Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has accused Russia of deliberately targeting Azerbaijan’s embassy in Kyiv, saying the diplomatic compound was hit multiple times during Russian strikes on the Ukrainian capital. He made the remarks while speaking at a panel discussion on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.
According to Aliyev, the embassy building was struck three times. He noted that Baku initially assumed the first incident could have been accidental amid large-scale attacks on Kyiv. However, after Azerbaijan officially provided Moscow with the precise coordinates of its diplomatic facilities, two additional strikes reportedly followed, which the Azerbaijani leader described as evidence of a targeted action and an unfriendly step toward his country.
Aliyev said Azerbaijan responded through diplomatic channels, including summoning the Russian ambassador and issuing formal protests, while emphasizing that Baku intends to remain within diplomatic frameworks despite the seriousness of the situation.
The incidents are linked to previous Russian missile and drone attacks on Kyiv, during which debris damaged several foreign diplomatic missions. Russian officials have rejected accusations of intentional targeting, arguing that military operations do not deliberately strike diplomatic sites.
The statements come amid already strained relations between Baku and Moscow, adding another layer of tension to the evolving geopolitical dynamics surrounding the war in Ukraine.