Diplomats Told to Leave Kyiv as Russia Signals Its Deadliest Strikes on the Capital Are Still Ahead

Russia's Ministry of Defence issued a stark warning on Monday, telling foreign nationals, diplomats, and personnel of international organisations to leave Kyiv without delay. The announcement came as Moscow declared it was beginning a campaign of what it described as 'systematic strikes' against Ukrainian military-industrial facilities in the capital — and signalled the offensive was far from over.

The Russian foreign ministry stated that, 'under the current circumstances, the Russian Armed Forces are starting to launch systematic strikes against Ukrainian military-industrial facilities in Kyiv,' adding that because such sites are spread across the city, foreign citizens — including personnel of diplomatic missions and international organisations — should 'leave the city as soon as possible.'

A Weekend of Fire

The evacuation warning followed one of the most intense aerial assaults on Kyiv in recent months. Ukraine's air force said Russia used 600 drones and 90 missiles in the attack, including a powerful hypersonic ballistic missile called the Oreshnik, which is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.

The Oreshnik struck the city of Bila Tserkva in the Kyiv region, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed, marking the third time the weapon has been used in the four-year war. Buildings across the Ukrainian capital were damaged in the assault, including areas near government offices, residential buildings and schools.

The weekend barrage killed four people across Ukraine, wounded dozens and caused damage across Kyiv. Zelenskyy had warned ahead of the strikes that Russia was preparing to deploy the Oreshnik, citing intelligence gathered by Ukrainian authorities.

Luhansk Strike Cited as Trigger

Russia's Ministry of Defence said the strikes are in response to a Ukrainian drone attack last week that struck a student dormitory in Starobilsk, in the occupied Luhansk region, killing 21 people.

Ukraine disputed Putin's claim, saying it only targeted military facilities. The exchange marks a significant new chapter in the conflict's cycle of retaliatory strikes, with Russia now explicitly framing its Kyiv campaign as a direct consequence of attacks on Russian-occupied territory.

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his military to retaliate for that attack. Moscow subsequently deployed the Oreshnik — a weapon it has previously used sparingly — as part of the mass weekend assault.

Embassies Have Resisted Earlier Warnings

This is not the first time Russia has urged diplomatic missions to evacuate Kyiv. Earlier this month, Russia's Foreign Ministry urged diplomatic missions to evacuate staff from the Ukrainian capital ahead of Moscow's Victory Day celebrations, after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the fate of Russia's May 9 military parade 'depends' on Ukraine's army.

Despite the warning, foreign governments signalled no plans to scale back their diplomatic presence. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul told Bloomberg that Berlin 'will not be intimidated by this' and said Germany had no plans to evacuate its embassy. European Commission spokesperson Anouar El Anouni said the EU would also maintain its presence, stating: 'Russian attacks are... unfortunately, a daily reality in Kyiv and elsewhere in Ukraine.'

Whether that posture holds in the face of Monday's renewed and more specific threat remains to be seen. Russia's language on 25 May was notably more direct — no longer framed around a specific date or event, but as an open-ended campaign.

Russia's decision to publicly name Kyiv's military-industrial complex as a target, while simultaneously warning civilians and diplomats to leave, represents a deliberate shift in how Moscow is framing its campaign. The Oreshnik hypersonic missile, capable of carrying nuclear or conventional warheads and deployed for the third time in the four-year war, struck the Kyiv region in the latest assault, underscoring that Russia is willing to deploy its most advanced weaponry in an increasingly direct offensive on the Ukrainian capital. For the international community, the stakes of maintaining a diplomatic presence in Kyiv, and the pressure on Western governments to respond, have moved to a new level.