The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv has issued an urgent security alert warning that Ukraine could face a “potentially significant air attack” targeting the capital within the next 24 hours.
The alert issued on Saturday, May 23, comes as fears mount over a possible new wave of Russian missile strikes.
In the alert published by the U.S. Mission in Ukraine, embassy officials said they had “received information concerning a potentially significant air attack that may occur at any time over the next 24 hours.”
The embassy urged U.S. citizens in Ukraine to immediately seek shelter if air raid sirens are activated and advised residents to prepare emergency supplies, including food, water, and medication.
Embassy officials further instructed Americans in Ukraine to identify nearby shelters, monitor local media, and download reliable air alert applications.
Ukraine warns of potential Russian attack
The warning comes amid growing intelligence concerns that Russia may be preparing another major strike involving advanced long-range weaponry, including the controversial Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile.
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Earlier Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv had received intelligence from both American and European partners indicating Russia was preparing a large-scale combined strike.
“Our intelligence services reported receiving data, including from American and European partners, about Russia preparing a strike with the Oreshnik missile. We are verifying this information,” Zelenskyy said in a statement.
He added that Ukrainian authorities were seeing “signs of preparation for a combined strike on Ukrainian territory, including Kyiv, involving various types of weaponry.”
Zelenskyy used his statement to call on Western allies to increase pressure on Moscow before any potential escalation occurs.
“If Russia is allowed to destroy lives on such a scale, then no agreement will restrain other similar hatred-based regimes from aggression and strikes,” he said.
“Pressure must be put on Moscow so that it does not expand the war.”
The Ukrainian leader also warned citizens to take air raid alerts seriously throughout the evening.
The Oreshnik missile has become a major source of concern since Russia first used it during an attack on Dnipro in November 2024. Moscow reportedly used the weapon again against Ukraine’s Lviv region earlier this year.
While Russian officials have portrayed the missile as a next-generation strategic weapon, Ukrainian analysts previously claimed examinations of debris suggested parts of the system relied on older Soviet-era technologies.
The warning also arrives as Russia intensifies aerial attacks across multiple Ukrainian regions while diplomatic efforts to end the war remain stalled.
This comes more than four years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with both sides continuing long-range missile and drone attacks as the conflict evolves into a grinding war of attrition.
Despite repeated international sanctions and military aid packages to Kyiv, Russia has maintained pressure through large-scale aerial bombardments targeting infrastructure, energy systems, and urban centers.
Arms sale approved
Meanwhile, the U.S. government announced fresh military support for Ukraine this week through a proposed $108.1 million foreign military sale involving sustainment support for HAWK missile defense systems.
According to the State Department notification, the package includes engineering support, spare parts, logistics assistance, and maintenance services for the FrankenSAM HAWK systems, which are used to strengthen Ukraine’s air defense network.
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U.S. officials said the sale is intended to help Ukraine “meet current and future threats” by improving its integrated air defense capabilities.
Kyiv has increasingly relied on Western-supplied air defense systems to intercept incoming missiles and drones.
However, officials continue to warn that Ukraine’s defenses remain stretched by the scale and frequency of attacks.
The heightened alert also coincides with new restrictions in Iranian airspace and reports that U.S. defense officials are preparing for possible military scenarios involving Tehran.
As of Saturday evening, Ukrainian authorities had not confirmed whether a strike had already begun, but air defense units in and around Kyiv were reportedly on heightened alert.
