Dismissal of TASS Deputy Chief Sparks Controversy After Azerbaijan Praise

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has removed Mikhail Gusman from his position as first deputy director of the state-owned news agency TASS, as stated in an official decree released on Friday.

The decree did not provide any reasons for Gusman’s dismissal.

Andrei Kondrashov, the general director of TASS, expressed gratitude to Gusman for his «30 years of dedicated service at TASS» and wished him success with «new teams» in future endeavors.

Although no formal explanation was provided for the dismissal, it follows public criticism from pro-Kremlin commentators after Gusman’s recent participation in a media forum in Azerbaijan, where he praised President Ilham Aliyev.

During the Shusha Global Media Forum earlier this month, Gusman described Azerbaijan’s political direction as “clear and well-defined,” comparing Aliyev to a “virtuoso violinist.”

His comments sparked intense backlash from nationalist bloggers and analysts, who accused him of flattering Baku at a time of escalating tensions between Russia and Azerbaijan.

Sergei Kolyasnikov, a prominent figure behind the influential Zergulio Telegram channel, criticized Gusman and another commentator, Sergei Markov, for praising Aliyev “when our journalists are being held hostage in Azerbaijani prisons.”

Similarly, Alexander Kots, a reporter for the pro-Kremlin tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda, condemned the two for traveling to Azerbaijan “to pay homage” to Aliyev.

Gusman, who is 75 years old and originally from Baku, has been a significant figure in Russian media for many years. He has held the role of first deputy director at TASS since 1999 and also leads the Russian committee of UNESCO’s International Program for the Development of Communication. He has received state honors for his contributions to Russian culture and journalism.

Tensions between Moscow and Baku have escalated since a December 2024 incident, where an Azerbaijani Airlines flight heading to Grozny was reportedly shot down by Russian air defense systems over Kazakhstan.

Relations further declined after two ethnic Azerbaijani individuals died during police operations in Yekaterinburg, Russia, in June.

In retaliation, Azerbaijani authorities detained and assaulted over ten Russian nationals, raided the offices of Sputnik Azerbaijan, and arrested two local employees connected to the Russian state media outlet.