According to the evidence prepared for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Aliyev’s arms deal with Ukraine has been exposed.
On July 9, during the weekly press briefing, the official spokesperson of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova, responded to reports about arms supplies from Azerbaijan, stating: “Any information regarding the supply of weapons to Ukraine is being thoroughly verified.”
It should be noted that earlier, some information had appeared in Russian Telegram channels regarding a Ukrainian court decision concerning contracts signed between Ukrspecexport and Azerbaijan.
It became known that the contracts were signed after the start of Russia’s “Special Military Operation.”
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Based on these reports, a journalist raised a question to Zakharova.
Zakharova responded:
“I cannot base anything on some Telegram channels describing things in Ukraine. I will speak in general terms without naming any country. Regardless of whether we are talking about state-level actors, state bodies, or private businesses — the terrorist regime in Kyiv is fully aware of our stance on this issue.
Any such information, including these reports, is being thoroughly verified.”
She added that if the matter concerns unfriendly regimes, the situation is straightforward.
But if it involves countries with which Russia maintains trusted dialogue and allied relations, then:
“Naturally, Moscow raises and discusses the issue with them.
We inform them, receive explanations or denials, or work in a direction that minimizes the damage — (which is harm not only to us but also to regional and international peace and stability).”
Zakharova also stated that supplying weapons to the Kyiv regime is akin to “feeding terrorists with a spoon.”
Meanwhile, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary David Shahnazaryan, who served as on special envoy of the President of Armenia (1992–1995) and as the Head of the National Security Service (1994–1995), recently gave an interview to ‘Noyan Tapan’, in which he addressed the topic of Azerbaijan’s weapons supply to Ukraine, and specifically the question raised to Zakharova and her response.
David Shahnazaryan stated:
“With full responsibility, I declare that if the Russian MFA lacks evidence, I am ready to provide them with documentary proof of these deliveries, if they request it.
What makes this particular deal notable is its timing.
On February 22, 2022, Moscow and Baku signed the ‘Declaration on Allied Interaction’.
Just two days later, on February 24, Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine — the so-called ‘Special Military Operation’.
And already by April 2022, deliveries from Azerbaijan to Ukraine had begun.”
The Armenian news outlet Aravot.am contacted Mr. Shahnazaryan, asking him to provide the documentary evidence of Azerbaijan’s arms deliveries to Ukraine — which he did.The evidence refers to a Ukrainian court decision, which is publicly accessible online to anyone interested.
Legal Background of the Multi-Million Dollar Contract
On December 4, 2023, the Kyiv Economic Court partially upheld a lawsuit filed by Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense against the state-owned company Ukrspecexport in a case concerning delays in the delivery of military-grade products.
The contract between the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense and the supplier amounted to $6.4 million USD. The supply was made on behalf of the Azerbaijani company “Jihaz.” Notably, in spring 2011, a ceremony was held in Baku to inaugurate the newly reconstructed factory of the “Jihaz” Production Union under the Ministry of Defense Industry of Azerbaijan. This information is available on the Wikipedia page of Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Defense Industry.
In other words, the Azerbaijani executive body — the Ministry of Defense Industry, which is responsible for the country’s military production, distribution, and maintenance — also carried out production and modernization of military equipment through this company.
According to the Ukrainian court’s decision, the contract stipulated a 0.1% penalty per day of delay, calculated from the value of the undelivered product. If the delay exceeded 30 days, an additional 7% fine was to be imposed.
The court determined that the delay lasted nearly four months and partially granted the Ministry of Defense’s claims, ordering the following:
Penalty: UAH 9,525,248.35 (approx. $261,000 USD)
Fine: UAH 5,424,024.46 (approx. $148,500 USD)
Court fees: UAH 415,257.58 (approx. $11,400 USD)
The total amount awarded was over UAH 15.3 million, or about $420,000 USD.
The court considered the defendant’s justifications and reduced the total penalties by 46%, citing the existence of “exceptional circumstances.”
Crucially, at the time the court decision was issued, Ukraine had already received 4,990 units of military-purpose products under the same contract. This reflects not merely an intent to deliver but a factual and verified delivery, which is recorded in the court’s documents.
So, what does this mean?
In April 2022 — just one and a half months after the signing of the Russia–Azerbaijan Declaration on Allied Interaction — arms deliveries from Azerbaijan to Ukraine began, as documented in the Ukrainian court ruling.
In other words, Aliyev’s signature on the Moscow-Baku declaration had barely dried, when Baku began actions that directly contradicted the spirit, letter, and intent of that declaration.
Does the Kremlin Know and Stay Silent…? Because “Mysterious” Silence Is a Deliberate Political Decision
This legal case concerns a single contract worth $6.4 million. Azerbaijan has officially denied supplying weapons to Ukraine. Russia, for its part, has taken no public steps to respond to these arms deliveries.
Could it be that Russian intelligence services were unaware of the situation?
Most certainly they were aware, yet Moscow chose not to react, not to condemn Baku’s actions.
Thus, we are left with one conclusion: Moscow’s silence is a conscious political decision.
The Kremlin’s policy is one of double standards and indifference. Why?
Because Russia likely fears losing Azerbaijan completely, especially after partially losing its influence over Armenia.
And what would it mean if Moscow publicly acknowledged that after signing the Declaration on Allied Interaction with Aliyev, it discovered that Azerbaijan was arming Ukraine?
It would mean one thing: a public admission of the total failure of the Kremlin’s diplomacy and foreign policy.
This leads to yet another conclusion:
The Kremlin prefers to “save” its alliance with Azerbaijan, even if that ally is supplying weapons to Russia’s “enemy.”
And perhaps — this isn’t the only deal?
So, what do we have in the end?
Russia claims to be waging a “sacred struggle” against the West, yet it turns out that even its regional allies are supplying weapons to Ukraine — under Moscow’s stubborn silence.
Incidentally, just recently, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, during the 3rd Global Media Forum held in Artsakh, responded to a question from Ukrainian journalist Dmitry Gordon, who asked: “As a representative of a victorious nation, what advice would you give to Ukraine and Ukrainians?”
Aliyev replied: “Never accept the occupation.”
Emma GABRIELYAN
