Yekaterinburg court extends detention of Azerbaijani diaspora members until 2026

A court in Yekaterinburg has extended the pre-trial detention of three members of the Azerbaijani diaspora accused of involvement in a series of serious crimes, according to Komsomolskaya Pravda.

Aziz Abasov, Shahin Lalayev and Ahliman Ganjiyev remain in custody under charges brought pursuant to Part 3 of Article 33 of the Russian Criminal Code, which covers complicity in a crime as an organiser, instigator or accomplice. They are also charged under subparagraphs “z” and “j” of Part 2 of Article 105, which relate to aggravated forms of murder, including offences committed by an organised group and crimes motivated by particularly dangerous intent.

“The preventive measure has been extended until March 29, 2026. The court’s ruling has not yet entered into legal force. The parties have three days to appeal it,” the press service of the Sverdlovsk Regional Court said.

Investigators allege that the three defendants acted as accomplices in the crimes under investigation. The charges also include elements of contract killing and attempted contract killing, depending on the specific episode. In a related case, Akif Safarov faces an expanded set of accusations, including attempted offences under Part 3 of Article 30 of the Criminal Code, which applies when a crime is not completed for reasons beyond the suspect’s control.

The current proceedings stem from a large-scale law enforcement operation carried out in Yekaterinburg in June 2025, when Russian authorities detained several Azerbaijani nationals. The operation involved the use of force and resulted in the deaths of two Azerbaijani brothers, Ziyaddin and Huseyn Safarov, who succumbed to injuries sustained during the raids. Other members of the Safarov family, along with several additional Azerbaijani citizens, were taken into custody following court decisions.

Those detained were later charged in connection with alleged crimes dating back to 2001, 2010 and 2011. As the investigation expanded, Shahin Shikhlinski, head of the Azerbaijani diaspora in Yekaterinburg, and his son Mutvali Shikhlinski were also detained. A criminal case was opened against Mutvali Shikhlinski on charges of using force against a state representative, while Shahin Shikhlinski is accused of attempted contract killing and using force against a state official.

By Tamilla Hasanova