Russia has warned foreign diplomatic missions in Kyiv to prepare for possible evacuation - if Ukraine attempts to disrupt the celebration of 9 May, Victory Day. The warning came from Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova. Translation: if your diplomats stay in the Ukrainian capital while we are striking back in retaliation, we will not guarantee their safety.

The context is sharp. Ukrainian president Zelensky proposed a ceasefire to take effect on 6 May. Moscow did not respond. Putin offered a limited halt of fire - only for 8 and 9 May, the period when Moscow marks its WWII victory. Kyiv rejected this as a symbolic trick. „We don't need a pause on 9 May," Zelensky said, „we need peace." That's a question of principle: stopping a war is one thing, freezing it for two days in front of a parade is another.

And Ukraine kept striking. On 8 May a string of explosions echoed in Moscow, Yaroslavl and Rostov - because Zelensky said „Ukraine will continue with long-range attacks" if Russia does not accept a real ceasefire. Moscow replied with a threat: if Kyiv doesn't fall silent on 9 May, there will be „mass retaliation" - which is why the diplomatic missions should evacuate.

The European Union answered with a clear position. The spokesperson for the EU's foreign service, Anvar El-Anuni, said the Union will not change its presence in Kyiv, and considers the Russian threats „irresponsible escalation tactics". In other words: our embassies stay, and we are not afraid of your parades.

For the Balkan reader, this is a moment of ever more frequent Russian attempts at escalation. Zakharova and her team have applied the same playbook in recent months toward Armenia, Moldova, Georgia. Cut ties, sever relations, send threats. But the effect, for some of these countries, has been the opposite - they orient themselves more toward Brussels and Washington, precisely because of the Russian pressure.

Does this mean there will be major escalation on 9 May? Maybe. Maybe not. The same rhetoric was sent for other significant dates in the recent period and was not always followed by an actual war. But when the source of the threat is operating in an era of 264 intercepted drones in a single night, every threat needs to be taken seriously. So Macedonian readers whose relatives live or work in Kyiv - watch the news these days. And European countries that have embassies in the Ukrainian capital - look after every member of the diplomatic corps.