UN condemns Russian strike that damaged Azerbaijani Embassy in Kyiv

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has condemned the Russian attack on the Azerbaijani Embassy in Kyiv as part of a broader wave of large-scale missile and drone strikes across Ukraine.

The Secretary-General’s spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, announced the condemnation during a regular briefing.

In the statement, Dujarric said: “The Secretary-General strongly condemns today's large-scale missile and drone strikes by the Russian Federation on several Ukrainian regions, reportedly killing at least six people in the capital Kyiv and two people in the city of Chornomorsk.” He noted that the attacks left “many injuries among civilians and damage to residential and energy infrastructure, as well as damage to the embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Kyiv,” stressing that such actions “violate international humanitarian law.”

“They are unacceptable, wherever they occur, and must end immediately. The Secretary-General recalls the principle of the inviolability of diplomatic premises,” the statement continued.

Guterres reiterated “his call for a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire, as a first step towards a just, comprehensive, and sustainable peace in Ukraine, one that fully upholds Ukraine's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders, in line with the UN Charter, international law and relevant UN resolutions.”

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that debris from an Iskander missile targeting Kyiv had struck the Azerbaijani Embassy. He said approximately 430 drones and 18 missiles, including ballistic and aeroballistic types, were used in the attack, damaging numerous residential buildings in the capital and striking multiple regions.

Zaporizhzhia regional governor Ivan Fedorov reported that 731 strikes hit 20 settlements in his region, leaving four people dead.

Russia, for its part, stated that its forces had shot down 216 Ukrainian drones overnight across several regions and over the Black Sea.

By Tamilla Hasanova