News

March 19, 2024 17:57

• Election commissions report more than 85% for Vladimir Putin in Southern Russia amid complaints of violations

  In the regions of Southern Russia, Vladimir Putin gets the most votes – 99.28% – in Chechnya. The least number of votes was recorded in the Astrakhan Region, where, according to election commissions, 86.67% voted for the current head of state, reports the information released by the Russian Central Election Commission (CEC).

March 18, 2024 23:20

• Week in the Caucasus: review of main events of March 11-17, 2024

  Presidential election voting in the Caucasus, persecution of pacifists and activists in Southern Russia, repressions in Azerbaijan continue, new drone attacks, and official data on the natives of Southern Russia who perished in Ukraine, – see the review of these and other events in the Caucasus during the week of March 11-17, 2024, prepared by the “Caucasian Knot”.

March 18, 2024 22:38

• Dagestani native Murtazaliev’s defence alarmed by his transfer to SIZO

  Omar Murtazaliev, a native of Dagestan, was transferred from a penal colony in the Kurgan Region to a SIZO (pre-trial prison) in Shadrinsk without any explanations. His defender suggests that law enforcers likely intend to question Omar Murtazaliev as a witness or incriminate him with a new crime.

March 18, 2024 21:15

• Sochi resident fined for discrediting Russian Army after his post in memory of Navalny

  Jean-Michel Otelli was fined 30,000 roubles for discrediting the Russian Armed Forces. The Adler District Court of Sochi found an offense in reposting a publication about the Alexei Navalny’s death with a call to come to the polling stations on March 17.

March 18, 2024 20:32

• Pressure on observers and ballot stuffing fixed in Southern Russia

  In the Southern Federal District (SFD), on the third day of voting at presidential election, complaints were recorded about ballot stuffing, violation of voting secrecy, and an attack on an observer. According to the "Map of Election Violations" project, a total of 142 violations were reported.

March 18, 2024 19:28

• Document released on punishment of SIZO employees after beating up Nikita Zhuravel for burning Koran

  Employees of the Grozny SIZO (pre-trial prison), where Adam Kadyrov had beaten Nikita Zhuravel up, were punished after a check, the document posted in the "Baza" Telegram channel has informed.

March 18, 2024 17:43

• Voters in NCFD complain about being forced to vote

  In Chechnya, a state servant has told about forced participation in the so-called "carousels," and a voter from the Stavropol Territory complained about the demand of his company bosses to vote for a specific candidate.

March 17, 2024 22:49

• 123 election violations recorded in Southern Russia

  In Southern Russia, the number of violations fixed at the presidential election has reached at least 123, including 114 in the Southern Federal District (SFD) and nine in the North- Caucasian Federal District (NCFD), the "Caucasian Knot" has calculated based on the data from the "Map of Election Violations" project.

March 17, 2024 21:54

• Observers claim obstacles to election monitoring in Krasnodar Territory

  At least three cases of obstructing the work of observers and one case of pressure on a member of the election commission were recorded on the second day of voting in the Krasnodar Territory.

March 17, 2024 21:14

• Makhachkala resident fears for his safety after arrest

  Mukhammed Djambulatov, a resident of Dagestan, who was arrested after laying flowers at the memorial to Alexei Navalny, intends to appeal against his arrest, but fears further persecution after law enforcers' threats.

March 17, 2024 19:09

• Voters report violations of campaigning rules in regions of North-Caucasian Federal District

  A portrait of a presidential candidate at a polling station and publications in his support were spotted in Chechnya after voting began at presidential election. In the Stavropol Territory, a senior official urged residents to vote for a specific candidate, voters have informed.

March 17, 2024 14:16

• In Stavropol Territory, law enforcers' actions disrupt monitoring on election eve

  After reports about searches of the homes of the Stavropol activists who had collected signatures in support of Boris Nadezhdin, some observers failed to find themselves on the lists; and a number of activists refused due to fear of persecution. Voters often entered the polling station in Stavropol where the exit poll was held in groups, activists have informed.

March 16, 2024 23:57

• Observers in Krasnodar report serious pressure

  In Krasnodar, election observers have faced pressure exerted on them via their families or employers; therefore they were forced to reduce their presence time at polling stations.

March 16, 2024 23:16

• Obstacles to observers and violations of campaigning rules fixed in Southern Federal District

  In the Krasnodar Territory, election observers complained of violations during mobile voting and obstacles with their work at polling stations. In the Volgograd Region, portraits of the incumbent president hang at five polling stations.

March 16, 2024 21:15

• In Kabardino-Balkaria, court refuses to cancel fine imposed on Tamerlan Ivanov for pacifist inscription on his backpack

  Tamerlan Ivanov, a resident of Nalchik, who was found guilty of discrediting the Russian Armed Forces with a pacifist inscription on his backpack, challenged the fine, but the Supreme Court (SC) of Kabardino-Balkaria has refused to cancel the punishment.

March 16, 2024 18:49

• In Rostov Region, Telegram channel administrator fined for discrediting Russian Army

  In the Rostov Region, a court sentenced Vladislav Kovalyov to a fine, recognizing posts on his Telegram channel as discrediting the Russian Armed Forces.

March 16, 2024 17:17

• Makhachkala resident claims being beaten by police and arrested after action in memory of Navalny

  After the detention, law enforcers beat Makhachkala resident Mukhammed Djambulatov, who laid flowers at a spontaneous memorial to Alexei Navalny, and forced him to refuse a medical examination, which resulted in his arrest for 11 days.

March 15, 2024 23:42

• Volgograd activists call presidential election a democracy game

  The local offices of presidential candidates actually did not work; and the candidates themselves, who visited Volgograd, conducted extremely careful campaigning, without criticizing authorities and without raising sensitive topics, a journalist has noted, also telling about obstacles when visiting polling stations.

March 15, 2024 23:13

• Rights defender Oleg Orlov* received offer to go to Ukraine

  The 70-year-old human rights defender Oleg Orlov*, sentenced to freedom deprivation for his pacifist position, has received an offer at the SIZO (pre-trial prison), where he is kept, to take part in the special military operation (SMO) in Ukraine.

March 15, 2024 22:47

• Leader of North Ossetia prevents public outcry after teenagers’ jokes about SMO

  The authorities of North Ossetia publicly reprimanded parents of the teenagers, who recorded a comic video about the special military operation (SMO), in order to defuse the situation and prevent attacks by SMO supporters on their children or on the parents themselves, bloggers believe.