Russia bluffs again, tells foreigners to leave Ukraine

Ervin Shkulaku/DUANEWS

Russia has issued another strong warning to foreigners and diplomats, urging them to leave Ukraine as Moscow threatens to continue large-scale strikes against Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry said Saturday, October 3, that foreign nationals, including diplomatic personnel, should avoid staying in or traveling to Ukraine. Moscow also warned that the Russian military would continue what it describes as retaliatory strikes and said those who ignore the warning would bear responsibility for the consequences.

The warning comes as Russia has intensified attacks on Kyiv. On Saturday, a Russian airstrike hit the Northern Bridge over the Dnipro River, damaging the roadway and electric public transportation infrastructure. Other recent attacks have also caused serious damage to infrastructure in the Ukrainian capital.

But Moscow’s latest threat comes after more than four and a half years of war in which Russia has failed to defeat Ukraine.

When Vladimir Putin launched the full-scale invasion in February 2022, Russia was widely viewed as possessing overwhelming military superiority over Ukraine. Yet the war has exposed the limits of Russian power. Moscow failed to capture Kyiv, failed to overthrow the Ukrainian government and still does not control all of the Donbas — one of its major objectives.

Ukrainian forces have even reported recent advances in the Donetsk region. According to Ukrainian commanders, an operation called “Vivaldi” recaptured roughly 176 square kilometers of territory and several villages, slowing Russian advances in one of the most important areas of the front.

That is why Moscow’s latest warning can also be viewed as another attempt to project strength and increase psychological pressure on Ukraine and its supporters.

The threat, however, should not simply be dismissed. Russia retains a significant ability to launch missile and drone attacks, and it has intensified strikes against Kyiv and Ukrainian infrastructure in recent weeks. Putin said this week that Ukraine would continue to “pay the price” for its attacks against Russia.

After more than four years of war, the situation remains strikingly different from what many expected in February 2022: Russia continues to threaten increasingly powerful attacks, but Ukraine — the country many thought could fall quickly — is still fighting.

And the decisive victory Moscow once appeared confident it could achieve remains out of reach.