News

Within the last 24 hours, the Azerbaijani Army's positions in the Karabakh conflict zone were shelled for 83 times, the country's Ministry of Defence (MoD) has stated.

The report of the international commission headed by Heidi Tagliavini on the Georgian-Russian war in August 2008 fails to present some important facts, due to the limited time for collecting evidence, and leaves many questions unanswered, Georgian experts believe.

Investigators conducted searches at the mechanic-repair plant located in the village of Mkhchyan in the Ararat Region and found a lot of weapons. They have detained Ambik Gevorkyan, who is registered as the owner of the plant, and Genrikh Abramyan, the brother of former Prime Minister of Armenia Ovik Abramyan.

August 8 is a year since the disappearance of the famous Chechen singer Zelimkhan Bakaev. The 25-year-old Bakaev disappeared in Grozny; and a year after his disappearance, a source from investigating bodies has confessed that there was "no progress" in the case.

Combat helicopters Ka-52 "Alligator" of the Russia's Southern Military District (CMD) have conducted training at the "Naggvalou" training ground in Abkhazia.

The investigator, who has initiated a criminal case against Oyub Titiev, the head of the Grozny office of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" and who was questioned today at the court session, denies the obvious things, said the defender's advocate.

25 veterans of the war in Afghanistan have gathered in central Makhachkala, stating that they had been waiting for housing from the state for 20 years. They threatened to go on an endless hunger strike.

The General Prosecutor's Office (GPO) was not convinced by the guarantee of 61 MPs from Yerevan and Stepanakert, who asked to release Robert Kocharyan, the second president of Armenia, from arrest.

On August 7, the commemoration of Yusup Temirkhanov, organized by the authorities of Chechnya, was attended by much fewer people than his funeral, local residents have stated.

At the farewell ceremony for Orkhan Djemal, who was killed in the Central African Republic (CAR), his friends said that when working in hot spots, the journalist was not afraid to ask uncomfortable questions to armed people and was ready to die. The friends called Orkhan Djemal a man of action, always ready to help.

After the five-day war of August 2008 and recognition of the Abkhazia's independence, there is no significant development there, but even in the Kodori Gorge, local residents feel safer despite the devastation. Some residents of Abkhazia say they want the republic to become part of Russia, while others want to preserve their independence.

Four witnesses came to a hearing in the case against Oyub Titiev, the head of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" in Grozny, while the remaining witnesses did not appear for unknown reasons, the court reported.

On August 7, Firangiz Guseinova, a mother of sentenced Azerbaijani blogger Mekhman Guseinov and his brother Emin Guseinov, who migrated to Europe for political reasons, was buried in Baku. The sentenced blogger was given a leave from a penal colony to attend the funeral ceremony. The brothers announced their intention to continue to fight corruption.

On the anniversary of the "five-day war," Mikhail Saakashvili claimed that threats from the US stopped the Russian offensive action against Georgia. As a result of the war, Russia did not succeed in changing the government of Georgia and, according to Mikhail Saakashvili, did not win anything, "except for the capture of several dozen villages."

Over the past day, the Armenian armed forces have violated the ceasefire regime 87 times, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence (MoD) reported.

The sharp Russian politicians' statements about Georgia's accession to NATO are Russia's attempt to preserve its influence in the region, political analysts believe. Tbilisi has stated the need to ensure the country's security.

In recent years, they open fire at weddings in Dagestan less frequent; this tradition may disappear, local mass media write. However, in social networks, residents of the region protect this custom, refusing to treat it as wild.

The report of the international commission that had worked under the auspices of the European Union (EU) holding inquiry into the circumstances of the conflict treated the Georgia's use of force against South Ossetia as illegitimate.

The funeral of the journalist Orkhan Djemal, who, along with his two colleagues, was killed in the Central African Republic (CAR), was held at the Khovansky Cemetery of Moscow. Chechens, Ingushes, Dagestanis and other Muslim nations perceived him as a defender of their interests, the speakers at the funeral have stated.

Russia prefers to build its relations with Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent countries, despite the statements of South-Ossetian politicians about their desire to join Russia, political analysts have stated. In their opinion, unlike the Crimea, Abkhazia and South Ossetia are perceived by Russian authorities as a foreign territory.