Azerbaijan's Supreme Court rejected the appeal of political scientist and editor of OC Media, Bahruz Samadov, who was previously sentenced to 15 years in prison on charges of treason. The ruling was issued on Thursday.

Russian Emergencies Ministry Head Alexander Kurenkov announced that over 1.1 billion rubles have been allocated for payments to residents of Dagestan and Chechnya affected by the spring floods.

The arrest of Ingush theologian and public figure Akhmed Tangiyev has been announced.

Roads to several villages and tourist sites in Dagestan and Ingushetia have been closed due to rockfalls and landslides.

Authorities are preparing a new package of measures to develop tourism in the North Caucasus.

Heavy rains in Chechnya have caused a mudflow and traffic restrictions in the republic's mountainous regions.

Several MEPs from right-wing and Eurosceptic factions criticized the EU's policy toward Azerbaijan and stated that pressure from Brussels could have led to the current crisis in relations with Baku.

The Baku Court of Grave Crimes sentenced Elgiz Mammadov, a member of the Muslim Unity Movement (MUM), to three years in prison. He was found guilty of drug possession and trafficking. Mammadov denied the charges, claiming the case was politically motivated.

"Russia continues to ignore its international obligations and is taking steps aimed at annexing Georgian regions," said Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Bochorishvili.

The prosecutor's office has requested 17 to 21 years in prison for the Crimean Tatars implicated in the so-called "third Dzhankoy group."