Russia urges evacuation from Kiev in note to foreign diplomatic missions

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Wednesday it had sent a note to all foreign diplomatic missions and international organizations accredited with the ministry, urging them to ensure evacuating personnel from Kiev.

According to the statement, the note referenced a warning on Monday by the Russian Defense Ministry about threats from the Ukrainian authorities to carry out attacks on Moscow during Victory Day celebrations.

The Russian Foreign Ministry called on governments and organizations to take the warning with maximum responsibility and ensure the timely evacuation of their staff and citizens from Kiev, given the "inevitability of a retaliatory strike" by the Russian forces against Kiev if Ukraine interrupts the celebrations.

The ministry said Russian diplomatic missions abroad were also informing the countries of accreditation and international organizations of the situation.

On Monday, the Russian Defense Ministry warned that any attempts to disrupt the celebrations marking the 81st anniversary of victory in the Great Patriotic War would trigger a "massive missile strike" on central Kiev. This came following remarks from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who said on Monday that Ukrainian drones may appear at Russia's Victory Day parade.

Victory Day, observed annually on May 9 to mark the Soviet Union's victory in the Great Patriotic War, is one of Russia's most important national holidays. The Kremlin said in late April that a military parade would still be held in Red Square without military equipment because of security concerns.

Russia urges evacuation from Kiev in note to foreign diplomatic missions

China saw a record high number of inter-regional passenger trips during the just-concluded five-day May Day holiday, the Ministry of Transport said on Wednesday.

The country recorded around 1.517 billion inter-regional passenger trips during the holiday that ended on Tuesday, a 3.49-percent increase compared with the same period last year.

Tourist trips accounted for 60 percent of all travel.

Railways operated an average of over 12,000 passenger trains per day, with passenger trips rising 4.6 percent to 106.38 million.

Road travel remained the dominant mode of transportation, with over 1.39 billion trips recorded, or about 91 percent of the total. Notably, the number of new energy vehicles on expressways averaged more than 15 million per day, up 33 percent from a year ago.

Waterway passenger trips dipped 1.37 percent to 8.49 million, while Civil aviation handled 10.54 million trips during this period, down 5.74 percent year on year.

"We have increased transportation capacity scheduling in key areas such as popular tourist cities, major scenic spots, and transportation hubs, enhanced rapid distribution capabilities, and made every effort to ensure smooth transport network operations," said Yang Yong, deputy head of the Transport Services Department of the Chinese Ministry of Transport.

China's May Day holiday travel boom is driven by strong demand for tourism, family visits and leisure activities.

China logs record high inter-regional passenger trips in May Day holiday