The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a fresh warning on October 3, urging foreign nationals and diplomats to leave Kyiv immediately as military forces continue systematic aerial strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure and municipal transit hubs.
Moscow repeated its warning to foreign visitors and diplomats to evacuate the Ukrainian capital or stay away from military facilities and government buildings. In an official statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry claimed its armed forces are executing systematic, targeted strikes in response to what it termed terrorist actions by the Ukrainian armed forces against the civilian population and civilian infrastructure of our country
.
“We note with concern that not everyone has heeded these warnings, and that individuals are knowingly exposing themselves to mortal danger.”
Russian Foreign Ministry, via Rte
The ministry warned that the armed forces of the Russian Federation will continue to deliver massive retaliatory strikes
and asserted that responsibility for any potential negative consequences rests entirely with those who ignore the notice.
Bridge Closures and Transit Chaos in Kyiv
The diplomatic warning coincides with an intensified aerial campaign that has directly targeted the city’s critical river crossings. On the morning of October 3, a Russian jet-powered drone struck the North Bridge, damaging the road surface and trolleybus wires while blocking westbound commuter traffic. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko announced on Telegram that Northern Bridge has been hit,
adding that emergency services were heading to the scene.
The attack on the Northern Bridge followed a drone alert and came a day after the Southern Bridge was hit in a wave of strikes that city officials described as tearing Kyiv apart
. The strike on the South Bridge prompted authorities to shut the crossing and restrict movement on another structure following a wave of fast-moving, jet-powered drones, causing severe traffic congestion across the capital. Major arteries filled with heavy traffic as travelers sought alternate paths, prompting some individuals to abandon their vehicles and finish their commutes on foot. The cable-stayed structure, one of eight crossings connecting the two sides of Kyiv, had already been hit several times since Thursday, according to city officials. Yesterday, Klitschko insisted the capital must transition to a wartime footing, pointing out that sustaining essential city services amid continuous missile and drone attacks is now a vital matter of life and death for the three million inhabitants, as local administrators can no longer function under peacetime assumptions.
Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Denies Embassy Evacuation Plans
The renewed evacuation warnings follow international media reports regarding potential contingency blueprints among foreign missions. The Guardian reported, citing two high-ranking Western diplomats, that senior Western diplomats had drawn up emergency plans to relocate embassy staff from Kyiv to Lviv in the west or across the border into eastern Poland if Moscow launched deliberate attacks targeting foreign diplomatic missions. While public statements maintained that missions would stay in Kyiv to avoid giving Russia a propaganda victory, private discussions centered on developing these backup plans as the situation deteriorated rapidly and the occupiers began to use jet drones more extensively.
Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi firmly refuted claims that foreign representations were preparing to withdraw. Speaking to NV, Tykhyi noted that foreign diplomatic missions had submitted no formal requests or notifications regarding relocation plans, while questioning the origin of the foreign media reports. The Center for Countering Disinformation under Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council also reported Tykhyi’s statement on Telegram, urging the public to rely on official sources and confirming that established international diplomatic protocols require formal prior notification to host governments before any mission relocates, emphasizing that zero transfer notices or appeals had been submitted by foreign missions.
“If any diplomatic missions are planning to relocate, they inform us; that is the established procedure.”
Heorhii Tykhyi, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine
Tykhyi reiterated that as of Friday evening, the Foreign Ministry had received no requests or notifications regarding plans to move staff. The United States Department of State maintains a Level 4 Do Not Travel advisory for Ukraine due to active hostilities, but confirmed that the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv remains open, staffed, and operational. Previous Russian strikes have damaged foreign embassies and ambassadors’ residences in Kyiv several times, including an attack on May 24 that damaged the Albanian ambassador’s residence, as well as strikes earlier that year on the Azerbaijani embassy, and severe damage to the EU mission and British Council in August 2025, alongside damage to the embassies of Albania, Argentina, Palestine, North Macedonia, Portugal, and Montenegro in a December 2024 missile strike.
Kremlin Officials Link Intensified Strikes to Price of War
The escalation in Kyiv follows weeks of relentless bombardments that have struck residential apartment blocks, data centers, energy facilities, and educational institutions, including the National Academy of Sciences in central Kyiv where a drone set fire to the building on September 28 as people inside fled through the windows.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asserted that the Russian leadership is attempting to compel Ukrainians to abandon the capital in order to project the false narrative that Kyiv can be separated from Ukraine. Meanwhile, municipal authorities and diplomats continue to monitor the security situation in the capital as air raid alerts persist.