Russia revokes citizenship of Azerbaijani diaspora leader Islam Huseynov

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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