Has Russia Lost Azerbaijan?
Has Russia lost Azerbaijan? Once seen as pragmatic partners, Russia and Azerbaijan are now locked in a serious diplomatic breakdown. Following decades of cautious cooperation rooted in shared Soviet history and regional ties, tensions have exploded since 2024. The downing of an Azerbaijani passenger jet, the deaths of Azerbaijani nationals in Russian custody, and retaliatory arrests in Baku have pushed relations to their lowest point since independence. With growing distrust, tit-for-tat reprisals, and strategic realignment underway, could Azerbaijan be heading West—possibly even towards NATO membership?
In this video, we explore the history and collapse of Russia-Azerbaijan relations, from Imperial annexation and Soviet integration to Azerbaijan’s post-independence pivot toward NATO and the Non-Aligned Movement. We unpack the turning points: the Nagorno-Karabakh wars, Russian peacekeeper inaction, Turkey’s growing influence, and Azerbaijan’s increasingly open ties to Ukraine and Israel. Could this be a temporary rupture—or a permanent geopolitical shift? And what would NATO membership mean for Azerbaijan, the region, and the Alliance itself?
*VIDEO CHAPTERS*
00:00 Introduction and Titles
00:51 Broken Relationships in International Politics: Russia and Azerbaijan
01:55 Azerbaijan and Russia: Location and Population
02:34 Azerbaijan, Russia and the USSR
03:17 Azerbaijan-Russia Relations After the Soviet Union
05:58 Azerbaijan-Russia Relations after 2020
07:31 Azerbaijan Begins to Distance Itself From Russia
08:53 The Collapse of Azerbaijan-Russia Relations
10:19 What Next for Azerbaijan-Russia Relations?
Credit to : Prof James Ker-Lindsay
