Lavrov tells Rubio of Russian decision to strike Kyiv sites linked to military
Lavrov said Moscow would begin systematic strikes on Ukraine’s command centers and urged foreign diplomats to leave Kyiv, after a disputed attack in occupied Luhansk Oblast.
- On May 25, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Moscow would launch "systematic and consistent strikes" on Kyiv's "decision-making centers" and urged the U.S. to "ensure the evacuation of their diplomatic personnel," according to a Russian Foreign Ministry readout.
- Russia cited a disputed May 22 Ukrainian drone strike in Starobilsk, Luhansk Oblast as justification; Moscow claimed 21 people were killed in a dormitory, while Ukraine's General Staff reported striking a Russian drone command facility and called the claim "misleading information."
- Russia's Foreign Ministry stated strikes would target "specific sites where drones are designed, manufactured, programmed, and prepared for use by the Kyiv regime with the assistance of NATO specialists." Nearly 100 emergency personnel attended damage sites across Kyiv where around 300 locations, including nearly 150 homes, were damaged.
- Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha rejected the threats as "Russian blackmail," urging a "proportional" Western response including "additional aid packages and additional sanctions." The State Department has not yet provided its own readout of the call.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin signed legislation on May 25 authorizing military deployments abroad to "protect Russian citizens" facing persecution by foreign nations, expanding Moscow's legal framework as Russia has historically refrained from striking Kyiv's central government buildings despite possessing the capability.
102 Articles
102 Articles
Russia Just Took the Gloves Off: Lavrov Called Rubio to Announce Ukraine Escalation Before Launching the Largest Aerial Attack of the War
On May 25, 2026, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov placed a phone call to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The substance of what Lavrov said in that call has now been confirmed by the Russian Foreign Ministry’s own readout and tracked across multiple Western and Ukrainian outlets. Moscow had decided to begin striking what it called the “decision-making centers” of the Ukrainian government in Kyiv. Lavrov urged Rubio to “ensure the evacu…
Russia Vows ‘Systematic Strikes’ on Kiev – Foreigners Warned To Leave Ukrainian Capital, Residents Urged To Stay Away From Military, Industrial and Government Sites
by Paul Serran, The Gateway Pundit: Kiev is in Russia’s crosshairs. After Ukraine killed 21 students in a college dorm in Luhansk oblast, Russia retaliated yesterday (24) with a massive combined drone-missile attack on Kiev. The strikes on Ukraine’s capital were one of the heaviest in the war, and even the new hypersonic Oreshnik (‘Hazel’) […]
The head of the State Duma's defence committee, Andrei Kartapolov, stated in an interview with the Parliamentary Gazette that neither the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine nor the President's office belonged to the "decision-making centres" on which Russia threatened to strike.
Moscow. Russia’s Foreign Minister, Serguei Lavrov, speaking on the phone this Monday with his U.S. colleague Marco Rubio, officially announced that the Russian army will begin to attack “systematically” military industry companies, as well as “decision-making centres and command posts” in the city of Kiev, Ukraine.
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