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Commemoration of victims of Chechens' and Ingushes' deportation; release of Vano Merabishvili, former Georgia's Premier, from custody; registration of presidential candidates in Abkhazia; victory of Elista activists at cassation court, – read about these events in the following review of major events in the Caucasus during February 17-23, 2020, prepared by the "Caucasian Knot".

Still, today, 76 years later, on February 23, the deportation memory remains the unconditional priority for Chechens, analysts believe. The Chechen authorities' long-term attempts to substitute the date of grief have failed, Ruslan Kutaev, the head of the "Assembly of Caucasian Nations", has stated.

On February 23, actions in memory of victims of the Chechens' and Ingushes' deportation in 1944 were held in major European cities. Natives of Chechnya are afraid to participate in public events even in emigration, feeling a threat from the republic's authorities, activists have noted.

They believe that Georgia pays too little attention to the battles of Georgian troops against Soviet forces in February 1921.

During an attempt of gas workers to disconnect the house from gas supply, policemen used force against the owners, Irina Baskaeva, a resident of Karachayevsk, has stated. The gas service refers to Baskaevs' indebtedness, but the latter deny it.

Shamil Malkanduev, a singer, having become a transgender, has disgraced his kin, commentators on the Instagram public "Nalchik" believe. Other debaters treat his decision as his private matter, and urged not to condemn him.

By having ordered to seize untended land plots in Grozny, Ramzan Kadyrov encroaches on the private property right, some Instagram users believe, while others consider that by such measures, the Chechen authorities are solving the pressing city problem.

Since February 16, Azerbaijani soldiers fired about 1800 shots at the positions of the Defence Army, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) has stated today.

International investigations into the murder of Boris Nemtsov should not be conducted in Russia, the press secretary of the Russian president said in response to the claims of the OSCE, which pointed to Russian authorities' refusal to give access to the case files.

An armoured personnel carrier (APC) with Russian military servicemen fell into a gorge in Abkhazia due to a driver's fault, investigators have concluded. The criminal case has been stopped, because the driver was one of the three casualties of the road accident.

US authorities have unreasonably accused Russia of a cyber attack on Georgia, the Russian Embassy in Washington has stated.

The positions of the Azerbaijani army were shelled on the border with Armenia and in the Karabakh conflict zone, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence (MoD) has informed today.

Tyurkel Alisoy has said that Dutch law enforcement agencies have taken his family under guard in connection with information about the preparation of the assassination attempts on political emigrants from Azerbaijan.

The police have failed to find the three residents of Derbent who stopped to get contacted during their trip to Grozny, said the wife of one of the missing people. Their disappearance undermines the image of Chechen authorities, the residents of Chechnya interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" assert.

Ismail Veliev, a former head of the Neftchala District, and his subordinates have been detained under the case of bribes and embezzlements, the State Security Service (SSS) of Azerbaijan has informed. As noted by the analysts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot", the resonant officials' are intended to distract people's attention from falsifications at parliamentary elections.

Zalina Marshenkulova, a journalist and an activist from the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR), has turned to human rights defenders because of the threats she received on behalf of the community "For the Good of the Common People" (known as VBON).

Real salaries and wages in Chechnya are lower than those declared, local residents assert amid a report of the "Chechenstat" about the growth of local citizens' earnings.

In order to bypass strict rules of Russian customs, entrepreneurs bring goods to South Ossetia in passenger cars, which led to price growth.

Ramzan Kadyrov's friend Makhi Idrisov, who was placed under house arrest in a case on illicit arms trafficking, fled investigation. Makhi Idrisov was put on the federal wanted list, the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Dagestan reports today.

On February 20, the Supreme Court (SC) of Kabardino-Balkaria dismissed a complaint filed about arrests of Isropil Nalgiev and Amirkhan Bekov. The activists were taken into custody on suspicion of using violence against law enforcers during a rally in Magas, an advocate reported.