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October 10, 2025 – Russia/Azerbaijan –
Following a high-level meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Dushanbe, Azerbaijan has transferred Igor Kartavykh, the executive director of Sputnik Azerbaijan, from prison to house arrest.
Kartavykh and several of his colleagues had been detained in June, amid rising tensions between Moscow and Baku. The Russian state media outlet Sputnik was under investigation after Azerbaijani authorities ordered its closure and scrutiny of its ties to Rossiya Segodnya.
According to Reuters sources, the decision to ease his detention coincided with the diplomatic encounter—and may have formed part of a prisoner exchange. Reports suggest an unnamed Azerbaijani national held in Russia was released in return.
At the same summit, Putin made a notable admission: that Russia had accidentally downed an Azerbaijani passenger plane in December of the previous year, resulting in the deaths of at least 38 people. He pledged compensation for the victims.
It remains unclear whether Kartavykh will still face prosecution, even while under house arrest. His case is set against a backdrop of escalating media suppression in Azerbaijan, where independent media outlets and dissenting voices have faced increasing pressure.
This development underscores how journalistic detentions can intersect with state diplomacy—and how media freedom may be leveraged as a bargaining chip in broader geopolitical maneuvering.
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