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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.

174 residents of Chechnya, who decided to make a pilgrimage this year, have flown to Medina today, the republic's Spiritual Administration of Muslims (SAM, or Muftiate) has reported.

Elshad Mekhtiev, 24, and a 14-year-old boy were hospitalized after an explosion of a mine in an Azerbaijani village located near the troops contact line.

During the last 24 hours, the territories of three villages were shelled in the Karabakh conflict zone, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence (MoD) has stated.

The checkpoints on South-Ossetian-Georgian border are closed from the evening on August 6 until the morning on August 9, during the events on the anniversary of the start of the "Five-Day War". This was reported on the Facebook by the Committee of State Security (KGB) of South Ossetia.

The mother of the blogger Mekhman Guseinov, who is serving his sentence in the colony, has died. The blogger was released for several hours to say farewell to her. Mekhman Guseinov and his brother Emin Guseinov, who is in political emigration in Europe, have accused the Azerbaijani authorities of their mother's death, treating the circumstances of her death as strange.

Making hero of Yusup Temirkhanov is an alarming signal, which shows the republic residents' readiness to support the "avengers", the experts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" believe.

The mourning events in memory of Yusup Temirkhanov, convicted for killing Yuri Budanov, are over in the village of Geldagan. The funeral was attended by tens of thousands people, including from Ingushetia, Dagestan, Kabardino-Balkaria and Georgia.

Ruzanna Beglaryan, the wife of Vachagan Kazaryan, a former security head of Serzh Sargsyan, has been accused of illegal enrichment and concealment of incomes. She is under recognizance no to leave.

Although Chechnya has been recognized as one of the healthiest regions in Russia, the number of people treated as disabled is growing in the republic; by this indicator, it has already outstripped Dagestan.

The Georgian "Palitranews" TV Company has posted a video of supporters of the "Islamic State" (IS), a terrorist organization banned in Russia by the court, containing threats addressed to those involved in special operations in Georgia. Malkhaz Tokhosashvili, a suspect of illegal weapons possession and involvement in the IS was arrested.