The US Embassy in Kyiv advised American nationals on Tuesday to leave the country citing information by the State Department that Moscow will be stepping up efforts to launch strikes against civilian infrastructure and government facilities in Ukraine in the coming days.
Warning that the security situation is highly volatile and that conditions could deteriorate rapidly and without warning, the security alert issued on the Embassy’s website urges US citizens to leave Ukraine as soon as possible using privately available ground transportation options, if it is safe to do so.
The alert comes despite Russia’s claims that Russian troops only strike military targets in Kyiv and elsewhere in Ukraine.
The State Department summoned last week Russian Ambassador to the US, Anatoly Antonov, to warn Moscow against any escalation of its war on Ukraine, including for Russia to cease all military operations at or near Ukraine’s nuclear facilities.
All alerts and preventive measures are coming after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Moscow could trigger the cancellation of celebrations by attempting something particularly ugly as Ukraine prepares for its Independence Day, which will mark 31 years since Ukraine broke its ties with the Soviet Union.
Amid fears of intensified Russian attacks, Ukrainian cities and Kyiv military administration have also begun imposing curbs on events linked to Ukraine’s Independence Day celebrations on Wednesday.
They’ve issued a ban on all big gatherings in the city between Monday and Thursday, banning mass events, peaceful meetings, and rallies connected to the event which commemorates freedom from Soviet rule, but also marks six months since the Russian invasion began.
Authorities in Kharkiv have announced a curfew from 7 p.m. on the eve of Independence Day to 7 a.m. on the day after.