Ex-chief of Yekaterinburg’s Azerbaijani diaspora hit with multimillion-ruble suit

A lawsuit seeking 22 million rubles ($280,000) in compensation for moral damages has been filed against Shahin Shikhlinski, the former head of the Azerbaijani diaspora in Yekaterinburg and the wider Sverdlovsk region.

According to Russian media, the multimillion-ruble claim was submitted by Fehruz Shirinov of Yekaterinburg. He has accused the former leader of the Azerbaijani diaspora in the Urals, as well as the Safarov brothers, of allegedly attempting to kill him back in 2010. Shirinov survived the attack because the assailant’s pistol jammed during the incident.

In June 2025, Russian law enforcement authorities conducted an operation targeting members of the Azerbaijani community in Yekaterinburg. Force was used during the raid, resulting in the deaths of two Azerbaijani natives — brothers Ziyaddin and Huseyn Safarov — who died from their injuries. Other Safarov brothers were taken into custody by court order and charged in connection with crimes allegedly committed in 2001, 2010 and 2011.

Subsequently, the head of the Azerbaijani diaspora, Shahin Shikhlinski, and his son Mutvali Shikhlinski were also detained in Yekaterinburg. A criminal case was opened against Mutvali Shikhlinski on charges of using violence against a government official. Shahin Shikhlinski was charged with attempted contract killing and with using violence against a government official.

As part of the same case, Mutvali Shikhlinski was detained on July 16, 2025, and a court ordered his pre-trial arrest. Shahin Shikhlinski was declared wanted and was apprehended in Moscow on  August 2 before being transferred to Yekaterinburg. On August 24, a court also placed him in pre-trial detention.

By Tamilla Hasanova