Baku has reacted with outrage over the use of the name Stepanakert in a report by Russian state news agency TASS, which covered the dismantling of a statue of marine painter Ivan (Hovhannes) Aivazovsky in the city by Azerbaijani authorities.
According to RBC, Azerbaijan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on TASS to replace the place name Stepanakert with the Azerbaijani version “Khankendi” and to issue an official apology.
The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry further warned that if Russia continues to “distort Azerbaijani toponyms,” Baku may respond by using the historical names of Russian cities instead. These include renaming Kaliningrad to Königsberg, Orenburg to Orinbor, Volgograd to Sarisu, and Grozny to Solzha-gala, among others.
Russia’s Special Representative for International Cultural Cooperation, Mikhail Shvydkoy, referred to the destruction of the Aivazovsky statue in Stepanakert as a “deliberate unfriendly act towards Russia.”
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova reacted to the dismantling of the statue by Azerbaijani authorities by posting images of Aivazovsky’s paintings on her Telegram channel.
Deputy Chair of the Federation Council Committee on CIS Affairs, Konstantin Zatulin, called the act state-sponsored vandalism by Azerbaijani authorities in Stepanakert against the renowned marine painter’s memorial.
