Dmitry Kiselev, Director General of the Russian state news agency MIA Rossiya Segodnya, demanded the release of the editor and editor-in-chief of the publication Sputnik Azerbaijan Igor Kartavykh and Yevgeny Belousov, who were arrested in Baku a month ago. They are accused of subversive activities and ties to Russian special services.

Kiselev called the detention a political provocation and said that it could complicate relations between Moscow and Baku. He also added that the release of the journalists would be a step towards restoring ties between the countries. In conclusion, he called for steps on both sides, despite accusations of Russia's systematic interference in the information space of Azerbaijan.

Recall that on June 27 in Yekaterinburg, employees of the Russian National Guard, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the FSB detained citizens of Azerbaijan and people of Azerbaijani origin. They were suspected of involvement in previously committed crimes. Some of them were tortured, two died - 60-year-old Huseyn Safarov and his brother, 55-year-old Ziyaddin Safarov. Baku also noted that other detainees were tortured. Six people were sent to pretrial detention. Subsequently, the Prosecutor General's Office of Azerbaijan opened a criminal case on the fact of torture and premeditated murder with particular cruelty of two citizens of the country and persons of Azerbaijani origin by Russian law enforcement officers.

On June 30, Azerbaijani security forces arrested in Baku the editor-in-chief of the Russian state agency Sputnik Azerbaijan Igor Kartavykh and editor-in-chief Yevgeny Belousov. Both were called FSB officers working undercover. The Press Council of Azerbaijan noted that both defendants cooperated with the Russian FSB and were in Baku to carry out assignments unrelated to journalistic activities.