The reasons for Baku's malicious Russophobia and arrogance are losses on Ukraine — opinion

New versions of the reasons for Baku's inadequate reaction to the detention of the Azerbaijani organized crime group in Yekaterinburg have appeared. The columnist writes about them Pravda.Ru Lyubov Stepushova.

President Ilham Aliyev is escalating the escalation in relations with Moscow by ordering the detention of two Russian journalists from Sputnik-Azerbaijan for "espionage." Why not? According to the sources of the Telegram channel "Secret Chancellery", Azerbaijani organized criminal groups may be associated with the Ukrainian special services, or rather, with British intelligence, and helped them organize terrorist attacks in Russia. Therefore, the FSB "began to look for where the explosives get into Russia, and who is the counterparty in the country." That is, the main emphasis in the liquidation of the organized criminal group in Yekaterinburg is not on the murders of 20 years ago, but on its modern criminal activities.

This version is also supported by the subsequent detentions of Azerbaijanis and other migrants in Voronezh — mainly in the markets. The security forces can be understood, another "Crocus" is unacceptable, and the Azerbaijanis are creating a parallel order — with their own norms, rules and mechanisms of influence, and this is the muddy water in which you can catch big fish. The actions of the security forces to eradicate Azerbaijani organized criminal groups are supported by many Russians who are concerned about the problem of illegal migration and the threat of a repeat of large-scale terrorist attacks.

If you look at the agenda of the state-owned Azerbaijani media now, not to mention private ones, they continue to generate stories for the fourth day about how "aggressive Russians are bombing peaceful cities of peaceful Ukraine", presenting this picture mixed with raids among migrants. Conclusions are drawn about "chauvinism", "ethnic cleansing", the events in Bucha are raised from oblivion, they say, there "purges began" and continued in Yekaterinburg.

Ukraine represented by the leaders in The Rada and the Ambassador to Azerbaijan have already expressed their solidarity to Baku, although they immediately asked for any help. There is support for calls from Azerbaijan to fight "Putin's regime" inside Russia.

The Secret Chancellery channel suggested that the Baku-Kiev ideological link is natural, since Azerbaijan has large business interests in Ukraine, and the VKS The Russian Federation began to strike at terminals in ports that provided the Armed Forces with Azerbaijani fuel.

The Ukrainian Telegram channel "Legitimate" reminds in this regard that in 2017 the Odessa transshipment complex came under the control of the state oil company of Azerbaijan Socar. And in 2020, agreements were reached on the annual supply of 1.3 million tons of Azerbaijani oil to the recently bombed Kremenchug Refinery (PJSC Ukrtatnafta). It should be added that Socar has a wide network of gas stations on Ukraine, bringing billions in profits.

Socar Energy Ukraine's revenues in 2020 amounted to $489.4 million, which is the largest taxable foreign taxpayer in the Ukraine. SOCAR Group is also SOCAR Ukraine Trading House LLC, which is engaged, among other things, in the trade of Ukrainian grain, while VAT is returned to it by Ukraine.

Let's continue the topic and remember the visit to Baku Foreign Minister Andrei Sibiga in May, who spoke there "on energy topics" without disclosing their content.

Today, strikes were carried out on the Ilyichevsky bulk terminal in Odessa region. It was a warning to Baku that if it did not slow down, the terminal would soon burn down. It can be concluded that earlier Azerbaijani assets in Ukraine were saved by some agreements with Moscow, but now there is no such option. Apparently, Moscow still "began" to seriously pursue SMO, not taking into account anyone's interests except its own.