The European Union’s Ambassador to Ukraine, Katarina Mathernova

Tuesday’s Coverage: Russia Threatens More Strikes on Kyiv’s Civilians

UPDATE 0635 GMT:

The Kremlin has told Russian banks, including the Federal Reserve, that they should shoot down Ukrainian drones and pay for the costs.

The Russian Parliament passed a law allowing the banks and other financial institutions to operate defense systems and arm staff.

Alexander Shokhin, head of Russia’s leading business lobby, told Vladimir Putin that companies are prepared to buy heavier weapons and electronic systems to defend themselves.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Europe’s leaders have rebuffed Russia’s threats against their embassies in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv.

On Monday, Russia promised more mass missile and drone strikes on civilians in the capital, saying there will be attacks on Ukraine’s “decision-making centers and command posts”. The Foreign Ministry called on foreign citizens, including diplomats, to leave.

The European Union summoned Russia’s top diplomat in Brussels. Foreign policy spokesperson Anitta Hipper posted:

Hipper said at the daily press briefing, “This shows once more…that Russia is absolutely not interested in any peace and has a total disregard for all the efforts towards the peace.”

Germany, the Netherlands, and Norway summoned the Russian ambassadors in their countries.

At the UN, almost 50 countries issued a joint statement denouncing the “threats by Russia to diplomatic institutions and embassies in Kyiv”: “This is something which we cannot accept.”

Baltic States Condemn “Aggressive Russian Rhetoric”

Alongside European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Lithuania’s capital Vilnius, heads of Baltic States called out the Kremlin’s threats against their countries.

Lithuanian president Gitanas Nausėda condemned the “increasingly aggressive Russian rhetoric”, including “coordinated disinformation campaign and attempts to spread false accusations against the Baltic States and other NATO allies”.

I want to state very clearly the Baltic States have not allowed and will not allow their territory or airspace to be used for attacks against other countries.

All Kremlin attempts to shift the responsibility on to others are cynical propaganda designed to divert attention from the fundamental fact that it was Russia that launched a brutal and illegal war against Ukraine.

He said the recent fall of Ukrainian drones on Lithuanian territory were “a direct consequence of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine; yet another reminder of how close the war is to us”.

Noting that “the skies above the Baltic states are not sufficiently secure today”, Nausėda called on the EU to step up protection.

Von der Leyen said Baltic States “have been experiencing what many believed belonged to another era”.

Air raid alerts, families sheltering, schools closing, transport interrupted. This is the reality on Europe’s eastern border in 2026.

Today it is here. Tomorrow it will be elsewhere along the eastern border….

This is a deliberate strategy from Russia trying to destabilize our democratic societies.