Islam Huseynov, the head of the Azerbaijani diaspora in the Russian city of Ulyanovsk, has been stripped of his Russian citizenship and could face deportation.
The decision was made by the regional department of the Interior Ministry, at the request of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB).
The local media outlet 73.ru reported on the decision on Wednesday, adding that when asked for comment, Huseynov only said ‘no comment’ before hanging up.
The official reasons for the revocation are unknown, but some have speculated it could be motivated by politics, as relations between Russia and Azerbaijan have plummeted over the last year. Several other diaspora figures in Russia have experienced similar problems.
The hostility between Russia and Azerbaijan stemmed from the deadly Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash in December 2024, a situation that worsened after Baku said that Russian police tortured two ethnic Azerbaijanis to death in Yekaterinburg in June 2025. Tensions quickly escalated in the following days, with Azerbaijan issuing a formal complaint to Russia, cancelling all Russia-related cultural events, and arresting a number of Russian journalists accused of espionage.
Earlier in October, Russian President Vladimir Putin finally apologised to his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev during a face-to-face meeting in Dushanbe, prompting many to believe the spat had been put to rest.
Nonetheless, the problems faced by Huseynov indicate that there may be lingering aftereffects.
At the same time, Huseynov has previously had run-ins with the law in Russia, and it is possible that his current legal troubles may be unconnected to politics.
In 2016, Huseynov was convicted of fraud and received a four-year suspended sentence, along with a ₽1 million ($12,500) fine, although he was cleared of another charge of money laundering. He has also survived several assassination attempts.
Primarily involved in business, Huseynov also worked to promote Azerbaijani culture and interethnic relations, and spearheaded an effort to create a statue of former Azerbaijani President Heydar Aliyev in Ulyanovsk, reportedly the first of its kind in Russia.
President Ilham Aliyev, Heydar’s son, visited the monument alongside then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in 2009.
Huseynov was the subject of an interview with 73.ru in 2024, where he praised Heydar Aliyev and said his two favourite cities are the Azerbaijani city Ganja, where he was born, and Ulyanovsk.
Nate Ostiller
