As embassies suspend operations in Kyiv, Ukraine urges West not to fall for Russian psychological warfare

Ukrainian officials have criticized several foreign embassies for closing their offices in Kyiv amid fears of a potential Russian airstrike. On Wednesday, Ukraine’s Foreign Affairs Ministry faulted the “media frenzy” that led diplomats from the United States, Spain, Italy, and Greece to suspend operations. American embassy sources told the Ukrainian news outlet Suspilne that Washington acted on the threat of a combined drone and missile strike by Russia.

“On this 1001st day of the full-scale invasion, the threat of Russian shelling is as pressing as it’s been for the past thousand days,” Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday. “We believe it would be appropriate for our partners to react to the 1001st day just as they did the previous thousand, without any added media frenzy.”

In a separate statement, the Ukrainian military’s Main Intelligence Directorate accused Russia of conducting a “large-scale information and psychological assault.” The directorate noted that forged messages from its office have been spread on social networks and messaging platforms containing warnings about a possible “especially massive” missile and bomb attack by Russia on Ukrainian cities. “This message is fake,” the Ukrainian agency said.

In recent weeks, Russia has intensified its attacks on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, launching drone and missile strikes against Kyiv, Odesa, and other cities and regions. On Sunday, November 17, Russia reportedly fired 120 missiles and 90 drones, largely targeting energy facilities.