6,600 US citizens resided in Ukraine in October: State Department

'That number is much, much lower now,' says spokesman

Some 6,600 US citizens were residing in Ukraine as of October, State Department spokesman Ned Price said Monday. 

Speaking at a press conference, Price said the inputs come from the Ukrainian government, US organizations in Ukraine like the American Chamber of Commerce, exchange programs and international schools, and the number of people applying for US citizen services.

"Those inputs are instructive, but they are not necessarily dispositive when it comes to a firm, accurate, comprehensive number. But that is the estimate we were able to arrive at last October," he said.

He added that the US embassy in Kyiv estimated that before Russia’s military buildup began, at any given point in time, there could be 16,000 US citizens, tourists and visitors in Ukraine.

"While we estimated at the time there could be 16,000 tourists and visitors, our best assessment is that that number is much, much lower now," he added.