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Twelve schoolchildren from different villages of the Gali District of Abkhazia were detained by Russian frontier guards on January 20 in the morning on their way to the school located in Chkoushi village of the neighbouring Tsalendzhikh District of Georgia. On that very day the children were released. The authorities of Abkhazia in exile are concerned with children's further attending Georgian schools.

The establishment of the North-Caucasian Federal District (NSFD) from some of the regions, which earlier were parts of the SFD (Southern Federal District), with appointment of Alexander Khloponin to the post of vice-premier and plenipotentiary of Russian President in the newly formed District, can indicate an attempt of the Kremlin to reach a peaceful settlement of the complex situation in Northern Caucasus. This is the opinion of Nikolai Petrov, an expert of the Carnegie Centre. However, he, like other experts, notes that the former administrative experience of the new plenipotentiary may be not the primary factor of successful execution of his mission.

Warrant officer Vitaly Khripun, a former contract military in South Ossetia, who occurred in the territory of Georgia, got there in the state of alcoholic intoxication and was put before a choice - either being put to prison or become a political figure by revealing problems in his military unit. This is the opinion of Timur Tskhovrebov, editor of the newspaper "21st Century".

Major Alexei Dymovskiy, former employee of the UVD (Interior Division) of Novorossisk, who became known after his presentation in the Internet, was presented a charge under part 3, Articles 159, of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation "Swindle accomplished by a person through abuse of his/her service position". This was stated by Vladimir Markin, spokesman of the Russian ICPO (Investigatory Committee at the Prosecutor's Office). According to his story, the preliminary investigation of the case continues.

According to Adalbi Shkhagoshev, Deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation from Kabardino-Balkaria and one of the organizers of the Forum "Caucasus. Traditions and Modernization", held in Nalchik on November 30, 2009, without involvement of broad public addressing the problems, which exist in Northern Caucasus, including many frozen conflicts, looks impossible.

The Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" plans to address the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in the context of the today's decision of the Moscow City Court (MCC), which rejected the Centre's complaint against the claim lodged by President of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov.

In 2009, Armenia saw slight positive trends in the sphere of mass media. In particular, as noted by Ashot Melikyan, chairman of the committee "In Defence of Freedom of Speech", facts of violence against journalists and pressure on mass media went down.

Completion of resonant litigations in Russia and Georgia; new Dagestan leader is anticipated at the background of special operations and explosions; Turkey gets to the forefront in settling the Karabakh conflict, - look up these and other events in the review of the week of January 11-17, 2010, in Caucasian regions prepared by the "Caucasian Knot".

Relatives of the driver of the "KamAZ" truck, which on January 18, under the official information of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Ingushetia, rammed the militia cordon, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that the truck had been shelled before it approached the cordon. They are indignant with the fact that Hasan Markhiev, 46, is assumed to be linked with militants.

Ruslan Musaev, who was acquitted on the criminal case dealing with his preparations in May 2007 in Moscow to attack President of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov, has lodged a rehabilitation claim to the Moscow City Court. This was reported today by Anna Usachova, head of the press service of the Moscow City Court.

On January 19, the police of Armenia dispersed a spontaneous rally of the opposition in support of Nikol Pashinyan, convicted editor of the newspaper "Aikakan Zhamanak".