The Russian Foreign Ministry rejects as false reports about the participation of Russian military personnel in causing damage to the Qatari embassy in Kiev, the ministry's press service reported.
The ministry said that Ukrainian sources are spreading information about Russia's alleged involvement. The department stressed that diplomatic missions have never been the subject of attacks by the Russian armed forces.
„There were also no specific targets near the Qatari diplomatic mission, which indicates that the Ukrainian air defense system was malfunctioning, which led to the damage to the embassy building,“ the foreign ministry stressed.
Foreign Ministry officials also added that Russia considers Qatar a priority partner and a friendly country.
The Qatari embassy in Ukraine was damaged by explosions in Kiev on the night of January 9. The press service of the Qatari Foreign Ministry reported this, specifying that no employees of the diplomatic mission were injured.
Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported explosions and air defense activity on the night of January 9. Ukrainian authorities blamed Russia for the damage to the embassy building.
The Russian Defense Ministry announced a strike on January 9 against Ukrainian defense industry and energy infrastructure facilities, calling it a "response" to the drone attack on Russian President Vladimir Putin's residence in the Novgorod region in late December. The strike also involved the participation of Oreshnik medium-range air defense systems.
The Defense Ministry reiterated that it "strikes only on Ukrainian military and energy facilities."