Several embassies in Kyiv are closed due to the threat of attack by the Russian Federation. This information appeared in the Ukrainian media in the morning and afternoon of November 20.
Statement from the US Embassy in Ukraine:
The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv has received specific information about a potential significant air attack on November 20. Out of an abundance of caution, the Embassy will be closed, and Embassy employees are instructed to shelter in place. The U.S. Embassy recommends U.S. citizens be prepared to shelter in the event an air alert is announced immediately.
This statement came after Ukraine received the right to use US ATACMS missiles deep into Russian territory. According to Western media, the Ukrainian armed forces have already used them against targets in the Bryansk region.
In recent weeks, Russian troops have once again stepped up attacks on the infrastructure of Ukrainian cities. Kyiv, Odesa and other cities and regions have suffered from missile and drone strikes. One of the most powerful strikes in recent times was on November 17, when Russian troops launched 120 missiles and 90 drones, targeting, in particular, energy facilities, especially in Odesa and its region.
Statements of other diplomatic missions in Ukraine
Following the American diplomatic mission, the embassies of Italy, Greece and Spain suspended their work due to possible security threats.
As a precaution, the Italian Embassy in Kyiv will be closed to the public today [20 November – ed.]. The Embassy remains operational. In the event of an air raid alert, all Italian citizens in the country are advised to follow the most stringent risk mitigation measures and to immediately go to the nearest shelter.
The Greek diplomatic mission made a prompt statement on its Facebook page.
The Embassy of Greece, for security reasons, will remain closed to the public today. Please, as you avoid travel and stay in safe places.
The following Spanish Embassy in Kyiv has announced that it will not provide services on Wednesday due to an increased risk of airstrikes throughout Ukraine…
The Embassy will be closed, and Embassy employees are being instructed to shelter in place, – it said in a statement.
At the moment (15:00 Kyiv time), there are no special orders to stop work in Great Britain and Germany. There are also no special messages from the Indian and Chinese embassies.
The embassies of Denmark, Norway, and Poland also made no special statements. They continue to operate as usual.
In their majority, diplomatic missions of foreign countries suspended their work at the very beginning of the full-scale attack of the Russian Federation on Ukraine. Since the end of spring-summer 2022, almost all embassies have fully or partially resumed their work in Kyiv.
Also in Mukachevo, the Flex plant let its 2nd and 3rd shift workers go home due to the threat of missile attacks, indicating great concern over the new reports of a missile attack. The plant is owned by an American company that manufactures electronics.
Reasons for such statements regarding the suspension of work
The reason for concern on the part of Western diplomatic missions was the statements by the Russian side about the “so-called update of the nuclear doctrine” and a possible “response” to the use of “Western non-nuclear missiles by the Ukrainian Armed Forces against the Russian Federation.”
A number of media outlets are spreading versions that Russia may launch a new RS-26 ballistic missile at Ukraine, which carries up to 1.2 tons of explosives. Its range can reach 6,000 km, meaning that the entire territory of Ukraine is in the zone of potential destruction. It is worth noting that the ATACMS missiles transferred by the American side, depending on the modification, can have a range of 140 to 300 km.
The escalation that Russia has unleashed with its territorial attacks on civilian energy infrastructure and the renewal of its nuclear doctrine has come as a surprise and has not been accepted even in China.
According to the official statement of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, the hysteria surrounding the “particularly massive missile strike on Ukraine” is part of a massive information and psychological attack against Ukraine.
And messages from the Russian IPSO have already begun to spread online. Messengers and social networks are allegedly spreading a message on behalf of the GUR about the threat of a “particularly massive” missile and bomb attack on Ukrainian cities today. This is a fake.
However, due to the increased frequency of shelling and the use of cluster munitions by the Russian side, we recommend that everyone in Ukraine pay close attention to the alarms.
This article will be updated
Stanislav Kinka
