In a bold move, Spain, Italy, and Greece have followed the U.S. in closing their embassies in Kyiv after receiving a significant attack threat from Russia. The U.S. Department of State Consular Affairs announced the closure was \"out of an abundance of caution,\" advising embassy staff to be prepared to seek refuge in secure locations.
Meanwhile, France and the UK have decided to keep their diplomatic bases open in Kyiv. French citizens in Ukraine are urged to exercise caution, while the UK has stated that the situation is \"under constant review.\" Germany maintains its embassy in Kyiv in a limited capacity, pledging to take \"appropriate measures if the situation changes.\"
Amidst these tensions, Ukraine's military intelligence has accused Russia of launching a massive information-psychological attack, spreading fake messages about potential missile strikes to destabilize the region.
Adding to the escalating conflict, Ukraine has fired several U.S.-supplied longer-range missiles into Russian territory for the first time, marking the thousandth day of the ongoing conflict. Ukraine reports that a Russian military command post in Russia's Belgorod region, just 168 km from the border, was successfully struck.
In a significant development, outgoing U.S. President Biden has granted Ukraine permission to use these weapons to strike targets inside Russia. This decision is allegedly in response to the deployment of thousands of North Korean troops on Russia's eastern flank. Sergei Naryshkin, head of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service, has warned that NATO allies' actions \"will not go unpunished.\"
