19:05, 5 March 2026

Shykhlinsky was sentenced to a long term.

The Kirovsky District Court of Yekaterinburg sentenced the former head of the Azerbaijani diaspora in the Urals, Shahin Shykhlinski, to 22 years in a maximum-security penal colony. Six other defendants in the case of the murder of local entrepreneurs will spend ten to twenty years in a maximum-security penal colony.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot", in mid-February, the state prosecution requested a sentence for the former head of the Azerbaijani diaspora in Yekaterinburg, Shahin Shykhlinski, to 23 years in prison for murder and attempted murder. For the remaining defendants, the prosecutor requested sentences of 13 to 23 years in prison. Previously, the jury found the defendants guilty of murder and attempted murder.

The head of the Azerbaijan-Ural organization, Shahin Shykhlinski (also referred to in the media as Shikhlinsky and Shykhlinskiy, - 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 the elder Shykhlinski'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.

A sentence was handed down in Yekaterinburg for Shahin Shykhlinski, the former head of the Azerbaijani diaspora in the Urals. In addition to him, six more people were in the dock: Shujaaddin Radzhabov, Akif, Ayaz, Bakir, Kamal, and Mazahir Safarov, Kommersant reported today.

All seven were tried for the murders and attempted murders of local businessmen in 2001, 2010, and 2011.

According to the indictment, members of an ethnic group killed businessman Yunus Pashayev, who sold clothing at the Tagansky Ryad market, in May 2001. According to case materials, he was stabbed to death near the Metallon café. In May 2010, an attempt was made on the life of Fehruz Shirinov. Investigators believe the crimes were committed due to a division of spheres of influence and a struggle for leadership among members of the diaspora. Fehruz Shirinov ultimately survived and petitioned to have the trial dismissed due to threats from one of the defendants.

The court sentenced the former head of the diaspora to 22 years in prison, followed by a suspended sentence of 1 year and 10 months. Shahin Shykhlinski will serve the first four years in prison.

Akif Safarov was sentenced to 21 years in a maximum-security penal colony. Ayaz Safarov was given 20 years in a maximum-security penal colony. Kamal Safarov was sentenced to 14 years in a maximum-security penal colony. Mazahir Safarov was sentenced to 13 years in a maximum-security penal colony. Bakir Safarov received 10 years in a maximum-security penal colony. Shujayaddin Radzhabov was sentenced to 14 years in a maximum-security penal colony. All of them will spend the first four years in prison.

Relations between Moscow and Baku have noticeably deteriorated since the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane with 67 people on board in Kazakhstan on December 25, 2024, while flying from Baku to Grozny. More details can be found in the "Caucasian Knot" report "Baku-Grozny Plane Crash" and in the article "Geopolitical Confrontation: What Led to the AZAL Plane Crash".

Translated automatically via Google translate from https://www.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/421349