Islam Huseynov, the head of the Azerbaijani diaspora and an advisor to the governor of Russia’s Ulyanovsk region, has been stripped of his Russian citizenship.

The official reason has not yet been announced, and Huseynov himself has declined to comment.

According to RBC sources, the decision was made on October 14 by the Ulyanovsk Regional Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, based on a request from the Federal Security Service (FSB).

The 56-year-old Huseynov has lived in Ulyanovsk for 20 years and has led the Azerbaijani diaspora since 2005.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev awarded Huseynov the “Progress” Medal, while the Ulyanovsk regional government honored him with the “Friendship of Peoples” Medal.

Relations between Russia and Azerbaijan have remained tense over the past 10 months. The tension began after the December 25, 2024 crash of an AZAL aircraft in Kazakhstan, which killed 38 of the 67 passengers. Baku blamed Moscow for the incident, demanding an apology and compensation. Russia, however, urged patience until the investigation’s results were released.

In June 2025, the deaths of Azerbaijani nationals in Yekaterinburg, allegedly as a result of torture, along with injuries to others, were described by Baku as “ethnic pressure.” Pressure on Azerbaijani businessmen in Russia further escalated tensions.

In response, Azerbaijan shut down “Sputnik Azerbaijan”, suspended the operations of the “Russian House”, and arrested several Russian citizens.

On October 9, during a meeting in Dushanbe, Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized to President Ilham Aliyev over the crash and pledged to pay compensation. The next day, the head of “Sputnik Azerbaijan” was released from custody.

Huseynov had previously faced criminal charges in 2015, accused of large-scale fraud and money laundering related to the acquisition of a municipal land plot. Investigators alleged he purchased the land for 776,000 rubles, despite its market value being 6 million rubles, and began constructing a residential building instead of the promised hotel.

The court found him guilty of fraud but acquitted him on the money-laundering charge. He was sentenced to four years of probation and fined 1 million rubles. Huseynov pleaded not guilty.

There have been two assassination attempts against him: the first in 2009, when the attacker mistakenly injured a Ulyanovsk customs officer and his wife, and the second in 2012, during which Huseynov’s bodyguard was killed.

In 2022, Huseynov was appointed as an advisor to Governor Alexey Russkikh on a voluntary basis.

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The European Court of Human Rights has issued another ruling against the Government of Azerbaijan.

The decision concerns an application filed by journalist Ramin Jabrayilzada (Deko), who is currently in prison, regarding freedom of information.

Ramin Jabrayilzada (Deko) was detained on December 6, 2024, in connection with the “Meydan TV case.”

 He was initially charged under Article 206.3.2 of the Criminal Code (smuggling committed by a group of persons acting in collusion), and a court ordered his pretrial detention.

On August 28, 2025, the charges in the “Meydan TV case” were increased. Currently, 12 people arrested in this case are being charged under seven different articles of the Criminal Code.

In 2012, Jabrayilzada sent a request for information to the Presidential Administration, asking for the following data:

• A list of well-known individuals — artists, athletes, and officials — who had been granted apartments by presidential decrees;
• The financial sources for these apartments;
• Whether the state owned any other housing funds and whether the Baku City Executive Authority had any powers over those funds.

The Presidential Administration did not respond to the journalist’s request.
Jabrayilzada therefore filed a lawsuit, but the domestic courts rejected his claim.
After that, he appealed to the European Court of Human Rights.

In its judgment, the European Court stated that the journalist was fulfilling the function of a “public watchdog” and that the requested information was necessary for his professional activities.
The Court further noted that the information sought related to an issue of significant public interest, namely the distribution of state-funded apartments to citizens.

In this case, the Presidential Administration neither determined who held the information, nor forwarded the request to the relevant authority, nor responded to the applicant at all.
The domestic courts failed to address this inaction and merely stated that the journalist had “applied to the wrong authority.”

The Court concluded that the behavior of the Presidential Administration was “not prescribed by law” and constituted an interference with the journalist’s freedom of information.
Accordingly, the European Court found a violation of Articles 10 (freedom of expression) and 13 (right to an effective remedy) of the European Convention on Human Rights.

The Court also noted that the mere finding of a violation in this case was sufficient compensation for any moral damage the applicant might have suffered, and therefore no monetary compensation was awarded.

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During a meeting in Dushanbe, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed beginning talks with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev by discussing the crash of the AZAL aircraft.

At the meeting on October 9, Putin once again expressed his condolences over the accident and reminded Aliyev that he had apologized during their earlier phone conversation following the tragedy.

“I would like to begin our meeting with the aviation accident that occurred in our airspace. During our first phone call after the incident, I not only apologized for the fact that the tragedy happened in Russian skies but also expressed my deepest condolences to the families of the victims. The investigation is coming to an end, and now we can already speak about the causes of this disaster,” Putin said.

The Russian president also elaborated on the reasons behind the crash:

“There were several causes. The first is that a Ukrainian drone was in the air at the time. On the night of the tragedy, we observed three such drones crossing the border. The second reason relates to technical failures in Russia’s air defense system. There is no doubt that in such tragic situations, everything necessary — including compensation — will be carried out by Russia, and all responsible officials will face legal evaluation of their actions.”

On December 25, 2024, an Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) plane flying from Baku to Grozny crashed near Aktau in Kazakhstan.

Of the 67 people on board, 42 were Azerbaijani, 16 Russian, 6 Kazakh, and 3 Kyrgyz citizens. 38 people were killed, and 29 survived.

In June 2025, tensions rose after two ethnic Azerbaijanis detained during a police operation in Yekaterinburg died under torture, and several others were injured. Baku condemned the incidents as “ethnic pressure” and harshly criticized Russian authorities. Additionally, the persecution of Azerbaijani-linked businessmen in Russia — including raids, arrests, and business interference — fueled further discontent.

In response, Azerbaijan shut down the Baku office of “Sputnik”, arrested several Russian citizens on espionage charges, and suspended the activities of the “Russian House” cultural center.

Putin also spoke about bilateral cooperation, noting:

“Despite the tragedy and all the surrounding issues, our economic relations have been developing successfully. Last year, we achieved around 6% growth, and this year it has already exceeded 16%, which is an excellent result. Thanks to your attention, our humanitarian ties have always remained strong. We will do everything to preserve this positive dynamic.”

The Russian president expressed optimism about the future of Moscow-Baku relations:

“I hope that our cooperation will not only be restored but will also continue in the spirit of our alliance. We never forget the treaty we signed recently and will do our utmost to ensure that all its key provisions are implemented,” Putin said.

President Ilham Aliyev thanked Putin for his personal attention to the AZAL plane crash investigation and stressed the importance of continuing economic cooperation:

“I would like to thank you personally for keeping this situation under your attention. We have discussed it many times, and our teams remain in constant contact. We had no doubt that the investigation under your supervision would be conducted objectively. Thank you once again for giving this matter special attention during our meeting,” Aliyev said.

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