Russia vows systematic strikes on Kyiv as Western missions reject evacuation orders
The Russian Foreign Ministry has ordered its military to launch systematic attacks on Ukrainian military-industrial facilities in the capital, while simultaneously urging foreign diplomats and civilians to leave the city.
Russia announced on Monday that it would intensify its military campaign against Kyiv, specifically targeting what it termed Ukraine’s “decision-making centres” and command posts. The declaration follows a weekend barrage of drones, missiles, and hypersonic weapons that killed four people and wounded dozens in the Ukrainian capital.
The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that President Vladimir Putin had ordered the Armed Forces to launch “systematic strikes” against Ukrainian military-industrial facilities in response to an alleged Ukrainian attack on a vocational school in the Russian-occupied Lugansk region, which Moscow claimed killed 21 people. The ministry’s statement confirmed the use of the Oreshnik hypersonic missile in the recent strikes, describing the weapon as capable of travelling at 10 times the speed of sound and carrying nuclear warheads.
In conjunction with the military escalation, Moscow issued a new warning for foreign citizens, including personnel of diplomatic missions and international organisations, to evacuate the capital as soon as possible. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov relayed this evacuation order to his US counterpart, Marco Rubio, during a phone call on Monday. The US State Department provided no immediate comment on the warning.
Western diplomatic missions in Kyiv have firmly rejected the evacuation orders. A spokesperson for France’s foreign ministry dismissed the threat, stating, “We’re used to Putin’s threats. It is out of the question to evacuate.” Similarly, the European Union’s ambassador in Kyiv posted on Facebook that they were “not going anywhere.”
Ukrainian officials have also dismissed the warnings. Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga described Russia’s threats as “rhetoric” and urged international partners not to succumb to “Russian blackmail.” This marks the second time this month Russia has threatened massive strikes on central Kyiv and called for foreign evacuation, following a previous warning related to a military parade on Red Square.
The conflict, which began with Russia’s full-scale offensive in February 2022, remains Europe’s deadliest since World War II. US-led diplomatic talks aimed at ending the fighting have stalled in recent months, partly due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
