The diplomatic crisis between Russia and Azerbaijan has expanded into cultural warfare, with Moscow dismissing a senior TASS executive for attending an Azerbaijani event whilst Baku removes Soviet-era monuments and threatens reciprocal toponymic changes in response to Russian provocations.

Russia fired Mikhail Gusman, first deputy CEO of state news agency TASS, on July 25 after he attended a media forum in Azerbaijan's Karabakh region where he praised Baku's balanced foreign policy, according to Reuters. The dismissal signals Moscow's increasing intolerance for any perceived sympathy toward Azerbaijan among its officials.

Gusman, who oversaw international relations at TASS for 30 years and interviewed world leaders on his television show, caused controversy among Russian war bloggers by attending the forum alongside Ukrainian journalists in Khankendi (formerly Stepanakert) of Karabakh, which Azerbaijan retook from Armenians in 2023.

At the event, Gusman praised Azerbaijan for "maintaining relations with a wide range of countries," whilst President Ilham Aliyev told Ukrainian journalists that "Ukrainians should never accept occupation" - remarks that infuriated Moscow's supporters.

Russian nationalist Telegram channel Mnogonational, with 400,000 subscribers, celebrated the dismissal: "That's it. Azeri spy Gusman has been fired from his position as the first deputy CEO of TASS." Some Russian media labelled Gusman, born in Azerbaijan to a Soviet navy doctor, an "Azeri spy."

Tensions escalated when Azerbaijan removed a bust of Armenian-origin painter Ivan Aivazovsky from Khankendi, prompting accusations of cultural vandalism from Moscow. Russian special representative Mikhail Shvydkoy condemned the removal as "an unpleasant and unfriendly step" and called on Azerbaijan to end its "war on monuments" and "cancellation" of Russian culture.

Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry rejected these allegations, stating the bust was "illegally installed on our territory by Russian peacekeepers without permission" and represented "a clear manifestation of disrespect by Russia towards the sovereignty of the Republic of Azerbaijan."

Spokesman Aykhan Hajizada noted the cultural disparity between the two countries: "While there are Russian-language theatres, schools, and publications in Azerbaijan, there are no Azerbaijani-language theatres, schools, newspapers, or magazines in Russia. Despite this disparity, we do not make allegations about the 'cancellation' of Azerbaijani culture in Russia," he said.

The crisis intensified when the Russian state agency TASS referred to Khankendi as "Stepanakert" - the former Soviet and Armenian separatist name - in an official article. Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry called this "an act of disrespect and insult to the territorial integrity of our country." Hajizada reminded Russia that "Stepanakert" was imposed in 1923 "in honour of Bolshevik Stepan Shahumyan, who, together with Dashnak Armenians, carried out massacres against the Azerbaijani people," hinting at the March Days of 1918, which Azerbaijan officially recognises as a genocide event.

Azerbaijan threatened reciprocal action: "If such actions continue, in accordance with the principle of reciprocity, Azerbaijan may refer to various toponyms in Russia by their historical names." The Foreign Ministry demanded an apology and correction from TASS, warning of "relevant measures regarding TASS's operations in Azerbaijan" if compliance fails, hinting at blocking the website in the country.

Azerbaijani MP Elchin Mirzabeyov delivered a scathing response to Russian deputy Konstantin Zatulin's accusations of vandalism, describing him as "a carrier of imperialist mentality" and "one of the ideologists of Moscow's 'soft occupation' policy." Mirzabeyov noted Zatulin's history of supporting separatism: "His shameless political activity has been accompanied by support for separatism in countries like Georgia, Ukraine, Moldova, calls against state sovereignty, and historical falsifications," he said. "Aivazovsky never lived in Karabakh and had no biographical or creative connection with Khankendi or the surrounding areas. The monument erected in his name in Khankendi was used by the separatist regime as a political symbol," he said.

The cultural dimension makes resolution more complex than purely diplomatic solutions, as both sides invoke historical grievances and competing narratives about regional identity. This suggests we're witnessing a fundamental breakdown in Russia's post-Soviet sphere of influence rather than a temporary diplomatic crisis.