Azerbaijan sentenced eight Russian nationals to prison for drug trafficking
Azerbaijan sentenced eight Russian nationals to prison for drug trafficking, with sentences ranging from three to four years. The convictions followed their detention in June 2025 during an operation targeting drug transit from Iran and cyber fraud, according to TASS. Four individuals received four-year sentences, while four others received three-year sentences, as reported by Meduza.io. The first
Azerbaijan sentenced eight Russian nationals to prison for drug trafficking. Sergey Sofronov, Anton Drachev, Dmitry Bezugly, and Valery Dulov each received four-year sentences, while Dmitry Fedorov, Boris Timoshov, Alexey Vasilchenko, and Ilya Bezugly each received three-year sentences, according to Meduza.io. The first three sentences were handed down in April and May, Meduza.io reported. The eight were detained in June 2025 during an operation to stop the transit of drugs from Iran for subsequent sale, as well as cyber fraud, according to TASS. According to Meduza.io, 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 delayed accepting responsibility or apologizing for the AZAL crash, which Baku interpreted as provocation. Meduza.io also reported that Azerbaijan detained 11 Russian citizens described as 'random', implying non-targeted or retaliatory detention, including recently relocated IT specialists, entrepreneurs, and tourists.
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