The hostile steps seriously damage bilateral relations, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said

Azerbaijan has not granted the Russian citizens recently arrested in Baku access to consular services, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said.

A Baku court jailed at least ten Russian nationals on Tuesday for four months pending trial. Two senior journalists from the Sputnik Azerbaijan news agency, as well as at least eight other Russians, have been behind bars in the country since Monday. Moscow has slammed the arrests as "unlawful," and has demanded the Russians' immediate release.

"We have requested that employees of the embassy's consular department be allowed to visit the Russian citizens," but access has so far "not been granted," Zakharova said in a press briefing on Wednesday.

She demanded that "those who want to spoil bilateral relations" cease attempts to further escalate the situation. A number of Azerbaijani news outlets have been spreading "fake news," she added.

"These steps cause serious damage to interstate relations," the spokeswoman said.

Earlier Azerbaijani reports about the possible closure of Russian-language schools in the country had been denied by Baku's Education Ministry, Zakharova added.

Bilateral relations between Moscow and Baku have been strained as of late. The diplomatic downturn was sparked by a police raid in Russia's Yekaterinburg last week, which targeted an alleged ethnic crime ring composed of Russian nationals of Azerbaijani origin. It was part of an investigation into a series of murders dating back as far as 2001.

Two elderly suspects died during the operation, at least one of whom suffered heart failure, according to preliminary information. The incident spurred outrage in Azerbaijani media and among local officials, who have accused Moscow of ethnic bias.

Five of the six men arrested have been charged, after one turned state's evidence, Russian authorities reported on Wednesday.

Top law enforcement officials from both sides are in direct discussions, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a briefing on Wednesday.

When asked to comment on recent video reports that appeared to show bruises and traces of blood on a number of the Russian nationals detained in Azerbaijan, Peskov noted that Moscow had seen the footage and "noted every detail."

Russia will "defend the legitimate interests" of its citizens, and will "use all available means" to that end, he said.

The Russian embassy in Baku has confirmed that Russians in Azerbaijan have increasingly complained that they and their families have been subjected to violence.

(RT.com)