Russia threatens fresh systematic strikes on Kyiv and urges foreign nationals to leave

Russia has threatened a fresh wave of what it called "systematic strikes" against Kyiv, days after one of the largest attacks on the Ukrainian capital since the start of the war. In a statement, Russia's foreign ministry said the new strikes would target "decision-making centres and command posts" as well as drone manufacturing facilities in the city. It also urged foreign nationals and diplomats to leave Kyiv "as soon as possible" and warned people to stay away from administrative and military buildings.

Sponsored

The warning came after large-scale Russian strikes on Saturday night that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said killed four people and injured about 100 in Kyiv and other areas. Moscow said that barrage, and the threat of further attacks, was in response to what it described as a deliberate Ukrainian strike on a student dormitory in Starobilsk on Friday. Russian officials said 21 people were killed there, while Ukraine's military said its forces had struck an elite Russian military drone unit in the area and had not targeted civilians.

The latest exchange underlines the continuing intensity of the air war over Ukraine's capital and surrounding regions. Kyiv has faced several waves of missile and drone attacks since a brief ceasefire that coincided with Moscow's annual Victory Day parade expired earlier in May. Shortly after that ceasefire ended, Russian strikes on Kyiv killed 24 people, including three children, in a block of flats.

The city then suffered what was described as one of the biggest aerial assaults of the war overnight on Saturday. The scale of the recent attacks has added to concern over the protection of civilian sites in the capital. Videos posted on social media showed explosions lighting up the sky throughout the night, and residents reported repeated blasts as numerous civilian targets were hit.

Sponsored

Russia said it used dozens of ballistic and cruise missiles and hundreds of drones in the assault, and also fired a hypersonic, nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile at the area of Bila Tserkva, about 90km south of Kyiv. Non-military sites including the Chernobyl Museum in Kyiv's historic district and the National Art Museum of Ukraine were damaged or destroyed, while a shopping centre, a market and several residential buildings in Lukanivka were also destroyed. The warning to foreign nationals to leave Kyiv has also been read by some as a form of psychological pressure.

Russia already carries out large-scale strikes on the capital, and has done so since it launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The latest statement suggests Moscow is signalling that the pattern of attacks could continue, with a focus on both military and industrial targets and on the city itself. For Ukraine, the threat adds to the challenge of defending the capital while also responding to claims of attacks in occupied eastern areas.

What remains unclear is how soon any new strikes could follow, and whether Russia will act on the warning in the immediate term. It is also not clear how many foreign nationals remain in Kyiv or whether any additional evacuation advice will be issued by governments or embassies. The next developments to watch are whether there is a further Russian barrage, any Ukrainian response, and whether either side provides more detail on the Starobilsk incident and the claimed drone unit strike.

#Kyiv #Russia #Ukraine #missilestrikes #drones