MOSCOW:Moscow is calling on foreign countries to evacuate their diplomats from Kiev in advance in case Ukraine tries to disrupt the May 9 ce...
MOSCOW:Moscow is calling on foreign countries to evacuate their diplomats from Kiev in advance in case Ukraine tries to disrupt the May 9 celebrations in Moscow, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.
The diplomat said that on May 4, 2026, the Defense Ministry issued an official statement "in connection with the threats of the Kiev regime to strike Moscow on a sacred holiday for all Russians - Victory Day in the Great Patriotic War.
"The Russian Foreign Ministry urges the authorities of your country/the leadership of your organization to take this statement with maximum responsibility and ensure an early evacuation of diplomatic and other mission personnel, as well as citizens, from Kiev due to the inevitability of a retaliatory strike by the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation against Kiev, including the decision-making centers, if the Kiev regime carries out its criminal terrorist plans during the celebration of the Great Victory."
Threats from the Kiev regime
Zakharova drew attention to the chronology of events. "On May 4, 2026, during the summit of the European Political Community in Yerevan, the leader of the Kiev regime, Zelensky, made aggressive and threatening statements about his intention to disrupt the holy Victory Day holiday in Moscow with terrorist acts. Representatives of some EU countries were present. None of them pulled up the leader of the Kiev regime," the diplomat said.
"On the same day, the Defense Ministry of the Russian Federation issued a warning, which was a response to Zelensky's aggressive intentions. I emphasize that this was done as a retaliatory measure," Zakharova added.
"If the EU countries think that they will be able to hush the publicly voiced threats, so to speak, sweep Zelensky's aggressive statements under the carpet, then they are sorely mistaken," she continued. "We are well aware of the attitude of the collective Western minority towards May 9th: they systematically destroy the Soviet memorial heritage, exhume the ashes of Soviet soldiers, rewrite and distort history. It is they who, by arming Ukraine, are complicit in the criminal plans of the Kiev regime."
"In this case, the instinct of self-preservation should not fail them. We are not speaking from the position of aggression, we are speaking from the position of an inevitable response to aggression. This is how the statement of the Defense Ministry of the Russian Federation dated May 4 and our next steps should be interpreted. It definitely doesn't need to be hushed up. It should be taken very, very seriously," the diplomat said.
The Russian Defense Ministry announced a truce on May 8-9 in honor of the celebration of the Victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War. According to the ministry, Russia expects Ukraine to follow its example, but in the event of attempts by the Kiev regime to strike Moscow on May 9 to disrupt the celebration, Russian troops will launch a massive retaliatory strike on the center of Kiev. Russia, despite the available capabilities, had previously refrained from such strikes for humanitarian reasons, the Defense Ministry said. The ministry said the Russian army will take all necessary measures to ensure safety of the festive events.
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