The United States on Wednesday temporarily shut down its embassy in Kyiv after receiving a threat of a "potential significant air attack." Authorities issued an advisory for American citizens to prepare themselves to relocate to a shelter facility in the event of an air raid warning.
However, there is a very rare chance of such warnings being put in place. But, authorities are working to investigate any such threat as tensions between Ukraine and Russia continue. This further escalated after the U.S. approved the use of anti-personnel mines, which are of grave concern as these reportedly remain active even years after they are launched a few years ago.
In the alert, the embassy said the alert applied to all of Ukraine and advised people to monitor the media for updates. It added: "The US embassy in Kyiv has received specific information of a potential significant air attack on November 20.
"Out of an abundance of caution, the embassy will be closed, and embassy employees are being instructed to shelter in place. The US embassy recommends US citizens be prepared to immediately shelter in the event an air alert is announced."
The mines are designated for use in Ukraine's eastern regions, where Russian forces have been gradually advancing against Ukrainian defensive lines.
Since the beginning of the war, the U.S. has supplied Ukraine with anti-tank mines to counter Russia's advantage in armored vehicles. However, until now, the Biden administration refrained from giving anti-personnel mines due to concerns over their long-term risks.
In June 2022, four months into the war in Ukraine, the Biden administration committed to restricting the use of anti-personnel mines. This marked a policy reversal from the Trump administration.
The development comes after reports surfaced that over 10,000 North Korean troops were deployed to Kursk by Russia's military. However, the exact number still remains unknown.
North Korea has also reportedly supplied more arms for the conflict in Ukraine, including self-propelled howitzers and multiple rocket launchers, Park said, citing information from the National Intelligence Service.
The Biden administration's recent actions have been condemned by Russian authorities, who have claimed that the United States are edging the world closer to "world war three."
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a revised nuclear doctrine, effectively lowering the threshold for deploying nuclear weapons. However, the Pentagon stated that they had seen no sign of Moscow planning to use a nuclear weapon in Ukraine.
"We're going to continue to monitor, but we don't have any indications that Russia is preparing to use a nuclear weapon within Ukraine," Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said.
