AZE.US
Russian commentators Semyon Uralov, Ivan Knyazev and Alexei Chadayev were operating within a broader imperial narrative, but their specific threats against Azerbaijan were most likely their own initiative, Azerbaijani political analyst Ilgar Velizade said.
Velizade, who heads the South Caucasus Political Scientists Club, made the remarks during an interview with the Daily Europe Online YouTube channel.
According to Velizade, a persistent message in Russia’s information space holds that independent post-Soviet states should not pursue their own foreign policies or build relations with countries viewed as hostile by Moscow.
“The narrative is to identify links with ‘unfriendly countries,’ find a foreign hand and show that these states are not acting independently but at the instigation of the collective West,” he said.
Russian bloggers and television commentators frequently promote the idea that neighboring nations are “ungrateful” despite Russia supposedly having provided them with education, development and statehood, Velizade added.
‘Then the Improvisation Began’
Velizade said he did not believe anyone had ordered Chadayev, Knyazev and Uralov to issue specific threats against Azerbaijan.
Instead, he suggested that they had independently escalated the broader propaganda line in an attempt to demonstrate greater loyalty and appear more committed to defending Russian interests than their colleagues.
“They decided to impress their leadership and show that they were defending their country’s interests more zealously,” Velizade said.
“They assumed there would be no consequences, but the effect was unexpected.”
He described Chadayev’s involvement as particularly illogical because Chadayev served as an adviser to Russia’s transport minister.
Russia’s Transport Ministry oversees strategic infrastructure projects, including the International North-South Transport Corridor, in which Azerbaijan plays a central role.
Velizade said such rhetoric from a person associated with the ministry demonstrated a failure to understand how political and economic conditions in the region have changed.
‘Used and Abandoned’
After Azerbaijan opened a criminal case, Chadayev announced that he was stepping down from his unpaid position as an adviser to the Russian transport minister.
He said his public comments represented his private opinion and did not reflect the ministry’s position.
Velizade questioned whether the resignation had been entirely voluntary.
“After the uproar, his immediate superior apparently called him in and told him to write a resignation letter,” he said. “They used him and abandoned him. No one is going to defend this kind of freelancing.”
Velizade described the episode as a “boomerang effect,” saying an attempt to score political points ended in criminal charges and the loss of an official position.
Azerbaijan Opens Criminal Case
Azerbaijan’s Prosecutor General’s Office charged Uralov, Knyazev and Chadayev under criminal statutes covering public calls for terrorism, actions against the state and incitement of ethnic hatred.
According to investigators, the three men made statements advocating violence against Azerbaijan, the forced alteration of its constitutional order and violations of its territorial integrity.
All three have been placed on a wanted list, while Azerbaijani courts ordered their pretrial detention in absentia.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said their comments did not reflect Moscow’s official position toward Azerbaijan. The ministry nevertheless said Russia was prepared to provide legal and consular protection to its citizens.
Velizade said Moscow’s response and Chadayev’s departure indicated that the Russian government did not intend to accept responsibility for the radical statements made during the program.
AZE.US