Early in the morning, the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation released a statement about the detention of an Azerbaijani citizen who, it claims, was preparing a terrorist attack in the Stavropol region on the instructions of a terrorist organization operating in Ukraine.
According to official information, the detainee, a former special forces serviceman, voluntarily joined a Ukrainian terrorist organization banned in Russia and was planning terrorist acts on its orders. As the FSB claims, in preparation he scouted potential targets, including administrative buildings of security agencies and transport infrastructure elements in the cities of Yessentuki and Stavropol.
The name of the detainee has not been disclosed, nor has any specific information about his affiliation with any organization designated as terrorist. The statement was accompanied by a video clip showing the suspect allegedly pointing out the place where he had hidden explosives and other items needed for the planned attack. According to the footage, FSB officers, with the help of sappers, neutralized the discovered munitions.
Against the backdrop of growing tensions in Russian-Azerbaijani relations, this operation raises certain doubts. Recently, Russian security services have stepped up actions against members of the Azerbaijani diaspora: detentions and deportations of well-known individuals are taking place, and reports are regularly published about the alleged disruption of Ukrainian intelligence networks among Azerbaijani citizens.
For example, on August 21 it was announced that an Azerbaijani citizen had been detained at the Yarag-Kazmalyar border crossing in the Republic of Dagestan. According to the FSB, he was acting on instructions from Ukrainian intelligence and tried to smuggle secret documents out of Russia. The detainee was identified as Rufullaev Yadulla Ramiz oglu, born in 1989. The FSB claimed he had received instructions from his brother, residing in Ukraine and allegedly working for the Security Service of Ukraine. Investigators said Rufullaev had discovered a cache in the Kurgan region containing documents related to Russia’s military-industrial complex and attempted to smuggle them through Azerbaijan to Ukraine. It was noted that he works as a truck driver and does not speak Russian. FSB officers confiscated a USB stick from him, allegedly containing classified data.
On August 28, a court in Ryazan found a 55-year-old woman of Azerbaijani origin and Russian nationality guilty of collaborating with Ukrainian military intelligence. She was sentenced to five years in prison. According to the court, she deliberately collected information that could be used against the security interests of the Russian Federation.
In August, Russian media also widely covered the capture in Ukraine of Azerbaijani citizen Agazade Asim Mahir oglu, who, it was claimed, was a fighter of the Azov regiment. Reports emphasized that he had tattoos with symbols interpreted as Nazi.
Notably, even before the release of official information about the aforementioned detentions, material created with the help of artificial intelligence began circulating on YouTube and on channels linked to Russian security services. It claimed that an Azerbaijani citizen had been detained in Sochi, allegedly sent by Western and Ukrainian intelligence services to carry out sabotage against strategic facilities in Russia.
Elyas Shafiyev
Translated from haqqin.az
