News

The arrests of Ziyavudin and Magomed Magomedov, suspected of embezzlement, is not a "one-time action," but the result of tight control of the budget money. This has been announced by presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

According to the official information, during the two-year truce announced after the "four-day war" in Nagorno-Karabakh, 81 people were killed during shelling in the conflict zone.

Actions in Southern Russia in memory of victims in Kemerovo; arrest of Dagestani businessman Ziyavudin Magomedov; blowing up in Nagorno-Karabakh of combat engineers from The HALO Trust; Geneva Discussions on Transcaucasia; attack in Makhachkala on a staff member of the HRC "Memorial" Dagestani office; guilty verdict for defendants involved in beating of a Rostov journalist, – see the review of these and other events in the Caucasus during the week of March 26-April 1, 2018, prepared by the "Caucasian Knot".

Residents of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh have celebrated the holiday of Easter (Zatik) in temples and home-made feasts. In Nagorno-Karabakh, traditional Easter events were combined with national games, exhibitions, and dances. The authorities hope that church holidays will attract tourists.

At the Russian military base in Armenia, soldiers and officers are alerted and relocated to the "Alagyaz" training ground for military training.

Activists who migrated to Europe have claimed a new wave of pressure on relatives in Azerbaijan after the flash mob "Let's Talk About Dictator". Meanwhile, the Azerbaijani opposition was sceptical about the flash mob.

The lack of financing, a weak production potential and a tough rivalry in the international arms market prevent Armenia from becoming a major player therein. This was stated by the military observers interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot".

The office of the Russian oppositionist Alexei Navalny has stopped its work in Sochi because of financial difficulties, activists have stated.

Ziyavudin Magomedov, the chairman of the board of directors of the "Summa" Group of Companies and one of the richest Russia's businessmen, and his brother, ex-senator Magomed Magomedov, were arrested today by the Tver District Court of Moscow. The natives of Dagestan, Magomedov brothers are suspected of creating a criminal community and embezzling 2.5 billion roubles from the state budget.

The rally held in Baku by opponents of the early presidential election in Azerbaijan criticized the authorities for the unresolved Karabakh conflict, corruption, human rights violations, and deterioration of the population's economic and social status.

In Rostov-on-Don, policemen requested staff members of the Navalny's office to produce a rental agreement and said that they would inspect the premises, reported a staff member of the Navalny's office.

An eruption of the Ayrantoken mud volcano occurred in the territory of Garadag District of Baku, no one was injured, reported the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources for Azerbaijan.

Participants of the joint rally, organized by the oppositional National Council of Democratic Forces (NCDF), the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA) and the "Musavat" Party, have demanded to cancel the early presidential election and release all the political prisoners on Azerbaijan.

Policemen have detained the man, who stabbed the deputy chief physician of the Republic's Orthopaedic and Traumatology Centre (ROTC) of Dagestan, a source has stated.

On March 30, in Grozny, officials from the Prosecutor's Office of Chechnya together with religious figures and the police conducted large-scale inspections of shops selling Islamic goods and religious literature. No violations have been found out, reported an official from the Chechen Prosecutor's Office.

On March 31, Azerbaijan marks the Day of Genocide. Residents of all regions of the country honour the memory of victims of religious and ethnic violence in March 1918.

The Supreme Court of Austria (OGH) has dismissed the motion filed by the defence of Aslan Gagiev, a native of North Ossetia, with a request to cancel the decision to extradite to Russia the man, suspected of organizing a series of resonant murders.

Rakhim Namazov, wounded on March 30 in France, had been never engaged in journalism in Azerbaijan, members of the Azerbaijani media community told the "Caucasian Knot". According to the French authorities, Namazov was persecuted in Azerbaijan for his journalistic activities.

Today, Ziyavudin Magomedov, one of the richest Russia's businessmen, a native of Dagestan, had a talk with investigators, sources from his "Summa" Group have confirmed.

A deputy chief physician of the Republic's Orthopaedic and Dermatological Centre of Dagestan was stabbed in a brawl between visitors and the staff, a source has reported.