[NTD, Beijing, August 23, 2022]The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv said on August 23 that Ukraine’s Independence Day (August 24) is approaching, and Russia is expected to launch an intensive attack on Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure and government facilities. , and urged U.S. citizens to use private ground transportation to leave the country as soon as possible.
The U.S. State Department said in a security alert issued through the embassy in Kyiv that the security situation in Ukraine was “highly volatile” and that the situation could “deteriorate” without warning. Given that Russia “poses an ongoing threat” to both the Ukrainian people and civilian infrastructure, it advised U.S. citizens to “remain vigilant” and take “appropriate measures” to enhance security.
The State Department’s alert came after intelligence services declassified the findings of an investigation that determined Russia would increasingly target Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, according to a U.S. official familiar with the intelligence.
The State Department said in the alert: “If you hear a loud explosion or a siren is activated, seek cover immediately. If you are inside a house or building, go to the lowest level of the building with the fewest exterior walls, windows and openings; turn off all doors, sit close to interior walls and away from windows or openings.”
Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski also called on Ukrainian citizens to be strong because of the possible escalation of their attacks by the Russian army due to Ukraine’s independence day. Authorities in Kyiv banned public events related to Remembrance Day from Monday to Thursday.
The Ukrainian General Staff said on the 23rd that Russia carried out artillery and air strikes on the Zaporozhye region on the south bank of the Dnieper River and fighting took place near Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, raising fears of a possible nuclear disaster.
Ukrainians living nearby expressed concern that the shells could hit one of the plant’s six reactors, with catastrophic consequences.
Alexander Lifirenko, a resident of the nearby town of Enerhodar, said: “Of course, we were worried … it was like sitting on a powder keg.”
The British Ministry of Defence (MoD) warned in its latest defence intelligence update that over the weekend, Russian forces may have begun preparations for the construction of a large pontoon bridge over the Dnieper River.
The Ministry of Defence said that the border crossing is currently only possible by ferry and is a “key link between Russian-occupied Kherson and the east” and that “if Russia completes the temporary bridge, it will almost certainly increase the capacity of the border crossing compared to the ferry. “.
Meanwhile, the Defense Ministry said a pontoon bridge could remain vulnerable to a Ukrainian counterattack.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Aug. 22 that between Feb. 24 and Aug. 21, 5,587 civilians were killed and 7,890 injured, mainly by artillery, rockets and missiles.
At least 972 children have been killed or injured in the six-month war, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said. “The use of explosive weapons accounts for the majority of child casualties. These weapons do not distinguish between civilians and combatants, especially when used in densely populated areas like Ukraine.”
(Comprehensive report by reporter Li Zhaoxi/responsible editor: Lin Qing)
URL of this article: https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2022/08/23/a103509025.html