The warning, issued on Tuesday, is the first special security warning issued by the US embassy in Kyiv in recent months. He did not say which places he believed Russia planned to target, but advised American citizens to leave Ukraine if it was safe to do so. The alarm comes a day before Ukraine completes 31 years as an independent state. On August 24, 1991, the Ukrainian parliament voted to secede from the Soviet Union. The day will also mark six months since Russia launched its full invasion. Some restaurants in Kyiv have closed early this week due to the increased threat. “Given Russia’s track record in Ukraine, we are concerned about the continued threat posed by Russian incursions to civilians and civilian infrastructure,” a US official told Reuters, citing declassified information. Ukraine’s Defense Ministry has advised Ukrainians to be extra cautious on Independence Day, citing the threat of missile attacks and “provocations” from Russia. “Russia and the Putin regime attacked the independence of Ukraine and independent Ukraine. They are really obsessed with dates and symbols, so it would make sense for them to be on guard and be prepared for independence day when they will be attacked,” Andriy Yusov, head of the ministry’s intelligence directorate, told Ukrainian state television . Ukrainian authorities canceled the celebrations amid growing security concerns. Instead of the traditional parade down Kiev’s main street, Ukrainian authorities have lined the tarmac with captured and destroyed Russian military equipment. Ukraine is bracing for stepped-up Russian missile attacks after a car bomb killed the daughter of ultra-nationalist Russian ideologue Alexander Dugin on Saturday night. After the attack, which Russian security services blamed on Ukraine, a number of prominent pro-Putin figures called for revenge against Ukraine. Ukraine denies responsibility for the attack. Ukraine’s armed forces warned on Sunday night that Russia had closed the airspace over the Russian border regions of Lipetsk, Voronezh and regions between August 22 and 25. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday that “Russia may try to do something particularly bad, something particularly cruel” this week as the country celebrates its independence.
