Tensions between Azerbaijan and Russia intensified on Monday, June 30th, as Azerbaijani police raided the office of Russia’s state-run Sputnik news agency in the capital, detaining two journalists.
Russia’s foreign ministry summoned Azerbaijan’s ambassador in protest over what it called the “unlawful detention of Russian journalists.” The raid targeted Sputnik’s Baku office, which has continued to operate despite a formal ban issued in February.
According to Sputnik, bureau chief Igor Kartavykh and editor-in-chief Yevgeny Belousov were arrested and “absurdly accused of being FSB agents.” The agency also stated that Russian diplomats had not been granted access to the detainees.
The operation follows a recent controversy in Russia’s Yekaterinburg, where a police raid targeting members of the Azerbaijani community resulted in the deaths of two people and six arrests. Russian authorities said one person died of a heart attack during the raid, while the second death remains under investigation. Azerbaijan, however, claimed both individuals were killed by Russian police.
