Independent media is on the brink of collapse in Georgia

by Mariam Nikuradze

• 2 min read

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OC Insider

Russia’s cynical distortion of Victory Day

by Nate Ostiller

•3 min read

On Friday, Russia will hold a grand spectacle in Moscow to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany. The official holiday — arguably the most important non-religious holiday in modern Russia — will feature a parade, and will be attended by several leaders from the Caucasus, including Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Abkhazian President Badra Gunba, South Ossetian President Alan Gagloev, and likely the heads of Russian republics in the North Caucas

OC Insider

Through poetry, Pezeshkian hits back at Azerbaijani irredentism

by Aytan Farhadova

•1 min read

On 28 April, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian visited Azerbaijan, the first such visit by an Iranian president in six years. While only a short trip, the one-day visit was quite eventful. One of the most memorable aspects of the visit was Pezeshkian’s sense of humour. Following his official meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Pezeshkian decided to read a poem by Mahamadhuseyn Shahriyar, an Iranian poet of Azerbaijani descent. As Pezeshkian is also an Iranian from the country’s

OC Insider

Under the red flag with a new design

by Aytan Farhadova

•2 min read

On 22 April, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev was met on Tiananmen Square by Chinese President Xi Jinping as Aliyev’s favourite song — ‘Homeland!’ (‘Ey Vətən!’) — played in the background. It was a message to the world that Xi was growing his club of authoritarian leaders. In their one-on-one meeting Xi stressed that China supports Azerbaijan in safeguarding its national sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, and in continuing to follow a development path that suits its national

OC Insider

Chechnya reverts back to the Middle Ages

by Elizaveta Chukharova

•2 min read

If you’ve been reading OC Media, you’ve probably noticed the horrifying events that have been unfolding in Chechnya over the past week. What’s happening there amounts to public executions — in a supposedly civilised country allegedly governed by the rule of law. It all began when a teenager attacked police officers with a knife in Achkoi-Martan, western Chechnya. As it later emerged, the motive was personal resentment. Witnesses say that the day before the attack, the boy — who lived in Moscow