Kyiv denies top official's claim that Ukrainian cells bombed Iraqi facilities

Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry on July 28 denied a claim by a top Iraqi official that “cells belonging to Ukraine” were carrying out bombings against Iraqi government facilities.

The claim by Iraq, where Iran wields significant political and military influence, comes amid heightened tensions between Kyiv and Tehran.

Ukraine said on July 25 that it had struck a vessel transporting military cargo between Iran and Russia in the Caspian Sea.

Iran's Foreign Ministry later claimed the strike targeted a commercial vessel, killing one sailor and injuring another. Iran condemned the strike as “an act of aggression” and said that it “cannot go unanswered”, prompting concerns about Iranian retaliation against Ukraine.

Qasim al-Aboudi, Iraq’s national security advisor, claimed in a July 27 interview with Iraq’s Dijlah TV that Iraqi authorities had “arrested a small group of people who confessed that they were working for Ukraine.”

“They targeted some Iraqi government facilities with bombing,” he claimed.

He also said that further investigation was needed “before we can level an accusation at this side or that.”

Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said on July 28 that it “rejects the unfounded and unsubstantiated allegations.”

“There are no facts or evidence to support these allegations — a point the Iraqi official himself acknowledged in his interview,” the ministry said. “Prior to making such high-profile public statements, the Iraqi side had not conveyed any relevant information or concerns to Ukraine through diplomatic channels.”

The ministry said it is “unacceptable and irresponsible for a senior official of a friendly state to publicly disseminate such statements without a proper evidentiary basis.”

“This contradicts the principles of mutual respect and damages Ukrainian-Iraqi relations,” Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said. “The statements voiced align with Russian propaganda narratives aimed at discrediting Ukraine and undermining its relations with Middle Eastern nations.”

The ministry said that the incident could be part of “a coordinated information and psychological operation designed to destabilize the Ukrainian-Iraqi partnership.”

The statements come amid a broader conflict in the Middle East and the failure by the U.S, Israel and Iran to bring their war to an end. Iraq, where Iranian influence is significant, has stated that it would not allow its territory to be used for attacks against Iran.

Tensions between Iran and Ukraine have increased since 2022, when Tehran began supplying its Shahed combat drones to Russia. Shaheds have been the main combat drones used by Russia to attack Ukrainian cities.

Meanwhile, Ukraine has sent its military experts to Gulf states in recent months to help them defend against Iranian drone attacks.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also said on July 25 that Moscow had been providing Tehran with satellite imagery of U.S. and Gulf military installations throughout the U.S. war against Iran.