Escalating tensions observed in the relationship between Azerbaijan and Russia yet again

In a series of events that have escalated tensions between Russia and Azerbaijan, several significant developments have taken place.

Igor Kartavykh, the head of Sputnik Azerbaijan's editorial office, and Evgeny Belousov, the editor-in-chief, have been remanded to four months of pretrial detention on charges of fraud, illegal entrepreneurship, and legalisation of property obtained by criminal means.

Meanwhile, in a separate incident, Huseyn and Ziyaddin Safarov, two Azerbaijani brothers, were killed following raids in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg on June 27. The raids targeted ethnic Azerbaijanis suspected of complicity in unsolved crimes committed between 2001-2011. A forensic examination showed signs of severe beating, including multiple fractures, broken ribs, and signs of haemorrhage, on the bodies of the Safarov brothers after they were sent to Baku. The head of forensic examination at Azerbaijan's Ministry of Health accused the Russian authorities of lying about the cause of the Safarov brothers' deaths.

The Yekaterinburg raids resulted in the detention of at least 14 men, 12 of whom were citizens of Azerbaijan. Over a dozen Russian citizens were held on suspicions of drug trafficking and cybercrime. The office of Russian propaganda news outlet Sputnik was raided, resulting in the detention of seven journalists.

Tensions between the two countries have been further strained due to accusations of Russia's slow response in sharing the results of the AZAL plane crash investigation, which occurred six months prior to the current events. The Azerbaijani authorities have shut down Russia House, a local branch of the Russian state-funded cultural diplomacy agency Rossotrudnichestvo, and the Azerbaijani branch of Russia Today.

In a related development, Ahmed Hajiyev, head of the Lukoil Group of Companies, an oil and gas producer that operates in the Urals, was detained in Russia, along with Yusif Khalilov, who was later released. Vagif Suleymanov, another Azerbaijani living in Russia known as "thief-in-law," was detained to be deported to Azerbaijan in three months.

There have also been reports of several Russian media outlets publishing news about the son of Azerbaijan's president, Ilham Aliyev, owing about a million Russian rubles (USD 10 million) in tax debt, and the Federal Bailiff Service (FBS) of the Russian Federation initiating enforcement proceedings against Azerbaijani businessman Araz Agalarov.

In response to these events, Azerbaijan has cancelled all Russian cultural events and suspended high-level bilateral meetings, including the visit by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksei Overchuk. The Russian Consul General in Baku was able to meet with the detainees on July 3, but no details have been shared about the outcome of that meeting.

Amidst these tensions, French endurance cyclist Sofiane Sehili was arrested in Vladivostok, Russia, accused by authorities of illegal border crossing after attempting twice to enter Russian territory near the China-Russia border on July 2, 2025.

The situation remains volatile, with both countries facing accusations of human rights violations and economic misdeeds. The future of bilateral relations between Russia and Azerbaijan remains uncertain.

Escalating tensions observed in the relationship between Azerbaijan and Russia yet again