Russia issues evacuation warning to diplomats in Kyiv over strike threat

MOSCOW - Russia warned foreign diplomats in Kyiv that it would attack the city if Ukraine disrupted World War II commemorations in Moscow this weekend, as attacks from both sides continued into May 7.

Russia did not elaborate on its threat, and Ukraine did not immediately respond.

Russia and Ukraine traded strikes on May 7, wounding 13 people in the Russian border city of Bryansk and one person in Ukraine’s Dnipro, officials from both sides said.

Russia marks World War II Victory Day each year on May 9 with a massive military parade through Red Square.

The country this week declared a unilateral ceasefire with Ukraine between May 8 and 9 to coincide with the commemorations.

In a note to foreign diplomatic missions and international organisations on May 6, Russia warned it would launch a “retaliatory strike” on the Ukrainian capital, “including against decision-making centres”, if Ukraine disrupted the commemorations in Moscow on May 9.

It urged them to “ensure the timely evacuation of personnel from diplomatic and other missions, as well as citizens, from the city of Kyiv”.

There was no immediate reaction from Ukraine.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobianin said on May 7 that at least five drones “flying towards Moscow” had been destroyed.

One person was wounded in a Russian strike on Dnipro, according to a May 7 update from Mr Oleksandr Ganzha, head of the regional administration.

‘Respond in kind’

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has criticised Russia for demanding a ceasefire on May 9, an important holiday for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Mr Zelensky suggested on May 4 that Moscow was afraid Ukrainian drones would “buzz over Red Square”.

Ukraine proposed its own ceasefire for May 6, which Russia ignored.

“Today, virtually all day long, virtually every hour, we have been receiving reports of strikes from various regions,” the Ukrainian leader said.

In his evening address, Mr Zelensky said Ukraine would “respond in kind” to Russia’s violations and decide its next steps accordingly.

Ukrainian officials reported multiple attacks throughout May 6 when Ukraine’s unilateral ceasefire was due to be in force.

At least four people died in Russian attacks, including two at a kindergarten in the northern Sumy region, according to officials.

Fighting also continued on the front line.

A Ukrainian officer at the eastern front, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP news agency: “The enemy continued to carry out infantry raids and attempts to storm our positions.”

Since Russia “did not comply” with the Kyiv-suggested ceasefire, “our unit responded in kind and countered all provocations”, he added.

Another front-line commander said: “The intensity of combat operations remains at the same level.”

His unit, he said, was also responding: “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth!”

The Kremlin did not comment on the Kyiv-proposed ceasefire, only calling for Ukraine to halt attacks for May 9.

Attacks deep in Russia

Both sides have stepped up strikes in recent weeks, and the more than four-year war has killed hundreds of thousands of soldiers and tens of thousands of civilians.

Kyiv on May 7 struck residential buildings in the Russian border city of Bryansk wounding 13 people, according to the region’s governor Aleksandr Bogomaz.

On May 5, Ukraine hit deep inside Russia, killing two people in Cheboksary, a city on the Volga, hundreds of miles from Ukraine.

The attacks have created a sense of unease in Russia ahead of the May 9 parade.

Moscow has said it will remove military hardware from the procession for the first time in almost 20 years.

It has also started intermittent citywide internet shutdowns lasting until May 9.

Talks on ending what has spiralled into Europe’s worst conflict since World War II have shown little progress and have been sidelined by the Iran conflict.

Moscow is demanding that Ukraine withdraw from four regions it claims as its own – terms seen as unacceptable to Kyiv. AFP