Freed Sputnik Azerbaijan Editor Evgeny Belousov Leaves Baku; Azerbaijani Community Leader Released in Russia

Evgeny Belousov, the chief editor of Sputnik Azerbaijan, has left Baku following his release from custody, Orda.kz reports, citing The Insider.

The second correspondent of Sputnik, Belousov, has departed Baku after being released from detention,
 Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said.

Earlier, Sputnik Azerbaijan executive director Igor Kartavykh had also been freed and returned to Russia.

Meanwhile, Yusif Khalilov, head of the Azerbaijani diaspora in Voronezh and owner of one of the city’s largest markets, was released by Russian authorities shortly after Belousov’s return.

Khalilov was detained in August, a move widely interpreted as a signal amid strained relations between Baku and Moscow. Reports later surfaced that he returned to Azerbaijan.

His release appears to mark an easing of tensions between the two countries following talks between presidents Ilham Aliyev and Vladimir Putin in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.