In the Zabaykalsky Krai of Russia, the citizenship documents of 3 Azerbaijanis who recently acquired Russian citizenship have been revoked.
Modern.az reports that these Azerbaijanis faced pressure for sharing opinions on social networks that discredit the Russian army.
The local migration authorities also accuse our compatriots of inciting certain migrant groups living in the region to have a negative attitude towards military service.
Security agencies are preparing to deport the Azerbaijanis whose citizenship has been revoked.
It should be noted that recently, there has been a clear increase in pressure against Azerbaijanis in Russia. The harassment of our compatriots in various regions, facing unfounded and absurd accusations, and being subjected to pressure by law enforcement agencies has begun to take on a systematic character. Particularly in recent months, amid the tightening of migration rules, the cancellation of documents of Azerbaijanis, deprivation of citizenship, mass inspections, detentions, and selective approaches have raised concerns. In many cases, it is claimed that the accusations brought forward lack legal grounds and, in some instances, bear clear political or ethnic motives.
So how long can this process continue?
Regarding the topic, political analyst Elkhan Shahinoglu spoke to Musavat.com. According to the political analyst, recent events clearly show that the Russian government’s attitude towards Azerbaijan and Azerbaijanis has not changed:
"The policy of pressure, blackmail, and intimidation continues as before, and the number of questions in relations is not decreasing. Alongside this, the harassment of Azerbaijanis living in Russia has now also begun. One thing is certain: making some pressures against migrants is one matter, but applying such pressure and oppression against Azerbaijanis who also have citizenship is quite another. The recent incident in Yekaterinburg clearly proves this. It appears that a deliberate and systematic policy is being conducted against Azerbaijanis. Similar pressures continue against other ethnic groups as well. Even migrants from countries they call allies and partners have begun to be harassed."
Elkhan Shahinoglu noted that the Russian government is now "adjusting" its migrant policy by trying to attract labor force from India, which is no coincidence: "This shows that the main purpose here is to suppress Azerbaijanis and migrants from Central Asian countries. However, as long as the Russian government continues this policy, it will inevitably have a negative impact on the relations between the two countries. Especially against the backdrop of the Russia-Ukraine war, we observe that chauvinist ideology is strengthening in Russia, and within this framework, an open and covert policy of pressure against certain national groups continues. This approach serves neither regional stability nor the healthy development of bilateral relations."
