An Azerbaijani court has ordered the arrest in absentia of three Russian citizens accused by investigators of publicly calling for terrorism, the violent overthrow of the constitutional order and violations of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity, the country's Prosecutor General's Office said.

The suspects are journalist and Moscow 24 television host Ivan Knyazev, political consultant and media analyst Semyon Uralov, and television journalist and adviser to Russia's transport minister Alexei Chadayev.

According to Azerbaijani investigators, the three men made calls for violence against Azerbaijan, the violent overthrow of the country's constitutional order and violations of its territorial integrity during a programme published on Uralov's YouTube channel on July 14.

The Prosecutor General's Office also said that statements supporting violence against Azerbaijan, as well as the physical elimination and persecution of certain individuals, were made during a programme broadcast on Aug. 13. Investigators said the statements contained elements of public calls for terrorism.

Criminal proceedings have been opened against Uralov, Knyazev and Chadayev under provisions relating to public calls for terrorism and actions against the state, as well as incitement to national hatred and hostility. As all three men are outside Azerbaijan, they have been placed on a wanted list and the court ordered their arrest in absentia.

Azerbaijani law-enforcement authorities have also appealed to the relevant agencies in other countries to establish the men's whereabouts and detain them for possible extradition to Azerbaijan. Authorities are also working to have them placed on an international wanted list through Interpol.