Six Months Ahead Of Invasion: US Urges Citizens To Leave Ukraine, Fears Escalating Russian Attacks

Kedutaan Besar Amerika Serikat di Ukraina. (Wikimedia Commons/Kholodovsky)

JAKARTA - The United States urged its citizens to leave Ukraine on Tuesday, anticipating Russian attacks on civilian and government infrastructure targets in the next few days, as the war reaches six months.

Fearing an escalation in Russian attacks, the US Embassy in Kyiv on Tuesday urged US citizens to leave if they could.

"The State Department has information that Russia is stepping up efforts to launch attacks on civilian infrastructure and facilities of the Ukrainian government in the coming days," the embassy said in a statement.

"The US Embassy urges US citizens to leave Ukraine now, using privately available ground transportation options if it is safe to do so," the warning read, repeating advice from an earlier security warning.

While it's not the first time the United States has issued such a warning, it also pays attention to Wednesday marking six months of the invasion and 31 years of Ukraine's independence.

It also follows the killing of Darya Dugina, the daughter of a prominent Russian ultra-nationalist, in a car bomb attack near Moscow on Saturday. Moscow blames the killing on Ukrainian agents, a charge Kyiv denies.

Kyiv is far from the front lines of fighting and has rarely been hit by Russian missiles since Ukraine repelled a ground offensive to seize the capital in March.

The atmosphere in the city remained calm on Tuesday, with many people still roaming the streets with smiling faces, but signs of an escalating threat could be felt.

Authorities have told Ukrainians nationwide to work from home whenever possible from Tuesday to Thursday, also urging people to take air strike warnings seriously, seeking shelter when sirens sound.

In addition, the Kyiv City Government banned large public gatherings until Thursday, including Wednesday's independence celebrations, for fear that crowds celebrating could become targets for Russian missile attacks.