Journalist on Azerbaijan state TV delivers a fierce speech against Russian imperialism and paternalism, describing Russia as a declining power:

We understand that you are accustomed to the dominance of so-called Greater Russia over the nations it forcibly incorporated into its territory, whether during the Tsarist era or the Soviet era. Russians have always been treated as a superior race. Azerbaijanis, Uzbeks, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Turkmen and representatives of other nationalities have been treated as second-class citizens.

This aspect is little known in the West, but constitutions of most of the USSR republics contained, and modern Russian constitution now contains a provision declaring Russian ethnicity as "state-forming nation", naturally positioning it as superior beyond other nations.

And although both empires have been consigned to the dustbin of history, the mentality has not changed – the tradition continues. Once, Stalin used the NKVD to cut off every raised head. Today, Putin uses the OMON to eliminate anyone who demands their rights. As they say, 1937 continues. Even more brutally, even more seriously. But I wonder if Russian President Vladimir Putin realises that it is now 2025, not 1937? Does he understand that history forgets nothing: neither Stalin's repressions, nor 20 January, nor the genocide in Khojaly, nor the 30-year occupation of Azerbaijani lands by Russia through Armenia?

Yes, it is thanks to Russia, which for three decades prevented the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which for all those years oppressed the Karabakh soul of Azerbaijan, causing us thousands of sufferings and playing on our nerves and national pride. And only when the Karabakh problem was resolved could Azerbaijan show its strength – also towards its own citizens living in this territory.

Translation by Czarne Niebo