News

Former head of the Rostov-on-Don Department of Internal Affairs, Sergei Shpak, demanded bribes from the Pokrovsky concern for protection. Shpak pleaded not guilty during a court hearing in the Pervomaisky District Court of Rostov-on-Don.

The arrest of Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, accused of plotting to seize power in Armenia, has been extended for two months.

Krasnodar activists have announced a petition drive to Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus', who, according to unofficial reports, will lay the foundation stone for a cathedral on Rozhdestvenskaya Embankment on April 25. They are asking the Patriarch to reconsider his decision to build the church.

Water has been pumped out of all homes and properties in Dagestan and Chechnya. In Dagestan, 522 people remain in temporary shelters, according to rescuers.

Armenian law enforcement has no complaints against Chechen native Zelimkhan Murtazov, who arrived in Yerevan after four months in the transit zone of Astana Airport. However, his family and human rights activists believe it is premature to assume he is safe.

The "Strong Armenia" bloc submitted an updated set of documents to the Central Election Commission of Armenia, and the "Wings of Unity" party of former Armenian Ombudsman Arman Tatoyan also submitted an application to participate in the elections. The Republican Party will not participate in the elections.

Denis Klyusenko was killed in combat in Ukraine. Since the beginning of the military operation, at least 1,765 soldiers from the Volgograd region have been officially recognized as killed.

Counterintelligence officers detained a Georgian citizen for espionage for foreign intelligence agencies, and two others were charged in absentia.

In Azerbaijan, the ruling party, independent MPs, and parliamentary minority parties have nominated candidates for the new Central Election Commission. Most of the candidates are already members of the existing commission.

In seven districts of the Rostov region, 20 drones were shot down, but the authorities have no information about casualties.

Amid air pollution and a new "oil rain" in Tuapse, local residents are rarely going outside and prohibiting children from playing in their yards. Residents fear further attacks and consider the burning oil terminal a source of environmental threat.

The Astrakhan resident's criminal prosecution under the article on extremist activity was prompted by an online community he created, which security officials perceived as promoting a rejection of traditional values.

Bashir Abdulmuslimov, Kurban Ashurbekov, Ramazan Gasanov, and Begmirza Mokhoev from the Kaspiy Battalion were killed in combat. Since the beginning of the Russian operation in Ukraine, authorities have acknowledged at least 1,899 combatants from Dagestan killed there.

Hieromonk Ilya Sigida in Slavyansk-on-Kuban was only effectively released from house arrest on April 22, when security forces removed his electronic tracking bracelet. The lawyer emphasized that the easing of his pretrial detention does not indicate that the investigation has changed its position on Sigida's case as a whole.

A court in Krasnodar sentenced a Volgodonsk resident to a lengthy prison term after finding him guilty of collecting information for Ukrainian intelligence services.

Ayshat Khizrieva, a native of Chechnya who was the target of an attempted kidnapping in Novosibirsk, has left the police station. She filed a report of stalking and attempted kidnapping.

Concentrations of benzene, xylene, and soot in the air in areas adjacent to the port of Tuapse are two to three times higher than normal. Authorities have recommended limiting outdoor time or wearing masks during the fire. Residents are posting on social media about the aftermath of the "black rain," and animal rights activists are calling for help for the affected animals.

The funeral of Ramaz Eldzarov, killed in the SVO zone, took place in Tskhinvali. In total, at least 52 combatants from South Ossetia were killed in the fighting in Ukraine.

Participants in the protest on Rustaveli Avenue, on the 511th day of continuous protests, organized a march from Rustaveli Avenue to the Chancellery building in support of children suffering from Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Aishat Khizrieva, who had fled Chechnya, was kidnapped by unknown individuals posing as police officers in Novosibirsk. They claimed she was accused of theft, and her friends, with whom she was traveling, were accused of kidnapping. Aishat went to the police to file a report, but all contact with her was lost. She claimed she was in danger from her family.