Turkey may extradite Circassian opposition blogger to Moscow

Circassian activist and blogger Hasan Matuev has been detained in Istanbul. He faces extradition to Russia, as he is on the federal wanted list. Matuev is included in the list of extremists and terrorists of Rosfinmonitoring.

“Considering his active public activities, if extradited to the Russian Federation, Hasan Matuev will be subject to political repression. The situation requires close attention and immediate response from the Circassian diaspora in Turkey and human rights organizations,” the Circassian Media Telegram channel urges.

According to the League of Free Nations platform, tens of thousands of people from Russian national colonies live in Turkey – Circassians, Tatars, Bashkirs, Ingush, Chechens, and peoples of Dagestan.

“These are people who left against their will. They fled from repression and mobilization into the Russian army. Hasan is one of the few who speaks openly about Moscow's colonial policy. He is the voice of the Caucasus, Central Asia and the Middle East," the statement said.

Последние новости
Moscow expressed interest in joining the South Caucasus TRIPP route. Armenia had previously rejected Russia's participation
Politics
Moscow expressed interest in joining the South Caucasus TRIPP route. Armenia had previously rejected Russia's participation
30 January 2026

Russia has stated its readiness to consider joining the TRIPP project (the transport corridor between Armenia and Azerbaijan). Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova announced at a briefing that Moscow is interested in participating and is prepared to offer Russian Railways' expertise for the project's implementation.
In Kabardino-Balkaria, two soldiers were sentenced to five years for evading military service
Society
In Kabardino-Balkaria, two soldiers were sentenced to five years for evading military service
30 January 2026

A military court in Nalchik found Rinat Kurmanaev and Zalim Bekov guilty of leaving their unit without leave during mobilization and sentenced each to five years in prison.
Moscow again warned Armenia about the risks of integration with Europe
Politics
Moscow again warned Armenia about the risks of integration with Europe
30 January 2026

The Russian Foreign Ministry expressed concern over Armenia's rapprochement with the European Union. In an interview with TASS, Vladislav Maslennikov, Director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's Department of European Problems, stated that this could negatively impact relations with Russia and integration processes in the post-Soviet space.
Kazakhstan intends to return a Chechen refugee to Russia despite human rights activists' concerns
Human rights
Kazakhstan intends to return a Chechen refugee to Russia despite human rights activists' concerns
30 January 2026

The Kazakh Prosecutor General's Office has approved the extradition of Chechen activist Mansur Movlayev to Russia, despite the risk of torture in his home country. This was announced by human rights activist Murat Adam, who noted that the deportation decision must be implemented within 30 days.