INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Relations in between Russia and Azerbaijan hit an all-time low this week, as simmering stress over the death of 2 Azerbaijani guys amid mass
arrests in Russia have actually quickly escalated into a full-blown diplomatic crisis.The Moscow Times traces how relations between Russia
and Azerbaijan unraveled, and why they might worsen before they get better.Azerbaijani Airlines crashTensions in between the 2 countries
initially flared in late December, when an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger jet crashed while attempting to land in the North Caucasus city of
The flight, which had actually departed from Baku, went down in western Kazakhstan, killing 38 individuals and hurting 29 others.An initial
report from Kazakh authorities appeared to support claims that the airplane had actually come under fire from Russian air defense systems in
Grozny, which was under Ukrainian drone attack at the time
Images and video from the crash website showed the rear of the airplane filled with holes.Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a rare
apology in a call with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev however stopped short of accepting responsibility
The occurrence apparently affected Aliyevs decision to avoid Russias May 9 Victory Day celebrations.In the weeks following the crash, Baku
took a series of actions seen as retaliation, including closing a Moscow-funded cultural center, barring Russian authorities from going into
the nation over offensive remarks and forcing Kremlin-funded media to shut their offices.Deadly arrests in YekaterinburgThe diplomatic
rupture deepened on June 27 when Russian law enforcement authorities in the Ural Mountains city of Yekaterinburg arrested dozens of
individuals in connection with the unsolved murders of Azerbaijani entrepreneurs going back to the early 2000s
2 Azerbaijani guys, identified as brothers Ziyaddin Safarov, 55, and Huseyn Safarov, 60, passed away throughout the arrests
Authorities stated one passed away of a heart attack, while the others death stayed under investigation
However autopsies conducted after their bodies were sent to Baku concluded both had died from extreme blood loss and shock caused by
substantial physical trauma.Azerbaijans Prosecutor Generals Office launched a criminal investigation into what it referred to as the vicious
and intentional murder of the 2 men, accusing Russian cops of subjecting them to abuse and major bodily injuries throughout their arrest and
time in custody.Meanwhile, Russian detectives said six ethnic Azerbaijani guys with Russian citizenship were charged and placed in pre-trial
detention after the arrests in Yekaterinburg
The men, some of whom appeared in court with visible injuries, were accused of murder and attempted murder.According to Kommersant,
authorities think the men become part of a the mob group behind the 2001 killing of business owner Yunus Pashayev, the 2010 tried murder of
businessman Fehruz Shirinov and the 2011 killing of vegetable storage facility owner Ikram Hajiyev.Authorities in Baku respondAzerbaijans
Culture Ministry announced on June 29 that it would cancel all Russian-linked cultural occasions, mentioning what it called the
extrajudicial killings of its people in Russia
The South Caucasus countrys parliament also backed out of a prepared bilateral conference with legislators in Moscow
So, too, was a go to by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk to Azerbaijan suddenly called off.The following day, law enforcement
authorities in Baku robbed the offices of Sputnik Azerbaijan, the local affiliate of the Russian state-funded news network
Sputnik officially suspended operations in the South Caucasus nation earlier this year after a brand-new media law restricted foreign
ownership, it continued releasing content online.Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry declared the news outlet continues to operate through unlawful
financing.Several employees were jailed, consisting of Sputnik Azerbaijan editor-in-chief Igor Kartavykh and deputy editor Evgeny Belousov
Unofficial local media reports declared the two had ties to Russias FSB security service.Russia reacted by summoning Azerbaijans ambassador
in Moscow, implicating Baku of intentional actions targeted at dismantling bilateral relations and disturbance in Russias internal
affairs.Azerbaijan busts declared Russian criminal groupAzerbaijani authorities on July 1 said they arrested at least 8 Russian nationals
implicated of being members of organized criminal groups that participated in cyber crimes and drug trafficking
Images from court procedures showed a few of the Russian detainees with noticeable injuries.The next day, the Kremlin said it had discovered
all the information in videos revealing the arrests and vowed to safeguard Russian people through diplomatic channels and ..
all the ways readily available to us.Russian media identified the group as including IT specialists, businesspeople, and others whose
factors for being in Azerbaijan were not right away clear, though authorities have actually not verified this information.On the exact same
day that authorities in Baku detained the group of Russians, law enforcement representatives inYekaterinburg violentlyarrestedthe head of a
regional Azerbaijani diaspora group, with a video on social media revealing security service personnel smashing the windows of his SUV and
dragging him from the vehicle.Local mediareportedthat the diaspora leader, Shakhin Shykhlinsky, was questioned as a witness in the ongoing
cold case murder investigation and consequently released from cops custody later on that night.
