Russia and Azerbaijan may carry out a prisoner exchange as early as August
Shahin Shikhlinsky, the former leader of the Azerbaijani diaspora in the Urals, who was sentenced in Russia to 24 years in prison for the murders of businessmen in Yekaterinburg, may be exchanged for Russian citizens serving sentences in Azerbaijan, according to reports in the Russian media.
According to the publication’s sources, the exchange could take place as early as August. It is noted that Shikhlinsky’s son may also be included on the list of potential exchange candidates along with Shikhlinsky.
One source claims that Shikhlinsky himself is confident that events will unfold in his favor and expects to be part of the exchange.
In late June, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin stated that Moscow intends to discuss the exchange during a meeting with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov in Moscow.
“We expect that our citizens will be released in the near future,” Galuzin said in an interview with RTVI.
There is currently no official confirmation from the Russian or Azerbaijani authorities regarding preparations for an exchange.
As a reminder, Azerbaijan is a long-standing purchaser of Israeli weapons and, in particular, uses Israeli IAI Harop drones. It should be noted that the use of Israeli UAVs by the Azerbaijani military was known earlier—in particular, these very drones played a significant role in the successful conclusion of Operation “Iron Fist” for Azerbaijan in the fall of 2020.
Previously, Azerbaijan had purchased the latest Israeli Sea Breaker anti-ship missiles.
