The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv has temporarily closed its doors, citing “an abundance of caution” as it warned of a potentially “significant” air strike on the horizon. In an update, the embassy advised U.S. citizens to be ready to seek shelter immediately if an air alert is announced, noting that it had received “specific” information regarding a possible attack scheduled for November 20.
This warning comes amid escalating tensions following Ukraine’s military’s first use of U.S.-made long-range ATACMS missiles targeting locations within Russia. President Joe Biden recently granted Ukraine permission to carry out such strikes, according to U.S. officials.
The strike occurred shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an updated nuclear doctrine, with a Kremlin spokesperson indicating that the use of Western non-nuclear rockets by Ukraine could prompt a nuclear response.
In response, a U.S. Department of Defense spokesperson attempted to downplay the situation, stating that Russia had been hinting at updates to its nuclear doctrine for weeks. “It’s the same irresponsible rhetoric we’ve seen before,” said Sabrina Singh, the deputy Pentagon press secretary. She emphasized that there were no indications that Russia was preparing to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine.
Singh also noted Russia’s escalatory actions, which include the deployment of North Korean soldiers to the battlefield.
Meanwhile, Russia accused the Biden administration of trying to prolong the conflict in its final months. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov claimed that the outgoing U.S. administration was dedicated to extending the war and was doing everything possible to facilitate this.
Overnight, Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia had launched approximately 122 uncrewed attack drones targeting various regions, including the capital, Kyiv, of which at least 56 were intercepted. Guided missiles were also fired toward the Dnipro region in the southeast, as well as Chernihiv and Sumy in the northeast, with anti-aircraft missiles deployed in Kharkiv.
Ukrainian parliament member Inna Sovsun commented on social media, stating, “Anyone asking Ukrainians if they’re afraid of Putin escalating clearly hasn’t woken up to the sound of hypersonic missiles exploding over their cities.”
Credit: ABC News
