News

In Sochi, 833 hotel complexes have successfully passed the mandatory classification for assignment of "star" category in preparation for the Winter Olympic Games. This was reported by the Ministry of Resorts and Tourism of the Krasnodar Territory. All classified hotels were included in the register of Olympic accommodation facilities.

Experts associate the initiative to hold in South Ossetia a referendum on reunion with North Ossetia with the upcoming parliamentary elections to be held in summer and the lack of fresh ideas in the political space of the republic. However, Anatoly Bibilov, an initiator of the idea, the leader of the "United Ossetia" Party, insists on the relevance of the issue, regardless of the geopolitical situation.

On January 13, law enforcers carried out checks and detentions of mosque-goers in Gudermes, the second largest city in Chechnya. This was reported by local residents. According to the law enforcers, no complaints against the police were filed.

The Greenpeace, the Russian Branch of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the Biodiversity Conservation Centre have sent to Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and Achim Steiner, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), a letter, in which they raised the issue of repressions against ecological activists on the eve of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games.

In Volgograd, three car drivers held an action to protest against the poor condition of the road in Dorozhnikov Lane. The passing-by drivers have confirmed the current state of the road may result in road traffic accidents.

Investigators consider hostile relations in connection with possible debts as the basic version of the murder of businessman Ruslan Muduev in Makhachkala. This was told to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent by a source from the Investigating Department of the Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF) for Dagestan.

Today, Rustam Guliev, a soldier of the National Army of Azerbaijan, has committed suicide by shooting and killing himself from the service weapon. This was reported by the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence (MoD). This is the fourth case of suicide in Azerbaijani Army since the start of 2014.

In the capital of Kabardino-Balkaria, about 100 fans of the "Spartak-Nalchik" Football Club (FC) held a protest action demanding not to disband the football team.

During the search carried out in the apartment of Murad Musaev, an advocate of the Advocates' Chamber "Musaev and Partners" in Moscow, investigators seized PCs and documents. This was reported by Alaudi Musaev, the advocate's father. The search was also conducted in the apartment of Darya Trenina, and investigators also took away her PC with them, Darya Trenina reports.

Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan, has scheduled for February 22 a visit to the closing ceremony of the Sochi Winter Olympic Games. This was reported by the Japanese news agency "Kyodo". Earlier, media have reported that Shinzo Abe will not be able to visit Sochi because of involvement in the activities of the national parliament.

The Olympic anti-doping laboratory in Sochi has been accredited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), and it is ready to work during the Winter Olympic Games. This was reported by Yuri Nagornykh, Deputy Minister for Sport. The anti-doping laboratory is to take doping tests from athletes from January 27 till April 15, 2014.

Introduction of CTO regime after a series of murders of car drivers in Stavropol Territory and recognition of the explosion in Pyatigorsk to be a terror act; introduction of reinforced security measures for the period of the Olympics in Sochi; another decision of the ECtHR on complaints of Chechen residents about disappearance of their relatives; retirement of the court dealing with attack on Nalchik to the deliberation room for sentencing; march in Yerevan in support of arrested participants of "Million Mask March", – see the review of these and other events in the Caucasus during the week of January 6-12, 2014, prepared by the "Caucasian Knot".

During the week from January 6 to January 12, 2014, at least 14 people fell victim to the armed conflict in Northern Caucasus; 10 of them were killed and four others were wounded. These are the results of the calculations made by the "Caucasian Knot" based on its own materials and information from other open sources.

In Armenia, the health state of Shant Harutyunyan, the leader of the "Tsegakron" Party, remains severe. This was reported by advocate Inessa Petrosyan after she visited her client. According to her, the very conditions in the medical institution, to where Shant Harutyunyan was transferred from SIZO (pre-trial prison), do not contribute to his recovery.

The Government of Dagestan has developed a programme aimed to support the Russian population of Dagestan in 2014-2017; however, because of this year's budget cuts, the programme will get only minimal funding. This was reported by Marina Abramkina, the acting head of the Tarumovka District of Dagestan.

Sakinat Gadjieva, a resident of the village Gimry of the Untsukul District of Dagestan, whose relatives filed a complaint about her disappearance, claims that she has managed to escape from her kidnappers. According to the young woman, the kidnappers kept her together with her young son in a private house and asked about militants.

On January 11, Karabulak hosted the ceremony to award the winners of the contest "Heroes of Civil Society" organized by the human rights organization "Mashr". Tatiana Gantimurova, a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent, became one of the winners of the contest.

Starting from January 11, in Sochi, staff members of Limited Liability Company (LLC) "Stroy-Project" are busy to eliminate sewage breakthrough in the area of the alternative road to Kurortny Avenue. The sewerage system has been damaged through the fault of builders of the alternative road. This was reported by agents of the customer of the facility construction.

Starting from April 2013, the village of Nor-Aikadjur of the Martakert District of Nagorno-Karabakh is cut off from supply of drinking water. According to the villagers, they have to bring drinking water from the neighbouring villages. The village administration and the district authorities promise to solve the problem in the nearest future.

A policeman was wounded in an attack on a mobile post of the road-and-post service (known as DPS) in the Baksan District of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR), a source from the local Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.