Bombing of the Russian Embassy in Kabul

On 5 September 2022, at around 10:50 a.m., a suicide bomber detonated explosives outside the Embassy of Russia in Kabul, Afghanistan. A crowd had gathered outside the embassy at the time, seeking to apply for visas to travel to Russia. Islamic State – Khorasan Province (ISIS–K) later claimed responsibility for the attack via Telegram, as reported by Reuters and Gazeta.Ru.

Kabul police stated that the attacker had been shot dead by security forces before his explosives detonated. Reports on the death toll varied: Al Jazeera reported at least eight people killed, while the Russian outlet RIA Novosti reported at least ten deaths. Police said the dead included two embassy employees and at least four Afghan civilians. The two embassy employees killed were identified as Senior Warrant Officer Adygzhi Sergeevich Kuzhuget, a 33-year-old Tuvan security guard, and Mikhail Shah, a 57-year-old secretary. RIA Novosti additionally reported that between 15 and 20 people were wounded in the blast, though the overall number of injured was described as unclear.

In the aftermath, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov publicly condemned the attack and held a moment of silence for the victims. The claim of responsibility from ISIS–K was disseminated via Telegram and reported by international outlets including Reuters.