BAKU, September 8
By Azerbaijan.US Editorial Board
Sergey Mardan’s latest rant was not just ugly – it was a warning. When a Kremlin-approved mouthpiece openly says an Azerbaijani-born Russian citizen should be removed from an election list solely because of his ethnicity, we are no longer talking about politics. We are talking about racism as state doctrine.
Let’s not pretend this is harmless rhetoric. This is how it began in Nazi Germany. First came speeches questioning loyalty. Then came laws excluding “undesirable” candidates. Soon after came the badges, the stars, the camps. The script is tragically familiar.
Azerbaijanis in Russia today are cast as “outsiders” despite decades of contribution – from building businesses to serving in the army. Tomorrow they may be forced to declare their origin publicly, perhaps even wear “nationality tags,” as Jews once wore yellow stars on their coats.
And make no mistake: Mardan’s words were not offhand. They are part of a growing Kremlin narrative that equates Russianness with bloodline, not citizenship. The message is clear – your passport is worthless if your surname isn’t Slavic.
For minorities across Russia, this is the road to erasure. What Mardan demands today in Ivanovo could be demanded nationwide tomorrow. And once you accept that one candidate can be struck off for his roots, it becomes easy to strike off thousands, even millions.
The Kremlin may not yet hand out armbands, but the logic is already there: divide, stigmatize, purge. That is how fascism breathes itself back to life.
The question is not whether Azerbaijanis can trust Moscow. The question is whether Russia itself is sliding into a new 1930s – where hate is law, and human beings are reduced to their ancestry.
This editorial reflects the position of the Azerbaijan.US Editorial Board, which calls for fairness, dignity, and accountability in social practices across Azerbaijan.
