Armenia
Armenia sends humanitarian aid to Iran
The aid mainly contains medicine, Armenian authorities said.
News Stories
Today, 23 March 2026
Today, 23 March 2026
North Ossetia–Alania
Vladikavkaz dance instructor faces harassment for appearing in ‘revealing’ clothes
Pogorelova teaches Latin American dancing.
Armenia
Pashinyan calls Nagorno-Karabakh Armenian refugees ‘runaways’ in argument on metro
Following backlash online, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan apologised for his remarks.
Georgia
German partners continue to ignore Nazi-linked research at Kutaisi University
The former long-serving president of TUM and now honorary president of KIU privately expressed irritation at reports on the research centre.
North Ossetia–Alania
Mother of North Ossetian soldier convicted of desertion stages pickets in Vladikavkaz
The woman is demanding the annulment of her son’s sentence, claiming he was convicted unlawfully
Georgia
Kobakhidze speaks at CPAC Hungary as Orbán calls Georgia the ‘bravest nation in Europe’
The bulk of Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s speech was about traditional values and praise for Georgia’s strategic neutrality.
Reviews
Review | Thus Spoke the Wind — an Armenian drama that favours art over substance
Russian director Maria Rigel’s latest film is a disappointingly slow-moving look at Armenian society that is more incomprehensible than enlightening.
Daily Brief
Monday, 23 March 2026
Regional * The Armenian authorities rejected a petition to allow the Catholicos Karekin II to attend the funeral of Georgian Patriarch Ilia II yesterday. Karekin II has been under a travel ban since February. Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan and Minister of Culture and Education Zhanna Andreasyan attended the funeral. Armenia * Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has faced backlash after calling Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians ‘runaways’ in an argument with a refugee on the metro. Later that
Saturday, 21 March 2026
Circassians
When the night glows, the Circassian New Year begins
The Circassian New Year, once an important occasion marking the beginning of spring, has resurfaced — but does it have a place in today’s society?
Friday, 20 March 2026
Georgia
Second Georgian faces criminal charges for minor protest-related offences
Shalva Esartia faces up to one year in jail.
North Caucasus
Chechens again top list of asylum seekers in Germany, but successful cases drop sharply
The report was published as a response to a parliamentary inquiry by the Die Linke faction in the German Parliament.
Armenian Apostolic Church
Armenian Catholicos Karekin II’s presence at Georgian Patriarch Ilia II’s funeral remains uncertain
Karekin II has been under a travel ban since February.
Kabarda–Balkaria
Court overturns verdict of Nalchik soldier convicted of intentionally blowing himself up with mines
Nikolai Khozumov allegedly blew himself up on a mine at least four times of his own accord.
Armenia
Pashinyan claims Armenia faces war if opposition wins parliamentary election
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has framed the opposition as a ‘war party’.
Ilia II
Huge crowds in Tbilisi bid farewell to Patriarch Ilia II
Ilia II, the long-standing Patriarch, will be laid to rest on Sunday.
Daily Brief
Friday, 20 March 2026
Regional * Yesterday, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a telephone conversation with his Georgian counterpart Irakli Kobakhidze, offering his condolences for the death of Patriarch Ilia II. Earlier yesterday, Pashinyan stated that Armenia ‘will participate in the funeral at the highest level’, however the attendance of Catholicos Karekin II still remains unclear, considering he has been under a travel ban since February. Armenia * Yesterday, Pashinyan received EU Enlargement Commissioner
2026 Iran War
At the edge of the war, an uneasy calm: dispatches from the Armenia–Iran border
As civilians trickle across the border, some seeking security others returning home, local residents are feeling the economic consequences.
Thursday, 19 March 2026
Armenia
Pashinyan offers increase in housing aid for Nagorno-Karabakh refugees ahead of elections
Assistance will rise from ֏3 million ($8,000) to ֏4 million ($11,000) per person in each family for communities adjacent to Yerevan.
Azerbaijan
Latvia sentences Azerbaijani national for selling Starlink terminals and weapons to Russia
The court ruled that the group's organizer was Ali Khalilov, who refused the services of a lawyer from the very beginning.
Armenia–Russia Relations
Moscow accuses Yerevan of ‘destroying traditions’ in its confrontation with Armenian Church
Yerevan has yet to respond to the accusations.
Georgia–US Relations
US imposes hefty visa bonds on Georgia
Georgians applying for US visas will soon be forced to post a bond of up to $15,000.
Daghestan
Makhachkala bookshop fined for ‘LGBT propaganda’ in books by Le Guin and Backman
This is the first such protocol in the North Caucasus against a bookshop.
Daily Brief
Thursday, 19 March 2026
Regional * Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan sent a letter of condolence to his Georgian counterpart Irakli Kobakhidze on the occasion of the death of Georgian Patriarch Ilia II. Catholicos Karekin II also sent similar condolences. It remains unclear if Karekin II will be able to attend Ilia II’s funeral, considering he has been under travel ban since February. * This morning a total of 488 tonnes of grain were shipped from Baku, bound for Armenia from Russia via Azerbaijan. Armenia * EU Enl
Wednesday, 18 March 2026
Abkhazia
Russian court sentences Abkhazian to over 5 years for posts praising Shamil Basaev
The case is linked to Telegram posts about a dispute over a museum exhibition in Sukhumi (Sukhum).
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijani man detained on charges of blackmailing Aliyev family
Azerbaijan’s State Security Service claimed that he used footage sent to him by exiled bloggers.
Georgia
Over 70 arrested in Georgian police operation against mafia in Adjara
Among those detained were alleged high-ranking members of the post-Soviet mafia network known as ‘thieves-in-law’.
Armenia
Editor-in-chief of Armenian opposition-aligned tabloid investigated over 2024 editorial
The editorial by Armine Ohanyan was published in Hraparak in December 2024.
Ingushetia
Two Ingush men sentenced to 17 years in prison for brutal murder of Saint Petersburg woman
Murat Ganizhev and Abdul-Malik Buzurtanov inflicted more than 580 stab wounds on the victim.
