Russia protests over bombing near embassy

In the latest sign of tensions between the US and Russia over Iraq, Moscow’s foreign ministry today claimed American air strikes had targeted the residential Baghdad neighbourhood where its embassy is located.

US Ambassador Alexander Vershbow was summoned to the ministry to hear a formal protest about the bombing, Russian officials said.

“The Russian side demanded that the American authorities take urgent and exhaustive measures so that such dangerous and unacceptable incidents are not repeated in the future,” they said in a statement.

The ministry did not report any casualties from today’s air strikes, but said “the security of the Russian diplomatic representation’s staff came under direct threat.”

Russia’s ambassador to Washington, Yuri Ushakov, delivered a similar protest to US officials, the ministry said.