The US embassy in Kiev is closed after a warning of a ‘significant’ Russian airstrike

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The U.S. embassy in Kiev said Wednesday it had been warned of a potentially significant Russian airstrike and would be closed as a precaution.

In a statement, the embassy also instructed employees to shelter in place and advised that U.S. citizens in Kiev should be prepared to take shelter immediately in the event of an air raid siren.

The warning was unusual for its specificity, as Russian airstrikes have become a common, almost daily occurrence in Ukraine.

But it comes a day after Moscow said US-made longer-range missiles were used in a Ukrainian attack on a weapons warehouse in the Bryansk region after US President Joe Biden authorized their use.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in September that if Western countries allow Ukraine to strike deep into Russia with their weapons of longer fury, “this will mean that NATO countries, the US and European countries are at war with Russia.”

“And if that is the case, taking into account the change in the essence of the conflict, we will make appropriate decisions based on the threats that will be posed to us,” Putin said.

Russia has recently escalated airstrikes and this week launched complex combined drone and missile strikes to target energy infrastructure as temperatures begin to drop.

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