U.S. orders embassy staffers' families to leave Ukraine amid Russian military buildup

The State Department has ordered families of U.S embassy employees in Kyiv, Ukraine, to leave the country and authorized some U.S. government employees to depart due to the potential of Russian military action. 

Russian military action anywhere in Ukraine would severely impact the embassy's ability to provide consular services, including assistance to U.S. citizens in departing Ukraine, a State Department official told reporters on Sunday night. The State Department is urging those who can depart to do so on commercially-available flights.   

The decisions were made out of an abundance of caution due to Russia's continued military buildup and disinformation campaigns, a separate senior State Department official said.