Azerbaijani law enforcement has reported the detention of seven individuals believed by investigators to be members of two Russian organized criminal groups (OCGs). Concurrently, it is alleged that members of an ethnic Azerbaijani criminal group who died during detentions in Yekaterinburg, Russia, perished as a result of torture and deliberate murder. The situation between the two countries continues to escalate.
Russia`s Foreign Ministry has characterized Baku`s recent statements, which accused Yekaterinburg law enforcement of exceeding their authority, as an attempt to interfere in Russia`s internal affairs. The ministry also conveyed a demand to the Azerbaijani ambassador, Rahman Mustafayev, for the immediate release of Russian journalists detained in Baku.
The detained include Igor Kartavykh, head of the «Sputnik Azerbaijan» editorial office, chief editor Evgeny Belousov, and five other agency employees. According to a Foreign Ministry statement, «A protest was lodged with the ambassador regarding Baku`s recent unfriendly actions and the Azerbaijani side`s deliberate steps aimed at dismantling bilateral relations.»
Nevertheless, a court in Baku has ordered the arrest of both Igor Kartavykh and Evgeny Belousov for four months, as reported by APA news agency.
Earlier, Azerbaijan reported further detentions of Russian citizens. According to local law enforcement, the activities of two Russian OCGs operating within the republic have been suppressed. Baku also published videos of the detentions, showing at least 10 individuals with visible blood and signs of beatings on their faces. The Russian side has not yet commented on this video.
Previously, the Prosecutor General`s Office of Azerbaijan initiated a criminal case under seven articles concerning the «torture and deliberate murder with particular cruelty of citizens of Azerbaijan and individuals of Azerbaijani origin in Russia.»
The republic`s Ministry of Health had earlier reported discovering multiple injuries on the bodies of brothers Huseyn and Ziyaddin Safarov. The findings indicated the injuries were inflicted by a blunt object, including fractures, chest deformations, bruises, and other damage.
The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation stated that one of the individuals involved in the case died of heart failure, while the cause of death for the second is being determined. The Safarov brothers have already been buried in Azerbaijan.
The republic`s Ministry of Internal Affairs announced today that seven people were detained as a result of yesterday`s operation at the «Sputnik Azerbaijan» office in Baku. According to earlier reports from the ministry, Sputnik`s management is accused of illegal financing of the editorial office after its media accreditation was suspended.
The situation is commented on by Azerbaijani political scientist Ilgar Velizade:
«Statements are made that this is an organized criminal group (in Yekaterinburg), and its members have been carrying out illegal activities on Russian territory for a long time. It should be noted that Azerbaijan and Russia once had quite good experience in eliminating organized criminal groups; there are readmission and extradition agreements. Today, we see that these provisions are effectively not being used, the legal framework is not utilized to the full extent. What is happening today, this picture resembles not a dialogue between partners, friends, neighbors, but a confrontation between opposing forces. In these circumstances, it seems to me, it is necessary to return to the source, that is, to resolve the issues related to these challenges currently occurring in our relations, to understand the cause-and-effect links, and eliminate the epicenters of the crisis, which, unfortunately, are constantly increasing. Unresolved issues related to the crash of the Azerbaijani passenger plane lead to new problems that are also not resolved and remain open. Why did Azerbaijan initiate criminal cases? Little is said about this, but citizens, including those of Azerbaijan, many of whom have both Russian and Azerbaijani citizenship, and individuals detained in Yekaterinburg, some of whom only have Azerbaijani citizenship – Azerbaijan has the right to open its judicial investigation here. In this case, I would like this to happen in close cooperation with Russian law enforcement agencies; we have the relevant legal framework that allows this, but today we observe a somewhat different picture.»
Yesterday`s searches at the «Sputnik Azerbaijan» office in Baku occurred amidst raids by Russian law enforcement against representatives of the Azerbaijani diaspora in Yekaterinburg. In total, about 50 Azerbaijani and Russian citizens were detained. Today, a court ordered the arrest of another suspect, Bakir Safarov, until July 19th. On June 29th, Ayaz, Akif, and Mazahir Safarov were taken into custody.
The Investigative Committee previously reported that an ethnic group suspected of involvement in several murders in 2001, 2010, and 2011 was apprehended in Yekaterinburg.
Both Russian and Azerbaijani law enforcement agencies are currently demonstrating distinct rigidity, notes Mikhail Vinogradov, President of the «Petersburg Politics» Foundation:
«The escalation itself seems unexpected and largely accidental, because a situation where law enforcement demonstrates emphasized violence against detainees, especially representatives of post-Soviet countries, is already quite commonplace; similar incidents have occurred with citizens of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, causing diplomatic conflicts and clashes. Now the situation is paradoxical. In society, in the media, on Telegram, there is a large anti-Azerbaijani wave, which is based on a certain taboo surrounding the topic of ethnic crime against the background of irritation with its presence. Plus, Azerbaijan`s unacceptable tone towards Moscow in the Russian context is highlighted. In turn, Baku is rather trolling, copying Russia`s official aesthetic and style with propaganda, hostage-taking, and a certain emphasized rigidity, because formally, yes, Moscow will say it cannot be pressured, but effectively it is clear that international relations are more multifaceted, and situations where Russia has been yielding in relations with Azerbaijan have occurred before. A peculiarity of the situation is that there is no official position from Moscow today; there is internal pressure on the official Russian authorities to declare a holy war on Azerbaijan. At the official level, this is not happening, and there is an understanding that, given Russia is not ready to abandon another main enemy, serious pressure on Baku will likely be difficult.
Regarding the news that the Prosecutor General`s Office of Azerbaijan initiated a criminal case over the `deliberate murder` of two Azerbaijani citizens, Baku, on the one hand, shows its own public opinion and expatriates, including those in Russia, that it will protect them. On the other hand, it is in some ways cosplaying the style of the Russian Prosecutor`s Office and Investigative Committee, which periodically investigate criminal cases related to events occurring outside Russia`s territory.»
On whether the conflict can be resolved without direct talks between the leaders, Vinogradov adds: «For now, the leaders are pretending they have nothing to do with it; we don`t really see any statements from the top officials. There is an attempt to elevate this conflict to the level of the leaders, but generally, leaders always have the opportunity to say that others are trying to cause a quarrel and they won`t allow it, or they have a reason to somehow indicate that not everything is as smooth as commonly believed between Moscow and Baku.»
The Russian Foreign Ministry summoned the Azerbaijani ambassador. The Union of Journalists of Russia expressed its protest and urged international organizations to pay attention to the detention of their colleagues in Baku. Azerbaijani publications are labeling the detained Sputnik employees, Igor Kartavykh and Evgeny Belousov, as «FSB agents.»
Sputnik`s management has called these allegations absurd, and the Director General of «Rossiya Segodnya» considers the events an «injustice.» Colleagues are also concerned about Igor Kartavykh`s health, as he requires insulin.
The Russia-Azerbaijan conflict is unlikely to be resolved solely through diplomatic missions, believes Konstantin Kalachev, head of the «Political Expert Group»:
«It seems to me that today Baku is simply showing, like any regional power, that offending its citizens is categorically unacceptable. Furthermore, you cannot offend citizens who have changed citizenship but have roots in this country. America, Israel, Turkey, Russia would behave exactly as Azerbaijan is currently behaving. I think a conversation between the two leaders could resolve all problems. We just need to understand that Azerbaijan has changed in recent years, that it has moved from the first league to the top league, and this must be accepted and reckoned with.
So, is the situation such that it is unlikely to be resolved at the diplomatic level? I`m afraid not, because Aliyev was waiting specifically for the right words from Putin, from Azerbaijan`s perspective, regarding the crash of the Azerbaijani plane. I think what happens next is very important, because it all hinges on personal chemistry, empathy, and mutual respect, demonstrated directly, not through second or third echelon people.
Can we expect another wave of escalation, or is it already at its peak? I think the escalation is already at its peak; it cannot go any further. We just need to demonstrate that our president respects their president, and their president will demonstrate that he respects our president. For example, by talking about our economic relations, the growth in trade turnover, how 300 Russian companies and 1400 companies with Russian capital are working there, about the fact that Azerbaijan has invested almost 2 billion dollars in Russia, Russia – 8 billion dollars in Azerbaijan, and so on.»
Certain forces are attempting to sow discord in Russia-Azerbaijan relations, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated. They added that Moscow is consistently conveying its principled positions to Baku to neutralize damage to relations.
Presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov called Baku`s reaction «extremely emotional»:
«We, of course, are paying very close attention to this information about the detention of our journalists, and of course, we hope that very soon through direct contacts with the Azerbaijani side we will be able to achieve their release. This is about journalists, and such measures against media representatives absolutely do not comply with generally accepted rules and norms, and certainly do not correspond to the spirit and nature of Russian-Azerbaijani relations. We believe that this extremely emotional reaction will nevertheless be replaced by direct communication, during which answers will be provided to all questions raised.»
The two deceased Safarov brothers owned a restaurant business, including the restaurant «Kaspiy.» Local media describe the establishment as «notoriously famous,» alleging that it was a place where «showdowns occurred and crime bosses were apprehended.»
Additionally, the Azerbaijani citizens detained in Yekaterinburg are suspected of involvement in the deaths of 44 people from alcohol poisoning in 2021 in the Orenburg region. At that time, a warehouse in Orsk was found containing a batch of counterfeit alcohol containing methanol. According to the investigation, the organizers of the supply included the detained diaspora members.
