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.
After more than six months of illegal detention in Grozny Police Department No. 2, 16-year-olds Said Idigov, Elbrus Saidaev, and Mansur Shabazov were released. They were kidnapped in December 2024 and held without charges, the Memorial Human Rights Center reported.
According to human rights activists, in December 2024, police officers stopped the boys on Abdullah bin Talal Al-Hussein Street, pushed them into a car, and drove them away in an unknown direction. The teenagers had no access to lawyers or contact with their families.
“Thanks to the publicity, the case moved forward, and the teenagers were released. However, the situation remains alarming: the boys’ fathers were forced to sign contracts to participate in the SVO, despite their age (over 50 years old), and their whereabouts are currently unknown,” Memorial noted.