The Leninsky District Court in Yekaterinburg has ordered three individuals suspected of involvement in murders between 2001 and 2011 to be held in pre-trial custody, according to local news outlet E1.
Mazakhir, Akif, and Ayaz Safarov have been detained for 22 days, while Lalaev Shahin, Alikhman Ganjiev, and Bakir Safarov face an extended 72-hour investigative period to gather more evidence. All six deny any wrongdoing.
A lawyer representing Mazahir Safarov alleged his client suffered broken ribs during arrest. Another defendant, Ayaz Safarov, appeared in court with facial bruises, which he attributed to a fall.
Authorities recently announced the dismantling of an "ethnic criminal group." Cases have been opened regarding multiple murders and attempted murders in Yekaterinburg in 2001, 2010, and 2011, though the exact number of detainees remains unclear.
E1 reports that "several dozen" Azerbaijanis are involved, with two—brothers Huseyn and Ziyaddin Safarov—killed during the operation.
The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry has called for an investigation into the FSB raid. Subsequently, Azerbaijan's Culture Ministry canceled all Russian-organized cultural events. Moscow has yet to comment on the fatalities.