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Sergei Lavrov pressured the US to evacuate staff from its embassy in Kyiv during a phone call with the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, on Monday. Russia has threatened “systematic strikes” on the capital and demanded that foreigners leave. The Ukrainian foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, urged Kyiv’s allies not to give in to “Russian blackmail”. Katarina Mathernova, the head of the EU mission in Kyiv, said the 27-nation bloc was “not going anywhere”. Mathernova said: “Russia wants fear, panic, isolation of Ukraine. It will not work. The EU is not going anywhere. We are staying in Kyiv. We are staying with Ukraine.” On Tuesday, Rubio told reporters that Russia had “sent a notice to all the embassies”, not just the US one.
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In Kyiv, rescuers tackled the aftermath of Sunday’s strikes, which authorities said killed at least four people and injured 91. More than 70 foreign diplomats paid their respects to the victims of the strikes, visiting the heavily damaged neighbourhood of Lukyanivka. Agence France-Presse reported that Kyiv residents returned to their normal routines on Monday – sunbathing on terraces, playing in the streets, sitting at cafes – with some saying they had become desensitised after more than four years of war.
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“We’re used to it,” said Roman, a 36-year-old firefighter who helped clear the ruins from one of many destroyed buildings. “Emotions take a back seat,” he said as behind him a young man stepped over a heap of charred debris, taking care not to spill his latte macchiato. On one street, children played metres from the site of a Russian strike. “Watch out for glass!” one woman shouted at them.
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After one coffee shop was damage by a strike, dozens of Kyiv residents flocked to support the business, queueing up to make orders despite the damage. The owner, Yevgen Prusak, became a minor social media celebrity after serving hot drinks to rescuers through the blown-out windows of his shop. “Yesterday I thought I was going to close for good,” said Prusak, the 35-year-old owner of Hogo cafe. But seeing customers come back, “I understood who I’m working for”.
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Among the buildings damaged was the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, a small college that specialises in liberal arts. Mykola, 17, and Maksym, 18, came to class despite the attack. “We don’t give this so much meaning. Life is not stopping,” said Mykola. “It affects sleep the most,” said Mykola. “I’ve gotten used to it, but before, at the beginning, it was downright stressful.”
