Chechnya’s election commission has officially registered Ramzan Kadyrov as a candidate in the republic’s upcoming gubernatorial election, paving the way for a bid to extend his nearly two-decade rule. In the previous two elections, Kadyrov received more than 97% of the vote, while none of his challengers secured even 1%.

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov visited Kyiv for the first time since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, holding talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine’s military intelligence agency. Defense cooperation, energy security and the further development of the strategic partnership between the two countries were at the center of the discussions.

Russia has intensified pressure on Armenia through a series of coordinated statements by senior officials, signaling growing political, economic and diplomatic tensions between the two allies.
The latest round of public criticism began with remarks by Alexei Fadeyev, deputy director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Information and Press Department. He accused the Armenian government of seeking to pressure Moscow instead of engaging in constructive dialogue.

Azerbaijani truck drivers transiting through Georgia have been unable to clear customs for several weeks. They report that their trucks are being held at the Sarpi and Red Bridge border crossings, as well as at the customs clearance center in Tbilisi, without any official explanation regarding the reasons.

On August 8, U.S. President Donald Trump will host Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at the White House. News of the upcoming meeting was first reported by *The Washington Post*, citing sources, and was subsequently confirmed by the Armenian government.

For over ten days, around ten trucks bearing Dagestani and Azerbaijani license plates have been unable to leave the Astara cargo terminal on the Iran-Azerbaijan border. According to RIA Dagestan, the issue stems from a shipment of peppers grown in Armenia that was being imported into Russia disguised as Iranian produce.

For the first time, Azerbaijan has publicly stated that the postponement of a parliamentary vote in Israel regarding the recognition of the Armenian Genocide was the result of negotiations between Baku and Tel Aviv. Hikmet Hajiyev, an aide to the President of Azerbaijan, reported that the Azerbaijani side had conveyed its position to Israel in advance, and that these signals were taken seriously.

CSTO leaders may consider revoking Armenia's voting rights in November. A meeting of the Collective Security Council will be held in Moscow on November 11, RIA Novosti reported, citing Viktor Vasilyev, Russia's Permanent Representative to the CSTO.

Forum 18, an international human rights organization that monitors religious freedom, has sharply criticized the criminal prosecution of Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II and six high-ranking bishops of the Armenian Apostolic Church. The organization believes the case threatens the principle of church autonomy, enshrined in both the Armenian Constitution and the country's international obligations.

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has once again sharply criticized the US diplomatic mission. He claimed that the US Embassy, ​​under the previous White House administration, was one of the main sources of "artificial hatred" and the spread of false information in Georgia.