Azerbaijan
Turkey bans Azerbaijani taxi drivers in eastern Iğdır region
Taxi drivers from Nakhchivan have been banned from transporting passengers to Turkey’s Iğdır Province.
News Stories
Yesterday, 15 September 2025
Yesterday, 15 September 2025
Adygea
Man detained for hanging pig head at mosque in Adygea
The suspect was detained within 24 hours.
Armenia
Armenia removes Ararat from border crossing stamp
Mount Ararat, though in Turkey, is deeply woven into the national identity of Armenians.
Abkhazia
Mass flooding in Abkhazia after heavy rain
The authorities in Sukhumi (Sukhum) have received more than 50 damage complaints.
Azerbaijan
Nagorno-Karabakh Armenian arrested in Azerbaijan over ‘armed provocation’
An Armenian man was detained in Stepanakert on charges of planning ‘an armed provocation’ in the city on Saturday.
Chechnya
37-year-old kindergarten teacher dies following arrest in Chechnya
According to eyewitnesses, her body was returned to relatives with signs of torture.
Bidzina Ivanishvili
Georgian authorities freeze accounts of imprisoned former Ivanishvili ally Bachiashvili’s parents
The accounts were frozen as part of a legal battle between Ivanishvili and Bachiashvili.
2025 Georgian Local Elections
Georgian opposition leader Khoshtaria detained for writing ‘Russian Dream’ on ruling party banner
Elene Koshtaria, the leader of Georgia’s opposition party Droa, was arrested for ‘damaging’ Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze’s re-election poster.
Daghestan
Court reduces sentences for defendants in case of antisemitic riot at Makhachkala airport
At a new review of the case, aggravating circumstances were removed from the charges.
Georgia
Georgia says Ukraine’s SBU ordered explosives to be brought into the country
Pro-Russian propagandists have echoed the allegations in recent days.
Azerbaijan
Opinion | Can Azerbaijan really seek peace while it continues to repress its own people?
For true peace to happen, Azerbaijan must go beyond external agreements and look within to create change.
Daily Brief
Monday, 15 September 2025
Regional * Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has stated that ‘the final signing of the [Armenia–Azerbaijan peace treaty] is expected in the first half of 2026’. He further noted that Turkey would start ‘taking steps’ to normalise relations with Armenia once the agreement is signed. * In response, the Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ani Badalyan told Armenpress that Armenia’s ‘principled position’ regarding the signing date had not changed. ‘Signing the agreement within the shortest
Georgia
Israeli ‘Tinder Swindler’ arrested in Batumi
Simon Leviev was the subject of a popular 2022 Netflix documentary and is thought to have scammed as much as $1 billion through various schemes.
Friday, 12 September 2025
Azerbaijan
Baku residents claim demolition of their homes is illegal
Baku residents have created a community through social media, collecting signatures to save the historic Bayirshahar district.
Azerbaijan
Baku appeals court seizes home of opposition spokesperson
Musavat spokesperson Mustafa Hajibayli said the court had sided with a bank despite an Audit Chamber conclusion backing his claim.
Daghestan
Double Olympic champion Abdulrashid Sadulaev denied visa for World Wrestling Championships in Croatia
According to Croatia, the reason for the denial was Abdulrashid Sadulaev’s previous visa violations.
Georgia
Russian activists in Georgia sentenced to 8.5 years on drug charges
Anastasia Zinovkina and Artem Gribul were active in the protests against Georgian Dream and believe the drugs were planted on them.
Armenian–Turkish Normalisation
Armenian and Turkish special envoys hold talks in Yerevan
The meeting marks the first-ever time the envoys held talks in Yerevan, with previous meetings traditionally held along the border or in third-party countries.
North Ossetia–Alania
North Ossetian politician calls female drivers ‘silicone cows with sawdust in their heads’
The comment created a firestorm, triggering reactions on both sides.
Reviews
Review | Temo Re — An artistic yet humorous commentary on Georgian society
Georgian director Anka Gujabidze’s debut film is a visual treat for lovers of monochrome photography.
Georgia
Two Ukrainians arrested in Georgia for allegedly smuggling explosives from Turkey
Georgia’s State Security Service (SSG) said investigators were ‘considering’ connections between the arrests and the upcoming municipal elections.
Georgia
Georgian opposition figure Khabeishvili arrested for offering money to police to step aside
Levan Khabeishvili, a member of the former ruling United National Movement (UNM) party, offered riot police $200,000 not to disperse protesters.
Armenia
Armenian President: ‘there is no question’ of the nationalisation of Electric Networks
Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan offered his remarks in an interview with the Russian media outlet RTVI.
Chechnya
Kadyrov reportedly fitted with catheter bag as health continues to deteriorate
The Russian independent media outlet Novaya Gazeta Europe has published a report on Chechen Head Ramzan Kadyrov’s visible problems with mobility.
Georgian Dream
Georgian Dream supporters filmed attacking protesters released without charge
One of the men was caught on film striking a woman protester in the face, while the other used a police officer’s baton to beat protesters.
Armenia
US to provide $145 million to Armenia for Trump Route
The mentioned sum is said to be the ‘first tranche of funding’ aimed at implementing the Trump Route.
Daily Brief
Friday, 12 September 2025
Armenia * On Friday, Turkey’s Special Envoy for normalisation with Armenia, Serdar Kılıç, arrived in Armenia via the land border, which remains closed. His Armenian counterpart, Ruben Rubinyan, welcomed Kılıç there. * The US intends to provide Armenia with $145 million in assistance, which is said to be the ‘first tranche of funding aimed at implementing the Trump Route project and other agreements reached’ in Washington on 8 August. The statement came during a meeting between Armenian Deputy
Georgia
Georgia’s former Defence Minister Burchuladze arrested for money laundering
Two of former Georgian Defence Minister Juansher Burchuladze’s subordinates, as well as a ‘close relative’, were detained in the same case in July.
Nikol Pashinyan
Opinion | The personalisation of power in Armenia endangers democracy
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s focus on loyalty above all else risks turning Armenia’s democracy into a façade.
Thursday, 11 September 2025
Armenia
Echoing Aliyev, Pashinyan slams the now-dissolved OSCE Minsk Group
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan accused the OSCE Minsk Group of ‘deepening the conflict’ with Azerbaijan.
