Reminding all the suffering and the resistance of Ukraine, which has been under Russian attacks since February 24, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wished to return to normal in the new year. After thanking the Ukrainian army for bravely fighting and the USA and Europe for their support, Zelensky said: “Let this year be the year of return. The return of our people. Soldiers – to their families. Prisoners – to their homes. Immigrants – to their Ukraine. Return of our lands. And the temporarily occupied will become forever free. Return to normal life. To happy moments without curfew. To earthly joys without air alerts. The return of what has been stolen from us. The childhood of our children, the peaceful old age of our parents.”
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Download File: https://iha.news/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/iha-volodymyr-zelensky-let-this-year-be-the-year-of-return-2023-01-01_11-53-41_404649.mp4?_=1Amid rising tensions between Russia and Azerbaijan, Azerbaijani community leader in Yekaterinburg, Shahin Shikhlinski, and his son Mutvali were briefly detained by Russian police near Baku Plaza shopping mall on July 1. Footage of the harsh detention circulated widely on social media, sparking public outrage in Azerbaijan. Both were released later that evening after giving witness statements.
The detentions follow a deadly Russian security operation on June 27 targeting Azerbaijani nationals in Yekaterinburg. Two brothers, Ziyeddin and Huseyn Safarov, were killed, three others were seriously injured, and nine were detained. The Russian Interior Ministry said the raids were part of a criminal investigation and were supported by the National Guard’s SOBR unit, but did not address the reported casualties.
In response, Azerbaijan summoned Russia’s chargé d’affaires and demanded a full investigation. The Azerbaijani Ministry of Culture also canceled all Russian cultural events. Meanwhile, an investigation was launched into the Baku office of Sputnik-Azerbaijan over alleged illegal financing, leading to further detentions.