FSB officers in the Perm region have detained Ruslan Mamedov (Mamed oglu), a leader of the local Azerbaijani diaspora. Investigators allege that he offered to help drop a criminal case against a Perm resident in exchange for money intended for law enforcement officials.
Mamedov has been charged under Part 5 of Article 291.1 of the Russian Criminal Code (mediation in bribery). There has been no official announcement regarding the exact date of his detention.
It has been reported that on August 19, the Perm Regional Court refused to overturn the order for his arrest. Mamedov will remain in custody until at least October 7, 2026.
At the same time, the FSB announced an entry ban for Mamedov. He is barred from returning to Russia until June 2076—effectively a 50-year ban.
According to *Ural Mash*, the story of Mamedov’s time in Russia dates back well before the current criminal case. The outlet claims he was previously deported from the country in 2018. That same year, he allegedly changed his name and returned, despite the active ban. Later, Mamedov established a business in the Perm region. He was listed in the public registry of entrepreneurs as a sole proprietor starting in November 2024; however, his business registration was terminated as early as April 2025.
Mamedov’s detention comes amidst a new wave of legal cases and deportations affecting members of the Azerbaijani diaspora in Russia. For instance, on August 17, news emerged of the deportation of Bakhtiyar Gasanov, chairman of the National Cultural Autonomy of Azerbaijanis in Moscow. He had previously been stripped of his Russian citizenship. In the summer of 2025, several prominent members of the Azerbaijani community also lost their Russian citizenship: Arshad Khankishiyev, head of the diaspora in the Chelyabinsk region; Elshan Ibrahimov, head of the association of Azerbaijanis in the Moscow region; and athlete Javid Rzayev.
Relations between Russia and Azerbaijan deteriorated following an air disaster on December 25, 2024. An Azerbaijan Airlines passenger jet flying from Baku to Grozny was unable to land due to a drone attack; it diverted from its flight path and crashed in Kazakhstan. Thirty-nine of the 67 people on board lost their lives. Moscow initially refused to acknowledge that the plane had been struck by its own air defense system, or to offer apologies and compensation to the victims' families. Only later did the Kremlin confirm its involvement in the disaster, attributing the incident to Ukrainian UAVs.
