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.

Due to the military escalation in the Middle East and the subsequent closure of airspace, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan initiated an emergency evacuation of its citizens from the Persian Gulf states. According to preliminary data, approximately 1,000 Azerbaijanis residing in the UAE (490 people), Saudi Arabia (220), Qatar (200), Bahrain (23), and Kuwait (26) have requested evacuation assistance. Furthermore, approximately 300 Azerbaijani citizens have returned to their homeland by land via Iran.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian denied reports of a strike on Azerbaijan, calling it "an enemy plot seeking to undermine brotherly relations." In a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, he emphasized that Iran seeks territorial integrity and peace, not attacks on its neighbors.

Azerbaijan's State Security Service (SSS) has accused Iranian intelligence agencies, specifically the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), of plotting a series of terrorist attacks in the country. According to Minval, the SSS announced the arrest of several suspects, from whom explosive devices were seized.

Azerbaijan's Media Development Agency has dismissed reports of heavy weapons being deployed on the border with Iran as fake news. The agency stated that a video circulating on social media, allegedly showing this, was actually filmed in January and shows the planned movement of military equipment.

In Kabardino-Balkaria, five prisoners were sentenced to lengthy prison terms, ranging from 17 to 26 years. They were accused of participating in the terrorist organization "Jamaat," recruiting, and promoting terrorism. According to the Southern District Military Court, the organization existed in the prison from 2009 to 2011.

Azerbaijan has begun evacuating its diplomats from Iran, Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov announced. The process will affect the embassy in Tehran and the consulate general in Tabriz.

The Moscow Regional Court has dismissed the appeal of Ruslan Tambiyev, former Chief of Staff of the Head and Government of Ingushetia, against the confiscation of his assets worth 80 million rubles.