Newsletters
Azerbaijani police raided the office of Russia's state-run Sputnik news agency in Baku on Monday, with officials confirming several arrests during the operation.
"On June 30, investigative measures were conducted at the branch office, there are detainees," the Interior Ministry press service stated.
The ministry said it was investigating operational information about Sputnik Azerbaijan's activities based on alleged "illegal financing, despite the suspension of its accreditation in February 2025."
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova confirmed that diplomatic officials have been unable to reach Russian journalists for more than two hours following the raid.
"Consular department employees of the Russian embassy are not allowed access to Russian journalists. They do not provide information about the reasons for such actions," Zakharova stated.
APA news agency reported that those detained during the operation were Sputnik's Baku branch executive director Igor Kartavykh and chief editor Evgeny Belousov. Some reports alleged the detained staff members were also Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) agents.
Russia summoned Azerbaijan's ambassador to the Foreign Ministry in connection with what Moscow termed "unfriendly actions by Baku and illegal detention of Russian journalists."
RT editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan reported that agency staff, including Russian citizens, were not responding to contact attempts.
"According to my information, employees of our embassy in Baku have already gone to our Sputnik office, where a 'special operation' is now taking place. Employees are not making contact - obviously deprived of access to phones. Among them are Russian citizens," Simonyan wrote on her Telegram channel.
The raid occurred following escalating tensions between Baku and Moscow over several incidents. Azerbaijan previously expressed protest regarding the detention of Azerbaijani citizens in Yekaterinburg, where Russian security forces conducted operations on June 27.
During the Yekaterinburg operation, members of an ethnic criminal group suspected of murders and attempted murders committed in 2001, 2010, and 2011 were detained.
Russian Investigative Committee spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko reported that six Russian citizens were detained as suspects.
"According to preliminary data, one of the defendants died as a result of heart failure, the causes of death of the second person are currently being established. Based on the results of the forensic medical examination, final conclusions will be made about the causes of death of the defendants," Petrenko said.
1 min read
Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Azerbaijan’s ambassador in Moscow in response to what it described as "unfriendly actions" and "the unlawful detention of Russian journalists."
The incident follows a protest by Azerbaijan over a June 27 police operation in Yekaterinburg, Russia, in which two Azerbaijani nationals died. According to the Russian Investigative Committee, one died of heart failure and the cause of the second death is still being investigated.
The case has been transferred to the central office of the Russian Investigative Committee for a thorough review.
Azerbaijan had ordered the closure of Sputnik’s Baku office in February 2025, citing the principle of reciprocity in foreign media operations. Authorities stated that the number of Sputnik reporters in Baku should match the number of AZERTAC reporters operating in Russia. However, Sputnik’s Baku office continued its operations and did not cease activities or reduce staff, despite the official decision.
Relations between Baku and Moscow have deteriorated significantly since Azerbaijan accused Russia of downing a passenger plane with an anti-aircraft missile in December 2024, resulting in 38 deaths.
The Azerbaijani passenger plane was damaged by ground fire while in Russian airspace and crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan.
Azerbaijan demanded an apology and punishment of those responsible from Russia, but these demands were not met. Azerbaijan subsequently terminated the activities of the "Russian Cultural Center," known as the "Russian House," in Baku.
1 min read
