After the collapse of the USSR in 1991, relations between the two countries started to get close due to Ayaz Mutallibov's foreign policy. However, after the Armenian occupation of Khojaly, Mutallibov was forced to resign which resulted in Abulfaz Elchibey coming to power. During the one-year rule of Elchibey, Azerbaijan–Russia relations were damaged. Elchibay's politics have been described as "Anti-Russian." When Heydar Aliyev came to power in 1993, he settled warmer relations with Russia. According to President Ilham Aliyev, Vladimir Putin gave Heydar Aliyev a lasting impression, particularly in their shared KGB background.