News

During the week from August 1 to August 8, 2016, in the course of the armed conflict in Northern Caucasus, four persons 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.

In the dwelling settlement of Sayasan, Nozhai-Yurt District of Chechnya, the have started restoring transport routes and bridges, damaged by landslides, said the republic's Ministry of Motor Roads (MMR).

The first gold medal at the Olympic Games, won for Russia by a native of Kabardino-Balkaria; flooding in Sukhumi caused by heavy rain; motion for Dmitry Medvedev's resignation after his response to a question of a Dagestani teacher concerning teachers' salaries; earthquake in Azerbaijan which damaged old buildings; gas explosion in a banquet hall in Makhachkala, which injured 27 people, see the review of these and other events in the Caucasus during the week of August 1-7, 2016, prepared by the "Caucasian Knot".

The Holi Festival of Colours has been cancelled at the "Cinema Hall" movie theatre after protests of residents of Dagestan.

The unsettled land relations in the territory of the military settlement "Vesna" (Spring) located in Vladikavkaz (North Ossetia) hinders the development of the micro-district, local residents assert. Officials are seeking a transfer of federal lands into municipal ownership.

At the picket in Sochi, townspeople told that cases of non-fulfilment of court judgements have become widespread; while the violations established by courts in the work of court marshals are not eliminated.

On August 5, the National Council of Democratic Forces (NCDF) made a statement, in which it gave an assessment of the upcoming referendum on constitutional amendments to be held on September 26.

Users of the Internet disseminated calls for young people from Makhachkala not to come on August 7 to a festival of colours Holi, which originated from the Hindu tradition.

Activist Vardges Gaspari, who has been brought today to a police station in Yerevan, has refused to answer questions of law enforcers and is released.

On August 5, Pyatigorsk opened the seventh youth educational forum "Mashuk". The event is organized by the federal authorities and is aimed at attracting young people to address the socio-economic and socio-political problems.

Today, the first mountain tea festival has been organized in the Dagestani village of Sogratl. The programme of the festival included contests, sports competitions, excursions, and free tasting of national dishes.

Today, Vardges Gaspari, a Yerevan activist, has claimed being brought to the police station. According to him, the policemen refused to explain the reasons for their actions.

In Makhachkala, law enforcers have released all the believers of the Salafi mosque in Hungarian Fighters Street, detained on August 5. This was told to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent by one of the detainees. Officials from the Soviet ROVD (District Interior Division) have confirmed the information.

According to the General Prosecutor's Office of Russia, the Astrakhan Region has entered the top three most corrupted Russian regions. According to the supervisory authority, in the first half of 2016, the Astrakhan Region faced a more than double increase in the number of registered crimes related to bribery. According to the report, in January-June 2016, the number of such crimes reached 74, while in the first half of 2015, there were only 36 of them.

In Dagestan, a squad of the patrol-and-post service is shelled from a grenade. As a result, three police officers and one local resident were wounded.

In Yerevan, 15 persons injured during the seizure of the police regiment building still stay in hospitals. Four of them, including one policeman and three members of the group "Sasna Tsrer" (Daredevils of Sassoun), stay in the resuscitation ward. The condition of the policeman is assessed as extremely serious, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was informed by officials from the press service of Armenian Ministry of Health.

On August 4, Stepanakert held the festival of Armenian folk costume "Taraz". The central square of the city hosted a concert of folk groups from Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh and a show of Armenian national costumes. Pavilions were selling works created by Armenian folk art masters and students from creative centres. Besides, ancient Armenian carpets and exhibits from national museums of Armenia were exhibited.

Dagestani teachers have to work extra hours and look for additional sources of income, including illegal ones, and the answer of the Russian Prime Minister to the question of low salaries of employees of the educational sphere in the republic is shocking. This was stated by teachers interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot".

The court has dismissed the motion for appointment of an investigative experiment in the house of the Avetisyan family members killed in Gyumri, since defendant Valery Permyakov did not agree to participate in it. This was reported by Arthur Sakunts, who represented the interest of the successors of the Avetisyan family members.

In Makhachkala, the police detained about 70 people near the Salafi mosque after the Friday prayer. The number of detainees includes a minor, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports.