Over the past 24 hours, 28 people were evacuated across the border between Iran and Azerbaijan, including two Azerbaijani citizens and two Russians. In total, by March 23, 2,949 citizens from 76 countries were evacuated from Iran to Azerbaijan. Among the evacuees are 488 citizens of Azerbaijan and 325 Russians. 16 Indian citizens, three Swedes, citizens of Iran and Myanmar also passed through the Astara checkpoint. The largest number of evacuees are Chinese citizens - 722 people.

Two teenagers from Kabardino-Balkaria, 15 and 17 years old, were arrested in connection with an attempt to manufacture explosives. Russian authorities claim that they allegedly acted on instructions from a curator from Ukraine, with whom they corresponded via messenger. The human rights project “First Department” emphasizes that in such cases we are often talking about provocations on the part of security forces and at the moment no evidence of the teenagers’ guilt has been presented.

Crimean Tatar human rights activist and journalist Server Mustafayev, sentenced to 14 years in prison, was transferred to a cell-type room (PKT) of correctional colony No. 1 in Tambov for one month. According to his wife Maye Mustafayeva, since February 2024, her husband has been in strict detention conditions (SDC).

Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili and Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze congratulated the country's Muslim community on Ramadan. This year the holiday of breaking the fast fell on March 20th. However, due to the death of Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II on March 17, festive events in Georgia were cancelled. “We congratulate our Muslim fellow citizens, albeit belatedly, but with all our hearts, on Ramadan Bayram and the holiday of the arrival of spring - Novruz Bayram.

Timur Agrba's defense intends to seek the overturning of the sentence, which, in its opinion, was passed without reason. Lawyer Victoria Novikova reported that most of the publications that became the basis for the conviction concerned the recognition of Shamil Basayev as a hero of Abkhazia, which was confirmed by the official Abkhaz authorities.

The criminal case against the former head of the Bank of Russia branch for Ingushetia, Magomed-Bek Uzhakhov, has been transferred to court. He is accused of abuse of power related to the theft of bank property by his relative. According to the prosecutor's office, a relative of Uzhakhov, who worked for him, took out the property of the Bank of Russia under the pretext of repair work, and then sold it via the Internet.