“What history could you possibly have? You never had one and you never will!” — comments like this flooded social media after news broke that Azerbaijani schools will teach the history of Azerbaijan in the native language. At first glance, it seems like a normal, logical decision — to teach one’s own history in one’s own language. Yet the reaction from part of the Russian audience exceeded all expectations.
To deny that Azerbaijan has its own history is about the same as insisting the Earth is flat. It is not even an opinion — it is absurd. We won’t go into detail here about Azerbaijan’s rich past; those interested can turn to historical sources and textbooks. Then, perhaps, some may experience a double shock.
First, they will discover that Azerbaijan really does have a history — ancient, rich, and documented both in local and international sources. And second, which is far more painful, they will suddenly realize they have been lied to for years. That Russia’s official “history” is not history at all, but a carefully arranged shop window hiding lies, propaganda, and fear of truth.
For example, history textbooks published in Russia in 2002 or even 2013 at least briefly mentioned the GULAG, Stalinist repressions, and the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact. In the new 2023 textbook, there is not a single word about them. Its authors? Presidential aide Vladislav Medinsky and MGIMO rector Anatoly Torkunov. Instead of facts, a rewritten reality: the USSR is portrayed as the pinnacle of civilization, while everything after its collapse is depicted as catastrophe — until, as they write, the “savior” arrived: the current Kremlin ruler.
In this “textbook,” the Baltic states, after joining the EU and NATO, are described as “Nazi collaborators.” Ukraine is portrayed as a Western project allegedly created to destroy an entire civilization — meaning Russia. And Russia, of course, is heroically “saving the world” from this conspiracy.
The section about Georgia is particularly telling. In the 2013 edition, it said: “On the night of August 8, 2008, Georgian forces shelled South Ossetian territory.” The 2023 edition adds where Vladimir Putin was at that moment: “The Prime Minister was in Beijing at the Olympic opening ceremony.” Apparently, for schoolchildren it is of vital importance to know Putin’s exact location. As for President Medvedev’s whereabouts, they preferred to remain silent.
The textbook even devotes a chapter to Medinsky’s own projects, ending with the slogan: “Russia — the land of opportunity.” For whom, one need not guess.
It becomes clear why Kremlin propaganda reacts so hysterically to basic historical facts. For example, the fact that in 1920 the Bolshevik army invaded Azerbaijan, eliminated the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, and began an occupation — a fact confirmed by numerous sources and even stated outright by Azerbaijan’s president in an interview. But the moment this is recalled, panic begins, along with floods of lies and aggressive attacks from Kremlin mouthpieces.
The reaction of so-called “historian” Yevgeny Spitsyn — a regular figure in propaganda media — is especially revealing. He claimed that “without Russia there would be no Azerbaijan.” Truth seems to cause him chronic allergic reactions. Commenting on the new textbook, Spitsyn insisted that “nothing has changed, just a little editing.” If entire chapters of falsifications are “just editing,” one must ask: did they edit the textbook, or history itself?
Such “editing of history” is hard to take seriously, especially compared to real scholars who value facts over political slogans. One of them, PhD in History Professor Djabi Bakhramov, speaking with Minval Politika, evaluated the Russian “textbook” and supported the decision to teach Azerbaijan’s history in its native language.
“Every citizen of Azerbaijan must know their mother tongue, this is enshrined in the Constitution. Teaching history in Azerbaijani is absolutely the right step,” the professor stressed.
He recalled that back in 1972, Azerbaijan’s national leader Heydar Aliyev proposed creating a multi-volume history of Azerbaijan. At the time, Suslov suggested writing it “within the all-Russian context.” Heydar Aliyev responded: “Russia’s history counts about eight centuries, starting from the Moscow principality. Azerbaijan’s history is more than 4,000 years old. What should we do with the remaining 3,200 years?”
Bakhramov added that textbooks must be based on truth. Attempts to whitewash the USSR and hide facts, he said, resemble the rhetoric of propagandists like Solovyov and Mardan, who spread lies through federal channels.
He also recalled a 2009 report prepared on Putin’s orders. The 384-page document analyzed how former Soviet republics presented Russia’s history in school textbooks. Azerbaijan was assigned 42 pages of complaints.
“They didn’t like that Azerbaijani textbooks mention the plundering of Barda by Slavs in the 10th century, the shelling of the Old City in 1723 by General Matyushkin, the capture of Ganja, or the genocide of Azerbaijanis carried out by Bolsheviks and Dashnaks in 1918. Nor did they like the 1920 invasion of Baku. But how can we omit these, if they are historical facts?” the professor asked.
He reminded that from April 29, 1920, to August 1, 1921, 48,000 innocent people were executed. That was an occupation. How can one remain silent about it?
“If you tell the truth about the USSR, you must also say that it lived off the wealth of Azerbaijan and other republics. Our independence is not in their interest. Truth and facts are not in their interest,” said the historian.
Bakhramov stressed that Russia does not want to recognize the obvious: Azerbaijan is no longer a country that can be occupied, intimidated, or suppressed.
“From the 18th to the 20th centuries, thousands of peoples in Russia’s east were destroyed. Their language, faith, and names were changed. No matter how much they try to rewrite history, truth remains truth,” he noted.
According to him, the events of 1805 and 1823 — the Kurakchay and Gulistan treaties — were like a knife in the back. But now Azerbaijan has removed that knife.
“We are an independent country. We have regained our lands. And that is the main thing. Everything else is just empty words,” the professor concluded.
Nurlana Maharramova
