Azerbaijani Woman Sentenced to 5 Years in Russia on Espionage Charges

A 55-year-old Russian citizen of Azerbaijani origin has been sentenced to five years in prison in Russia on charges of cooperating with Ukrainian military intelligence. The verdict was issued by the Ryazan regional court on 28 August, with the news reported on 29 August 2025. The woman's name has not been disclosed.

The sentence stipulates that she will serve her term in a general regime penal colony. According to the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), the woman was accused under Article 275.1 of the Russian Federation Criminal Code, which pertains to cooperation with a foreign state, international, or foreign organisation on a confidential basis.

The FSB claims that the woman initiated contact with a representative of Ukrainian special services via messengers. She is alleged to have made "targeted attempts to collect intelligence that could be used against the security of the Russian Federation". Specifically, Ukrainian counterparts allegedly inquired about the condition of the Novo-Ryazan thermal power station (TPP) following a fire at a nearby oil refinery. The woman is accused of travelling from her dacha to the TPP, taking a photograph of a military vehicle there, and sending it to an alleged SBU (Security Service of Ukraine) agent. The FSB stated that this "illegal activity has been stopped".

The reaction of the "other side" to these allegations is currently unknown.

This conviction comes amidst what sources describe as a "sharpening" of Azerbaijan-Russia relations in recent months. Other related incidents highlighting this tension include

Violent raids against Azerbaijanis in Yekaterinburg at the end of June, which were reportedly followed by the detention of a group of Russians in Baku.

The arrest of Yadulla Rufullayev at the "Yarag-Kazmalyar" checkpoint on the Russia-Azerbaijan border. Rufullayev, whose nationality was not specified but who reportedly spoke Azerbaijani and poorly understood Russian, was accused by the FSB of attempting to smuggle classified documents out of Russia. The FSB alleges he was recruited by the SBU and acted on instructions from his brother, who is reportedly an SBU agent. He is said to have retrieved service materials obtained from an attack on a "secret bearer of the Russian military-industrial complex" and a mobile phone hidden in the Kurgan region, intending to send them to Ukraine. Rufullayev faces charges of "aiding the enemy," which carries a potential prison sentence of up to 15 years. AzadlıqRadiosu (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty) stated it could not independently verify the circumstances of the footage or the authenticity of the confessions related to Rufullayev's case.