On September 1, Russian President Vladimir Putin held a bilateral meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Bishkek. The talks took place at the Ala-Archa state residence.

Irakli Pavlenishvili, one of the leaders of the Georgian opposition party United National Movement, stated that the mass influx of Russian citizens poses a threat of Russification in Georgia. At a briefing at Tbilisi International Airport, he called the airport "another gateway to Mordor" and promised that after the change of power, the country would be protected from the "Russian threat."

The youth of Russia and Armenia can play an important role in developing relations between the two countries, stated Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova. According to her, young people should be interested in peaceful coexistence and maintaining friendly ties.

On the night of September 1, the Rostov Region was subjected to a massive drone attack. According to authorities, approximately 40 UAVs were shot down over the region. Governor Yuri Slyusar claims there were no casualties.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met in Bishkek on August 31 on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit. During their talks, which lasted over an hour, the leaders discussed the further development of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations, trade, border issues, and transportation projects.

On August 31, 1996, in the Dagestani city of Khasavyurt, near the border with Chechnya, Russian Security Council Secretary General Alexander Lebed and Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria General Aslan Maskhadov signed an agreement that brought the first Russian-Chechen war to an end. The accords were reached with the mediation of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), represented by Tim Guldimann, a Swiss diplomat and head of the OSCE Assistance Group in Chechnya.

Over the past five years, the number of political prisoners in Azerbaijan has tripled, while average sentences in political cases have roughly doubled. This is the conclusion reached by the BBC after analyzing lists compiled by human rights defenders. In February 2023, the lists included 93 people, while by December of the same year the figure had risen to 254. Since June 2024, the figure has not fallen below 300, and in May 2026, the Institute for Peace and Democracy listed 328 people as political prisoners. At the same time, the average sentence in political cases, which ranged from four to six years in 2022–2025, approached 12 years this year.

The Russian Ministry of Defense announced the destruction or interception of 239 Ukrainian drones on the night of August 31. The attack, which affected several Russian regions, particularly the south of the country – the Rostov Region, Krasnodar Krai, Russian-controlled Crimea, and the Black Sea.

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has revoked the Russian citizenship of eight people whom the agency considers a threat to national security. They include residents of Adygea and Stavropol Region, as well as two people from the South Caucasus. In a statement published on August 29, the FSB said the decisions were made jointly with the Interior Ministry under the law “On Citizenship of the Russian Federation.”

Grigol Gegelia, one of the leaders of the Strong Georgia - Lelo opposition coalition, stated that the country's authorities must respond to the possible increase in the number of Russian citizens crossing into Georgia through the Upper Lars checkpoint. According to him, "tens of thousands of Russians have flocked" to the border in search of "new refuge," including amid reports of a possible mobilization in Russia.