Baku orders arrests in absentia of three Russians over terror appeals VIDEO

Azerbaijan’s Prosecutor General’s Office is conducting a preliminary investigation into a criminal case involving public calls for the violent overthrow of the constitutional order of the Republic of Azerbaijan, violation of its territorial integrity, incitement of national hatred and enmity, and public calls for terrorism.

As the press service of Azerbaijan's Prosecutor General’s Office told Caliber.Az, the investigation has uncovered substantial grounds to suspect that Russian citizens Ivan Andreyevich Knyazev, a presenter for the Moscow 24 television channel; Semyon Sergeyevich Uralov, who presents himself in Russia as a political consultant and media expert; and Aleksey Aleksandrovich Chadayev, an adviser to the Russian transport minister who also works as a television journalist and correspondent, made calls on July 14, 2026, for the use of violent methods against Azerbaijan, the violent alteration of the country’s constitutional order and violation of its territorial integrity, as well as incitement of national hatred and enmity, during the “Clarity of Understanding” program published on Uralov’s YouTube channel.

There are also substantial grounds to suspect that on August 13, 2026, during another program published on the same channel, the above-mentioned individuals publicly called for terrorism while discussing the use of violent methods against Azerbaijan, including the detention of individuals under the direct threat of physical destruction and their targeted elimination.

In connection with these allegations, the Prosecutor General of Azerbaijan launched a criminal case under Articles 214-2 (public calls for terrorism), 281.2 (public calls directed against the State) and 283.2.1 (incitement of national hatred and enmity) of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan. The preliminary investigation was assigned to the Investigation Department of the Prosecutor General’s Office.

Based on the evidence collected, rulings were issued to charge Uralov, Knyazev and Chadayev under Articles 214-2, 281.2 and 283.2.1 of the Criminal Code. As the three individuals are outside Azerbaijan, they have been placed on a wanted list, while courts have ordered their detention as a pretrial measure.

At the same time, the Prosecutor General’s Office has sent relevant requests to the competent authorities of partner states to establish the whereabouts of and detain the accused in those countries and transfer them to Azerbaijan. The authorities are also taking the necessary steps to organise an international search for the individuals through Interpol channels.

The Prosecutor General’s Office of Azerbaijan stated that it will continue to take decisive legal measures against any unlawful acts directed against the sovereignty, constitutional order and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, in accordance with national legislation and international treaties to which Azerbaijan is a party.

The criminal case is based on statements made by the accused during two episodes of a socio-political program on Semyon Uralov’s YouTube channel.

During the July 14, 2026 episode, the program discussed statements by Azerbaijan’s leadership at the Shusha Global Media Forum regarding support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and the country’s struggle with its colonial past. According to the Prosecutor General’s Office, the speakers discussed scenarios for the destruction of Azerbaijani statehood. Chadayev considered options for the fragmentation of Azerbaijan, the transfer of territories to third countries and the incitement of separatism through what he described as the “Talish” and “Lezgin” factors. The discussion culminated in a direct call for military intervention, including strengthening the Caspian Flotilla and conducting an amphibious operation in Baku.

During the same episode, Uralov described the liberation of Azerbaijan’s occupied territories as “pure Nazism,” spoke of “cleansing the land of people,” and called on Russian security services to force Azerbaijani diasporas to stage coordinated anti-Baku demonstrations under the threat of losing their rights.

On August 13, 2026, the rhetoric became even more aggressive. Chadayev said that the only way to ensure compliance with agreements was to threaten violators with physical destruction, citing examples of contract killings and covert assassination operations associated with Soviet intelligence official Pavel Sudoplatov, including the use of concealed explosive devices. Uralov, meanwhile, claimed that Moscow had the right to prosecute the leaders of post-Soviet states under Soviet laws, arguing that everyone born before 1991 is supposedly a citizen of the Soviet Union.

‼️Уголовное дело основывается на заявлениях обвиняемых, сделанных в двух выпусках общественно-политического шоу на YouTube-канале Семёна Уралова.

14 июля 2026 года в эфире обсуждались заявления руководства Азербайджана на Шушинском медиафоруме о поддержке территориальной… pic.twitter.com/qdlu6rjL3J

— Caliber (@Caliberaz) August 17, 2026

By Vafa Guliyeva