New threats from Moscow: "European Union clearly has a surplus of diplomats and needs to reduce staff numbers"

“The European Union has announced that it will keep its diplomatic presence in Kyiv unchanged despite Russia’s warnings. Well, they obviously have a surplus of diplomats and need to reduce staff numbers,” Dmitry Medvedev wrote on the social network X.

Following the massive attack on Kyiv over the weekend, Moscow yesterday threatened to begin “systematic strikes” and urged foreign diplomats to leave the Ukrainian capital. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and informed him of Moscow’s plans.

“The strikes will target both decision-making centers and command posts,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

“Foreign nationals, including personnel of diplomatic missions and international organizations,” are urgently urged to “leave the city as soon as possible.”

Following Moscow’s warning, the European Union stated that it would not be intimidated by threats.

“Russia is once again threatening diplomats and foreigners and calling on us to leave Kyiv. But we are not going anywhere! Russia wants fear. Panic. The isolation of Ukraine. It will not succeed. Europe is not going anywhere. We remain in Kyiv. We remain with Ukraine,” EU Ambassador to Kyiv Katarína Mathernová wrote on X.

Ukraine, meanwhile, dismissed the Russian threats as “rhetoric.”

“We urge our partners not to yield to this Russian blackmail,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said.