Russian court extends custody of Azerbaijani diaspora leader’s son

A Russian court has extended the detention of Mutvali Shikhlinski, the son of the head of the Azerbaijani diaspora in Yekaterinburg, who is facing charges of violence against a public official.

According to the regional court press service, the Verkh-Isetsky District Court ruled to keep him in custody until December 14, 2025, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

Shikhlinski is accused under Article 318, Part 1 of the Russian Criminal Code, which covers the use of violence against representatives of authority.

On July 1, Mutvali Shikhlinski and his father, Shahin Shikhlinski—the head of the Azerbaijani diaspora and the public organisation "Azerbaijan-Urals"—were detained by FSB officers near the "Baku Plaza" shopping centre.

Mutvali was released later that day, while his father was taken to the Investigative Committee of the Sverdlovsk Region to testify as a witness. Shahin Shikhlinski was also released subsequently.

These detentions occurred against the backdrop of a recent law enforcement operation in Yekaterinburg, during which two Azerbaijani nationals, the Safarov brothers, were killed. 

On July 17, the Leninsky District Court in Yekaterinburg, Russia, ordered the pre-trial detention of the son of the head of the Azerbaijani diaspora, Mutvali Shikhlinski, for a period of two months, until September 14, 2025. 

On July 30, Shahin Shikhlinski, the head of the Azerbaijani diaspora in Russia’s Ural region, was placed on the federal wanted list.

By Aghakazim Guliyev