Four Azerbaijani Entrepreneurs Arrested in Russia for Bribing Police

Four Azerbaijani entrepreneurs have been arrested in Russia's Leningrad region on charges of bribing local police officials. According to Russian media reports, the operation began with the arrest of Lieutenant Colonel Sergey Korotkov, head of the 128th police station in the Vsevolozhsky district of Leningrad.

According to the Russian Investigative Committee, the police chief is accused of receiving bribes totaling at least 3.7 million rubles from the Azerbaijani entrepreneurs. The arrested entrepreneurs have been charged with "smuggling alcohol and cigarettes, as well as recruiting illegal migrants." The detained businessmen Vusal Orujov, Ibadat Ismayilov, Asif Allahverdiyev, and Arastun Talibov are accused of bribing the arrested law enforcement officials.

The detainees will remain in custody until September 9. Experts believe that these arrests can be seen in the context of the tense relations between Russia and Azerbaijan as a manifestation of systemic pressure on the Azerbaijani diaspora.