The US Embassy in Kyiv, along with several other Western embassies, closed due to a warning of a potentially significant Russian air attack, marking an unusual level of specificity in threat details. This closure follows Ukraine’s use of US-made ATACMS missiles to strike Russian territory, which heightened tensions with Russia, leading to a change in their nuclear doctrine allowing potential nuclear retaliation against non-nuclear states backed by nuclear powers.
“Embassy employees are being instructed to shelter in place,” a new alert on the embassy website said. “The U.S. Embassy recommends U.S. citizens be prepared to immediately shelter in the event an air alert is announced.”
Ukraine: The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv received specific information of a potential significant air attack on Nov 20. The Embassy will be closed and recommends U.S. citizens be prepared to immediately shelter in the event an air alert is announced. https://t.co/ah0bpDfULK pic.twitter.com/m8cWXCXT2V
— Travel – State Dept (@TravelGov) November 20, 2024
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Despite the closures, Ukraine downplayed the threat, labeling it as part of routine Russian air attacks and accused Russia of spreading misinformation about large-scale strikes. The US government shared this assessment.
“As we said earlier this month, we were not surprised by Russia’s announcement that it would update its nuclear doctrine; Russia had been signaling its intent to update its doctrine for several weeks,” the White House National Security Council responded in a statement.
Meanwhile, the UK Embassy in Kyiv remained open with limited operations, emphasizing the ongoing daily realities of the conflict. Western leaders view Russia’s nuclear posture change as an intimidation tactic, while the US has also authorized new military aid to Ukraine, including antipersonnel landmines.
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