Crimean Tatar imam fined for “illegal missionary activity”

The imam of the village of Privetnoye, Kirov region of Crimea, Ismail Yurdamov, was fined 8 thousand rubles on charges of “illegal missionary activity.” The judge refused to question defense witnesses - parishioners of the mosque where the imam conducts prayers.

On December 13, 2023, officers from the Center for Specialized Execution of the Ministry of Internal Affairs came to see Yurdamov. They read out the search warrant, which stated the imam’s participation in the Islamic organization Hizb ut-Tahrir, banned in Russia. The phones of all members of his family were taken away, and the police did not answer questions for clarification. Then Yurdamov was taken to the police department, where an administrative report was drawn up. The imam did not agree with the accusation.

According to Yurdamov’s daughter Gulsum, her father regularly spoke out in defense of unjustly arrested Crimean Tatars. It is also known that the accused performed marriage ceremonies and duas, and was respected by residents of the village and other localities.

Последние новости
MMA fighter from Chechnya hospitalized following a brawl involving gunfire in Vladikavkaz
Society
MMA fighter from Chechnya hospitalized following a brawl involving gunfire in Vladikavkaz
18 October 2026

Mixed martial arts fighter Ibragim Islamov, known by the nickname "Nikarkho," sustained a gunshot wound from a non-lethal (traumatic) pistol during an altercation in the center of Vladikavkaz. Two people were injured in the incident, both of whom were hospitalized. The North Ossetia branch of the Russian Interior Ministry has opened a criminal case, and one of the individuals involved has been detained.

Azerbaijan marks 35 years of independence—33 of which have seen the country ruled by a single family
Society
Azerbaijan marks 35 years of independence—33 of which have seen the country ruled by a single family
18 October 2026

On October 18, Azerbaijan celebrates the Day of the Restoration of Independence. It was on this date in 1991 that the republic’s Supreme Soviet adopted a Constitutional Act, formalizing the country’s departure from the Soviet system and the restoration of its state sovereignty.

US Congressman Calls Kobakhidze’s Meeting with Iranian President an “Insult to Trump”
Politics
US Congressman Calls Kobakhidze’s Meeting with Iranian President an “Insult to Trump”
18 October 2026

American Republican Congressman Joe Wilson has criticized Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze for holding talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. The meeting took place in Yerevan on the sidelines of the 17th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17).

Drone alert declared across southern Russia this evening
News
Drone alert declared across southern Russia this evening
17 October 2026

On the evening of 17 October, a drone alert was declared again in several districts of Krasnodar Krai. The warning covered Anapa, Gelendzhik, Novorossiysk, Abinsky, Krymsky and Temryuksky districts. Earlier in the day, alerts had also been issued in Sochi, Tuapse municipal district and Mostovsky district.