The Russian-Azerbaijani Media War Continues

The Azerbaijani publication Minval Politika has begun using historical or alternative names for Russian cities, such as Königsberg instead of Kaliningrad, and Orenburg instead of Orinburg, following a scandal involving the TASS agency's publication. The reason was that Russian media had used the name ‘Stepanakert’ instead of Azerbaijan’s ‘Khankendi’ in their articles.

The Minval Politika Telegram channel published materials that deliberately used these alternative toponyms. Thus, the titles of publications dated August 1 included: “Russia has deployed S-400 and strike systems in Königsberg,” and “Bundeswehr General: NATO will destroy Königsberg.” In parentheses, editors noted that the official name is Kaliningrad.

Similarly, in one of the posts, Orenburg is referred to as Orinburg, while in another piece, the Volga is mentioned as Itil, the ancient Turkic name of the river. Earlier, the TASS agency changed the title of its article, replacing ‘Stepanakert’ with ‘Khankendi’ following the outrage of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry. Baku demanded an apology and explanation, threatening to limit the agency's activity in the country if this was not met.