Overview

• Azerbaijani security forces took control of the Sputnik Azerbaijan bureau on June 30 and detained two individuals accused of operating as FSB agents under journalistic cover
• The raid marks Baku’s first direct action against Russian media following the June 27 police operations in Yekaterinburg that left two Azerbaijani citizens dead
• Interior ministry officials allege the detained suspects gathered intelligence on behalf of Russian authorities, intensifying accusations of cross-border interference
• Earlier this week Baku canceled all Russian cultural events and summoned Moscow’s chargé d’affaires to demand investigations and punishments for what it calls extra-judicial killings
• Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov expressed regret over Azerbaijan’s measures but maintained that Russian law enforcement acted within the scope of their criminal investigations