Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had a phone conversation with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev following the overnight massive attack by Russian troops on Kyiv. According to Zelensky, the Azerbaijani Embassy in the capital of Ukraine was damaged during the shelling.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Damage to the diplomatic mission and Baku’s response
President Zelensky reported that the conversation with Ilham Aliyev concerned the consequences of the missile attack, which resulted in damage to the embassy building. According to the head of state, this is not the first time Russian missiles have hit Azerbaijani diplomatic or related facilities.
“Unfortunately, there is destruction and damage; the Azerbaijani Embassy has also been damaged. The President condemned this strike and emphasized that this is not the first time the Russians have targeted both the Embassy building and other facilities related to Azerbaijan.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan summoned the extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassador of the Russian Federation, Mikhail Yevdokimov, to deliver a note of protest. The ministry emphasized that as a result of the explosion of the Iskander-K missile, which fell on the embassy grounds on the night of November 14, a part of the perimeter wall was completely destroyed, and structures, service vehicles, the administrative building, and the consular section were damaged.
The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry stressed that such strikes violate international law, and diplomatic institutions have previously suffered destruction — in particular, on March 10, 2022, when the honorary consulate in Kharkiv and vehicles were damaged.
Consequences of the attack and international reaction
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan called on Russia to conduct an investigation into the incident and provide detailed explanations regarding the shelling of the diplomatic representation. The ministry also deemed such attacks on diplomatic missions unacceptable.
The Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that the main strike by Russia that night was aimed at Kyiv. The Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odesa, Poltava, and Cherkasy regions were also affected. In total, the enemy used about 430 drones of various types, including nearly 300 Shaheds, as well as 19 missiles, among which were three Kinzhal missiles. Hits were recorded at 13 infrastructure facilities.
According to President Zelensky, thanks to the operation of air defense systems, including Patriot, 14 Russian missiles were shot down, including two aeroballistic and six ballistic missiles. However, as a result of the attack, at least six people were killed, another 35 were injured, and about 30 residential buildings were damaged.
Russian military forces regularly shell Ukrainian cities and villages with various types of weapons, including kamikaze drones, missiles, aerial bombs, and multiple rocket launchers. The Russian leadership denies involvement in targeted attacks on civilian infrastructure; however, Ukrainian authorities and international organizations classify such actions as war crimes by the Russian Federation.