
Why Azerbaijan Cancels Russian Events Over Police Actions
In a surprising diplomatic gesture, Azerbaijan has cancelled all Russian-led cultural events amid escalating tensions over a deadly police operation in Yekaterinburg that left Azerbaijani nationals killed. What at first seemed a local law enforcement matter revealed deeper fractures in Moscow–Baku relations. What Happened in Yekaterinburg A police crackdown targeting an ethnic group in Yekaterinburg ended tragically: two Azerbaijani nationals were reportedly killed and several others injured during the operation, according to the Azerbaijani Ministry of Culture :contentReference. In response, Azerbaijan suspended all scheduled concerts, exhibitions, and Russian performances on its soil. Diplomatic Fallout The arrest of suspects in the Yekaterinburg murders prompted Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry to summon a Russian diplomat for explanations. Azerbaijan's parliamentary delegation also withdrew from a joint Moscow commission on inter‑parliamentary cooperation, condemning the detentions as targeted and unlawful :contentReference.
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