Tension between Azerbaijan and Russia: Putin voices hope for resolution.
In a series of meetings and discussions, Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed a condition for easing tensions between Moscow and Baku: the release of Russian citizens detained in Azerbaijan.
The latest development came during a meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and his wife, Mehriban Aliyeva, in China. Putin acknowledged the existence of problems between the two countries, stating that 'some questions always arise'. However, he remains optimistic about the future of the fundamental relations between Azerbaijan and Russia and their mutual interest in their development.
The topic of the detained Russian citizens was discussed in detail during the meetings of the Russian-Azerbaijani intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation held in Astrakhan on 22 August. Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Aleksei Overchuk, who attended the meetings, stated that the first step for solving these issues is the release of the 13 Russian citizens who are detained in Azerbaijan.
Overchuk also reported that, in the economic sphere, relations between Russia and Azerbaijan are developing well and contacts are maintained. He expressed hope that the Azerbaijani leadership will approach the situation with understanding and that the Russians will soon be back in their homeland.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova mentioned that the release of these 13 Russian citizens could be an important step towards normalising relations between Moscow and Baku. She also stressed that they have appealed to Baku for a fourth meeting with the detainees, but have not received a response.
The strained relations between the two countries can be traced back to the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane in Kazakhstan in December 2024. Azerbaijan has said the plane was accidentally struck by a Russian air defence missile and called on Moscow to take responsibility for the incident.
However, the issue of the Safarov brothers' death has further complicated the relations. The Safarov brothers' death is being investigated by Azerbaijan's Prosecutor General's Office under charges of torture and murder at the hands of Russian law enforcement in Yekaterinburg. Baku has demanded that the perpetrators of the killing be held accountable.
Despite the tensions, Overchuk claimed that the tense relations have not impacted economic ties between Russia and Azerbaijan. The position of Russia was communicated in detail to the Azerbaijani delegation during the meetings.
The latest person to meet with President Aliyev, according to the excerpt, was the chairman of the literature institute during an event where Aliyev inaugurated the Samad-Vurgun Creative House of the Writers' Union on September 13, 2025. The exact name is not given in the excerpt, but this is the most recent meeting referenced.
Putin's statement was reported by the Russian media outlet Interfax. The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, however, expressed a 'strong protest' to the Russian ambassador over the death of the Safarov brothers.
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