Ukraine updates: US fears 'significant' air attack on Kyiv

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry has played down threats of a Russian attack after a number of foreign embassies in Kyiv closed on Wednesday.

"We remind you that the threat of strikes by the aggressor state has unfortunately been a daily reality for Ukrainians for over 1,000 days," the Foreign Ministry said on Telegram.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian military intelligence accused Russia of carrying out a "psychological" operation against citizens by sending out fake bomb warnings on social media.

"A message is being spread via messengers and social networks ... about the threat of a 'particularly massive' missile and bomb strike on Ukrainian cities today," the Main Directorate of Intelligence said on Telegram.

"This message is a fake, it contains grammatical errors typical of Russian information and psychological operations."

The International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) has condemned the US decision to send antipersonnel landmines to Ukraine.

The group said it was "inconceivable the US would facilitate laying new mines."

Ukraine "must clearly state they cannot and will not accept these weapons," the landmine monitor said Wednesday.

The ICBL said it "condemns this terrible decision by the US" and "will be working to get the US to reverse it."

The announcement coincided with a report from the ICBL that said 5,757 people worldwide had been killed or injured by landmines last year. At least 580 of them were in Ukraine.

Russia has rejected claims that the destruction of two telecommunications in the Baltic Sea was linked to its offensive in Ukraine.

"It's quite absurd to keep blaming Russia for everything without any grounds," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday.

"It is laughable in the context of the lack of any reaction to Ukraine's sabotage activities in the Baltic Sea," he added.

European officials had suggested the cables were sabotaged after an investigation ruled out the possibility that they had accidentally been damaged.

Russian forces captured the frontline village of Illinka in Donetsk, Russia's Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.

The Ukrainian village lies on the shore of the embattled Kurakhove reservoir. It had a population of around 400 people before Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022.

Russia has made incremental gains in the eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in recent months.

Following an earlier announcement from the US Embassy in Ukraine, three European countries have announced they were also keeping their doors closed on Wednesday.

The embassies ofItaly, Spain, and Greece in Kyiv also warned their citizens to remain vigilant throughout the day and stay at home if they could.

None of the four countries gave specifics about why they issued alerts, other than the risk of an airstrike.

Ukrainian Environment Minister Svitlana Hryntchuk described the toll of Russia's invasion to the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku on Wednesday.

She said her ministry estimates the invasion has caused $71 billion (€67 billion) in environmental damage.

"More than 6 million Ukrainians were forced to temporarily seek refuge in various European countries, resulting in an additional 3.3 million tons of CO2 emissions," which came in addition to the 180 million tons released by Russian shelling.

According to Hryntchuk, 3 million hectares of forest have been destroyed by airstrikes and the resulting forest fires, and an additional 139,000 square kilometers (53,670 square miles) have been contaminated due to explosive residues. 

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian urged "calm" and "restraint" following a decision by the Kremlin to lower the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons.

"Under the current circumstances, all parties should remain calm and exercise restraint, working together through dialogue and consultation to ease tensions and reduce strategic risks," foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said when asked about the situation.

"China's stance of encouraging all parties to de-escalate the situation and commit to a political resolution of the Ukraine crisis remains unchanged," Lin added.

The US, UK, and EU have all called Putin's decree "irresponsible."

Although Beijing has not publicly voiced support for the invasion of Ukraine, President Xi Jinping has remained a staunch Putin ally. Western intelligence services have said China is supplying Russia with military equipment.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot has dismissed the recent move by Russia's President Putin to lower the threshold for a nuclear strike as simply "rhetoric."

"We are not intimidated," he told broadcaster France 2.

Putin approved the change in the country's nuclear doctrine after Kyiv launched two American ATACMS missiles at targets inside Russia.

Sergei Naryshkin, head of Russia's foreign intelligence service, has said that the role NATO countries have played in missile strikes inside Russian territory will not go unpunished.

Over the weekend, it was reported that Washington had dropped restrictions on the use of American-made longer-range missiles inside Russia. On Tuesday, two US ATACMS missiles were used in air attacks on Russian territory.

Russia's FSB security service has confirmed that a German citizen was arrested in Kaliningrad on charges of planning to destroy energy installations, Russian state news agencies reported.

The man "is implicated in the March 2024 explosion at a gas distribution station" in Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave sandwiched between Poland and Lithuania.

He had recently returned to Russia "to organize acts of sabotage" against more energy infrastructure, Russian media cited the FSB as saying.

The United States Embassy in the Ukrainian capital warned personnel and visitors to stay away from the premises on Wednesday because of the risk of a "potential significant air attack."

"Out of an abundance of caution, the Embassy will be closed, and Embassy employees are being instructed to shelter in place. The US Embassy recommends US citizens be prepared to immediately shelter in the event an air alert is announced," read a statement on the Embassy's website.

The statement advised Americans in Kyiv to remain alert for air raid sirens and acquaint themselves with shelter locations. 

A US official has confirmed that Washington will be providing Kyiv with antipersonnel mines to shore up Ukrainian defenses. 

The official added that President Joe Biden first sought strong commitments from Ukraine that the mines will only be used in sparsely populated areas of its own territory to protect its defenses.

They added that the mines are of the "non-persistant" variety, meaning they become inert after a period of time when their batteries run out.

The move was seen as part of a push by Biden to increase support for Ukraine ahead of the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, who has voiced hesitance to continue supplying aid.

Last week, the US lifted restrictions on the use of American-made long-range weapons inside Russian territory, prompting Russian President Vladimir Putin to lower the threshold for using nuclear weaponsin a widely condemned move.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke with US broadcaster Fox News to mark 1,000 days since Russia's full-scale invasion of his country.

The conservative media outlet has been supportive of incoming US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly questioned Washington's support for Kyiv.

"I think that was the most difficult period, but now this period, this moment depends, I think, on our unity in Ukraine, and I think that what is very dangerous is if we lose unity in Europe and, what is most important, unity between Ukraine and the United States," Zelenskyy said.

Asked if only Russia had the power to end the war, Zelenskyy said "it also depends on the United States of America much more. Putin is weaker than the United States of America."

South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) "has confirmed that the North has shipped 170mm self-propelled artillery and long-range 240mm rocket launchers" to Russia, a lawmaker said after a briefing.

The NIS also has evidence that around 10,900 North Korean troops are in Kursk, the same session of parliament heard.

Many of those troops are actively engaged in fighting as part of Russia's airborne units and marines, according to the spy agency.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a partnership treaty in June obligating their countries to provide military assistance "without delay" in the case of an attack and to oppose Western sanctions.

Neither Russia nor North Korea has officially confirmed the presence of North Korean troops in Russia

es/sms (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)