Moscow’s demand that foreign diplomats leave Kyiv under threat of “systematic strikes” is a desperate act of political theater. By threatening the international diplomatic corps, the Kremlin is trying to achieve through psychological terror what it has failed to achieve on the battlefield: the isolation of Ukraine.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. The hypocrisy is staggering. Just a few weeks ago, ahead of Russia’s May 9 Victory Day celebrations, Moscow issued an almost identical warning demanding that foreign embassies evacuate Kyiv. In that instance, the Kremlin effectively begged the world not to disrupt its military parade on Red Square, threatening “inevitable retaliatory strikes” on so-called decision-making centers if Ukraine ruined its showpiece day. Now, the Kremlin claims it is entitled to threaten those same embassies again, using a Ukrainian strike on a Russian military drone unit in occupied Starobilsk as a convenient pretext. Weaponizing fear For years, the Ukrainian capital has endured repeated Russian drone and missile attacks. The threat environment has not changed. What has changed is Moscow’s willingness to openly weaponize fear against foreign envoys. This is “shameless blackmail,” as Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry called it. The aim is obvious: trigger a domino effect of embassy withdrawals. If Western countries panic and pull their diplomats out, Moscow wins a psychological victory.