Russia threatens more strikes on Kiev, urges foreigners to leave city

MOSCOW

Russia said on May 25 it plans to launch more strikes on Kiev, including on its "decision-making centres", and repeated a call for foreign citizens and diplomats to leave the city.

Russia launched scores of drones and missiles at Ukraine over the weekend, killing four people, wounding dozens and causing damage across Kiev.

Among the weapons Russia used was its Oreshnik hypersonic missile, which can travel 10 times the speed of sound and is capable of carrying nuclear warheads, according to Moscow.

The barrage came days after Russia accused Kiev of striking a vocational school in the Russian-occupied Lugansk region, killing 21 people. Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his military to retaliate for that attack.

"Under the current circumstances, the Russian Armed Forces are starting to launch systematic strikes against Ukrainian military-industrial facilities in Kiev," Russia's foreign ministry said in a statement.

"The strikes will target both decision-making centres and command posts... We are warning foreign citizens, including personnel of diplomatic missions and international organisations, to leave the city as soon as possible," it added.

Russia had already called on foreign citizens and diplomats to evacuate Kiev earlier this month, when it threatened massive strikes on central Kiev if Ukraine disrupted a military parade on Red Square.

Russia launched its full-scale offensive on Ukraine in February 2022.

The conflict has since spiralled into Europe's deadliest since World War II.