Russian state-funded propaganda media outlet Sputnik has ceased its operations in Azerbaijan, according to Russia Today media group CEO Dmitry Kiselyov, signaling the end of a significant chapter in Russia’s media influence in the South Caucasus. The decision, announced on July 3, followed a rapid deterioration in Russian-Azerbaijani relations, exacerbated by a series of high-profile incidents that have strained diplomatic ties between the two former Soviet states. The closure of Sputnik’s bureau in Azerbaijan comes amid growing tensions that have been fueled by recent legal actions against Russian officials, including the detention of several Sputnik employees by Azerbaijani authorities.
Azerbaijani police detained six Sputnik Azerbaijan staff members on June 30, with the authorities accusing two detainees of being operatives of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB). Moscow has denounced the charges as politically motivated, calling them ‘far-fetched’ and asserting that the staff had worked to strengthen cooperation between Azerbaijan and Russia. The Russian government has vowed to take legal action to defend its citizens, though the detention of Sputnik employees has already marked a turning point in the bilateral relationship.
The crisis has been further heightened by a deadly raid in Russia’s Yekaterinburg on June 27, where Russian security forces killed two Azerbaijani nationals and injured several others in a raid linked to a 2001 murder case. Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry immediately condemned the operation as ‘ethnically motivated’ and part of a ‘systematic pattern’ of unlawful treatment of Azerbaijani nationals in Russia. The response was swift, with Azerbaijani authorities arresting eight Russian citizens the following day, presenting them in court handcuffed and visibly injured. The accused were charged with participating in organized crime, cyberattacks, and drug smuggling from Iran, deepening the diplomatic rift between the two nations.
The closure of Sputnik’s bureau marks a new low in relations between the two former Soviet states, which have experienced a sharp decline in diplomatic engagement despite historically close ties. The decision by Russia Today CEO Dmitry Kiselyov to halt Sputnik’s operations in Azerbaijan is seen as a symbolic move, reflecting the broader deterioration of trust between the two countries. As tensions continue to rise, the situation could have far-reaching implications for regional stability and international relations in the South Caucasus.