Azerbaijan
Aliyev chides local authorities, warning of the consequences of corruption
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev noted that he had ensured the implementation of personnel reforms in government agencies.
News Stories
Today, 13 November 2025
Today, 13 November 2025
North Ossetia–Alania
Russian singer Aleksandr Marshal publicly apologises for remarks about Ossetian–Ingush conflict
Residents of North Ossetia had earlier called for the cancellation of Marshal’s upcoming concert.
Georgia
After 344 days, Georgian police succeed at shutting down road-blocking as a form of protest
As the daily anti-government protests inch closer to their one-year anniversary, protesters are coming up with new ways to continue protesting.
Armenia
Armenian opposition podcast hosts detained after criminal complaint by parliamentary speaker
Alen Simonyan blames them for insulting him during one of the latest episodes.
Daghestan
College director detained in Daghestan on suspicion of attempting to bribe FSB officer
Prior to this, a dismissed teacher accused him of corruption offences, harassment, and rape.
Azerbaijani Popular Front Party
Local Azerbaijani opposition leader believed to be arrested after ‘disappearance’
Faig Nagiyev, the local district leader of the opposition Popular Front Party, has been missing since Wednesday.
Azerbaijan
Delegation of US Mormons meet with Aliyev as first church opens in Baku
Azerbaijan’s presidential administration said the meeting highlighted the country’s history of religious tolerance.
Armenia–Russia Relations
Russia claims Armenia will make preferential purchases of Ukrainian wheat
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has called the claims ‘nonsense’.
Georgia
Georgia’s ex-president Saakashvili transferred back to prison after over three years in hospital
Saakashvili has been sentenced to multiple years in prison on various severe charges.
Kabarda–Balkaria
Kabarda–Balkaria resident fined for failing to report planned sabotage
The man reportedly failed to report his acquaintance, who had allegedly entered into correspondence with Ukrainian intelligence services.
Georgia
After a series of controversial projects, Eagle Hills sets its sights on Georgia
The $6 billion Emirati investment project has stoked controversy in Georgia after the government decided to classify the details of the agreement.
Daily Brief
Thursday, 13 November 2025
Armenia * Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has denied claims that Yerevan plans to stop purchasing Russian wheat in favour of Ukrainian supplies, calling such suggestions ‘absurd’. Speaking to reporters in parliament on Wednesday, Pashinyan reaffirmed that Armenia remains committed to buying Russian wheat, rejecting allegations published by Russian state media that Yerevan intended to use EU funds to purchase more expensive Ukrainian grain. * Armenia’s Food Safety Inspectorate has cond
OC Insider
Tucker Carlson brings the ‘war on Christianity’ to the Caucasus
There is so much wrong with Tucker Carlson’s recent episode on Armenia — featuring Narek Kareptyan, the nephew of jailed Russian-Armenian tycoon Samvel Karapetyan and his amoral, opportunistic lawyer Robert Amsterdam — that it is hard to know where to begin. I think part of the reason I’m writing this newsletter is to put my thoughts on paper about the literal torrent of misinformation and false narratives contained in the episode (and to spare my coworkers, who are probably tired of hearing me
Yesterday, 12 November 2025
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijani pro-government media again attacks the BBC
BBC Azerbaijan was forced to close its office in February 2025.
Georgia
Former Prime Minister Gakharia faces criminal charges, up to 13 years in prison
Giorgi Gakharia, now an opposition leader, has been outside Georgia since summer, when the investigation was first announced.
Daghestan
Journalists claim that Daghestani Senator bribed his way into office
According to the media outlet Proekt, Senator Suleyman Kerimov is rarely involved in official duties.
Chechnya
Armenian authorities open criminal investigation into death of Chechen woman
The 23-year-old woman was found dead in her apartment in Yerevan.
Georgia
Former Georgian Dream municipal council member detained for embezzlement
Levan Gamrekeli allegedly appropriated state-owned pipelines worth more than ₾5 million ($1.8 million) between 2020–2023.
Armenia–EU Relations
Explainer | What is Armenia expected to do on its EU visa-free journey?
Armenia must meet a number of conditions before its citizens can enjoy visa-free travel, and progress is rarely fast.
Reviews
Review | The Harvest — crypto mining in Georgia’s wine region
Misho Antadze’s debut documentary is a solemn ethnographic study of the coexistence between Kakhetian traditions and a futuristic industry.
Chechnya
Forty people hospitalised after balcony collapse during funeral in Chechnya
A wooden balcony collapsed during a funeral in the village of Ishkhoy-Yurt in Chechnya.
Georgia
Future of Georgia’s Anti-Corruption Bureau uncertain as rumours swirl
The bureau’s head was rumoured to have been dismissed.
Abkhazia
Five injured in apparent mafia shooting in Abkhazia
One of those injured was reportedly the infamous local mafia figure Raul Bartsba.
Daily Brief
Wednesday, 12 November 2025
Regional * The Turkish Ministry of Defence has confirmed the deaths of 20 military personnel who were on board the military cargo plane that crashed yesterday near the Georgia–Azerbaijan border. On Wednesday, the ministry released the names of the victims. The governments of Georgia, Azerbaijan, and other countries around the world have extended their condolences to Ankara. * Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said the government is working ‘every day’ to secure the release of Armenian p
Tuesday, 11 November 2025
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijani woman appeals after being ‘forced to sign over house’ to official’s daughter
Amaliya Valieva has been accused of robbing the official’s daughter.
Armenia
Armenian court orders exhumation in 2001 café death linked to Kocharyan’s bodyguard
The Armenian authorities will ask permission from Georgia to proceed with the exhumation in Javakheti.
South Caucasus
Turkish military plane crash in Georgia kills 20
Turkey has confirmed that the plane was en route to Turkey from Azerbaijan.
Chechnya
Chechen woman murdered in front of three-year old daughter in France, reportedly by ex-husband
The woman’s 17-year-old daughter was also severely injured in the attack after trying to protect her mother.
Georgia’s EU U-turn
How political psychiatry is finding a new life in Georgian propaganda
The Soviet Union’s toxic legacy of conflating dissent with mental ‘instability’ is remerging in the government’s attitudes towards protesters.
Georgia’s EU U-turn
Opinion | How Georgian Dream is criminalising human rights
The regime’s goal is to place those who dare to expose the regime’s cases of human rights violations in a constant state of uncertainty.
