US Reopens Kyiv Embassy after Three-Month Closure

The US flag is raised for the first time after American diplomats returned to the US embassy in Kyiv, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, May 18, 2022. (Reuters)
The US flag is raised for the first time after American diplomats returned to the US embassy in Kyiv, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, May 18, 2022. (Reuters)
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US Reopens Kyiv Embassy after Three-Month Closure

The US flag is raised for the first time after American diplomats returned to the US embassy in Kyiv, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, May 18, 2022. (Reuters)
The US flag is raised for the first time after American diplomats returned to the US embassy in Kyiv, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, May 18, 2022. (Reuters)

The US embassy in Kyiv reopened on Wednesday after a three-month closure due to Russia's Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine.

"We are officially reopening operations," spokesperson Daniel Langenkamp told Reuters shortly before the US flag was raised above the embassy.

He said a small number of diplomats would return initially to staff the mission.

Consular operations will not resume immediately and a no travel advisory from the State Department remains in place across Ukraine, Langenkamp said.

The US embassy closed on Feb. 14, ten days before Russia launched a full-scale invasion. Embassy staff spent the first two months of the war in Poland, but Charge d’Affaires Kristina Kvien returned to the country on May 2, visiting the western city of Lviv.

Many western countries, including France, Germany and Britain have reopened their embassies in Kyiv over the past month, after Russian troops pulled back from Ukraine's north to focus on an offensive in the east of the country.



Strike on Iran Prison Represents Breach of International Law, UN Rights Office Says

This grab taken from UGC images posted on social media on June 23, 2025 shows a plume of smoke billowing after Israeli strikes in Tehran. (Photo by UGC / AFP)
This grab taken from UGC images posted on social media on June 23, 2025 shows a plume of smoke billowing after Israeli strikes in Tehran. (Photo by UGC / AFP)
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Strike on Iran Prison Represents Breach of International Law, UN Rights Office Says

This grab taken from UGC images posted on social media on June 23, 2025 shows a plume of smoke billowing after Israeli strikes in Tehran. (Photo by UGC / AFP)
This grab taken from UGC images posted on social media on June 23, 2025 shows a plume of smoke billowing after Israeli strikes in Tehran. (Photo by UGC / AFP)

An airstrike on Iran's Evin prison containing political prisoners on Monday represents a grave violation of international humanitarian law, the UN human rights office said.

"Evin prison is not a military objective, and targeting it constitutes a grave breach of international humanitarian law," UN human rights spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan told reporters in Geneva on Tuesday, without naming Israel.

He said that his office has received reports of fires inside the facility and an unspecified number of injuries.