Azerbaijan shuts down Russian House in Baku

PanARMENIAN.Net - Azerbaijan has officially notified Russia of its decision to terminate the operations of Rossotrudnichestvo within its territory. The move is aimed at ensuring national security, particularly in light of the ongoing investigation into the December crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane, TRT reports.

«Our country has become a donor itself and no longer needs external aid, especially when such assistance is provided through non-transparent schemes, and the structure of these organizations is blatantly intelligence-driven,» sources in Baku told Report.

Tensions between Baku and Moscow escalated after the December 25, 2024, plane crash near Aktau. According to preliminary findings, the Baku-Grozny flight was subjected to external interference while in Chechen airspace. Of the 67 passengers on board, only 29 survived.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev reacted strongly to the incident: «I can say with confidence that the blame for the deaths of Azerbaijani citizens in this disaster lies with representatives of the Russian Federation. And we demand justice, we demand punishment for those responsible, we demand full transparency and humane behavior.»

Azerbaijani media, including BakuTV, labeled the Russian House in Baku—operating under Rossotrudnichestvo’s oversight—as a «hotbed of separatism and a nest of espionage.» The news outlet Caliber.az reported that the plane was allegedly shot down by a Russian Pantsir-S1 system with the support of electronic warfare measures.

Notably, Azerbaijan had previously taken a similar step against the U.S. agency USAID, well before then-U.S. President Donald Trump decided to shut it down.