Russia said on Saturday it would continue to carry out what it called systematic retaliatory strikes on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, and urged foreign nationals — including diplomatic mission staff — to leave the capital. In a statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that "in response to the Ukrainian Armed Forces' terrorist acts against the civilian population and civilian infrastructure of our country, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are continuing to systematically carry out targeted strikes on military facilities in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities," Reuters reported.
What did Russia's warning say?
The ministry's statement warned foreign nationals against staying in Ukraine or travelling to its territory, adding: "Responsibility for any adverse consequences lies entirely with those who ignore this warning." The ministry noted it had previously urged foreign citizens and diplomats in Kyiv to leave the city, and said with concern that "not everyone has heeded these warnings and that people are knowingly putting themselves at risk," according to the Sweden Herald's account of the statement.
The warning lands after three straight days of Russian strikes on Kyiv's bridges over the Dnipro River. On Saturday morning, a Russian strike damaged the Northern Bridge, suspending traffic for a third day, after assaults on Friday forced the full or partial closure of three of the capital's six road bridges, the Associated Press and Reuters reported. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the Saturday hit damaged the bridge's road surface and trolleybus cables, with no casualties reported.
Why does the warning matter?
The statement escalates Moscow's rhetorical framing of its campaign against the Ukrainian capital, which Reuters says has "upended life" for the city's 3 million residents ahead of the winter months. Russian President Vladimir Putin said this week that Ukraine was paying the price for its own attacks on Russia and would continue to do so as Moscow's forces systematically strike different targets there, Reuters reported.
The broader aerial war is intensifying on both sides. Both Russia and Ukraine have stepped up attacks on the other side's grain vessels in the Black Sea in recent months, while Russian oil refineries and other enterprises continue to come under Ukrainian shelling and Ukrainian drones kill civilians in Russian border regions, Reuters reported. Both sides deny targeting civilians or civilian infrastructure.
What has the reaction been?
No foreign government had announced an embassy departure in response to the statement as of publication time. The warning follows a pattern of periodic Russian statements pressing foreigners to leave Ukraine, and it arrives amid what residents and officials describe as the heaviest pressure on Kyiv's infrastructure heading into winter.
Related: our [October 3 report on the Northern Bridge strike and three days of attacks on Kyiv's Dnipro crossings](/articles/0530-kyiv-northern-bridge-strike-third-day) and [October 3 report on Ukraine's intercepted Russian winter campaign plan](/articles/0430-ukraine-intercepted-russian-winter-plan).
