Azerbaijani Diaspora President Shikhlinski detained in Moscow

Tensions between Russia and Azerbaijan continue. Shahin Shikhlinski, the president of the Azerbaijani Diaspora in the city of Yekaterinburg, who was subject to a federal arrest warrant issued by the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, has been detained in the capital, Moscow. Shikhlinski was transferred to Yekaterinburg as part of the ongoing investigation.

In a report citing various sources, the Russian newspaper Kommersant alleged that Shikhlinski is suspected of having ties to an organized crime group involved in prostitution, the distribution of pornography, and drug trafficking.

WHAT HAPPENED?

Operations conducted in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg on June 27 targeted the Azerbaijani-origin Seferov family. During simultaneous raids on more than 10 addresses, two brothers named Ziyeddin and Hüseyn Seferov lost their lives. In the operation, 3 people were hospitalized with serious injuries, and 9 people were detained. Following these developments, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Chargé d'Affaires of the Russian Embassy in Baku, Pyotr Volokovıh, and conveyed their expectation that the incident be investigated and that all perpetrators of the violence be brought to justice as soon as possible. The Azerbaijani Ministry of Culture also announced that all Russian cultural events in the country had been canceled. A statement from the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs indicated that the operation was carried out as part of an investigation into certain crimes committed in Yekaterinburg in previous years. While it was noted that searches were conducted at the addresses of the detained individuals, no information was provided regarding the loss of life that occurred during the operation.

An investigation was launched by the Azerbaijani Ministry of Internal Affairs into the Baku office of the Russian-affiliated international news agency "Rossiya Segodnya," Sputnik Azerbaijan, on the grounds that it continued its operations with illegal financing despite its accreditation having been revoked in February 2025. It was reported that search activities were carried out and detentions were made during an operation on the agency's office on June 30.

Later, on July 1, Shahin Shikhlinski, the president of the Azerbaijan-Ural Organization and also the president of the Azerbaijani Diaspora in Yekaterinburg, along with his son Mutvali Shikhlinski, were detained by Russian law enforcement officers with harsh intervention near the Baku Plaza shopping center in Yekaterinburg. Footage of the incident that spread on social media drew a strong reaction from Azerbaijan. Shahin Shikhlinski and his son were subsequently released. Mutvali Shikhlinski was arrested on July 16 on charges of assaulting a police officer.

News Source: İHA