Early Saturday morning, the US State Department issued a travel alert, declaring the United States embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine was evacuated, due to the possibility of a Russian invasion.
Due to the constant threat of Russian military action, the advisory commanded the immediate departure of most US staff from the US Embassy in Kyiv on February 12, 2022.
The level four warning also advised Americans not to travel to the area and to leave “immediately” if they were already there. According to the State Department, the embassy in Kyiv will cease all consular services on Sunday.
The embassy in Lviv, Ukraine will “keep an extremely limited consular presence in Lviv, Ukraine to manage emergencies, but will not be able to provide a passport, visa, or other necessary documents.”
Former State Department official Christian Whiton joins guest host @EdwardLawrence to discuss U.S. officials warning Americans to leave Ukraine now pic.twitter.com/TkddWR1auI
— Neil Cavuto (@TeamCavuto) February 12, 2022
Some workers will remain in Kyiv; others will be relocated to Lyiv, according to a senior State Department official who declined to say how many would be at each location.
Employees are Relocated
Some employees were relocated to Lyiv, which is located in Ukraine’s western region, because of “its closer immediacy to U.S. diplomatic and consular buildings in adjacent countries.”
This way, officials could closely coordinate with colleagues nearby and safely evacuate people if Russia engaged in military action.
According to the official, “a couple thousand American citizens” have recently informed the US they are in the nation, and officials have been in contact with them.
The official acknowledged it was difficult to know how many Americans were in any given nation, including Ukraine, at any given moment, but some of the thousands in touch already left.
The official stated they were not involved in planning American departures, claiming they already had “many opportunities” to leave the country. “Few of the American citizens who contacted us in recent days claimed they are unable to exit the country” the official continued.
More Details on the Report
The report is the most recent development in what appears to be a rapidly deteriorating scenario in the former Soviet republic.
The Russian military has stockpiled a large number of troops at Ukraine’s border in recent weeks, despite diplomatic efforts by the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and other Western allies to defuse the developing situation.
Russia asked NATO to not admit Ukraine or other former Soviet republics to the alliance, but NATO has refused to honor this demand.
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan raised the alarm Friday afternoon, saying a Russian invasion of Ukraine could happen “any day now.” Meanwhile, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, “we could be attacked at any time now.”
NEW: US State Department is calling US citizens here in Ukraine and telling them they should leave the country immediately. It’s not an automated message. A real person is on the line asking if people have made travel arrangements. @Kiehart just got that call here in Kyiv.
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) February 11, 2022
Many people believe the White House is fear-mongering to distract Americans from real issues that are ongoing in the United States.
