In Azerbaijan's capital, Baku, a search was conducted at the office of the Russia-affiliated “Sputnik Azerbaijan” news agency. As a result, the agency's editor-in-chief Igor Kartavykh and deputy editor-in-chief Yevgeny Belousov were detained.
According to the local “Minval” publication, they were employees of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) and were operating in Azerbaijan under the guise of journalists.
On the same day, the news agency "Ruptly" reported, based on statements from her mother, that its reporter, Aytakin Huseynova, who was filming the search at the “Sputnik” office, was also detained.
The incident is occurring against the backdrop of escalating tensions between Russia and Azerbaijan. Notably, a few days ago, a group of Azerbaijanis were arrested in Yekaterinburg, Russia, on suspicion of murder, and two of them died during the investigation. The Azerbaijani government has officially expressed its dissatisfaction with this situation.
We remind you that “Ruptly” is a division of the RT (Russia Today) television channel, serving Russian state propaganda, and is part of the “Russia Today” media holding. Another major network operating within this holding is the Sputnik agency.
Azerbaijani officials have not yet made an official statement regarding the incident. However, local publications are assessing these detentions and searches as a stringent measure within the framework of Azerbaijan's internal security measures.
