threshold for its use of nuclear weapons.
“This is a temporary change in posture, and we anticipate a quick return to regular operations,” they said.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Tuesday for nuclear weapons use to include attacks by advanced western weapons systems. Earlier on Tuesday, Ukraine launched its first strike on Russian soil using US Atacms missiles, targeting a Russian military arsenal in Bryansk region.
The US embassy has only issued these kinds of statements a handful of times since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
It instructed staff to shelter in place and urged US citizens in Ukraine to seek shelter, monitor local media and follow the guidance of Ukrainian authorities. It warned US citizens to prepare for possible temporary loss of electricity by having reserves of water, food, and medication.
The heightened security measure came three days after the Biden administration lifted restrictions on Ukraine’s use of US-supplied Atacms inside Russia, marking a big policy shift before Donald Trump takes office in January.
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