Moscow describes the upcoming “systematic attacks” on the Ukrainian capital as a response to Kiev’s recent attack in Luhansk.
Published on May 25, 2026
Russia has warned that it is planning a “series of systematic attacks” on defense industrial facilities in Kiev and urged foreign citizens to leave the Ukrainian capital.
In a statement, the Defense Ministry said the attacks were in response to a Ukrainian drone strike last week in which a… Student dormitory in Starobilsk in the occupied Luhansk region, killing at least 18 people.
Recommended Stories
List of 4 itemsEnd of the list
Ukraine has expanded its drone warfare capabilities in recent months and has seen significant success in combating Russian targets, particularly energy infrastructure. Moscow, which launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbor four years ago and claimed four eastern regions of Ukraine, branded those attacks “terrorism” and responded with major missile and drone launches.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said in Monday’s statement that the Starobilsk attack was “the final straw” and that in response, Russia will launch a systematic series of attacks targeting “specific locations where UAVs are designed, manufactured, programmed and prepared for use.”
Noting that such facilities are “scattered throughout Kyiv,” the statement said that “foreign citizens, including personnel of diplomatic missions and international organizations, are warned to leave the city as soon as possible.”
In addition, Kiev residents were asked to avoid proximity to military and administrative infrastructure facilities,” the statement said.
“Terror and Murder”
The drone salvo that was fired on the night of Thursday to Friday and hit Starobilsk – One of the deadliest attacks of its kind in Ukraine in months – 42 people were also injured.
The State Department’s statement called it a “blatant disregard for international humanitarian law” and “further blatant evidence of the Nazi and terrorist character of the Kiev regime, which deliberately attacks civilians and does not shy away from murdering children in cold blood.”
The Ukrainian military has denied responsibility for the attack on the student dormitory, saying it hit an elite drone commando unit.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha commented on Moscow’s threat and call for foreigners to leave Kiev, urging allies not to give in to “Russian blackmail.”
More than 70 foreign diplomats paid their respects to the victims of the attacks in Kiev on Monday and visited a badly damaged neighborhood.
French Ambassador Gael Veyssiere noted that ordinary people returned to work on Monday and were going about their daily lives.
“It is a way to demonstrate resilience and I think it is extremely important that we around the world support this,” Veyssiere told Reuters.
However, the threat is unlikely to remain idle. Russia has been heavily targeted Kyiv and surrounding areas have been subjected to massive missile and drone attacks since the Starobilsk attack.
According to Ukrainian authorities, at least four people were killed and more than 60 injured in overnight strikes in the capital and the surrounding region.
Russia confirmed on Sunday that it had deployed an Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile. It is the third time the nuclear-capable weapon has been used in Moscow’s four-year war.
On Monday, Ukrainian officials reported that several people were killed in attacks in the eastern regions of Kharkiv and Donetsk.
Earlier this month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said insisted The strikes Attacks on Russia’s oil industry and military production facilities were “fully justified” after a Russian attack leveled an apartment block in Kiev, killing at least 24 people.
