Russian strikes on Azerbaijani energy sites in Ukraine may reportedly push Baku to arm Kyiv

Baku may consider lifting its ban on supplying Ukraine with weapons from its arsenal if Russia continues targeting Azerbaijani interests in Ukraine, Azerbaijani outlet Caliber.Az reported on Aug. 10, citing unnamed sources.

The reported shift follows a series of Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure linked to Azerbaijan. In the latest attack overnight on Aug. 8, Russian forces launched five Shahed drones at a SOCAR oil depot in Odesa Oblast, sparking a fire and damaging a diesel pipeline. Four SOCAR employees were seriously injured, according to news reports.

The strike marked the second recent Russian attack on Azerbaijani-linked facilities in Ukraine. In late June, Russian forces targeted a gas distribution station near Orlivka, a key part of the Trans-Balkan pipeline, through which Azerbaijani gas began flowing into Ukraine following a July 28 deal.

Caliber.Az said Russian forces had "systematically" struck Azerbaijani energy facilities in Ukraine in recent weeks, warning that such actions could trigger a policy reversal in Baku on weapons exports to Kyiv. Azerbaijan has so far refrained from supplying arms to Ukraine during the full-scale war.

Arrests, raids, beaten and bloodied suspects — how Russia-Azerbaijan relations have unravelled

Deaths in custody, media offices raided, and beaten and bloodied suspects paraded in court — relations between Russia and Azerbaijan, once considered close, have sharply deteriorated in recent days amid a series of high-profile incidents. The latest tensions erupted over the weekend when Russian law enforcement officers detained over 50 Azerbaijani nationals in Yekaterinburg, Russia, as part of an investigation into a murder case from 2001. Two men — brothers Ziyaddin and Huseyn Safarov — were

The Kyiv IndependentTim Zadorozhnyy

The possible policy shift was reportedly discussed during an Aug. 10 phone call between President Volodymyr Zelensky and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. The two leaders condemned the strikes and discussed bilateral energy cooperation.

"These are deliberate attacks not only on these facilities, but also on our cooperation," Zelensky said after the call. "President Aliyev assured me, and this is also Ukraine’s position, that we will continue cooperation despite any challenges."

Azerbaijan and Ukraine have maintained close energy and trade ties for years, with Kyiv importing Azerbaijani oil and gas and SOCAR expanding its investments in Ukraine’s fuel infrastructure.

Before Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, Baku also supplied Ukraine with certain military equipment, including drones and armored vehicles.

Since the start of the all-out war, however, Azerbaijan has officially maintained a policy of not providing lethal aid to either side, while offering humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, such as providing energy equipment, financial aid, and infrastructure support, with the value of assistance exceeding $40 million as of mid-2025.

New study warns Ukraine must break up old business order to thrive post-war

Ukraine’s business climate experienced a persistent slide between 2008 and 2019, characterized by a slowdown in new entrepreneurial activity, reduced competition, and increased dominance by large, inefficient companies, according to a new study. To reverse course and capitalize on its emerging tech ecosystem and future reconstruction efforts, Ukraine must dismantle the influence of sluggish state-owned enterprises and politically favored large firms, say economists at the World Bank and the Uni

The Kyiv IndependentLuca Léry Moffat