On January 27, Yevgeny Primakov, the Head of Rossotrudnichestvo, announced plans to file a lawsuit against the Azerbaijani government-affilated Baku.tv for alleged defamation against the Russian Cultural Center in Baku.

Primakov criticized a report from Baku.tv, claiming it falsely labeled the center as "a nest of spies and a den of separatists." He stated, "I would like to hear irrefutable evidence of this slander and lies from the Azerbaijani government-funded media outlet. Or refutations and apologies." Primakov emphasized that the Russian Cultural Center operates under an intergovernmental agreement between Russia and Azerbaijan, adhering to established treaties and laws. The center, he noted, focuses exclusively on education, culture, and science, offering classes in the Russian language, art, and music, as well as hosting exhibitions and concerts.

Primakov highlighted previous successful lawsuits over similar accusations, particularly in Germany, where retractions were issued regarding the activities of the Russian House in Berlin. "We assess the lawsuit as 100% winnable for us," he added.

On January 28, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin met with Azerbaijani Ambassador to Moscow Rahman Mustafayev at the Russian Foreign Ministry to address concerns about an "anti-Russian campaign" in Azerbaijani media following the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane near Aktau, Kazakhstan, on December 25, 2024.

The Russian Foreign Ministry emphasized the importance of fostering relations between Russia and Azerbaijan in the spirit of the strategic partnership outlined in the Declaration signed on February 22, 2022. It expressed confusion over recent anti-Russian narratives in Azerbaijani media, including what it described as a disinformation campaign targeting the Russia House in Baku.

The statement noted the "absolute groundlessness" of these accusations and called for clarity regarding the Aktau tragedy. The Russian side stressed the importance of completing the official investigation into the crash and publishing the findings to determine all the circumstances surrounding the incident.