Mikhail Onufrienko: where there is crime, secret services and illegal  agents  always  work

ArmInfo. Over the past 48 hours, Baku has managed to compare Russia to Nazis through state media, accuse us of being chauvinists, cancel cultural events, be rude to our diplomats, ban entry to a number of Russian officials and call for unrest in Russia through the Turkish-Azerbaijani commission. The formal reason for this is the arrest of Azerbaijanis for crimes in the Urals (they are Russian citizens).  Mikhail Onufrienko, well-known Russian political  observer, writes about this.

According to him, many in Russia were surprised and angry, calling  these attacks unfriendly and hostile.  But in reality, this is just a  continuation of a long-standing policy. In the 90s and 2000s,  Azerbaijan supplied weapons to terrorists in the North Caucasus,  participated in passing intelligence data to the enemy, and allowed  thousands of militants to pass through. It actively worked against  Russia in the West-Turkey- Pakistan-Azerbaijan-Gulf Monarchies axis.

When terrorism was suppressed, Baku temporarily calmed down, but  began to flood Russia with "soft power" (all kinds of magazines,  houses, festivals, financing of a number of media outlets, business,  and so on). At the same time, criminal elements entered the country.  And where there is crime,  special services and illegal agents always  work.  At the same time, Azerbaijan cooperated with Israel, which was  carrying out similar work with Russia:  formal agreements on  strategic cooperation, transport corridors, and trade softened  relations. It is widely known that the weakening of Iran and Russia  is beneficial for Baku. After February 24, 2022, a purge of the state  apparatus in Russia, as well as the criminal sector and shadow trade,  began. It  directly affected Azerbaijan, which had streamlined its  activities on the territory of the Russian Federation. Baku is not  happy about this. And the cries begin. Baku will be even more  displeased with the purge in Iranian Azerbaijan, which has already  begun. As for the prospects of this state, its interest until the end  of the current world war lies in seizing part of Iran in its favor. 

This is approximately 8-9 million people and 100 thousand square  kilometers of territory. This can only be done in cooperation with  Israel, the United States and London. Will it work? Far from certain.  There is a conditional autonomy in Tabriz. There are elites there,  and they are far from being poor. Why should they go under Baku and  give up power, money and influence? In any case, by the end of the  next decade, Azerbaijan may play itself out. The history of the 19th  century showed that the states of Transcaucasia, located within the  sphere of interests of major powers, can simply disappear when  regional balance is disrupted. In this sense, the rules of the game  have not changed.