The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on diplomatic missions to urgently evacuate their staff in Kyiv. Moscow warned that if Ukraine attempts to disrupt the events of May 9 — Victory Day — retaliatory strikes could be carried out against Kyiv. This was reported by Zamon.uz reported.
In a video address on Telegram, Russian Foreign Ministry official representative Maria Zakharova urged foreign diplomatic missions to take the warning from the Russian Ministry of Defense seriously. According to her, if Ukraine targets events held in connection with Victory Day or the military parade on Red Square, Russia will take retaliatory measures.
Zakharova emphasized the need for timely evacuation of diplomats and other mission personnel due to the possibility of a retaliatory strike by the Russian Armed Forces against Kyiv.
Additionally, the Russian side accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of making “threatening statements” about disrupting Victory Day events at the meeting of the European Political Community held in Armenia.
Zelensky wrote on the social network X that Russia is moving air defense systems from regions of the country to the outskirts of Moscow ahead of the military parade on May 9, and noted that this expands the possibility of long-range attacks for Ukraine.
“This shows that the Russian leadership is not preparing for peace, which has been mentioned in many statements, and cares more about the parade in Moscow than about other regions of Russia. At the same time, this creates additional opportunities for our long-range strikes. We will set appropriate priorities accordingly,” — Zelensky said.
Currently, the sides are accusing each other of violating the ceasefire. Ukraine declared a unilateral ceasefire on May 6, while Russia also proposed a temporary ceasefire in connection with the Victory Day events on May 9.
