The European Union has said it will not evacuate its diplomatic mission in Kyiv despite explicit Russian warnings of possible large-scale attacks around Moscow’s Victory Day celebrations.
Speaking on Thursday, Anouar El Anouni dismissed Moscow’s threats as part of a broader campaign of intimidation and escalation surrounding May 9 commemorations.
“Russia’s public threats to attack Kyiv are part of its reckless escalation tactics,” he said.
“As for us, the EU, we will not change our position or presence in Kyiv.”
The comments came after Moscow warned foreign embassies and international organisations to prepare for possible strikes on the Ukrainian capital if Ukraine disrupts Victory Day events in Russia.
Maria Zakharova said Russia had formally advised diplomatic missions to ensure the “timely evacuation” of staff and citizens from Kyiv ahead of the celebrations.
The warning marked one of Moscow’s starkest public threats against the Ukrainian capital in months and came amid mounting fears of a major escalation linked to Russia’s annual military parade in Moscow.
El Anouni accused the Kremlin of attempting to portray Ukraine as the aggressor while continuing its own invasion and bombardment campaign.
“Russia is again outrageously trying to blame Ukraine for its own war of aggression,” he said.
He noted that Russian missile and drone attacks on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities had become a daily occurrence and pointed out that diplomatic facilities themselves had previously been damaged during strikes.
“Russian attacks are a daily reality in Kyiv and other parts of Ukraine,” he said.
The EU official added that despite repeated international calls for a ceasefire — including recent proposals from Volodymyr Zelensky — Moscow had shown no meaningful willingness to de-escalate the conflict.
The latest tensions come after Russia announced a unilateral ceasefire for May 8–9 to coincide with Victory Day commemorations marking the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in the Second World War.
Zelensky dismissed the proposal as a cynical attempt to shield Moscow’s parade rather than a genuine effort to stop the fighting.
Ukraine instead proposed its own ceasefire beginning on May 6, but Ukrainian officials said Russian strikes continued almost immediately across multiple regions.
“Today, virtually all day long, virtually every hour, we have been receiving reports of strikes from various regions,” Zelensky said during his evening address.
The Ukrainian president warned Kyiv would respond “mirror-like” to continued Russian attacks and would determine its next actions accordingly.
The growing tensions have cast a shadow over this year’s Victory Day parade, one of the Kremlin’s most important political and symbolic events.
Russian authorities have already scaled back the celebrations, with military hardware reportedly absent from the procession for the first time in nearly two decades because of what officials described as the “operational situation”.
Moscow has also announced sweeping mobile internet restrictions during Saturday’s commemorations, including limits affecting even “whitelisted” websites, in an apparent attempt to reduce the threat posed by drones or digital disruption.
The measures have fuelled speculation that the Kremlin fears possible Ukrainian strikes or sabotage attempts linked to the event.
As both sides trade threats and ceasefire proposals rapidly unravel, diplomatic tensions around Kyiv and Moscow are continuing to intensify ahead of May 9.
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