As a comprehensive assault on the jihadist movement in the North Caucasus gains momentum in Russia, Russian authorities are creating an additional superficial hurdle for themselves that is becoming more acute every day—the attitude toward the hijab. The issue of Islamic dress for women would... MORE

The conflict between the Russian Investigative Committee and the Chechen authorities has come to forefront of late. News of this conflict started to circulate in connection to the unexpected resignation of one of the best known Chechens in the Russian government, Vladislav Surkov, from the... MORE

On November 5, Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported that police repeatedly “detained, harassed, and threatened to imprison” two Norwegian journalists who were headed for Sochi. The two journalists were with TV2, the Norwegian TV station that will be an official broadcaster of the Sochi Olympics... MORE

On November 2, the First Assembly of Slavs of Russia was held in the city of Stavropol, the capital of Stavropol region. The main focus of the conference was the state of the ethnic Russians in the country as a whole and the Stavropol region... MORE

Militants in Dagestan have been extensively targeting judges in the republic, killing four so far this year. On January 15, Dagestani Supreme Court judge Magomed Magomedov was killed in Makhachkala. On March 9, federal judge Akhmed Rajabov was killed near his home in Izberbash. On... MORE

The recent actions of Dagestan’s new leader, President Ramazan Abdulatipov, raise many questions among local residents. Watching Abdulatipov displace people considered to be the leaders of Dagestan’s clans (https://www.vesti.ru/theme.html?tid=103534), residents of the republic hoped that the president would eschew the influence of the clans and... MORE

On October 24 and 25, Belarus hosted two high-level meetings of heads of state of the Supreme Economic Council of the Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEc) and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). While these gatherings enabled their participants to discuss a wide range of issues... MORE

On October 31, the parliament of Kabardino-Balkaria approved an appeal to Russian Federation Council chairwoman Valentina Matvienko and State Duma Speaker Sergei Naryshkin to assist in the repatriation of Syrian Circassians to the North Caucasus. “Over 150,000 Circassians live on the Syrian territory,” the appeal... MORE

On November 2, outgoing Georgian prime minister and multi-billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili named his protégé, 31-year-old Minister of Interior Irakli Garibashvili, as his successor when he voluntarily steps down as head of government following the November 17 presidential inauguration (Channel 1; Rustavi 2 TV, November 2).... MORE

Vladimir Zhirinovsky, the head of the ultra-nationalist Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) and State Duma deputy speaker long known for his provocative and inflammatory statements, has sparked controversy once again, this time for comments about North Caucasians. During a television talk show on October... MORE