The U.S. Embassy in Moscow has urged Americans to leave Russia immediately as airlines cancel flights because of the large number of countries closing their airspace to Russian flights over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
"An increasing number of airlines are cancelling flights into and out of Russia, and numerous countries have closed their airspace to Russian airlines. U.S. citizens should consider departing Russia immediately via commercial options still available," the embassy said in a statement on its website on February 27.
Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, the biggest assault on a European state since World War II, has unleashed a barrage of Western reprisals, including the closing of airspace to Russian flights.
Earlier on February 27, foreign ministers from the European Union said the bloc will close its airspace to Russian airlines and private jets after several other countries, both in Europe and around the world, had announced a similar ban in the past two days.
Moscow, for its part, has also banned planes from several countries from flying over its territory in a tit-for-tat move.