Russia has threatened a new wave of "systematic strikes" against Kyiv and called on foreign nationals and diplomats to leave the Ukrainian capital "as soon as possible", days after carrying out one of the heaviest aerial attacks on the city since its full-scale invasion began in 2022. Russia's foreign ministry said the planned strikes would target "decision-making centres and command posts" as well as drone manufacturing facilities. Ukraine's government condemned the warning as "nothing short of shameless blackmail" and urged its allies to increase pressure on Moscow.
The threat follows a massive overnight barrage on Saturday that Ukrainian authorities say involved around 600 drones and 90 missiles, including ballistic and hypersonic Kinzhal cruise missiles. In a significant escalation, Russia also fired an Oreshnik ballistic missile — a nuclear-capable hypersonic weapon with an estimated range of 5,000 kilometres — striking the city of Bila Tserkva, roughly 90 kilometres south of Kyiv. Ukrainian officials said the Oreshnik appeared to be carrying no explosives, suggesting it was deployed as a warning. The attack killed at least four people and wounded around 100, including children, and caused widespread destruction: a market, a shopping centre, residential buildings, and several cultural institutions — among them the Chernobyl Museum and the National Art Museum of Ukraine — were damaged or destroyed. About 40 percent of the Chernobyl Museum's exhibits are reported to have been irreparably lost.
Moscow said the assault was retaliation for a Ukrainian drone strike on a student dormitory in Starobilsk, in Russian-occupied Luhansk in eastern Ukraine, which Russian officials say killed 21 people. Ukraine's military denied targeting civilians, stating its forces had struck an elite Russian drone unit in the area. Russia has launched multiple deadly attacks on Kyiv since a brief ceasefire coinciding with its Victory Day parade expired earlier this month; strikes in that period already killed 24 people, including three children.
The Oreshnik missile's deployment drew sharp reactions across Europe. French President Emmanuel Macron described it as "an escalation that marks the deadlock of Russia's war of aggression." The European Union's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, also condemned its use. Defence analysts note that the Oreshnik, which travels at more than ten times the speed of sound and can release dozens of independently guided warheads, is effectively impossible for Ukraine's air defences to intercept. Because Russia has deployed Oreshnik missiles in neighbouring Belarus, virtually all European capitals fall within its range — a fact that makes its use politically charged well beyond the Ukrainian battlefield. On Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov telephoned US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to inform him of the planned strikes and urged him to evacuate American diplomats from Kyiv. Rubio responded that the escalation was "a reminder of why this is a terrible war" and that the US remains ready to help facilitate its end.
On the streets of Kyiv, the human cost is measured in boarded-up windows, ash-streaked facades, and the quiet work of sweeping glass from pavements. Residents describe a night of near-constant explosions, with blasts close enough to shake walls and tear doors from their frames. Ukrainian Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko confirmed that the government building housing the Cabinet and Foreign Ministry was damaged, though no one inside was hurt. With Russia explicitly warning of more strikes to come, and with Ukraine's air defences under severe strain, the city — and its international partners — are bracing for what may follow.