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Mikhail Balabanov, accused of preparing to set fire to the military commissariat (registration and enlistment office) in Nevinnomyssk, had initially paid the hostess of the rented apartment only 3000 roubles; he had no more money, Vyacheslav Savin, his advocate, has stated. However, then he got money from somewhere and paid the rent in full.

The mother of Anna Tsomartova, who disappeared in Dagestan in February, announced a reward of 5 million roubles for anyone who would help bring her daughter back. The woman warned that she would not give up and would continue the search.

Human rights defender Igor Nagavkin has been on a hunger strike for the 13th day in a SIZO (pre-trial prison). He demands to be visited by the Prosecutor of the Volgograd Region, a sister of the arrested human rights defender states.

A court has placed under arrest a resident of Karachay-Cherkessia, who was detained at a polling station for damaging with paint the filled-out ballots at the Russian presidential election.

Vladimir Atamanchuk, an activist from Sochi was released by policemen on the day of his detention after a call from his advocate. They have stated that the detention was a mistake.

Demonstration of maximum support for the incumbent power, characteristic of regions of Northern Caucasus, and especially of Chechnya, where authorities reported almost 99% of votes for Putin, has become a norm for many Russian regions. The election gave local elites a chance to show their loyalty to the Kremlin, analysts believe.

By the order of the son of the head of Chechnya, the servants of republic's the Ministry for Youth Matters are instructed to look for the social network users, whose actions are against the Chechens' culture and mentality in order to properly educate them.

The police has sent to Alexander Somryakov, a Krasnodar resident, sentenced to six years of freedom deprivation for spreading fakes about the Russian Army, a notification about the termination of his Russian citizenship, the human rights project "OVD-Info"* has informed.

The prosecutor has demanded to sentence Irina Skorovarova, a resident of the city of Taganrog, accused of discrediting the Russian Army, to three years in a colony-settlement. This was reported by the human rights project "OVD-Info"* with reference to Sergey Kovalevich, an advocate.

There was practically no independent monitoring at the polling stations, but it appeared to be possible to record more than 160 violations in Southern Russia, noted activists of the “Golos” (Vote) movement*. They questioned both the final numbers of the votes gained by presidential candidates and the turnout data.

The police detained activist Vladimir Atamanchuk in Sochi and demanded from him to follow them to a police department.

A court in Sochi has placed a 62-year-old woman under house arrest until May 15, accusing her of an attempt to spoil ballots with some dye.

The guilt of Khavazh Derbichev, a Malgobek resident, sentenced to 15.5 years within the case of financing terrorism, has not been proven; Khavazh himself and the case witness gave the testimonies obtained by law enforcers under torture, Derbichev's father and his advocate have stated.

The emphasis on the participation of Palestinian refugees in the Russian presidential election in Chechnya, Ingushetia, Dagestan and Karachay-Cherkessia was made by decision of the Kremlin, a human rights defender and an expert on the Caucasus are sure.

The activists who have served their sentences within the case of the rally in Magas have linked the law enforcers' increased attention with the anniversary of Vainakhs' deportation and the presidential election. However, the pressure continues all the time after release, and former convicts are unable to get a job in state bodies, the activist assert.

In the regions of Southern Russia, Vladimir Putin gets the most votes – 99.28% – in Chechnya. The least number of votes was recorded in the Astrakhan Region, where, according to election commissions, 86.67% voted for the current head of state, reports the information released by the Russian Central Election Commission (CEC).

Presidential election voting in the Caucasus, persecution of pacifists and activists in Southern Russia, repressions in Azerbaijan continue, new drone attacks, and official data on the natives of Southern Russia who perished in Ukraine, – see the review of these and other events in the Caucasus during the week of March 11-17, 2024, prepared by the “Caucasian Knot”.

Omar Murtazaliev, a native of Dagestan, was transferred from a penal colony in the Kurgan Region to a SIZO (pre-trial prison) in Shadrinsk without any explanations. His defender suggests that law enforcers likely intend to question Omar Murtazaliev as a witness or incriminate him with a new crime.

Jean-Michel Otelli was fined 30,000 roubles for discrediting the Russian Armed Forces. The Adler District Court of Sochi found an offense in reposting a publication about the Alexei Navalny’s death with a call to come to the polling stations on March 17.

In the Southern Federal District (SFD), on the third day of voting at presidential election, complaints were recorded about ballot stuffing, violation of voting secrecy, and an attack on an observer. According to the "Map of Election Violations" project, a total of 142 violations were reported.