Elshan Ibrahimov, the head of the Azerbaijani diaspora in Moscow Oblast, was deported from Russia on Wednesday, the Azerbaijani pro-government media outlet APA reported.
Ibrahimov had previously been stripped of his Russian citizenship in June.
An unnamed source told the Russian media outlet RBC that authorities had made the decision based on accusations that Ibrahimov had ‘committed actions that pose a threat to the national security of Russia’, but did not include any specific information.
Ibrahimov had lived in Russia since the late 1990s and had headed the diaspora organisation since 2018.
The deportation comes as Azerbaijan’s relations with Russia reached a historic low point in recent weeks.
The current crisis can be tied to the deadly downing of an Azerbaijan Airlines flight in December 2024, which Baku has blamed Moscow for, and more recently, the deaths of two Azerbaijani brothers in a Russian police raid in Yekaterinburg.
Since then, both sides have engaged in tat-for-tat arrests and other punitive measures.
Nonetheless, Ibrahimov’s trouble with Russian authorities predates the Yekaterinburg raids, and it is unclear if his deportation is connected to the ongoing spat.
Nate Ostiller
