Week in the Caucasus: review of main events of January 20-26, 2025

Tragedy in Imishli, pollution in Anapa, persecution of pacifists and activists in Southern Russia, protests in Georgia, and official data on the natives of Southern Russia who perished in Ukraine, – see the review of these and other events in the Caucasus during the week of January 20-26, 2025, prepared by the “Caucasian Knot”.

Tragedy in Imishli

On January 18, in the city of Imishli, located 208 kilometres from Baku, a road traffic accident occurred, involving a police car. As a result of the accident, three children were killed, and two other persons, including a minor girl and a driver, were injured. After that, riots began, and angry citizens smashed the police car and clashed with law enforcers. Several participants of the riots were detained, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) reported.

According to the information released by the Prosecutor’s Office, the traffic police car ran over the children after it was unexpectedly cut off by another car. The police car, trying to avoid a collision, drove onto the side of the road and hit the children who were walking there.

The General Prosecutor’s Office of Azerbaijan reported that the road traffic accident was provoked by a local resident born in 2008, who stole a Mercedes-Benz car. The young man was driving the car without a driver’s licence and tried to flee the scene. The minor has been arrested.

The road traffic accident provoked unrest among local residents. Social networking services disseminate the footage showing dozens of people emotionally protesting against the actions of the police. The protestors smashed the police car and clashed with the police. Two opposition parties reported about the detention of their supporters in connection with critical entries about the road traffic accident posted on a social networking service. Before releasing the detained persons, the police demanded from them to delete their posts.

Pollution in Anapa

On December 15, two tankers crashed in the Kerch Strait because of a storm, resulting in an oil spill. About 50 kilometres of beaches from Anapa to Temryuk are polluted with fuel oil, and volunteers have organized the rescue of birds stained with oil products.

The Russian government reports on its Telegram channel that 1.5 billion roubles have been allocated to eliminate the consequences of the oil spill.

Repeated fuel oil spill products from the Black Sea have been discovered in Anapa and the Temryuk District. The Russian Minister of Natural Resources reports that the beaches are to be restored after fuel oil pollution by the summer of 2026. For several more years, fuel oil products will still be discovered on the beaches, environmentalists object.

Restoring the biosystem of the Black Sea after the fuel oil spill in the Kerch Strait will take from five to ten years.

Persecution of pacifists and activists in Southern Russia

The Leninsky District Court of Astrakhan considered a critical publication posted by Alexander Tokarev, an assistant to a Russian State Duma member, about the exhibition of captured vehicles and equipment to be discrediting the Russian Armed Forces and fined him 30,000 roubles.

In Novorossiysk, a court closed a case against blogger Askhabali Alibekov for repeated discrediting of the Russian Armed Forces due to the expiration of the statute of limitations.

Protests in Georgia

On the night of January 12, ten people were detained in Batumi, including Mziya Amaglobeli, the founder of the “Netgazeti” and “Batumelebi” publications. She was accused of attacking a Batumi police chief. Mziya Amaglobeli faces up to seven years of imprisonment. The journalist explained that she accidentally hit the police officer with her hand during a crush.

Mziya Amaglobeli went on a hunger strike. In her letter from prison, the defendant called her case “the result of repressive, violent processes against a person, speech and self-expression,” the “News-Georgia” reported. “Any citizen who wants to live in a democratic, fair, European society free from Russian influence could find himself in my situation. Fight before it’s too late ... Don’t allow Georgia to be isolated from the civilized world,” the “News-Georgia” quotes Mziya Amaglobeli as stating.

The “Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association” (GYLA) NGO called the Mziya Amaglobeli’s detention unlawful, considering it the result of political repression. The NGO called on the prosecutor’s office to close the case against Mziya Amaglobeli and release her. Georgian journalists held a rally in front of the government administration with the demand to release Mziya Amaglobeli. And activist Revaz Kiknadze, arrested in connection with the case on violence during protest actions, went on a hunger strike in solidarity with the arrested journalist.

Sabu Buadze, one of the leaders of the “Strong Georgia” coalition, and Ramaz Mandariya, the head of the regional organization of the “Lelo” Party, were attacked in Tbilisi on January 18. An unidentified person attacked Sabu Buadze with a knife, which he then dropped, but the knife did not arouse the interest of the law enforcers who arrived in response to a police call. Ramaz Mandariya was hit with a stone.

In Tbilisi, several marches took place on the 59th day of protests against the suspension of Georgia’s European integration. Participants of a rally in Batumi, organized by the “United National Movement” (UNM) Party, demanded to release Mikhail Saakashvili and arrested participants of pro-European protest actions.

At the suggestion of the European Commission, the permanent representatives of 27 EU countries approved the suspension of the visa-free regime for holders of Georgian diplomatic passports. Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze stated that the European Union is using sanctions as a tool of blackmail.

Official data on natives of Southern Russia perished in Ukraine

By January 26, the authorities and the law enforcement bodies reported about at least 5740 residents of Southern Russia perished in Ukraine, including 2777 residents of the North-Caucasian Federal District (NCFD) and 2963 residents of the Southern Federal District (SFD).

In Dagestan, the authorities reported about 1210 local residents perished in Ukraine, in the Volgograd Region – 1089, in the Krasnodar Territory – 647, in the Rostov Region – 616, in the Stavropol Territory – 579, in the Astrakhan Region – 434, in North Ossetia – 342, in Chechnya – 225, in Kabardino-Balkaria – 222, in Ingushetia – 110, in Kalmykia – 108, in Karachay-Cherkessia – 89, and in Adygea – 69.