MOSCOW, May 7. /TASS/. Russia hopes that it will not have to resort to the retaliatory strikes promised in the event of attacks by the Kiev regime on Victory Day, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said at a briefing.

The diplomat recalled the threats made by Vladimir Zelensky, as well as the warning from the Russian Defense Ministry about an inevitable strike on the center of Kiev in such a case, with a recommendation for embassies and civilians of the Ukrainian capital to evacuate.

"Our foreign ministry, in a circular note addressed to all diplomatic missions and representations accredited in Russia, once again appealed <...> with an urgent call to take the defense ministry’s statements with the utmost responsibility and ensure the early evacuation from Kiev," Ushakov said. "The defense ministry also stated the advisability of civilian residents of Kiev leaving the city if, God forbid, we have to respond to the threats of the Zelensky regime."