The Baku Court of Appeal has upheld the detention of Igor Kartavykh, Executive Director of Rossiya Segodnya’s Baku bureau (Sputnik Azerbaijan), and Yevgeny Belousov, the outlet’s Chief Editor. The court dismissed the appeal against their arrest, leaving the initial ruling by the lower court in force.
The two media figures were detained on June 30, 2025, following a raid by Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) on the Sputnik Azerbaijan office in Baku. The operation was part of an ongoing investigative effort, though the ministry has not disclosed specific charges.
According to the MIA, both individuals were taken into custody during search-and-seizure operations carried out at the Baku branch of the Russian state-run Rossiya Segodnya news agency. The Khatai District Court subsequently ruled to place both under pre-trial detention.
No official statement has been released regarding the nature of the investigation, but the case has drawn attention amid heightened scrutiny of foreign media operations in the region.
