The matter of 11 Russians arrested in Azerbaijan in 2025 and still being held there was not discussed by Russian and Azerbaijani Presidents Vladimir Putin and Ilham Aliyev during the CIS summit, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, Russian news agency TASS reports.
Also, Moscow and Baku maintain contact on this matter, Peskov said. "This topic has not been discussed at a high level. However, we are in touch with our Azerbaijani friends, including on this matter. We sincerely hope that this matter will also be resolved soon," he added.
The matter of the release of these Russians arrested in the summer of 2025 is on the agenda of the Russian foreign ministry in its contacts with Azerbaijani counterparts. Azerbaijani law enforcement agencies arrested these Russians at the end of June 2025. On July 1, an Azerbaijani district court ruled that they be placed under pretrial detention for four months.
And on October 28, by the decision of another Azerbaijani district court, this pretrial detention was extended for another three months. These Russian citizens are accused in Azerbaijan of drug trafficking and cyberfraud.