News

A trial against activists of the Navalny's office in Sochi is a political persecution. This was stated by Igor Vasiliev, the branch leader of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF). People are being punished for a photo on the office porch and a walk with a balloon, declared Iren Ilienkova, the leader of the local "Yabloko" Party branch.

At a trial, a witness has confessed to the court that he himself purchased the man-portable air defence system (MANPADS) "Igla" for the Defence Army of the Nagorno-Karabakh. Earlier, Samvel Babayan, the former Defence Minister of Nagorno-Karabakh, has been accused of importing the missile system.

At a picket in Gukovo, miners have claimed no improvement with payment of wage arrears and said they would continue to hold protests every day.

In Armenia, a Russian serviceman has accidentally shot his colleague dead from a submachine gun, and then committed suicide, the press service of the Southern Military District (SMD) reports.

In Chechnya, a serviceman of the "Rosgvardia" (Russian National Guard) killed his colleagues after a conflict with them, the shots were fired "practically at point-blank," said a source from the Military Commandant's Office of Chechnya.

Nerses Pogosyan, a figurant in the case of Zhirair Sefilyan, the leader of the oppositional movement "100 Years without Regime", has stopped his protest hunger strike on the 24th day thereof, in the evening on October 22, his advocate Araik Papikyan told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

In Chechnya, a "Rosgvardia" (Russian National Guard) soldier opened fire in the barracks and wounded four of his colleagues, who died from the wounds. The shooter was liquidated (killed), the "Rosgvardia" has reported.

In Azerbaijan, the Court of Appeal has dismissed the complaint filed by journalist Afghan Mukhtarly about extension of his arrest.

Tatiana Felgengauer, a presenter of the "Echo Moskvy" Radio, who has been hospitalized with a wound in the neck, has become another victim of an attack on journalists in Russia. Felgengauer has been often broadcasting on sensitive topics related to Northern Caucasus. In particular, she discussed the links of Nemtsov's murder with Chechnya and the Kremlin's patronage of Ramzan Kadyrov.

Today, power agents have completed the search for militants in the Babayurt and Kizilyurt Districts of Dagestan, launched on October 1.

Today, people mark the 15th anniversary of the tragedy when the Dubrovka Theatre Centre was captured by militants. Despite the requests voiced by the victims, a lot of details surrounding the circumstances of the tragedy have not yet been made public.

During the week from October 16 to October 22, 2017, four persons suffered in the armed conflict in Northern Caucasus; one of them was killed and three were wounded. These are the results of the calculations run by the "Caucasian Knot" based on its own materials and information from other open sources.

Football fans have expressed their disappointment with the performance of football players from the Grozny FC in the visiting match with the "Ural" FC team. On October 22, the match ended with the defeat of the "Akhmat" FC team. Under the threat to dismiss rectors of higher education institutions and kick out students, the authorities of Chechnya ordered to ensure a 100% turnout of football fans for the next match of the "Akhmat" FC team to be held in Grozny.

Municipal elections in Georgia; negotiations between the Presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia; death of Armenian philanthropist Levon Airapetyan in a Russian penal colony, – see the review of these and other events in the Caucasus during the week of October 16-22, 2017, prepared by the "Caucasian Knot".

No permits will be issued for restoration of houses burnt as a result of a fire which occurred in Rostov-on-Don in August, and land plots will be purchased under the "voluntarily and compulsory" procedure. This has been stated by City Mayor Vitaly Kushnaryov at a meeting with the fire victims.

In the city of Telavi in the Kakheti region, civil activists have spoiled ballots in protest against the deprivation of the town of its self-government status. The activists wrote a word "sheep" on the ballots.

An Azerbaijani serviceman has died today from the wounds sustained as a result of shelling by Armenia, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence (MoD) has reported.

Today, Alexei Navalny, immediately after his release from custody, has flown to Astrakhan to speak to his supporters at a rally. He said that being the president, he would cut military spending, direct funds to the medicine and collect foreign debts to Russia.

The "Leaders' Council", consisting of the heads of 16 non-parliamentary oppositional parties of Georgia, has announced a complete distrust in the outcomes of the elections and treats them as illegitimate.

Kakha Kaladze, a former Georgia's Energy Minister and football star, has been elected Tbilisi Mayor; four parties were elected to the City Council (Sakrebulo); the majority belongs to the ruling "Georgian Dream" Party, the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Georgia has informed.