Azerbaijani diaspora head declared federally wanted in Russia as son remains in custody

Shahin Shikhlinski, the head of the Azerbaijani diaspora in Russia’s Ural region, has been placed on the federal wanted list.

According to preliminary information, Shikhlinski is believed to be in Moscow, Caliber.Az reports per Russian media.

“Shikhlinski was placed on the wanted list after he stopped communicating,” a source familiar with the situation said. Unconfirmed reports also indicate that a search was conducted at his residence in Yekaterinburg earlier today.

A second source suggested that Shahin Shikhlinski may be under suspicion for violating Article 318 of the Russian Criminal Code, which concerns the use of violence against public officials. The same charge has been brought against his son, Mutvali Shikhlinski, who was placed in pre-trial detention the previous day.

“They say it was Shahin who gave his son the order to reverse the vehicle,” the source claimed. During an attempted law enforcement operation, Mutvali allegedly struck a security officer with his Mercedes while reversing, leading to his immediate detention.

In a related development, the Sverdlovsk Regional Court has upheld the initial ruling to detain Mutvali Shikhlinski for two months. He remains under investigation for assaulting a law enforcement officer during the incident in Yekaterinburg.

According to media reports, the unified press office of the regional courts confirmed the decision:

“Shikhlinski and his lawyer appealed the decision of the court of first instance. After reviewing the case materials and hearing the opinions of the parties, the Sverdlovsk Regional Court left the decision of the Leninsky District Court of Yekaterinburg unchanged. Mutvali Shikhlinski will remain in custody until September 14, 2025,” the statement read.

By Vafa Guliyeva