U.S. Orders Family Members of Embassy Staff to Leave Ukraine

The State Department said on Sunday that it had ordered family members of U.S. Embassy personnel in Kyiv, Ukraine, to leave the country amid increasing concerns about a possible Russian invasion.

The embassy will remain open for now, senior State Department officials said in a briefing with reporters, but some diplomats have been authorized to depart as well.

The State Department also cited the possibility of Russian military action in keeping its travel risk advisory at Level 4, the highest category, urging U.S. citizens to not travel to Ukraine. The advisory was raised to that level last month because of concerns about Covid-19.

The State Department officials said that the moves were made “out of an abundance of caution,” but that the United States would “not be in a position” to evacuate U.S. citizens should Russia invade Ukraine. Russia has stationed about 100,000 troops near the border of the neighboring country.

“U.S. citizens in Ukraine should be aware that Russian military action anywhere in Ukraine would severely impact the U.S. Embassy’s ability to provide consular services, including assistance to U.S. citizens in departing Ukraine,” the State Department said in its travel advisory.