Russia and Azerbaijan at Odds as 2001 Murder Case Reignites Ethnic Tensions

Law enforcement actions cannot be grounds for diplomatic demarches, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, commenting on a statement from Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry, which had demanded an investigation into the detentions of Azerbaijani nationals in Yekaterinburg.

"We sincerely regret such decisions,” Peskov stated. He added that it is important to continue work "to clarify the reasons and nature of the events that, according to the Azerbaijani side, prompted such demarches.”

Peskov was also asked whether a conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev was planned. He replied that no such talks were currently scheduled, but noted that "if needed, of course, they will take place as soon as possible.”

Russia is interested in further developing "good relations with Azerbaijan,” Peskov emphasized.

More Than 50 Azerbaijani Nationals Detained

Mass detentions of Azerbaijani nationals in Yekaterinburg took place on June 27, with more than 50 people taken to the police station, according to E1.ru. The next day, the Sverdlovsk division of the Investigative Committee said its Fourth Department for Major Crimes was investigating a criminal case involving murders and attempted murders committed by an ethnic criminal group in Yekaterinburg. These crimes are related to incidents in 2001, 2010, and 2011, with the motive believed to be business-related turf wars.

Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry claimed that among those detained, there were casualties and injuries. Russia's Foreign Ministry stated that the arrests were made as part of a criminal investigation into serious crimes. On June 28, Russia's chargé d'affaires in Azerbaijan, Pyotr Volokovykh, was summoned to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, where he assured that the situation was under the control of Russian law enforcement.

Azerbaijan Government Causes Damage to Relations with Russia

Telegram channel ADR — Azerbaijani Diaspora of Russia criticized Baku's reaction to the events in Yekaterinburg and accused the government of damaging relations with Moscow. Azerbaijani authorities dismissed the channel as fake and called its messages a provocation

In a post, the channel, claiming to represent the diaspora, said that while the diaspora is dealing with the consequences of the incident, Azerbaijani authorities are engaging in "political games” and using the "media machine” to undermine relations with Russia.

The post also stated that no self-respecting Russian Azerbaijani wants to sacrifice peace and safety in exchange for the insults against Russian leadership being spread by Azerbaijani journalists.

Two Detained Azerbaijani Nationals Die

On June 30, Investigative Committee spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko stated that, according to preliminary data, one of the detainees died from heart failure, while the cause of death for another was still being determined. The criminal case has been transferred to the central office of the Investigative Committee for a "comprehensive and objective investigation,” she said.

Azerbaijan Cancels All Russia-Related Cultural Events 

Following the detentions and what Baku described as unlawful actions by Russian authorities, Azerbaijan's Ministry of Culture announced the cancellation of all joint cultural events with Russia. For the same reason, the Azerbaijani delegation declined to attend a session of the parliamentary cooperation commission between the Azerbaijani parliament and the Russian Federal Assembly.

The detentions are reportedly linked to a 2001 murder case, when a mob stabbed Azerbaijani native Yunis Pashayev with a kitchen knife. The main suspects, brothers Huseyn and Ziyaddin Safarov, owners of the "Caspian” Cafe, subsequently died in custody.

E1.ru, citing the Investigative Committee, also reported that the suspects are being linked to additional criminal episodes from 2010 and 2011. The charges involve group murder, contract killing, and attempted contract murder.

Meanwhile, Azerbaijan's Interior Ministry is conducting a raid on the Sputnik Azerbaijan office in Baku, with the editorial team currently out of contact with Moscow, RIA Novosti said.

At the end of February, Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry announced the closure of the Russian state media agency Rossiya Segodnya office in the country. The agency had only been accredited to operate with one correspondent, though reports suggested other staff continued to work unofficially.

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Azerbaijan officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia's republic of Dagestan to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia and Turkey to the west, and Iran to the south. Baku is the capital and largest city.