02.07.2025 11:56
A major crisis erupted following the torture and murder of two Azerbaijanis during a police raid in Yekaterinburg between Azerbaijan and Russia. In retaliation for the incident, Azerbaijan detained Russian journalists and members of criminal organizations, and canceled Russian cultural events in the country. Tensions between the two countries are escalating day by day.
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Azerbaijan and Russia have fallen into a major tension following the torture-related deaths of two Azerbaijanis after police raids in Yekaterinburg over the weekend.
AZERBAIJAN RESPONDS
A criminal investigation was launched today by the Azerbaijan Prosecutor General's Office regarding the torture of Azerbaijani citizens and persons of Azerbaijani descent by members of the Russian Federation law enforcement forces, as well as the intentional killing of two individuals. Not stopping there, the Azerbaijani government retaliated against Russia. Members of an organized crime group consisting of Russian citizens were detained in Baku.
RUSSIAN JOURNALISTS DETAINED
The Baku administration also raided the office of the Russian state news agency Sputnik in Azerbaijan and detained three Russian journalists. Additionally, all Russian cultural events in the country were canceled.
HOW DID THE CRISIS START?
The Russian National Guard detained Azerbaijani citizens and persons of Azerbaijani descent who were seen as suspects related to some past crimes during joint operations held in Yekaterinburg on June 27.
During and after the detention process, it was reported that law enforcement members carried out actions against some individuals in groups, restricting their freedoms, and inflicting numerous blows to various parts of their bodies with hard objects without any possibility of defense, subjecting them to severe torture.
As a result of the incident, 59-year-old Hüseyn Seferov, who was engaged in small-scale trade, died in a police building in Yekaterinburg. His brother, 55-year-old Ziyaddin Seferov, who worked as a taxi driver, also lost his life due to severe blows received in an official vehicle belonging to the security forces.
FORENSIC REPORTS RELEASED
According to forensic reports, it was determined that Hüseyn Seferov died from traumatic and hemorrhagic shock (lack of oxygen to the cells) due to multiple rib fractures and other traumas, while Ziyaddin Seferov died from traumatic shock resulting from multiple blows. Additionally, it was reported that other Azerbaijani citizens detained in the same operation were similarly subjected to torture, suffered bodily harm to varying degrees, and are still receiving treatment in healthcare institutions in Russia.
BACKGROUND OF THE TENSION
After an Azerbaijani passenger plane was damaged by gunfire from the ground while in Russian airspace on December 25, 2024, leading to its crash near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan requested an apology from Russia and the punishment of those responsible, but this request went unanswered.
Later, Azerbaijan ended the activities of the "Russian Cultural Center," known as the "Russian House," operating in Baku, while President Ilham Aliyev did not attend the ceremonies held in Moscow to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.
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