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Today in the morning, in central Derbent, in the Agasieva Avenue, unidentified persons in masks tried to detain Mr Bedeev, Rumil Begevich, born in 1982. Bedeev managed to snatch a pistol out of one of the attackers, made several shots and disappeared. The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was informed about it by Ekaterina Sokiryanskaya, an employee of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial". The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Dagestan has reported that the detention of the suspect was undertaken because of his links with militants.

In the centre of the capital of Abkhazia, at the back side of the building of the council of Ministers, burned down back during the war, teenagers found a newborn girl abandoned by unknown people.

The relatives of the Ingush public figure Maksharip Aushev (assassinated in October 2009), who disappeared in St Petersburg in the end of December 2009, are searched in several regions of Russia. This was stated by Vladislav Piotrovskiy, head of the GUVD of St Petersburg and Leningrad Region.

Twelve schoolchildren from different villages of the Gali District of Abkhazia were detained by Russian frontier guards on January 20 in the morning on their way to the school located in Chkoushi village of the neighbouring Tsalendzhikh District of Georgia. On that very day the children were released. The authorities of Abkhazia in exile are concerned with children's further attending Georgian schools.

The establishment of the North-Caucasian Federal District (NSFD) from some of the regions, which earlier were parts of the SFD (Southern Federal District), with appointment of Alexander Khloponin to the post of vice-premier and plenipotentiary of Russian President in the newly formed District, can indicate an attempt of the Kremlin to reach a peaceful settlement of the complex situation in Northern Caucasus. This is the opinion of Nikolai Petrov, an expert of the Carnegie Centre. However, he, like other experts, notes that the former administrative experience of the new plenipotentiary may be not the primary factor of successful execution of his mission.

Warrant officer Vitaly Khripun, a former contract military in South Ossetia, who occurred in the territory of Georgia, got there in the state of alcoholic intoxication and was put before a choice - either being put to prison or become a political figure by revealing problems in his military unit. This is the opinion of Timur Tskhovrebov, editor of the newspaper "21st Century".

Major Alexei Dymovskiy, former employee of the UVD (Interior Division) of Novorossisk, who became known after his presentation in the Internet, was presented a charge under part 3, Articles 159, of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation "Swindle accomplished by a person through abuse of his/her service position". This was stated by Vladimir Markin, spokesman of the Russian ICPO (Investigatory Committee at the Prosecutor's Office). According to his story, the preliminary investigation of the case continues.

According to Adalbi Shkhagoshev, Deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation from Kabardino-Balkaria and one of the organizers of the Forum "Caucasus. Traditions and Modernization", held in Nalchik on November 30, 2009, without involvement of broad public addressing the problems, which exist in Northern Caucasus, including many frozen conflicts, looks impossible.

Today, the city of Derbent (Dagestan) hosted a 2-thousand-strong rally with a demand to the incumbent city mayor Felix Kaziakhmedov to resign. The resolution passed by the rally asks to appoint the new election of head of the city as soon as possible.

The Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" plans to address the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in the context of the today's decision of the Moscow City Court (MCC), which rejected the Centre's complaint against the claim lodged by President of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov.

In 2009, Armenia saw slight positive trends in the sphere of mass media. In particular, as noted by Ashot Melikyan, chairman of the committee "In Defence of Freedom of Speech", facts of violence against journalists and pressure on mass media went down.

Relatives of the driver of the "KamAZ" truck, which on January 18, under the official information of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Ingushetia, rammed the militia cordon, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that the truck had been shelled before it approached the cordon. They are indignant with the fact that Hasan Markhiev, 46, is assumed to be linked with militants.

Ruslan Musaev, who was acquitted on the criminal case dealing with his preparations in May 2007 in Moscow to attack President of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov, has lodged a rehabilitation claim to the Moscow City Court. This was reported today by Anna Usachova, head of the press service of the Moscow City Court.

20 years ago Soviet Army units occupied Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, which resulted in numerous victims among the peaceful population. On January 20, the country has a mourning non-working day.

On January 19, the police of Armenia dispersed a spontaneous rally of the opposition in support of Nikol Pashinyan, convicted editor of the newspaper "Aikakan Zhamanak".

The Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" states with regret that the actions yesterday - on January 19 - in Moscow in memory of Stanislav Markelov and Anastasia Baburova assassinated a year ago were accompanied by disorders. The Centre finds Moscow authorities and Moscow militia responsible for what happened.

In Dagestan, state officials and public figures give their comments on the initiative of President of Russia Dmitri Medvedev to create the North-Caucasian Federal District (NCFD) and appoint Alexander Khloponin as his plenipotentiary there.

The Prosecutor's Office of Dagestan has summed up the checks of execution of legislation on state control. Numerous violations of the law were revealed.

The news about separation of the North-Caucasian Federal District out of the Southern Federal District was surely anticipated. The leaders of the regions, which now make parts of the new formation, support the idea and hope for the progress in social and economic spheres. Observers also find the decision logical and emphasize that the Kremlin has thus recognized the region's specificities.

President of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov has expressed his readiness to render every assistance in solving the problems, which President of Russia put before Alexander Khloponin, who was appointed yesterday, on January 19, to the post of plenipotentiary in the newly-created North-Caucasian Federal District, and even promised to give some housing to him. Meanwhile, people in Chechnya are ambiguous to Mr Khloponin's appointment.