News

An educational and cultural event dedicated to Nagorno-Karabakh, "We Are," was held in Yerevan. Proceeds from ticket sales went toward hall rental and organizational expenses, and the organizers were visited by Armenian National Security Service officers on the eve of the event.

A Baku court extended the pretrial detention of lawyer Zabil Gahramanov for another two months. The defense considers the decision unfounded and has filed an appeal.

During the two weeks from January 5 to January 18, 2026, no casualties were recorded in armed and terrorist attacks in the North Caucasus and Southern Federal Districts of Russia. These are the results of the "Caucasian Knot" calculations based on its own materials and information from other open sources.

Rasim Ashurbekov from the Tabasaran district was killed in combat. Since the beginning of the military operation in Ukraine, at least 1,777 fighters from Dagestan have been officially recognized as killed.

Direct imports of Azerbaijani petroleum products to Armenia have led to lower gasoline prices at gas stations, due to lower transportation costs than those associated with fuel delivered from Russia. However, the volumes of gasoline supplied by Azerbaijan are still insignificant. These deliveries can be seen primarily as a political gesture in the context of a peace settlement.

A petition demanding the opening of pebble beaches in Anapa was published six months after it was originally posted. To ensure its publication, its title had to be changed, reported Max Anapsky.

Supporters of European integration gathered outside the Georgian parliament for the 418th consecutive day. The protesters demanded the release of prisoners of conscience. Relatives of political prisoners have been waiting outside the prisons since this morning for the publication of the pardon document. The Georgian president released 159 prisoners on the occasion of Epiphany, but the list of those pardoned remains unknown.

Yabloko has appealed to the Moscow mayor to install a memorial plaque at the site of the murders of lawyer Stanislav Markelov and journalist Anastasia Baburova. On the 17th anniversary of their murders, vigils were held in cities across Russia, including Rostov-on-Don and Baksan. Three participants in the memorial vigil were detained in Samara.

Former head of the Buinaksk district, Ullubiy Khanmurzaev, has declared a hunger strike after his arrest. He rejects fraud charges, according to the head of the Dagestan Public Monitoring Commission.

A temporary memorial plaque installed the day before to replace a broken one on the building where journalist Anna Politkovskaya lived and was murdered was destroyed. Representatives of a far-right organization designated as terrorist claimed responsibility for the destruction of the original plaque. A plaque from the "Last Address" project on the same building was also destroyed.

The fall of a drone's debris on a high-rise building in Beslan caused 10 million rubles in damage. The head of North Ossetia demanded that the damaged apartments be restored within two weeks.

A court in Makhachkala found journalist and human rights activist Svetlana Anokhina, who lives abroad, guilty of spreading false information about the army and sentenced her in absentia to five years in prison.

Traffic on a section of Staropromyslovskoye Highway in Grozny has been temporarily restricted due to the start of construction on a traffic interchange, the mayor's office announced. The section of highway where, according to sources, Adam Kadyrov was involved in the accident has been closed.

Sagid Murtazaliev, former head of the Kizlyar District and the Dagestan Pension Fund, is accused of organizing the murder of a high-ranking police officer and attempting to assassinate a municipal deputy, as well as financing terrorism. This case, like the first one for abuse of power and fraud, will be tried in absentia, as Murtazaliev remains wanted.

Rodion Akramov from Kamyshin was killed in combat in Ukraine. Since the beginning of the military operation, at least 1,630 soldiers from the Volgograd region have been officially recognized as killed.

A petition from Ingushetia native Zalina Yevkurova, demanding the enforcement of Russian laws in the North Caucasus republics, collected only 82 signatures in over three days. Meanwhile, a discussion on the "Caucasian Knot" Facebook* received 280 comments in two days.

Since January 16, Chechen authorities have remained silent about the accident involving Adam Kadyrov's motorcade. The lack of official statements and details only fuels mistrust and rumors, according to Facebook*, Instagram*, and Telegram users. Some commenters expressed schadenfreude, while others reminded everyone that accidents happen to everyone, regardless of their status.

Alexey Paramonov was killed in combat. Since the beginning of the military operation in Ukraine, at least 678 soldiers from the Astrakhan region have been officially recognized as killed.

Former official Ullubiy Khanmurzaev has been detained on suspicion of corruption.

The International Committee to Protect Journalists calls on the Azerbaijani authorities to stop persecuting journalists in exile. The organization's statement comes after the sentencing of two journalists working in political exile, Sevinj Osmangizi and Ganimat Zahid.