The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Azerbaijan conducted a large-scale specialized operation at the office of the agency "Sputnik" in Baku - the local branch of the Russian state news agency "Russia Today", Qafqazinfo reported, reports Focus.
Several people were detained during the operation, including two officers of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) working for "Sputnik". According to the publication, the operation began early in the morning and is being carried out under the strict supervision of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The main goal of the operation is to investigate the activities of the agency, which was officially supposed to cease its work in February 2025, according to a decision of the Azerbaijani authorities. authorities.
At the beginning of the year, the government in Baku announced the termination of the activities of “Sputnik Azerbaijan“, motivating it with the need to ensure equality between Azerbaijani state media abroad and foreign journalists working on the territory of the country.
According to the official position, the number of journalists in the “Sputnik“ office in Baku should have corresponded to that of the employees of the Azerbaijani agency AZERTAC in Russia. However, the editorial staff and staff of “Sputnik“ did not comply with these requirements and continued their work, which became the reason for the police operation.