Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky held a phone conversation. During the discussion, the two heads of state, among other things, condemned Russia’s deliberate airstrikes on Azerbaijani facilities in Ukraine and expressed confidence that under no circumstances would this lead to a suspension of cooperation between Azerbaijan and Ukraine in the energy sector.
Behind these formal lines lies yet another round of Russia’s hostile and treacherous tactics — both toward Ukraine and toward Azerbaijan. It should be recalled that one of the targets of recent Russian strikes on Ukrainian territory was a SOCAR oil depot in the Odesa region, which sustained damage; several people were injured. Earlier, a gas compressor station in Orlivka — through which Azerbaijani gas is supplied to Ukraine in reverse flow — was hit. Even before that, Russian missiles exploded near Azerbaijan’s embassy in Kyiv, damaging the “Azerbaijani House” in the Ukrainian capital, while SOCAR gas stations in the Zhytomyr region also came under fire.
In theory, in wartime, Azerbaijani facilities could be hit accidentally. Especially given that Russia has struck children’s hospitals, maternity wards, and residential areas. But the frequency and intensity of such incidents in recent days leave no doubt: Russia is deliberately targeting Azerbaijani assets in Ukraine. This marks a new escalation in bilateral tensions.
And the timing is symbolic: in the same days that Russia launched this new phase of its treacherous and hostile strategy — on August 8, 2025 — a minute of silence was observed at Baku’s Heydar Aliyev International Airport in memory of Hokuma Aliyeva, a National Hero of Azerbaijan and flight attendant on AZAL’s Baku–Grozny flight, which was shot down by Russian air defenses on December 25, 2024. On August 8, she would have turned 34.
It was precisely with this crime — let’s call things by their proper names — by Russian “men in uniform” that the countdown to the current crisis began. At the time, Azerbaijan quite rightly demanded a proper apology, an investigation, and punishment of those responsible. Instead, Moscow put forward absurd theories, shielded the guilty from investigation, and launched a campaign of pressure on Azerbaijan in every conceivable way. In many Russian cities, ethnically motivated repressions targeted the Azerbaijani community. In Yekaterinburg, two Azerbaijani citizens were killed as a result of Russian security forces’ actions. An “information war” was unleashed against Azerbaijan, its leadership, and the heads of its diaspora. The Russian agricultural watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor conveniently “discovered” prohibited substances in Azerbaijani tomatoes and peaches.
Now there is a new element — strikes on Azerbaijani facilities in Ukraine, intended both to cause harm and, Moscow believes, to avoid responsibility.
Well, avoiding responsibility this time will not work, no matter how hard they try. First, and we have repeated this many times, it is extremely difficult to believe these hits are coincidental. And second, and perhaps most importantly, this is a consciously chosen tactic — a strategy of escalation.
In reality, all crises eventually come to an end. Yet from the moment that Russian air defense committed its criminal blunder — and the political leadership responded inadequately — on one side, and Azerbaijan rightfully demanded a proper response on the other, experts have periodically predicted that the crisis was about to ease. And immediately after such predictions, Russia takes another step to aggravate relations with Azerbaijan. A treacherous, dishonest step. All the while convinced that Baku will be frightened and back down.
Let us be clear: first, the language of threats and pressure does not work with Azerbaijan.
And second, if Russia chooses hostility and a policy of treachery and malice — it will receive an appropriate response.
Nurani
