The former head of Yekaterinburg's Azerbaijani diaspora received a 24-year sentence
A Yekaterinburg court found Shahin Shykhlinsky, the former head of the city's Azerbaijani diaspora, and his son, Mutvala, guilty of using violence against a government official. As a result, the former was sentenced to 24 years in prison (including his previous sentence), while his son received an eight-year sentence.
The incident that prompted the new sentence occurred on July 1, 2025, near the Baku Plaza shopping center in Yekaterinburg. While Shahin Shykhlinsky was being detained, his son, Mutvala, who was driving a car, struck a security officer while reversing. He later claimed it was an accident.
Earlier, in early March, Shahin Shykhlinsky was sentenced to 22 years in prison on charges of organizing two murders and leading an ethnic criminal group in the Sverdlovsk region in the 2000s. He denied any guilt.
As a reminder, the arrest of Azerbaijani nationals in Yekaterinburg in the summer of 2025, during which two brothers died, strained relations between Moscow and Baku. All those arrested were charged with organizing contract killings, charges they denied. In response, the Azerbaijani Prosecutor General's Office opened a criminal investigation into the torture and murder of its citizens. Following these events, persecution of Azerbaijani diaspora leaders in Russia has reportedly increased.
