Lavrov Threatens Systematic Air Strikes on Kyiv During Phone Call With US Secretary Marco Rubio

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

During the call, the Russian side announced that its forces are initiating systematic strikes on facilities in Kyiv, as reported by RBC on May 25.

According to the statement from Moscow, the target locations in the capital are allegedly being used for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The communication outlines an intended escalation in targeted aerial operations over the city.

On May 24, Russia launched an “Oreshnik” intermediate-range ballistic missile at Bila Tserkva in the Kyiv region during a wider barrage of 90 missiles and 600 drones that aimed primarily at the Ukrainian capital, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported.

In a detailed statement published on his official Telegram channel, Zelenskyy noted that the extensive overnight aerial bombardment resulted in at least 83 confirmed injuries since midnight, while also causing multiple fatalities across the targeted areas.

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War in Ukraine

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The Ukrainian leader sharply criticized the Russian leadership for deploying such advanced hypersonic weaponry against civilian infrastructure, explicitly detailing that the strikes hit a local water supply facility with three separate missiles, completely burned down a marketplace, damaged dozens of residential buildings, and struck several ordinary schools.

Furthermore, military records indicated that this massive assault involved a total of 690 aerial targets, with 36 of the 90 deployed missiles being ballistic variants, creating a high-intensity combat environment where local defense systems were heavily tested and damage was ultimately reported at more than 40 distinct sites throughout the region.

On May 25, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha led representatives from more than 70 foreign diplomatic missions to the sites of recent Russian strikes in Kyiv, where he strongly urged the international community to intensify global pressure on Moscow.

Sybiha reported that the foreign diplomatic corps honored the memory of the victims of the horrific bombardment and laid flowers at the impact sites, including the hard-hit Shevchenkivskyi district.

Following a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the minister explicitly called for accelerated military aid, expanded air defense packages, and additional missile deliveries, emphasizing that allies needed to project unified resolve and send clear signals to Moscow that Ukraine's path to European Union membership remained completely irreversible.

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