Azerbaijan suspends cooperation with USAID
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov said that ‘it is time to stop cooperation’ with the organisation.
ECHR reportedly temporarily bars Georgia from extraditing Sadigov to Azerbaijan
Sadigov has been on a hunger strike for around 120 days in his own form of protest.
Businesses shutter in Georgia amidst 3-hour general strike
Thousands of employees walk out of their jobs demanding new and fair parliamentary elections.
Russia sentences exiled Ichkerian leader to 20 years in prison in absentia
Akhmad Zakaev, the head of the Ichkerian government in exile, was found guilty of ‘terrorism’.
Podcasts
The Caucasus Digest
Podcast | Georgia marks holiday season with daily protests
OC Media's Robin Fabbro, Mariam Nikuradze, and Shota Kincha sit down and chat about the protests against the Georgian government’s decision to halt EU integration, going on for almost a month now as the holiday season descends on Georgia. Read more: * When EU politicians say one thing, Georgian Dream leaders say another * ‘When we get in the minibus, the fun will start’ — How Georgian police torture detained protesters * Calls for a general strike in Georgia: where are t
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In Focus
North Caucasus
A ‘peculiar PR stunt’: how a fatwa on polygamy caused controversy and confusion in Russia
Multiple marriages have existed in the North Caucasus for centuries, raising the question, why was a fatwa needed in the first place?
Azerbaijan Airlines Crash
Deadly Azerbaijan Airlines crash sheds light on twin crises of migrant labour, border closure
The majority of victims were Azerbaijani citizens going to Russia for work.
Georgia’s EU U-turn
How social media has shaped Georgia’s protests
Georgia’s protests have been marked by their decentralised nature, with social media platforms leading the charge and acting as the lifelines of the pro-EU and anti-government movement.
Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians
Nagorno-Karabakh’s Armenians struggle to cling to their identity
Following the mass displacement in 2023, Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians have struggled to preserve their identity, dialect, and culture.
Georgia’s EU U-turn
Rave, resist, repeat: Georgia’s renowned techno scene fights for survival in pro-EU protests
Tbilisi’s techno clubs have taken to the frontlines of the anti-government demonstrations, including enacting a mass strike at the risk of their own livelihoods.
Azerbaijan
Deportations from the West: the story of families sent back to Azerbaijan
Activists deported back to Azerbaijan are at a constant risk of being detained on drug charges or accused of other criminal acts.
North Caucasus
‘Why shouldn’t Ukraine take revenge?’: Russia’s full-scale war comes to the North Caucasus
Since July, multiple republics in the North Caucasus have been subjected to multiple drone attacks.
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Chechnya
Opinion | Chechen women are speaking up, but is anybody listening?
The first all-women Chechen March highlights how Chechen women are forced to live at the intersection of Islamophobia and xenophobia.
Azerbaijan
Opinion | Jack of all trades, master of none: Azerbaijan seeks renewables to sustain the status quo
Increasing investments in renewables may seem like a positive change, battling the climate crisis and diversifying Azerbaijan’s oil-dependent economy. Yet, without a decrease in fossil fuel investments and renewables mostly exported, there may not be a change after all. Azerbaijan, an authoritarian petro-state, is hosting COP29, the global conference to grapple with the climate crisis. The challenge calls for the phase-out of fossil fuels and the tripling (at least) of renewables by 2030.
Chechnya
Opinion | Chechen volunteer battalions have been abandoned by Ukraine
Despite verbal support for an independent Chechnya, Ukraine has abandoned Chechen fighters who have been fighting on their side against Russia for a decade. Is Russian cultural influence and propaganda the main reason behind this, and if so, what does it mean for Ukraine’s ability to stand against Russian aggression in general? In October 2022, Ukraine’s parliament recognised the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria as an independent state that is ‘temporarily’ occupied by Russia, and condemned ‘t
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