Baku, Azerbaijan – A court in Azerbaijan has ordered the pre-trial detention of eight Russian citizens for four months following their arrest on July 1. According to the Azerbaijani news agency APA, the group is accused of belonging to organized criminal networks involved in cybercrime and drug trafficking.
Photographs from the courtroom revealed disturbing signs of physical abuse on the detainees. One appeared with dried blood on his face, while others displayed visible bruises and injuries, raising concerns about potential mistreatment.
Among those arrested are Anton Drachev, a 41-year-old IT entrepreneur; Dmitry Bezugly, a 30-year-old programmer from St. Petersburg; and Sergey Sofronov, a 23-year-old developer from Cherepovets. Several of the accused are believed to have left Russia following President Vladimir Putin’s military mobilization order in 2022.
In a related case, two Russian journalists — Igor Kartavykh and Yevgeny Belousov — employed by Sputnik Azerbaijan, were also detained for four months. They face charges of fraud, money laundering, and operating an illegal business. Local reports allege the pair were acting as undercover FSB agents.
The arrests have sparked speculation of retaliation, following a controversial police operation in Russia’s Yekaterinburg. During that raid, two Azerbaijani nationals — brothers Huseyn and Ziyaddin Safarov — died in custody. Azerbaijani authorities launched a criminal probe after autopsies confirmed signs of torture and abuse.
As investigations continue, tensions between Russia and Azerbaijan appear to be escalating, with growing international scrutiny of both countries’ human rights practices and use of retaliatory justice.
