• Azerbaijan's police raided the offices of Sputnik, detaining key staff.
• The raid follows the controversial deaths of two Azerbaijani nationals in Russian custody.
• Azerbaijan has canceled cultural events and diplomatic visits in response to rising tensions.
• Both countries are exchanging formal protests over recent actions and accusations.
• The situation reflects deepening diplomatic estrangement between Baku and Moscow.

In a significant escalation of diplomatic tensions, Azerbaijani police conducted a raid on the offices of the state-funded Russian news outlet, Sputnik, in Baku, detaining its head, Igor Kartavykh, and the editor-in-chief, Yevgeny Belousov. This action comes amid growing unrest following the deaths of two ethnic Azerbaijanis during a police operation in Yekaterinburg, Russia. Baku's operation was characterized by authorities as a necessary response to illegal financing issues associated with the outlet, which had been operating despite having its accreditation revoked earlier this year, according to latimes.

The Azerbaijani Interior Ministry reported that the raid resulted in arrests during the search and was part of an ongoing investigation into the outlet, while Russia's Foreign Ministry summoned Azerbaijan's ambassador, Rahman Mustafayev, to express a "strong" protest against what it termed "unfriendly actions" by Baku, related to the detention of Russian journalists, according to reuters.

Azerbaijan accused Russian law enforcement of conducting "targeted extrajudicial killings" against its nationals, which has led to a diplomatic crisis. Local media reports indicated that the police operations in Yekaterinburg were part of an investigation into serious crimes spanning decades, yet they resulted in two deaths, prompting severe backlash in Azerbaijan. The Interior Ministry of Azerbaijan has called for accountability and full investigations regarding these incidents, according to trtglobal.

In retaliation to ongoing tensions, Azerbaijan has canceled multiple cultural events organized by Russian institutions and called off planned bilateral talks in Moscow. This move highlights a broader deterioration in relations, following recent high-profile incidents and increasing distrust between the two countries, as noted by representatives from both sides. According to Russian officials, the measures taken by Azerbaijan are seen as a deliberate attempt to worsen diplomatic relations, according to reuters and trtglobal.