MOSCOW/BAKU, July 1 (Xinhua) -- The Russian foreign ministry on Tuesday lodged a protest with Azerbaijan over its latest "unfriendly actions."

Azerbaijan's ambassador to Russia was presented with a protest in connection with "the latest unfriendly actions of Baku, the deliberate steps of the Azerbaijani side to dismantle bilateral relations," the ministry said in a statement.

It added that a verbal note was made to the ambassador demanding the immediate release of two Russian journalists detained in Baku.

Spats have broken out between Moscow and Baku after two ethnic Azerbaijanis died over the weekend following Russian police raids in Yekaterinburg linked with decades-old criminal cases, according to media reports.

Azerbaijan's Prosecutor General's Office on Tuesday launched a criminal probe into the alleged torture and killing of two Azerbaijani citizens by Russian law enforcement officers. Baku also canceled all Russian cultural events in the country.

Following the incident, the Russian charge d'affaires in Baku was summoned to Azerbaijan's foreign ministry, where a strong protest was presented. The ministry expressed serious concern over the incident and called on Russia to conduct a prompt investigation and bring those responsible to justice.

The Russian foreign ministry said the actions by Russian law enforcement agencies were carried out in full compliance with Russian legislation and called Baku's accusation "interference in Russia's internal affairs." Enditem