US reopens embassy in Kyiv after warning of potential strike threat

The United States reopened its embassy in Kyiv late Wednesday, after temporarily closing it due to a potential airstrike threat, following Ukraine's use of American missiles to target Russia, News.az reports citing Reuters.

Russia had described the strike by U.S. missiles as an escalation in the 1,000-day-old war, while Ukraine's military spy agency said Russia was trying to sow panic by circulating fake online messages about a looming missile and drone attack.

"@USEmbassyKyiv has resumed services following a temporary shelter-in-place suspension earlier today," U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink wrote on X.

"We continue to encourage U.S. citizens to remain vigilant, monitor official Ukrainian sources for updates, and be prepared to shelter in place if an air alert is announced."

The U.S. State Department had earlier said it expected the Kyiv embassy to resume normal operations on Thursday.

The initial State Department statement on the embassy's website said the embassy would be closed "out of an abundance of caution". Embassy employees, it said, were being instructed to "shelter in place".

"The U.S. Embassy recommends U.S. citizens be prepared to immediately shelter in the event an air alert is announced."

The Kremlin said it had no comment.

A U.S. government source said the embassy closure was "related to ongoing threats of air attacks". The Italian and Greek embassies said they too had closed their doors. The French embassy remained open but urged its citizens to be cautious.

News.Az