Thread. Vafa Guluzade, a former national security adviser for Azerbaijan who worked with three of that country’s first presidents.
He was considered a tough and stubborn negotiator, and he held strong opinions on a number of issues, especially on the Kremlin. #Ukraine
Guluzade was widely respected for his principled positions and dignified demeanor.
In 2014, he gave an interview to Radio Liberty on Russia and Ukraine so I've decided to post some interesting bits from it since it touches a lot of stuff on Ukraine and Russia.
Vafa Guluzade:
"Azerbaijanis in general and, I am sure, the authorities also have sympathy for Ukraine and want it to be an independent state, not a vassal territory of Russia."
Russian forces appeared to be moving to cut Ukraine off from the sea via its key southern ports.
Kherson is under Russian control, the siege of Mariupol on its way, as a large amphibious taskforce threatened Odessa to the west.
Cutting Ukraine’s access to its coast would deal a significant blow to the country’s economy and allow Russian forces to build a land corridor stretching from its border, across Crimea, which has been under Russian control since 2014, and all the way west to Romania.
Another key target for Russian forces in the south east is the Zaporizhzhia and its nuclear power plant in south-eastern Ukraine, Europe’s biggest, where Russian units were trying to break through a barricade to the plant erected by local residents and territorial defence forces.
List of prominent Russian and Belarusian figures that spoke against the war in Ukraine. This is not a complete list but still interesting:
* 🇷🇺 Semyon Slepakov, actor
* 🇷🇺 Yury Dud, journalist and blogger
* 🇷🇺 Zemfira, rock singer
* 🇷🇺🇬🇧 Oxxxymiron, rapper
* 🇷🇺 Boris Akunin, writer
* 🇷🇺 Danila Poperechny, comedian
* 🇷🇺 Dmitry Muratov, journalist and editor
* 🇷🇺 Leonid Barats, actor
* 🇷🇺 Morgenshtern, rapper
* 🇷🇺 Sergey Lazarev, pop singer
* 🇷🇺 Valery Meladze, pop singer
* 🇷🇺🇮🇱 Ivan Urgant, TV presenter
* 🇷🇺🇨🇾 Maxim Galkin, comedian
* 🇷🇺 Aleksandr Gudkov, showman
* 🇷🇺 Aleksandr Molochnikov, actor
* 🇷🇺 Leonid Parfyonov, journalist
* 🇷🇺 Kantemir Balagov, film director
* 🇷🇺 Kseniya Rappoport, actress
* 🇷🇺 Manizha, pop singer
* 🇷🇺 Nastya Ivleeva, TV presenter and blogger
* 🇷🇺 Vera Polozkova, poet
Russian units captured the first regional capital and are advancing towards Slovyansk from the west.
Ukrainian forces recaptured a town near Kyiv but Donbas, and mainly Mariupol, is approaching a critical stage.
Southern front
In Kherson area, soon after the midnight (Kyiv time), Russian forces captured the Kherson city hall and announced the capture of the city. It's the first regional capital captured by the Russian side.
Russian troops landed near Mykolaiv, but were eliminated or captured by Ukrainian forces.
Apart from sporadic shelling, there was no attack on the city itself. The spearheading element still roams in the north of the city, the location is unknown at the moment.
The situation is becoming critical in Ukraine's south. Russian Forces entered Kherson and encircled Mariupol. The situation on the other fronts remains rather stable.
Southern front looks like this at the moment.
Russian forces entered Kherson and met only minor resistance. The city was guarded by local Territorial Defense Unit and Ukrainian Army most likely withdrew from the town in the morning.
Russian forces reached the train station inside the city and de-facto gained control of Kherson.
Still no updates from Ukrainian Armed Forces regarding this area.
If Kyiv falls, it is still not clear what Moscow would do with Ukraine.
Splitting up the country is most likely scenario but it comes with its own challenges.
Yes, Russian forces technically can implement a split, but do Russia has the capacity and wherewithal to enforce it beyond the short run, given Russian Armed Forces arrayed at this point?
The huge challenge for Russia is having in suppressing resistance in/around cities like Kharkiv.
A split – possibly along the Dniepr River – remains a possibility,