The State Department on Sunday ordered the families of all American personnel at the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine to leave the country amid heightened fears of a Russian invasion.The department told the dependents of staffers at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv that they must leave the country. It also said that non-essential embassy staff could leave Ukraine at government expense.The move came amid rising tensions about Russia's military buildup on the Ukraine border that were not eased during talks Friday between Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Geneva.State Department officials stressed the Kyiv embassy will remain open and that the announcement does not constitute an evacuation. The move had been under consideration for some time and does not reflect an easing of U.S. support for Ukraine, the officials said.In a statement, the State Department noted recent reports that Russia was planning significant military action against Ukraine. However, the Russian Foreign Ministry has accused NATO countries of escalating tensions around Ukraine with disinformation.The State Department added: “The security conditions, particularly along Ukraine’s borders, in Russia-occupied Crimea, and in Russia-controlled eastern Ukraine, are unpredictable and can deteriorate with little notice. Demonstrations, which have turned violent at times, regularly occur throughout Ukraine, including in Kyiv."

A former Marine doing private security work in Afghanistan is back home in the states. Ray Merkle of Indiana was contracted for additional security at the embassy in Kabul. He previously spent more than 20 years in the Marines and did three tours in Iraq. In May, he started security work in Kabul and was due to come home next month. As the Taliban swiftly moved through the country, workers inside the embassy began to leave the country. Merkle said by Saturday, Afghanistan time, his crew was told to start packing and was shipped out the next day. "Getting off the embassy compound was relatively smooth, all the helicopters that were coming in, military personnel were getting off," he said. "Things were collapsing fairly quick though. The urgency kept picking up."He said it was apparent at the airport that the situation was deteriorating quickly. "It wasn't really made known to us how bad it had really gotten until we were already in the air," he said. "They had breached the security on the civilian side of the airport."On his journey home, he read and saw more of what was happening back in Afghanistan."My heart just goes out to the people. They're just trying to get out of town. It looks like the wheels fell off really fast," he said. "I feel the way this was executed and went down is a disaster."Merkle believes this is his last tour overseas and said he is looking forward to enjoying some family time.