American officials in Ukraine on Wednesday announced they would be closing the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv after receiving what they called “specific information of a potential significant air attack” on the Ukrainian capital from Russian forces.
Italy, Spain, and Greece were also temporarily closing their embassies in Kyiv as a result of the Russian threats, according to multiple media reports.
Employees of the embassy are being instructed to shelter in place “out of an abundance of caution,” officials said.
“The U.S. Embassy recommends U.S. citizens be prepared to immediately shelter in the event an air alert is announced,” embassy officials warned.
The rare warning — in a city where air raid alerts are an almost daily fact of life — came a day after Ukraine’s military used the American-made Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) to strike targets inside Russian territory. The Biden administration authorized Ukraine to use ATACMS after about 11,000 North Korean troops joined the fight on the side of Russia.
The Kremlin has warned that such a strike would be considered an escalation of the conflict and could result in a military response against both Ukraine and its allied backers.
Separately, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed on Wednesday that the Pentagon will now allow Ukraine’s forces to use American-supplied anti-personnel landmines in the war, telling reporters on a visit to Laos that the move was a response to changing tactics by the Russian forces along the 600-mile front in eastern and southern Ukraine.
Russian ground troops are taking the lead in advances along parts of the front, so Ukraine has “a need for things that can help slow down that effort on the part of the Russians,” Mr. Austin said.
It was not clear how reliable were the reports of a looming major Russian strike on Kyiv. Ukraine’s main intelligence agency on Wednesday accused the Kremlin of a disinformation campaign, fueling what it called “a massive information-psychological attack.”
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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