The chairman of the national-cultural autonomy of Azerbaijanis in the Moscow Region, Elshan Ibragimov, has been stripped of his Russian citizenship. This decision was allegedly made due to "committing actions that pose a threat to Russia's national security."

The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly adopted a resolution "On Supporting Democracy and OSCE Values ​​in Georgia", in which it expressed concern over the violations revealed during last year's parliamentary elections and the subsequent deterioration of democratic processes in the country. Both official Tbilisi and the country's opposition responded to the document.

Five employees of the Russian agency Sputnik Azerbaijan with citizenship of this country were released on bail. Russian citizens, the head of the publication Igor Kartavykh and the editor-in-chief Yevgeny Belousov remain under arrest.

Diplomatic tensions are growing between Russia and Azerbaijan amid the high-profile deaths of the Safarov brothers after being tortured by FSB officers. It all began on June 27 in Yekaterinburg – the city saw mass detentions and arrests of people from Azerbaijan in connection with the 2001-2011 contract killings. Two key suspects died after being detained, with signs of brutal beatings found on their bodies. For more details, watch our video.

Access to Azerbaijani news sites has been restricted in Russia. It is noted that problems with access are observed in Moscow, Astrakhan, Volgograd, St. Petersburg, Vologda, Chelyabinsk and other regions.

The draft version of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly report for 2025 (the final version is not yet available) examines the issue of Georgia in several aspects. In particular, the document states that the parliamentary elections held in the country in October 2024 were marred by a number of violations, according to the final report of the observers of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced on social networks the need for early elections of the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC). Earlier, he called on all its followers to unite around the demand to replace Catholicos Karekin II. According to Pashinyan, he has evidence of the clergyman violating his vow of celibacy and having a child.

The US Embassy in Georgia hosted a reception in honor of American Independence Day, celebrated on July 4. Ambassador Robin Dunnigan, who will complete her diplomatic mission and leave Tbilisi at the end of July, delivered a speech about the United States' contribution to the development of democracy in Georgia. She made a special emphasis on the detentions of activists and opposition leaders in the country.

One of the leaders of the Georgian opposition, Giorgi Gakharia, commented on the parliament's decision to deprive members of his party of their deputy powers on the social network X. According to him, in such cases, we are talking about "opening the way for politically motivated criminal prosecution, abolishing immunity from fabricated charges and eliminating the main political threat before the municipal elections."

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has threatened to fire employees of Electric Networks (ESA) for their political activity following the arrest of the company's owner, Russian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan. Pashinyan also warned of lawsuits against those who force ESA employees to participate in rallies.