News

In the context of hospitalization of Magomed Khazbiev, the Ingush opposition leader and a member of the Expert Board under the Russian Ombudsman, the press conference "Tension in Ingushetia as result of authorities' blunders" that was to be held in Moscow on February 16, was postponed till February 21.

As stated today by James Appathurai, Special NATO Representative for the Caucasus and Middle Asia, the Alliance has no plans to take part in settling the Armenian-Azerbaijani (Nagorno-Karabakh) conflict.

Today, Elista, the capital of Kalmykia, has hosted a meeting with participation of experts from ministries and agencies and bosses of Russian and foreign financial circles. The meeting discussed the issues related to implementation of the investment project of building wind power units (WPUs) in the village of Peschany, Priyutnenskiy District.

On February 2, in one of the military units of Stepanakert, as a result of use of firearms, Torgom Sarukhanyan, a 21-year-old soldier of the Defence Army of Nagorno-Karabakh. Inspectors are suspecting a suicide.

The Moscow Prosecutor's Office has cancelled the statement on termination of the criminal case on the terror act in Dubrovka in October 2002. The Investigatory Committee was instructed start an additional investigation into the tragedy.

On the "Day of Anger", opposition movements have held a non-sanctioned rally in Soviets Square at the building of the regional administration. The action passed without major incidents; Vladislav Ryazantsev, coordinator of the Rostov branch of the "Left-Wing Front" was detained for an hour.

The consideration of the lawsuit lodged by Andrei Krasnenkov, legal representative of the head of Chechnya, against the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" on protection of business reputation has been suspended until settlement of another case - "Kadyrov vs. Orlov".

Tonight, a special aircraft of the Russian Ministry for Emergencies (MfE) took off for Chelyabinsk with the bodies of four Russian railwaymen on board, who died in a traffic accident.

Arip Magomedov, a resident of Makhachkala, went with friends to Moscow on business and disappeared. This was reported by his mother Zumrat Magomedova, who appealed to human rights activists asking to help to find her son.

Tonight, an explosion was triggered near the township militia division in the Karabudakhkent District, Dagestan, and killed a soldier from the interior troops of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA); several more persons were wounded. According to the militia, the bomb was triggered by a female suicide bomber.

Today, Sochi held the first trial competition event in preparation for the 2014 Olympics - the official races of the Cup of Russia in Alpine skiing. The competition was attended by about 60 racers.

In Maikop, Hadzhimos Khatsechukov, candidate for the Parliament of Adygea from the "Spravedlivaya Rossiya" (Fair Russia) Party, registered at the one-candidate constituency in the Shovgenov District of the republic, was shot dead.

On February 10, the National Assembly of Armenia ratified the agreement signed with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) on the first phase of the programme aimed to modernize the Yerevan metro. The bank grants a 15-million-euros loan for the purposes.

Today, in the course of a special operation in Nazran, power agents killed two persons suspected of involvement in illegal armed formations (IAFs), said a source from law enforcement bodies of Ingushetia.

Passing across the Georgian-Turkish border will be possible without presenting foreign passports; the domestic IDs will be enough. This was announced today at a briefing in Tbilisi by Foreign Ministers of the two countries Grigol Vashadze and Akhmet Davutoglu. Besides, it is planned to open new crossing points.

The independent journalist Oleg Teplischev, who figures as a victim in the case on the attack on journalists during the election of Astrakhan Mayor on October 11, 2009, said that last week he experienced increased pressure on him.

Near the village of Nikolayevka, the Yeisk District of the Krasnodar Territory, rescuers evacuated about 500 fishermen from an ice floe that broke away from the coast of the Azov Sea. No injuries were reported.

The Karabakh-based Public Organization "European Movement of Artsakh" has organized screening of European films for young people to promote studying foreign languages. The action started on February 10 and will last for a month.

The son of the farmer Server Ametov, in whose house in the village of Kuschevskaya, Krasnodar Territory, in early November 2010, 12 assassinated bodies were found, and the father of the then Ametov's guest - Vladimir Mironenko, Financial Director of the "Aston" Agrarian Holding, expect to recover from the figurant in this case Sergey Tsapok one billion roubles each. The property of Tsapok and his wife has been arrested already.

As stated on February 11 by Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili, in his annual address to the Parliament of Georgia, in March every Georgian family will get one-time food voucher worth 30 laris (about 16 US dollars).