News

The visit of the US Secretary of Defence and the signing of a memorandum on strengthening Georgia's defence potentials have indicated NATO's interest in Georgia; however, no concrete steps are being taken in this direction (Georgia's accession to the NATO), since there is no political consensus among NATO members on this issue, the analysts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" believe.

Ramzan Kadyrov finds it necessary to encourage only the law enforcers' elite close to him; therefore only commanders received expensive cars as gifts for maroon berets, the human rights defenders interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" have noted.

Akhliman Rustamov, a Shiite theologian, has been detained in Azerbaijan; a search was conducted in his house, and religious literature was seized. Azeri authorities are using the tension in relations with Iran to put pressure on Shiites, the activists interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" believe.

Sharip Delimkhanov, the head of the Chechen branch of the "Rosgvardiya" (Russian National Guard), has awarded medals and certificates of honour to local military servicemen and "Rosgvardiya" fighters, who had received the right to wear maroon berets after being accused of dishonestly passing the tests thereto in the Stavropol Territory.

Russia has nominated the film "Unclenching the Fists" filmed in North Ossetia by film director Kira Kovalenko, for the "Oscar" Award

The defence of Idrak Mirzalizade filed an appeal against the court’s decision, which only partially cancelled the life-long ban on the comic’s stay in Russia and obliged the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) to set a different time limit.

Armenian journalist Alexander Martirosyan claims that the combat actions of the autumn of 2020 further exacerbated the parties to the conflict and complicated the solution of such a problem as the resumption of communication by rail between Georgian Tbilisi, Armenian Gyumri, and Turkish Kars.

Scandal with applicants for maroon berets from Chechnya; deterioration of the Mikhail Saakashvili’s health state during hunger strike; abduction of Dagestani women from a shelter in Kazan, – see the review of these and other events in the Caucasus during the week of October 18-24, 2021, prepared by the “Caucasian Knot”.

Police officers reprimanded a group of teenagers who blocked the passage of wedding corteges in order to receive monetary rewards according to the Chechen custom, and their parents were brought to justice, the “Grozny” ChGTRK (Chechen State TV and Radio Broadcasting Company) reported.

During the week of October 18-24, 2021, no killed or wounded in the ongoing armed conflict in Northern Caucasus were reported. These are the results of the calculations run by the “Caucasian Knot” based on its own materials and information from other open sources.

Telman Ismailov, a native of Baku, has received political asylum, since the Montenegrin authorities treated his criminal prosecution in Russia as unjustified, the businessman's advocates have informed, regarding his extradition impossible.

In 2021, Dagestan will be the leader among Russian regions in receiving subsidies aimed to equalize budgetary allocations: it will receive 72.9 billion roubles. Chechnya is also among the leaders with 33.5 billion roubles to be received.

The awarding maroon berets to Chechen law enforcers amid a scandal with their frauds during the tests has cast a shadow on the "Rosgvardiya" (Russian National Guard), while the sign of merit itself is now associated with corruption, YouTube users have pointed out.

A rally demanding to transfer Mikheil (Mikhail) Saakashvili, a former Georgian President, who has been on hunger strike for 24 days, to a private clinic, was held on October 24 near the Rustavi Prison. After the rally, several activists have set up a tent near the prison, stating that they plan to continue the action until Saakashvili's liberation.

The Washington-based "Armenian Legal Centre for Justice and Human Rights" has filed 16 lawsuits with the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) about the forced disappearance of 20 Armenian prisoners of war (POWs) in Azerbaijan, urging to oblige Azerbaijan to investigate the disappearances of these people.

The Circassian Diaspora of Turkey has opened a monument in Istanbul dedicated to the genocide and expulsion of Circassians from their historical homeland. According to the initiators, the opening of the monument has to do with the Diaspora's efforts to achieve recognition of the Circassian genocide.

Due to the pandemic, the annual commemorative events on the anniversary of the seizure by militants of the "Dubrovka" Theatre Centre in Moscow, where the musical "Nord-Ost" was staged, were limited to laying flowers and a minute of silence.

The scandal with the applicants for maroon berets from Chechnya became an example of obtaining titles by using dishonest methods; this situation has only confirmed the unprofessionalism of Chechen law enforcers, subscribers to the website of the blogger, Tumso Abdurakhmanov, have stated.

In its petition addressed to Azerbaijani authorities, the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (OPHRD) has expressed its concern about the state of health of the activist Elchin Mamed and about the refusal to mitigate his punishment. The OPHRD has called on the authorities to immediately release Mamed from jail.

The TikTok bloggers who failed to respond to the call to behave with dignity have paid for their behaviour, the authors of the community "Stop Live Air" have reported and posted a new video about one of the interrupted streams. The number of bloggers with "inappropriate" behaviour in social networks has dropped significantly after Magomed Daudov's statement, said Mansur Soltaev, a member of the Russia's Public Chamber.