US warns of renewed Russian attacks on Ukraine, urges citizens to leave

By Mustafa Deveci

KYIV(AA) – The US has again urged its citizens to leave Ukraine, warning that Russian strikes are likely to intensify as Ukraine gears up to mark its Independence Day on Wednesday.

“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,” read an alert issued by the US Embassy in Kyiv on Tuesday.

It said Russian attacks “pose a continued threat to civilians and civilian infrastructure” calling on “citizens to depart Ukraine now using privately available ground transportation options if it is safe to do so.”

“The security situation throughout Ukraine is highly volatile and conditions may deteriorate without warning,” the embassy said.

The renewed US warning comes as the Ukraine war enters its seventh month this week.

Along with other Ukrainian officials, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned last week that “Russia could try to do something particularly ugly, something particularly vicious” around Ukraine’s Independence Day.

The war, which began on Feb. 24, continues on a front stretching 1,300 kilometers (nearly 808 miles), nowadays concentrated in the eastern Donetsk region, as well as the southern regions of the country, replacing Russia's initial lightning offensive with a slow-burning conflict.

* Written by Ahmet Gencturk in Ankara