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BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) \u2014 Police in Azerbaijan’s capital of Baku searched the offices of Russia’s state-funded news outlet Sputnik on Monday, local media reported, as tensions rose between the two countries<\/a> after the deaths of two ethnic Azerbaijanis during a police raid last week in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg.<\/p>\n Azerbaijan\u2019s Ministry of Internal Affairs said it was investigating claims that Sputnik Azerbaijan was continuing its work despite having its license revoked in February 2025, media outlets said.<\/p>\n Russian diplomatic representatives in Baku went to the Sputnik offices to investigate, said Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of broadcaster RT as well as editor of the state-funded media group Rossiya Segodnya, which operates Sputnik.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are unable to reach our Azerbaijan bureau staff by phone after local media announced a \u2018special security operation\u2019 against our staff, which includes Russian citizens,\u201d Simonyan posted on X. \u201cRepresentatives from our embassy are attempting to gain access.\u201d<\/p>\n The search followed official protests from Baku<\/a> after Russian police raided the homes of ethnic Azerbaijanis in the Ural Mountains city of Yekaterinburg on Friday.<\/p>\n Two brothers, Ziyaddin and Huseyn Safarov, were killed, and several others were seriously injured during the raids, officials said, with nine people detained.<\/p>\n Sayfaddin Huseynli, a brother of the two dead Azerbaijanis, told The Associated Press the raids were \u201can inhumane, cruel act by Russia against migrants \u2014 an act of intimidation.\u201d<\/p>\n One of the dead was a Russian citizen and the other held both Russian and Azerbaijani citizenship, Huseynli said. Their bodies were being returned to Azerbaijan on Monday.<\/p>\n He earlier told Azerbaijani public broadcaster ITV that the men were beaten and subjected to electric shocks \u201cwithout any trial or investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe so-called Russian law enforcement agencies broke into houses in the middle of the night, beat and took people away like animals,\u201d he told the broadcaster.<\/p>\n Azerbaijan\u2019s Foreign Ministry said it expected \u201cthat the matter will be investigated and all perpetrators of violence brought to justice as soon as possible.\u201c<\/p>\n Russia’s Investigative Committee said Monday that one of the deaths was from heart failure. It did not provide details on the second victim, but said a medical examination would be conducted to determine the exact cause of death for both men.<\/p>\n It also said the raids were part of an investigation into several murders spanning more than two decades.<\/p>\n Officials in Baku responded by canceling a scheduled trip to Moscow by Azerbaijani officials, citing the \u201ctargeted extrajudicial killings and violence against Azerbaijanis on the basis of their nationality\u201d by Russian law enforcement. It also canceled a planned visit to Baku by a Russian deputy prime minister, and the Culture Ministry called off concerts, exhibitions, festivals and performances by Russian state and private institutions.<\/p>\n Moscow has maintained a muted response to Azerbaijan’s actions. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday he \u201csincerely regretted\u201d Baku\u2019s decision to cancel the events.<\/p>\n He also said Moscow would continue to \u201cexplain the reason and nature\u201d of the Yekaterinburg raids.<\/p>\n \u201cEverything that took place is related to the work of law enforcement agencies, and that cannot and should not be a reason for such a reaction. We are interested in further developing our good relations with Azerbaijan,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Ties between Moscow and Baku have been strained for months. On Dec. 25, 2024, an Azerbaijani passenger jet<\/a> was hit by fire from the ground as it approached Grozny, the regional capital of the Russian republic of Chechnya, Azerbaijani officials said. It diverted to nearby Kazakhstan, where it crashed while attempting to land, killing 38 of 67 people aboard.<\/p>\n Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev said it was shot down over Russia, albeit unintentionally, and rendered uncontrollable by electronic warfare measures amid allegations that Russian air defense systems were trying to fend off a Ukrainian drone strike near Grozny.<\/p>\n Aliyev accused Russia of trying to \u201chush up\u201d what happened for several days. Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized to Aliyev for what he called a \u201ctragic incident\u201d but stopped short of acknowledging responsibility.<\/p>\n In May, Aliyev declined to attend Russia\u2019s Victory Day parade<\/a> in Moscow.<\/p>\n Later that month, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha visited Azerbaijan, signaling closer ties between Baku and Kyiv.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n