Russia warns foreigners to leave Kyiv, threatens more strikes

Foreign nationals in Kyiv were told to leave as soon as possible after Russia signaled a new round of strikes, turning its threat into a concrete warning for diplomats, aid groups and civilians still working in the capital. The Russian Foreign Ministry said the planned attacks would target facilities used by Ukraine’s armed forces and decision-making centers, and said Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had told US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to evacuate American embassy staff.

The warning landed after one of the heaviest attacks Kyiv has faced in the war. On May 24, Russia launched 600 strike drones and 90 missiles at Kyiv and surrounding areas, Ukraine’s Air Force said. Ukrainian officials said air defenses destroyed or jammed 549 drones and 55 missiles, while about 19 missiles failed to reach targets. At least four people were killed in Kyiv and the Kyiv region, more than 60 were wounded, and damage was reported in 40 locations across the capital.

Later tallies put the number of wounded at 83, with damage near government offices, residential buildings, schools and a market. Russia also confirmed it used the Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile in the assault, which President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said was the third time the weapon had been used in the four-year war. For residents, the practical message was not symbolic: the strike reached deep into the city and spread across civilian and state-linked sites.

Moscow framed the new threat as retaliation for a Ukrainian drone strike last week on a student dormitory in Starobilsk, in occupied Luhansk, which it said killed at least 18 people and wounded 42. Russia said it was preparing a “series of systematic strikes” in response. The language suggests a mix of military intent and political pressure, aimed at forcing embassies and international organizations to weigh whether their presence in Kyiv now carries a higher operational risk.

The warning also echoed an earlier scare in the first week of May, when Russia urged foreign embassies to evacuate Kyiv ahead of Victory Day and threatened a mass missile strike if Ukraine disrupted the commemorations. Germany and the European Union said they would keep their diplomatic presence in the city, and Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, thanked European officials for refusing to be intimidated. With Russian threats now paired to a fresh casualty toll, the risk to Kyiv’s diplomatic and aid infrastructure has become a live issue, not just rhetorical brinkmanship.