In Russia's Ural region, particularly in the city of Yekaterinburg, an unprecedented wave of pressure against the Azerbaijani diaspora and businesspeople has been observed over the past year. The demolition of business establishments, including the symbolic "Kaspi" restaurant, which have played a significant role in the region's economy for years and provided livelihoods for thousands of our compatriots, is merely the visible side of this process.
Modern.az-ın əldə etdiyi məlumatlara görə, bu təzyiqlərin arxasında Rusiya Prezidentinin Ural Federal Dairəsi üzrə səlahiyyətli nümayəndəsi Artyom Joqa dayanır. Onun 2024-cü il oktybarın 2-də bu vəzifəyə təyinatından sonra bölgədəki Azərbaycan diasporuna qarşı münasibət köklü surətdə dəyişib.
The process is not limited to the demolition of facilities. Everything began on the morning of June 27, 2025, when employees of the Russian Federal Security Service raided the homes of Azerbaijanis in Yekaterinburg. During the events, Ziyaddin and Huseyn Safarov brothers were brutally murdered, and several of our compatriots were imprisoned. Subsequently, the arrest of Shahin Shikhlinksi, who had been the leader of our diaspora in the Urals for many years, and his son Mutvali Shikhlinksi, escalated these pressures to an unbearable level. Vidadi Mustafayev, chosen by local Russian authorities to keep Azerbaijanis under control, was also detained shortly thereafter, accused of economic crimes.
These consecutive steps are effectively being used as a means to undermine the diaspora's influence and transfer business networks, markets, and trade sectors built over decades to the control of local "nationalist" groups.
The sharp increase in raids and harsh measures against Azerbaijanis in the Urals is directly linked to the name of Artyom Zhoga. So, who is Zhoga?
Artyom Zhoga was the commander of the "Sparta" battalion in the separatist "Donetsk People's Republic" (DPR). He actively participated in military operations in Ukraine.
Zhoga's son, Vladimir Zhoga, the previous commander of "Sparta," died during the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022 and was awarded the title Hero of Russia. This factor has shaped Artyom Zhoga's political profile as a "radical and uncompromising patriot."
Zhoga, known for his proximity to Russian nationalism, has targeted ethnic diasporas, particularly the economically strong Azerbaijani diaspora, under the guise of "restoring order" in the region where he was appointed.
It is believed that the events are more political and economic in nature than legal. The agricultural, public catering, and construction sectors, where Azerbaijani businesspeople have played a special role for years, are currently being transferred to the new "local elite" supported by Zhoga. The artificially created conflicts within the diaspora and successive arrests aim to break the community's power of resistance.
According to **Modern.az**, this situation in the Urals also serves as a "signal" for markets and shopping centers in other major Russian cities (Moscow, Chelyabinsk). It appears that certain groups within the Russian government are systematically attempting to weaken the business empire of Azerbaijanis by leveraging the image of a "war veteran."
