Azerbaijan Intensifies Media Crackdown by Closing Russia Today Office

Azerbaijan has closed the Moscow-backed media group’s representative office, officials announced on Monday, marking another instance of a crackdown on international media.

Just a week earlier, the authorities of the oil-rich Caspian state instructed the BBC to shut down its office, which the British broadcaster condemned as a «blow to press freedom.»

«The representative office of Russia Today in Azerbaijan is now closed,» stated Ayahan Hajizade, the spokesperson for the foreign ministry, adding that «from this point forward, they can operate in Azerbaijan with only one correspondent.»

Hajizade also revealed that accreditation for a Voice of America journalist had been revoked.

The Russian media group had maintained a presence in Azerbaijan via its subsidiary, the Sputnik news agency.

The European Union, the UK, and Canada have imposed sanctions on Russia Today, accusing it of disseminating disinformation and pro-Kremlin propaganda following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine three years ago.

Relations between Azerbaijan and Moscow have recently deteriorated, especially after Azerbaijan alleged that a plane from Azerbaijan Airlines, which crashed last year, was shot at from Russian territory.

Baku has requested that Moscow take responsibility for the incident.

President Ilham Aliyev remarked that the aircraft, which went down in December over Kazakhstan, resulting in the deaths of 38 of the 67 individuals onboard, was inadvertently struck by Russian air defense while it was in Russian airspace.

The closure of the Russia Today office seems to be part of a wider effort to restrict foreign media in Azerbaijan.

According to Reporters Without Borders, Azerbaijan ranks among the most repressive countries globally in terms of press freedom.