Two Russian citizens detained in Azerbaijan amid tensions with Moscow following the plane crash in late 2024 have been found guilty and sentenced to three years in prison. Igor Zabolotskikh and Ilnur Valitov were found guilty of cyber fraud.
This is the second sentence handed down in Azerbaijan in similar cases. In April, businessman Alexander Vaysero, who arrived in Baku as a tourist in June 2025, was sentenced to four years in prison. He was detained on July 1 along with seven other Russians, which coincided with a deterioration in diplomatic relations between the two countries. All of the detainees were later charged with involvement in cybercrime and drug trafficking.
The conflict between Russia and Azerbaijan escalated following the detention of members of the Azerbaijani diaspora in Yekaterinburg in the summer of 2025, which resulted in the deaths of two people. Baku accuses Russian authorities of extrajudicial killings of Azerbaijanis. In response to these events, Russian citizens were detained in Baku and charged with cybercrime and drug trafficking.
