KYIV, Ukraine (AP) 鈥� Russia fired more than 100 drones and two ballistic missiles at Ukraine overnight, the Ukrainian air force said Tuesday, as the country鈥檚 foreign ministry noted that Moscow鈥檚 recent from the air brought nothing new.
Russia on Monday urged foreign citizens, including members of diplomatic missions, to leave the Ukrainian capital as quickly as possible and told residents to steer clear of military and government facilities. It said that 鈥渟ystemic strikes鈥� on Kyiv were being prepared.
Russia has regularly bombarded Kyiv, often causing dozens of civilian casualties with every attack, since it on Feb. 24, 2022.
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio by phone Monday that the U.S. should evacuate its diplomatic staff from Kyiv, a foreign ministry statement said. Rubio didn鈥檛 say whether the U.S. State Department would take that step, but expressed concern during a trip to India that the 鈥渢errible鈥� war in Ukraine could escalate further.
The Trump administration has to stop the war. But its efforts yielded no significant breakthrough and are now on ice as Washington focuses on the .
No diplomats say they are leaving Kyiv
There were no announcements of diplomatic departures from Kyiv. The European Union, French and Polish delegations publicly said that they would not leave.
The European Union summoned Russia鈥檚 representative in Brussels to convey its concerns Tuesday, with European Commission spokesperson Anitta Hipper accusing Russia of 鈥渢rying to sow panic.鈥�
French Foreign Ministry spokesman Pascal Confavreux called the Russian threat 鈥渘ew intimidation from Moscow.鈥�
The level of security threats posed by Russia to Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities 鈥渞emains the same as in previous years and months,鈥� Ukraine鈥檚 foreign ministry said in a statement late Monday.
Russia has continuously launched missile and drone attacks on the capital, it pointed out, adding that Ukraine was prepared to assist diplomatic missions seeking additional security measures.
Russia could target bunkers, official says
Andrei Kartapolov, head of the defense affairs committee in Russia’s State Duma, said that the Ukrainian parliament and presidential office aren鈥檛 among potential targets.
Kartapolov said that possible attacks could aim at underground bunkers used by various branches of Ukraine鈥檚 armed forces, security agencies and other government structures.
鈥淭hose are well-concealed and fortified facilities, and our task is to spot and target them with the weapons we have,鈥� Kartapolov said in remarks carried by Parlamentskaya Gazeta, the official publication of the Russian parliament.
Russia said its last weekend was in response to Friday鈥檚 deadly Ukrainian drone strike on what Moscow said was a in Starobilsk, a city in Ukraine鈥檚 Russia-occupied Luhansk region.
But the Ukrainian General Staff said that its strike in Starobilsk hit the local headquarters of the Russian military鈥檚 special drone unit.
Ukraine remains short of air defense missiles
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that sophisticated American-made air defense systems that Ukraine needs in order to stop Russian ballistic missiles are in short supply because of the Iran war.
鈥淯nfortunately, there has been no progress for a long time with America on expanding the production of anti-ballistic capabilities,鈥� Zelenskyy said on social media late Monday, adding that Kyiv is working with Europe to improve its own anti-ballistic capabilities in sufficient quantities.
He said that Ukrainian battlefield gains in recent months have enabled it to 鈥渟tabilize鈥� the 1,250-kilometer (780-mile) front line in eastern and southern Ukraine, suggesting that Kyiv’s forces are holding their own against Russia’s bigger army.
Russia鈥檚 spring offensive is floundering as Ukraine鈥檚 midrange drone strikes disrupt its rear supply lines, according to the Institute for the Study of War.
Moscow鈥檚 warning of major strikes aims to distract public attention from its 鈥減oor battlefield performance鈥� and an economic pinch caused by war costs and international sanctions, the Washington-based think tank said late Monday.
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Barry Hatton reported from Lisbon, Portugal. Elise Morton in London, John Leicester in Paris, and Lorne Cook in Brussels, contributed to this report.
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