U.S. warns Russia may target Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure

The U.S. State Department issued a warning to people in Ukraine on Monday morning, asserting that the Russian military will likely target civilian infrastructure and government buildings over the next week. The State Department didn’t say where Russia would attack but called for U.S. citizens to quickly leave Ukraine via ground transportation. It also gave advice about sheltering during explosions.

Why would Russia target civilian infrastructure? Six months of attacking Ukraine without decisive victory has caused the Russian military to look for new advantages and pressure points. The State Department’s announcement comes on the heels of a car bombing that killed Darya Dugina, the daughter of an ally close to Putin who had advocated strongly for the war in Ukraine. Ukraine denies any involvement in the explosion. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Russia might look to do something “particularly nasty, something particularly cruel.”

Dig deeper: Read Jenny Lind Schmitt’s reporting on how Christians in eastern Europe are opening their homes to refugees forced out of their country by the Ukrainian conflict.