News

Reduction in the number of victims of the North-Caucasian conflict was caused by the outflow of militants to other warfare zones; this trend will change after the return of combatants from Syria, the rights defenders and experts questioned by the "Caucasian Knot" believe.

Two policemen and one suspected militant were killed in the shelling of a police squad in the Khasavyurt District of Dagestan. Two other law enforcers were wounded.

The American PEN Centre has spoken out in defence of the journalist Khadija Ismayilova, arrested in Azerbaijan, believing that the arrest is negatively affecting the country's international image.

The Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence (MoD) has treated as misinformation the report released by its counterpart of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) about the death of its soldiers last night at the contact line.

The General Prosecutor's Office (GPO) of South Ossetia plans to send the remains of a young man found in a forest of the Leningor District to the genetic examination in Rostov-on-Don, in order to confirm that they belong to the citizen of Georgia David Basharuli, who disappeared six months ago.

The military agencies of Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh report on numerous bombardments of their positions during the recent day. Meanwhile, according to the Karabakh side, three Azerbaijani soldiers were killed.

David Basharuli, a 19-year-old citizen of Georgia, who disappeared six months ago in the Leningor District of South Ossetia, was found dead. Local residents found his body hanging in a wooded area.

In Ingushetia, during the national Mawlid in honour of the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad, two residents of Nazran announced their refusal of blood feud. During the past year, more than 50 blood enemies were reconciled in Ingushetia.

The US State Department has expressed its concern over the armed incidents between the parties to the Karabakh conflict and urged Armenia and Azerbaijan to refrain from hostilities.

Mikhail Abramyan, the Secretary of the Krasnodar regional branch of the "Communists of Russia" Party, has filed an official complaint about his inclusion in the federal wanted list to the secretariat of the Regional Prosecutor's Office.

Today, in Azerbaijan, the Central Election Commission (CEC) has cancelled the results of the municipal elections held on December 23, 2014, in two polling stations. The official results of the elections are to be announced by the Azerbaijani CEC on January 17.

In Boston, the court has started jury selection in the case against Johar Tsarnaev, a native of Chechnya, accused of committing a terror act during the Boston Marathon in April 2013. It has also been reported that defenders of Johar Tsarnaev failed to conclude a plea agreement with officials of the US Attorney General Office.

The Soviet District Court of Makhachkala has announced its decision to arrest for two months Murad Nurmagomedov, a resident of Makhachkala, suspected of illegal possession of weapons and an author of the popular online video criticizing the Muslim New Year celebration in Dagestan.

The investigating authorities of Azerbaijan have sent to court the materials in the case against Intigam Aliev, the head of the "Legal Education Society", who is accused of economic crimes.

Gasan Magomedov, a football player of the Dagestani "Anji-2" FC, killed in the village of Novokuli of the Kumtorkala District, has been buried. Friends of 20-year-old Gasan Magomedov assert that the young man was a gentle person.

Long New Year holidays for residents of Russian Northern Caucasus and countries of Southern Caucasus; memorial actions of those killed in last year's terror acts in Volgograd committed on the eve of the New Year; special operation in Chechnya, in which two suspected militants were killed, – see the review of these and other events in the Caucasus during the week of December 29, 2014, to January 4, 2015, prepared by the "Caucasian Knot".

During the week of December 29, 2014-January 4, 2015, at least six persons suffered in the armed conflict in Northern Caucasus. Of them, two persons were killed, and four others were wounded. These are the results of calculations made by the"Caucasian Knot" based on its own materials and information from other open sources.

The Moscow City Court has dismissed a cassation appeal filed by lawyer Andrei Krasnenkov, who earlier represented the interests of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, against the publishing house "Kommersant". The cassation appeal was filed with regard to the publication on the hearing of the case against Oleg Orlov, the former Chairman of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial", whom Ramzan Kadyrov accused of libel.

In Sochi, city residents and guests complain about the rise in food prices. According to sellers, the rise in prices mainly concerns imported goods, and it is connected with the depreciation of the rouble.

On January 5, the Ingush authorities are to start compiling preliminary lists of internally displaced persons (IDPs) to be granted apartments in one of four new houses in the village of Yandare of the Nazran District.