Russia said Monday that it intends to launch “systematic strikes” on targets in Kyiv linked to the Ukrainian military as well as decision-making centres, and urged foreigners, including diplomats and staff of international organisations, to leave the city as quickly as possible. The warning from Russia’s Foreign Ministry came a day after one of the heaviest bombardments of the Ukrainian capital since the start of the war, which killed two people, injured 91, and damaged around 300 sites across the city. Moscow said the impending strikes were “in response to the continuing terrorist attacks by the Kyiv regime” against civilians in Russia, specifically citing what it described as a deliberate drone strike last Friday on a student dorm in the Russian-controlled Luhansk region that it claims killed 21 people.
The Russian Foreign Ministry statement said the armed forces “are starting systematic strikes on facilities located in Kyiv that are used for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as on centres where the corresponding decisions are being made”. It added that strikes will target “specific sites where UAVs are designed, manufactured, programmed, and prepared for use” and warned Kyiv residents to avoid approaching military and administrative infrastructure. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio by telephone about Moscow’s decision, framing it as retaliation for Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory.
Among the weapons used in Sunday’s barrage was Russia’s Oreshnik hypersonic missile, which can travel 10 times the speed of sound and is capable of carrying nuclear warheads. It marked only the third time Russia has employed the weapon in more than four years of war. The Kremlin said at least six people were killed and 39 injured in the overnight strike, while Ukrainian officials reported four dead, including children, with every district of Kyiv hit. More than 50 missiles and 700 drones were involved in the onslaught, which devastated a market, the Kvadrat shopping centre, and at least 10 blocks of flats.
Ukraine rejected Russia’s accusations, saying its forces had not targeted civilians but had struck an elite drone command unit in the Starobilsk area of Luhansk. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called Moscow’s threats “blackmail” and urged allies not to give in, while the head of the EU mission in Kyiv, Katarina Mathernova, said the 27-nation bloc was “not going anywhere”. More than 70 foreign diplomats on Monday visited a heavily damaged Kyiv neighbourhood to pay respects to victims of the strikes.
Russia had already called on foreign citizens and diplomats to evacuate Kyiv earlier this month when it threatened massive strikes if Ukraine disrupted Victory Day commemorations in Moscow. Kyiv residents interviewed by Reuters remained defiant despite the warning, with many describing the threats as attempts to sow panic after years of regular Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities.
