Convicted activist reported beating in KBR colony for criticizing Putin

Kuban Left Resistance activist Daria Polyudova, sentenced to nine years, reported being beaten by her cellmate in correctional colony No. 4 in Kabardino-Balkaria. According to the lawyer, the prisoner suffered for making critical statements about Russian President Putin.

Previously, Daria Polyudova was placed in a punishment cell. The Federal Penitentiary Service stated that the reason was that the activist was found with a blade and “some other violation.” Earlier, the woman went on a hunger strike in the colony. The cause was a thrown blade.

In 2022, Daria Polyudova was sentenced to 9 years in prison on charges of calling for extremism and creating an extremist community. The verdict also included a 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. The activist was also found guilty of speaking positively about the actions of Yevgeny Manyurov, who in December 2019 opened fire near the FSB buildings on Lubyanka in Moscow.

Последние новости
Friend of missing Chechen woman detained in Grozny after picket
Human rights
Friend of missing Chechen woman detained in Grozny after picket
23 August 2026

Elena Patyaeva—a friend of Seda Suleymanova, who disappeared three years ago after being forcibly returned from St. Petersburg to Chechnya—was detained in Grozny. On August 23, Patyaeva stood by the monument to journalists who died for freedom of speech, holding a sign that read: "I demand an investigation into the murder of Seda Suleymanova." This was reported by the human rights project "Slovo Zashchite" (Word for the Defense).

Azerbaijani Ambassador Says Russian Media Hinders Closer Ties Between Baku and Moscow
Politics
Azerbaijani Ambassador Says Russian Media Hinders Closer Ties Between Baku and Moscow
23 August 2026

Azerbaijan intends to continue developing relations with Russia, despite the deteriorating media narrative surrounding Baku in Russian outlets. Rahman Mustafayev, Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to Russia, stated this in an interview with RTVI.

Falling debris from Ukrainian UAVs sparks fires in southern Russia
Politics
Falling debris from Ukrainian UAVs sparks fires in southern Russia
23 August 2026

Wildfires broke out in the Rostov and Krasnodar regions due to falling drone debris. In the Rostov region, the railway overhead power line was also damaged, while in the Kuban region, three people—including two children—were killed in an attack the previous day.

Case over children’s poisoning in Dagestan reaches court
Society
Case over children’s poisoning in Dagestan reaches court
22 August 2026

In Dagestan’s Karabudakhkent District, a criminal case against the head of the private Chudo kindergarten in the village of Paraul, where 10 children suffered carbon monoxide poisoning in February, has been sent to court, the republic’s prosecutor’s office said.
The woman is accused of providing services that failed to meet safety requirements for consumers’ lives and health. The case will be heard by the Karabudakhkent District Court.