“What happened to Azerbaijanis in Russia’s Yekaterinburg is an example of Russian chauvinism. They were killed simply for being Azerbaijani,” said Huseyn Yusubov, Chairman of the Congress of Georgian Azerbaijanis and a political scientist, in an interview with AZERTAC.
According to Yusubov, since liberating Karabakh in the 44-day Patriotic War of 2020, Azerbaijan has entered a new phase of development. Pursuing a balanced foreign policy with all global political powers, Azerbaijan serves as a model of stability and resilience in the region. It actively participates in major international projects, such as supplying natural gas to Europe and acting as a strategic transit corridor between Central Asia and Europe, often as an initiator and leading force. These achievements conflict with Moscow’s interests, prompting Russia to intensify pressure on Azerbaijan. The killings in Yekaterinburg are a clear example of this pressure.
“In such cases, Russia typically launches a ‘migrant hunt.’ Migrants face baseless accusations of serious crimes like drug trafficking or supporting terrorism. These incidents are not limited to Yekaterinburg but are observed in nearly all major Russian cities. In reality, migrants primarily work in the most demanding and labor-intensive jobs that Russians refuse to do,” Yusubov noted.
He added that the downing of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane on the Baku-Grozny route, resulting in loss of life, the brutal killing of five Azerbaijanis by police, and other provocative actions are entirely inconsistent with allied relations.
“These events prove once again that Russia’s policies serve confrontation and erode trust, not regional stability. If Moscow wishes to continue regional cooperation and partnership, it must first abandon this hostile approach toward its so-called allies. Otherwise, Russia, already struggling with normal relations with its neighbors, will find itself in an even worse position. The sooner official Moscow realizes this, the better it will be for itself,” Yusubov emphasized.
Khatayi Azizov
Special correspondent
