Russia's Foreign Ministry announced it would begin "systematic strikes" against "decision-making centres and command posts" in Kyiv, alongside drone manufacturing facilities, and called on foreign nationals, diplomats, and international organization staff to leave the city immediately [2][4][9]. The warning, issued on May 25, came one day after a massive combined missile-and-drone attack on the Ukrainian capital that killed at least five people — a toll that rose from an initial count of four dead reported by Zelensky — wounded more than 90, and damaged roughly 300 sites including museums, residential buildings, schools, and media offices [2][7][14][21]. Russia framed the campaign as retaliation for what it called "continuing terrorist attacks by the Kyiv regime" against Russian civilians, specifically referencing a disputed Ukrainian strike in the Starobilsk area of occupied Luhansk Oblast [8][9].
The two sides offered irreconcilable accounts of the Starobilsk incident that triggered the retaliatory threat. Russia claimed that sixteen Ukrainian drones struck a vocational school dormitory housing young people, killing 21, and that no military assets were nearby — a characterization Putin made publicly [8][9]. Ukraine's General Staff reported that the same strike targeted a command facility of the Russian elite drone unit Rubicon [8]. The discrepancy remains unresolved, and each side has cited the other's version as evidence of bad faith.
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry dismissed Russia's announcement as "nothing short of shameless blackmail" and stated that the overall security threat level for Kyiv had not changed from previous years and months [2][6]. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga told partners they "should not give in to all this Russian blackmail" and called for a proportional Western response, including additional aid packages and sanctions [4][8]. He also requested emergency meetings of the UN Security Council and the OSCE, accusing Russia of trying to compensate for a lack of military progress by attacking civilians [21].
European governments and EU institutions explicitly rejected the evacuation demand. Katarina Mathernova, head of the EU Office in Kyiv, wrote on social media: "Russia wants fear. Panic. Isolation of Ukraine. It will not work" and added, "We are not going anywhere" [7][4]. France's foreign ministry spokesperson stated: "On a l'habitude des menaces de Poutine. Hors de question d'évacuer" (We're used to Putin's threats. It is out of the question to evacuate) [16][4]. The refusal to withdraw was echoed across multiple Western capitals, with the German public broadcaster Tagesschau reporting that the EU gave itself "unbeeindruckt" — unimpressed [12].
The United States adopted a different register. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who had been urged by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in a phone call to evacuate American diplomats from Kyiv [2][4], described the mutual strikes as a "reminder of why this is a terrible war" and said "it needs to come to an end," reiterating that Washington stood ready to facilitate negotiations [2][16]. Rubio did not publicly address the evacuation demand or announce any change to the US diplomatic presence in Kyiv.
On-the-ground reporting from Kyiv documented extensive civilian destruction that directly contradicted Russia's Defense Ministry claim that "все назначенные объекты поражены" (all designated objects were hit) and that all targets were military [10]. Novaya Gazeta Europe's correspondent walked through the capital the morning after the attack, finding damage to the Main Post Office, the National Museum "Chornobyl," the Kyiv Opera, a school, and residential buildings [10]. Vitalina Martynovska, director of the Chornobyl Museum, stated: "As of today, there is not a single room in the National Chornobyl Museum that has not been destroyed" [7]. Ukraine's Ministry of Culture called the attack "самой масштабной серией повреждений культурных учреждений Киева за время полномасштабной войны" (the most extensive series of damages to cultural institutions in Kyiv during the full-scale war) [10]. At least five media outlets were damaged, including Deutsche Welle's bureau and ARD's studio, prompting the German Journalists' Association to describe the strikes as an attack on press freedom [22][35]. The UN's interim humanitarian coordinator in Ukraine condemned the attacks as clear violations of international humanitarian law [37].
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul called on NATO allies to provide Ukraine with at least €90 billion in bilateral support on top of the EU's existing concessional loan, stating: "Death and destruction in Ukraine, including hospitals and TV studios, show: Putin's terror knows no bounds" [18]. President Volodymyr Zelensky, in his evening address, complained of slow progress with the United States on expanding missile defense production and said he expected new diplomatic steps from Washington [3].
A parallel dimension of the escalation involved Ukrainian drone strikes inside Russian territory and their unintended consequences for NATO allies. Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi stated that "Russia continues to redirect Ukrainian drones into the Baltics with the use of its electronic warfare" and that "Moscow does this on purpose, together with intensified propaganda" [15]. The incidents have caused political fallout: Latvia's government fell partly over the issue [15], and Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur publicly urged Kyiv to tighten drone controls, saying, "We need to be very clear and frank with each other" [15]. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen traveled to Vilnius, stating that "la Russie et la Biélorussie portent la responsabilité directe des drones" (Russia and Belarus bear direct responsibility for the drones) endangering populations on the EU's eastern flank [11].
China's Foreign Ministry, through spokesperson Lin Jian, reiterated its standard position calling for all parties to resolve the crisis through dialogue and negotiation, without specifically condemning Russia's threat or assigning responsibility for the escalation [30]. Czech intelligence chief Michal Koudelka warned at a security conference that a limited Russian attack on a NATO Baltic state to test the alliance's response was "more likely" than a full-scale assault [1].
Analysis from The Guardian cited a Russian state pollster's finding that the general happiness index had hit a 15-year low, with Putin's approval rating slipping to pre-invasion levels [5]. An unnamed Russian business leader told the outlet there was "a growing sense that some kind of catastrophe is looming" among elites [5]. Separately, Putin signed legislation enabling Russian military deployments abroad under the pretext of protecting Russian nationals facing arrest or persecution, a measure that Andrey Kartapolov, head of the State Duma Defense Committee, linked to the case of a Russian archaeologist detained in Poland [20].
Tripartite peace negotiations remain frozen since February 28, according to RFI [16]. Rescue operations in Kyiv continue, with Zelensky reporting that nearly 100 emergency workers were deployed across multiple attack sites [20].