Russia revokes citizenship of Azerbaijani community leader Shirvan Karimov

Shirvan Karimov

Russian authorities have revoked the citizenship of Shirvan Karimov, the leader of an Azerbaijani diaspora organisation in Samara, amid a growing diplomatic rift between Moscow and Baku.

Mr Karimov was reportedly informed of the decision while visiting Azerbaijan, where he currently remains. Russian state agencies have not officially disclosed the grounds for his citizenship revocation.

His case is the latest in a series of measures targeting Azerbaijani community leaders in Russia. In September 2025, Bakhtiyar Hasanov, the head of the National Cultural Autonomy of Azerbaijanis in Moscow, also had his citizenship cancelled and was placed in a temporary detention centre pending deportation.

Tensions between Baku and Moscow began to escalate in 2024 after an Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) passenger plane crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan. Baku accused Moscow of sharing responsibility for the crash and demanded the publication of the investigation's findings, while Russian authorities defended their response by citing the final inquiry report.

The diplomatic friction intensified in 2025 following a series of security operations in Russia. After a police raid in Yekaterinburg left two Azerbaijani nationals dead, Baku denounced the incident as a violation of legal rights.

In a reciprocal move, Azerbaijani authorities detained several employees of the Russian state-run news outlet Sputnik Azerbaijan, charging them with illegal entrepreneurship, fraud, and money laundering.

While Moscow insists its measures are part of a neutral domestic campaign against crime and illegal migration, Baku has argued that the actions selectively target its citizens.

Russia has systematically tightened its migration policies over recent years, stepping up border controls and background checks on foreign nationals from Central Asia and the South Caucasus.