The warning after the attacks: Escape Ukraine as soon as possible

 

Russia's invasion of Ukraine :

US appeal to Americans on the ground: Leave Ukraine now Belarus and Russia have begun to mobilize joint forces 

 

Of: 

 

Ebba Thornéus 

 

Published: Less than 30 min ago 

 

Updated: Less than 20 min ago 

 

NEWS

 

A number of explosions have occurred in central Kyiv and elsewhere in Ukraine. 

 

Now the US embassy in the country is urging all citizens to flee, according to an email. 

 

At the same time, news comes that Belarus and Russia have begun mobilizing a joint military force 

 

At least nine people are said to have died and 29 injured in various parts of the country in what is suspected to be a Russian response to the bridge explosion last Saturday. 

 

At the same time, air raid alerts have been issued across the country, and residents in the regions are now being warned that more airborne attacks may occur and are therefore being asked to seek shelter, as reported by Göteborgs-Posten, among others.(Göteborgs-Posten rapporterat om.)

 

Residents are also asked to charge their phones and power banks as there is a risk of power outages in the country. 

 

USA: Leave Ukraine 

 

The Financial Times' Ukraine correspondent, Christopher Miller, writes on Twitter that the US Embassy in Kyiv also sent out an email to US citizens in the capital on Monday morning. 

 

There, American citizens are urged to flee the country. 

 

"The U.S. Embassy urges U.S. citizens to protect themselves in place and leave Ukraine now using private available ground transportation options when it is safe to do so," the email reads, according to Miller. 

 

During Monday morning, information also came that Belarus and Russia have begun mobilizing a joint military force, according to the Belarusian site Belta (enligt den belarusiska sajten Belta). 

 

At the same time, the country's leader Aleksandr Lukashenko warns Ukraine against carrying out an attack on Belarus(genomföra en attack mot Belarus).

 

 

Picture from Kyiv this morning after several reports of explosions in the city. Photo: Matti Maasikas, EU Ambassador to Ukraine

 

 

Injured civilians are treated by medical personnel after the explosions in Kyiv on Monday morning. Photo: Efrem Lukatsky / AP 

 

Putin may have been humiliated 

 

That Russia chooses to attack civilian targets is a natural course of action in the country's continued warfare, according to Ilmari Käihkö, docent in military science at the Stockholm Defense Academy. 

 

However, he thinks that the fact that they are now making common cause with Belarus should be interpreted with caution. 

 

- It is difficult to say exactly what this means at the moment. There has been speculation in the past that Belarus would join the war, but at the same time it has not been popular among the Belarusian population and it has been uncertain how much their military would actually be able to contribute. 

 

However, Ilmari Käihkö believes that Ukraine must always be prepared for something to happen at the Belarusian border. What the joint mobilization means can be interpreted in several ways, according to Käihkö. 

 

- Maybe Belarus has chosen to move its forces in order to tie up Ukrainian forces, who are thus unable to defend themselves in other places in Ukraine. At the same time, we know that Russian forces have previously operated from Belarus in the past by, among other things, using their air bases and some of the Russian units have emanated from Belarus when they invaded. 

 

- But this could also be about Russia wanting to show that they are not alone, that they still have allies as they have become very isolated from the outside world. 

 

US Embassy Kyiv has sent out this email to Americans in Ukraine: "The U.S. Embassy urges US citizens to shelter in… https://t.co/5SnsI6D5GF

( US Embassy Kyiv has sent out this email to Americans in Ukraine: "The U.S. Embassy urges US citizens to shelter in… https://t.co/5SnsI6D5GF)