Russia warned of a major raid on Kiev, urging foreigners to leave

The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement today saying that the country is about to conduct a series of systematic attacks against Ukraine’s defense industrial complex in the capital Kiev.

The goals listed by Russia include facilities for the design, production, and programming of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which Moscow says are being deployed by Kiev “under the support of NATO experts.” The Russian military will also target Ukraine’s decision-making centers and command posts.

“Since these facilities are scattered throughout Kiev, we warn foreign citizens, including employees of diplomatic missions and international organizations, to leave the city as soon as possible. We also warn residents of the Ukrainian capital not to approach the government’s military and administrative infrastructure,” the Russian Foreign Ministry stated.

According to this agency, the attack was in response to Ukraine’s early morning attack on May 22 on a vocational college specializing in training 14-18 year old students in the town of Starobelsk in Lugansk province, killing at least 21 people and injuring dozens. The Russian Foreign Ministry described this attack by Ukraine as “the final straw”.

“This is a clear violation of the 1949 Geneva Convention and additional protocols related to the protection of civilians in conflict, the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child and a series of other important international documents,” the Russian Foreign Ministry affirmed.

Ukraine’s military denied the accusations, saying it targeted a Russian drone pilot training unit in the attack.

Starobelsk is located about 65 km from the front line. Russian forces took control of this town in 2022, not long after launching a special operation in Ukraine.

On May 24, Russia launched its first retaliatory attack, using a medium-range ballistic missile carrying an Oreshnik hypersonic warhead, 5 Kinzhal and Zircon hypersonic missiles, 30 Iskander-M ballistic missiles, along with other types of missiles and 600 UAVs to attack targets in Kiev.

Ukraine announced that it successfully blocked 55 missiles and 549 UAVs in Russia’s attack, but let in many hypersonic missiles and Iskander-M. Kiev officials said at least four people were killed in these attacks.

Some European leaders have condemned Russia’s raid on Kiev.

European Union (EU) Foreign Policy Commissioner Kaja Kallas criticized Russia for using Oreshnik missiles as a “reckless act and threat of nuclear force”. French President Emmanuel Macron said that these attacks signaled “a deadlock in Russia’s war”.