US Edition
Tensions Are Rising Between Russia and Azerbaijan. Why Is This Happening Now?
- Tensions sharply escalated between Russia and Azerbaijan in late June 2025 following the deaths of two Azerbaijanis in custody during a police raid in Yekaterinburg and a retaliatory raid on Sputnik Azerbaijan in Baku.
- This crisis followed an incident in December 2024 when an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane was shot down near Grozny by Russian air defense, killing 38 people and worsening relations.
- Russian authorities arrested over 50 Azerbaijani nationals in connection with a murder investigation, including diaspora leaders, resulting in the deaths of brothers Ziyaddin and Huseyn Safarov, whom Azerbaijan accuses of being tortured extrajudicially.
- Azerbaijan retaliated by canceling all Russian-linked cultural events, barring Russian officials, and shutting Kremlin-funded media offices, while Russia issued a formal protest and summoned the Azerbaijani ambassador on July 1.
- Analysts attribute the tensions to a systemic shift with Baku diversifying foreign policy toward Turkey and others, expecting the crisis to last weeks without causing a full diplomatic rupture.
55 Articles
55 Articles
Russia and Azerbaijan wanted to deepen their relations, but then Russia shot down an Azerbaijani plane. After controversial arrests with death, the signs are escalating.
After controversial arrests in Russia and Azerbaijan, relations between the two countries cool down. Russia's influence in the Caucasus could continue to decline.
The recent exacerbation in the relationship between Russia and Azerbaijan shows how bad Moscow's alliances are. In doing so, the leaders of both countries have maintained good relations for a long time.
Arrests, raids, beaten and bloodied suspects — how Russia-Azerbaijan relations have unravelled
Deaths in custody, media offices raided, and beaten and bloodied suspects paraded in court — relations between Russia and Azerbaijan, once considered close, have sharply deteriorated in recent days amid a series of high-profile incidents. The latest tensions erupted over the weekend when Russian law enforcement officers detained over 50 Azerbaijani
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 49% of the sources lean Left
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
