US Embassy In Kyiv Reopens, Americans Are Urged To Stay Alert

US Embassy in Ukraine. (Wikimedia Commons/Kholodovsky)

JAKARTA - The United States reopened its embassy in Kyiv on Wednesday night, after being closed all day in anticipation of a significant airstrike threat, a day after Ukraine used US missiles to strike targets inside Russia.

Russia described US missile attacks as an escalation in a war that has lasted 1,000 days. Meanwhile, Ukraine's military spy agency said Russia was trying to spread panic by spreading false online messages about threatening missile and drone attacks.

"@USEmbassyKyiv telah melanjutkan layanan setelah pendependaan sementara untuk berlindungan di tempat sebelumnya hari ini," tulis Duta Besar AS untuk Ukraina totali Brink di X, melansir Reuters 21 November.

"We continue to urge US citizens to remain vigilant, monitor official Ukrainian sources for the latest information, and prepare to take shelter on the spot if air alerts are announced," he continued.

The US State Department said it expected the Kyiv embassy would resume normal operations on Thursday.

Earlier, the State Department on the embassy's website said the embassy would be closed "on high alert grounds". Embassy staff were instructed to "protect on-site".

"The US Embassy recommends US citizens to take shelter immediately if air warnings are announced."

A US Government source said the closure of the embassy was "related to the threat of ongoing airstrikes".

The Italian and Greek Embassys said they had also closed their doors. Meanwhile, the French Embassy remains open but urges its citizens to be careful.

Separately, the Kremlin said it had not commented on this matter.

Ukraine on Tuesday used US ATACMS missiles to attack weapons depots inside Russia, utilizing a newly granted permit from US President Joe Biden's administration.

Russia itself has signaled to the United States and its allies for weeks, if they gave Ukraine permission to strike deep into Russian territory with a missile supplied by the West, then Moscow would consider it a major escalation.