Russia Renews Call For Foreign Diplomats To Leave Ukraine

Russia has renewed its call for foreign diplomats and other foreign nationals to leave Kyiv, saying an earlier evacuation recommendation remains in force as Russian forces intensify strikes on Ukrainian military infrastructure.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova made the statement on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok.

Zakharova said the recommendation issued by Russia’s Foreign Ministry in May remained relevant because Russian forces had moved to what she described as systematic and sustained strikes against military infrastructure across Ukraine.

“The recommendation was given back in May and remains in force,” Zakharova said, according to Russian media.

She urged diplomatic personnel and foreign citizens still in Kyiv to take the warning into account and evacuate the Ukrainian capital.

The renewed warning comes as Kyiv has faced a sustained wave of Russian drone and missile attacks.

Russian air attacks on Kyiv and surrounding areas early on Tuesday killed at least 12 people, according to Ukrainian authorities. The attacks marked the sixth consecutive day of heavy strikes on the capital and surrounding region.

In Kyiv, eight people were killed, including railway workers, after Russian missiles struck railway facilities and other locations, while four people were killed in Boryspil outside the capital, according to local officials.

Ukrainian authorities said the latest attacks involved ballistic missiles and large numbers of drones, including newer jet-powered drones that are more difficult to intercept.

The attacks have also extended beyond Kyiv. Russian strikes hit infrastructure in Ukraine’s Odesa region, including a border crossing with Romania and facilities linked to the country’s export routes, according to Ukrainian officials.

Zakharova described Russia’s military actions as retaliatory, accusing Ukraine of increasing attacks on residential areas and civilian infrastructure in Russian regions. Ukraine has repeatedly rejected Moscow’s justification for its attacks and accused Russia of deliberately targeting civilian and critical infrastructure.

Russia’s original evacuation warning was issued in May after Moscow threatened retaliatory strikes against Kyiv if Ukraine attempted to disrupt Russia’s Victory Day commemorations.

At the time, the Russian Foreign Ministry sent a note to foreign diplomatic missions and international organisations in Kyiv urging them to evacuate diplomatic personnel and other representatives from the city.

Russia said the warning was linked to the possibility of retaliatory strikes against Kyiv and what it called Ukrainian “decision-making centres.”

The May warning was therefore not a general diplomatic evacuation order issued by Ukraine or an international organisation. It was a recommendation from the Russian Foreign Ministry to foreign diplomatic missions and citizens based on Moscow’s stated assessment of the risk of retaliatory strikes.

Zakharova’s latest remarks effectively reaffirm that recommendation amid the latest escalation in Russian attacks.

The renewed warning comes as Ukraine continues to call on its international partners to strengthen its air-defence capabilities and increase pressure on Moscow.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said after the latest attacks that Kyiv’s allies should increase economic pressure on Russia and provide additional air-defence systems, particularly as Ukraine faces shortages of US-made Patriot interceptors used to counter ballistic missile threats.