The EU and the US called the transfer of part of the territory of Abkhazia to Russia illegal

The Delegation of the European Union to Georgia published a statement in connection with the decision of the Abkhaz authorities to transfer the state dacha in Pitsunda to Russia.

“The European Union fully supports the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Georgia. Any other decision, which is an attempt to transfer to Russia the lands of the occupied self-proclaimed region of Abkhazia, is illegal and invalid,” the message says. Earlier, the US State Department expressed a similar opinion, calling on Moscow to comply with the 2008 ceasefire agreement.

The day before, leaders of Georgian opposition parties called the actions of Moscow and Abkhazia an annexation. The Pitsunda state dacha complex is transferred to the Russian side with land plots and the sea area adjacent to the facility under a lease for 49 years at a cost of 1 ruble per year for each plot. The state dacha building itself is transferred into ownership.

Последние новости
MMA fighter from Chechnya hospitalized following a brawl involving gunfire in Vladikavkaz
Society
MMA fighter from Chechnya hospitalized following a brawl involving gunfire in Vladikavkaz
18 October 2026

Mixed martial arts fighter Ibragim Islamov, known by the nickname "Nikarkho," sustained a gunshot wound from a non-lethal (traumatic) pistol during an altercation in the center of Vladikavkaz. Two people were injured in the incident, both of whom were hospitalized. The North Ossetia branch of the Russian Interior Ministry has opened a criminal case, and one of the individuals involved has been detained.

Azerbaijan marks 35 years of independence—33 of which have seen the country ruled by a single family
Society
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.