US warns of 'increased risk' of Russian attacks on Ukraine as Independence Day approaches
The United States has warned its citizens that over the next few days, there is an increased risk of nighttime and daytime Russian drone and missile attacks across Ukraine in connection with Ukraine's Independence Day on August 24, reads the warning of the US Embassy in Ukraine.
The American Embassy urged citizens to follow the updates in the local media, to find shelter in advance and hide in them, if an air raid alert is declared.
The Center for Combating Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council states that some Telegram channels have spread this information in a distorted manner. In particular, they wrote about the alleged US warning about the Russian attack on government facilities in Kyiv and the call for the Americans to leave Ukraine immediately.
However, they referred to one of the messages of the US Embassy from 2022. In the warning dated August 21, 2024, it was noted only about the "increased risk" of attacks on Ukraine, without a call to leave Ukraine.
Attacks on Ukraine
Earlier, the media, citing US and Ukrainian officials, wrote that the operation in Kursk Oblast could prompt the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to "retaliate" in the form of a massive missile attack on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.
Recently, Russia has resorted to overnight attacks on Ukraine, in particular using North Korean KN-23 missiles. Like the Russian Iskander-M, it has a quasi-ballistic trajectory: after reaching an altitude of about 50 km, it moves in the atmosphere, where it can adjust its flight path with aerodynamic rudders.
The maximum recorded launch range of this missile is up to 690 km, and the warhead is estimated at 500 kg. Earlier, Ukrainian law enforcement officers noted that almost half of North Korean-made missiles launched by the Russians do not reach the target because they explode in the air. However, even the debris of this missile led to the death of civilians.
The commander of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Mykola Oleschuk, stressed that KN-23 ballistic missiles, although they rarely reach the desired targets, pose a serious threat to the population.