A former close ally of Russia is reportedly secretly selling fighter jets to Ukraine, as well as supplies of gas. Russia and Azerbaijan were for years allies, a bond sealed by a shared history and their joint membership of the Soviet Union.
In recent years, the countries have grown apart, with their capital, Baku, seeking to exert its control over the South Caucasus and diminish Russian power in the region. Azerbaijan has, in the process, forged strong ties with Turkey, a country with which it shares cultural and linguistic traits. Relations between Baku and Moscow deteriorated sharply this year, after Russian forces accidentally shot down an Azeri passenger plane while it was flying over Chechnya at Christmas.
The plane was froced to head to Kazhakstan where it crashed, killing 38 people on board.
Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev threatened to take Russia to “an international court” after Vladimir Putin attempted to deny responsibility for the tragic incident.
Although the two autocrats met in Tajikistan early in October to try and smooth over their problems, relations remain tense. Far from trying to mend his fences with Putin, it appears that Aliyev is doing everything he can to antagonise his Russian counterpart. Reports claimed that Baku is sending Su-22 fighter jets to Ukraine through a covert logistics chain running through Turkey, Sudan and Germany.
The aircraft are re-labelled as humanitarian aid and shipped via routes that once carried Russian-linked arms.
Azerbaijan is also supplying gas to Ukraine via the Trans-Balkan pipeline, a route Russia once dominated.
The volumes are small, but the deal marks Kyiv’s first alternative source since cutting all Russian imports.
Azerbaijan has large stocks of Soviet and Russian-made weapons, which it could sell to Ukraine.
The arsenal includes artillery systems, multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS), armoured vehicles and tanks.
Baku also maintains several Tochka-U short-range ballistic missile systems, now supplemented by more advanced Israeli platforms.
