Kazakhstan’s embassy advises citizens to leave Ukraine amid rising shelling

The embassy of Kazakhstan in Ukraine has advised its citizens to temporarily leave the country due to the increasing number of shelling incidents.

Diplomats warned Kazakh citizens to vacate areas near active conflict zones in Ukraine or to leave the country entirely, citing the growing frequency of attacks, Caliber.Az reports, citing the embassy’s message on Telegram. 

The embassy also reminded citizens that they can use land transportation routes through Poland or Moldova to leave Ukraine and then take a flight from there.

“The embassy urges all citizens not to ignore air raid alerts and to immediately seek shelter, follow safety measures, and adhere to the recommendations of local authorities,” the statement said.

The US and several other Western embassies in Kyiv announced they would remain closed on November 20 due to security concerns. The American embassy indicated that it had received a warning of a potential large-scale Russian airstrike on the Ukrainian capital. This precautionary measure followed Russia's threat to retaliate against President Joe Biden's decision to allow Ukraine to target Russian soil with US-supplied missiles, a move that provoked anger from the Kremlin.

The US Embassy stated that its closure and the attack warning were a response to the ongoing Russian missile and drone assaults on Kyiv, with plans for a swift return to normal operations. 

The Italian and Greek embassies also closed to the public for the day, while the UK government confirmed its embassy remained open.

As the war marked its 1,000th day, it has evolved into a more global conflict with the arrival of North Korean troops to support Russia on the battlefield—a development that US officials indicated led to President Biden’s shift in policy.

By Naila Huseynova