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At a press conference in Moscow on February 10, human rights activists reported that natives from Chechnya, who had been tortured with the aim to knock out evidences and then sentenced to long imprisonment terms, are still tortured in prisons out of hatred.

Today, at about 8 a.m. in Baku, General-Lieutenant Rail Rzaev, Commander of the Air Forces and Air Defence Troops of the Ministry of Defence of Azerbaijan was killed.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Georgia asserts that Russian troops have entered the Georgian village of Kvemo-Nikozi in the border with South Ossetia.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has signed an order to establish in 2009 Russian embassies in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The order defined the order of funding the new diplomatic missions, as the press service of Russian government reports.

The company named "Sumgaiytelectricshebeke" promises to stop, on February 16 at 3:00 p.m. Baku time, its electricity supply to the pump stations of the Joint-Stock Company "Azersu", which is delivering drinking and technical water to Baku, Sumgait and other regions of Azerbaijan.

Today at 2:00 p.m. in Kabardino-Balkaria, not far from Gerpegezh village, in the vicinity of Nalchik, a fight burst out between law enforcers and, presumably, militants, as a result of which seven persons were killed. One militiaman was wounded.

A source in law enforcement bodies of Chechnya has reported that on February 10, in the woody district in Chechen mountains, in the border between the villages of Selmentauzen and Sharo-Argun, a burial with bodies of two militaries was detected.

The spokesman of the Investigatory Committee at the Prosecutor's Office for North Ossetia has reported that one of the suspects of murdering Mayor of Vladikavkaz Vitaly Karaev was, at the moment of murder, an employee of the Department for Fighting Organized Crime (the so-called "UBOP").

On February 10, the National Assembly of Azerbaijan passed, in its third final reading, the Law "On Counteracting Legalization of Funds and Property Obtained in Criminal Way and Funding Terrorism". Adoption of this law was among Azerbaijani obligations before the Council of Europe.

In the Rostov Region, in the Russian-Ukrainian border, a car was detained in which two citizens of Ukraine tried to carry four million US dollars as contraband.

The newly-appointed head of the Department of the Federal Tax Service (DFTS) of Russia for Dagestan Vladimir Radchenko will not hold this post. It was stated by a "Caucasian Knot" source, who preferred to remain anonymous.

Ms Yurenko, a Gipsy by nationality, was tortured when kept in the temporary custody facility (TCF) of the city of Volgograd. The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told about it by her advocate Tatiana Pavlova, who has described the sufferings of her client.

General-Lieutenant Anatoly Bashlakov, head of the chief administration for education work of Russian Armed Forces has informed journalists today that the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation had allotted material aid in equivalent to 100,000 US dollars to every family of Russian military casualties in South Ossetia.

A source in law enforcement bodies of North Ossetia has reported that in Vladikavkaz committers of the murder of city mayor Vitaly Karaev, who was shot dead by a sniper in November 2008, were detained.

The Investigatory Department (ID) for Chechnya of the Investigatory Committee at the Prosecutor's Office (ICPO) of Russia has instructed the Shali Inter-District Investigatory Department to start inquiry of involvement of Yuri Budanov, former commander of the 160th Tank Regiment, in kidnapping and murdering peaceful residents in Duba-Yurt village in 2000.

Sergey Shamba, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Abkhazia, has stated today that Abkhazia can stop the UN observers' work in its territory if their mandate is not changed.

On February 8, in Ingushetia, unidentified persons shelled and assailed with petrol bombs the building of the administration of the Nazran District in Ekazhevo village; nobody suffered in the attack.

Georgia has moved an idea to announce Abkhazia a weapon-free zone. This was stated by Temur Yakobashvili, Georgian State Minister on Reintegration Matters.

The first in North Ossetia forum of investment projects will open today in the Ardon District of the Republic. The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was informed about it by Liudmila Avsaragova, press secretary of the administration of local self-government of the District.

According to the Chechen Ministry of Internal Affairs, on February 9, in the Vedeno District, a group of militants of some 30 strong was revealed. In the course of engagement, three militiamen were wounded; one of them later died in hospital.