Gabil Huseynli: Russia must admit it has been pushed out of South Caucasus

Russia must acknowledge that it has been driven out of the South Caucasus, Professor Gabil Huseynli told Report while commenting on a publication by Russia’s state news agency TASS, which referred to the Azerbaijani city of Khankandi as “Stepanakert.”

According to him, Russia’s recent actions indicate attempts to create a pretext for worsening relations:

"Russia is once again trying to sow discord in Azerbaijan and provoke a new wave of tensions around Karabakh. But these are clearly provocative intentions that will lead to nothing. In reality, Russia fully understands that it is no longer capable of changing the situation in the South Caucasus. In fact, it has been expelled from this region."

The political analyst stressed that Azerbaijan now plays a key, decisive role in the region:

"Russia must realize that it can no longer alter the geopolitical landscape of the South Caucasus. Today, Azerbaijan occupies a dominant position in the region. It has strong allies—Türkiye and Pakistan. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has already made it clear to Russia that it should stay within certain limits. It is obvious that Moscow seeks to regain its lost influence and restore its former strategic presence—its quasi-governorship in the Caucasus. However, it lacks the resources for this. Moreover, the countries of the region do not agree with such ambitions—including Armenia, which also firmly rejects Russia’s intentions."

The expert believes that a new phase of the war between Russia and Ukraine will begin in the coming days and will end with Ukraine’s victory:
"In the end, aggressive and insidious Russia will realize that it has no place in the lives of free and independent nations."

Huseynli's statement comes after Russian presidential envoy Mikhail Shvydkoy called the dismantling of Ivan Aivazovsky’s bust in Khankandi “a demonstrative unfriendly act toward Russia.” Furthermore, in a related article published by TASS, the Azerbaijani city of Khankandi was referred to as “Stepanakert.”