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11:07, 17 February 2026

Vardanyan was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

A Baku court has sentenced former Karabakh state minister Ruben Vardanyan, who is accused of war crimes.

10:30, 17 February 2026

Rufat Safarov called his criminal case retaliation for his human rights work.

At a Baku court hearing, Rufat Safarov, head of the Defense Line, described his criminal prosecution as a politically motivated act in retaliation for his human rights work. A witness who testified at the hearing did not confirm the investigation's version of events.

Apti Alaudinov. February 9, 2026. Video still: https://t.me/AptiAlaudinovAKHMAT/18362

09:34, 17 February 2026

Experts have explained the background behind the church's claims against Alaudinov's religious ideas.

Priest Sergiy Fufayev, having criticized the ideas in Apti Alaudinov's book, voiced the official position of the Russian Orthodox Church, citing distortions of key tenets of the Christian religion as the basis for his criticism.

08:31, 17 February 2026

A drone attack was recorded in the Rostov region.

Last night, the military shot down drones in the Azov region and Taganrog. According to the governor, there were no injuries or damage.

Internally displaced persons prepare to return to Agdam. February 17, 2026. Photo: Report https://report.az/ru/vnutrennyaya-politika/v-gorod-agdam-vyehala-ocherednaya-gruppa-byvshih-vynuzhdennyh-pereselencev

07:32, 17 February 2026

120 Azerbaijani families returned to Agdam

Today, members of 120 Azerbaijani families who fled the city during the Karabakh conflict returned to the city of Aghdam.

06:32, 17 February 2026

Sympathizers were able to deliver parcels to Kuban pensioners in the pretrial detention center.

Kuban pensioners Nikolai Nabiyev, Sergei Kuzovenko, and Marina Zakharova, accused of creating an illegal armed group, received packages from sympathizers timed to coincide with the start of Maslenitsa week. A relative of Nabiyev's reported that they are prohibited from visiting, but are allowed to correspond.

05:32, 17 February 2026

Makhachkala residents reported numerous problematic roads in the city.

In addition to Irchi Kazaka Street, where Makhachkala authorities have failed to patch a pothole for over 170 days, the city faces numerous problematic roads. Activists have announced the launch of the "Road Monitor" project, which aims to help officials identify and fix these defects.

04:33, 17 February 2026

Analysts assess the balance of power ahead of parliamentary elections in Armenia.

Armenia's Central Election Commission has begun accepting applications for participation in the parliamentary elections and approved the schedule of key events. Analysts believe the parties of Nikol Pashinyan, Robert Kocharyan, and Samvel Karapetyan will be the key contenders in the elections.

03:34, 17 February 2026

Attacks on Politkovskaya's memory have defined the limits of civil discourse.

Any civic expression, whether a plaque commemorating Anna Politkovskaya or a "Last Address" sign for a victim of Stalin's repressions, provokes active aggression among supporters of the government in Russia. Impunity encourages spontaneous acts of vandalism, even without direct orders from above.

03:23, 17 February 2026

Two people were injured in a drone attack in Kuban.

In the village of Ilsky, two people were injured and hospitalized when a drone crashed. Four private homes were damaged.

02:44, 17 February 2026

An appeals court has refused to release the head of a district in the Rostov region from custody.

Valery Gornich, head of the Proletarsky District of the Rostov Region, suspected of abuse of power, filed a complaint against the pretrial detention measure, but the appellate court upheld his arrest.

A new temporary plaque on Politkovskaya's house. Photo: "Slovo zashchity" / Telegram

01:45, 17 February 2026

The memorial plaque on Politkovskaya's house has been restored for the 16th time.

For the 16th consecutive time, activists have installed a homemade memorial plaque in memory of journalist Anna Politkovskaya on the facade of her Moscow home. The previous plaque remained in place for less than a day.

Flowers at the monument. Photo courtesy of Vladimir Telpuk to "Caucasian Knot."

00:47, 17 February 2026

A Volgograd activist was detained near a monument to victims of repression.

Activist Vladimir Telpuk was detained with flowers at the "Departing to Heaven" monument to victims of political repression in Volgograd on the anniversary of the death of politician Alexei Navalny. He spent about an hour in police custody and was released without charge.

23:59, 16 February 2026

Students from Sukhumi State University joined protests in Tbilisi.

On the 446th day of continuous protests, participants gathered outside the Georgian Parliament to protest Georgian Dream's plans to introduce an article on extremism and the grounds of "non-recognition of the government" into the criminal code. Students from Sukhumi State University, located in Tbilisi, staged the protest against education reform.

23:44, 16 February 2026

A man arrested for the murder of Larisa Arsanukaeva in Nice was found dead in his cell.

Chechen native Bashir Alibiyev, arrested in France after the murder of his ex-wife, Larisa Arsanukayeva, died in a detention center cell. Sources have ruled his death a suicide, although his relatives claim cardiac arrest.

23:23, 16 February 2026

Abkhaz lawyer Irakli Bzhinava has been arrested in Rostov-on-Don.

The Leninsky District Court of Rostov-on-Don sentenced Irakli Bzhinava to two months in jail for making anti-Russian statements and attempting to incite ethnic hatred online.

22:42, 16 February 2026

A Baku court has left Ali Karimli in custody.

The Baku Court of Appeals rejected the appeal to extend the arrest of Ali Karimli, leader of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan. The opposition politician released a statement denying the charges against him.

22:04, 16 February 2026

The Chief Mufti stated Putin's role in the reconciliation of Kadyrov and Kerimov.

The reconciliation between Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov and Dagestani senator Suleiman Kerimov took place in the Kremlin, where both were invited by Putin, according to Ravil Gainutdin, head of the Russian Muslim Spiritual Directorate. Other sources also mentioned Putin's involvement in the reconciliation, calling it a commercial deal.

21:24, 16 February 2026

A contract soldier from Dagestan was killed in a military operation.

Yarash Shamshidov from Makhachkala was killed in the military operation in Ukraine. Since its beginning, at least 1,809 fighters from Dagestan have been officially recognized as killed.

21:11, 16 February 2026

A court has arrested the head of a ministry in Krasnodar Krai.

The court has remanded the acting Minister of Civil Defense and Emergencies of the Krasnodar Territory, Sergei Shtrikov, in custody for two months on charges of abuse of office.

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News

Residents of a dilapidated dormitory in Nalchik. Photo by a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Human rights activists called on Kokov to prevent the eviction of dormitory residents.

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LEGAL TEXTS

The illustration was created by the Caucasian Knot using AI

The peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as other documents signed at the meeting with Trump on August 8, 2025

The “Caucasian Knot" publishes the agreement on the establishment of peace and interstate relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia, which was initialed by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on August 8, 2025, through the mediation of US President Donald Trump. The meeting of Trump, Aliyev and Pashinyan took place on August 8 in Washington. Following the meeting, Pashinyan and Aliyev also signed a joint declaration. In addition to the agreements between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Trump signed a number of separate memoranda with Aliyev and Pashinyan....

Personalities

Zelimkhan Khangoshvili

A participant of the second Chechen military campaign, one of the field commanders close to Shamil Basaev and Aslan Maskhadov. Shot dead in Berlin in 2019.

Magomed Daudov

Magomed "Lord" Daudov is a former Chechen militant who was awarded the title of "Hero of Russia", the chairman of the Chechen parliament under Ramzan Kadyrov.

Tumso Abdurakhmanov

Tumso Abdurakhmanov is a blogger from Chechnya. After a conflict with Ramzan Kadyrov's relative, he left the republic and went first to Georgia, and then to Poland, where he is trying to get political asylum.