dpa
Kiev
The United States on Wednesday temporarily closed its embassy in Kiev amid concerns over a potential Russian attack.
The embassy said it "received specific information of a potential significant air attack on November 20.” "Out of an abundance of caution, the Embassy will be closed, and Embassy employees are being instructed to shelter in place,” the message said.
The embassy recommended US citizens in Kiev "be prepared to immediately shelter in the event an air alert is announced.” The Spanish, Italian and Greek embassies in the Ukrainian capital also announced that they would close to the public.
Ukrainian broadcasters reported, citing diplomatic sources, that a major attack with combat drones and ballistic missiles was expected.
The warnings came after Kiev on Tuesday marked the 1,000th day since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, and as Washington moved to let Ukraine use ATACMS missiles against targets inside Russian territory. According to US media reports, outgoing President Joe Biden has expanded permission for Kiev to hit targets in Russia in response to the deployment of North Korean soldiers on Moscow’s side.
Russia has said it views the move as an escalation and an entanglement of the United States and other Western countries in the war.
The stance was echoed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who on Wednesday condemned the decision.
"We not only consider this decision to be wrong, we also do not approve of it,” the Turkish state news agency Anadolu cited Erdogan as saying.