Azerbaijan’s raid on Sputnik journalists escalates tensions with Russia amid strained ties

On 30 June Azerbaijan’s authorities arrested two journalists from Sputnik Azerbaijan, a Russian state-run news outlet, in a raid that intensified long-standing tensions with Moscow, sparked by Russia’s arrests of ethnic Azerbaijanis in Yekaterinburg.

Azerbaijani police raided the Baku offices of Sputnik Azerbaijan, a branch of Russia’s state-run Rossiya Segodnya media agency, detaining two senior journalists – editorial head Igor Kartavykh and chief editor Yevgeny Belousov – on allegations of “illegal financing.”

The arrests, which also included a Ruptly editor attempting to film the operation, have escalated tensions with Moscow, already strained by Russia’s detention of ethnic Azerbaijanis in Yekaterinburg.

This incident underscores the fragile balance in the relations between the two autocracies, shaped by decades of pragmatic ties, geopolitical rivalries, and recent diplomatic flashpoints.

The raid and immediate fallout

Azerbaijan’s Interior Ministry launched the raid, citing Sputnik Azerbaijan’s continued operations despite its license revocation in February 2025, a decision tied to ensuring “parity” with Azerbaijani media abroad.

Video footage showed officers escorting the handcuffed journalists to police vans, prompting Russia’s Rossiya Segodnya director, Dmitry Kiselev, to condemn the arrests as treating journalists “like terrorists.” Kiselev, via Telegram, called the raid a “deliberate step” to worsen bilateral ties, noting failed negotiations for a temporary operating agreement.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry summoned Azerbaijan’s ambassador, Rakhman Mustafaev, denouncing the “unfriendly actions” and “illegal detention” of Russian citizens, while diplomats were denied access to the detainees. In retaliation, Azerbaijan’s parliament cancelled planned talks in Moscow, and the Culture Ministry scrapped Russian cultural events, citing “targeted and extrajudicial killings” by Russian forces. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov expressed regret, insisting the Yekaterinburg arrests were routine law enforcement actions, not grounds for such measures.

Trigger: Yekaterinburg arrests

The arrests in Russia’s Yekaterinburg on 27 June of approximately 50 ethnic Azerbaijanis, with six detained and two reported dead, ignited the dispute. Russian investigators linked the raids to unsolved crimes from 2001–2011, including serial killings, claiming one suspect died of heart failure and another’s cause of death was under review. Azerbaijan accused Russia of “extrajudicial killings on ethnic grounds,” a charge Moscow rejected. Baku demanded the bodies’ repatriation for examination, escalating diplomatic tensions. Posts on social media reflect Azerbaijan’s state media framing Russia as repressive, comparing President Vladimir Putin to Stalin.

Historical context of Azerbaijan-Russia relations

Azerbaijan-Russia relations, often described as “pragmatic” yet volatile, have oscillated between cooperation and friction since Azerbaijan’s independence in 1991. As a former Soviet republics, Azerbaijan has multiple ties with Moscow – Russia is a key market for Azerbaijani energy exports, and Azerbaijan hosts a significant Russian-speaking minority. However, tensions have grown over several issues.

Russia’s role as a mediator in the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict of Nagorno-Karabakh, particularly its 2020 ceasefire brokering, frustrated Baku, which viewed Moscow as favouring Armenia through the CSTO alliance. Azerbaijan’s 2023 recapture of Nagorno-Karabakh, without Russian intervention, emboldened Baku to assert greater autonomy.

Baku accused Russia of mistakenly shooting down an Azerbaijan Airlines flight in December 2024, killing 38, and covering it up, a claim Moscow denied. This incident, unresolved by June 2025, deepened distrust.

Under President Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijan has strengthened ties with Turkey and the EU, notably through a July 2024 EU energy deal and NATO engagements. Russia perceives this as a challenge to its South Caucasus influence, especially after Armenia’s CSTO exit.

The Yekaterinburg raids also echo historical grievances, with Azerbaijan’s diaspora facing scrutiny in Russia. Baku’s state media and officials, including AzTV, have labelled Russia’s actions as “imperialist,” reflecting nationalist sentiment.

The Sputnik raid aligns with Azerbaijan’s broader crackdown on perceived Russian influence, mirroring regional trends like Armenia’s arrests of pro-Russian figures. Aliyev’s government, facing domestic pressure over corruption and media suppression, may be leveraging anti-Russian sentiment to bolster nationalist credentials ahead of potential 2026 elections. However, the arrests risk economic repercussions, as Russia hosts a large Azerbaijani diaspora and significant trade ties.

With Reuters, edited by g.g.

Caption: Azerbaijan`s President Ilham Aliyev attends the 11th Summit of the Heads of State of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, 6 November 2024. EPA/IGOR KOVALENKO