Pentagon orders the departure of U.S. troops in Ukraine as the Russian crisis escalates

February 15, 2022: -Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin ordered U.S. troops who deployed to Ukraine in the previous year to leave the country and reposition elsewhere in Europe.

The recent marching order estimates 100,000 Russian troops equipped with advanced weaponry line Ukraine’s eastern border and the northern border with Belarus, a Moscow ally.

In November, 160 members of the Florida National Guard, assigned to the 53rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, which deploys to Ukraine to train with local forces.

“The Secretary decides out of an abundance of caution with the safety and security of our personnel foremost in mind and informed by the State Department’s guidance on U.S. personnel in Ukraine,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby wrote.

“This repositioning doesn’t signify a change in our determination to support Ukraine’s Armed Forces but will provide flexibility assures allies and deterring aggression,” he adds.

On Saturday, a senior State Department official said that the diplomatic staff at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv will be reduced to the “bare minimum.”

Speaking on the condition of anonymity to share details of the State Department’s posture in Ukraine, the official also issued fresh warnings to U.S. citizens that have not yet departed the country.

“It is the last time for private citizens to leave Ukraine,” explained the senior State Department official.

“American citizens do not expect that the U.S. military is going to rescue them in Ukraine at the previous minute. That will not happen in this scenario. And that’s why it is precious time for them to leave Ukraine,” the official added.

“We do a great deal to provide support for our citizens. But as you know, there are real limits to what we can do in a war zone,” the official said.

The Polish government appeared to wave entry requirements for U.S. citizens in Ukraine. According to a Buzzfeed news reporter, the State Department sent a notice to Americans in Ukraine on Saturday, again urging them to leave, which says that they could enter Poland without advanced approval.

“Poland is indicating to the U.S. government that U.S. citizens may enter Poland through the land border with Ukraine. No advanced approval is required,” the note said.

Several other nations, which include the Netherlands, Australia, Japan, and the U.K., call on their nationals to leave the Eastern European country. Dutch airline KLM canceled flights to Kyiv indefinitely. The airline cited travel risks and an “extensive safety analysis.”