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Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Azerbaijan arrested Sputnik Azerbaijan Director Igor Kartavykh and editor-in-chief Evgeny Belousov today.
2025-07-01
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Yahoo adds:
Azerbaijan has reported the detention of two officers from Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) who were working undercover at the pro-Russian news agency Sputnik Azerbaijan.

Source: Azerbaijani news agency APA, as reported by European Pravda

Details: On the morning of 30 June, police in Baku conducted an operation at the office of Sputnik Azerbaijan, the Baku branch of Russia’s state-owned media group Rossiya Segodnya (Russia Today).

During the operation, Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs detained two FSB officers who were working at Sputnik Azerbaijan.

Back in February, Azerbaijan decided to suspend the activities of Sputnik Azerbaijan.

The decision aimed to ensure parity between the operations of Azerbaijani state media abroad and foreign journalists working in Azerbaijan. The number of Sputnik Azerbaijan journalists working in Baku was to be matched to the number of Azerbaijan State News Agency (AZERTAC) journalists working in Russia.

However,
a person who gets all wrapped up in himself makes a mighty small package...
 the Sputnik Azerbaijan editorial team has ignored the decision and continued its operations.

Background:

  • Tensions recently escalated between Baku and Moscow after more than 50 Azerbaijani nationals were detained in Yekaterinburg in connection with an unresolved criminal case concerning the murder of Yunis Pashayev, which took place in 2001.

  • Azerbaijani authorities have publicly criticised Russia following the raid by Russian security forces in Yekaterinburg, during which several Azerbaijani nationals were killed and dozens detained.

  • On Sunday, it was reported that all cultural events organised by Russian state and private institutions in Azerbaijan had been cancelled.

  • Additionally, a planned visit of an Azerbaijani parliamentary delegation to Moscow was also called off.

  • Meanwhile, the Kremlin said that the actions of law enforcement agencies should not be a reason for diplomatic demarches.
Posted by:Fred

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