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Open Caucasus Media — the Caucasus with depth. News, commentary, and multimedia from the North and South Caucasus.
Russia’s Supreme Court has upheld the 14-year sentence of 20-year-old Nikita Zhuravel, confirming the legality of the investigation and trial and leaving the verdict unchanged.
Supreme Court upholds sentence of Nikita Zhuravel, the detainee beaten by Adam Kadyrov
Nikita Zhuravel was sentenced to 14 years in prison for burning a Quran and for ‘state treason’.
oc-media.org
December 5, 2025 at 3:31 PM
Russia’s Supreme Court has upheld the 14-year sentence of 20-year-old Nikita Zhuravel, confirming the legality of the investigation and trial and leaving the verdict unchanged.
Amidst the escalating rift between the Armenian Apostolic Church and the government, Armenian authorities have arrested a fourth high-ranking clergyman — Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan.
Armenia arrests fourth high-ranking clergy member
Archbishop Khachatryan is accused of arranging the placement of drugs on a demonstrator at a 2018 protest against Catholicos Karekin II.
oc-media.org
December 5, 2025 at 3:20 PM
Amidst the escalating rift between the Armenian Apostolic Church and the government, Armenian authorities have arrested a fourth high-ranking clergyman — Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan.
The opposition party For Georgia is calling for the creation of a parliamentary investigative commission to examine the legality of the ‘special means’ used by police during the 2024 dispersal of protests in Tbilisi following BBC investigation.
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Georgian Ex-PM Gakharia’s party calls for parliamentary inquiry into protest dispersals after BBC report
For Georgia stated that it will raise the issue of establishing a parliamentary investigative commission at the next Bureau meeting.
oc-media.org
December 5, 2025 at 12:06 PM
The opposition party For Georgia is calling for the creation of a parliamentary investigative commission to examine the legality of the ‘special means’ used by police during the 2024 dispersal of protests in Tbilisi following BBC investigation.
oc-media.org/georgian-ex-...
oc-media.org/georgian-ex-...
A skyscraper in the Grozny-City complex, which includes several residential buildings and houses Chechnya’s Security Council, has come under what were presumably Ukrainian drone strikes.
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Drone strikes high-rise in Grozny
A number of ministries and agencies are located in this building.
oc-media.org
December 5, 2025 at 11:29 AM
A skyscraper in the Grozny-City complex, which includes several residential buildings and houses Chechnya’s Security Council, has come under what were presumably Ukrainian drone strikes.
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US Senate Majority Leader John Thune has twice blocked the MEGOBARI Act from advancing in the Senate despite bipartisan support, The Hill has reported.
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Republican Senate leader Thune blocks MEGOBARI Act
Senate Majority Leader John Thune turned down a personal request to advance the bill from his Republican colleague, House Speaker Mike Johnson.
oc-media.org
December 5, 2025 at 11:04 AM
US Senate Majority Leader John Thune has twice blocked the MEGOBARI Act from advancing in the Senate despite bipartisan support, The Hill has reported.
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Foreign students will no longer be accepted at Georgia’s state universities starting next academic year, leaving private universities as their only option to study in the country.
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December 4, 2025 at 4:19 PM
Foreign students will no longer be accepted at Georgia’s state universities starting next academic year, leaving private universities as their only option to study in the country.
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🔗 Read more: oc-media.org/georgia-to-s...
The Ganja Court of Grave Crimes has sentenced Ismail Hasanov, 51, to three years and six months in prison after finding him guilty of participating in the activities of an armed group.
Azerbaijani member of Wagner Group sentenced to 3.5 years in prison
Ismail Hasanov spent six months fighting for the Wagner Group in Ukraine after being recruited from a Russian prison in 2022.
oc-media.org
December 4, 2025 at 4:05 PM
The Ganja Court of Grave Crimes has sentenced Ismail Hasanov, 51, to three years and six months in prison after finding him guilty of participating in the activities of an armed group.
Police in Saint Petersburg have threatened to open an extremism case against Lena Patyaeva, the friend of missing Chechen woman Seda Suleymanova. Officers claim that Patyaeva’s poster, which she recently protested with, could contain ‘signs of extremism’.
Police threaten extremism charges against friend of Seda Suleymanova
Lena Patyaeva is currently serving a 10-day sentence for an alleged violation of the rules on holding a picket.
oc-media.org
December 4, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Police in Saint Petersburg have threatened to open an extremism case against Lena Patyaeva, the friend of missing Chechen woman Seda Suleymanova. Officers claim that Patyaeva’s poster, which she recently protested with, could contain ‘signs of extremism’.
The Southern Military District Court in Rostov-on-Don has sentenced Daghestani blogger Arslan Mirzaev, who also writes under the pseudonym Ali Charinsky, to eight years in prison after finding him guilty of publicly justifying terrorism.
Daghestani blogger sentenced to eight years in prison over posts on Bucha and Mariupol
Blogger Arslan Mirzaev was found guilty of spreading false information about Russia’s Armed Forces as well as publicly justifying terrorism.
oc-media.org
December 4, 2025 at 3:39 PM
The Southern Military District Court in Rostov-on-Don has sentenced Daghestani blogger Arslan Mirzaev, who also writes under the pseudonym Ali Charinsky, to eight years in prison after finding him guilty of publicly justifying terrorism.
Turkey is considering reopening the land border with Armenia 'in the next six months', Bloomberg has reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Despite agreements between the two countries in 2022, Turkey has kept the border closed.
Bloomberg: Turkey considering opening border with Armenia in ‘next six months’
Despite prior agreements dating back to 2022, Turkey has kept its land border with Armenia closed.
oc-media.org
December 4, 2025 at 1:32 PM
Turkey is considering reopening the land border with Armenia 'in the next six months', Bloomberg has reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Despite agreements between the two countries in 2022, Turkey has kept the border closed.
Chechen state news agencies have reported that the eldest son of Chechen Head Ramzan Kadyrov, Akhmat Kadyrov, has closed 22 ongoing fundraising campaigns organised by the Daimohk Charitable Foundation with a total value of more than ₽18 million.
Kadyrov’s eldest son donates $230,000 to a charitable foundation
The origin of the funds was not specified in official statements
oc-media.org
December 4, 2025 at 1:25 PM
Chechen state news agencies have reported that the eldest son of Chechen Head Ramzan Kadyrov, Akhmat Kadyrov, has closed 22 ongoing fundraising campaigns organised by the Daimohk Charitable Foundation with a total value of more than ₽18 million.
US President Donald Trump announced he will pardon Texas Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar and his wife Imelda, charged with accepting $600,000 in Azerbaijani bribes, citing a vendetta by former President Joe Biden.
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Trump to pardon US congressperson charged with accepting Azerbaijani bribes
Henry and Imelda Cuellar were charged with accepting around $600,000 in bribes to influence legislation favourable to Azerbaijan.
oc-media.org
December 4, 2025 at 8:51 AM
US President Donald Trump announced he will pardon Texas Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar and his wife Imelda, charged with accepting $600,000 in Azerbaijani bribes, citing a vendetta by former President Joe Biden.
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In Baksan, Kabarda–Balkaria, a court has found a section supervisor from the municipal water utility guilty of causing a mass poisoning which affected a total of 253 people.
Water utility supervisor convicted over mass water poisoning in Kabarda–Balkaria
A total of 113 people were recognised as victims in the criminal case.
oc-media.org
December 3, 2025 at 3:35 PM
In Baksan, Kabarda–Balkaria, a court has found a section supervisor from the municipal water utility guilty of causing a mass poisoning which affected a total of 253 people.
In another response to the BBC investigation, Georgia’s PM confirmed that during the dispersal of anti-government protests in Tbilisi in winter 2024, water cannons did contain a substance — but it was not the WWI-era chemical ‘camite’.
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Kobakhidze confirms substance in water cannons following BBC investigation but rules out ‘camite’
Heated debate continues in Georgia over the BBC investigation into the winter 2024 protest crackdown.
oc-media.org
December 3, 2025 at 2:53 PM
In another response to the BBC investigation, Georgia’s PM confirmed that during the dispersal of anti-government protests in Tbilisi in winter 2024, water cannons did contain a substance — but it was not the WWI-era chemical ‘camite’.
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The Armenian government has been accused of ‘selectively’ publishing Nagorno-Karabakh negotiation documents. The documents have sparked heated discussions online and further intensified the conflict between Armenia’s current and former leaders.
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Armenian government accused of ‘selectively’ publishing Nagorno-Karabakh negotiation documents
The released documents have further intensified the conflict between Armenia’s current and former leaders.
oc-media.org
December 3, 2025 at 2:21 PM
The Armenian government has been accused of ‘selectively’ publishing Nagorno-Karabakh negotiation documents. The documents have sparked heated discussions online and further intensified the conflict between Armenia’s current and former leaders.
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A court in Adygea has found former police officer guilty of attacking employees of the State TV and Radio Company Adygea. He was sentenced to two years and three months in prison, and additionally ordered to pay a fine of $650 to the injured journalists.
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Former Adygean police officer sentenced to 2 years for attacking journalists
Murat Adzhigiriev had struck a camera operator inside a courthouse.
oc-media.org
December 3, 2025 at 1:58 PM
A court in Adygea has found former police officer guilty of attacking employees of the State TV and Radio Company Adygea. He was sentenced to two years and three months in prison, and additionally ordered to pay a fine of $650 to the injured journalists.
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Georgian Education Minister Givi Mikanadze has presented an upcoming education reform, featuring school textbooks prepared by specialists selected by the ministry, making year 12 optional, and introducing school uniforms for primary school students.
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Georgian government unveils education reform project
The programme included a change in the textbook preparation process, as well as introducing uniforms.
oc-media.org
December 3, 2025 at 1:54 PM
Georgian Education Minister Givi Mikanadze has presented an upcoming education reform, featuring school textbooks prepared by specialists selected by the ministry, making year 12 optional, and introducing school uniforms for primary school students.
oc-media.org/georgian-gov...
oc-media.org/georgian-gov...
Police in Saint Petersburg have threatened to open an extremism case against Lena Patyaeva, the friend of missing Chechen woman Seda Suleymanova. Officers claim that Patyaeva’s poster, which she recently protested with, could contain ‘signs of extremism’.
oc-media.org/police-threa...
oc-media.org/police-threa...
Police threaten extremism charges against friend of Seda Suleymanova
Lena Patyaeva is currently serving a 10-day sentence for an alleged violation of the rules on holding a picket.
oc-media.org
December 3, 2025 at 12:25 PM
Police in Saint Petersburg have threatened to open an extremism case against Lena Patyaeva, the friend of missing Chechen woman Seda Suleymanova. Officers claim that Patyaeva’s poster, which she recently protested with, could contain ‘signs of extremism’.
oc-media.org/police-threa...
oc-media.org/police-threa...
🎬 OC REVIEWS: Stalin’s Cola — the story of Georgia’s famous Lagidze lemonades
Review | Stalin’s Cola — the story of Georgia’s famous Lagidze lemonades
In his latest documentary, award-winning director Stefan Tolz examines Georgia’s premier lemonade company — and why it failed to beat Coca-Cola.
oc-media.org
December 3, 2025 at 11:22 AM
🎬 OC REVIEWS: Stalin’s Cola — the story of Georgia’s famous Lagidze lemonades
⭕ OPINION by Zaruhi Hovhannisyan: Armenia’s unbreakable and vicious cycle of violence against children
Opinion | Armenia’s unbreakable and vicious cycle of violence against children
New reforms to protect children exist on paper — yet every minute the government delays in fully implementing them risks another child’s life.
oc-media.org
December 3, 2025 at 11:20 AM
⭕ OPINION by Zaruhi Hovhannisyan: Armenia’s unbreakable and vicious cycle of violence against children
Azerbaijani jury member Samira Efendi gave the highest score of 12 points to Armenian participant Saro Gevorgyan at the ‘Star of the Silk Road’ competition on 23 November in Astana, sparking a wave of criticism on social media.
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Azerbaijani contest judge faces criticism after praising Armenian artist
Samira Efendi gave Armenian contestant Saro Gevorgyan the highest score in the Star of the Silk Road competition.
oc-media.org
December 3, 2025 at 8:07 AM
Azerbaijani jury member Samira Efendi gave the highest score of 12 points to Armenian participant Saro Gevorgyan at the ‘Star of the Silk Road’ competition on 23 November in Astana, sparking a wave of criticism on social media.
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In defiance of some legislative changes recently adopted by the ruling Georgian Dream party, a local judge in southern Georgia has suspended several administrative cases and sent them to the Constitutional Court to be reviewed.
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Local judge in southern Georgia rebels against Georgian Dream’s legislative changes
Judge Vladimer Khuchua has halted some cases and appealed to the Constitutional Court.
oc-media.org
December 2, 2025 at 2:34 PM
In defiance of some legislative changes recently adopted by the ruling Georgian Dream party, a local judge in southern Georgia has suspended several administrative cases and sent them to the Constitutional Court to be reviewed.
oc-media.org/local-judge-...
oc-media.org/local-judge-...
Armenia and the EU have adopted a new strategic agenda, bringing their partnership to a strategic level. The EU also announced an allocation of €15 million ($17 million) ‘towards sustaining peace and a more resilient Armenia’.
Armenia adopts new strategic agenda with the EU
The EU announced an allocation of €15 million ($17 million) ‘towards sustaining peace and a more resilient Armenia’.
oc-media.org
December 2, 2025 at 2:28 PM
Armenia and the EU have adopted a new strategic agenda, bringing their partnership to a strategic level. The EU also announced an allocation of €15 million ($17 million) ‘towards sustaining peace and a more resilient Armenia’.
The BBC’s recent investigation, suggesting Georgian police used a WWI-era chemical against protesters in November–December 2024, has triggered strong reactions across ruling and opposition circles.
🔗 Read more: oc-media.org/false-inform...
🔗 Read more: oc-media.org/false-inform...
December 2, 2025 at 2:23 PM
The BBC’s recent investigation, suggesting Georgian police used a WWI-era chemical against protesters in November–December 2024, has triggered strong reactions across ruling and opposition circles.
🔗 Read more: oc-media.org/false-inform...
🔗 Read more: oc-media.org/false-inform...
Local residents and several Telegram channels reported strikes by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) on military sites and security service facilities in Chechnya on Tuesday night. No Chechen officials have commented.
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FSB building, police station, and Akhmat regiment site hit by Ukrainian drones in Chechnya
While videos were published on social media, Chechen authorities have not made any official comments.
oc-media.org
December 2, 2025 at 2:17 PM
Local residents and several Telegram channels reported strikes by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) on military sites and security service facilities in Chechnya on Tuesday night. No Chechen officials have commented.
oc-media.org/fsb-building...
oc-media.org/fsb-building...