Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Monday that Russia was carrying out retaliatory strikes against Ukraine, accusing Kyiv of expanding its attacks on Russia's "civilian economy."
"What our armed forces are doing now is exacting retribution for that. Ukraine must - and certainly will - pay the price for these actions," Peskov said at a briefing.
He also said the Russian military was continuing its operations despite a decision by some foreign diplomatic missions to remain in Kyiv.
"Our Foreign Ministry and Defense Ministry have repeatedly issued relevant warnings. The decision rests with the countries that maintain diplomatic missions in Kyiv. Our military continues its work," he said.
His remarks came after the Russian Foreign Ministry urged foreign citizens and diplomats in Kyiv to leave the Ukrainian capital and refrain from traveling to the country, while advising residents to avoid military and administrative facilities.
The ministry said Moscow would continue sustained strikes on military targets in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities in response to what it called "terrorist actions" by Ukrainian forces against Russia's civilian population and infrastructure.
Asked about a New York Times report that a potential sale of Lukoil's foreign assets was part of US-Russia negotiations on a settlement in Ukraine, Peskov declined to comment specifically on the report.
"I will only say that the topic of potential interaction and cooperation in the energy sector does indeed come up during conversations with our American counterparts," he said.
Asked about reports that Estonia was allegedly deploying troops closer to the Russian border, Peskov said Russia's Defense Ministry and other agencies had the necessary intelligence capabilities to monitor and assess developments along the border.
"There should be no doubt that our Ministry of Defense and other relevant agencies possess the necessary intelligence capabilities to properly monitor and assess the situation along our border," he said.
