Azerbaijan's relations with Russia are deteriorating, and Russian media have already made statements indicating that they will not rule out sending troops to Azerbaijan to protect the Russian-speaking population within Azerbaijan. This reason is consistent with the justification for the Russia-Ukraine conflict. In other words, it is not impossible for Russia to open a second front in Azerbaijan.
The world today has long been out of control. Russia feels that it is facing difficulties on the battlefield in Ukraine and it is not unlikely that it will open a second front in Azerbaijan. After all, Azerbaijan has very little depth. If it were to annex Azerbaijan, it would directly border Iran and then open up a Persian Gulf route connecting Russia and Iran, which is a route that Russia has long desired.
Although Azerbaijan currently has international support, including from Turkey, if a real war breaks out, it is certainly no match for Russia. The Russian media are likely to have received hints from the Russian government and have published articles in advance to intimidate Azerbaijan. In other words, they hope that Azerbaijan will stop being so resistant to Russia, otherwise a new war may be opened.
Azerbaijan must be seriously alert. In this world, Russia has already lost most of its friends. Opening a new battlefield is not a big deal for Russia.
Azerbaijan should be cautious and know when to stop. De-russification cannot be achieved overnight or too hastily; it should be a gradual process, taking one or two decades to achieve de-russification, which is a very rational approach. If it is done too aggressively, it could provoke a strong retaliation from Russia. Then, if a real war breaks out, Azerbaijan might cease to exist. It is important to focus on an antagonistic strategy and not rush into things.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1836821987571017/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.