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Azerbaijan Jails Seven Russians on Iran Drug and Cyber-Fraud Charges A court in Baku arrested seven out of eight Russians detained on charges of drug transit from Iran, and another is awaiting a decision, APA reports: Azerbaijani police dragged Russian nationals into court after their arrest. Their faces were severely swollen and bruised. Some were bleeding. The massive state media presence there to document it shows this abuse was meant for broadcast. 🧑‍⚖️The detained Russians in Azerbaijan were brought to court: they don’t look too great Among the detainees are propagandists from RT and Russian IT specialists Anton Drachyov and Dmitry Bezugly. They are accused of drug trafficking from Iran and cybercrimes. It was also

Azerbaijan sentences eight Russian nationals detained during ... - Meduza An Azerbaijani court has sentenced eight Russian citizens, who were detained during the conflict between Moscow and Baku, to prison, Minval reported. All eight were convicted of “large-scale drug trafficking.” Sergey Sofronov, Anton Drachev, Dmitry Bezugly, and Valery Dulov each received four years. Dmitry Fedorov, Boris Timoshov, Alexey Vasilchenko, and Ilya Bezugly each received three. The crisis in relations between Russia and Azerbaijan began in December 2024, after an AZAL passenger plane crashed due to the actions of Russian air defenses. Russian authorities долго refused to take responsibility for the incident or issue an apology, prompting a sharp reaction from Baku. The situation escalated in the summer of 2025, when influential members of the Azerbaijani diaspora began to be detained in Russia. In response, Azerbaijan detained 11 random Russian citizens, including recently relocated IT specialists and entrepreneurs, as well as tourists. The first three sentences were handed down in April and May. Aleksander Vaysero was given four years in prison, while Igor Zabolotsky and Ilnur Valitov were ea…

Caucasian Knot | An Azerbaijani court has sentenced one of eight ... Homepage / All news 19:08, 22 April 2026 An Azerbaijani court has sentenced one of eight Russians arrested for money laundering. A Baku court sentenced Russian citizen Alexander Vaysero to four years in prison, finding him guilty of money laundering. As reported by the " Caucasian Knot ," on July 1, 2025, a Baku court arrested eight Russian citizens detained on charges of drug trafficking and cybercrime. Moscow hopes that Baku will abandon its excessive and unfair harshness toward the detained Russians, stated Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova. On July 16, it was reported that relatives of some of the Russians arrested in Baku were able to see them, and the Russian consul called their conditions of detention good. In October, the detention of eight Russians was again extended, with one complaining of a lack of medical care. In mid-April 2026, the arrested Russians were charged. According to the indictment, those detained in the operation involving drug trafficking from Iran planned to sell the drugs in Baku. The eight arrested include 30-year-old developer Dmitry Bezugly from St. Petersburg and 26-year…

Baku court sentences eight Russians in drug trafficking case — agency The Russians were detained in June 2025 during an "operation to stop the transit of drugs from Iran for subsequent sale, as well as cyber fraud"

Caucasian Knot | Eight Russians have been sentenced to prison terms by ... Homepage / All news 18:08, 19 June 2026 Eight Russians have been sentenced to prison terms by a Baku court in drug cases. Four Russians, arrested amid worsening relations between Russia and Azerbaijan, have been sentenced to four years in prison on charges of illegal drug production and distribution. Another four received three-year sentences. As reported by Caucasian Knot , in mid-May, Igor Zabolotsky and Ilnur Valitov were sentenced to three years in prison on charges of money laundering obtained through cybercrime. In April, a Baku court sentenced Russian citizen Alexander Vaysero to four years , finding him guilty of money laundering. On July 1, 2025, a Baku court arrested eight Russian citizens detained on charges of drug trafficking and cybercrime. Moscow hopes that Baku will abandon its excessive and unfair harshness towards the detained Russians, said Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova. According to the indictment , those arrested in an operation related to the transit of drugs from Iran planned to sell the acquired substances in Baku. The eight arrested included 30-year-old developer Dmit…

Azerbaijan sentences eight Russian nationals detained during Moscow-Baku conflict to up to four years on ‘drug smuggling’ charges <p>An Azerbaijani court has sentenced eight Russian citizens to prison in connection with the conflict between Moscow and Baku, the Azerbaijani news outlet Minval reported.<p>

Baku sentences Russian national detained at height of Azerbaijan-Russia ... Azerbaijan Baku sentences Russian national detained at height of Azerbaijan–Russia tensions by Aytan Farhadova • 1 min read Share ▲ Russian citizens detained on 1 July 2025. Photo: Azertac. Azerbaijan has sentenced Russian national Aleksandr Vaisero to four years in prison on charges of laundering over ₼700,000 ($420,000). The 36-year-old IT specialist was detained alongside other Russian nationals at the height of diplomatic tensions between Azerbaijan and Russia in June 2025. The Baku Court of Grave Crimes sentenced Vaisero on Wednesday. According to RFE/RL , the prosecution accused Vaisero of hiding the true source of his income coming from betting, lotto, and other gambling sites operating outside of Azerbaijan. In his statement in court, Vaisero said that he did not plead guilty, claiming that he visited Azerbaijan as a tourist. The other group of Russian citizens detained around the same time were charged with drug trafficking and could face up to 12 years in prison, according to RFE/RL . All detainees have denied the accusations and linked their arrest to the worsening relations between Azerbaijan a…

Baku court sentences members of cyber fraud, drug trafficking group A criminal trial in Baku involving members of an organised group accused of cyber fraud and drug trafficking has concluded, with the defendants receiving prison sentences. The verdict was delivered at the Baku Court for Serious Crimes, presided over by Judge Firdovsi Aliyev,Caliber.Azreports vialocal media. Sergei Safronov, Anton Drachyov, Dmitry Bezugly, and Valery Dulov were each sentenced to four years in prison. Dmitry Fedorov, Boris Timoshov, Alexey Vasilchenko, and Ilya Bezugly received three-year prison terms. According to the indictment, Sergei Safronov and other members of the group allegedly formed a criminal organisation involved in the trafficking of narcotics. Investigators said the group acquired large quantities of heroin, methadone, and methamphetamine for distribution in Baku. The suspects were detained during an operation conducted by Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs targeting drug trafficking and cyber fraud. Their arrest was carried out under a ruling by the Sabail District Court dated July 1, 2025. The defendants were charged under Articles 234.4.1 and 234.4.3 of the Criminal Cod…

A court in Azerbaijan has sentenced eight Russian citizens to prison terms. Azerbaijan 18:39 | 19 June, 2026 A court in Azerbaijan has sentenced eight Russian citizens to prison terms. listen article make preferable The court found the eight Russian nationals guilty of large-scale drug trafficking, Minval reports. Four of the defendants were sentenced to four years in prison, while the other four received three-year sentences. According to the publication, all those convicted were detained in 2025 amid deteriorating relations between Moscow and Baku. The diplomatic crisis between the two countries began in December 2024 following the crash of an AZAL airlines aircraft, which reportedly occurred due to the operation of Russian air defense systems. For a long time, Russian authorities declined to accept responsibility for the incident, provoking a sharp reaction from Baku. In the summer of 2025, tensions escalated further following the detention of members of the Azerbaijani diaspora in Russia. In response, Russian citizens—including IT specialists, entrepreneurs, and tourists—were detained in Azerbaijan. Earlier, the first verdicts against Russians in this case were handed down in …