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Stavropol woman faces up to seven years in prison for allegedly approving drone attacks
Human rights
Stavropol woman faces up to seven years in prison for allegedly approving drone attacks
18 August 2026

A military court in southern Russia will hear the case of a 43-year-old woman from the village of Kiankiz in Stavropol Krai who is accused of publicly justifying terrorism after reacting to reports of a Ukrainian drone attack. She faces between five and seven years in prison.

A human rights activist from Kabardino-Balkaria was questioned for two hours at the airport about his work and connections to Turkey
Human rights
A human rights activist from Kabardino-Balkaria was questioned for two hours at the airport about his work and connections to Turkey
18 August 2026

Valery Khatazhukov, head of the Kabardino-Balkarian Human Rights Center, filed a complaint with the Prosecutor General's Office after a two-hour interrogation at the Mineralnye Vody airport. He claims border guards questioned him about his human rights work, his travels, and his contacts with Turkish citizens, without explaining the basis for their questioning.

Chechen prisoner faces new disciplinary sanction after five days in solitary confinement
Human rights
Chechen prisoner faces new disciplinary sanction after five days in solitary confinement
17 August 2026

A Chechen man serving a 17-year prison sentence for allegedly preparing a terrorist attack faces a new disciplinary sanction shortly after spending five days in a punishment cell. His wife says he is being treated unfairly and fears he could be transferred to stricter prison conditions.

Syrian Circassian Nurdin Karaf May Have Been Tortured After Refusing to Fight in Ukraine
Human rights
Syrian Circassian Nurdin Karaf May Have Been Tortured After Refusing to Fight in Ukraine
17 August 2026

According to Circassian activists, Syrian Circassian Nurdin (Najmuddin) Karaf may have been forcibly conscripted into the Russian army and died after being tortured in a mobilization camp. His family was previously informed of his death, but his body was allegedly not returned to them. The International Circassian Committee announced this on August 11.

Human rights
"They’re going to kill me": St. Petersburg lawyer of Chechen descent found with signs of strangulation
16 August 2026

Shamil Akhaev, a 44-year-old lawyer who had lost contact on August 10, has been found dead. Media outlets and online groups tracking the search reported the news on August 15. His body was discovered in a wooded area.

Queues at Verkhny Lars border crossing emerge amid rumours of a new mobilisation in Russia
Society
Queues at Verkhny Lars border crossing emerge amid rumours of a new mobilisation in Russia
15 August 2026

Queues remain at the Russian-Georgian border following temporary restrictions on traffic through the Verkhny Lars crossing. The situation has drawn additional attention amid rumours circulating in Russia about a possible new mobilisation, recalling the autumn of 2022, when large numbers of men eligible for military service left the country through the crossing. There is no official evidence linking the current restrictions to any mobilisation measures.

Less than a third of flood victims in Dagestan have received compensation
Society
Less than a third of flood victims in Dagestan have received compensation
15 August 2026

In Dagestan, 82,000 people have received compensation following the devastating spring floods — less than 30% of the residents who applied for assistance. In neighbouring Chechnya, authorities have reported paying out 726 million roubles to those affected.

“Conviction factory”: Southern Military Court leads Russia in terrorism cases
Human rights
“Conviction factory”: Southern Military Court leads Russia in terrorism cases
15 August 2026

The Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don issued 425 convictions under Russia's "terrorism" laws in the first half of 2026, accounting for more than a third of all such rulings nationwide, according to a study by the human rights project First Department and the independent Parubets Analytics research centre.

17 Ukrainians living for over a year in a basement at the Georgia-Russia border evacuated due to mudslide threat
Human rights
17 Ukrainians living for over a year in a basement at the Georgia-Russia border evacuated due to mudslide threat
14 August 2026

Seventeen Ukrainian citizens, who had been staying for more than a year in the basement of the Georgian "Daryali" checkpoint on the Russian border, were evacuated on August 13 due to the threat of a natural disaster. Following the evacuation, they were not taken away from the border crossing area entirely; instead, they were placed in a truck and transported a few hundred meters to the grounds of a nearby monastery.

Memorial Calls Investigators' Version of Yasin Khalidov’s Disappearance Absurd
Human rights
Memorial Calls Investigators' Version of Yasin Khalidov’s Disappearance Absurd
13 August 2026

A murder investigation has been opened in Chechnya more than a year after the disappearance of 19-year-old Yasin Khalidov.