Azerbaijan expects Russia to assume responsibility for the tragic incident involving an Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) aircraft, said Hikmet Hajiyev, Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan and Head of the Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration, in an interview with Berliner Zeitung, Azernews reports.
Day: July 26, 2025
Categories
Moscow Calling – July 26
Medvedchuk: The West will not replace Zelenskyy, fearing exposure
Viktor Medvedchuk, leader of the Other Ukraine movement, said in an interview with TASS that the collective West could replace Volodymyr Zelenskyy with “even a parrot” if it were beneficial, but is not doing so for fear that Zelenskyy would “start snitching on everyone.” According to him, Zelenskyy positions himself as completely controllable and pliable, signing everything that the U.S. and the EU demand. Medvedchuk also claims that Zelenskyy is involved in large-scale corruption schemes and is holding on to power at any cost. He added that the Ukrainian president should have left in 2020, after the first corruption scandal, but continues to cling to power. “And today, this suits the players of the collective West,” he added.
Intended effect:
Medvedchuk’s statements aim to discredit Zelenskyy as a corrupt puppet leader and suggest that his support from the West is based on blackmail, not principles. This fuels the narrative of Ukraine’s complete dependence on external governance.
Peskov: Russia supports two-state solution to the Palestinian issue
Russia considers the implementation of UN Security Council resolutions providing for the creation of two states, Israel and Palestine, to be the only possible solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said, commenting on France’s plans to recognize Palestine’s independence as early as September. According to Peskov, Moscow has always supported a two-state model and adheres to the line set out in UN resolutions. The French initiative has been sharply criticized by Israel and the U.S. Palestine declared independence in 1988 and is recognized by most countries in the world, including Russia and China (Gazeta.ru).
Intended effect:
Russia seeks to present itself as a consistent supporter of international law and a mediator in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, positioning itself in opposition to the West and demonstrating an independent and “principled” stance on the Middle East.
Tsargrad: The U.S. is ousting Russia from the South Caucasus through its allies
Armenia and Azerbaijan have concluded an agreement with the U.S. on the Zangezur corridor, Tsargrad claims. According to a leak published by the outlet, the transport route called the “Trump Bridge” will be controlled by an American private military company and will generate income for the U.S. The media outlet claims that the deployment of American forces in Armenia is part of a plan to oust Russia from the region. It is emphasized that Moscow is allegedly losing influence in the South Caucasus, while Armenia and Azerbaijan, despite their long-standing dependence on Russia, have sided with the West. The article is accompanied by calls for economic measures against the Armenian and Azerbaijani diasporas (Tsargrad).
Intended effect:
The article aims to stir up anti-Caucasian sentiment in Russia, paint former allies as traitors and rally support for stricter domestic policies. At the same time, it reinforces the narrative that Russia is under siege on all sides.