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Azerbaijan Jails Seven Russians on Iran Drug and Cyber-Fraud Charges

15 posts • OpenAI (o3)

Updated Jul 1, 2025, 07:55 PM

Azerbaijan’s Interior Ministry said it arrested eight Russian citizens in Baku on 1 July, accusing them of smuggling narcotics from Iran and running Internet-based fraud schemes. The ministry described the suspects as an organised group and seized unspecified quantities of drugs and computer equipment during the operation.

The Səbail District Court convened the same evening and ordered four-month pre-trial detention for seven of the suspects, according to local agency APA and Russia’s state news service Tass. Hearings for the remaining defendant are continuing. Among those identified are IT specialists Anton Drachyov and Dmitry Bezugly, as well as individuals linked to Russian state media outlet RT.

Images from the courtroom showed several of the detainees with visible bruises, prompting Russian outlets to allege mistreatment. The arrests come days after two Azerbaijani citizens died while in Russian police custody, fuelling speculation in regional media that Baku’s action is a retaliatory move. Azerbaijani authorities have not commented on the condition of the prisoners or on any link to the earlier incident.

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#Azerbaijan #Interior Ministry #Russian #Baku #Iran #Səbail District Court #APA #Russia #Tass #Anton Drachyov #Dmitry Bezugly #RT #Azerbaijani

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Sources

vk.cc ria.ru apa.az

ТАСС

@tass_agency

A court in Baku arrested seven out of eight Russians detained on charges of drug transit from Iran, and another is awaiting a decision, APA reports:

Lindsey Snell

@LindseySnell

Azerbaijani police dragged Russian nationals into court after their arrest. Their faces were severely swollen and bruised. Some were bleeding. The massive state media presence there to document it shows this abuse was meant for broadcast.

NEXTA

@nexta_tv

🧑‍⚖️The detained Russians in Azerbaijan were brought to court: they don’t look too great Among the detainees are propagandists from RT and Russian IT specialists Anton Drachyov and Dmitry Bezugly. They are accused of drug trafficking from Iran and cybercrimes. It was also