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Armenian authorities are choosing the wrong role model

•2 min read

Armenian authorities are taking steps to introduce new restrictions on media and freedom of speech ahead of the 2026 parliamentary elections. At the end of April, Armenia’s Justice Ministry released a series of draft legislative amendments, which, if adopted, would require media outlets — as well as individual social media users — to not only publicly refute or publish a response to insulting or defamatory content, but also to remove such expressions or even the entire publication. The authori

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Russia’s cynical distortion of Victory Day

by Nate Ostiller

•3 min read

On Friday, Russia will hold a grand spectacle in Moscow to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany. The official holiday — arguably the most important non-religious holiday in modern Russia — will feature a parade, and will be attended by several leaders from the Caucasus, including Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Abkhazian President Badra Gunba, South Ossetian President Alan Gagloev, and likely the heads of Russian republics in the North Caucas

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Through poetry, Pezeshkian hits back at Azerbaijani irredentism

by Aytan Farhadova

•1 min read

On 28 April, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian visited Azerbaijan, the first such visit by an Iranian president in six years. While only a short trip, the one-day visit was quite eventful. One of the most memorable aspects of the visit was Pezeshkian’s sense of humour. Following his official meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Pezeshkian decided to read a poem by Mahamadhuseyn Shahriyar, an Iranian poet of Azerbaijani descent. As Pezeshkian is also an Iranian from the country’s

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Under the red flag with a new design

by Aytan Farhadova

•2 min read

On 22 April, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev was met on Tiananmen Square by Chinese President Xi Jinping as Aliyev’s favourite song — ‘Homeland!’ (‘Ey Vətən!’) — played in the background. It was a message to the world that Xi was growing his club of authoritarian leaders. In their one-on-one meeting Xi stressed that China supports Azerbaijan in safeguarding its national sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, and in continuing to follow a development path that suits its national

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Chechnya reverts back to the Middle Ages

by Elizaveta Chukharova

•2 min read

If you’ve been reading OC Media, you’ve probably noticed the horrifying events that have been unfolding in Chechnya over the past week. What’s happening there amounts to public executions — in a supposedly civilised country allegedly governed by the rule of law. It all began when a teenager attacked police officers with a knife in Achkoi-Martan, western Chechnya. As it later emerged, the motive was personal resentment. Witnesses say that the day before the attack, the boy — who lived in Moscow

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For Georgian Dream, murderous Soviet soldiers and anti-government protesters are the same

by Mikheil Gvadzabia

•3 min read

In a reality where the Georgian government has launched a full-scale assault — both rhetorically and in action — against its critics, even the most vicious and degrading statements from ruling party politicians or their affiliated media no longer come as a shock. These days, we’re bombarded daily with lengthy statements and pro-government TV reports, pushing the narrative that a bunch of ‘radical’ and ‘rootless’ individuals — allegedly controlled by the ‘deep state’ or the ‘global war party’ —

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After insulting journalists, Armenia’s ruling party refuses to apologise

by Arshaluys Barseghyan

•2 min read

In Armenia’s highly polarised media landscape, which features only a handful of independent media outlets, it is challenging to convey to the public what real journalism is and should be. Indeed, there are frequent cases whereby journalists exceed the professional standards, making their work more akin to activism, or turning their writing into tools in the hands of their owners, funders, or other affiliated figures to publish propaganda or leak materials. However, journalists are not alone in

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Azerbaijan

Georgia rejects asylum request from family of detained Azerbaijani activist

by Aytan Farhadova

•2 min read

1adat

Russian authorities charge Yangulbaev’s detained mother with assaulting prison guard

by Elizaveta Chukharova

•3 min read

Guram Macharashvili addressing the parliament on 12 December. Image: Parliament of Georgia

Bidzina Ivanishvili

Georgian Dream satellite party People’s Power will exit majority to create ‘healthy opposition’

by Shota Kincha

•3 min read

OC Insider

Armenian authorities are choosing the wrong role model

Russia’s cynical distortion of Victory Day

Through poetry, Pezeshkian hits back at Azerbaijani irredentism

Under the red flag with a new design

Chechnya reverts back to the Middle Ages

For Georgian Dream, murderous Soviet soldiers and anti-government protesters are the same

After insulting journalists, Armenia’s ruling party refuses to apologise

Most popular

Military salaries cut in Nakhchivan as funding goes to ‘restore’ Nagorno-Karabakh

Kobakhidze publishes open letter to Trump and Vance

Controversial commentary on World War II aired on Armenian public TV spark outrage online

Pro-government media, MPs, and Patriarchate attack Tbilisi theatre’s ‘blasphemous’ play

Son of Azerbaijan’s Central Election Commission chair accused of domestic violence

Pashinyan attends Victory Day parade in Moscow for the second time

Armenian authorities are choosing the wrong role model

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Editor‘s Picks

Georgia rejects asylum request from family of detained Azerbaijani activist

Russian authorities charge Yangulbaev’s detained mother with assaulting prison guard

Georgian Dream satellite party People’s Power will exit majority to create ‘healthy opposition’

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