BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) — Police in Azerbaijan’s capital of Baku searched the workplaces of Russia’s state-funded information outlet Sputnik on Monday, native media reported, as tensions rose between the 2 international locations after the deaths of two ethnic Azerbaijanis throughout a police raid final week within the Russian metropolis of Yekaterinburg.
Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Inside Affairs stated it was investigating claims that Sputnik Azerbaijan was persevering with its work regardless of having its license revoked in February 2025, media shops stated.
Russian diplomatic representatives in Baku went to the Sputnik workplaces to research, stated Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of broadcaster RT in addition to editor of the state-funded media group Rossiya Segodnya, which operates Sputnik.
“We’re unable to succeed in our Azerbaijan bureau workers by cellphone after native media introduced a ‘particular safety operation’ towards our workers, which incorporates Russian residents,” Simonyan posted on X. “Representatives from our embassy are trying to achieve entry.”
The search adopted official protests from Baku after Russian police raided the houses of ethnic Azerbaijanis within the Ural Mountains metropolis of Yekaterinburg on Friday.
Two brothers, Ziyaddin and Huseyn Safarov, have been killed, and several other others have been severely injured throughout the raids, officers stated, with 9 individuals detained.
Sayfaddin Huseynli, a brother of the 2 lifeless Azerbaijanis, instructed The Related Press the raids have been “an inhumane, merciless act by Russia towards migrants — an act of intimidation.”
One of many lifeless was a Russian citizen and the opposite held each Russian and Azerbaijani citizenship, Huseynli stated. Their our bodies have been being returned to Azerbaijan on Monday.
He earlier instructed Azerbaijani public broadcaster ITV that the lads have been overwhelmed and subjected to electrical shocks “with none trial or investigation.”
“The so-called Russian regulation enforcement businesses broke into homes in the course of the night time, beat and took individuals away like animals,” he instructed the broadcaster.
Azerbaijan’s Overseas Ministry stated it anticipated “that the matter will probably be investigated and all perpetrators of violence delivered to justice as quickly as doable.“
Russia’s Investigative Committee stated Monday that one of many deaths was from coronary heart failure. It didn’t present particulars on the second sufferer, however stated a medical examination can be performed to find out the precise reason for demise for each males.
It additionally stated the raids have been a part of an investigation into a number of murders spanning greater than twenty years.
Officers in Baku responded by canceling a scheduled journey to Moscow by Azerbaijani officers, citing the “focused extrajudicial killings and violence towards Azerbaijanis on the idea of their nationality” by Russian regulation enforcement. It additionally canceled a deliberate go to to Baku by a Russian deputy prime minister, and the Tradition Ministry known as off concert events, exhibitions, festivals and performances by Russian state and personal establishments.
Moscow has maintained a muted response to Azerbaijan’s actions. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated Monday he “sincerely regretted” Baku’s resolution to cancel the occasions.
He additionally stated Moscow would proceed to “clarify the rationale and nature” of the Yekaterinburg raids.
“Every part that happened is said to the work of regulation enforcement businesses, and that can’t and shouldn’t be a cause for such a response. We’re concerned with additional growing our good relations with Azerbaijan,” he stated.
Ties between Moscow and Baku have been strained for months. On Dec. 25, 2024, an Azerbaijani passenger jet was hit by fireplace from the bottom because it approached Grozny, the regional capital of the Russian republic of Chechnya, Azerbaijani officers stated. It diverted to close by Kazakhstan, the place it crashed whereas making an attempt to land, killing 38 of 67 individuals aboard.
Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev stated it was shot down over Russia, albeit unintentionally, and rendered uncontrollable by digital warfare measures amid allegations that Russian air protection techniques have been making an attempt to fend off a Ukrainian drone strike close to Grozny.
Aliyev accused Russia of making an attempt to “hush up” what occurred for a number of days. Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized to Aliyev for what he known as a “tragic incident” however stopped wanting acknowledging accountability.
In Could, Aliyev declined to attend Russia’s Victory Day parade in Moscow.
Later that month, Ukrainian Overseas Minister Andrii Sybiha visited Azerbaijan, signaling nearer ties between Baku and Kyiv.