10:57, 12 February 2026

A jury found the head of the Azerbaijani community in the Urals guilty of murder.

The jury found members of the Azerbaijani diaspora, including its former head, Shahin Shykhlinski, guilty of murder and attempted murder.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," in December 2025, the court arrested the head of the Azerbaijani community of Ural, Vidadi Mustafayev, on fraud charges. Mustafayev denied his guilt.

The head of the Azerbaijan-Ural organization, Shahin Shykhlinski (also referred to in the media as Shikhlinsky and Shykhlinsky, - Caucasian Knot note), was detained by security forces in Yekaterinburg on the evening of July 1, 2025. According to his son, he was taken to the Investigative Committee for questioning as a witness. Security forces released him that night after questioning him in the Safarov case. On July 16, a court arrested Shahin Shykhlinski's son on charges of assaulting a security officer. On the day of Shykhlinski Sr.'s arrest, his son, Mutvala Shykhlinski, was driving a Gelenvagen and struck a special forces soldier. Mutvala denies the charges, and an appeals court upheld his custody. Shahin Shykhlinski was detained and taken to Yekaterinburg, sources reported. Before his arrest, he appealed to President Ilham Aliyev for help and indicated that he was staying in a guest house at the Azerbaijani embassy in Moscow.

On February 11, a jury in Yekaterinburg returned a guilty verdict in the case against members of the Azerbaijani diaspora, including its former leader, Shahin Shykhlinski. This was reported on the Telegram channel of the courts of the Sverdlovsk region.

The case of the murder and attempted murder of Azerbaijani businessmen is being heard by the Kirovsky District Court of the city. Seven defendants are in the dock: Shujayaddin Rajabov, Akif, Ayaz, Bakir, Kamal, Mazahir Safarov, and Shykhlinski.

The jury found them guilty, with the exception of Bakir Safarov, who, in their opinion, deserves leniency.

It should be noted that Shahin Shykhlinski denies guilt in the murder and attempted murder of local businessmen. Investigators believe him to be the leader of an ethnic group, whose members committed crimes from 2001 to 2011 specifically on his orders. Investigators believe the motive is a redistribution of spheres of influence and competition for leadership within the Azerbaijani diaspora. All members of the criminal group face serious prison terms.

Translated automatically via Google translate from https://www.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/420734