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Voting for a new design for the 500-ruble banknote is nothing out of the ordinary, but the Central Bank failed to ensure sufficient transparency, turning the process into a competition between the peoples of the Caucasus, exacerbating the use of administrative resources.

Blogger Areg Shchepikhin, arrested for extremism after being abducted by Chechen security forces from a Moscow train station, told the court that he had been receiving threats from rivals for a long time and recorded a video with ethnic insults to urge them to "stay away."

Those killed during the attack on the capital of Kabardino-Balkaria 20 years ago were remembered during a memorial service held in Nalchik.

The health of activist Nijad Ibrahim, sentenced to 6.5 years in prison, has worsened as a result of a prolonged hunger strike. 

Chechen Minister Akhmed Dudayev called the early end of the "biased voting" for the images on the new 500-ruble banknote a victory. The Dagestan Ministry of Tourism, which had announced a prize draw for voters, has suspended its competition.

Georgian intelligence agencies announced the arrest of three individuals who planned to create a base for members of the Islamic State*, specifically to provide logistical services to like-minded individuals.

A Moscow court sentenced blogger Areg Shchepikhin to five years in prison after he was abducted by Chechen security forces at a Moscow train station.

Investigators in Armenia have unfoundedly brought new charges of economic crime against the arrested businessman Samvel Karapetyan, the businessman's lawyers stated.

The Central Bank of Russia stated that votes for the objects to be depicted on the 500-ruble banknote were inflated, annulling the results. Voting will be held later under stricter conditions. Today, Elbrus significantly outperformed Grozny-City in online voting.

The task force reported minor fuel oil spills in Anapa. The storm dumped numerous fuel oil spills and even exposed buried bags of previously collected contaminated sand. Judging by the volume of the spills, the sand sifting operation needs to begin again, the blogger noted.

Authorities have announced the cancellation of the drone threat in the Volgograd region. Some local residents have complained that they are not receiving alerts about the drone threat, despite receiving notifications that the threat has been cancelled.

The Investigative Committee has reopened the investigation into the abuse of power by employees of the Rostov prison hospital, which was suspended in the winter due to the failure to identify suspects.

Voting for the new 500-ruble banknote design is now only possible by logging in through Gosuslugi; other authorization options were previously offered. Chechen Minister Akhmed Dudayev accused the Central Bank of changing the rules of the game when Grozny-City became the leader in the vote.

A drone attack in the Volgograd region shattered windows in several homes, injuring a man with shards of glass. A drone attack was also recorded in the Rostov region.

Ramzan Kadyrov's promise of prizes to voters who voted for the image of "Grozny-City" on the 500-ruble banknote became a tool of influence, similar to the use of administrative resources in the Chechen elections.

Giorgi Chakhunashvili, who was one of 46 people detained in connection with the Tbilisi riots, was released from custody after paying bail.

A court in Nalchik fined Balkar activist Khadis Tetuev 10,000 rubles, ruling that his publications about Circassians constituted incitement to hatred and enmity based on ethnicity. 

At public hearings, Russian-speaking residents of Naurskaya spoke out against the renaming of the village to Nevre, claiming that those who recorded a video in support of the new name did so after being threatened with dismissal. Authorities promised to hold a follow-up hearing.

Officials and security forces have publicly acknowledged that at least 3,836 servicemen from the Southern Federal District and 3,772 fighters from the North Caucasus have been killed in combat operations in Ukraine. 

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov announced a giveaway of ten iPhone 17s among those who vote four times for the image of "Grozny-City" on the 500-ruble banknote and post the news on social media. In the online vote on the Central Bank's website, "Grozny-City" beat out "Elbrus" by 17,000 votes.