**Azerbaijan Cancels Russian Events Amid Rising Tensions**
In a move that reflects the deteriorating relations between Azerbaijan and Russia, Baku has cancelled all planned cultural events hosted alongside Russian state and private organizations. The decision was made in response to the deaths of two Azerbaijani citizens during police raids in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg.
According to reports, Ziyaddin and Huseyn Safarov died during a raid carried out by Russian authorities while they were investigating an unsolved 2001 murder case. Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry has condemned the killings as “ethnically motivated public and deliberate unlawful actions” and stated that Russia’s actions have taken on a systematic nature.
The incident is the latest in a series of tensions between Baku and Moscow, which have been escalating since Russia’s downing of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane that killed 67 passengers. Since then, Azerbaijani lawmakers have blamed Russia for February’s cyberattack, and President Ilham Aliyev skipped out on attending Russia’s Victory Day parade in Moscow in May.
**Rising Tensions Between Baku and Moscow**
The cancellation of Russian events by Azerbaijan comes as the country seeks to distance itself from its historic ally. The relationship has been strained since Russia’s failure to prevent Azerbaijan’s September 2023 offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh, which led to the mass exodus of Armenian population.
Azerbaijan’s decision to cancel cultural events is also a sign of solidarity with Ukraine, which has faced similar tensions with Russia over its ongoing invasion. In February, Azerbaijan delivered $1 million in humanitarian aid to Ukraine, and earlier this year, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha visited Baku as part of efforts to build relations between the two countries.
**Armenia Severs Ties with Kremlin**
Azerbaijan is not alone in its decision to distance itself from Russia. Armenia has also severed ties with Moscow over its failure to prevent Azerbaijan’s offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh. In March, Yerevan formally signed a law to begin Armenia’s accession process to the European Union.
The move reflects growing tensions between Armenia and Russia, which have been exacerbated by the Kremlin’s inability to protect Armenian interests in the region. As relations continue to sour, it remains to be seen how this will affect the broader dynamics of the Caucasus region.
**Kyiv Independent**
