Russia Again Urges Foreign Embassies in Kyiv to Evacuate After Strike on Train Near Polish Border

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Tuesday that a warning first issued last spring urging foreign embassies to leave Kyiv remains valid. The statement followed Sunday's strike on a passenger train roughly two kilometers from the Polish border.

Zakharova said the warning stays relevant despite occasional diplomatic requests for Western "political tourists" to be granted safe passage into Ukraine. She said Western politicians and diplomats should soberly assess the existing risks.

The same rail track had been used minutes earlier by another train carrying a delegation that included former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt.

Zakharova accused Western politicians of blatantly ignoring their own governments' warnings against traveling to Ukraine. She argued that Ukrainian railway stations and transport infrastructure used for military purposes are legitimate targets, and accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of treating Western visitors as "human shields."

Russia's Defense Ministry said Sunday's strikes targeted infrastructure used to move military cargo from Europe into Ukraine. Ukraine operates several border crossings with Poland through which a significant share of Western military and humanitarian aid reaches the country.