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.