2026 Armenian parliamentary elections
Armenia’s opposition reportedly planning to bus in voters from Russia for parliamentary election
A prominent election observation group in Armenia, Independent Observer, warned of the plans on Wednesday.
News Stories
Today, 11 March 2026
Today, 11 March 2026
North Caucasus
More than 2,500 ‘terrorists’ reportedly killed in the North Caucasus since 2006
The head of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has said the agency has ‘almost completely eliminated the insurgent underground’ in the region.
Georgia
Georgia’s foreign direct investment rises to $1.7 billion in 2025
The figure marks a 7.6% increase compared to the same period in 2024.
Daghestan
Daghestani media outlet decries rumours Israelis are being relocated to Daghestan
RIA Derbent has claimed that fake posts about Israelis being relocated to Daghestan were being published under its name.
Germany
Circassian Özdemir wins race for Minister-President of Germany’s Baden-Würrtemberg
Cem Özdemir has gained attention for raising awareness of Circassian history.
Georgia
OSCE delegation blocked from meeting detained protesters during Georgia visit
The visiting delegates said their requests had been denied by a number of Georgian politicians, including Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze.
Azerbaijan
Nakhchivan loses autonomy in new constitutional amendments
Amendments to the Constitution of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic were prepared in June last year.
Armenia
Head of Armenian Genocide memorial head ‘forced to quit’ after JD Vance’s visit
Edita Gzoyan told JD Vance about massacres of Armenians by Azerbaijanis and gave him a book on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
2026 Iran War
Opinion | Why North Caucasusians neither celebrate nor condemn the Israeli–US attack on Iran
For North Caucasians, the conflict is yet another example of world-shaping powers operating without regard to those affected.
Georgia
Chinese national accused of recruiting 56 Georgians into pyramid scheme
The charges were brought in absentia.
Daily Brief
Wednesday, 11 March 2026
Armenia * Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Tuesday. They discussed ‘a wide range of’ bilateral issues, also ‘exchanged views on regional developments’. * Pashinyan also met with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi in Paris. They ‘exchanged views on ongoing programs in Armenia’s energy sector, small modular reactor technologies, and prospects for the development of nuclear energy’. * Also in Paris, Foreign Min
Georgia
How a German-backed university in Georgia launched a Nazi-influenced research centre
The centre’s establishment at Kutaisi University raises questions about oversight at an institution marketed as a German-backed project.
Georgia
How sexual extortion turns intimacy into terror in Georgia
Criminal prosecutions related to sexual extortion cases have nearly doubled since 2020, though the real number of cases is almost certainly higher.
Yesterday, 10 March 2026
Georgia
Kobakhidze hints Georgia may reconsider its participation in a treaty against gender-based violence
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s statement came after a far-right figure’s complaint.
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan provides humanitarian aid to Iran
The aid comes after Azerbaijan said Iran had attacked its exclave of Nakhchivan with drones.
Daghestan
Daghestani man nicknamed ‘Donald Trump’ fined for anti-Armenian comments on Telegram
The court ruling does not specify the phrases that led to the Makhachkala resident being found guilty
Russian Invasion of Ukraine
SOCAR’s Kulevi terminal in Georgia escapes inclusion in EU sanctions against Russia
Earlier reports had indicated the EU’s plans to impose sanctions on the refinery.
2026 Iran War
If Iran wanted to strike Azerbaijan, it wouldn’t have missed, Iranian Ambassador to Armenia says
Iranian Ambassador to Armenia Khalil Shirgholami also claimed, without citing evidence, that Israeli intelligence is operating from Azerbaijan.
Georgia
Georgia proposes expansion of party ban after opposition forms alliance
The suggestion came a week after nine of Georgia’s most prominent opposition parties formed an alliance aimed at ending Georgian Dream’s rule.
Armenia
Armenia warns of foreign pressure on diaspora ahead of election
Armenia is set to hold its parliamentary elections on 7 June.
Karachay–Cherkessia
Man from Karachay–Cherkessia detained for criticising war in Ukraine
Mukharab Shebzukhov had said ‘Putin sends you like pigs to the slaughter’ — among other comments on social media.
2026 Iran War
Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan congratulate Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei
Mojtaba Khamenei succeeded his father, Ali Khamenei, after his assassination.
Daily Brief
Tuesday, 10 March 2026
Armenia * Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has left for France, where he will participate in the Nuclear Energy Summit in Paris on Tuesday, and on Wednesday, will deliver a speech at the European Parliament. * On Monday, Pashinyan congratulated Iran’s newly elected Supreme Leader Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei. * Armenia conveyed another Security Council meeting since the beginning of the Iran war on 28 February, and discussed ‘the situation in the region’. Azerbaijan * Approximately 30 tonnes of
Economy
Four Georgian banks ‘preparing to join’ Chinese payment system, National Bank head says
The payment system is often considered an alternative to SWIFT.
Monday, 09 March 2026
Azerbaijan
Social media users claim Azerbaijan presented drug convicts as Iran-linked terrorists
Most of the inmates implicated in the Iranian terrorist plot against the BTC pipeline have a history of drug-related arrests.
Abkhazia–Russia Relations
The carrot and the stick — the reality behind Russia’s attitudes towards Abkhazia
Russian grants appears to be little more than PR exercises, while pressure continues to mount against Abkhazia’s opposition figures.
Georgia
Georgia launches probes over claims of Iranian influence in Tbilisi
The investigation followed aggressive condemnation from the ruling party and its allies of those who raised the claims
Daghestan
Daghestani lorry drivers stuck in Iran after closure of Azerbaijan border
According to the drivers, around 1,500 Russian tracks were stranded at the border.
Azerbaijan
Pezeshkian calls Aliyev, denies involvement in drone strike on Azerbaijan
There has been increasing speculation in recent days that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is at odds with more hardline figures in government.
Reviews
Review | The Cage is Looking for a Bird — a Chechen tale of women’s agency
Malika Musaeva’s film is an uncompromisingly depressing look into how little agency young women in the North Caucasus have in their own lives.
