Aliyev approves $2 million energy aid to Kyiv following Russian strikes on Azeri-linked sites in Ukraine
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed an order on Aug. 11 allocating $2 million to the Azerbaijani Energy Ministry to provide humanitarian aid to Ukraine, Azerbaijani media outlet First News Media reported.
The allocated funds will be used to purchase and ship Azerbaijani-made electrical equipment from the president's 2025 reserve fund. The move follows a series of Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure linked to Baku.
Russian forces launched drones at an Azerbaijan State Oil Company (SOCAR) depot in Ukraine's Odesa Oblast on Aug. 8, damaging a diesel pipeline and injuring four workers.
The attack was the second recent Russian strike on Azerbaijani-linked facilities in Ukraine, after a late June assault on a gas distribution station near Orlivka, part of the Trans-Balkan pipeline that began carrying Azerbaijani gas to Ukraine in July.
During a phone call on Aug. 10, President Volodymyr Zelensky and Aliyev condemned Russian strikes and discussed bilateral energy cooperation.
Azerbaijani outlet Caliber.Az reported on Aug. 10 that Baku may consider lifting its ban on supplying Ukraine with weapons if Russia continues targeting Azerbaijani interests.
Before Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, Azerbaijan had provided Ukraine with military equipment, including drones and armored vehicles.
Since the start of the war, Baku has maintained a policy of not supplying lethal aid to either side, while offering humanitarian assistance worth more than $40 million to Ukraine as of mid-2025, including energy equipment, financial aid, and infrastructure support.
