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Stephen J. By Bose, Worth News Europe Bureau Chief<\/p>\n
KIEV\/BUDAPEST (WORTH NEWS) \u2013 Russia warned diplomats and foreign residents on Monday to leave Ukraine’s capital Kiev amid signs Moscow is preparing for more major attacks following one of the most devastating missile and drone attacks on war-torn Ukraine in recent years.<\/p>\n
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said the upcoming attacks would target “decision-making centers” and companies linked to Ukraine’s military-industrial complex, while urging foreign citizens and diplomatic staff to leave Kyiv “as quickly as possible.”<\/p>\n
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also reportedly urged US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to evacuate the US embassy in Kiev during a phone call.<\/p>\n
The warnings came after Russia launched nearly 600 drones and 90 missiles against Ukraine, according to Ukrainian officials, including the rare use of a supersonic Oroshnik ballistic missile.<\/p>\n
Russia increased attacks<\/strong><\/p>\n Ukrainian officials said at least four people were killed and more than 20 were injured in the latest large-scale attacks targeting Kiev and other areas.<\/p>\n Additional attacks occurred in eastern and southern Ukraine on Monday, killing one person and wounding at least 15 others. Officials said 12 people, including an 8-year-old boy, were wounded in the attacks with guided glide bombs in the eastern city of Kramatorsk.<\/p>\n Infrastructure in the southern port city of Odessa was also damaged, according to regional authorities.<\/p>\n Ukraine accused Russia of compensating for battlefield failures in what Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiha described as “barbaric missile attacks” targeting civilians and urban centres.<\/p>\n Europe condemned the attacks<\/strong><\/p>\n Russia said the strikes were retaliation for a Ukrainian drone strike in the Russian-held city of Luhansk, in which Moscow claimed to have killed 21 civilians. Ukraine disputed that account, saying that the target was military-related.<\/p>\n European leaders condemned the attacks, with French President Emmanuel Macron calling it a “further escalation” of the war.<\/p>\n EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas accused Russia of deliberately terrorizing civilians after failing to achieve decisive military advantages on the battlefield.<\/p>\n German broadcaster ARD said its Kiev studio suffered severe damage in the attacks, while German international broadcaster Deutsche Welle also reported damage to one of its offices in the Ukrainian capital.<\/p>\n Putin talks about peace<\/strong><\/p>\n Ukraine has requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council and negotiations within the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe following the attacks.<\/p>\n Amid the death and destruction, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday that he believed “this issue will come to an end” regarding the war in Ukraine and indicated he would be willing to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky if a long-term peace deal could be reached.<\/p>\n He said this after new data showed that Russia’s economy reportedly contracted by 1.8 percent in January and February amid the pressure of the ongoing war and international sanctions.<\/p>\n Since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, two million people on both sides are believed to have been killed or injured, while millions have fled the troubled region.<\/p>\n