Moscow: Tensions between Russia and the neighbouring Caucasus republic of Azerbaijan are escalating, against the backdrop of Moscow's war in Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned Baku not to jeopardize relations between the two countries because of the war. Moscow, he said, is counting on 'getting through what will hopefully be a short period of cooling in bilateral relations,' Russian news agencies reported on Tuesday.
According to Ghana News Agency, Moscow's rebuke was triggered by comments made by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who expressed his solidarity with Ukraine during an interview with Ukrainian journalists. He called on Kiev not to accept the Russian occupation of parts of its territory and to recapture them, as Azerbaijan had done with Nagorno-Karabakh. In 2020, Baku conquered the conflict-ridden region inhabited by Armenians in a brief war against its neighbour.
Russian military bloggers reacted with outrage, some calling for 'a show of strength; not just sabre-rattling, but concrete violent measures.' There was talk of a violation of national honour. The background to the growing tensions is the shooting down of an Azerbaijani passenger plane by a Russian surface-to-air missile at the end of 2024. The aircraft was approaching Grozny, where Russian air defences were engaged with Ukrainian drones at the time. Thirty-eight people were killed in the emergency landing.
Azerbaijan complains that Russia has never acknowledged responsibility for the incident. Aliyev recently announced his intention to take the matter to international courts. A series of criminal proceedings against Azerbaijanis in the Russian Ural region is further straining relations. Two Azerbaijanis died during the arrests at the end of June. Baku saw this as ethnically motivated, and responded with arrests of Russians in its own territory, including journalists from Moscow state media.
