(MENAFN) Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova stated that Azerbaijan has refused consular access to Russian nationals recently detained in Baku.

On Tuesday, a Baku court ordered at least ten Russians, including two senior journalists from Sputnik Azerbaijan and others, to be held for four months pending trial. Moscow has condemned the arrests as “unlawful” and demanded the immediate release of the detainees.

Zakharova said in a Wednesday press briefing, “We have requested that employees of the embassy’s consular department be allowed to visit the Russian citizens,” but so far, “access has not been granted.”

She called on those seeking to damage bilateral ties to halt attempts to escalate tensions and accused several Azerbaijani media outlets of spreading “fake news.”

“These steps cause serious damage to interstate relations,” the spokesperson added.

Zakharova also addressed earlier Azerbaijani reports about potential closures of Russian-language schools, stating that Baku’s Education Ministry denied those claims.

Relations between Moscow and Baku have recently deteriorated following a police raid in Yekaterinburg targeting an alleged ethnic crime group involving Russian nationals of Azerbaijani descent, linked to a series of murders dating back to 2001.

Two elderly suspects died during the operation, one reportedly from heart failure, which ignited outrage in Azerbaijani media and among officials who accused Russia of ethnic discrimination.

Russian authorities reported Wednesday that five of the six arrested men have been charged after one cooperated with investigators.

MENAFN03072025000045017281ID1109755322