Fears of a Russian invasion have prompted the US to evacuate its embassy in Ukraine.

The US embassy in Kyiv is scheduled to be evacuated as Western intelligence sources warn that a Russian invasion of Ukraine is becoming increasingly likely. 

According to US sources, the State Department plans to notify early Saturday that all American workers at the Kyiv embassy will be ordered to leave the country in preparation for a possible Russian invasion. The State Department did not respond to a request for comment.

The agency had previously ordered the families of US embassy employees in Kyiv to leave the country. It had, however, left it up to the decision of non-essential workers to leave. The new step comes as the United States has increased its warnings about a potential Russian invasion of Ukraine. 

The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly about the matter, said a small number of US diplomats could be relocated to Ukraine's far west, near the NATO ally Poland's border, in order for the US to maintain a diplomatic presence in the country.