Azerbaijan
Aliyev says tensions between Azerbaijan and France have been resolved
President Ilham Aliyev pledged it would be a new era of bilateral relations.
News Stories
Yesterday, 17 October 2025
Yesterday, 17 October 2025
Chechnya
Kadyrov awarded the Soviet-era ‘Group of Forces in Germany’ order
What connection Chechen Head Ramzan Kadyrov has to Soviet veterans remains unclear.
Georgia
Georgian authorities raid homes of former PM Gharibashvili and other former top officials
Raids were also conducted on the homes of former security chief Grigol Liluashvili and former Chief Prosecutor Otar Partskhaladze.
Georgia’s EU U-turn
Georgia detains 16 more in connection to the 4 October Tbilisi protests
The new arrests have brought the official number of detainees in the case to 62.
Georgia
Five Russians arrested in Georgia over alleged money laundering, crypto scheme
The operation reportedly involved the unregulated trade of ‘hundreds of millions of lari’.
Georgia
Georgian government announces controversial higher education reforms
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze presented the reform concept on Thursday.
Azerbaijan
Former Azerbaijani ‘gray cardinal’ accused of plotting to kill Aliyev
Ramiz Mehdiyev, a longtime confidant of former President Heydar Aliyev, was arrested and charged with treason on Tuesday.
Daghestan
Daghestan natives suspected of plotting assassination of ‘Russian dissident’ in France
The founder of the Gulagu.net project, Vladimir Osechkin, appears to have been the intended victim.
MMA
Russian UFC champions Yan and Chimaev clash over nationality question
Petr Yan said he wouldn’t recognise Chechen fighter Khamzat Chimaev as a ‘Russian UFC champion’ because he fights under the UAE flag.
Chechnya
Chechen police commander displays collection of 80 medals received ‘for killings’
Off camera, Zamid Chalaev admitted that he received each award for killing a specific person.
Daily Brief
Friday, 17 October 2025
Armenia * Armenia’s Anti-Corruption Committee has arrested the former mayor of Ijevan, Varuzhan Nersisyan, and his son as part of an ongoing criminal investigation. In a written response to news.am, the committee confirmed that Nersisyan was detained on charges of money laundering and abuse of official authority. According to news.am’s sources, the case concerns the alleged illegal allocation of land in Ijevan. * The EU’s investments in Armenia are expected to reach €2.5 billion ($2.9 billion
Thursday, 16 October 2025
Georgia’s EU U-turn
Between frustration and persistence, the Georgian protest movement reflects on 4 October
After the unfulfilled ‘peaceful revolution’ of 4 October, Georgia’s anti-government movement continues amidst debate, repression, and uncertainty.
Georgia
Georgian Dream passes laws to curb protests, ban individuals from politics
The laws were fast-tracked and passed unanimously in a parliament fully controlled by the ruling party.
Azerbaijan
Russia revokes citizenship of Azerbaijani diaspora head in Ulyanovsk
As a result, Islam Huseynov also faces deportation from Russia.
Armenian Apostolic Church
Another Armenian bishop charged amid deepening church–state confrontation
Bishop Mkrtich Proshyan’s detention marks the third high-ranking arrest as the government cracks down on the church.
Armenia
Armenian lorry drivers protest tightening Russian restrictions
Many now face deportation from Russia after new rules shortened the length of stay permitted for foreign drivers.
Georgia
Council of Europe’s Venice Commission recommends repeal of several restrictive Georgian laws
Georgian Dream and its allies responded to the recommendations with criticism.
OC Insider
As Azerbaijan and Russia apparently make up, have we learned anything?
After almost a year of plummeting relations, Azerbaijan and Russia seem like they have ended their very public beef. At a meeting in Dushanbe earlier this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin apologised, on camera, to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev for the deadly Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) plane crash in December 2024 — the incident that had set off the chain of escalating tit-for-tat actions between Moscow and Baku. In a delicately-worded admission of guilt, Putin acknowledged that the
Georgia
Georgia’s SSG concedes that Imedi outage was technical malfunction, not sabotage
Previously, the Georgian State Security Service (SSG) had suspected the pro-government channel’s 45-minute outage was due to sabotage.
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan a ‘top contender’ for stabilisation force in Gaza
Other contenders reportedly include Indonesia and Pakistan.
Georgia
Finnish Foreign Minister fined $1,800 for ‘blocking the road’ after visiting Tbilisi protest
Finnish Foreign Minister and OSCE Head Elina Valtonen’s appearance at the Tbilisi protest drew the ruling party’s ire.
Daily Brief
Thursday, 16 October 2025
Regional * Yesterday, the Azerbaijani Defence Ministry reported that joint search and rescue exercises were carried out by Iranian Navy vessels in Azerbaijan’s territorial waters. The ministry said the objective of the joint exercise was to ensure security and cooperation in the Caspian Sea. Armenia * The head of the Aragatsotn Diocese, Bishop Mkrtich Proshyan, has been arrested and placed in pre-trial detention for two months on charges of obstructing electoral rights and coercing people
Wednesday, 15 October 2025
Armenia
Yerevan denies plans to change constitution under Azerbaijani pressure
Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan has emphasised that any change regarding the constitution ‘belongs to’ Armenian citizens.
Azerbaijan
Heydar Aliyev’s longtime ally Ramiz Mehdiyev charged with treason
Mehdiyev served as head of Azerbaijan’s presidential administration from 1995-2019.
North Caucasus
Russia’s FSB says 280 people arrested on suspicion of terrorism in the North Caucasus in 2025
The Federal Security Service (FSB) also reported preventing 27 terrorist attacks in the North Caucasus.
North Ossetia–Alania
Russia confiscates three Moscow apartments from former North Ossetian official’s daughter
They were purchased with funds whose legality could not be confirmed.
Georgia
Georgian Dream to seek political bans for ‘several hundred’ individuals
The ruling party is expanding its previously announced intentions to ban opposition parties.
Armenian Apostolic Church
Armenian authorities crack down on the church, again
At least 10 priests and one bishop have been arrested after police and National Security Service raids.
Bidzina Ivanishvili
Moldovan Prime Minister candidate from Sandu’s pro-Western party denies links to Ivanishvili
Alexandru Munteanu’s name appeared in the Panama Papers, which showed apparent links to Georgian Dream founder Bidzina Ivanishvili.
Daghestan
Two Russian National Guard officers killed in truck accident in Daghestan
Eight others sustained injuries of varying severity as a result of the accident.
