Ukraine war: Russia warns foreigners to leave Kyiv ahead of planned strikes

Russia has warned foreign nationals to leave the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, as it signals preparations for what it describes as “systematic” strikes on military-related targets. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reportedly told US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a phone call that Moscow plans to target sites in Kyiv, including command centres, air bases and defence facilities. The warning follows days of intensified Russian attacks on Kyiv, including drones, missiles and reported use of a multi-warhead Oreshnik missile, according to state media. Ukrainian officials have dismissed the warnings, with Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha urging the public not to give in to what he called Russian “blackmail”. Diplomatic missions in Kyiv say there are no plans to scale down operations, despite heightened fears, while residents remain on alert amid frequent air raid sirens. Al Jazeera’s Audrey MacAlpine reports from Kyiv. Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe Follow us on X: https://X.com/AJEnglish Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/ Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/ Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.news/AJEMobile #Ukraine #Russia #UkraineWar #RussiaUkraineWar #Kyiv #KyivStrikes #VolodymyrZelensky #VladimirPutin #RussianMissileAttack #RussiaDroneWarfare #OreshnikMissile #UkraineDefence #ChornobylMuseumAttack #Luhansk