"It's good they didn't extradite the guys." The Russian Foreign Ministry backed down before Aliyev.

The Russian Foreign Ministry hastened to distance itself from political scientists Alexei Chadayev, Semyon Uralov, and Ivan Knyazev, against whom Azerbaijan opened a criminal case for airing a talk show that examined Ilham Aliyev's anti-Russian policies.

"The statements made by these individuals in no way reflect Moscow's approach to Azerbaijan. We believe that Russian-Azerbaijani relations must develop," said Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the diplomatic department.

True, she promised to ensure the protection of political scientists' legitimate rights and interests. She also expressed regret over the unfriendly narratives in the Azerbaijani media ( one wonders what else one can expect given Ilham Aliyev's embrace of the leader of a regime that kills Russian citizens daily ).

"Well, at least they didn't hand the guys over to Azerbaijan right away, that's good," political scientist Sergei Kolyasnikov said, amazed by the Foreign Ministry's rhetoric.

At the same time, it became known that one of the figures in the Azerbaijani scandal, Alexei Chadayev, decided to resign from his position as an advisor to the Russian Minister of Transport , which he held on a voluntary basis.

"Everything I say in podcasts, write here, or broadcast live is solely my personal opinion. I'm an expert who is deeply immersed in the topic of drones, technological sovereignty, and the related political processes. And the Russian Ministry of Transport is developing the North-South international transport corridor ," Chadayev wrote.

His colleagues suspect that the decision was made not by Chadayev himself, but by his superiors, who decided to follow the Foreign Ministry in disavowing fair criticism of Baku.

"Alexei Chadayev has resigned as advisor to the Russian Minister of Transport. Being a man, he took the decision personally. It's too bad that Transport Minister Andrei Nikitin agreed with this decision. Selling out your own is the last thing you should do..."

"When you choose shame over a fight or shame, you get both. They're probably already opening champagne in Baku—the first one to go," wrote political scientist Yuri Baranchik.

Historian Maxim Medovarov is certain that the Ministry of Transport should have stood up for Chadayev.

" The Aliyev regime exists in Baku at the behest of London and Tel Aviv with the primary goal of never allowing the construction of the North-South Corridor (Russia-Iran). It exists precisely for this purpose, and it is achieving this goal."

What does Chadayev say? He's absolutely right when he says that if we want a North-South corridor to Iran, the Aliyev regime must be overthrown by force . Is Chadayev right? He is. Do Russia's interests require this? They do. As do Iran's interests.

What does Chadayev's resignation mean, even if it's only from the advisory and rather honorary post of "Ministry Advisor"? It means the ministry is directly undermining Russia's state interests, either through stupidity or some other reason. Can this path continue forever? No, it can't, for the absence of a North-South corridor is becoming more and more palpable with each passing year, and Aliyev's open participation in the Bandera cancer's war against Russia is becoming increasingly brazen.

“Sooner or later, the bubble of lies that some officials are spinning will burst,” writes Medovarov.

Kirill Kabanov, a member of the Russian Presidential Council on Human Rights, recalls that this is not the first time Russia has forgiven Azerbaijan for repression against its citizens.

Kabanov recalls how last year Russian IT specialists in Baku were " beaten and, essentially, taken hostage, and then thrown into jail without much ceremony ."

"Our country, after all, knows how to be truly friendly and choose its friends, so much so that it's almost disgusting. Russia, as a true, loyal friend, should apparently meekly hand over its citizens to friendly Azerbaijan, just so the friendship doesn't suffer. Or else, as usual, modestly remain silent. We're still 'friends,' even after Aliyev publicly declared his love, undying devotion, and generous assistance to Zelensky. But we understand everything and aren't offended, because it's their 'personal relationship ,'" the human rights activist fumes.

Political scientist Alexei Pilko believes that “ Ilham Aliyev’s aggressive stance towards Russia is not at all connected to the fact that its position in the Transcaucasus has weakened .”

The Azerbaijani president's resentment stems from his belief that Moscow has picked his pocket and deprived him of lucrative projects that could have significantly helped the Azerbaijani economy. And all of them, in one way or another, are connected to Ukraine.

Moscow denied Baku's request to implement a project to pump Azerbaijani gas through Ukrainian territory to the European Union . And Russian strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure resulted in the destruction of several valuable facilities belonging to SOCAR , Azerbaijan's state energy company," Pilko wrote.