In the early hours of Tuesday, August 23, the U.S. State Department issued an emergency alert at the US embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine. All Americans were instructed to leave Ukraine immediately using ground transport. Russian forces are taking ground in Kyiv and ramping up attacks on civilian infrastructure. Russia has been conducting strikes on rail, transport and power infrastructure to stop the flow of high-tech weaponry coming in from the West.
Worse yet, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres warns that the world is in a “maximum moment of danger” as the war in Ukraine nears the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.
Americans instructed to leave Ukraine immediately
The emergency notification warned of potential Russian airstrikes in the coming days: “The Department of State has information that Russia is stepping up efforts to launch strikes against Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure and government facilities in the coming days.” The notification said “Russian strikes in Ukraine pose a continued threat to civilians and civilian infrastructure” and urged “U.S. citizens to depart Ukraine now using privately available ground transportation options if it is safe to do so.” The threat of a nuclear disaster at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant is also high.
As Americans are urged to leave Ukraine using ground transport, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned everyone to stay home and stay safe due to the ongoing threat of missile strikes. The government is shutting down Independence Day celebrations “in order to ensure the safety of citizens,” and to “provide for the possibility of sheltering participants” in case air raids are conducted across the cities.