Valery Khatazhukov, head of the Kabardino-Balkarian Human Rights Center, filed a complaint with the Prosecutor General's Office after a two-hour interrogation at the Mineralnye Vody airport. He claims border guards questioned him about his human rights work, his travels, and his contacts with Turkish citizens, without explaining the basis for their questioning.

Mikhail Evdokimov, Russia’s Ambassador to Azerbaijan, was summoned to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry following a series of high-profile statements made within the Russian media landscape. Baku stated that these remarks contained insults and threats directed at the country, its citizens, and its leadership.

The Azerbaijan Press Council has condemned reports in certain Russian media outlets that, according to the organization, contain insults and threats directed at the country, its citizens, its leadership, and prominent public figures.

Overnight into August 18, drones attacked several regions in southern Russia. Russian authorities reported that hundreds of drones were shot down but did not report any damage or casualties in the Rostov, Krasnodar, and Volgograd regions.

A Chechen man serving a 17-year prison sentence for allegedly preparing a terrorist attack faces a new disciplinary sanction shortly after spending five days in a punishment cell. His wife says he is being treated unfairly and fears he could be transferred to stricter prison conditions.

The opposition coalition "Strong Georgia – Lelo" has filed a lawsuit with the Constitutional Court demanding the restoration of voting rights for citizens living abroad. The party maintains that the authorities' decision violates the constitutional rights of emigrants.

An Azerbaijani court has ordered the arrest in absentia of three Russian citizens accused by investigators of publicly calling for terrorism, the violent overthrow of the constitutional order and violations of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity, the country's Prosecutor General's Office said.

Farmers from the villages of Khandjyan and Atsik in Armenia's Armavir region blocked the Armavir–Yerevan highway, demanding a solution to the problem of selling their peach harvest. Buyers are offering around 100 drams per kilogram—approximately 23 rubles—whereas farmers consider a price of at least 150 drams to be acceptable.

A new wave of drone threats on Aug. 17 prompted restrictions at airports in Russia's Krasnodar Krai and caused major disruption to air traffic in Sochi. Russian military authorities also reported hundreds of drones intercepted during the day, including over the Rostov region and the Black Sea.

On the night of August 17, drone attacks killed a resident of the Astrakhan Region. Governor Igor Babushkin reported that a drone struck a private home in the Yenotayevsky District. The woman inside was killed. Her teenage son was unharmed.