Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry Lodged a Protest with Russian Ambassador Evdokimov

ArmInfo. The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry summoned Russian Ambassador Evdokimov and expressed a strong protest to him over statements made in the Russian media. The matter concerns publications in Semyon Uralov’s program «Purity of Understanding», on the radio station «Sputnik» and the television channel «Spas».

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry deemed them insulting and threatening, as they discussed «possible interference in the republic’s internal political processes». Earlier, the Prosecutor General’s Office of Azerbaijan placed Uralov and two other Russians on an international wanted list

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry summoned Russian Ambassador Mikhail Evdokimov and expressed a strong protest to him over statements made in the Russian media, the ministry’s website stated. 

The matter concerns the August 13 episode of the program «Purity of Understanding» hosted by journalist, political consultant and media expert Semyon Uralov. Azerbaijan believes that statements were made there against the country, its people and the republic’s leadership. The Foreign Ministry also pointed out that on August 7, the inclusion of Azerbaijan’s leadership on the «Russian list of terrorists and extremists» was discussed on the radio station «Sputnik». The ministry deemed statements directed against Azerbaijan’s leadership on the YouTube platform on August 9 and on the television channel «Spas» on August 16 insulting and provocative.

Evdokimov was told that discussing the possibility of interference in Azerbaijan’s internal political processes and calls for physical violence against the country’s people and leadership were unacceptable. The Foreign Ministry expects Russia to take measures and stop such rhetoric in its media. «Despite repeated appeals by the Azerbaijani side to prevent the above-mentioned actions and discussions of this issue at various political levels, it was noted that the continuation of such rhetoric in a harsher form causes serious concern,» the statement said.

On August 17, the Prosecutor General’s Office of Azerbaijan placed Uralov and two other Russians on an international wanted list — journalist Ivan Knyazev and adviser to the head of the Ministry of Transport Alexei Chadaev, who is also a journalist, the Azerbaijani publication APA reported. A measure of restraint in the form of detention was chosen against them. The reason was suspicion that they had called for the violation of territorial integrity in the July 14 episode of «Purity of Understanding»; in the August 13 episode, the Prosecutor General’s Office also identified calls for extremism. A case was opened against the Russians over public calls directed against the state, calls for terrorism and incitement of national hatred and enmity.

It should be recalled that a few days ago, Russia deported Bakhtiyar Hasanov, head of the Azerbaijani diaspora in Moscow. His citizenship had been annulled back in the previous year; in June of this year, Hasanov was detained by law enforcement officers and sent to a temporary detention center for migrants. This is not the first such case recently. In July, Russia annulled the citizenship of Shirvan Kerimov, head of the Azerbaijani diaspora in the Samara Region. In 2025, Russia deported Elshan Ibragimov, head of the Azerbaijani diaspora in the Moscow Region.