Regional
- Armenia’s National Security Service (NSS) confirmed that Yashar Ali Oglu Kasimov, an Azerbaijani citizen, was found in Tavush Province on 19 October. According to the NSS, Kasimov had entered the territory of Armenia after ‘getting lost’, adding that ‘appropriate measures are being taken to return’ him to Azerbaijan.
Armenia
- The Armavir Court has terminated proceedings against the Armenian Apostolic Church over a lawsuit by defrocked Bishop Gevorg Saroyan, who sought reinstatement as head of the Masyatsotn Diocese. The court ruled that appointing and removing diocesan primates falls under the Catholicos’s authority and is governed by Church canon law, making the dispute outside the scope of civil proceedings. Separately, Catholicos Karekin II is facing criminal charges over his refusal to reinstate Saroyan.
- Economy Minister Gevorg Papoyan has announced that exports of Armenian products to EU member states have increased by 51%, rising from $475 million in January–September in 2025 to $717 million in the same period in 2026. The increase comes amid wide-reaching Russian restrictions of the import of Armenian products since April.
- Armenian government officials visited the Syunik Province to discuss organisational issues related to the launch of the Trump Route.
Azerbaijan
- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called President Ilham Aliyev on Wednesday. According to the Azerbaijani presidential press service, the two leaders discussed bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and Turkey, as well as regional and global issues. Erdoğan expressed confidence that cooperation between the two countries, based on their brotherly ties, would continue to deepen. The call came amid increased tensions between the two countries, sparked by Baku’s relationship with Israel and imposition of a school hijab ban.
Georgia
- The Prosecutor’s Office has arrested Asaval-Dasavali journalist Dito (Domenti) Chubinidze on Thursday on charges of treason and sabotage. He is accused of spreading false information about the David Gareji Monastery complex, located near the Georgia–Azerbaijan border.
- The Constitutional Court began hearings yesterday on a case seeking to ban five opposition parties. During the hearing, the opposition parties filed several motions, including requests for judges to recuse themselves and for witnesses to be questioned. The court rejected all of them.
- Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has appointed Giorgi Zurabashvili as his special representative for relations with Russia, a post that has been vacant since December 2025. The Diplomatic Society of Georgia stated yesterday that Zurabashvili’s appointment could signal a move towards restoring diplomatic ties. It also said expanding his mandate to include conflict resolution risks undermining the Geneva talks and Georgia’s efforts to keep the conflict on the international agenda.
- Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova dismissed political motives behind Russia’s restrictions on several Georgian drinks, calling them routine food safety measures. She said violations were found at only a few companies and denied any political link to the decision.
Abkhazia
- Mehmet Kizilarslan, a Turkish citizen wanted by the authorities, has been detained in Abkhazia. According to the authorities, he was a member of an organised criminal group involved in racketeering and extortion in Turkey. Kizilarslan was deported to Georgia.
South Ossetia
- President Marat Kambolov has re-appointed Aleksandr Gabuev as head of the State Foreign Intelligence Service. He also re-appointed Inal Tasoеv as the presidential commissioner for human rights and Aelita Ushakova-Dzhioeva as children’s commissioner for human rights.
- Kambolov and Russian Deputy Economic Development Minister Sergei Nazarov discussed the development of the republic’s tourism industry, the construction of modular glamping sites and the renovation of the Alan hotel.
The North Caucasus
- Russian authorities said they recorded a ‘significant increase’ in ‘sensitive’ AI-generated videos created at the request of ‘unfriendly countries’ in the North Caucasus. Security forces plan to search for people involved in this activity online, the presidential envoy to the North Caucasus Federal District Yuri Chaika said at a meeting of the Security Council, the pro-Kremlin news agency Interfax reported. According to Chaika, such content is allegedly intended for ‘opposition-minded citizens’.
- Assets worth more than ₽10 billion ($122 million) belonging to Daghestani former Parliamentary Speaker Magomed Suleimanov and his close relatives have been seized by Russia. His assets included houses in Makhachkala and Izberbash, an electricity grid complex, a bread factory, and a stake in a bank.
- Indian students at the Ingush State University have complained about the university’s management. According to the students, while they were away during the summer holidays, all their belongings at the student dormitory in Magas were moved to the building’s basement without prior notice. The basement was subsequently flooded, irreversibly damaging all their possessions.
For ease of reading, we choose not to use qualifiers such as ‘de facto’, ‘unrecognised’, or ‘partially recognised’ when discussing institutions or political positions within Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh, and South Ossetia. This does not imply a position on their status.