Russia’s Foreign Minister Calls Rubio Directly: Get Americans Out of Kyiv Before We Strike

A political figure with a serious expression during a press conference

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov personally warned U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Moscow is launching systematic strikes on Kyiv — and told him to get Americans out of the Ukrainian capital now.

Story Highlights

Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov directly warned Secretary of State Rubio that Russia is beginning “systematic and consistent strikes” on Kyiv’s military and government facilities.
Russia urged the evacuation of foreign diplomats and citizens from Kyiv, telling residents to stay away from military, industrial, and government sites.
The warning followed one of Russia’s largest single attacks on Ukraine — 90 missiles and 600 drones launched on the night of May 23–24, killing two and injuring 87.
Ukrainian officials contend the warning is psychological warfare designed to terrorize civilians rather than a disclosure of a new military operation.

Lavrov Calls Rubio With a Direct Warning

On May 25, 2026, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov contacted Secretary of State Marco Rubio by phone and stated that Russia is “beginning systematic and consistent strikes” on facilities in Kyiv used by the Ukrainian military and on what Moscow calls “decision-making centres.” Lavrov specifically urged Rubio to ensure the evacuation of U.S. diplomats and American citizens from the Ukrainian capital before those strikes intensify.

The Russian Foreign Ministry framed the call as an official diplomatic warning rather than a battlefield communiqué. Residents of Kyiv were also advised to stay away from military installations, industrial sites, and government buildings. The direct channel from Moscow to Washington signals that Russia wants the United States to understand the scope of what it is planning — and to bear some responsibility for the safety of its own people in the city.

Massive Strike Already Hit Kyiv Days Earlier

The warning did not arrive in a vacuum. On the night of May 23–24, Russian forces launched a combined assault on Ukraine using 90 missiles and 600 drones of various types — one of the largest single attacks of the war. The strike on Kyiv killed two people and injured 87, according to reporting from Ukrainska Pravda and the Kyiv Post. Emergency crews were photographed searching through rubble as fires burned across multiple districts of the capital.

Russia has conducted large-scale missile and drone campaigns against Ukrainian infrastructure repeatedly since October 2022, when it first struck the national power grid with 84 cruise missiles and 24 loitering munitions in a single wave. The tactic of alternating drone swarms with ballistic and cruise missiles is designed to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses and exhaust emergency response systems simultaneously, a pattern well-documented throughout the conflict.

Ukraine Calls It Intimidation — But the Bombs Are Real

Ukrainian officials pushed back on the framing of the Russian warning, characterizing it as psychological warfare and coercive intimidation aimed at civilians rather than a genuine operational disclosure. Their argument has merit on one level — Moscow has used broad propaganda language about targeting “decision-making centres” throughout the war without always specifying verifiable military objectives. The warning fits a familiar wartime playbook: announce strikes in ways that serve military, diplomatic, and psychological purposes all at once.

Russia just warned the USA :
more strikes on Ukraine are coming.
Lavrov told Rubio Moscow will “systematically” hit military targets — and urged evacuation plans for American diplomats in Kyiv.

— 𝙽𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚑 • 🇮🇳 (@voidagnt) May 26, 2026

That said, the bombs already falling make the Ukrainian counter-argument harder to sustain as a complete picture. Whether the announcement is pure intimidation or a genuine operational signal, the practical reality for civilians and foreign nationals in Kyiv is the same: Russia has the demonstrated capability and stated intention to continue striking the city. The U.S. Embassy issued its own safety alert following the Lavrov-Rubio call, a step that reflects Washington’s assessment that the threat is serious enough to act on — regardless of Moscow’s propaganda motives.

What This Means for the War’s Trajectory

The direct Lavrov-to-Rubio communication is notable because it places the Trump administration in a difficult position. Moscow is essentially demanding that Washington acknowledge Russia’s military dominance over Kyiv’s airspace while simultaneously pressing for peace negotiations. Russia’s willingness to issue a formal evacuation warning through diplomatic channels suggests it wants to avoid killing American citizens — but also wants the United States to visibly respond, lending credibility to the threat and potentially pressuring Ukraine to the negotiating table on Russian terms.

For the American people watching this unfold, the core facts are straightforward: Russia just told the United States directly that strikes on a major European capital are coming, and the prior attack involving 90 missiles and 600 drones proves Moscow has the means to follow through. How the Trump administration responds — and whether it can leverage ongoing ceasefire talks to halt the escalation — will define the next critical chapter of this war.