An Azerbaijani citizen was illegally involved in military operations in Ukraine by Russia, APA reports.
A resident of Lokbatan was wounded four times in Luhansk
Vladislav Nesterov, who was born in the Lokbatan settlement of Baku, was sent to fight in Ukraine as part of the Russian army in 2022.
Marina Orchikova, the common-law wife of Vladislav Nesterov, told APA that Nesterov is a citizen of Azerbaijan and that there are official documents confirming this: "Nesterov Vladislav Arifovich was born on June 20, 1975, in Baku. In 2022, he was drafted into military operations in Ukraine as part of the Russian army, and a contract was signed with him. He was wounded several times in battles.
Although his contract expired in January 2023, he has not been discharged. I have repeatedly appealed to the relevant state institutions, but I have no information about my husband’s whereabouts. Vladislav was wounded four times, but none of the injuries have been officially documented. He still hasn’t been discharged.”
Vladislav was detained when he tried to go to Moscow
M. Orchikova says that Vladislav Nesterov was involved in combat operations in the Luhansk region.
The woman, who currently lives in Alchevsk — a city in the Luhansk region under Russian control — said that her husband came home on leave this year: “When he came on leave, we were preparing to go to Moscow. We wanted to visit the Azerbaijani Embassy in Moscow to seek assistance with Vladislav’s discharge and arrange his return to Baku.
But when he was preparing to go to Moscow, they detained him, said he had been arrested, and took him away. Since then, I have no information about Vladislav's whereabouts."
Vladislav has shrapnel in his lungs and leg
Marina Orchikova said that between 2023 and 2025, she wrote letters to every possible authority: “Vladislav also wrote letters, and I sent those too. We also appealed to the Azerbaijani embassy and consulate in writing, but there has been no result.”
Marina Orchikova also emphasized that she had appealed to relevant Russian state institutions, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Prosecutor General’s Office of Russia, and the Russian Ministry of Defense.
“I repeat once again, I have written to every authority it’s possible to appeal to. I have identical responses from these institutions. All they say is: ‘We are investigating the matter.’ That’s the only sentence they give. Since 2023, Vladislav has had shrapnel in his lungs, and since 2024, in his leg. They haven’t even removed them. It’s as if no one cares about his fate. At the time, I was told that the shrapnel would only be removed after the war ends,” she said.
Vladislav’s whereabouts are unknown
Marina Orchikova, emphasizing that her husband is an Azerbaijani citizen, said that the official documents sent to her state that he must apply to the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs to obtain the necessary extracts: “He was forcibly taken off the bus. I have no information about Vladislav’s current location. In this situation, how can he apply to the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs? While on leave, my husband gathered documents confirming his Azerbaijani citizenship and that he has not applied for Russian citizenship nor intends to. Despite this, he was arrested.”
Contract expired, but no discharge
Marina Orchikova states that she has repeatedly raised the issue with relevant authorities regarding the grounds on which her Azerbaijani citizen husband was sent to the combat zone: “I was told that my husband signed a contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense to participate in the ‘special military operation.’ I inform them that even if a contract was signed, it expired on January 20, 2023. Since 2023, I have been trying to have Vladislav discharged from the army. To achieve this, I have submitted numerous inquiries to the relevant Russian state bodies. I was told that Vladislav is a military information carrier. I’m sorry, but giving such an answer to an inquiry is both foolish and ridiculous. He is an ordinary soldier. What kind of military information carrier could this possibly be about?”
Marina Orchikova also emphasized that she had appealed to the commander and deputy commanders of the military unit where Vladislav Nesterov served: “What I need is for him to be discharged from the army. After that, we need to get him an Azerbaijani passport from Moscow (from the Azerbaijani embassy in Russia - ed.). Because he wants to return to his homeland."
"I want to find Vladislav, he wants to return to Baku, to his home"
She reiterated that her goal is to find Vladislav: “I want to tell the Russian side to pay more attention to their soldiers than to commanders who abuse their power. I also want Vladislav to be discharged from the army and to receive assistance in removing the shrapnel from his body. He wants to return to Baku, to his home. I cannot say who is to blame in this situation. I do not know what is happening there. The only thing I know is that there is a war going on. What I know for sure is that. Right now, I want to find Vladislav and know where he is.”
Marina Orchikova has also provided our editorial team with an audio recording in which her husband asks for help. In the recording, Vladislav states that he is an Azerbaijani citizen and is aware of what is happening in the Russian army, which is why they want to kill him. He then appeals to everyone for assistance.
Marina also said that Vladislav has a cousin named Ilgar living in Baku.
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