No EU Embassies Leaving Kyiv Despite Russian Threats, Envoy Says

No EU member state embassy is preparing to evacuate the Ukrainian capital despite Russian aerial bombardments and threats directed at foreign missions, EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarína Mathernová confirmed in an interview with state news agency Ukrinform. Mathernová stated that she maintains continuous coordination with the diplomatic representations of 25 EU member states based in the capital, rejecting reports in foreign media alleging that Western embassies were preparing contingency withdrawals to western Ukraine or Poland.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “I am not aware of any embassy that is leaving – and certainly not embassies of EU countries,” Mathernová told Ukrinform. “I do not know what sources The Guardian used, but I am not aware of any embassy currently leaving; quite the contrary.” The ambassador confirmed that both the EU Delegation to Ukraine and the European Union Advisory Mission (EUAM) Ukraine, alongside national embassies representing EU member states, remain fully operational on the ground in Kyiv. While security personnel continuously evaluate operational hazards, Mathernová emphasized that the latest public threats from Russia have not altered their operational posture. Mathernová framed Moscow’s escalatory rhetoric as an attempt to compensate for military setbacks on the battlefield. “I think [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s rhetoric is a consequence of the lack of success on the battlefield,” Mathernová observed. Other Topics of Interest Ukraine’s Science Under Fire: Russia Is Targeting Knowledge, People and the Future Russian strikes are killing scientists, destroying laboratories and equipment, and putting Ukraine’s scientific and technological capacity at risk. “He is escalating rhetoric and threats – both regarding the civilian population and diplomats, and regarding EU countries. I believe this is a sign of frustration over failing in his strategic goals – to conquer Ukraine in a few weeks.” Diplomatic coordination Mathernová‘s public clarification directly addresses reporting published earlier in the week by The Guardian, which cited anonymous Western diplomats claiming that contingency plans were being drafted to relocate staff to the western city of Lviv or eastern Poland if the Kremlin began deliberately targeting foreign diplomatic compounds. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine (MFA) previously refuted the report on Friday, with spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi noting that established international diplomatic conventions mandate formal notification to the host nation prior to any mission transfer, confirming that zero relocation requests had been received by Ukrainian authorities. The ambassador’s comments also reinforce statements made by European Commission spokesperson Christian Wigand, who dismissed threats issued on Saturday, Oct. 3, by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In an official dispatch, Moscow had warned foreign citizens and accredited diplomats in Kyiv of “mortal danger,” pledging to sustain mass aerial strikes across the capital. Wigand reaffirmed that the EU would not be intimidated into reducing its diplomatic footprint or scaling back defense assistance. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.