Azerbaijani authorities conducted a high-profile raid on the Baku office of Sputnik Azerbaijan, a branch of the Russian state-run media outlet Rossiya Segodnya, escalating diplomatic tensions between Baku and Moscow. The operation, carried out by the Azerbaijani Ministry of Internal Affairs, resulted in the detention of two individuals allegedly linked to Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), who were reportedly working undercover as journalists at the agency.
The raid follows a series of events that have strained relations between the two nations, including the deaths of two ethnic Azerbaijanis, brothers Ziyaddin and Huseyn Safarov, during Russian law enforcement raids in Yekaterinburg on June 27. Russian authorities described the raids as part of an investigation into an ethnic crime group linked to murders and attempted murders from 2001 to 2011. However, Baku has condemned the operation as “unacceptable violence” targeting Azerbaijanis based on their ethnicity, prompting a strong diplomatic response, including the summoning of Russia’s Chargé d’Affaires in Azerbaijan, Pyotr Volokov.
Azerbaijani security forces cordoned off the Sputnik Azerbaijan office, with local media reporting a heavy police presence. The operation targeted the outlet, which had been officially suspended in February 2025 to ensure parity between Azerbaijani and Russian state media representation. Despite the suspension, Sputnik Azerbaijan reportedly continued operations, prompting the latest crackdown. The Azerbaijani Ministry of Internal Affairs stated that further details would be released later.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry expressed deep concern, with spokesperson Maria Zakharova noting that Moscow could not reach the detained journalists and received no response from Azerbaijani authorities. Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of Rossiya Segodnya, claimed the detained staff included Russian citizens, raising fears of further diplomatic fallout. In response, Russia summoned Azerbaijan’s ambassador to Moscow, Rahman Mustafayev, citing “unfriendly actions” by Baku.
The raid comes amid broader retaliatory measures by Azerbaijan, including the cancellation of all Russian cultural events in the country and a planned parliamentary visit to Moscow. The moves follow heightened friction after the December 2024 crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane, which Baku attributes to Russian air defenses, a claim Moscow has not officially acknowledged.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov called Azerbaijan’s actions an “exaggerated reaction,” arguing that law enforcement operations should not trigger such measures. However, Azerbaijan’s government and media have accused Russia of systemic ethnic targeting, further fueling the diplomatic row.
The detentions and raid have sparked varied reactions. Some Azerbaijani outlets, like Qafqazinfo, framed the operation as a “special operation” to address Sputnik’s non-compliance with the suspension order, while Russian media decried it as an attack on press freedom.
As the situation unfolds, analysts suggest Baku’s actions may reflect a broader shift in its foreign policy, possibly influenced by regional allies like Turkey. The ongoing dispute risks further deteriorating ties between Azerbaijan and Russia, with potential implications for regional stability in the South Caucasus.