The Russian security services is now asserting that the massive terrorist attack at Moscow’s Domodedovo airport on January 24, in which 37 people were killed and 120 more injured, will not be the last action carried out by a shahid (martyr) – meaning a suicide... MORE

On March 23, the village of Gubden in Dagestan was completely blockaded by Russian military, police and Federal Security Service (FSB) agents. After that, the servicemen began to search the homes of local residents. Sources in Gubden told the author of this piece that armed... MORE

Turmoil in the Arab world has elicited contrasting responses from the two sides of Georgia’s political opposition. Extra-parliamentary radical groups (themselves of varied colors) seem inspired to start yet another regime-change campaign. The parliamentary opposition, on the other hand, rejects the use of “revolutionary” methods... MORE

On March 28, the Russian security forces launched a large-scale assault on militants in Ingushetia.  The Russian air force was used to bomb rebels in the mountainous Upper Alkun area of the republic. Ground operations were carried out in Ingushetia’s largest town, Nazran, and other... MORE

Armenia and Azerbaijan claim that the prospects for resolving their dispute over Karabakh have brightened as result of a fresh meeting by their presidents hosted by their Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev. Each conflicting party claims that the other has adopted a more flexible stance that... MORE

On March 24, Moscow’s envoy to the North Caucasus, Aleksandr Khloponin, presided over a meeting of the so-called North Caucasian Public Chamber in Vladikavkaz, North Ossetia. The gathering’s stated purpose was to find ways to boost an “all-Russian identity,” something that North Caucasians presumably lack,... MORE

On March 23, an unauthorized demonstration was held in Ingushetia’s main city Nazran, during which protestors demanded that the republican authorities ascertain the fate of Ilez Gorchkhanov, a resident of Nazran’s Plievsky municipal district who had disappeared. Witnesses said the demonstrators, including friends and relatives... MORE

Oil delivered by Azerbaijan’s State Oil Company (SOCAR) is moving through Ukraine’s Odessa-Brody pipeline at the moment, a portion of it heading for Belarus (BELTA, March 24). SOCAR expects to deliver oil to Poland also through the Odessa-Brody pipeline. The line runs from the Pivdenny... MORE

On March 10, Russia and Georgia held their first meeting in a new round of negotiations over Russia’s World Trade Organization (WTO) bid. Maxim Medvedkov, Russia’s chief negotiator, and Tamar Kovziridze, the Georgian prime minister’s senior aide and long time negotiator over WTO issues, held... MORE

The North Caucasus is increasingly reminiscent of the zone of military conflict where the situation is gradually approaching a critical point. News stories coming from the region – even those covered by official Russian media, the task of which is by no means to depict... MORE