Diplomatic fallout intensifies as raids, detentions, and autopsy disputes deepen Azerbaijan-Russia crisis
On June 27, 2025, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) carried out an operation in Yekaterinburg targeting Azerbaijanis, resulting in the deaths of brothers Ziyyaddin (Russian citizen) and Huseyn Safarov (Azerbaijani citizen). Three other Safarov brothers—Ayaz, Mazahir, and Kamal—later died in hospital, while Bakir Safarov, Akif, Ayaz, Kamal, and Mazahir Safarov were seriously injured. Over 60 Azerbaijanis from Jalilabad, Karabakh, and Guba regions were detained.
Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry condemned the raids and summoned Russia’s chargé d’affaires Pyotr Volokovykh, demanding a full investigation and punishment for those responsible. Russia’s Investigative Committee and Interior Ministry said the operation targeted cold cases and included searches at “Baku Plaza,” detaining over 50 Azerbaijanis, some later released.
The Safarovs, originally from Aghdam district, owned the “Kaspi” restaurant in Yekaterinburg. The operation is linked to a 2001 murder case involving a man named Yunis killed at their restaurant. Court hearings for detainees were set to begin soon.
The Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs made a statement regarding the raids on homes of Azerbaijanis in Yekaterinburg, noting that citizens lost their lives, some were seriously injured, and nine people were detained. They called on Russia to urgently investigate the incident and bring those responsible for the unacceptable violence to justice as soon as possible.
In response, on June 29, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Culture suspended all Russian cultural events, including concerts, festivals, and exhibitions, condemning what it described as “targeted, extrajudicial violence” against Azerbaijanis.This suspension affected “Dream Fest,” organized by Emin Agalarov and scheduled from July 23 to 26 at Sea Breeze, which featured about 50 artists including 20 Russians, forcing significant program revisions.
The following day, June 30, Azerbaijani authorities conducted a raid at the Baku office of “Sputnik Azərbaycan,” part of Russia’s state-owned Rossiya Segodnya media group. Two Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) officers—director Igor Kartavykh and employee Yevgeny Belousov—were detained.
In response, Azerbaijan’s ambassador to Russia, Rahman Mustafayev, was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry in Moscow.
On July 1, Azerbaijani forensic experts led by Adalat Hasanov revealed that autopsies of the Safarov brothers showed blunt-force injuries and internal trauma, contradicting Russian official reports. Azerbaijan subsequently launched its own criminal investigation.
That day, Russia and Azerbaijan exchanged diplomatic notes: Russia demanded the release of journalists detained in Baku, during a meeting with Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, while Azerbaijan protested the Yekaterinburg operation citing allegations of torture and ethnic profiling and reiterated that actions against Sputnik were lawful.
On July 2, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to offer condolences over the Yekaterinburg tragedy. Zelensky publicly expressed Ukraine’s unwavering support for Azerbaijan amid Russia’s “insulting treatment” and threatening behavior and thanked Aliyev for his support of Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
That same day, Shahin Shikhlinski, head of the “Azerbaijan-Ural” public organization and local Azerbaijani diaspora leader in Yekaterinburg, was detained and interrogated as a witness by the Investigative Committee of the Sverdlovsk Region. His son and lawyer, Mutvali Shikhlinski, reported that both were detained by the FSB with force, footage of which was recorded on video. Mutvali was released shortly after; Shahin was questioned and also released. The detentions were believed to be linked to the Yekaterinburg operation.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov accused Kyiv of trying to damage Russia-Azerbaijan relations following Zelensky’s call, alleging Ukraine sought to escalate tensions and provoke Azerbaijan into emotional decisions. Peskov affirmed Russia’s commitment to protecting the legal rights of its citizens detained in Azerbaijan.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova warned Russian citizens to reconsider travel to Azerbaijan amid rising tensions and noted that Russia’s ambassador to Azerbaijan, Mikhail Yevdokimov, had been summoned by the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
On July 2, Russian media reported that Heydar Aliyev, 27-year-old son of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, owed about 1 million rubles (approximately $10,000) in tax debt related to a 1,600-square-meter luxury villa valued at $35 million in the Mayendorf Gardens elite complex near Moscow. The property is officially registered in his name. The Russian Federal Bailiff Service has faced difficulties collecting the debt due to a birthdate discrepancy. No official statement has been issued by Azerbaijan. The villa was previously investigated by Meydan TV six years ago.
On July 3, Meduza reported that ten Russian citizens—more than the previously reported seven—were detained in Azerbaijan on suspicions of drug trafficking and cybercrime. Nine detainees were identified, including IT entrepreneur Anton Drachev, former VK and Yandex programmer Dmitri Bezuqliy, programmer Sergey Sofronov, web developer Aleksandr Vaysero, oil engineer Valeri Dulov, psychologist Aleksey Vasilchenko, architecture student Dmitri Fedorov, IT entrepreneur Igor Zabolotskikh, and programmer Ilya Bezuqliy.
Also on July 3, Kovcheg (The Ark) and the Russian Embassy in Baku reported Azerbaijani law enforcement conducting night raids and home inspections targeting Russian citizens, sometimes involving physical violence. Azerbaijani authorities have not commented on these reports.
On the same day, APA reported that access to Azerbaijani websites with the “.az” domain was restricted in Russia, primarily via mobile internet providers for over a week. WiFi users remained unaffected, and no official statement has been issued by Russian regulators.
On July 4, Moscow police arrested Vagif Suleymanov, also known as Vagif Bakinski or Diplomat, for residency violations and sent him to the Sakharovo detention center pending deportation. Videos showed him being forced to the ground and interrogated about alleged theft. Suleymanov is connected to Moscow business ventures, including the “Food City” complex owned by billionaire God Nisanov. Born in 1965 in Tbilisi, he lived in Baku before relocating to Russia in the 1990s. Reports indicate multiple convictions and associations with crime boss Aslan Usoyan (Ded Hasan), killed in 2013. Separately, another Azerbaijani criminal figure named Zaur was detained in Orenburg and awaits trial.
Later on July 4, Elshan Ibrahimov, chairman of the Azerbaijani National-Cultural Autonomy in Moscow, was stripped of his Russian citizenship. Police summoned Ibrahimov on June 28, confiscated his passport, and videos of the incident circulated widely on social media. Ibrahimov promised to disclose further details after returning to Azerbaijan.
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