Western diplomats stay in Kyiv despite Russian warning and strikes

Western diplomats are staying in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, even though Moscow said last month that they should leave immediately or be "in mortal danger". Russia added that it would not be responsible for any potential negative consequences. Since August, Russia has sharply intensified its attacks on Ukrainian cities, and the envoys' decision to remain is also a signal to Kyiv.

Denmark's ambassador to Ukraine, Thomas Lund-Sørensen, said on social media that he was staying. The ambassadors of Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, France, Poland and Estonia did the same, and the United States also indicated it would not move. Lund-Sørensen described the warning as "cognitive warfare", with which Russia tries to influence public opinion in his country and weaken support for Ukraine.

Strikes close to embassies

On Friday, a drone hit a hospital, the institute for orthopaedics and traumatology in central Kyiv, a few hundred metres from the Danish embassy. Since August Russia has used missiles and hundreds of jet-powered drones, targeting Dnipro river bridges, thermal heating plants, substations, trains and railway stations. Power cuts last most of the day, and last week there was no water for 24 hours. In October the German consulate was damaged in an attack that killed eight people.

In 2025, two missiles landed in the car park next to the EU delegation building. This September a drone exploded 500 metres away and damaged the ninth floor. Katarína Mathernová, the EU's ambassador to Ukraine, said she was in a meeting with seven colleagues at the time. The delegation is reinforcing its outer walls with sandbags and has added foldable beds and extra showers.

Risk and daily life

Mathernová regards the attacks as warning shots and Russia's threat as intimidation. Lund-Sørensen believes embassies are not being targeted deliberately, but thinks that sooner or later a diplomat could be killed. Kyiv's airport has been closed since the 2022 invasion, so the city can be reached only by train or car.