Azerbaijan court orders 4-month detention for Sputnik employees

A court in Baku has ordered a four-month pre-trial detention for Igor Kartavykh, the director of Sputnik Azerbaijan, and employee Yevgeny Belousov following their arrest during a police raid at the agency’s office on June 30.

Both men are facing charges under Azerbaijan’s Criminal Code, including large-scale fraud (Article 178.3.1), illegal entrepreneurship with substantial profit (Articles 192.2.2 and 192.2.3), and money laundering (Articles 193-1.3.1 and 193-1.3.2).

In February, Foreign Ministry spokesman Aykhan Hajizade said the Azerbaijani bureau of Russia’s “Rossiya Segodnya” agency had been officially closed and allowed to operate only via a single accredited correspondent.

Despite this, Sputnik Azerbaijan reportedly continued operating, with staff regularly attending the office.