Is the change “in favor of Ukrainian forces” after Russia's warning to foreigners in Kyiv?

Washington – The United States and other European countries seem to have dismissed Russia's warning that foreigners should leave the capital of Ukraine before the increase in strikes in the city. Analysts say the threat comes as the momentum on the battlefield may be beginning to shift in Ukraine's favor.

Moscow threatened on Monday “systematic raids on Ukrainian military enterprises in Kyiv” to retaliate against the Ukrainian. drone attack on Friday Russia says it struck a student dormitory in the Luhansk region, killing at least 21 people and injuring 42.

Russia calls Ukraine strike “last straw”

Ukraine's military called the Russian attack a “fraud,” and said a drone control center had been hit.

But in a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry, Russia called it the “last straw,” and vowed to launch “a systematic series of strikes against the complex military and industrial complex of Ukraine in Kyiv.”

“Because the above-mentioned facilities are scattered throughout Kyiv, we warn citizens of other countries, including employees of diplomatic missions and international organizations, to leave as soon as possible, and residents of the capital of Ukraine to avoid getting close to the military infrastructure and administrative facilities of the Zelenskyy regime,” the Ministry said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov issued a warning for US citizens to leave Kyiv to Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a phone call on Monday, the department said. A spokesperson for the US State Department confirmed the conversation, calling it an exchange about “the Russia-Ukraine war, bilateral relations, and the situation in Iran.”

US and Europeans ignore Russian warning: “We're not going anywhere!”

A State Department spokesperson told CBS News that “nothing comes first above the safety and security of the American people,” but added that the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv is “not making any changes” to its security posture.

Germany, Poland, and the European Union also appeared to dismiss Moscow's warning.

“Calling our embassy staff to leave Kyiv is doubly due to threats, fear and escalation,” the German foreign office said, adding that it had summoned the Russian embassy in Berlin and made it clear that “we will not be intimidated by threats and will continue to support Ukraine.”

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland said that it continued to “consider all attacks on Ukraine, including those against public institutions and communities, as acts of unjustified violence that lead to great loss of life and damage to infrastructure” and “any strike by Polish military personnel will be considered intentional and intentional.”

Russia is “again threatening diplomats and foreigners, urging us to leave Kyiv,” said EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarina Mathernova. “But we're not going anywhere! Russia wants fear. Fear. Separation from Ukraine. It won't work.”

Russia has issued similar threats in recent months, warning diplomats to leave Kyiv, but Monday's was more direct, and came after a series of airstrikes in Ukraine in recent weeks.

“The character of the war is changing in favor of the Ukrainian forces”

Russia hit Ukraine with a huge wave air raids on May 14 and 15launched more than 1,500 drones and more than 50 missiles. On May 23, Russia launched its Oreshnik hypersonic missile another attack which killed at least two people and injured 83 in and around Kyiv.

Analysts say Moscow's expansion comes amid signs that Ukraine is regaining momentum on the battlefield. In a May 25 report, the US-based Institute for the Study of War think tank said “the character of the war is changing in favor of the Ukrainian forces, at least for now.”

As of late 2023, progress on the battlefield has been slow, with neither side able to advance a front spanning more than 700 miles across eastern Ukraine. Russia, however, has sought little general progress since then. The ISW report says that Ukraine is beginning to destabilize the situation, and may be ready to turn the situation around.

“Ukraine is challenging the war that has dominated the field since 2023,” the group said. “Russia's battlefield advantages are close to zero, while Ukrainian forces are setting the stage for a possible exit from the war by reintroducing the limited features of guided missiles at the intelligence level.”

While analysts see signs of progress on the battlefield, however, Russia continues to exploit Ukraine's lack of air defense weapons by increasing its aerial bombardment.

“We are cooperating with all our partners in air defense in Ukraine – this is a priority,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a social media post after the Russian attack on May 25. “Anti-ballistic capabilities are now in short supply around the world because of the war with Iran, but we must look for solutions.”