Russia Fires More Than 100 Drones, Two Ballistic Missiles, Threatens Systematic Strikes on Kyiv

Russia fired more than 100 drones and two ballistic missiles at Ukraine overnight, the Ukrainian air force said Tuesday, as Moscow urged foreign citizens, including members of diplomatic missions, to leave Kyiv as quickly as possible.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said Moscow was preparing “systematic strikes” on Kyiv, and the warning came after a weekend barrage that included the use of the Oreshnik hypersonic missile.

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In Kyiv, NBC News reported that Lesia Homiak’s apartment shook when a missile hit within some 20 yards of her building in the city’s historic Podil district overnight Sunday, and she said, “We are lucky to be alive.”

The BBC said Moscow warned of “consistent, systematic strikes on Kyiv targeting its military industrial complex” and also warned foreign citizens and diplomatic staff to leave the city “as soon as possible.”

European countries rejected the Kremlin’s call to leave Kyiv, with NBC News saying the threat was framed as a “sign of desperation,” and it reported that some European officials summoned Russian ambassadors in protest.

Katarina Mathernova, the head of the EU mission in Kyiv, wrote on Facebook, “We are not going anywhere!” and the Guardian also quoted her saying, “Russia wants fear, panic, isolation of Ukraine. It will not work.”

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The BBC reported that Ukraine’s foreign ministry assessed that “the overall level of security threats posed by Russia to Kyiv and other cities remains the same as previous months and years,” while noting the Kremlin’s justification language was tied to a specific incident.

In a phone call readout described by NBC News, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov raised the threat in a call with Marco Rubio and informed the U.S. on behalf of Vladimir Putin of the impending “systematic and sequential strikes” on Kyiv.

Russia said its threats were tied to an alleged Ukrainian attack on a dormitory in the Russian-occupied city of Starobilsk in Luhansk region, claiming the incident had “exhausted Russia’s patience,” and the Kyiv Post reported that Moscow said it would target Ukrainian defense industry sites involved in drones.

The Kyiv Post said Ukrainian authorities reported at least two people were killed and 87 injured as of Monday after the weekend barrage, while the BBC said the Kremlin accused Ukraine of deliberately killing 21 students in a strike last week on Starobilsk.

Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council member Andrii Kovalenko told the BBC that in the absence of strategic results on the front, “the Kremlin is trying to exert psychological pressure on Ukraine,” and he also said Moscow was applying pressure to Ukraine’s allies by warning diplomatic staff to leave Kyiv.

The BBC added that Yurii Inhat, a spokesman for Ukraine’s Air Force, said the main problem remained “the limited number of interceptor missiles available for Ukraine’s air defences,” and it reported that US-made Patriots remain the only effective weapon for shooting down Russia’s ballistic missiles.