Russia has renewed its warning to foreign diplomats and other nationals in Kyiv to leave the Ukrainian capital, citing the intensification of Russian military strikes against Ukraine.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Tuesday that a recommendation issued in May for diplomatic missions and foreign nationals to evacuate Kyiv remains in force.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Ms Zakharova said the warning had not lost its relevance, pointing to what Moscow described as a shift towards regular and sustained strikes against Ukraine’s military infrastructure.
The original warning was issued in May after Moscow announced plans for what it called systematic strikes on defence-related facilities in Kyiv. Russia said the targets included sites involved in the development, production and preparation of Ukrainian drones.
At the time, Moscow also warned that foreign diplomatic personnel and staff of international organisations should leave the city, arguing that military and command facilities were dispersed across the capital.
The latest warning comes amid continued Russian missile and drone attacks on Kyiv and other parts of Ukraine. Ukrainian authorities have repeatedly reported damage to civilian areas and critical infrastructure following Russian strikes.
In August, Ukrainian officials said foreign diplomats visited areas of Kyiv damaged by Russian attacks, including sites near the Lukianivska metro station, where emergency workers were dealing with the aftermath of the strikes.
Russia has maintained that its attacks are directed at Ukrainian military and strategic infrastructure, while Kyiv and its international partners have repeatedly accused Moscow of endangering civilians and civilian infrastructure.
The United Nations Security Council has also expressed concern over damage to diplomatic premises in Kyiv, including UN facilities, following earlier Russian attacks.
Despite Moscow’s warnings, some Western diplomatic missions have previously indicated that they would maintain their presence in Kyiv. The US embassy, for example, said in May that it remained operational while continuing to monitor the security situation.
Russia’s renewed warning adds to growing concerns over the security of foreign diplomatic personnel as the war, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, continues.
