MOSCOW/KYIV — Russia on Monday issued a stark warning to foreign nationals to leave Kyiv immediately, saying it was commencing “a sequence of systemic strikes” against the Ukrainian capital as tensions over the weekend’s devastating Oreshnik missile attack spiral toward a new peak. The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that “strikes will also be launched against decision-making centers and command posts,” explicitly naming foreign embassy personnel and staff of international organisations among those who should evacuate. The warning, confirmed by The Moscow Times and reported across international wires, came as the death toll from Russia’s weekend barrage climbed to at least four, with around 100 injured. “Under these circumstances, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are commencing a sequence of systemic strikes against Ukrainian military-industrial complex facilities in Kyiv,” the ministry said, framing the offensive as retaliation for what it called a deadly Ukrainian attack on a vocational school in occupied Luhansk last week. Ukraine insists it struck an elite Russian drone command unit at the site, not a school. The escalation follows the most intense aerial bombardment of the war in months. Russia launched 90 missiles and 600 drones against Kyiv and surrounding regions overnight Friday into Saturday — one of the largest attacks since the full-scale invasion began. Among the weapons deployed was an Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile, capable of carrying nuclear warheads. It struck Bila Tserkva in Kyiv Oblast, damaging homes and infrastructure. The National Art Museum, the Kyiv Opera Theater, the Ukrainian House, and the Cabinet of Ministers building were among institutions hit in the broader barrage. European leaders responded with sharp condemnation. Kaja Kallas, the EU’s foreign policy chief, called Russia’s use of the Oreshnik “a political scare tactic and reckless nuclear brinkmanship.” French President Emmanuel Macron warned his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko — whose territory served as a launchpad for the initial 2022 invasion — against any further involvement in the war, according to a source close to the French presidency. Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul described the missile deployment as “another escalation.” UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said the attacks showed “Moscow’s escalating assault on Ukrainian civilians betrays its weakness,” describing scenes from Kyiv as “awful.” The WHO confirmed its Kyiv offices were damaged by debris from Russian strikes. Russia has now used the Oreshnik missile three times against Ukraine — first in Dnipro in late 2024, then against Lviv Oblast in January, and again this weekend. The repeated use of a system designed to deliver nuclear payloads has alarmed Western defence analysts and prompted emergency discussions among G7 foreign ministers. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky called the weekend strikes “deranged” and reiterated calls for faster weapons deliveries from allies. The UN Security Council held an emergency session on Friday called by Russia; Ukraine’s ambassador rejected Moscow’s war crimes accusations as “a pure propaganda show.” The fresh warnings from Moscow complicate ongoing ceasefire negotiations. A proposed three-day ceasefire brokered with US backing collapsed within hours last week after both sides accused the other of violations. Russia has meanwhile pressed its advantage on the battlefield, pushing toward Pokrovsk in the east while striking population centres far from the front line. Diplomats in Brussels say the EU is preparing a new sanctions package targeting entities involved in Russia’s missile programme and those helping Moscow evade existing restrictions. The proposals, shown to ambassadors on Friday, are expected to be discussed at an emergency foreign ministers meeting next week.