Ukraine says embassies not planning Kyiv evacuation amid Russian attacks

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry stated on Oct. 2 that it has not received any notifications from foreign diplomatic missions regarding plans to evacuate the capital, Kyiv. Spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi confirmed that established procedures require such notifications, and none have been received. His comments followed reports by The Guardian, citing an unnamed diplomat, that embassies were considering relocation due to escalating Russian attacks.

Tykhyi emphasized that embassies would inform the ministry if they intended to move, and no such requests had been made as of the evening of Oct. 2. The diplomat cited by The Guardian reportedly described the situation in Kyiv as "obviously deteriorating fast" and mentioned contingency plans to potentially move embassies to Lviv or eastern Poland. However, these measures would only be implemented if Russia began deliberately targeting diplomatic missions, not in response to general attacks on infrastructure.

Russia has previously attempted to pressure embassies to evacuate personnel, issuing warnings about potential long-range attacks on Kyiv and urging foreign citizens, including diplomats, to leave the city. Despite these efforts and direct threats, diplomats have largely maintained their presence in Kyiv. In May, nearly 50 countries issued a joint statement at a United Nations meeting condemning Russia's threats against embassies.

Since the full-scale invasion began, Russian strikes have damaged foreign embassies and ambassadors' residences in Kyiv on multiple occasions. The Albanian ambassador's residence was damaged in a large missile and drone attack on May 24, and Azerbaijan's embassy sustained its third Russian attack earlier that year. The EU mission and British Council were severely damaged in August 2025, and multiple embassies, including those of Albania, Argentina, Palestine, North Macedonia, Portugal, and Montenegro, were damaged in a December 2024 Russian missile strike.