FSB-linked staff detained during police raid on Sputnik Azerbaijan office
Akbar Novruz
Read moreTwo employees of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) working at the Baku office of “Sputnik Azerbaijan,” the local branch of the Russian state-run “Rossiya Segodnya” International News Agency, were detained during a police operation conducted by Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, Azernews reports, citing an official source.
The ministry launched the operation earlier today, taking control of the office amid growing concerns over the agency’s continued operations despite prior official instructions to suspend its activities.
In February 2025, Azerbaijani authorities decided to halt the operations of “Sputnik Azerbaijan” as part of efforts to ensure parity between foreign and domestic media representation. The measure was introduced to match the number of Sputnik journalists working in Baku with the number of AzerTag journalists operating in Russia.
However, Sputnik Azerbaijan reportedly disregarded the decision and continued its editorial work in defiance of the suspension order, prompting the latest enforcement action by law enforcement agencies.
No further official details have yet been provided on the charges or status of those detained.
Here we are to serve you with news right now. It does not cost much, but worth your attention.
Choose to support open, independent, quality journalism and subscribe on a monthly basis.
By subscribing to our online newspaper, you can have full digital access to all news, analysis, and much more.
You can also follow AzerNEWS on Twitter @AzerNewsAz or Facebook @AzerNewsNewspaper
Thank you!