Russian transport advisor resigns after Azerbaijan issues international wanted notice

Russian transport advisor resigns after Azerbaijan issues international wanted notice
Alexey Chadayev, advisor to the Russian minister of transport, who said he had resigned. Photo: Azertac.
Azertac

Alexey Chadayev has resigned as an advisor to Russia’s transport minister after Azerbaijan placed him and two other Russian citizens on an international wanted list over alleged calls for violence and terrorism, amid a widening diplomatic row between Baku and Moscow.

Chadayev announced his resignation on Telegram, saying he had decided to step down from his role as an advisor to Russia’s transport minister, according to Trend.

Three Russians placed on wanted list

Azerbaijan’s Prosecutor General’s Office earlier said Chadayev was one of three Russian citizens charged in absentia and placed on an international wanted list through Interpol channels.

The other two are Ivan Knyazev, a journalist and presenter at Moscow 24, and Semyon Uralov, who describes himself as a political consultant and media expert.

Prosecutors said the criminal case concerns public calls for the forcible change of Azerbaijan’s constitutional order and the violation of its territorial integrity, as well as incitement of national hatred and hostility and public calls for terrorism.

According to Azerbaijani authorities, the alleged remarks were made during broadcasts on Semyon Uralov’s YouTube channel on 14 July and 13 August. Prosecutors said the statements included calls for violent methods against Azerbaijan and threats to kill certain individuals.

The case was opened under Articles 214-2, 281.2 and 283.2.1 of Azerbaijan’s Criminal Code. As the three individuals are outside Azerbaijan, their arrests were ordered in absentia and Baku requested assistance from international partners.

Diplomatic tensions with Moscow

The development follows Azerbaijan’s summoning of Russian Ambassador Mikhail Yevdokimov to the Foreign Ministry over what Baku described as provocative, insulting and threatening statements in Russia’s media and information space targeting Azerbaijan, its people and leadership.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said it expressed serious concern and a firm protest to the Russian side, citing statements made on Russian media platforms, including the Chistota Ponimaniya project, Sputnik Radio and Spas TV, as well as on YouTube.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova later said statements made by the three Russian citizens did not reflect Moscow’s approach towards Azerbaijan or bilateral relations.

She said ties between the two countries should continue on the basis of the existing legal framework, including the 2022 Declaration on Allied Interaction.

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