Russian authorities on Tuesday told the United States to evacuate diplomats and American citizens from Kyiv, saying Moscow is preparing fresh strikes on the Ukrainian capital.
According to a statement from the Russian government, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov "officially informed" Washington during a phone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday that Russia would carry out "systematic and consistent strikes" against Ukrainian military facilities and what Moscow described as "decision-making centers."
The Russian statement urged foreign nationals, diplomatic personnel, and international organizations to leave Kyiv. It said the government was preparing to target the capital with a focus on sites connected to the design, manufacture and programming of drones.
"The strikes will target decision-making centers and command posts," the statement said. It added: "Due to the fact that the above-mentioned facilities are scattered across Kyiv, we are notifying foreign citizens, including the personnel of diplomatic missions and international organizations of the need to leave the city as soon as possible."
In addition to advising departures, Russia's government warned Kyiv residents not to use military or government facilities and infrastructure.
Russia's foreign ministry said Lavrov underlined the warning to Rubio during their Monday call. A U.S. State Department spokesperson, Tommy Pigott, confirmed Rubio spoke to Lavrov at the latter's request and said: "The parties exchanged views on the Russia-Ukraine war, bilateral relations, and the situation in Iran."
The Russian foreign ministry also said Lavrov "expressed regret" over the deadlock on a Russia-Ukraine peace deal.
The Russian government release framed the message to Washington as both a notification of planned strikes and a safety warning for noncombatants and diplomatic staff located in Kyiv. Officials singled out facilities tied to drone activity as priority targets and emphasized that sites Moscow considers to be command or decision centers are spread throughout the city, a point cited in the advisory to leave.
The U.S. State Department's brief account of the call noted the topics discussed but did not provide further details on any responses or next steps. The Russian foreign ministry's statement included the quotations attributed to Lavrov and the characterization of strike targets.
Details in the official statements describe Moscow's intentions and the advisory to foreign nationals, but they do not provide a timeline or operational specifics about when or how the planned strikes would be executed.