Another propaganda blunder in Moscow. Everyone who feels like it is trying to lecture Azerbaijan on morality — all with one goal: to divert attention from the essence of what is happening and to mislead the average reader or listener. Let’s take, for example, a certain Mariya Akhmedova — a “widely known in narrow circles” writer and at the same time a propagandist who has been sanctioned by the European Union and even neutral Switzerland for supporting Russian aggression against Ukraine.
This disreputable lady decided to lecture Azerbaijan and its leadership: how dare Baku stand up for its compatriots in Yekaterinburg? And even cancel Russian cultural events? Madam Akhmedova claims Baku is “rushing,” not waiting for an investigation — just like with the plane incident — and sarcastically adds: what if it turns out these citizens really are criminals? Baku will remain silent, she implies. Then comes the cheap moralizing: “Why such holy faith that Azerbaijanis can’t commit crimes? Or is it just that members of the Azerbaijani diaspora are untouchable? And why doesn’t Azerbaijan reprimand its citizens living here when they break the law?”
Well, let’s clarify a few things for Madam Akhmedova and those whose talking points she dutifully repeats like a household parrot. First of all: maintaining law and order on Russian territory is the responsibility of Russian law enforcement — not Azerbaijan’s, not Tajikistan’s, not the diaspora leaders’. So questions like “why doesn’t Azerbaijan reprimand its citizens living here when they break the law?” should be shelved in the darkest, furthest corner. If Russian law enforcement cannot handle public order, then don’t shift the blame onto the diaspora, neighboring countries, or anyone else.
But there’s something more important. Let’s recall the official version: Russian authorities suddenly reopened an investigation into a murder committed over 20 years ago. Fifty people were detained! Some of them were three or four years old at the time of the crime. Do Russian investigators really believe toddlers were accomplices? That they can provide valuable testimony 25 years later? Most importantly — two people died during the arrests, reportedly as a result of torture. So who are the criminals here? Azerbaijanis whose guilt hasn’t been proven in 24 years? Or the so-called Russian “law enforcement”?
That alone is already damning evidence that what’s happening in Yekaterinburg has nothing to do with solving criminal cases. These are ethnically motivated repressions — pressure on Azerbaijanis and on Azerbaijan itself. Especially since the Yekaterinburg tragedy occurred amid a broad anti-Azerbaijani campaign — from the barking of Russian propagandists to a hybrid cyberattack on our country.
And what — Moscow really thought it could carry out provocations like this, and Baku would continue applauding Russian performers? Act as if nothing happened? Imagine that: we do care about the fate of our compatriots abroad. Especially when their rights are being violated so brutally, cynically, and shamelessly.
All the more ironic — or rather, very telling — is why Madam Akhmedova is so hysterical about Azerbaijan’s reaction to the civilian AZAL airliner shot down by Russian air defense. In case anyone forgot: there are holes in the fuselage, in the rear hemisphere, with inward-bent edges — not consistent with an “oxygen tank explosion,” “bird strike,” or even, say, a kamikaze mosquito swarm. Missile fragments from a Pantsir system were found in the fuselage and in the bodies of the deceased and injured passengers and crew. Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Transport has reported the crash resulted from “external impact” — in other words, the plane was shot down. So what “investigation results” does Madam Akhmedova think Azerbaijan should have waited for? A Russian investigation that hasn’t even started?
The problem is, the Moscow chattering class — from Duma deputies to figures like Madam Akhmedova — simply didn’t expect such a firm and principled response from Azerbaijan. They assumed Baku would accept the Russian version, bury its dead, and make no demands. They miscalculated. They were wrong. And now they’re throwing tantrums on social media — spitting insults and frothing at the mouth. Most importantly — they can’t even articulate their demands. Admitting that they’re driven by jealousy over Azerbaijan’s independent policy would be too revealing. So they try to twist the facts. Or rather, they’re trying to stuff the imperialist “frog” back onto the globe — with predictable results.
And one last point: you can unleash dozens or even hundreds of propagandists to bark at Azerbaijan and its leadership. But this — let’s put it gently — is not a proportionate response. Over the three decades since the collapse of the USSR, there have been tensions between Baku and Moscow, but this is the first time we’ve seen cultural events canceled and a deputy prime minister’s visit called off.
This current crisis can rightfully be called unprecedented. And Moscow truly believes that after Akhmedova’s online tantrums, Baku will reverse its policies overnight? Forget the downed aircraft, the repressions, the cyberattack? If so, then Russia’s strategic planning isn’t just below par — it’s on the level of Madam Akhmedova. This is a textbook case of an unprincipled information war against our country, which only reveals a lack of arguments and inability to respond adequately in a truly complex bilateral situation. Let’s remember once again — these relations are a two-way street.
Nurani
