2026 Armenian parliamentary elections
Armenia’s election season kicks off with Armenian lessons and heated foreign relations accusations
The parliamentary elections are set for 7 June.
News Stories
Today, 11 May 2026
Today, 11 May 2026
South Ossetia
South Ossetian Defence Ministry employees detained after attacking police
Two people involved in a road traffic accident assaulted police officers who arrived at the scene.
Nikol Pashinyan
Hand-hearts and drum solos — Pashinyan’s populist social media strategy
The Armenian Prime Minister has turned his social media into a viral regional sensation — but does his charm survive contact with reality?
The Georgian Orthodox Church
Shio Mujiri elected Patriarch of Georgia
The senior bishop, who will now be known as Shio III, is widely seen as the government’s favoured candidate.
Daghestan
Daghestani soldiers fighting in Ukraine ask Putin for help in dispute over seized Makhachkala homes
The soldiers said more than 500 families in a Makhachkala neighbourhood could lose their homes.
Armenia–Russia Relations
Putin offers Armenia an amicable ‘divorce’
Putin also issued a veiled threat, drawing a parallel between Armenia’s path towards the EU and Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine.
2026 Armenian parliamentary elections
Leaked Russian document outlines planned ‘anti-Pashinyan’ campaign ahead of Armenia elections
The plan aims to ‘reduce the popularity’ of Pashinyan’s government.
Daily Brief
Monday, 11 May 2026
Armenia * Armenia’s pre-election campaign began on 8 May. The ruling Civil Contract party began its campaign in the Syunik region. The head of the Armenia Alliance faction, former President Robert Kocharyan, claimed that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s government had jeopardised Armenia’s membership in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). Russian–Armenian tycoon Samvel Larapetyan’s nephew, Narek Karapetyan, suggested in a Strong Armenia Alliance rally that they would replace Pashinyan’s last c
Friday, 08 May 2026
Georgia–US Relations
US State Department sends representative to meet Georgian Dream and opposition
Sonata Coulter is a Deputy Assistant Secretary of the US State Department.
2026 Armenian parliamentary elections
Armenia arrests suspects in two Karapetyan-linked alleged vote-buying cases
These are the latest of similar criminal cases involving Karapetyan’s affiliates in the last several months.
Azerbaijan
Former Azerbaijani soldier arrested for hooliganism
Haji Valiyev was the chair of a veterans’ rights organisation.
Abkhazia
How Georgian artist Tedo Rekhviashvili smuggled an Abkhazia piece into Nauru’s Biennale pavilion
Rekhviashvili, whose family is from Abkhazia, tells OC Media how he slipped the piece into the exhibition of a microstate that recognises Abkhazia.
Armenia
Russia expresses outrage over Zelenskyi’s remarks at EPC summit in Yerevan
The Kremlin’s anger comes at a time of sharpened tension between Moscow and Yerevan.
Georgia
Georgia sentences 4 October’s ‘peaceful revolution’ detainees to lengthy prison terms
Those sentenced included both politicians and protesters.
The Georgian Orthodox Church
Senior Georgian bishop calls leading patriarchal candidate Mujiri ‘dangerous’ and preferred by Russia
The final vote on the succession of the late Patriarch Ilia II is set for 11 May.
Russian Invasion of Ukraine
Grozny struck by drones as attacks shut down airports across North Caucasus
Drone debris landed in the centre of the Chechen capital Grozny, but there are no reports of casualties at the time of publication.
Georgia
Three sentenced to life in prison over high-profile mafia murder in Tbilisi
Levan Jangveladze, the brother of famed mob boss Merab Jangveladze, was shot to death in Tbilisi’s upscale Vake neighbourhood in March 2025.
Daily Brief
Friday, 8 May 2026
Armenia * Today, pre-election campaigning kicked off in Armenia for the 7 June parliamentary elections. * Yesterday, Russia summoned Armenia’s Ambassador Gurgen Arsenyan, claiming Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi had ‘voice[d] terrorist threats against Russia’ during his speech at the European Political Community summit in Yerevan earlier this week. * Armenian authorities have arrested an undisclosed number of people over allegations of vote buying and attempts to obstruct the free vo
Thursday, 07 May 2026
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.
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.
Georgia–Ukraine Relations
Georgian and Ukrainian foreign ministers hold phone call amid signs 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
Wednesday, 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.
