Lavrov Tells Rubio to Evacuate US Diplomats, Citizens from Kyiv as Russia Vows Systematic Strikes on 'Decision-Making Centers'
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday that Moscow is launching systematic strikes on military and decision-making sites in Kyiv, urging Washington to evacuate its citizens and diplomatic personnel.
Phone Call Warning
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held a phone call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday, informing him that on President Vladimir Putin’s orders, Russian forces have begun systematic, targeted strikes on military facilities and decision-making centers in the Ukrainian capital. Lavrov also drew attention to a Russian Foreign Ministry statement recommending that the United States and other nations evacuate their diplomatic personnel and citizens from Kyiv.
In response to the continuous terrorist attacks of the Kyiv regime against civilians and civilian objects on Russian territory, the Russian Armed Forces are launching systematic and targeted strikes against facilities in Kyiv used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces and against relevant decision-making centers.
Lavrov lamented that European elites and the Kyiv regime are undermining the August 2025 agreements between Putin and President Donald Trump, which he said opened the path to a sustainable resolution.
Triggering Attack on Starobilsk
The strikes are retaliation for a Ukrainian drone attack on a vocational school dormitory in Starobilsk, in the occupied Luhansk region, which killed 21 people and wounded over 40. Russia claims 86 youths aged 14–18 were in the building at the time.
This bloody and deliberate attack is the last straw.
Ukraine’s General Staff countered that the building was being used as the headquarters for the Russian Rubicon drone unit, which regularly attacks Ukrainian civilians. An 18-year-old Ukrainian was arrested for allegedly aiding the Russian air strikes on Kyiv.
Weekend Barrage on Kyiv
Over the weekend, Russia launched dozens of drones and missiles at Kyiv, killing four civilians and wounding dozens. The arsenal included a hypersonic Oreshnik missile, which Moscow says travels at ten times the speed of sound and can carry nuclear warheads.
- Ukrainian drones strike a dormitory in Starobilsk, occupied Luhansk; Russia says 21 killed, over 40 wounded.
- Russia launches a massive weekend missile and drone barrage on Kyiv; four civilians killed, dozens wounded, including use of an Oreshnik hypersonic missile.
- Russian Foreign Ministry issues statement recommending foreign diplomatic evacuation and announcing systematic strikes on Ukrainian military and decision-making centers in Kyiv.
- Lavrov phones Rubio to convey the evacuation warning and explain the rationale behind the new strike policy.
- Ukraine's FM Sybiha invites over 70 diplomats to visit Russian attack sites, denouncing the intimidation as blackmail.
Ukraine’s Defiant Response
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha dismissed Russia’s threats as intimidation and blackmail, insisting that they would not work. He invited over 70 heads of diplomatic missions to visit the sites of Russian attacks.
We are currently discussing with our partners the need to resist this Russian blackmail.
Broader Diplomatic Context
The Lavrov-Rubio conversation also touched on the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz and the situation around Cuba, with both sides confirming a mutual commitment to normalizing the working conditions of diplomatic missions despite known differences.
