Georgia
Georgia charges five police officers over attacks during 2024 anti-government protests
The charges mark the first time that police have been held accountable for violence inflicted on protesters since 2024.
News Stories
Today, 07 May 2026
Today, 07 May 2026
Kabarda–Balkaria
Director Sokurov snubbed at Venice Biennale after criticism from Russian and Ukrainian activists
The director worked in the North Caucasus for many years and founded a film workshop in Nalchik whose graduates include Kantemir Balagov and Kira Kovalenko.
Armenia
Pashinyan says he will sue Karapetyan over hallucinogenic mushroom allegations
Russian–Armenian tycoon Samvel Karapetyan claimed Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has been speaking under the influence of mushrooms.
Nagorno-Karabakh
France’s mention of destruction of churches in Nagorno-Karabakh triggers condemnation from Baku
‘We firmly reject the anti-Azerbaijan allegations’, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Aykhan Hajizada said in response.
Armenia–France Relations
The ‘Emmanuel’ Political Community summit — or how Macron took Yerevan by storm
As EU leaders met in Yerevan for a key summit, Macron set Armenian social media ablaze with his walkabouts, selfies, and duet with Pashinyan.
OC Insider
A celebration with tears in one’s eyes
Patriotism in Russia has taken on monstrous forms and its ‘victory over fascism’ has taken on a distorted meaning.
Ingushetia
North Caucasus republics spend over $265,000 on preserving ‘traditional values’
Ingushetia — Russia’s poorest region — has received the largest share of the funds.
Armenia–Ukraine Relations
Georgian and Ukrainian foreign ministers hold phone call amid signs of of thaw
Both mentioned the issue of normalising relations in their post-call comments.
Freedom of the Press
Opinion | Foreign agent laws are becoming the scourge of media freedom across Europe
Brussels needs to deliver a stronger, more decisive response to the spread of foreign agent laws across Europe, including in Georgia.
Daily Brief
Thursday, 7 May 2026
Regional * Former Nagorno-Karabakh Parliamentary Speaker David Ishkhanyan, who was sentenced to life imprisonment in Azerbaijan, has shared an audio message, asking Armenian Human Rights Defender Anahit Manasyan to mediate with Azerbaijan to provide his family with the full texts of his indictment and verdict. He also called his trial, which involved 15 other Armenians, as being not against them, but ‘against the Armenian people and Armenian statehood’. Ishkhanyan is the third Armenian prisone
Yesterday, 06 May 2026
Economy
Georgian National Bank raises refinancing rate to 8.25% for the first time since 2022
The regulator has cited rising inflationary pressure linked to the Iran conflict.
Georgia
Georgia detains former Ivanishvili associate on espionage charges
If found guilty, Udzilauri faces eight to twelve years in prison.
Azerbaijan Prison Dispatches
Azerbaijan prison dispatches: isolation, self-harm, silence — the psychological toll of detention
Imprisoned Azerbaijani journalist Ulviyya Ali writes of the psychological toll on Azerbaijani prisoners in a letter dated one year after her arrest.
Chechnya
Chechen woman detained by police has been unreachable for three weeks, activists say
Human rights advocates say lawyers are being denied access to Belkisa Mintsaeva.
Armenia–Belarus Relations
Belarus summons Armenia’s Chargé d’Affaires over ‘unfriendly actions’ by Yerevan
Days earlier, Armenian Parliamentary Speaker Alen Simonyan appeared to refer to Belarus as a ‘peripheral province’ of Russia.
Georgia
Controversial US rapper Kanye West to perform in Tbilisi
The artist has caused controversy and condemnation for his antisemitic and pro-Nazi remarks.
Armenia
Armenia signs agreements with EU and France
The signing of the documents came during the inaugural Armenia–EU summit.
Daily Brief
Wednesday, 6 May 2026
Regional * Today, four freight wagons of fertilizer and four wagons of grain were sent to Armenia via Azerbaijan. Armenia * Yesterday, Armenia hosted the inaugural Armenia-EU summit, in the scope of which a joint declaration was adopted and a number of documents were signed, including the Armenia-EU Connectivity Partnership. The sides also initialled a ‘working arrangement on operational cooperation in the field of border management’ and published a call for ‘expressions of interest from E
Reviews
Review | Adibas — a Georgian war novel without the war
★★★☆☆ Zaza Burchuladze’s war novel is not an easy book to love — but in 2026, it is an uncomfortably easy book to recognise. Zaza Burchuladze began writing Adibas on 8 August 2008 — the day rumours of Russian tanks entering Tbilisi first spread. He would later claim that war was the strongest stimulant he had ever found. The novel that emerged from that charge of adrenaline is slim, corrosive, and set in a sweltering Tbilisi that is doing its best to pretend nothing is happening. Like its tit
Tuesday, 05 May 2026
Azerbaijan
Italy’s Meloni visits Baku, talks energy cooperation with Aliyev
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and the EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas had just attended the EPC summit in Yerevan.
Ingushetia
Ingush court finds businessperson guilty of defamation after accusing bride of ‘pre-marital relationship’
The unnamed groom reportedly returned his bride to her parents’ home three days after the wedding.
Georgia
Saakashvili and Georgian opposition lament EPC summit being held in Yerevan instead of Tbilisi
Mikheil Saakashvili hinted that the summit would take place in Tbilisi if his policies continued.
Daghestan
Putin appoints Fyodor Shchukin as acting Head of Daghestan
According to official documents, Sergei Melikov resigned of his own accord.
Circassians
When NATO paused its bombs for Kosovo’s Circassians to return home
For Kosovo Circassians, returning to Adygea was meant to be a homecoming — yet for many, coming back after 150 years brought new challenges.
Daily Brief
Tuesday, 5 May 2026
Regional * In a press briefing yesterday in Yerevan, French President Emmanuel Macron stated that he will discuss the issue of Armenian prisoners held in Azerbaijan with President Ilham Aliyev. * Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi have met in Yerevan during the European Political Community (EPC). Later, Kobakhidze told journalists that it was ‘an interesting and very friendly conversation’, while Zelenskyi referred to ‘unresolved issues’ bet
Monday, 04 May 2026
Armenia–Russia Relations
Russian major online retailers Wildberries and Ozon suspend sale of Armenian products
The suspension is the latest round of what appears to be economic pressure from Russia against Armenia.
Economy
Food prices in Georgia continue to rise as Georgian Dream calls for ‘structural reforms’
Inflation in the food sector stood at 7.5% in April.
2026 Armenian parliamentary elections
Armenia’s Karapetyan says Saakashvili turned Batumi into ‘Azerbaijani–Turkish enclave’
The opposition figure was speaking about calls from Baku to resettle Azerbaijanis in Armenia.
Chechnya
Ukraine says it wiretapped Chechen Akhmat special forces headquarters
The commander of Akhmat, Apti Alaudinov, describes the claims as ‘fairy tales’ and ‘the work of AI’.
Azerbaijan
Aliyev claims EU Parliament wants to ‘sabotage’ peace process with Armenia
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s latest criticism of the body comes days after the country severed ties with the EU Parliament.
