Washington

- The statements of US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan that there is a high possibility that Russia will invade Ukraine during the days of alarm raised the Americans residing there (in Ukraine), amid questions about their fate and the effects of the possible war on their lives.

In an interview with the US National Radio "NPR" after senior officials in Washington warned Americans inside Ukraine to leave before the start of a Russian invasion that US intelligence believes is imminent, one of the Americans residing in Ukraine confirmed that he had no intention of leaving.

John Schmorhon, a US citizen who has worked in the agricultural sector in Ukraine for years, appreciated the repeated official warnings, but did not support the idea of ​​leaving, saying, "Many of us have roots here in Ukraine for many years, and there are a large number of Americans here. We created a good life for ourselves, so we're here to stay."


Numbers and Estimates

The US State Department says that it is very difficult to provide accurate figures on the number of Americans in Ukraine, and the spokesperson for the State Department, Ned Price, said, "The estimates they received from the embassy last October indicate that there are 6,000 to 16,000 American citizens in Ukraine. Including American tourists and visitors."

The US State Department stresses that not all Americans abroad register themselves with their country's embassies as soon as they arrive, and that there is also the fact that even if they register themselves, and then leave the country, they do not return to the embassy to update their data.

A congressional worker told NBC that approximately 7,000 US citizens and permanent residents (green cards) are registered with the US Embassy in Kiev, while the total number of Americans there is between 23,000 and 30,000.


Russian warning

The appearance and warning of National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan on Friday to the Americans inside Ukraine to leave it quickly, a clear message of the seriousness of the American position, and Washington's unwillingness to repeat the incident of evacuating the Americans from Afghanistan.

"Any American in Ukraine should leave as quickly as possible within the next 24 to 48 hours," Sullivan, speaking exceptionally, said at the daily White House press briefing, usually conducted by White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki.

"If you stay, you risk without guarantee that there will be any other chance to leave, and there is no possibility of an American military evacuation if the Russian invasion takes place," he added.


Demand to leave

President Joe Biden, for his part, emphasized that his administration is not planning a military operation to help its citizens leave Ukraine, and they should do it on their own.

"At a time when Russia is amassing a military force around its neighbor, American citizens should leave now," Biden said.

Biden made the remarks in an interview with NBC News' Lester Holt Thursday night, who asked him what kind of scenarios would prompt a US rescue mission if Russia invaded the country.

"There is no, this is a world war, when the Americans and the Russians start shooting at each other we are in a completely different world than we ever were," Biden said.

Warnings and Effects

"I hope that if he's actually a fool enough to enter Ukraine that he's smart enough not to do anything that would negatively affect the American citizens there, he realizes that," Biden added, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"What I've asked is that American citizens leave; they should leave now," Biden added.

Biden compared the situation in Ukraine to the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, which saw Washington make a weeks-long effort to move American citizens and some Afghans out of the country.

"We are dealing with one of the largest armies in the world, this is a very different situation, and things can quickly get out of hand," he said.

.@WhiteHouse National Security Advisor @JakeSullivan46: We encourage all American citizens who remain in Ukraine to depart immediately.

We want to be crystal clear on this point — any American in Ukraine should leave as soon as possible in the next 24-48 hours.

pic.twitter.com/t9mlARJSSu

— Department of State (@StateDept) February 11, 2022

American efforts

For its part, the State Department issued a new "Level Four: Do not Travel to Ukraine" warning last Thursday, saying that "US citizens in Ukraine should now leave by commercial or private means."

"If you remain inside Ukraine, be very wary of the spread of crimes, civil unrest and possible hostilities if Russia launches military action," the foreign ministry's warning added.

The US State Department continues to reduce the size of its embassies in Kiev, after it ordered the families of diplomats and non-essential employees to return to Washington in the middle of last month.

At the same time, commercial airlines are still operating normally, but the scenario of closing the airport is feared, and the road network allows travel by car or bus to Slovakia, Hungary and Poland.

Ukrainian volunteers receive military training (Getty Images)

roots and transformations

While the exact number of Americans inside Ukraine is not known, Ms. Anya Malkinelko sheds light on the nature of this community.

In an interview with Al Jazeera Net, Ms. Malkinelko, an American citizen of Ukrainian origin who lives in Coney Island in New York City, said that "after the end of World War II, thousands of Ukrainians who feared for themselves under Soviet rule immigrated to the United States, and the new community inhabited a large In the states of the American center, especially around the cities of Chicago, Cleveland and Detroit, they became Americans and assimilated into American society.”

Then there was a massive immigration wave of Ukrainians who chose to live in the New York or Miami area this time, at the beginning of the nineties of the last century after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Anya says that "many Ukrainians claimed to be adherents of the Jewish religion, despite being followers of the Orthodox Church, in order to facilitate their immigration to the United States. Indeed, thousands of Ukrainians arrived on American lands and started a new life and obtained American citizenship, but many of them chose to return." Later to live in Ukraine, especially as they did not adapt well in American society due to the increase in the number of immigrants in recent decades, and the improvement of economic opportunities in Ukraine.”