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Azerbaijan and Russia exchanged formal protest notes Tuesday, marking a significant escalation in diplomatic tensions following the deaths of two Azerbaijani citizens in Russian police custody and subsequent arrests of Russian journalists in Baku.
The Russian Foreign Ministry summoned Azerbaijan's ambassador to Moscow, Rahman Mustafayev, lodging a "strong" protest over recent "unfriendly" actions by Baku and "deliberate steps taken by the Azerbaijani side aimed at dismantling bilateral relations."
Russia presented Mustafayev with a note verbale demanding the immediate release of two Russian journalists from the Sputnik Azerbaijan news agency who were detained Monday during a police operation in Baku.
The detained journalists, Igor Kartavykh, head of Sputnik Azerbaijan, and Yevgeny Belousov, editor-in-chief, were later ordered held for four months on charges, including organized fraud, illegal entrepreneurship, and money laundering.
Local media reports suggested both men were also alleged members of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB).
In separate operations, Azerbaijani Interior Ministry teams dismantled two organized crime groups consisting of Russian citizens.
The groups were targeted for alleged involvement in transit trafficking of Iran-sourced drugs through Baku, online distribution, and cybercrime activities. Multiple suspects were detained in the operations, all identified as Russian citizens.
Social media footage showed suspects with reverse handcuffs being loaded into police vehicles.
During the same diplomatic meeting, Ambassador Mustafayev delivered Azerbaijan's own protest note to Russian officials.
"In the note verbale, a firm protest was also expressed against the use of torture and degrading treatment by Russian law enforcement agencies during the interrogation of our compatriots," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Aykhan Hajizada.
The Azerbaijani note characterized the actions of Russian law enforcement agencies as violations of the country's legal norms and "internationally recognized fundamental human rights and freedoms."
Hajizada argued that the "ethnic intolerance" demonstrated during the raids and media coverage was of "serious concern."
The diplomatic confrontation stems from police raids conducted Friday in Yekaterinburg, Russia, where two Azerbaijani brothers died in custody.
Huseyn Safarov, 59, and Ziyaddin Safarov, 55, were among nine people detained during operations targeting ethnic Azerbaijanis suspected in decades-old criminal cases.
One of the injured men reportedly said masked officers began breaking down his front door at dawn, frightening his children. "They turned the house upside down and kept beating us for an hour without asking anything," Mohammed Safarov told the MediaAzNews website.
According to Azerbaijan's Prosecutor General's Office, forensic reports revealed both men died from "post-traumatic shock caused by multiple injuries." Huseyn Safarov suffered numerous rib fractures and other trauma, leading to traumatic and hemorrhagic shock, while Ziyaddin Safarov died from traumatic shock following multiple beatings.
Adalat Hasanov, head of forensic examination at Azerbaijan's health ministry, disputed Russian claims that Ziyaddin died of heart failure, calling it a "blatant falsehood."
"During the follow-up examination, we discovered multiple fractures on Ziyaddin's body resulting from beatings. All of his ribs were broken, and a hemorrhage was found on his head, also caused by blunt force trauma," he reported.
He said all of the deceased's internal organs had been removed during the previous autopsy in Russia, "which may indicate an attempt to conceal the true cause of death."
In response to the custody deaths, Azerbaijan's Culture Ministry canceled all Russian cultural events in the country. The government also suspended operations of the Russian Cultural Center, known as the "Russian House," in Baku.
The Sputnik Azerbaijan raid occurred after the outlet allegedly continued operating through "illegal financing" despite having its accreditation revoked in February. Azerbaijan had previously demanded reciprocity between Azerbaijani state media operations in Russia and Russian media presence in Azerbaijan.
Tensions between the two countries have steadily increased since December 2024, when an Azerbaijani passenger aircraft was damaged while in Russian airspace and subsequently crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan, killing 38 of 67 people aboard.
President Ilham Aliyev blamed Moscow for the incident and accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of attempting to "hush up" what happened. Despite Putin's apology for what he called a "tragic incident," he stopped short of acknowledging full responsibility.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently called Aliyev to express condolences for the deaths in Yekaterinburg, with both leaders reaffirming mutual support for territorial integrity and sovereignty.
The United Nations expressed hope that tensions between Azerbaijan and Russia would be resolved "within the framework of legal rules" while respecting journalists' rights to work.
"We are very aware of the tensions between Azerbaijan and the Russian Federation due to various incidents, especially the incident you mentioned," U.N. Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said, adding that the U.N. "sincerely hopes that all these issues will be resolved within the framework of legal rules and with respect for the right of journalists to work."
Azerbaijan's Prosecutor General's Office has launched a criminal investigation into the custody deaths, forming a special investigative team and preparing to send judicial assistance requests to relevant countries under international law.
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