Fallout of Baku–Moscow feud continues as top TASS executive fired after visit to Azerbaijan
Mikhail Gusman, a top official at the Russian state-run media outlet TASS, has been dismissed from his position following his attendance at Azerbaijan’s Global Media Forum earlier in July. At the forum, Gusman praised Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s foreign policy choices, a comment that raised eyebrows in Russia amidst an ongoing spat between Baku and Moscow.
‘Today, in my opinion, Azerbaijan is pursuing a completely unique foreign policy’, Gusman said at the forum, as part of a long-winded buildup to the question, ‘Could you name five to seven basic political principles of President Aliyev, thanks to which you can conduct such a successful foreign policy?’
There was no official reason given for Gusman’s dismissal, which came after decades of working for the outlet. It is unclear if it was directly connected to his attendance at the forum or for the content of his question.
At the same forum, Aliyev advised Ukrainians ‘never to come to terms with occupation’.
Some Russian media outlets celebrated Gusman’s dismissal, with one popular Telegram channel accusing him of being an ‘Azerbaijani spy’. Gusman was born in Baku to Jewish parents.
Continued accusations and rumours of raids
Gusman’s dismissal appears to be the latest episode in a now months-long period of sharp deterioration of relations between Azerbaijan and Russia.
The breakdown can be linked to the deadly crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) flight in December 2024, which Baku has blamed on Russian air defence, as well as the deaths of two ethnic Azerbaijanis during a Russian police raid in Yekaterinburg in June 2025.
Aliyev and other officials have continued to press Moscow to admit its guilt for the plane crash, and have said they are planning to take Russia to international court over the incident.
In an interview with German media outlet Berliner Zeitung on Friday, Azerbaijani presidential aide Hikmat Hajiyev reiterated their position, saying ‘this situation in relations between Azerbaijan and Russia arose from the crash of an AZAL plane’.
‘The incident occurred on Russian territory, in Russian airspace, and we know how it happened. This is not a secret. Azerbaijan, a neighboring and partner state, expects Russia to take responsibility and ensure justice in this matter’.
Separately, there were conflicting reports that the Moscow offices of the company Railgo, owned by Azerbaijani businessperson Rahman Khalilov, may have been searched by Russian authorities.
There have been a series of arrests and raids on Azerbaijanis in Russia in recent weeks.
Javid Agha
