VISUAL REPORTS
Errant Missile Strike Reported At Russian Military Exercise
A Russian website posted a video it said showed an errant rocket from a helicopter hitting close to at least two people watching the joint Russian-Belarusian exercise Zapad 2017.
Chuvash, Bashkir Writers Warn Putin 'Playing With Fire' On Language Policy
Prominent writers in Russia's Chuvashia and Bashkortostan regions have urged President Vladimir Putin to stop discouraging the study of indigenous languages.
In Kyiv, Saakashvili Demands Documents Revoking Citizenship
Mikheil Saakashvili, the ex-governor of Ukraine's Odesa region and former president of Georgia, has vowed to challenge the revocation of his Ukrainian citizenship.
Freed Uzbek Political Prisoner Describes 24-Year Ordeal
Samandar Qoqonov, a former opposition member of Uzbekistan’s parliament, was released from prison last year after serving nearly 24 years on embezzlement charges widely considered to be politically motivated.
OTHER NEWS
White House Nominee For Ambassador To Russia Says 'No Question' About Moscow Meddling
Jon Huntsman, the man nominated by the White House to be the next U.S. ambassador to Russia has said there is "no question" that Moscow interfered in last year's presidential election.
At U.S. Request, Moscow Seeks Extradition Of Cybercrime Suspect In Greece
Russia has requested the extradition of Aleksandr Vinnik, a Russian cybercrime suspect who was arrested in Greece at the request of the United States.
Russian UNGA Delegation Walks Out On Lithuanian President
Russia’s delegation to the United Nations General Assembly left the room before the speech of Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė, who, earlier, had criticized the Zapad 2017 joint Russia-Belarus military maneuvers, and said in her formal remarks that Russia was training its military to attack Western countries. (in Russian, Current Time TV)
Chechen Victims Of 1999 Bombing Seek Justice At ECHR
The Russian Committee for the Prevention of Torture reports that the European Court of Human Rights has registered a complaint from 75 residents of Chechnya relating to losses suffered when their village of Elistanagi was bombed by Russian federal forces in 1999. A lawyer for some of the claimants says that in some cases local judges demanded bribes from the victims in exchange for resolving their cases. (in Russian, Kavkaz Realities)
Complaint Lands Russian K-9 Cop In Psychiatric Hospital
Oksana Semykina feared reprisals when she complained about having to work lots of overtime with little time off, but being shipped off to a psychiatric hospital wasn't one of them.
Russian Sent To Psychiatric Clinic After Calling For Separate Republic In Siberia
A court in Siberia has ordered a local man to be committed to a psychiatric clinic after he publicly called for the creation of an independent republic comprising the Asian part of Russia.
Azerbaijani Tax Officials Reinstate Charges Against Turan News Agency
The news agency said in a statement on September 19 that tax authorities had informed them that charges relating to alleged tax debts and penalties for 2014-16, amounting to 37,000 manats ($21,500), had been reinstated.
Uzbek President Flies Billionaire Usmanov’s Plane To UNGA
Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has traveled to the meeting of the U.N. General Assembly in New York using a plane belonging to Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov. The Airbus A340-313 has the registration number “M-IABU,” an abbreviation for "I am Alisher Burhanovich Usmanov." (in Russian, Uzbek Service)
Bishkek Protests Nazarbaev Meeting With Kyrgyz Presidential Candidate
Kyrgyzstan's Foreign Ministry has protested against Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev's recent meeting with a Kyrgyz presidential candidate, expressing “perplexity” in a diplomatic note. Kyrgyzstan holds presidential elections on October 15.
Not Austere Enough: Tajik Authorities Seize Wedding Reception
Hours before a wedding party was set to begin in the southern Tajik city of Kulob, a group of local officials raided the house and confiscated most of the food prepared for the banquet, deeming it "wasteful" and in violation of a new law that regulates how much families may spend on weddings, funerals, and other private functions.
Schoolchildren Forced To Attend Turkmen Games
Turkmen authorities, seeking to fill the bleachers, are enlisting thousands of schoolchildren to attend the 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games that the government is hosting in the capital, Ashgabat. (in Russian, Turkmen Service)