Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov advised US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday of Moscow’s decision to launch strikes on sites in Kyiv linked to the Ukrainian military, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

A statement on the ministry’s website said Lavrov told Rubio by telephone that the move was initiated “in response to the continuing terrorist attacks by the Kyiv regime against the peaceful population and civilian sites on Russian territory.”

It said Russia’s armed forces “are starting systematic strikes on facilities located in Kyiv that are used for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as on centres where the corresponding decisions are being made.”