BAKU, July 31 — The Sverdlovsk Regional Court has upheld the pre-trial detention of several Azerbaijani nationals arrested in Yekaterinburg, extending their custody until October 19, 2025, amid ongoing investigations into a string of historical murders.
According to the regional court’s press service, the decision reaffirms a previous ruling by the Verkh-Isetsky District Court, which had ordered the suspects to remain behind bars.
Among those whose detention was extended are Kamran Safarov, Ayaz Makhbali oglu Safarov, Akif Makhbali oglu Safarov, and Mazakhir Makhbali oglu Safarov. Two other defendants in the same case — Akhliman Satdar oglu Ganjiev and Bakir Mehdi oglu Safarov — had also previously lost their appeals and will remain in custody under the same ruling.
The group is accused of involvement in multiple contract-style murders committed in the early 2000s in the Sverdlovsk region of Russia. According to the Russian Investigative Committee, a criminal network with Azerbaijani ties has been dismantled, and eight suspects are currently facing charges.
However, the case has taken on a sharp diplomatic dimension. At least two of the detainees reportedly died while in Russian custody — one from alleged heart failure, while the cause of the second death remains under investigation. After the bodies were transported to Baku, Azerbaijani officials reported signs of violence during the forensic examination, prompting formal protests.
As tensions escalated, Azerbaijan suspended joint events with Russia and detained several Russian citizens, including journalists Igor Kartavykh and Yevgeny Belousov, who are currently held under a four-month arrest order.
Both countries have exchanged diplomatic protest notes over the affair, and foreign ministry officials in Moscow and Baku have summoned each other’s envoys for explanations.
The case continues to strain relations between the two countries, already under pressure amid broader geopolitical shifts in the South Caucasus.
