Russias Latest Ukraine Threat Marks Major Escalation in Conflict

Russia has urged foreigners to leave Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital city, and warned of potential strikes on the city in a statement issued by Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday. The ministry stated that it plans to target “decision-making centres and command posts” and drone manufacturing facilities in Kyiv as part of a series of strikes.

The statement also advised foreign citizens, including personnel of diplomatic missions and international organizations, to leave the city as soon as possible due to the alleged scattering of these facilities throughout Kyiv. Additionally, the ministry urged Kyiv residents to avoid all military and administrative infrastructure facilities in the capital, which could be potential targets.

A separate statement later said that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had advised US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the plan and urged him to evacuate his embassy staff from Kyiv.

The threats come after a drone strike on a student dormitory in Starobilsk, in the Russian-occupied Luhansk region of Ukraine, which killed at least 18 people. Russia claims these strikes are in response to the incident.

In recent months, Ukraine has improved its drone warfare capabilities, leading to successful targeting of Russian military and energy infrastructure. The Ukrainian military has denied responsibility for the strike on the student dormitory, stating that it had struck an elite drone command unit.

Russia has also targeted Kyiv and its surrounding areas with massive missile and drone attacks, resulting in at least four people killed and more than 60 injured overnight Tuesday and Wednesday. Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has urged allies not to give in to “Russian blackmail,” while French Ambassador Gael Veyssiere noted that people in Kyiv were going about their daily lives on Monday.

The incident marks the first time Moscow has issued a direct warning to foreigners in Ukraine, with the Russian foreign ministry labeling the Starobilsk attack as a “flagrant disregard for international humanitarian law” and describing it as a demonstration of the “Nazi and terrorist nature of the Kyiv regime.”

Source: Al Jazeera