The American Embassy in Kiev called on Tuesday for American citizens to leave Ukraine, due to reliable information, that Russia was preparing to strike in the coming days the civil and government infrastructure of this country.

The warning comes as August 24 marks exactly 6 months since Moscow attacked Ukraine, a day that also coincides with the 31st anniversary of Ukraine’s independence from the former Soviet Union.

Amid fears of attacks from Russia, the Ukrainian government decided to halt celebrations on Wednesday in the country’s capital.

“The State Department has information that Russia is increasing efforts to launch attacks against Ukrainian civilian infrastructure and government facilities in the coming days,” the US embassy said in a statement.

“American citizens should leave Ukraine immediately, by their own means, if it is a safe thing to do,” the statement continued.

This is not the first time that Washington has issued such a warning, but in this case the warning comes as Ukraine marks the anniversary of its independence from Soviet rule.

The announcement also follows the car bomb killing on Saturday of Darya Dugina, the daughter of a prominent Russian ultra-nationalist and close associate of President Putin. Moscow has blamed the killing on Ukrainian intelligence agents, a charge Kiev has denied.