Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has made an important decision to provide humanitarian assistance to Ukraine. Under a decree issued by the head of state, $2 million will be allocated to Ukraine. According to the president’s press service, these funds will be used to purchase modern electrical equipment manufactured in Azerbaijan and deliver it to Ukrainian territory.
This decision was announced on August 10 after a phone conversation between Aliyev and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. During the discussion, the two leaders addressed several issues, including strongly condemning Russia’s “targeted airstrikes” on the SOCAR oil depot located in Ukraine.
It was also about strikes on other Azerbaijani facilities located in Ukraine and on a strategically important compressor station supplying Azerbaijani gas to Ukraine. In his statement, Zelensky emphasized that he had informed the Azerbaijani leader about Russia’s strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. According to him, these actions are a deliberate attempt not only to block Ukraine’s energy independence routes but also those of other European countries.
In addition, Zelensky warmly congratulated Aliyev during the conversation on the agreements reached between Baku and Yerevan with the mediation of U.S. President Donald Trump.
According to reports, on the night of August 6, Russian forces carried out an airstrike on a compressor station in the Odesa region through which Azerbaijani gas is supplied to Ukraine and Europe, the Ukrainian Ministry of Energy said. A few days earlier, at the end of July, Ukraine received Azerbaijani gas for the first time via the Trans-Balkan route (a main gas pipeline passing through Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria, and Turkey). On the night of August 8, Russian drones struck the SOCAR oil depot in the Odesa region.
Against the backdrop of cooling relations between Moscow and Baku, Ukraine and Azerbaijan are drawing significantly closer. One reason for this tension was a tragic incident in December 2024, when an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane was shot down over Grozny airspace by Russia’s air defense system. Aliyev demanded that Moscow admit fault and pay compensation to the families of the victims, but Russia refused to comply.
At the end of June, a diplomatic conflict between the two countries escalated further. In Yekaterinburg, members of the Azerbaijani diaspora were mass detained over a murder case dating back 20 years. During the arrest, two suspects — brothers Huseyn and Ziyaddin Safarov — died. An examination conducted in Baku revealed that their deaths were caused by severe post-traumatic shock resulting from multiple bodily injuries.
In response, Azerbaijan detained more than 10 Russian citizens in Baku suspected of drug trafficking and cybercrimes. Reports indicated that they were beaten during detention and investigation.
At present, Azerbaijan’s assistance to Ukraine and its strong stance regarding Russian strikes are attracting considerable attention on the international stage. Officials emphasize that this not only strengthens cooperation between the two states but also reinforces partnership for Ukraine’s strategic energy security.
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