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Moscow and Kyiv trade threats after attack
Summary
A look back at the rhetoric of 18 June 2026, when Russia promised regular mass strikes and Ukraine's president warned of consequences for Moscow.
What did each side promise after the attack on Moscow? On 18 June 2026, both Russia and Ukraine issued warnings that pointed towards further escalation.
Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said Russia would carry out a "massive retaliation" against Ukraine. According to the reports, he said the Russian Armed Forces would from then on conduct "massive group strikes" on a "regular basis", following the attack on Moscow.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded in kind. Following the attack, he threatened Moscow, saying that if Ukraine burned, Moscow would burn too. The statement was framed as a warning against further Russian attacks on Ukraine.
The exchange set out the two positions on that day: a declared Russian policy of regular large-scale strikes, and a Ukrainian leader cautioning that the country's capital of the aggressor would not be spared if attacks continued.
