US shuts Kyiv embassy

The US embassy in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv has been shut down fearing air attack.

On Wednesday, the Department of State Consular Affairs said in a statement that it has received ‘specific information of a potential significant air attack.

The Italian, Spanish and Greek embassies have also said their embassies will remain closed.

Russia’s foreign intelligence chief Sergey Naryshkin says that attempts by NATO countries to facilitate Ukrainian missile strikes deep inside Russia will not go unpunished, according to Russia’s state-run RIA news agency.

“Out of an abundance of caution, the embassy will be closed, and embassy employees are being instructed to shelter in place," the statement published on the website of the US embassy in Kyiv said.

The warning comes a day after Ukraine used US ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System) rockets to strike Russian territory, taking advantage of newly granted permission from outgoing President Joe Biden on the war's 1,000th day.