Russia and Azerbaijan Feud Continues With Arrests, Murders, and Media Crackdown

A serious conflict is growing between Russia and Azerbaijan, with both countries accusing each other of violence, illegal arrests, and targeting journalists. In just a few days, the crisis has turned into one of the most dangerous clashes between the two former Soviet republics in recent years.

On July 1, Azerbaijan announced it had arrested two groups of Russian citizens in the capital city, Baku. Azerbaijani officials accused them of crimes such as drug trafficking from Iran, online drug sales, and cyber fraud. Azerbaijani media released photos and videos that show more than ten Russian citizens with visible injuries on their faces. In one video, the detainees are being pushed into buses, walking with their knees bent and hands behind their heads.

At the same time, Azerbaijani police arrested seven employees of Sputnik Azerbaijan, a Russian state-affiliated news agency. Two of them — Editor-in-Chief Igor Kartavykh and Head of the Editorial Office Yevgeny Belousov — were formally taken into custody and charged with fraud, illegal entrepreneurship, and money laundering. Azerbaijani authorities believe these journalists were working for Russia’s security agency, the FSB.

These arrests came only days after a violent incident in Russia triggered the current crisis.

The confrontation between Russia and Azerbaijan began on June 27 in Yekaterinburg, a city in central Russia. That morning, Russian law enforcement launched a major raid targeting Azerbaijanis suspected of being involved in crimes from the early 2000s. During the operation, two Azerbaijani brothers — Ziyaddin and Guseyn Safarov — died while in police custody.

Azerbaijani authorities claim that the brothers were brutally beaten by Russian police. A forensic examination in Azerbaijan said both men died from post-traumatic shock and severe physical injuries. One had fractured ribs and damaged lungs, while the other also showed signs of internal bleeding and trauma. Azerbaijani investigators say both were tortured — beaten with hard objects during arrest and transportation.

The Russian Investigative Committee gave a different explanation. It said one of the men died of heart failure and the cause of the second death was still being investigated. Kremlin officials dismissed Baku’s complaints as an overreaction and called for calm, but the issue has only grown more serious.

In response to the deaths, Azerbaijan’s General Prosecutor’s Office opened a criminal case against the Russian police, accusing them of premeditated murder with extreme cruelty and abuse of power. Baku also called home the bodies of the Safarov brothers, who were buried in their hometown on July 2.

Azerbaijani media widely covered the funeral and the forensic results, which directly blame Russian authorities for the deaths. The political temperature in Baku has continued to rise.

The Russian Foreign Ministry responded forcefully. It summoned Azerbaijan’s ambassador to Moscow and handed him a formal protest. The Ministry demanded the immediate release of the Sputnik Azerbaijan staff and rejected Baku’s claims about police brutality. Russian officials said Azerbaijan was interfering in Russia’s internal affairs and taking deliberate steps to damage bilateral relations.

Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin lodged a personal protest with the Azerbaijani ambassador, calling the arrests “unfriendly actions.” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said cultural and parliamentary cooperation between the two countries had now been affected. Russia criticized Azerbaijan for canceling Russian cultural events and a visit by an Azerbaijani delegation to Moscow.

The situation escalated further when, just hours after Russia submitted its protest, an Azerbaijani court ordered the Sputnik journalists to be held in pre-trial detention for four months.

Arrests have continued in both countries. Russian courts detained several Azerbaijani nationals believed to be connected to earlier murders. Among them were Ayaz, Akif, and Mazakhir Safarov — relatives of the brothers killed during the raid. Two other men — Bakir Safarov and Akhliman Ganjiev — were also jailed until at least July 19.

In Azerbaijan, authorities arrested even more Russian citizens, though they have not named the individuals. The media reported that many of them had visible injuries and were shown being forced into buses by police. Azerbaijani law enforcement also detained the head of the Azerbaijani diaspora in Russia, Shahin Shikhlinski. His car was stopped in the street in Yekaterinburg, and he was violently pulled out by officers who smashed his vehicle’s windows.

What started as a local police operation in Russia has now grown into a diplomatic and political confrontation between two countries with a long and complicated history. Both sides are accusing each other of wrongdoing, and both are using law enforcement and the justice system to target the other’s citizens.

Russia says its police followed legal procedures. Azerbaijan says its citizens were tortured and murdered. Azerbaijan says Russian media workers are spies. Russia says journalists are being wrongfully detained and wants them freed.

This breakdown in relations is also affecting cultural and political exchanges. Russian cultural events in Azerbaijan have been canceled. Planned visits by Azerbaijani officials to Moscow are on hold. Public anger in both countries is rising, and calls for accountability are growing louder.

The situation is moving quickly and remains unstable. If neither side takes steps to de-escalate, this feud could damage more than just diplomacy — it could harm the lives of everyday citizens caught in the middle. 

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