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Elvin Muradov, a religious activist and a poet, has been arrested on charges of illegal arms dealing; his defence has appealed against the arrest. Activists believe that he is being persecuted for his poems and songs dedicated to Talekh Bagirzade, the leader of the "Muslim Unity" movement.

Residents of Chechnya have succumbed to panic and began buying out foodstuffs, although it is now wiser to buy imported goods, Sergey Zhavoronkov, an economist, has stated. In her turn, Olga Kryshtanovskaya, a sociologist, believes that there is no real panic yet, and people are simply guided by their life experiences.

The Muftiate of Chechnya reports that it has been decided to hold collective Friday prayers in mosques as usual. Local residents supported the Muftiate's decision.

At a meeting of the Georgian parliament, MPs voiced a proposal to review the state budget and allocate more than 15 million US dollars to 60,000 families who lost their incomes because of the spread of the coronavirus infection.

The constitutional amendment on a state-forming nation proposed by Vladimir Putin is discriminatory in relation to other nations of Russia, claimed on March 18 Adel Bashkaui, a Circassian writer from Jordan. He requests the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) to verify whether the constitutional amendment complies with Russia's obligations to the Council of Europe.

In Rostov-on-Don, a court recognized Aslan Sablirov, a resident of Nalchik, as an accomplice to terrorists and sentenced him to six years of imprisonment. The defendant pleaded guilty in part, the court reports today.

Within the last 24 hours, positions of Azerbaijani troops in the conflict zone were shelled for 24 times, including from sniper rifles, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence (MoD) has informed.

The foodstuffs recommended by Ramzan Kadyrov in order to strengthen one's immunity and counter the spread of coronavirus are unavailable to many local residents because of high prices, the residents of Chechnya interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" believe.

Activists of the Artsakh Revolutionary Party (ARP) have blocked traffic along the main street of Stepanakert, demanding a meeting with the president of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR). The action ended with clashes between activists and law enforcers; one protester was hospitalized; and 13 others were detained for several hours.

Lyudmila Baratova, a resident of the Stavropol Territory, sold air tickets from the city of Mineralnye Vody to Istanbul to the people, who subsequently moved to Syria and joined terrorists, investigators claim.

Forcing the guilty natives of Chechnya to return from Moscow to their homeland is a new practice; however, the punishment for an offense must comply with the Russian legislation and the rule of law, the rights defenders interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" believe.

Law enforcers have dispersed the protesters in front of the Turkish Embassy in Baku, who demanded to release Mubariz Mansimov, an Azerbaijani entrepreneur arrested in Istanbul. Law enforcers used force also against journalists.

Kadyrov's words that no one will die of hunger have failed to convince residents of Chechnya. They go even to Dagestan for buying foodstuffs.

A court has left Magomed Khamkhoev, a participant of a rally in Magas, in custody until June 25. The defence found the court's decision unfounded.

Seven Georgian citizens deported from Russia in 2006 received compensation awarded to them by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).

After Vakhid Murdashev, a former associate of Aslan Maskhadov, had left a penal colony, he was detained by law enforcers. The man was not released until several days had passed, his fellow villagers report today.

The positions of the Azerbaijani troops in villages on the border with Armenia and in the Karabakh conflict zone were shelled 22 times within 24 hours, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of Azerbaijan has reported.

On March 17, at a press conference in Tbilisi, workers of the Dzidziguri and Mindeli Mines demanded to open access to reports on the mine conditions. Public access will provide confidence in miners' secure work, human rights defenders believe.

In recent days, South Ossetia watches a massive buy-out of foodstuffs and essentials; there is a shortage of medical masks, while the demand for airline tickets has dropped, local residents inform.

Starting today, a fundraising campaign for the fight against the coronavirus infection has been announced in Armenia. The Ministry of Public Health intends to direct the raised funds to doctors' incentives and improvement of conditions in medical centres.