Man sentenced to four years for supporting Dudayev and Basayev
A resident of the city of Cherepovets in the Vologda region, Lev Bogatishchev, was found guilty of justifying terrorism and sentenced to four years in prison. The charges were based on positive comments about the first president of the self-proclaimed Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, Dzhokhar Dudayev, and field commander Shamil Basayev.
 
According to investigators, in 2019–2020, Bogatishchev “supported and approved the actions of Basayev Sh. and Dudayev D.” on his VKontakte page. According to the press service of the 1st Western Military Court, the comments contain a positive assessment of hostile actions against representatives of the “Russian” group of people, associated with representatives of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
 
In 2022, Kuban activist Darya Polyudova was sentenced to 9 years in prison on charges of calling for extremism and creating an extremist community. The sentence also included her previous punishment - in 2021, the court found her guilty of publicly justifying terrorism due to a post about Chechen field commanders Shamil Basayev and Aslan Maskhadov.
Последние новости
Medvedev predicts EU will reject Armenia’s membership bid, warns of rift with Russia
Politics
Medvedev predicts EU will reject Armenia’s membership bid, warns of rift with Russia
24 August 2026

Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev has commented on Armenia’s plans to begin preparing an application to join the European Union, saying Yerevan would ultimately fail to secure EU membership but could seriously damage its relations with Russia and other members of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).

Former Georgian Prime Minister Faces New Corruption Charges Following Pressure Claim
Politics
Former Georgian Prime Minister Faces New Corruption Charges Following Pressure Claim
24 August 2026

Former Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili has been charged with new corruption. According to the prosecutor's office, the charges relate to the alleged conspiracy to accept a particularly large bribe by a group of individuals.

A friend of a missing Chechen woman faces up to 30 days in jail or a hefty fine for a picket in Grozny
Human rights
A friend of a missing Chechen woman faces up to 30 days in jail or a hefty fine for a picket in Grozny
24 August 2026

Lena Patyaeva, a friend of missing Chechen native Seda Suleimanova, was charged with an administrative offense after a solo picket in Grozny. She held the protest on August 23, the third anniversary of Suleimanova's disappearance. Under the charges against her, Patyaeva faces up to 30 days in jail or a fine of up to 300,000 rubles.

Aliyev and Pashinyan congratulated Zelenskyy on Independence Day and assured of their support for Ukraine
Politics
Aliyev and Pashinyan congratulated Zelenskyy on Independence Day and assured of their support for Ukraine
24 August 2026

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan congratulated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Ukraine's Independence Day. In their messages, they expressed support for the country and outlined their vision for the future development of relations between Baku and Yerevan with Kyiv.