Law enforcement officers in Yekaterinburg have detained the head of the “Center for Culture, Youth and Sports of Azerbaijanis of the Urals,” Vidadi Mustafayev – the second prominent Azerbaijani community leader taken into custody in the region in recent months.
According to local outlet 66.RU, the arrest was carried out by officers of the Organized Crime Directorate (OBOП) with support from SOBR special forces. Mustafayev was detained outside the Iset Tower after a training session. Officials claim he is suspected of “fraud related to land transactions.”
A Pattern – Not an Isolated Case
Mustafayev’s detention comes shortly after the arrest of his predecessor, Shakhin Shykhlinski, former head of the “Azerbaijan–Ural” organization. Shykhlinski has been held since August on charges stemming from a 2010 attempted murder case – accusations his supporters say were suddenly revived after more than a decade of inactivity.
The back-to-back detentions have raised concerns among Azerbaijani community members, who note that both leaders – despite their rivalry – were removed through sweeping criminal allegations at a time when Moscow’s law-enforcement agencies appear increasingly focused on ethnic minority organizations.
Community Leaders See Selective Scrutiny
While Russian officials frame the cases as routine criminal investigations, representatives of the Azerbaijani diaspora say the pattern is difficult to overlook:
both leaders of the same ethnic community were taken down within months, both through force-heavy operations, and both shortly after assuming or contesting leadership roles.
Mustafayev himself had previously appeared in a corruption case involving former Middle Urals mayor Andrey Zashlyapin and an FSB officer. He avoided prosecution by reporting the bribe to authorities – a detail that now makes the renewed interest in him particularly notable.
Several Azerbaijani activists told independent media that the recent series of cases suggests “selective enforcement targeting the community’s leadership,” describing the pressure as disproportionate compared to how similar disputes are handled with ethnic Russian organizations.
A Climate of Growing Pressure
Across Russia, minority diaspora organizations – Central Asian, Caucasian, and North Caucasian communities in particular – have reported increased inspections, raids, and administrative pressure since early 2025, often justified through allegations of financial misconduct or “extremism prevention.”
Analysts note that with the Kremlin consolidating control amid geopolitical tensions, local law-enforcement bodies have become more assertive in disciplining diaspora networks perceived as insufficiently controlled or internally divided.
No Reaction Yet From Baku
Azerbaijan’s government has not yet issued an official response, though diplomatic sources privately express concern about Russia’s “systematic use of criminal proceedings” against Azerbaijani civic figures – a trend they warn could destabilize integration efforts in regions with significant Azerbaijani populations.
For now, Mustafayev’s detention adds to an emerging picture:
in a tightening Russian security environment, being an ethnic community leader appears to carry growing risks – especially if that community is Azerbaijani.
