Azerbaijani student Ali Mehdiyev had gone to Ukraine to study. A graduate of Baku School No. 220, Ali had chosen the “Navigation” specialty, made plans for the future, and was preparing for the profession to which he wanted to dedicate his life. However, a drone attack carried out by the Russian side cut his dreams short.
Sea-news.az reports that Ali sustained severe injuries during one of the attacks – approximately 70 percent of his body was affected by burns. Although doctors fought to save his life, it was not possible to save the young man.
What happened in Russia may once again be presented as an accident, a tragic coincidence, or another “mistake.” However, such tragedies no longer seem like exceptions. This is the direct result of a war accompanied by regular missile and drone strikes on Ukrainian cities and areas where ordinary people live, work, and study.
Ali Mehdiyev was not a serviceman. He did not participate in combat operations. He did not carry a weapon. He had gone to another country to study and build his future. But the war caught up with him too.
For years, Russian propaganda has talked about “high-precision strikes” and targeting only “military objectives.” The reality is different: destroyed residential buildings, dead civilians, shattered fates, and families who will never see their children again.
The death of the Azerbaijani student is a bitter reminder once again of the price of Russian attacks. As attack drones and missiles are repeatedly used in urban environments, statements presenting civilian deaths merely as “collateral damage” sound increasingly painful and cruel.
The large-scale war, which has been ongoing for nearly four years, has demonstrated one truth: behind the launch of every missile or drone lies a decision. And every such decision creates the risk of losing the lives of people who have nothing to do with the war. The Russian military leadership continues to accept this risk.
Ali Mehdiyev wanted to be a seaman. He went to Ukraine not to fight, but to study. Now his name has been added to the long list of civilians whose lives this war has ended.
No explanation of “precision,” “military necessity,” or “accident” can hide the basic truth anymore: as long as Russia continues to strike Ukrainian cities, non-participants of the war will continue to fall victim to these attacks.
