Camilla Jessen
The deaths of two Azerbaijani brothers during Russian police raids have sparked a diplomatic crisis.
Azerbaijan has suspended all Russian cultural events within its borders following the deaths of two Azerbaijani nationals during police raids in Yekaterinburg, Russia.
The Azerbaijani Ministry of Culture announced the cancellations, citing “demonstrative targeted and extrajudicial killings and acts of violence committed by Russian law enforcement agencies against Azerbaijanis on ethnic grounds.”
Deadly Raids and Allegations of Torture
On June 27, Russian security forces conducted early morning raids on multiple residences in Yekaterinburg, targeting members of the Safarov family, who are of Azerbaijani origin.
Brothers Ziyaddin and Huseyn Safarov, both in their sixties, were killed during the operations.
Their brother, Sayfaddin Huseynli, alleged that they were tortured to death “without any trial or investigation, despite their innocence.”
According to Digi24, he also described the raids as “savagery.”
In total, nine individuals were detained, and several others sustained serious injuries.
The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian chargé d’affaires in Baku, demanding a full investigation.
Diplomatic Fallout
In response to the incident, Azerbaijan canceled all cultural events involving Russian institutions, including concerts, exhibitions, festivals, and performances. Additionally, a planned visit was called off.
The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry expressed deep concern over the raids and called for an urgent investigation, stating, “We expect from the Russian side to conduct an urgent investigation into the matter and bring the perpetrators of this unacceptable violence to justice as soon as possible.”
In addition to the cultural event cancellations, Azerbaijan conducted raids at the office of Sputnik Azerbaijan, a local affiliate of Russian state media agency Rossiya Segodnya.
The Azerbaijani parliament also pulled out of planned bilateral talks in Moscow.
Relations between Moscow and Baku have been strained in recent months due to multiple incidents, including Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev skipping Russia’s Victory Day parade and a previous airliner crash that Aliyev attributed to Russian actions.
