Azerbaijan
Thousands of bird carcasses found on Azerbaijan’s Caspian Sea coast
State-run media wrote that the mass amounts of bird carcasses have been lying in coastal areas of the Caspian Sea for more than 20 days.
News Stories
Yesterday, 23 February 2026
Yesterday, 23 February 2026
Kabarda–Balkaria
Ex-soldier who fought in Ukraine sentenced for brutal Nalchik murder of elderly woman
The court found Rustam Nogmov guilty of murder committed with particular cruelty and of desecration of a corpse.
Georgia
French court suspends Georgia’s $383 million payment to company behind Namakhvani HPP
ENKA Renewables terminated the contract to build the HPP in 2021, citing breaches of terms and force majeure.
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijani TikToker arrested for making ‘immoral statements’
Prior to her latest arrest, Zeinab Zeinalli was fined in November for promoting illegal gambling on social media.
Daghestan
Daghestani teen charged with justifying terrorism
The teenager faces three counts of publicly calling for terrorist activity online
Georgia
Georgia sharply restricts foreigners from working in delivery and taxi sectors
Restrictions were detailed in the recent governmental decree.
Daily Brief
Monday, 23 February 2026
Armenia * Catholicos Karekin II has refused to testify in a case involving the defrocking of a senior priest. His attorney, Ara Zohrabyan, told journalists on Sunday that the criminal proceedings pressed against Karekin II for defrocking Bishop Gevorg Saroyan aimed at ‘hindering the Bishops’ Synod’ in Vienna, Austria. Karekin II was scheduled to take part in the meeting, but was placed under travel ban, forcing the bishops in Austria to downgrade the meeting to a simple gathering. Azerbaijan
Cinema
Georgia’s cinema paradox — acclaimed abroad, yet struggling at home
Georgian films are failing to reach local audiences, largely due to weak infrastructure, monopolies, political pressure, and limited distribution.
Friday, 20 February 2026
Georgia
Georgian government to ban import of cars made before 2020
The decision was unexpectedly announced by the prime minister on 12 February.
Armenia–Azerbaijan Relations
Pashinyan and Aliyev attend inauguration of Trump’s Board of Peace
Armenia and Azerbaijan joined the organisation in January.
Chechnya
Russian war correspondent with Akhmat unit accused of wearing fake Wagner award
The man is said by the Chechen authorities to be embedded with the Akhmat special forces unit.
Azerbaijan
Aliyev’s bodyguards assault protesters in Washington
After the incident, medical personnel checked the protesters’ injuries, but none of them were taken to the hospital.
Georgia–Iran Relations
Iran’s Ambassador to Georgia deflects criticism after embassy downplayed 17th century deportation
Iran’s Ambassador to Georgia, Ali Moujani, has acknowledged controversial wording allegedly used by the embassy to refer to the historic deportations of Georgians to 17th century Iran, but claimed that modern-day Iran was not responsible for actions committed by Safavid Iran. The controversy began on 13 February, when Georgian professor Giorgi Sanikidze published a photo of the invitation for an event he received from the Iranian Embassy marking the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, w
Armenian Apostolic Church
Pro-Pashinyan archbishop appears to turn on prime minister
Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, who had called for Karekin II’s resignation, signed a statement urging authorities to end ‘the repression of clergy’.
North Ossetia–Alania
North Ossetia court orders seizure of Olympic champion’s property
The prosecutor’s office has secured a court ruling transferring to the state a property complex owned by Makhharbek Khadartsev.
Daily Brief
Friday, 20 February 2026
Regional * Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev participated in the inaugural session of the Peace Council in Washington. While in Washington, Pashinyan held brief conversations with Trump and US Vice President JD Vance in Washington, as well as Aliyev. Later, Pashinyan posted on social media that he was returning to Armenia ‘with greater confidence in peace’. * As details emerged about the meeting, Azerbaijani presidential aide Hikmat Hajiyev stated
Chechens in Europe
‘A personal catastrophe’ — Roza Dunaeva on Europe’s deportation of Chechens
Roza Dunaeva, a representative of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria in Austria, has spent years highlighting the cases of Chechens deported to Russia.
Thursday, 19 February 2026
Azerbaijan
Two exiled Azerbaijani critics convicted in absentia
The two were convicted of making calls for mass riots in Azerbaijan.
OC Insider
How the Aliyevs are getting a taste of their own bitter medicine
The Aliyev regime’s weaponisation of women’s bodies is now being used against them.
Chechnya
Chechnya says it provided $560 million for full-scale invasion of Ukraine
The origin of the funds is unknown.
Daghestan
Daghestani man sentenced for murder of university rector
Investigators suspect that the murder was a hit ordered by former MP Magomed Gadzhiev.
Armenia–Russia Relations
Russia warns Armenia not to make ‘ill-considered decisions' regarding railway takeover
Pashinyan had proposed a third-country takeover of Armenian railways from Russia as a solution to Armenia losing its ‘competitive advantage’.
Georgia
Kobakhidze blames ‘liberal ideology’ for declining birth rates
According to Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, birth rates have little to do with social factors.
Georgia
Two foreign nationals arrested for purchasing uranium in Georgia
The two were arrested in Kutaisi, western Georgia.
Azerbaijan
Aliyev meets with CEO of AIPAC during visit to Washington
President Ilham Aliyev is in the US to attend the inaugural meeting of President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace.
Daily Brief
Thursday, 19 February 2026
Regional * Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan are both in the US to attend the first meeting of US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace today. Armenia * Armenian police have announced that the ‘full circle of individuals’ involved in the shootings on Wednesday afternoon in Yerevan was identified and ‘measures are being taken to locate them’. No further information has been provided about the incident as a result of which one person was killed
Wednesday, 18 February 2026
Georgia
Bidzina Ivanishvili’s jailed ex-ally released in surprise move
Giorgi Bachiashvili had been sentenced to 11 years in a case linked to the founder of Georgia’s ruling party, Bidzina Ivanishvili.
Ingushetia
Two political prisoners released after serving sentences in the ‘Ingush case’
Akhmed Barakhoev and Musa Malsagov have fully served the sentences imposed by the court.
Armenia
Breaking: 1 killed and 6 injured in Yerevan shooting
Official information about the shooters and their motives has yet to be released.
Georgian Dream
Georgian Constitutional Court refuses to review judge’s appeal against administrative arrests
The judge had requested a review of the constitutionality of administrative arrests
