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Lavrov notifies Rubio of impending ‘systematic strikes’ on Kiev
Moscow has vowed to strike military and government sites across the Ukrainian capital in retaliation for continuing “terrorist attacks”

Updated 25 May, 2026 19:50
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Beijing, China on April 15, 2026.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has spoken with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, warning him that long-range strikes against Kiev are imminent, while reiterating the “recommendation” that foreigners evacuate the Ukrainian capital immediately.

Earlier in the day, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced a shift in Moscow’s strategy in the Ukraine conflict, citing the recent deadly attack on a college dorm in the Russian town of Starobelsk, which killed at least 21 people, mainly teenage girls. The incident was the “last straw” for Moscow, which will now embark on a campaign of “systematic strikes” against the Ukrainian capital, targeting military-industrial facilities, command centers, and other sites dotting Kiev.

Russia’s top diplomat conveyed the information to Rubio by direct order of President Vladimir Putin, the ministry said in a statement. Lavrov also drew his counterpart’s attention to the “recommendation” issued by the Foreign Ministry in anticipation of the impending campaign, urging that all foreign nations, including the US, “ensure the evacuation of their diplomatic personnel and other citizens from the Ukrainian capital,” it added.

Russia warns all foreign citizens to leave Kiev

Lavrov also reminded Rubio of the top-level understanding reached during the Trump-Putin summit in Anchorage last August, while expressing “regret” that the effort has been derailed by Kiev and its European backers. In addition to the Ukraine conflict, the two diplomats discussed the continuing crisis in the Middle East and the situation surrounding Cuba, the ministry said.

Moscow has long complained about the Ukrainian military launching indiscriminate strikes on civilian targets in Russia, branding them “terrorist attacks.” Kiev has intensified its long-range drone and missile attacks in recent months. Six civilians were killed in Russia’s Donetsk and Belgorod regions on Monday alone, according to local officials. The Russian military maintains that it never targets purely civilian sites in Ukraine and focuses on military or dual-use installations.
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