In Chechnya, Akhmad and Salakh Khaskhanov—brothers of Arbi Khaskhanov, who escaped from a military base in Khankala to avoid being sent to fight in the war against Ukraine—have been abducted. This was reported by the outlet *Kavkaz.Realii*, citing human rights defender Roza Dunaeva, who represents Ichkeria in Austria. According to her, the relatives are being held in an effort to force the young man himself to return to the republic.

Dagestan’s People’s Assembly today confirmed Fyodor Shchukin as head of the republic for a five-year term. Of the 87 deputies who took part in the vote, 78 supported the former chairman of Dagestan’s Supreme Court, who had been serving as acting head of the region since May. Four votes went to parliament’s deputy speaker, Kamil Davdiev, and another four to Samir Abdulkhаlikov, head of the Communist Party faction. One ballot was declared invalid.

Representatives from several countries walked out of the hall during a speech by Israeli President Isaac Herzog on October 15 at the summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), currently being held in Baku. According to the Turkish newspaper *Yeni Akit*, delegations from 13 countries—Iran, Palestine, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iraq, Egypt, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Bangladesh—participated in the walkout.

The Supreme Court of Dagestan has ordered that former police officers Shamil Aliyev and Ramazan Saypulayev—convicted for the torture of Yulduz Kurashova and the fabrication of a criminal case against her—be sent to a penal colony. On October 14, the court converted their suspended sentences into actual prison terms, according to the human rights organization "Team Against Torture." The case had been under review for the fourth time.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has identified the signing and ratification of a peace agreement with Azerbaijan as his primary objective for the coming years. He intends to see this matter resolved by 2031, a goal he announced during a government meeting on October 15, as reported by Armenpress.

The Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs has stated that it did not request a ban on opposition politician Zurab Japaridze entering other countries. The agency commented on the detention of one of the "Coalition for Change" leaders at a Turkish airport in response to an inquiry from the IPN news agency.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met Israeli President Isaac Herzog in Baku on 14 October, ahead of the Asian Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures (CICA) summit scheduled for the following day. Following the meeting, the two sides announced their intention to strengthen bilateral relations and discussed the regional situation.

The Supreme Court of Russia has designated the international "Community of Followers of Batal-Khadzhi Belkhoroev" (known as the Batal-Khadzhintsy) a "terrorist organization" and banned its activities within the country. The ruling was issued on October 14 following a lawsuit filed by the Prosecutor General's Office; the hearing was held behind closed doors.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan believes that Yerevan and Baku should exchange territories of comparable size to eliminate any remaining enclaves and exclaves along their shared border. This was reported by Armenpress, citing a video address by the Armenian head of government published on October 14.

Georgian opposition politician Zurab Japaridze was detained at a Turkish airport while flying to Brussels for a meeting of European liberals. He is set to be sent back to Georgia on October 15, according to the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) group, of which the politician's party, "Girchi — More Freedom," is a member.