The State Department issued a travel warning for U.S. citizens in Ukraine, urging them to “be prepared to remain indoors” if violence erupts between Russian-backed separatists and the Ukrainian government during protests.
“The situation in Ukraine is unpredictable and could change quickly,” the bulletin warns. “U.S. citizens throughout Ukraine should avoid large crowds and be prepared to remain indoors should protests or demonstrations escalate.”
Ukraine is the central flashpoint between Russia and western nations, even though Syria has emerged as a more urgent crisis due to the humanitarian disaster unfolding in Aleppo, where Syrian dictator Bashar Assad and the Russians are fighting jihadists and U.S.-backed rebels. Putin’s annexation of Crimea, and support for a rebellion against the Ukrainian government in the eastern part of the country, marked the first land grab in Europe by one nation against another since 1938, when Nazi Germany annexed Austria.
The United States and European nations imposed a series of sanctions on Russia, including a round targeting the Russian energy sector that damaged the economy and cancelled a major deal between Putin’s government and Exxon Mobil. Secretary of State John Kerry worked to negotiate a pair of ceasefires that have reduced the violence, but Putin hasn’t reversed course.
Separatist groups are trying to extend their control over two regions in eastern Ukraine beyond the boundaries set by the ceasefire agreement, the bulletin added. Four Ukrainian servicemen have been wounded in the last 24 hours, according to the Ukrainian government.
“Artillery and rocket attacks near the line of contact continue to occur regularly,” the State Department said. “Individuals, including U.S. citizens, have been threatened, detained or kidnapped for hours or days after being stopped at separatist checkpoints. The government of Ukraine has stated that foreigners, including U.S. citizens, who enter Ukraine from Russia through separatist-controlled territory, will not be allowed through checkpoints into government-controlled territory.”
