The Russian authorities clearly underestimated the consequences of what they likely saw as a routine show of force intended to pressure Azerbaijan. They also misjudged how far Azerbaijan would go in defending its sovereignty. Few in Moscow likely expected Azerbaijani law enforcement to bring criminal charges—on such serious counts—against Russian citizens. This represents a significant blunder for Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), falling into the same trap twice.
On June 30, Azerbaijani police conducted a special operation at the Baku office of Sputnik Azerbaijan, detaining several employees. Two of them—Igor Kartavykh, Executive Director of the Baku branch, and Chief Editor Yevgeny Belousov—have been charged with espionage, with strong suspicions that they were FSB agents. These suspicions did not arise out of nowhere. The court has already ordered their pre-trial detention for four months.
The agency’s political direction has remained unchanged: in sensitive regions, one of the top managerial positions is routinely occupied by military professionals, FSB officers, or—at the very least—intelligence operatives. This is part of a broader strategy to disseminate Russian propaganda abroad and gather intelligence. Rank-and-file staff may not be aware of this, and the military background of these leaders is usually kept hidden. But Sputnik’s repeated involvement in scandals has made local authorities more vigilant—and more willing to investigate.
It is no coincidence that the previous director of the Baku hub, Vitaly Denisov, was deported from Azerbaijan and replaced by Kartavykh. Before being “parachuted” into Azerbaijan, Denisov headed Sputnik South Ossetia, and in 2023 he was expelled from Moldova with a 10-year entry ban for posing “a threat to the country’s information security,” according to Moldovan authorities.
Journalistic investigations revealed Denisov to be a colonel in Russia’s Airborne Troops (VDV), with a background in the Investigative Committee, the Presidential Property Management Directorate, and various Defense Ministry-affiliated publications.
According to official Russian databases, Denisov worked in the Presidential Property Management Directorate under President Vladimir Putin in 2019, and in 2021, at the Rossiya Segodnya media group—which oversees Sputnik. Notably, the head of Rossiya Segodnya, Margarita Simonyan, also has strong ties to the FSB.
Between 2010 and 2012, Denisov worked at the Main Investigative Department of the Russian Investigative Committee for the Moscow region. In 2012, he briefly served as “Deputy Chief of Staff” of the so-called president of South Ossetia. His rank was far from minor—he was a colonel.
Nearly a decade after his stint in South Ossetia, Denisov returned to the region to lead the local Sputnik office. In 2021, he was implicated in a scandal involving a deliberate gas leak.
In 2022, he took over Sputnik Azerbaijan, quickly becoming embroiled in another controversy and was subsequently expelled.
Still, Moscow did not abandon its espionage tactics. Denisov was replaced by younger, yet equally capable operatives.
Officially, Igor Kartavykh is not listed as a professional military officer, but neither is he a journalist. He has no publicly recognized publications. His job focused solely on overseeing editorial policy. He is a manager with close ties to the Russian embassy in Azerbaijan. While he may not be a colonel like Denisov, Moscow seems to have learned from its past mistakes and sent a better-camouflaged agent.
As for Yevgeny Belousov, there is no record of him engaging in real journalism. He did not conduct investigations, write reports, or contribute opinion columns. His expertise appears limited to Russia’s geopolitical, security, and economic strategies in the South Caucasus. His role at Sputnik Azerbaijan? Apparently symbolic—his presence in the office may have served more than just a decorative function. In any case, the authorities now have grounds for further inquiry.
Azerbaijan and Moldova are not the first countries to suspect Sputnik editors of espionage. In 2023, Latvian intelligence arrested Sputnik Lithuania’s editor-in-chief Marat Kasem in Riga, suspecting him of violating sanctions and engaging in espionage.
It should be noted that Sputnik Azerbaijan never operated independently. Its Moscow-based leadership maintained tight control and often directed the local team to cover the Karabakh conflict from an Armenian perspective. Those who resisted were eventually forced out. Clearly, this situation was not sustainable. Moreover, other foreign Sputnik hubs functioned in name only.
The only branches that retain some “operational strength”—for obvious reasons—are Sputnik Armenia and Sputnik Belarus. All others have been restricted by host countries familiar with the Kremlin’s subversive activities and provocative media policy.
Maksud Salimov
