Russia has issued a warning for foreign nationals to urgently evacuate Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, after revealing plans to systematically target military and defense industry sites in the city as retaliation for drone attacks in the Luhansk region.
On 26 May 2026, the Russian Defense Ministry released a statement saying that Russian forces are preparing to launch a series of strikes targeting factories and facilities involved in the design, production, programming, and deployment of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in Kyiv.
Russia stated that this operation is in response to a Ukrainian drone attack last week aimed at a student dormitory in Starobilsk, Luhansk region, which is under Russian control, resulting in at least 18 deaths. Russia described the Starobilsk attack as a breaking point after facing continuous Ukrainian drone strikes, especially against energy infrastructure and targets within Russian-held areas.
Simultaneously, the Russian Foreign Ministry issued a warning for foreign nationals, including embassy officials and international organizations, to leave Kyiv as soon as possible because drone production sites are spread across multiple locations in the city. Russian authorities also urged Kyiv residents to avoid military facilities and government administrative offices during this period.
Subsequently, the Russian Foreign Ministry disclosed that Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had a phone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to provide advance notice of the planned strikes and requested that the U.S. consider evacuating its embassy staff from Kyiv.
Over recent months, Ukraine has steadily increased its drone attack capabilities and has carried out several strikes on targets inside Russia. In response, Russia has launched missile strikes and deployed attack drones against Ukraine on a broad scale amid a protracted conflict entering its fourth year, with no signs of resolution in the near future.