Western countries could strike Russia if Moscow attacks their embassies in Ukraine

Russian strikes on foreign embassies in Ukraine, a threat Moscow made in early October, could provide justification for Western retaliation, Forbes reported on Nov. 5. Christian Marxsen, a leading expert on self-defense under the UN Charter, told Forbes that if Ukraine's allied countries' embassies, including both EU members and nonmembers, face further Russian bombing, those nations could retaliate with "missile and drone strikes on Russian territory."

Article 51 of the UN Charter grants "the inherent right of individual or collective self-defense if an armed attack occurs against a Member of the United Nations." Marxsen noted that this provision was used nearly 50 years ago during the 1979 hostage crisis at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. Although Russia's leaders may hope an airstrike against European embassies in Ukraine won't trigger retaliation, especially if the U.S. adopts an isolationist stance, history shows weak responses to armed attacks on diplomatic missions can have devastating regional consequences.

European diplomats working in Ukraine view Russia's threat of massive airstrikes and warning to leave Ukrainian territory as a thinly veiled threat to kill them. Marxsen told Forbes that after examining international law, particularly the UN Charter, many experts agreed embassies could be potential targets triggering the right to self-defense, provided armed attacks constitute "sufficiently grave violations of the prohibition on the use of force."