Tensions between Russia and Azerbaijan continued to rise on Tuesday following another wave of arrests and retaliatory actions in both countries. Russian police conducted a series of raids targeting members of the Azerbaijani diaspora, while Azerbaijani authorities arrested additional Russian journalists, escalating an already volatile diplomatic rift.
In Russia, law enforcement agencies carried out what were described as criminal investigations against ethnic Azerbaijanis. One of those detained was Shahnin Shykhlinsky, the head of the "Azerbaijan-Urals" organization in Yekaterinburg and a prominent community leader. Simultaneous raids took place in Voronezh, where the local diaspora leader, Yusif Khalilov, was arrested on allegations of operating an illegal market.
These actions appeared to be in direct response to Azerbaijan’s arrest of seven Russian nationals on Monday. Videos released from Baku showed the detained individuals being escorted into court, with photographs revealing signs of physical injuries on some of the defendants.
The detainees include Yevgeny Belousov, editor-in-chief of Sputnik Azerbaijan, and Igor Kartavykh, director of the outlet’s editorial office. Also arrested was Aytekin Huseynova, a dual Russian-Azerbaijani citizen and editor with Ruptly, who was reportedly detained while covering the raids. Four other individuals affiliated with Sputnik Azerbaijan were also taken into custody.
The immediate cause of the latest diplomatic rupture can be traced to a Russian police operation on June 27 in Yekaterinburg, where two brothers, Ziyaddin and Huseyn Safarov, died during a raid targeting alleged criminal elements within the Azerbaijani diaspora. On Tuesday, Azerbaijani prosecutors announced the launch of a criminal investigation into the deaths, accusing Russian police of extrajudicial killings.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appeared to seize on the moment to widen the rift between Moscow and Baku, placing a call to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. Zelensky offered condolences over the deaths of Azerbaijani nationals and reaffirmed Kiev's support for Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and sovereignty—language that echoed Baku’s own stance on Ukraine’s territorial claims.
The deterioration in relations between Russia and Azerbaijan dates back to the December 25, 2024, crash of an Azerbaijani Airlines flight that killed 38 people. Baku has blamed the incident on Russian air defense systems allegedly targeting Ukrainian drones, a claim Moscow has not publicly confirmed.