An Azerbaijani MMA fighter has reported that Russian officials have stripped him of his citizenship, a move that underscores the escalating tensions between Moscow and Baku.
Javid Rzaev, aged 30, shared with the RBC news outlet that he received notification of this decision from a representative of the FSB security services in the Saratov region of southern Russia.
Pro-Kremlin media released a video on Wednesday that allegedly captured the moment when Rzaev was informed about the annulment of his Russian passport due to actions deemed as threats to the nation’s “political and social stability.” In the footage, the officer advised Rzaev that he could contest this decision within a 30-day period.
Currently, Rzaev is serving a two-year sentence of corrective labor due to an incident at a nightclub. He was found guilty of aggravated assault in April for an attack on a DJ that occurred in November 2024.
The Russian Boxing Federation imposed a lifetime ban on Rzaev last July and lodged a police complaint after he referred to another fighter as a “Russian pig” during a Moscow tournament. He subsequently issued a public apology on Instagram, stating that Russia is his home and expressing a desire to “regain” public trust.
Rzaev’s loss of citizenship comes during a significant downturn in relations between Russia and Azerbaijan, particularly after the deaths of two Azerbaijani men during police operations in Yekaterinburg last month.
In response to the fatalities, Azerbaijani authorities initiated a criminal investigation, alleging that Russian police officers committed acts of torture. Meanwhile, Russia’s Foreign Ministry refuted these claims, asserting that the arrests carried out on June 27 were lawful.
In what seemed like retaliation, Azerbaijani police detained at least ten Russian nationals, while Russian authorities have imprisoned six ethnic Azerbaijanis in connection with a murder inquiry in Yekaterinburg.
Earlier this month, the leader of the Azerbaijani diaspora in Yekaterinburg also had his Russian citizenship revoked and faced deportation from the country.
