After an arrest of porn actor Matvei Volodin, law enforcers in Dagestan launched a campaign against gay men and organized raids against them. Yusuf, one of the detainees, left Russia after he was forced to agree to cooperate with the law enforcement bodies.

Khasan Khalitov, an oppositional blogger and a Ramzan Kadyrov's critic, has stated that several days ago authorities summoned his father and two brothers to Grozny for a talk; and since then their whereabouts remain unknown.

A court in the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR) has fined Vladimir Kryachko, a 61-year-old local resident, twice in the amount of 15,000 roubles, finding him guilty of speaking negatively about Russian militaries.

The arrestees kept in a SIZO (pre-trial prison) in Rostov-in-Don were forced to shave their heads after an incident with hostage-taking. A spokesperson for the Russian Federal Penitentiary Service (known as FSIN) explained the above as “educational work” and internal regulations of the SIZO. Coercion of the arrestees to shave their heads violated their rights, human rights defenders pointed out.

Sergey Melikov, the head of Dagestan, stood up for a doctor from Khasavyurt, who had faced threats and attacks after a misunderstanding during examination of a patient wearing a niqab. After Melikov's criticism, law enforcers detained the blogger Khadjimurad Khanov, who had earlier demanded from the doctor's bosses to apologize, sources report.

The Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Dagestan, being a religious organization, may issue a fatwa (a ruling based on the principles of Islam), banning wearing niqabs, but this is only a recommendation, religious scholars and Caucasian experts believe. Violators of the ban face a maximum of condemnation and censure, they note.

The Spiritual Administration of Muslims (SAM) of Dagestan will soon issue a fatwa (a ruling based on the principles of Islam), banning wearing niqabs. This has been announced by the Mufti of Dagestan after the leader of the republic spoke out against wearing niqabs.

The ideological work aimed to counter radicalization should be conducted by Muslims themselves; and Abdulmumin Gadjiev, the convicted "Chernovik" outlet journalist, is one of those who is able to influence his fellow believers, Dagestani journalists are sure.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has ordered Russian authorities to pay EUR 5000 to convicted activist, Barakh Chemurziev, as compensation for his arrest at the rally in Magas. The ECtHR's decision was made amid Russia's refusal to enforce the Court's decisions.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has ordered Russian authorities to pay EUR 3500 to Ruslan Gvashev, a Circassian activist, as compensation for the fine imposed on him for praying at the Tulip Tree in 2017.

The soft reaction of the press secretary of the Russian President to Kadyrov's threats to militants' relatives has demonstrated the Kremlin's agreement with the methods of the head of Chechnya, analysts have pointed out.

The hostage taking in the Rostov SIZO (pre-trial prison) and the attacks in Dagestan were committed by "Islamists," Alexander Bastrykin, the Chairman of the Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF), has stated and supported the idea of banning niqabs (long garments worn by some Muslim women in order to cover their entire body and face, excluding their eyes).

Martin Kochesoko*, an activist from the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR), who had moved to Europe, has treated his criminal prosecution in Russia for evading the duties of a foreign agent as unjustified.

Maria Smelaya, a resident of Krasnodar, has complained that officials from the Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF) are passing her complaint about her husband's kidnapping of their common son to each other and would not investigate the case.

The Volgograd Court of Appeal (CoA) has upheld the court ruling that found the search conducted at the apartment of Vyacheslav Yaschenko, a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent, as legitimate. The CoA has rejected the defence's arguments.

In Astrakhan, law enforcers blocked the exits from the Red Mosque and checked believers' documents; some Muslims were put into buses, believers have reported.

The Church Court of the Ekaterinodar and Kuban Diocese has banned Archpriest Andrei Drugai from priestly service; Andrei left his parish due to disagreement with the position of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) on the issue of the special military operation (SMO) in Ukraine.