A court in makhachkala has fined a bookshop chain ₽800,000 ($8,600) for selling books deemed to contain ‘LGBT propaganda’. The Chitai-Gorod bookshop, located in the Etazhi (‘Floors’) shopping centre of makhachkala, received the penalty on March 16th, according to Mediazona, a Russian independent media outlet. The legal action targeted books including Ursula K. Le Guin’s…
A Riga city court sentenced Azerbaijani national Ali Khalilov, a Latvian student, to 11 years in prison and three years of probation supervision. The court also ordered his deportation from Latvia and imposed a five-year entry ban as additional penalties. The prosecutor sought the maximum sentence of 12 years, which Khalilov did not admit. Investigations…
The Thursday Briefing, March 19th, 2026, brought to you by OC Media offers a valuable opportunity for readers. This exclusive update provides significant advantages for those who choose to become a member. Accessing the Caucasus Daily Brief and the Caucasus Monitor grants you privileged insight into critical developments. You’ll gain early access to our most…
Disinformation campaigns are intensifying in Armenia ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections. The press secretary for Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan regularly issues warnings and publishes rebuttals against new false claims. Recently, Nazeli Baghdasaryan reported a fabricated publication alleging Pashinyan and officials were involved in organ trafficking. Baghdasaryan rejected the claims, stating they lacked factual basis…
The head of the Abkhaz diaspora in Rostov-on-Don, Irakli Bzhinava, has been placed in pre-trial detention following accusations of making “anti-russian statements.” He is currently held within a detention center typically used for individuals suspected of war crimes. Abkhazia’s president, Badra Gunba, stated he was observing the situation concerning his compatriot. Bzhinava, a legal specialist…
An Abkhazia resident, Timur Agrba, has been sentenced to five years and six months in a Russian penal colony following accusations of “glorifying” Shamil Basayev. The Caucasian Knot reported the arrest and subsequent trial. Agrba, a citizen of both Abkhazia and Russia born in 1988, was detained in Sochi in March 2025 after security services…
A Russian court has sentenced an Abkhazian man, Timur Agrba, to over five years in prison for sharing online posts praising Shamil Basaev. The Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don convicted Agrba of justifying terrorism following charges related to ten Telegram posts published between September and December 2024. These posts, originating from his channel Apsny…
Azerbaijan’s State Security Service (DTX) has detained a man, identified only as F.S., on accusations of blackmailing members of the Aliyev family. The investigation centers around a demand for €5 million ($5.8 million) to prevent the release of intimate videos involving Alyona Aliyeva, the daughter-in-law of President Ilham Aliyev. The DTX released a video detailing…
Georgian police conducted a significant operation in the southwestern Adjara region, resulting in the arrest of seventy-two individuals. The operation targeted a post-Soviet mafia network, commonly known as “thieves-in-law,” and was led by the Georgian authorities. Among those detained were the brothers Rezo and Piruz Tsulukidze, as reported by local media. Interior Minister Gela Geladze…
Armine Ohanyan, the editor-chief of the opposition-aligned tabloid Hraparak, is under investigation by Armenia’s Investigative Committee. This occurred following a summons on Tuesday related to a 2024 editorial penned by Arshaluys Barseghyan. The committee alleges the editorial contained public calls for violent power changes. Hraparak reports that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s government is attempting to…