Embassy Alerts

While this dovetails with what I said about the Russian force structure making late Jan or early Feb a prime time to strike Ukraine, there are still at least two other US consulates in Russia that would have to be evacuated, if we were to go to war.

I think this is just part of the trading of insults (which may go on for years, before actually creating a hot war) between the two countries. Still, it is unusual to remove all (or nearly all) of the embassy staff from another county's capital, even if you intend to go to war.

Suspending Operations at U.S. Embassy Minsk and Change in Status for U.S. Embassy Moscow
https://www.state.gov/suspending-operations-at-u-s-embassy-minsk-and-change-in-status-for-u-s-embassy-moscow/?fbclid=IwAR1uNTnENItD1eC9VO_Ke7smEMs_-MThekCTm8FSwaYTB1H3KxNveHhBjDo

February 28, 2022

The U.S. Department of State has suspended operations at our Embassy in Minsk, Belarus and authorized the voluntary departure (“authorized departure”) of non-emergency employees and family members at our Embassy in Moscow, Russia. We took these steps due to security and safety issues stemming from the unprovoked and unjustified attack by Russian military forces in Ukraine. The Department of State continually adjusts its posture at embassies and consulates throughout the world in line with its mission, the local security environment, and the health situation. We ultimately have no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens, and that includes our U.S. government personnel and their dependents serving around the world.