Russia’s Foreign Ministry warned that Russian armed forces would strike defense enterprises, “decision-making centers,” and command posts in Kyiv in retaliation for a strike on a dormitory in the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic.
The ministry urged foreigners, including diplomats, to leave Kyiv “as soon as possible” and told residents not to approach facilities belonging to what it called “the military and administrative infrastructure of the Volodymyr Zelensky ‘regime.’”
Russia accuses Ukraine of striking Starobilsk, in the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic, in the early hours of May 22. Russian authorities said the strike hit a dormitory at a teachers college, killing 21 people. Ukraine’s General Staff said Ukrainian forces in the Starobilsk area had struck the headquarters of the Russian “Rubikon” army unit.
Vladimir Putin ordered the military to prepare a response following the Starobilsk strike. In the early hours of May 24, Russian forces carried out a massive strike on Kyiv — including with missiles fired from the Oresnik system — damaging shopping centers and cultural institutions. Two people were killed and 81 were wounded.
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