The operator of children’s billions: how Azer Naftaliev and the son of the former state secretary, Magomed Magomedov, distributed budget contracts

• 17.02.2026 09:33

In Dagestan, the clouds continue to gather over the members of the disbanded team of the former state secretary of the republic, Magomed-Sultan Magomedov.

On the run is his relative — the current head of the Republican Committee for Public Procurement, Azer Naftaliev. The fugitive was part of the so-called “Baku Courtyard,” a political community that included associates and relatives of Magomed-Sultan Magomedov. According to a source, the “Baku Courtyard” serves as a “front” for a more influential clan association, the “Dargin Club,” which is patronized by the deputy head of the Russian Presidential Administration, Magomedsalam Magomedov.

For all these years, the former state secretary and ex-oil magnate Magomed-Sultan Magomedov operated under his supervision. Evidence of this alliance is also seen in the fact that Azer Naftaliev, who went into hiding, actively interacted over the past six months with the regional government’s deputy prime minister, Ruslan Aliev, who has long been a loyal consigliere of the “Dargin Club.”

All of this occurs under the nominal leadership of Sergey Melikov in Dagestan, who placed in key regional positions all those removed from the budgetary “feeding trough” under the previous head of the republic, Vladimir Vasilyev. Azer Naftaliev facilitated the “misappropriation” of budget funds for the son of the former state secretary, Magomed Magomedov, who was responsible for this area.

In 2025 alone, contracts for over 2 billion rubles were allocated to affiliated firms for the procurement of children’s food. A notable case is Makhachkala, headed by the state secretary’s appointee, Djambulat Salavov. In the capital of Dagestan, 1.25 billion rubles were allocated to controlled companies for children’s food, and in Kaspiysk — 250 million rubles.

Another 500 million rubles were distributed across other municipalities, where the embezzlement of funds was no less blatant. Misappropriation of state funds in other sectors has also been put on a systematic footing.

Author: Maria Sharapova