Moscow says similar attacks could occur in the future.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry on Monday warned of a “coordinated attack” against military targets, including what it called a “decision-making center” in Kiev.
The newspaper said this was in retaliation for a drone strike last week that authorities said killed 21 people, including university students, in the Russian-occupied Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine. Kiev’s military denied the accusations and said it was targeting military units near the town. Ukraine has been attacking deep inside Russia in recent months, making things increasingly uncomfortable for the Kremlin.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian cities are under almost daily attack from Russian missiles and drones, causing extensive damage and thousands of civilian casualties.
But Russia’s Foreign Ministry said things would only get more intense for the Ukrainian capital in the coming days, adding that “we have exhausted our patience” with the deadly attack on a university in Luhansk.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Tuesday declined to provide details about the frequency of potential strikes.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov raised new threats in a phone call with Rubio on Monday, telling the United States on behalf of Russian President Vladimir Putin of an impending “systematic and sequential attack” on Kiev and renewing his call for American diplomatic personnel to evacuate, Russian media reported.
US-led peace talks to end the war have stalled, and President Donald Trump has focused on the Iran war.
Asked about Tuesday’s phone call, Rubio said he was aware of all embassy notifications, but that Lavrov had personally warned him that “Kyiv is going to be a very dangerous place” and that he wanted Rubio to convey that message directly to Trump. Rubio added that there are currently “no planned negotiations” regarding Ukraine, but that “the United States stands ready to play a constructive and helpful role whenever the opportunity arises.”
The reaction of some US allies was less equal.
“We are not going anywhere!” Katarina Maternova, the head of the EU mission in Kyiv, said in a statement on Facebook that the warning from the Russian Foreign Ministry was a “masterpiece of hypocrisy” and an attempt to sow panic.
She added that such threats are not a sign of strength: “It’s a sign of desperation.”
France and Poland were among Ukraine’s allies who condemned the threat and rejected warnings to flee.
