Latest Articles about The Caucasus
The New Baku International Seaport: A Nexus for the New Silk Road
Snaking across Eurasia—from China, through Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Georgia, and on to Turkey—the first test container train arrived at the new Baku International Sea Trade Port complex, located in the town of Alyat (around 30 miles southwest of Baku), on August 3, 2015. Turkey, Azerbaijan,... MORE
Militants Who Fought in Syria Accused of Killing Five Hunters in Dagestan
Russia’s security services recently launched a special operation across Dagestan, the largest republic of the North Caucasus. Combined forces from the military, police and security services specifically targeted five Dagestani districts—Kurakhsky, Magaramkentsky, Suleiman-Stalsky, Tabasaransky and Khivsky. The special feature of the latest special operation is... MORE
Defying Georgia, Turkey Gradually Cultivates its Influence in Separatist Abkhazia
Turkey has been one of Georgia’s closest economic and political partners in the wider Middle East since the latter country regained its national independence in 1991. Currently, Turkey is Georgia’s biggest trading partner, with a 15.4 percent share of Georgia’s total trade turnover with the... MORE
Is Moscow Set to Target Russians Fighting Against Assad in Syria?
Russia’s involvement in the Syrian conflict on behalf of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad may take the war in the Middle East to a new level. The main concern of North Caucasians will be whether Moscow’s involvement in the conflict results in it sending military personnel... MORE
Three North Caucasian Republics Are De-Facto Bankrupt
Russia’s Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat) recently published data on the economic performance of the North Caucasian Federal District during the first seven months of 2015. According to the optimistic government statistics, the unemployment rate in the district fell by 1.5 percent, while industrial output... MORE
Circassian Organizations at Odds With the Kremlin
On September 19, a majority of those attending the International Circassian Association (ICA) conference in Nalchik, Kabardino-Balkaria, reelected Khauti Sokhrokov as head of the organization. Out of 73 delegates, 62 voted for Sokhrokov, 10 voted against and 1 abstained. Many Circassian activists, however, have expressed... MORE
Putin Plays Peacemaker Between Kadyrov and Yevkurov in Sochi
Russia President Vladimir Putin’s meeting with the governors of two North Caucasian republics, Chechnya and Ingushetia, went almost unnoticed among North Caucasus analysts. Most experts reiterated the official explanation for the meeting given by the presidential press service. “The officials discussed various economic development projects... MORE
Former Tbilisi Mayor’s Release From Prison Lasted 24 Hours
The Tbilisi municipal court has sentenced the former mayor of the city and one of the leaders of the opposition party United National Movement (UNM), Gigi Ugulava, to four and a half years in prison for the misspending of public funds (Civil Georgia, September 18).... MORE
As Moscow’s Military Involvement in Syria Receives More Attention, Its Officials Focus on Russians Fighting Against al-Assad
The Russian media ramped up coverage of Syria after reports emerged that the Russian military is actively taking part in the conflict on the side of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. To distract Russian citizens from domestic issues and justify intervention in the conflict, the authorities... MORE
Cossacks Become the Vanguard of Russian Interests in the North Caucasus
On September 4, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Khloponin and the Russian presidential envoy to the North Caucasian Federal District, Sergei Melikov, visited the city of Kizlyar in northern Dagestan. Among the promises Khloponin made in Kizlyar was to set up a militarized Cossack school... MORE