Taught by Ukraine: How Azerbaijan resists the Kremlin’s imperial policy
1 July 2025 18:50
on June 27, 2025, in Yekaterinburg, Russian security forces carried out mass detentions of ethnic Azerbaijanis as part of an investigation into murders and assassination attempts committed in 2001-2011.
Two suspects, brothers Huseyn and Ziyaddin Safarov, were killed during the raids, which were accompanied by violence. According to the official version, they died due to heart problems. Several other people were injured. In particular, Kamal Safarov ended up in intensive care, and the detainees Mazakhir and Ayaz Safarov appeared in court with traces of beatings.
Azerbaijan called the actions of Russian security forces “unacceptable violence” and accused Moscow of ethnic discrimination, demanding a transparent investigation. In response, Russian propaganda outlets, including Sputnik, began to promote a narrative about “Azerbaijani criminal groups” that allegedly destabilize the situation in Russia. This only increased tensions.
Azerbaijan’s response was swift and decisive. Already on June 28, the country’s Foreign Ministry summoned Russia’s Charge d’Affaires Pyotr Volokov, protesting the “brutal killings” and mass arrests.
All cultural events planned in Azerbaijan with the participation of Russian state and private structures-concerts, festivals, exhibitions-were canceled.
on June 30, Azerbaijani law enforcement officers searched the office of Sputnik Azerbaijan in Baku, detaining executive director Igor Kartavykh and editor-in-chief Yevgeny Belousov, whom local media linked to the Russian FSB.
This step was a response to the systematic pro-Russian activities of Sputnik, which, despite Baku’s warnings, ignored the demands of the Azerbaijani side.
Moscow reacted aggressively: Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called Azerbaijan’s actions “hostile” and threatened an “asymmetrical response” – which was more like an emotional breakdown than a balanced diplomatic position.
The Kremlin also summoned Azerbaijani Ambassador Rahman Mustafayev, accusing Baku of “unfriendly actions” and “illegal detention of Russian journalists,” including Ruptly editor Aytkin Huseynova.
These events were the culmination of long-standing tensions that began in late 2024, after the Russian military shot down an Azerbaijani passenger plane.
Baku expected a transparent investigation and punishment of the perpetrators, but Moscow did not fulfill any of the requirements, which undermined trust.
Farhad Mammadov, head of the South Caucasus Research Center and an expert from Baku, told this in a commentary to "Komersant Ukrainian".
According to him, after the plane tragedy, Russia’s actions did not meet the fair expectations of the Azerbaijani side. In particular, a powerful cyberattack on the Azerbaijani media and the expulsion of a member of the Azerbaijani parliament from the Moscow airport.
“It was expected that Russia would punish those responsible for the disaster, explain the incident with the deportation of the deputy and the cyberattacks. Instead, we have seen a hard line towards Baku: insulting statements by Russian officials, violence in Yekaterinburg and information support that sows fear among Azerbaijanis in Russia, regardless of their citizenship,” Mammadov emphasized.
In response, Azerbaijan made a diplomatic demarche: the visit of Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk, the trip of the Azerbaijani parliamentary delegation to Moscow, and all Russian cultural events were canceled.
The Sputnik office was searched. According to Mammadov, this was done legally, without the use of force, unlike the events in Yekaterinburg.
The expert is convinced that the lack of dialogue at the highest level only deepens the confrontation. And if there is no de-escalation, relations may enter a new, even more acute phase.
However, the Kremlin is still not ready to hear Baku. Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that no high-level contacts are currently planned, “but they are possible if necessary.”
“We are in a confrontational spiral, when neither side is taking steps to de-escalate. On the contrary, security forces continue to attack Azerbaijanis in Russia,” Mammadov concludes.
The crisis between Baku and Moscow has even deeper roots. Russia is irritated by Azerbaijan’s rapprochement with Turkey (a strong army) and Pakistan (a nuclear power). The Kremlin also reacts sharply to support for Ukrainian statehood – from statements recognizing its territorial integrity to humanitarian aid worth tens of millions of dollars.
The gesture of President Ilham Aliyev, who in May 2025 defiantly ignored the Victory Parade in Moscow, was indicative of this – a signal that the Kremlin could not fail to recognize.
Azerbaijan, having learned from the example of Ukraine, understands that resistance to Russia’s aggressive policy is the only language that Moscow hears. And it seems that the Kremlin still underestimates the fact that Azerbaijan, which has regained Karabakh by military means, is now able to respond openly to pressure and provocations.
If Russia does not change its tactics, it will have to reckon with the new reality: there is a powerful player in the Caucasus that no longer recognizes the old imperial rules of the game.
Author: Asif Aliyev
