Human rights activists report mass abductions in Chechnya

In different regions of Chechnya, security forces kidnapped several dozen residents. This was reported by the Memorial Human Rights Protection Center.

The reason could have been a video that circulated on social networks in early May, in which an unknown man sets fire to a car with the inscription “Dostum” on its license plates. This was the call sign used by the head of the region, Ramzan Kadyrov, in his youth, and more recently his son Adam has been called “Dostum”.

Perhaps we are talking about an expression of protest on the part of the arsonist against the owner of the car, who wanted to demonstrate his loyalty to the authorities. At the same time, residents who approved this action on social networks could have been kidnapped.

Volunteers of the Memorial Center confirmed that between May 6 and May 14, Chechen security forces abducted from 80 to 90 people. At least six of them are residents of the village of Goyskoye, Urus-Martan district. Among them is Arbi Borchashvili. Previously, he was forcibly sent to war in Ukraine: he was wounded and returned home last year, and is now allegedly back at the front.

In Gudermes, security forces kidnapped Abubakar Tsakaev, and in the Ippodromny microdistrict of Grozny, Dzhabrail Dauthadzhiev. On May 9, security forces took about 50 members of the Elmurzaev family from the village of Starye Atagi, Urus-Martan district.

Последние новости
Azerbaijan marks 35 years of independence—33 of which have seen the country ruled by a single family
Human rights
Azerbaijan marks 35 years of independence—33 of which have seen the country ruled by a single family
18 October 2026

On October 18, Azerbaijan celebrates the Day of the Restoration of Independence. It was on this date in 1991 that the republic’s Supreme Soviet adopted a Constitutional Act, formalizing the country’s departure from the Soviet system and the restoration of its state sovereignty.

US Congressman Calls Kobakhidze’s Meeting with Iranian President an “Insult to Trump”
Politics
US Congressman Calls Kobakhidze’s Meeting with Iranian President an “Insult to Trump”
18 October 2026

American Republican Congressman Joe Wilson has criticized Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze for holding talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. The meeting took place in Yerevan on the sidelines of the 17th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17).

Drone alert declared across southern Russia this evening
News
Drone alert declared across southern Russia this evening
17 October 2026

On the evening of 17 October, a drone alert was declared again in several districts of Krasnodar Krai. The warning covered Anapa, Gelendzhik, Novorossiysk, Abinsky, Krymsky and Temryuksky districts. Earlier in the day, alerts had also been issued in Sochi, Tuapse municipal district and Mostovsky district.

Residents over 55 in Karachay-Cherkessia five times more likely to visit online learning websites
Society
Residents over 55 in Karachay-Cherkessia five times more likely to visit online learning websites
17 October 2026

In the third quarter of 2026, monthly internet traffic to educational websites in Karachay-Cherkessia was 1.3 times higher than in the first quarter. Among users aged over 55, the figure increased fivefold, according to a study by telecommunications operator MegaFon and the Skillbox educational group.