News

Persecution of pacifists and activists in Southern Russia, confrontation between the president and the government in Georgia, drone attacks in Kuban, conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, 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 May 22-28, 2023, prepared by the “Caucasian Knot”.

Mark Eroshenko, a resident of Slavyansk-on-Kuban, called the Russia's leadership and the "world government" "satanic," accusing the military draft commission of using "satanic rites."

The Volgograd Garrison Military Court has sentenced Vyacheslav Pikalov, a contract military serviceman, to two years in colony, finding him guilty of disobeying an order to go to the special military operation (SMO) zone in Ukraine.

Sergey Stryapukhin, an eco-activist and a resident of the city of Novorossiysk, who is fighting against filling in the gorge, said he had received threats from an unknown person.

Chechen policemen would not tell advocates about the whereabouts of Yasin Khalidov, who was detained while trying to leave for Kazakhstan. Alexander Nemov, an advocate, has filed complaints about his client's disappearance after Khalidov's detention.

The trial of Nikita Zhuravel, a figurants in the case of burning down the Koran, should be held at the crime scene, that is in Volgograd, and his transfer to Chechnya gives rise to fear for his life, Instagram* users have indicated.

A Krasnodar court has found the actions of the policemen, who conducted a search at the home of activist Irina Grigorieva, to be illegal.

Nikita Zhuravel, arrested for burning down the Koran, has been brought from Volgograd to the SIZO (pre-trial prison) in Grozny. Residents of Chechnya met the paddy wagon with demands to severely punish the Volgograd citizen.

The court that considers the case of Alexander Nozdrinov, a journalist from Kuban (Krasnodar Territory) has examined the material proofs that have nothing to do with the charge against him of discrediting the Russian Army, including broken phones and carriers with family information, the advocate has stated.

At a gathering in the village of Nizhneye Kazanische, local residents have stated that surgeon Osman Osmanov is unreasonably suspected of terrorism. The villagers demand to release him.

Over the past two days, court hearings in a case against Ingush activists have been very short, although some of the defence’s motions have been left unconsidered, advocate Basir Ozdoev reports.

The Volgograd Supreme Court (SC) has refused to cancel the fine imposed on the oppositionist, Alexander Efimov, under the article on discrediting the Russian Army by posting UN materials. Alexander intends to appeal against the SC's decision.

In Chechnya, law enforcers and officials are threatening of large fines for working with the Yandex.Taxi and Maxim and are forcing them to cooperate with local carriers, drivers have complained. Local taxi services are more expensive, and the quality of their work is much lower, passengers have complained in their turn.

Since the start of the special military operation (SMO) in Ukraine, 26,000 fighters have been sent from Chechnya, including 12,000 volunteers trained at the Special Forces University; and 7000 fighters from Chechnya are now in the SMO, Ramzan Kadyrov has stated. According to his story, Chechnya is now forming two regiments of 2400 people.

The decision of Khusein Djambetov's father not to avenge his son if he is killed is the first such case among the Chechen political emigration, Ruslan Kutaev, the president of the Assembly of Caucasian Nations, and an activist of the "Vayfond" Association have stated.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) considered the claims filed by eight residents of Rostov-on-Don, Stavropol, Krasnodar, and Volgograd, who were detained at protest actions in 2017-2018, and obliged the authorities of Russia to pay the complainants the compensations for their illegal detention and lack of fair trials.

According to Islamic experts, the decision to convert to Islam by a female tourist who became an object of hatred and threats after her topless photo shoot in Dagestan may well be sincere and does not threaten the young woman with even greater condemnation from Muslims.

A court imposed a large fine on a resident of Chechnya, finding him guilty of justifying terrorism because of his posts on the social media.

In Chechnya, law enforcers continue keeping Khusein Zakaev; his younger brother Bislan has returned home. This was reported by Shamil Albakov, Honorary Consul of the self-proclaimed Ichkeria in France.

Djamaludin and Tazhudin Tazhudinov, Khabib Gadjiev and Alimagomed Sheikhov, natives of the Kizilyurt District of Dagestan, were unreasonably found by the court guilty of organizing a terrorist community, as they testified under torture during the investigation, their defence has stated.