Son of Azerbaijani diaspora leader detained again in Yekaterinburg, Russia

Mutvali Shikhlinski, the son of Shahin Shikhlinski, head of the Azerbaijani diaspora in Russia’s Ural region, has been detained in Yekaterinburg following an incident involving a law enforcement officer.

According to local media outlet E1.ru, Shikhlinski was taken into custody under Article 91 of the Russian Criminal Code. He is reportedly being held for 48 hours pending the initiation of legal proceedings.

Sources indicate that a search is scheduled to be conducted at Shikhlinski’s residence as part of the investigation.

The Telegram channel Mash reports that the arrest was made after Shikhlinski allegedly struck an operative with his vehicle. 

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. Mutvali believes their detention is linked to this high-profile case.

By Vugar Khalilov