The move follows a police attack on Russia’s Azerbaijan gang suspicion, which arises amid tensions between the two countries, Russia reports today.
There is a strong police presence around the building hosting the Sputnik newsroom in Baku, confirmed by local media on Monday. The central office of the Moscow outlet said it could not contact journalists.
Maria Zakharova, a spokesman for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, expressed concern about the development and said the Azerbaijan government would not respond to the request for explanations sent by Moscow.
The attack is suspected to be part of Baku’s reaction to last week’s arrest of several Azeri men, which Russian law enforcement described as members of the responsible killings of several Yekaterinberg.
According to the Russian commission on investigation, the alleged crime dates back to 2001 and was part of criminal efforts to control local businesses. At least one of the victims had Azerbaijani citizenship, the agency said on Monday.
Baku officials have expressed anger over the deaths of two targets in the Russian attack, but local media claimed that Moscow was targeting their peoples in Azeri. The board of investigation said one of the detainees died from a heart attack, but the cause of death for the second individual has not yet been determined.
The Azerbaijan government has cancelled several cultural events related to Russia in clear retaliation for the incident.
rhm