Diana Braun and her "mission" in Baku The undercover curator

Before we dive into the essence of today's publication, let's take a look at the recent past, to the years of the "Cold War," when two superpowers — the USSR and the USA — were openly and, more often than not, secretly confronting each other across the world. It is no coincidence that we highlighted the secret nature of this confrontation, as it involved the two main intelligence agencies of the Soviets and the Americans — the KGB's First Chief Directorate and the CIA. During those years, Yasenevo and Langley were actively engaged in spy games. And what are spy games without diplomatic cover?

As is well known, an exposed illegal agent or operative without diplomatic cover had no chance of leniency. The situation was different for an operative with diplomatic cover: even if the counterintelligence of the host country had concrete evidence of the suspect's involvement in foreign intelligence activities, the worst-case scenario would be expulsion, possibly with a formal expression of discontent from the host country through diplomatic channels.

Although the days of the "Cold War" are behind us (or perhaps not entirely, given the current global events), the espionage games of the leading powers continue to this day. One of the most recent and high-profile cases involves Azerbaijan. A notable example is the arrest on December 4, 2023, of French citizen Martin Ryan, who was suspected of espionage. Azerbaijani authorities established that he had connections to officers of the French foreign intelligence service, DGSE, who were operating at the French Embassy in Baku.

On December 26, France's Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Anne Bouillon, was summoned to the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where she was informed that two "staff members of the French diplomatic mission" had been declared persona non grata by the Azerbaijani government. These individuals were ordered to leave Azerbaijan within 48 hours, and the French Ambassador was handed a formal note from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

However, the United States remains active as well. Its espionage toolkit has remained largely unchanged over the decades, involving the support of radical opposition, "humanitarian issues and aid," "training and mobilizing youth in the regions," "feminist movements," and so on. Nevertheless, Azerbaijan has always been proactive, countering external threats and neutralizing them at the earliest stages. This, however, does not mean that attempts to destabilize Azerbaijan, so to speak, from the inside have ceased. On the contrary, they continue. The US Embassy in Azerbaijan is also deeply involved in these efforts.

Now, let's get to the crux of the matter. According to reliable information obtained by the editorial team of Caliber.Az from informed sources, we have learned who in the US Embassy is overseeing the activities of the Azerbaijani opposition and media. This is not being managed by a distinguished man in an expensive suit and dark glasses. The person responsible for the Azerbaijani opposition is embassy staff member Diana Braun, who is in charge of the political affairs department at the embassy.

From open sources, we know the following about her: from 2013 to 2015, she worked in the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs; from 2016 to 2018, she was at the US Embassy in Warsaw, Poland; from 2018 to 2019, she worked at the US Embassy in Afghanistan; from 2019 to 2020, she served as an economic officer at the Office of Multilateral Trade Affairs in Washington; from 2022 to 2023, she worked at Google; and from 2023 to 2024, she was in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs. In 2024, she became a political advisor at the US Embassy in Baku.

In addition to English, Braun is fluent in Farsi, Azerbaijani, Polish, Russian, and Ukrainian. Her areas of interest include countries and regions such as Russia, Ukraine, Eastern and Southern Europe, and the Middle East.

However, we are not prosecutors and are not rushing to accuse her of working for American intelligence services or label her as a "spy" — there are reasonable grounds to believe that, in this area, she is more of an enthusiast who has read too many spy novels. At the very least, this is suggested by the level of her work. Although, who knows, perhaps in the past she worked for the CIA or the FBI.

Nevertheless, the "political advisor to the US Embassy" (according to the official narrative) in Baku is actively involved in financing opposition Azerbaijani media outlets and members of civil society. Among those she has worked with is the activist Rufat Safarov, who was recently arrested (notably, for a domestic issue unrelated to his public activities). Safarov’s case sparked an immediate and coordinated response from several Western embassies and international organizations. By the way, it was Braun who initiated the selection of Safarov for a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, after which the activist was positioned as the new "opposition leader."

However, due to an extremely unfortunate turn of events for Safarov and a fortunate one for Blinken, the activist just barely missed his trip across the ocean and ended up caught in a simple "domestic matter." To recap, a preventive measure of four months' detention was recently applied to Rufat Safarov. The former investigator is facing charges under Articles 178.3.2 (fraud causing significant damage), 127.2.3 (intentional infliction of minor bodily harm), and 221.1 (hooliganism) of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan.

According to reports, a conflict arose between Safarov and another individual over the sale of a plot of land. Without his family’s knowledge, the human rights activist sold the property and received full payment. However, after the deal, he had a serious dispute with his father, Eldar Sabiroglu, who demanded his share of the proceeds. The conflict escalated beyond the family and involved the buyer. Sabiroglu, finding himself in a deadlock, began to prevent the new owner from using the plot or continuing construction. The buyer repeatedly asked Safarov to resolve the issue or return the money, but was met with refusal. The last meeting between Safarov and the buyer ended in a serious altercation, after which the human rights activist was detained by the police.

A true masterclass in "human rights activism," wouldn't you agree? This, in turn, raises a question about Ms. Braun's professional instincts — could she not have found a more "clean-cut" candidate for a meeting with Secretary of State Blinken?

At the same time, as our sources inform us, with the help of activists and trusted individuals among Azerbaijan’s citizens, Braun was collecting negative information about various Azerbaijani officials. We suspect that the aim of this activity was either straightforward blackmail to influence these individuals into making decisions favourable to Washington or the transmission of this information to media outlets controlled by the embassy to generate public resonance and stir up opposition sentiments within the country.

So, what can be said in conclusion? Or rather, what should be wished for Ambassador Mark Libby, who announced his departure from diplomatic service on December 3 due to health reasons? We sincerely wish Mr. Libby a swift recovery and many more years of life. However, we would like to offer him a piece of advice — since you are leaving our country, please take your staff member, Diana Braun, with you to your homeland (whether she is a professional diplomat or a CIA officer under diplomatic cover). After all, if the information we have, and we believe we are not alone in possessing it, catches the attention of the Azerbaijani state, it will raise the legitimate question of whether Ms. Braun’s actions align with the provisions of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

It’s always better to leave voluntarily (as Mr. Libby is doing, knowing that under Trump, he would have inevitably been recalled, and deciding to prioritize his health), than to be declared persona non grata. If Ms. Braun decides to remain in Azerbaijan and continues her current activities, her time in the country may very well end with her expulsion. Of course, we cannot make such claims — that’s not within our jurisdiction — but as journalists analyzing the situation, we can predict possible scenarios if the current trends continue. Our advice comes simply from concerned citizens who wish Mr. Libby good health, and not a headache in his final days in our beautiful country.