The pretrial detention of the former head of the Azerbaijani diaspora in Yekaterinburg has been extended

The court has extended the pretrial detention of Shahin Shikhlinsky, the former head of the Azerbaijani diaspora in Yekaterinburg. He will be held in pretrial detention until at least May 31, 2026.

Shikhlinsky is accused of organizing two murders and leading an ethnic criminal group in the Sverdlovsk region in the 2000s. He denies his guilt. His son, Mutvala Shikhlinsky, is also involved in the criminal case, accused of using violence against a law enforcement officer.

Shakhin Shikhlinsky was arrested on July 1. According to investigators, the car his son was driving struck a law enforcement officer. Shikhlinsky stated that the incident was an accident and that he regretted it.

This followed a large-scale operation on June 27 in Yekaterinburg, during which Azerbaijani citizens and individuals of Azerbaijani descent suspected of involvement in previous crimes were detained. According to the Azerbaijani side, some of the detainees were tortured, resulting in the deaths of two. The Azerbaijani Prosecutor General's Office opened a criminal investigation into the torture and murder of Azerbaijani citizens and individuals of Azerbaijani descent. Following these events, persecution of Azerbaijani diaspora leaders, including Shikhlinsky, has reportedly increased in Russia.

Последние новости
Pashinyan Warns of the “Beginning of the End” for the EAEU
Politics
Pashinyan Warns of the “Beginning of the End” for the EAEU
29 July 2026

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has warned that Russia’s restrictions on Armenian exports are calling into question the future of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), saying the dispute could mark “the beginning of the end” for the Moscow-led bloc if it is not resolved soon.
Nauru becomes the third country to withdraw recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia
Politics
Nauru becomes the third country to withdraw recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia
29 July 2026

The Pacific island nation of Nauru has severed diplomatic relations with the self-proclaimed entities of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, effectively revoking its earlier recognition of their "independence." The Georgian Foreign Ministry announced the move.
Imam in Georgia Beaten After Speaking Turkish
Society
Imam in Georgia Beaten After Speaking Turkish
29 July 2026

An attack on the family of a Meskhetian Muslim in the southern Georgian town of Akhaltsikhe has raised questions about the police response. The victims say more than ten men assaulted the local mosque’s imam, Shevket Dvalidze, but only two suspects were detained and later released on bail. Human rights groups are calling for investigators to examine whether the attack was motivated by ethnic, linguistic and religious hatred.
Reporters Without Borders Calls Sentences Against Azerbaijani Journalists Politically Motivated
Human rights
Reporters Without Borders Calls Sentences Against Azerbaijani Journalists Politically Motivated
29 July 2026

The international organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has condemned the sentences handed down to staff members of the Azerbaijani YouTube channel Toplum TV, describing them as further evidence of the persecution of independent journalists in the country.