News

This morning, in Sochi, in the park area of Tchaikovsky Street, unidentified persons cut down six fifty-year-old cedars, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was informed by eyewitnesses.

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), a man who shelled the police station in the Malokarachay District of Karachay-Cherkessia and who was then killed was identified as Dinislam Karakotov, a member of the armed underground. This was reported by Kazim Baibanov, a MIA's representative.

Residents of the city of Derbent, affected by flooding of October 2012, are still in need of psychological support and financial aid. This was reported by Luiza Dibirova, the head of the Dagestani branch of the volunteer organization "Grazhdansky Korpus" (Citizens' Corps).

Today, Adygea marks the Memory Day of soldiers who died in local conflicts. The capital of the republic has hosted the mourning rally that was attended by veterans of the 131st Motorized Rifle Brigade, relatives and friends of the victims, representatives of the authorities, Cossacks and the clergy.

The Stepanakert Airport will start its first technical flights in early 2013. This was reported by Ara Arutyunyan, Prime Minister of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Chechnya continues to celebrate the New Year holidays. Places of cultural events and folk festivals are guarded by the police day and night.

Levon Aronyan, a chess player from Armenia, is the third in the rating list published on January 1 by the World Chess Federation (FIDE).

The Oktyabrsky District of Grozny, the Chechen capital, opened the 12th block, where large-scale reconstruction works were carried out since October 2012. During 2.5 months, more than 200 private houses were built there; and communication lines were laid.

In Magas, the capital of Ingushetia, the New Year celebrations gathered thousands of residents. The festivities passed under reinforced security measures and without incidents. This was told to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent by a source in the law enforcement bodies of the republic.

Five residents of Maikop conducted a series of solo pickets in support of demand of emergency evacuation of Syrian Circassians.

Bidzina Ivanishvili, Prime Minister of Georgia, announced the termination of persecution of supporters of President Mikhail Saakashvili.

Families of Georgian peacekeepers killed in Afghanistan in the line of duty will receive lifetime pensions. This was stated by President Mikhail Saakashvili during his meeting with soldiers of the Georgian peacekeeping contingent, held in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan on January 1.

On December, 31, 2012, Bacho Dolidze, Press Speaker of Mayor’s office of Tbilisi, was summoned for interrogation to Isani-Samgor district police department. He was interrogated about the oppositional action in May of 2011 in Tbilisi and the offers made to the participants of the meeting by Bacho Akhalaya, Minister of Interior Affairs of that time.

Ruben Aivazyan, representative of “Prosperous Armenia” party, submitted his documents to CEC for nomination as candidate for presidency, officials of CEC told the “Caucasian Knot” correspondent. He is already the 15th contender to the presidency of Armenia.

20 companies producing wine in Georgia are preparing to export their production to the Russian Federation. Consultations with the respective Russian bodies have already been held, Center of Georgian-Russian economic cooperation reported.

At night of January, 1, power was cut off in a number of districts of Sochi. Operations control center called technological disturbances the reason why over 50 thousand people were left without power on the New Year's night.

Residents of Sochi are mourning about the death of Yuri Lvov, a famous architect of the city who opposed chaotic town-planning of the health resort and outstanding buildings based on his architecture design stayed in the memory of the townsmen.

On December, 31, unidentified ammunition exploded in the territory of a firing range near the settlement of Prudboy, Volgograd region. A security guard perished as a result of the explosion.

Headquarters of International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan (ISAF) reported the details of death of Georgian serviceman Georgy Kikadze who disappeared and was later found dead.

The peasants of the stanitsa of Medvedovskaya, Krasnodar region, decided to suspend their hunger strike before the beginning of a dialogue with representatives of local authorities.