Political prisoner Shaban Umerov, sentenced to 18 years in prison, needs urgent dental treatment, including dentures. His wife, Zarema Umerova, reported this after a visit at Penal Colony No. 17 in Murmansk.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan sent a congratulatory telegram to Mojtaba Khamenei on his election as Supreme Leader of Iran. In the message, he expressed hope for the further development of Armenian-Iranian relations.

The Cherkessk City Court has begun questioning prosecution witnesses in the case of embezzlement of funds from the Russian Pension Fund in Ingushetia. The main defendant is Magomed-Bashir Kalimatov, the former head of the republic's federal postal service and the brother of the head of Ingushetia.

OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Pere Juan Ponzo Sampietro, who arrived in Tbilisi with a delegation, held his first meeting with the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, which he later described as "very good and sincere." He noted that the conversation lasted over an hour. The two sides discussed, among other things, the report on the 2024 parliamentary elections.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian held a telephone conversation with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev on March 8.

In 2025, drivers committed 460,300 traffic violations in Dagestan, and over 350,000 in Stavropol Krai. These regions are among the worst offenders in this indicator among Russian regions.

French President Emmanuel Macron called his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev and expressed solidarity and support for Azerbaijan in the wake of Iran's air strike on his territory. This was reported today by the Azerbaijani presidential press service.

Today, March 8, 2026, the Balkar people mourn the beginning of Stalin's deportation, which occurred 82 years ago. On this day in 1944, 37,000 Balkars, mostly elderly people, women, and children, were forcibly deported to Kazakhstan and Central Asia.

The Iranian military command issued an ultimatum to Baku demanding an immediate end to military-technical cooperation with Israel. Tehran insists on severing ties with the Israeli military, intelligence agencies, and their assets in Azerbaijan.

The US State Department issued a statement condemning the drone attack allegedly carried out on March 5 from Iran on Azerbaijan. The strike damaged the Nakhchivan International Airport and a school. Civilians were also injured.