Taras Kuzio: Murder of Azerbaijanis in Yekaterinburg - manifestation of chauvinism taken root in Russia
The murder of Azerbaijanis in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg is caused by a combination of deep-rooted chauvinism in Russia towards people from the Caucasus and the brutality of security forces and human rights violations, Taras Kuzio, professor of the political science department at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, told Report.
He noted that such attitudes towards representatives of national minorities in Russia have their roots in the Soviet period.
"Racism, Islamophobia and xenophobia towards peoples from the Caucasus and Central Asia have existed during the Soviet era (for example in the Soviet army) and since 1991 in Russia," he said.
According to the professor, Russian politics is built on the ideology of imperial nationalism, the cult of war, chauvinism and xenophobia.
"The USSR and Russia traditionally viewed Armenia as their ally in the South Caucasus and supported Armenia’s war of aggression against Azerbaijan in the First Karabakh War and the occupation of one-fifth of Azerbaijani lands until 2020-2023. Azerbaijan is an independent state and not within Russia’s Eurasian sphere of influence. Azerbaijan is not a member of the CSTO or the Eurasian Economic Union. Azerbaijan is a rising economic-energy and military power with a powerful Turkish ally. All of this makes Putin’s Russia angry as the Kremlin believes the non-Russians of the USSR should be puppet states," he added.
On the morning of June 27, the Russian FSB raided the houses of Azerbaijanis in Yekaterinburg. During the raid, two people were killed and several others were injured. The killed Azerbaijanis are the brothers of the well-known journalist Seyfaddin Huseynli.
On June 28, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry issued a statement demanding an investigation and that "those responsible for this unacceptable act of violence" be held accountable. Later, the Russian chargé d'affaires was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and a strong protest was expressed to him in connection with what had happened.
On June 29, a trial was held in Yekaterinburg regarding six detainees, three of them were given a preventive measure in the form of arrest for 22 days, and three for three days. All six didn't admit their guilt.
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