The Russia-Ukraine war continues to escalate with mutual moves.
The war is not only fought on the frontlines, but also in the areas of politics, economy and energy.
Sanctions against Russia, the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipeline connecting Europe to Russia in energy and the assassination of Darya Dugina, daughter of Russian thinker Aleksandr Dugin, in a bombing in Moscow…
Most recently, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that there had also been a failed sabotage attempt on the TurkStream.
The main strategy adopted by Ukraine and the US behind it is to disrupt relations between Russia and its neighbors through various provocations and thus isolate Russia.
Examples for that strategy are the pressure on Turkish banks not to use the Mir payment system, the threat of sanctions against Turkish companies working with Russia and the reaction from Washington to the planned gas hub in Türkiye for Russia gas.
The US-Ukraine alliance is now attempting to apply a similar strategy to Russian-Azerbaijani relations.
Ukrainian media persistently spreads the news that Azerbaijan has provided fighter jets for use in the war against Russia – though they know this is a lie. According to Ukrainian sources, the Ukrainian army is using Azerbaijani MIG-29 fighter jets against Russia.
Contrary to the allegations, the facts show that Azerbaijan temporarily has sent the planes to Ukraine for maintenance and repair purposes. The aircraft was sent well before February, that is, before the Russia-Ukraine war started.
It is generally assessed that the Ukrainian side aims to disrupt Russian-Azerbaijani relations by spreading such false news and targeting thus the Türkiye-Russia relations.
The American strategy to disrupt Russia’s relations with its neighbors, especially with Türkiye, does not seem to achieve success, given the improving relations between the countries in the region.