Media: Detained head of Azerbaijani diaspora in Yekaterinburg placed in custody

The Verkh-Isetskiy District Court in Yekaterinburg, Russia, has ordered the detention of Vidadi Mustafayev, the new head of the Azerbaijani diaspora in the Ural region, on fraud charges (Part 4, Article 159 of the Russian Criminal Code), URA.RU reports.

The prosecution had requested his arrest.

“Vidadi Mustafayev has been placed in custody,” Judge Yulia Merkulova announced.

Mustafayev will remain in detention until January 31, 2026.

He is suspected of misappropriating land plots from Agroprodukt, a Ural-based company specialising in crop production and land management.

On December 1, police, supported by a special operations unit, detained the new leader of the Azerbaijani community in the Urals, Vidadi Mustafayev, following the tenure of Shahin Shikhlinski.

Mustafayev was reportedly apprehended at the entrance to the Iset Tower, where he was visiting the upscale Encore fitness club. Officers from the Department for Organised Crime and a rapid response unit were involved in the operation.

By Khagan Isayev