Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stated that the country must be "ten times stronger" than Armenia "every day," explaining this by the need to maintain military superiority even after the initialing of a peace agreement between the two countries. He outlined his position on October 2 at the 8th Congress of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party in Baku.
A memorial plaque has been reinstalled on the house where journalist Anna Politkovskaya died, installed by activists who also brought flowers. This is the 24th attempt to restore the memorial on Lesnaya Street, which is constantly torn down.
Earlier, a far-right organization designated as terrorist claimed responsibility for the plaque's destruction. Meanwhile, the man who smashed the plaque was fined 1,000 rubles, denying any involvement and claiming the plaque "fell on its own." One of the plaques remained up for a week and a half.
Subsequently, activists painted the plaque's original text onto the house's facade. During the memorial's ninth and eleventh restorations, a plaque was also placed on the house reading: "Here in 2026, neo-Nazis destroyed Anna Politkovskaya's memorial plaque."
Novaya Gazeta columnist Anna Politkovskaya, known for her criticism of the Russian government and coverage of human rights violations in Chechnya, was murdered near her home in 2006. Although those responsible for her murder were convicted, those who ordered the crime remain unknown.