Kiselyov says Sputnik can no longer operate in Azerbaijan

Dmitry Kiselyov, Director General of the “Rossiya Segodnya” media group, said on Wednesday that Russia’s state-run Sputnik news agency can no longer operate in Azerbaijan due to a lack of conditions necessary for its activities.

His comments come after a police raid on June 30 at the Baku office of Sputnik Azerbaijan, during which several staff members were detained.

Later, Baku’s Khatai District Court ordered a four-month pre-trial detention for the outlet’s director Igor Kartavykh and employee Yevgeny Belousov. According to sources, the two men are suspected of having ties to Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB).