Moscow calls for diplomatic handling of disagreements with Baku

Russia seeks to maintain allied and partner relations with Azerbaijan and believes that all disagreements should be resolved constructively, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said during a briefing on July 7.

“We still firmly believe that logic dictates only one thing: Russia and Azerbaijan are, and must remain, close partners and allies—two nations united by a shared history, a shared present, and a shared future,” Peskov stated, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

Commenting on recent developments in Moscow-Baku relations, the Kremlin representative emphasised that any emerging issues must be addressed in a manner consistent with the “spirit of our bilateral relations.”

“Any problems that arise should be settled in a constructive way that reflects the overall spirit of partnership between our countries,” he added.

The statement comes in the wake of a rapidly deteriorating diplomatic situation between Moscow and Baku, sparked by a controversial Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) raid in Yekaterinburg on June 27, 2025, which resulted in the deaths of two Azerbaijani brothers, Ziyaddin and Huseyn Safarov. The raid, targeting over 50 individuals of Azerbaijani descent as part of an investigation into murders from the early 2000s, has been condemned by Azerbaijan as ethnically motivated and excessively brutal.

On June 27, Russian law enforcement conducted mass raids in Yekaterinburg, detaining dozens of ethnic Azerbaijanis suspected of involvement in a series of unsolved crimes, including murders and a 2021 mass alcohol poisoning incident. During the operation, Ziyaddin and Huseyn Safarov, respected members of the local Azerbaijani community and owners of a popular café, died in custody. Russian authorities initially claimed one death was due to heart failure, with the cause of the second still under investigation. However, Azerbaijani forensic examinations revealed that both brothers died from “post-traumatic shock” due to severe beatings, prompting accusations of torture and deliberate killing.

Azerbaijan’s response was swift and sharp. The Foreign Ministry summoned Russia’s chargé d’affaires, Pyotr Volokovykh, to protest the brutal killing of the Safarov brothers and demanded a transparent investigation. Baku cancelled all Russian cultural events, including concerts, exhibitions, and festivals, citing “targeted extrajudicial killings and violence against Azerbaijanis on the basis of their nationality.” A planned visit by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk was also scrapped, and Azerbaijan’s parliament withdrew from a scheduled bilateral meeting in Moscow.

By Khagan Isayev