The U.S. and some Western embassies in Kyiv announced closures on Wednesday due to security concerns, with the American delegation citing a warning of a possible significant Russian air strike on the Ukrainian capital.
This precaution followed Russian promises of retaliation after President Joe Biden authorized Ukraine to target Russian soil with U.S.-supplied missiles, provoking Kremlin anger.
The U.S. Embassy’s decision to close was tied to ongoing missile and drone attacks on Kyiv by Russia, with expectations for a swift return to normal operations. Similarly, the Italian and Greek embassies closed to the public, while the U.K. embassy remained operational.
The war, now past its 1,000-day mark, has taken on a more international scope with the arrival of North Korean troops to support Russia on the battlefield—a development prompting Biden’s policy change, according to U.S. officials.
In response, Russian President Vladimir Putin adjusted the nation’s nuclear policy, announcing that Moscow could now potentially respond with nuclear force to a conventional attack on Russia by any nation supported by a nuclear power, which could include Ukrainian strikes backed by the U.S.
Western leaders dismissed this as an attempt to dissuade Ukraine’s allies, but the rising tensions impacted stock markets after Ukraine used U.S.-made ATACMS long-range missiles to hit a Russian target for the first time.
Western and Ukrainian sources indicate that Russia is accumulating powerful long-range missiles, possibly for an effort to cripple Ukraine’s power grid as winter approaches. Analysts suggest that the new U.S. decision on missile range may not drastically shift the war’s outcome but could hinder Russia’s military efforts. The Institute for the Study of War stated that Ukrainian long-range strikes on military targets within Russia are essential to reducing Russian military capacity across the conflict zone.
