US Embassy in Ukraine will be evacuated due to Russian invasion concerns

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Fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine have prompted the United States to prepare to evacuate its embassy in Kyiv.

The State Department is set to issue an order for all embassy personnel to leave the country early Saturday, according to US officials, according to The Associated Press.

Families of US embassy personnel were forced to leave last month, but non-essential employees were permitted to chose whether to depart or remain.
According to the sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, some ambassadors would be shifted to the far western area of Ukraine, along the border with NATO ally Poland, to ensure the US maintains a diplomatic presence in the nation.

President Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin will also chat by phone on Saturday.

Officials in the United States have warned that Russia may begin an invasion of Ukraine within days.

On Friday, Vice President Joe Biden's national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, advised Americans remained in Ukraine to leave within "24 to 48 hours," warning that "there is no chance of a US military evacuation in the case of a Russian invasion."

A construction worker walks over broken pavement in a repairs area outside the crossing point from Ukrainian government to pro-Russian separatists controlled territory in Stanytsia Luhanska on Feb. 11, 2022.

The Pentagon said on Friday that it would deploy 3,000 extra soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division to Poland to supplement the protection of the NATO member. They will leave Fort Bragg, North Carolina, in the coming days.

Their goal will be to teach host-nation troops and give deterrence, but they will not be allowed to participate in combat or invade Ukraine.

The deployments are part of a series of moves that also involve the relocation of around 1,000 US troops deployed in Germany to Romania, another NATO member that shares a border with Ukraine. Another 300 US troops from the 18th Airborne Corps headquarters unit, led by Lt. Gen. Michael E. Kurilla, have arrived in Germany.

A Ukrainian tank moves during military drills close to Kharkiv, Ukraine on Feb. 10, 2022.

A Russian army soldier takes part in drills at the Kadamovskiy firing range in the Rostov region in southern Russia on Dec. 10, 2021.

“All told, these 5,000 additional personnel comprise a highly mobile and flexible force, capable of multiple missions,” a senior defense official said. “They are being deployed to reassure our NATO allies, deter any potential aggression against NATO’s eastern flank, train with host-nation forces, and contribute to a wide range of contingencies.”

Approximately 80,000 American soldiers are now stationed in Europe on permanent bases and on rotating deployments.