Western diplomats remain in Kyiv despite Russian threats and mounting attacks

Western diplomats in Kyiv are remaining at their posts despite a Russian warning in October that they should immediately leave the Ukrainian capital or face mortal danger. Ambassadors from Denmark, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, France, Poland and Estonia publicly indicated they would stay, while the Americans also signalled that they would remain.

Denmark’s ambassador, Thomas Lund-Sørensen, said Moscow was seeking to frighten Europeans and weaken public backing for Ukraine. Speaking at his embassy, he described the threats as “cognitive warfare”. He acknowledged that missile barrages were frightening but distinguished between uncomfortable conditions and situations that threatened lives. On Friday, a drone struck a hospital specialising in orthopaedics and traumatology a few hundred metres from his workplace.

Russia has sharply increased its attacks since August, launching missiles and hundreds of jet-powered drones against Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odesa. Targets have included bridges over the Dnipro, heating plants, electricity substations, trains and railway stations. Kyiv has experienced electricity outages lasting much of the day and, during the past week, a 24-hour interruption to water supplies. An October attack that killed eight people also damaged the German consulate.

The EU delegation has suffered damage in separate incidents. In 2025, two missiles struck an adjacent car park, sending metal fragments through the ground floor and breaking armoured windows. Staff had not yet arrived for work, and nobody was injured. This September, a drone exploded 500 metres away, with debris damaging the ninth floor and bringing down glass, ceiling panels and ventilation equipment.

Katarína Mathernová, the EU ambassador, said she and seven colleagues fled a meeting for the corridor during the September explosion. “I’ve never heard anything that loud in my life,” she said. The delegation is strengthening exterior walls with sandbags and has provided corridor beanbags, folding beds and additional showers. Mathernová characterised Russia’s threats as intimidation and said she believed they were intended partly to encourage diplomats from the global south to leave.

Ambassadors say their presence reassures Ukraine’s leadership as winter approaches. One fellow envoy said staying carried political and psychological importance for Ukrainian resilience. That diplomat did not believe Russia was deliberately targeting foreign missions, but feared a drone could eventually kill a diplomat, confronting their government with a crisis over how to respond.

Travel and routine embassy work have also become harder. With Kyiv’s airport closed since the 2022 invasion, visiting leaders must arrive by road or rail. The same envoy described leaving a train compartment twice during a recent journey from Poland because of drones, including spending 90 minutes in woodland. Air alerts and attacks on bridges also impede Ukrainian embassy employees travelling to work.

Mathernová sleeps on a bathroom mattress in her hotel suite during Russian attacks, reflecting precautions taken by millions of Ukrainians sheltering in corridors, underground stations and bomb shelters. Western ambassadors generally serve two-year hardship postings in Kyiv, apart from their families. Lund-Sørensen said enough suitable diplomats still volunteered, describing Ukraine as an exceptionally meaningful assignment. Away from work, he takes long bicycle rides, while Mathernová finds respite in Nordic walking, saunas and meals with friends.