Azerbaijan protests to Russia after Kyiv embassy damaged in Russian missile attack

Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry said it had summoned the Russian ambassador on Friday to lodge a "strong protest" after the country’s embassy in Kyiv was damaged in a Russian air strike.

A Russian missile fell within the embassy's territory, causing an explosion that damaged its facilities and service vehicles, Azerbaijan's foreign ministry said.

No staff casualties were reported.

"During the meeting, it was stressed that such attacks on our diplomatic missions are unacceptable and it was requested that the Russian side conduct an appropriate investigation into the issue and provide a detailed explanation," Azerbaijan's foreign ministry said in a statement.

“In addition, it was stated that as a result of an airstrike carried out with a "Kinzhal" missile by Russia on 2 January 2024, a crater with a diameter of approximately three meters was formed about 35 steps away from the Embassy’s administrative building, and an unexploded ordnance due to detonation failure was discovered at a depth of eight meters from the ground."

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev discussed the attack in a phone call on Friday, in which Aliyev "condemned this strike."

During the conversation, Zelenskyy briefed Aliyev on the broader impact of the attacks, including the civilian toll and the strain placed on emergency responders.

The Baku-based AnewZ outlet reported that Aliyev highlighted the importance of safeguarding diplomatic missions during conflict and raised concerns about the growing risks posed by high-intensity missile deployments in populated areas.

He also reaffirmed Azerbaijan's humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and signaled Baku's intention to maintain cooperation at a time of heightened instability.

On Friday, Baku also emphasised the repeated cases of its government buildings or business assets being damaged in Russian attacks on Ukraine.

Azerbaijan's honorary consulate in Kharkiv suffered damage in March 2022 and the Kyiv Embassy was damaged in August this year.

Russian attacks also struck an oil depot of the Azerbaijani Socar company in August.

Ukraine's foreign ministry said in August "Moscow does this on purpose, acting against Azerbaijan's interests."

"This once again demonstrates the importance of the new level of cooperation between Ukraine and Azerbaijan, as well as the need for appropriate diplomatic and legal responses to such attacks."

The damage to the embassy signals a potential renewal of tensions between Azerbaijan and Russia, countries that previously enjoyed warm relations.

Last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin admitted that Russian air defences launched missiles toward an Azerbaijani airliner causing its crash in Kazakhstan last December, leading to the deaths of 38 of the 67 people on board.

In July, Aliyev announced that his country was preparing to file lawsuits in international courts against Russia regarding the Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243 plane crash near Aktau.

Aliyev accused Russia of trying to "hush up" the issue for several days, saying he was "upset and surprised" by versions of events put forward by Russian officials.