The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan has issued a strong statement in response to the open letter released by the Union of Journalists of Russia, which protested the detention of two Sputnik Azerbaijan employees and appealed to international journalistic and human rights organizations, Azernews reports.
According to the Ministry, the letter grossly distorts the facts and represents an attempt to manipulate international public opinion. The detention of Igor Kartavych, head of Sputnik Azerbaijan, and editor-in-chief Yevgeny Belousov, was not related to journalistic activity, but rather to their collaboration with Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB). Their arrest, the Ministry emphasized, was conducted in full accordance with Azerbaijani legislation and national security procedures.
The statement further highlights that this is not an isolated incident. Former Sputnik Azerbaijan head Vitaly Denisov—also reportedly a Russian intelligence officer with ties to the GRU—previously directed operations at Sputnik offices in South Ossetia and Moldova. He was expelled from both Moldova and Azerbaijan due to his subversive activities under the guise of media work.
“These individuals are not journalists—they are operatives using press credentials to interfere in the domestic affairs of sovereign states,” the statement read. “The agency [Sputnik] has become a key tool of Russia’s hybrid strategy and foreign influence operations.”
Azerbaijan pointed to numerous international reports, including from the Council of Europe, the European Parliament, EUvsDisinfo, and EDMO, which have classified Sputnik not as an ordinary media outlet but as a central mechanism in Russia’s state-sponsored disinformation campaigns. As a result, Sputnik has been banned or blocked in 32 countries, including all EU member states, as well as Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Canada, Switzerland, and Australia.
The statement also criticized the Union of Journalists of Russia for overlooking severe press freedom violations within its own country. “Instead of addressing the persecution of independent journalists and the suppression of free speech in Russia, the Union focuses on defending individuals linked to intelligence agencies,” it noted.
International watchdogs have documented the deaths of over 50 journalists in Russia since 1992—many under suspicious and politically charged circumstances. Among the high-profile victims are Yuri Shchekochikhin, Anna Politkovskaya, Pavel Sheremet, and Paul Klebnikov. In the last five years alone, at least 26 journalists have been arrested or detained. Reports show a sharp decline in independent journalism in Russia, with estimates indicating a reduction of up to 70%.
“Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, media censorship in Russia has intensified drastically. Dissenting voices are systematically silenced, and journalists face arrest for expressing alternative viewpoints,” the statement continued.
Azerbaijan has called on international media and human rights organizations to refrain from legitimizing what it describes as "information sabotage" and to critically assess the role of entities like Sputnik and their connections to foreign intelligence services.
“In this case, defending so-called journalists working as agents of foreign intelligence undermines the integrity of the global journalistic community. We urge international organizations to take a principled stance against the use of media as a tool for political manipulation and foreign interference,” the Ministry concluded.
