News

The author of an anonymous message has threatened Anna Fimina, a reporter of the "Dozhd" (Rain) TV Channel, with a repetition of Natalia Estemirova's fate, if she continues writing about family relations in Northern Caucasus.

The head coach of the Russian national team should convince a "Zenit" FC striker, Artyom Dzyuba, to apologize for his words about the "oppressive atmosphere" in Chechnya, Vyacheslav Grozny, a former head coach of the "Akhmat" FC, has stated. The player had to think about the consequences of his statements, says Valery Gazzaev, a football coach.

A march on the occasion of the anniversary of the end of the Caucasian War was held in Nalchik, the capital of Kabardino-Balkaria. The annual events help preserve the memory of the Circassians' tragedy, but are not related to claims against the current Russian authorities, residents of Nalchik have noted.

In Yerevan, protesters called on the country residents to prevent the signing of the border treaty with Azerbaijan announced by Nikol Pashinyan.

The European Parliament has adopted a resolution calling on Azerbaijan to release the Armenian prisoners of war (POWs) without any conditions. Azerbaijan should provide advocates, doctors and human rights defenders with access to Armenian POWs and cooperate with the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in investigating reports about inhuman treatment of them, the European Parliament has stated.

After a fight with Azerbaijani soldiers near the village of Khoznavar, eleven Armenian soldiers were hospitalized. The Armenian armed forces threw back the Azerbaijani forces in this section of the border, the General Prosecutor’s Office reported.

Policemen used force against Zarui Postandjyan, the head of the "Apricot Country" Party detained at a protest in Yerevan; after her release, she was taken to the hospital with traumas.

In the Black Lake region, Armenian and Azerbaijani soldiers clashed over a post with a video about the situation on the border, the Armenian Ministry of Defence (MoD) reported.

In Chechnya, despite the high rate of unemployment, there are enough vacancies with decent wages, Ramzan Kadyrov says. The leader of Chechnya called residents of the republic “lazybones.” Actual wages are much lower than those announced by Ramzan Kadyrov, and huge bribes are extorted for employment, Instagram users argue.

The Azerbaijani military personnel advanced deep into Armenia and approached the village of Khoznavar in the Syunik Region. The villagers were left without access to pastures and the nearest source of drinking water. Local men demanded from the authorities to arm them.

Israil Akhmednabiev, Director General of the "Ansar" Fund, was involved in financing terrorism; and he attracted the journalist. Abdulmumin Gadjiev, to cover the Fund's charitable activities, the prosecution witness has stated. All the defendants were aware of Akhmednabiev's help to militants, he has stated.

The activists who blocked the avenue near the building of the Armenian Parliament in protest against the signing of the border agreement with Azerbaijan announced by Nikol Pashinyan have been detained for resisting law enforcers.

An excavator operator was hospitalized after shelling near a village in the Askeran District. He was wounded by fragments of the glass, broken by shots, the Ombudsperson of Nagorno-Karabakh has stated.

In response to the shots from the Azerbaijani side, Armenian militaries opened fire on the border section of the Gegarkunik Region, the Armenian Ministry of Defence (MoD) has informed. The MoD has banned civilians from visiting the problem border areas because of the threat of conflict escalation.

Participants of the action held near the building of the Armenian Government have opposed the signing of an agreement with Azerbaijan announced by Nikol Pashinyan, the Premier. The police counted 800 protesters.

On Thursday (May 20), in Nalchik, at the "Tree of Life" monument dedicated to Circassians-victims of the Caucasian War, activists lit 101 candles, one for each year of the war. About a hundred people gathered at the monument.

The apologies for an offensive comment addressed to Ramzan Kadyrov could be voiced by random people, and the leader of Chechnya needs something like that to demonstrate his force, human rights defenders suggest.

The situation on the Syunik and Gegarkunik sections of the border remains tense, and about 500-600 Azerbaijani soldiers still stay there, Nikol Pashinyan, the acting Prime Minister of Armenia, reports.

The activists opposing the construction of the Namakhvani hydroelectric power plant (HPP) decided to hold a large-scale protest action in the centre of Tbilisi on May 23, organizers report.

Relatives of a teenager from Dagestan who called Ramzan Kadyrov a “shaitan” (demon) publicly apologized to the leader of Chechnya against their will, Dagestani Instagram users suggest.