In the event of a “possible temporary loss of electricity and water” brought on by Russian attacks, the US embassy in Kiev advised its people living in Ukraine to stockpile food, water, and other necessities such necessary prescription drugs.
A day after Ukraine deployed American missiles to strike a target inside Russia, the United States said late Wednesday that it had reopened its embassy in Kiev, which had closed for the day due to what it described as the prospect of a major air attack.
While Ukraine’s military spy agency claimed Russia was attempting to incite panic by spreading false online information about an impending missile and drone attack, Russia had characterized the US missile strike as an escalation in the 1,000-day conflict.
“@USEmbassyKyiv has resumed services following a temporary shelter-in-place suspension earlier today,” Bridget Brink, the UN ambassador to Ukraine, said on X.
“We continue to encourage US citizens to remain vigilant, monitor official Ukrainian sources for updates, and be prepared to shelter in place if an air alert is announced.”
Embassy closure “out of an abundance of caution” was the first State Department statement posted on the embassy’s website. According to the report, embassy staff were being told to “shelter in place”.
“The US Embassy recommends US citizens be prepared to immediately shelter in the event an air alert is announced.”
According to the Kremlin, it had nothing to say.
According to a source in the US government, the shutdown of the embassy was “related to ongoing threats of air attacks”. The embassies of Greece and Italy said that they had also closed. Although it encouraged its citizens to exercise caution, the French embassy stayed open.
While saying that “panic-inducing messages circulated today only help Russia,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cautioned Ukrainians to closely monitor air raid sirens.
During his nightly video message, he stated, “It is always important to pay attention to air raid warnings, regardless of how many vicious and treacherous attacks we have endured by Russia.” “We have a neighbour that is insane” .
A significant increase
The military intelligence agency GUR stated: “The enemy uses psychological pressure and intimidation tactics on society because it cannot use force to dominate Ukrainians. We ask that you be alert and unwavering.
Zelenskyy also thanked the State Department for a new $275 million package of US military aid that focuses on missiles, drones, and ammunition.
On the 1,000th day of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Ukraine attacked an arms store inside Russia on Tuesday using US ATACMS missiles, utilizing recently authorized authorization from the departing administration of US President Joe Biden.
For weeks, Russia has been warning the US and its allies that allowing Ukraine to launch a strike deep into Russian territory with missiles supplied by the West would be viewed by Moscow as a significant escalation.
In an interview released on Wednesday, Russian Foreign Intelligence Chief Sergei Naryshkin stated that Moscow might strike back against NATO nations that allow long-range Ukrainian missile attacks on Russian soil.
The way the mind works
The Ukrainian air force issued a warning to seek shelter due to a missile threat in the early afternoon. Senior officials warned that the caution should not be disregarded.
That occurred just before the GUR espionage agency warned of a Russian psychological campaign using phony texts purporting to be from the agency.
“A message is being spread via messengers and social networks … about the threat of a ‘particularly massive’ missile and bomb strike on Ukrainian cities today,” GUR stated in a statement.
Two Ukrainian military officers told Reuters that they received communications alerting them to Russia’s plans to launch over 300 drones and fire a massive volley of missiles using warships, bombers, and ground-based systems.
How the texts were sent was not immediately clear to Reuters. According to one soldier, a friend gave him one.
With North Korean troops stationed in Russia’s Kursk region, roughly a fifth of Ukrainian territory in Russian hands, and uncertainty surrounding future help as US President-elect Donald Trump takes office again, the war is at a precarious moment.
