MOSCOW, October 19. /TASS/. Igor Kartavykh, head of the Sputnik Azerbaijan news agency, has been released from custody and is heading for Russia, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

"Kartavykh has been freed from custody and is on his way to Russia," she told TASS.

According to earlier reports, a court in Azerbaijan ruled to release Kartavykh who was detained on July 1 for a four-month period following an operation by the Azerbaijani Interior Ministry at Sputnik Azerbaijan’s offices. He faced charges under the Azerbaijani Criminal Code, including large-scale fraud, illegal entrepreneurship for substantial profit, and money laundering of criminal assets. Sputnik Azerbaijan’s editorial team stated that they had not received any official bans on their operations within the country. Discussions were conducted at the working group level to address and resolve any potential disagreements, it said.