(MENAFN) The Kremlin is actively working with Azerbaijani authorities to secure the release of Russian citizens, including journalists, who were recently detained in Baku, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed. Despite current tensions, Peskov emphasized the importance of preserving the historically close relationship between Russia and Azerbaijan.

The arrests occurred last week during a police raid on the Baku office of Sputnik Azerbaijan, where several Russian nationals, including senior editors Igor Kartavykh and Evgeny Belousov, were taken into custody. Azerbaijani officials accused them of fraud and operating illegal businesses. Sputnik has strongly denied the allegations, calling them “absurd.”

Speaking on Monday, Peskov stated that Moscow remains in constant contact with Azerbaijani authorities and is using all available legal and diplomatic channels to defend the rights of the detained Russians. He also noted that Russia’s Prosecutor General Igor Krasnov and Investigative Committee chief Aleksandr Bastrykin are directly engaged with their Azerbaijani counterparts.

Peskov reiterated Russia’s commitment to maintaining strong bilateral ties with Azerbaijan, stressing that both nations share a common history and should remain close partners. “Any issues that arise must be resolved constructively, in the spirit of our relationship,” he said.

The arrests in Baku followed a police operation in Russia’s Ekaterinburg, where authorities targeted a suspected organized crime group reportedly made up of Russian citizens of Azerbaijani descent. During that raid, two elderly suspects died — allegedly from heart failure and unspecified causes — though Azerbaijani officials claim they were beaten and have launched a homicide investigation.

Since the Ekaterinburg operation, Baku has taken several actions Moscow views as retaliatory, including the raid on Sputnik. Russia’s Foreign Ministry condemned the arrests as “unlawful” and summoned Azerbaijan’s ambassador to file a formal protest.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has warned that “external forces” may be attempting to undermine Russian-Azerbaijani relations. She reaffirmed that maintaining friendly ties remains crucial for both nations and cautioned against further escalation.

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