July 15, 2025 – St. Petersburg, Russia
Four senior police officers in the Vsevolozhsky district of Russia’s Leningrad region have been detained in connection with a major corruption investigation. Russian media report that the officials allegedly received bribes from Azerbaijani businessmen involved in the illegal sale of alcohol and contraband cigarettes.
According to investigators, the businessmen—identified as Vusal Orudzhev, Ibadat Ismayilov, Asif Allahverdiyev, and Arastun Talibov—are accused of operating an underground distribution network for smuggled tobacco and alcohol, and of employing undocumented migrant workers.
All four businessmen have been taken into custody until at least September 9. They deny all charges.
Authorities say the arrests followed a broader anti-corruption sweep in the region, during which the detained police officers were found to have accepted bribes in exchange for turning a blind eye to the illicit trade.
The investigation has drawn increased attention to the presence and activities of some Azerbaijani-linked business networks in Russia. In a separate but related development, special forces recently raided the property of Azerbaijani businessman Yusif Khalilov in Voronezh, who owns a popular restaurant and a stake in a major marketplace. In Yekaterinburg, police also launched an operation targeting Shahin Shykhlinsky, the head of the local Azerbaijani diaspora organization “Azerbaijan-Ural.”
Russian law enforcement has not ruled out further arrests as the probe widens.
