The Russian leadership has reacted sharply to the visit of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to Baku amid a deepening diplomatic rift between Russia and Azerbaijan. According to sources close to the Kremlin, the visit by the Iranian leader at a time of acute crisis is perceived in Moscow as a “questionable and unfriendly gesture.”
“This raises many questions about Tehran’s position. We are strategic partners, and yet they travel to a country where Russian citizens are being snatched off the streets, beaten, imprisoned, and journalists are being persecuted,” one Kremlin-linked source was quoted as saying by a Russian outlet.
The current diplomatic standoff between Russia and Azerbaijan escalated dramatically in June 2025, following a tragic incident in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg. During a police operation, two Azerbaijani nationals — brothers Ziyaddin and Guseyn Safarov — were killed. Several others were detained, and two were hospitalized with injuries.
The Azerbaijani side accused Russian law enforcement of “ethnically motivated violence” and “extrajudicial execution.” Azerbaijan’s General Prosecutor’s Office opened a criminal case on charges of torture and premeditated murder. Russian authorities, in turn, stated that one of the men died of a heart attack, while the cause of death for the second was “under investigation.”
The incident quickly escalated into a full-blown diplomatic scandal. Azerbaijan canceled planned visits of Russian officials and suspended a number of cultural events, including Russian exhibitions and tours. The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a formal protest, insisting that Baku’s actions undermined bilateral relations.
Against this backdrop, on June 30, Azerbaijani police raided the office of Sputnik Azerbaijan, the local branch of a Russian state media holding. Seven employees, including the editor-in-chief and director, were detained. They were charged with illegal business activity and money laundering. Moscow described the move as politically motivated pressure on Russian media and demanded the immediate release of the detainees.
Baku, on the other hand, insists that the detentions are strictly related to financial violations and have nothing to do with freedom of speech.
It is at this very moment that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is making an official visit to Baku. The visit may have been planned in advance, but its timing is causing serious concern and irritation in Moscow.
Iran is officially considered a strategic ally of Russia, and Tehran’s political moves are usually viewed by the Kremlin through the lens of long-term partnership. Now, however, Moscow is openly questioning Tehran’s loyalty. Tehran, for its part, has accused the Azerbaijani authorities of aiding Israel during the war, when Israeli fighter jets and drones gained complete dominance over Iranian airspace.
