Russia’s Lavrov Warns Marco Rubio About Plan Strikes On Ukraine; Urges US Embassy Evacuation.

Moscow; May 2026: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a phone call on May 25 late evening (Local Time) that Moscow would begin strikes on Ukrainian “decision-making centers” and urged Washington to evacuate the embassy, according to a Russian Foreign Ministry readout in what Moscow called retaliation for a Ukrainian strike in occupied Luhansk Oblast whose target remains disputed. Russia claimed a dormitory was hit, while Ukraine said it had targeted a Russian drone command facility.

The threat came just a day after one of Russia’s largest-ever mass missile and drone attacks on the capital, which killed 02 and injured over 80, as strikes were recorded in almost every district of the city.

“The Russian Armed Forces are launching systematic strikes against Ukrainian military-industrial complex enterprises in Kyiv”, the Foreign Ministry statement read, “including specific sites where drones are designed, manufactured, programmed, and prepared for use by the Kyiv regime with the assistance of NATO specialists responsible for the supply of components, intelligence, and targeting. The strikes will target both decision-making centers and command posts”, the statement added, repeating a common phrase in Russia used to threaten strikes on the headquarters of state institutions and security services. Foreign citizens, including diplomats, were encouraged to leave the city, while Ukrainian civilians were called upon to stay away from military and administrative infrastructure of the Zelensky regime”.

In response to the threats, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said that Ukraine “should not succumb to this Russian blackmail”, urging a “proportional” Western response to the threats, including “additional aid packages and additional sanctions. Russian President Vladimir Putin must understand that he will achieve nothing through military means. Instead, he needs to save his country, if he still can”, Sybiha added, referring to the impacts of Ukrainian long-range strikes on Russia’s economy.

The conversation between Lavrov and Rubio marked the first publicly known contact between the two officials since May 05th, when they reportedly discussed U.S. brokered peace efforts. Following the call, Rubio said he relayed Lavrov’s message to U.S. President Donald Trump.

“Kyiv has been a dangerous place for a number of years”, Rubio told reporters. “The danger in all these wars, as they continue and go on, is that they always carry the threat of escalation, of spreading into something new”, Rubio added.

European leaders and diplomats signaled they would remain in Kyiv despite Moscow’s warnings, rejecting what they described as an attempt to intimidate and isolate Ukraine. Katarina Mathernova, the European Union’s ambassador to Ukraine, said the bloc “is not going anywhere. We stay in Kyiv,we stay with Ukraine”, she stated on X.

Team Maverick.