More than 3 billion rubles have been paid out to residents of Dagestan affected by spring floods. Fyodor Shchukin announced this on October 15 while speaking at a session of the republic’s People’s Assembly. On the same day, deputies elected him as the head of the region, following which he took the oath of office and assumed his duties.

A Russian military appellate court has rejected the appeals of four Crimean Tatars—Nariman Ametov, Ali Mamutov, Vokhid Mustafayev, and Enver Khalilyayev—who were convicted of involvement with the organization ‘Hizb ut-Tahrir.’ The sentences handed down by the Southern District Military Court on May 21, 2026, remain unchanged. According to the TASS news agency, citing court sources, the individuals—part of what is known as the "third Dzhankoy group"—were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 14 to 15 years.

Six people convicted in connection with the events of October 4, 2025, in Tbilisi have been set free following the conclusion of plea agreements with the prosecutor's office. This was reported on October 16 by the television channel TV Pirveli.

On October 16, a Leaders’ Summit on Biodiversity is taking place in Yerevan, organized as part of the preparations for the 17th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17). Participants are discussing how to accelerate the fulfillment of international commitments regarding biodiversity conservation and prompt more decisive action from governments.

Shahizyar Huseynova, who took part in a demonstration against restrictions on wearing the hijab in Azerbaijani schools, has been placed in custody for four months. This was reported by her husband, Aga Huseynov, an activist with the "Muslim Unity" movement.

In Chechnya, Akhmad and Salakh Khaskhanov—brothers of Arbi Khaskhanov, who escaped from a military base in Khankala to avoid being sent to fight in the war against Ukraine—have been abducted. This was reported by the outlet *Kavkaz.Realii*, citing human rights defender Roza Dunaeva, who represents Ichkeria in Austria. According to her, the relatives are being held in an effort to force the young man himself to return to the republic.

Dagestan’s People’s Assembly today confirmed Fyodor Shchukin as head of the republic for a five-year term. Of the 87 deputies who took part in the vote, 78 supported the former chairman of Dagestan’s Supreme Court, who had been serving as acting head of the region since May. Four votes went to parliament’s deputy speaker, Kamil Davdiev, and another four to Samir Abdulkhаlikov, head of the Communist Party faction. One ballot was declared invalid.

Representatives from several countries walked out of the hall during a speech by Israeli President Isaac Herzog on October 15 at the summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), currently being held in Baku. According to the Turkish newspaper *Yeni Akit*, delegations from 13 countries—Iran, Palestine, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iraq, Egypt, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Bangladesh—participated in the walkout.

The Supreme Court of Dagestan has ordered that former police officers Shamil Aliyev and Ramazan Saypulayev—convicted for the torture of Yulduz Kurashova and the fabrication of a criminal case against her—be sent to a penal colony. On October 14, the court converted their suspended sentences into actual prison terms, according to the human rights organization "Team Against Torture." The case had been under review for the fourth time.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has identified the signing and ratification of a peace agreement with Azerbaijan as his primary objective for the coming years. He intends to see this matter resolved by 2031, a goal he announced during a government meeting on October 15, as reported by Armenpress.