Amid worsening Russian-Azerbaijani relations, head of Azerbaijani diaspora detained in Moscow

Chairman of the Azerbaijan-Ural organization Shahin Shikhlinsky was detained in Moscow and taken for questioning to the Investigative Committee in Yekaterinburg. This happened after a resonant deterioration in relations between Moscow and Baku.

It is reported that Shahin Shikhlinsky was detained by police officers after leaving the Azerbaijani embassy in Moscow. He is suspected of using violence against a government official.

Shakhin Shikhlinsky graduated from the Law Academy in the 1990s. In 2004, he became chairman of the Ural District Council of the All-Russian Azerbaijani Congress. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev awarded him the Medal for Progress and the Order of Friendship.

Earlier, the Yekaterinburg court arrested Mutvala Shikhlinsky, the son of Shahin Shikhlinsky, until September 14. He was charged under the article "use of violence against a government official".

Recall that on July 1, Shahin Shikhlinsky was detained by special forces. The man was in a car that accidentally ran over one of the security officers, with his son behind the wheel. Later, Shikhlinsky Sr. was released after being questioned as a witness in the case of the Safarov brothers. During the court hearing, Shikhlinsky Jr. said that the hit-and-run of the security officer was accidental and that he regretted what happened.

On June 27, in Yekaterinburg, employees of the Russian National Guard, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the FSB detained citizens of Azerbaijan and people of Azerbaijani origin. They were suspected of involvement in previously committed crimes. Some of them were tortured, two died - 60-year-old Guseyn Safarov and his brother, 55-year-old Ziyaddin Safarov. It was also noted in Baku that other detainees were tortured. Six people were sent to pretrial detention. Subsequently, the Prosecutor General's Office of Azerbaijan opened a criminal case on the fact of torture and deliberate murder with particular cruelty of two citizens of the country and persons of Azerbaijani origin by Russian law enforcement officers.

Последние новости
In Dagestan, a schoolgirl pulled a six-year-old boy from a car just seconds before it burst into flames
Society
In Dagestan, a schoolgirl pulled a six-year-old boy from a car just seconds before it burst into flames
30 October 2026

In Khasavyurt, 15-year-old Maryam Akavova rescued a six-year-old child from a Lada Priora that had caught fire. On October 27, the ninth-grade student was walking past a parked car when she noticed a boy’s head sticking out of a window. Upon getting closer, she saw that the glove compartment inside the vehicle was already on fire.

Human rights
"We’ve been killed": The newspaper where Anna Politkovskaya worked announces its forced closure
30 October 2026

Russia’s *Novaya Gazeta* is ceasing operations. On November 9, the editorial team plans to vacate its office in the center of Moscow, shut down its servers, and publish its final issue. The journalists announced this decision on October 30 in a statement titled "We’ve been killed," citing pressure from Russian authorities and security services, eviction from their premises, and the blocking of their reader-donation system.

Dagestan may become the second region in the North Caucasian Federal District to implement a total ban on the sale of vapes
Society
Dagestan may become the second region in the North Caucasian Federal District to implement a total ban on the sale of vapes
30 October 2026

Dagestan is considering a complete ban on the retail sale of electronic cigarettes and the liquids used in them. The republic’s People’s Assembly has approved, in the first reading, a bill that would impose a five-year restriction on the sale of such products throughout the region. The initiative was put forward by the Speaker of the Parliament, Zaur Askenderov.

Armenian Speaker Rejects Opposition Accusations of Preparing an
Politics
Armenian Speaker Rejects Opposition Accusations of Preparing an "Aliyev-Style" Constitution
30 October 2026

The Armenian authorities have no intention of adopting a Basic Law dictated by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. The discussion concerns the development of a new Constitution, which would require the approval of the republic’s own citizens, stated Ruben Rubinyan, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, during a briefing on October 30.