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.
The Republic of Ingushetia scored 5.56 points out of a possible 100, taking 85th place in the ranking of Russian regions based on scientific and technological development. The Jewish Autonomous Oblast and Altai also ranked among the worst three.
Two more regions of the North Caucasus Federal District made it into the bottom ten: Karachay-Cherkessia ranked 80th, while Chechnya rose from 83rd to 79th. Kabardino-Balkaria fell from 72nd to 74th, while Dagestan maintained its position at 73rd. North Ossetia climbed two places, from 74th to 72nd. Stavropol Krai ranked 48th, up from 44th a year earlier.
The study's authors note that the regions at the bottom of the rankings have a relatively modest scientific base and limited financial resources. Furthermore, the bottom-ranked regions may be characterized by underdeveloped high-tech and innovative economic sectors.
The leaders remained unchanged. The top five include Moscow, Tatarstan, St. Petersburg, the Nizhny Novgorod Region, and the Moscow Region. They accounted for more than 37% of the total volume of innovative goods, works, and services shipped in Russia by the end of 2024.