Russia has warned foreign diplomats and citizens to leave Kyiv amid escalating fears of a large-scale missile strike, marking one of the most severe threats issued in recent weeks as tensions intensify ahead of Moscow’s Victory Day commemorations.
The Russian foreign ministry said Western states and other countries should ensure the “timely evacuation” of their personnel from the Ukrainian capital, warning that any attempt by Kyiv to disrupt Vladimir Putin’s parade in Moscow on Saturday could trigger a “very, very serious” military response.
Moscow has suggested it could carry out retaliatory strikes against what it described as “decision-making centres” in Kyiv, should Ukraine attempt to interfere with the annual Red Square event marking the Soviet victory in the Second World War.
The warnings have fuelled speculation that Russia could deploy its Oreshnik missile system with conventional warheads, which it claims has the capacity to deliver nuclear-scale destruction. Ukrainian officials and Western analysts have not verified those claims.
Putin has previously stated that the Oreshnik missiles’ temperature of the damaging elements reaches 4,000 °C and can turn cities “into dust.”
Maria Zakharova, the Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman, said the warning “must not be ignored” and urged foreign missions in Kyiv to take the threat seriously. She accused Ukraine of planning “criminal terrorist actions” linked to the Victory Day celebrations.
Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected Russia’s ceasefire proposals ahead of the parade, accusing the Kremlin of exploiting the commemorations while continuing its military campaign in Ukraine. He said Vladimir Putin was “the one person in Moscow who cannot live without war”, arguing that Russia remained focused on symbolism and spectacle rather than peace.
The exchange comes amid a sharp escalation in cross-border strikes. Ukraine launched at least 347 drones into Russian territory overnight, according to Russian officials, with impacts reported across multiple regions. Several were intercepted over the Black Sea, Azov Sea and Caspian Sea.
In the Moscow region, a military-industrial site in Naro-Fominsk was reported to be on fire following what Russian sources described as a drone strike. Ukrainian forces have increasingly targeted infrastructure deep inside Russian territory in recent months.
Further drone activity was reported in Sochi on the Black Sea coast, while airports in Moscow and several major regional cities, including Yekaterinburg, Chelyabinsk and Perm, temporarily suspended operations due to security concerns.
Across Russia, at least 15 cities and regions have cancelled or scaled back Victory Day parades, citing safety risks from potential Ukrainian strikes. These include areas in Belgorod, Kursk, Rostov and Leningrad regions, among others.
The developments underline the growing vulnerability of Russia’s domestic territory to long-range drone warfare, as well as the increasingly symbolic nature of military and political events on both sides of the conflict.
As Moscow prepares for its flagship parade, the warnings from both capitals suggest that the coming days may bring further escalation rather than de-escalation.
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