Russia played a major role in the returning of Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijan. The latter would not have been able to get Karabakh back without Russia's help. Azerbaijani historian and political scientist Arif Yunus, Head of the Department of Conflictology and Migration at the Azerbaijan Institute for Peace and Democracy, stated this during a roundtable discussion Wednesday on the South Caucasus as well as the trends and prospects in the context of the Ukrainian war. But Yunus did not present any evidence about it.

He stated that this Russian assistance applies to the war in 2020 and the military operations in 2023.

Yunus said it is noteworthy that the Russian peacekeepers have not left Karabakh.

What will happen to Azerbaijan if the government in Russia changes or Russia collapses? Azerbaijani liberals are confident in Ukraine's victory and believe that it will lead to a change of power in Azerbaijan as well. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s regime is closely linked with the Russian authorities, the Azerbaijani political scientist added.

To note, Arif Yunus and his wife, Leyla, were banished from Azerbaijan and moved to Europe several years ago.