Tensions are escalating between Russia and Azerbaijan, an oil-rich Caspian Sea nation, driven by a series of contentious incidents and shifting geopolitical dynamics in the South Caucasus. Among the immediate flashpoints are the deaths of ethnic Azerbaijanis in Russia,

Officials say police in Azerbaijan's capital of Baku searched the offices of Russia’s state-funded news outlet Sputnik amid rising tensions between the two countries after the deaths of two ethnic Azerbaijanis during a police raid last week in a Russian city.

The rift, provoked by the deaths of two ethnic Azerbaijanis in Russian custody, was the latest in a series of spats that revealed a deeper diplomatic rift between the former allies.