Syria

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A collapsed 14-storey building in Adana, Turkey. Image via Anadolu Agency.

2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake

The South Caucasus sends aid following deadly quake

by Ani Avetisyan

•3 min read

The South Caucasus has offered messages of support and offers of assistance after a deadly earthquake hit Turkey and Syria on Monday. But despite parts of both countries being devastated by the quake, only Armenia offered aid to Syria. The 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit at around 04:17 on 6 February and was followed by aftershocks that devastated south-eastern Turkey and northern Syria. Official death tolls from Turkey and Syria number over 5,000 so far, with tens of thousands more wounded or st

Armenia

Two alleged mercenaries from Syria to stand trial in Armenia

by Ani Avetisyan

•1 min read

Armenian police have completed their investigation into two men captured during the Second Nagorno-Karabakh war who are accused of being mercenaries from Syria. If the findings are approved by the prosecutor’s office, the men will stand trial in Armenia and face a slate of criminal charges, including terrorism. Armenia’s Investigative Committee reiterated on Monday that the two men, identified as Muhrab Muhammad Al-Shkheir, 45, and Yousef Alabed Alhajj, 28, are mercenaries who were recruited t

circassian

Voice | ‘Help comes from those who themselves need help’

by Volodymyr Soboliev

•5 min read

Circassian woman Shaziya Nukh is 86 years old. In 2011, she fled the Syrian conflict to Kabardino-Balkaria, the homeland of her ancestors. Almost all of her relatives died during the bombing of Aleppo. Shaziya has no income and no housing. ‘I obtained a residence permit in Russia in 2016 and now have to wait for citizenship for at least another six years — and it’s a big question whether they grant it to me or not. But, even if they do, what will happen after? I will still have no job, and

Armenia

Armenia offers assistance to refugees as thousands flee Turkish offensive

by OC Media

•3 min read

A sizeable community of ethnic Armenians has found itself under fire in northeastern Syria in the wake of Turkey’s offensive. Armenian authorities have stated that they are willing to help them relocate. Thousands of civilians have fled in the wake of the Turkish bombardment and incursion into northeastern Syria that began on 9 October. The Turkish government claims it is seeking to establish a buffer zone along the border in order to secure the country against Kurdish ‘terror groups’ and

Daghestan

Mothers of Daghestani detainees begin third week of ‘hunger strike’

by OC Media

•6 min read

Two women whose sons were detained on 15 June for ‘illegal weapons possession’ are beginning their third week on hunger strike in the Russian Republic of Daghestan. The women say their sons were framed and tortured into giving false confessions. They are demanding their sons’ release. Yelena Barzukayeva told OC Media that her son Islam Barzukayev as well as Gasan Kurbanov and one other man disappeared on the morning of 15 June. She said that the police denied that the men had been deta

Armenia

Armenia sends military ‘humanitarian mission’ to Syria

by Volodymyr Soboliev

•3 min read

Armenia has sent an 83-person team of deminers, medics, and an accompanying security detail to the Syrian city of Aleppo․ On 8 February, the Ministry of Defence announced that the mission, which arrived in Syria that day, work exclusively in regions outside of active military operations. It said the mission was in response to the dire humanitarian situation in Aleppo, which has a sizable ethnic Armenian population. The ministry listed several UN General Assembly Resolutions regarding Sy

Armenia

‘Enhanced security’: Armenian settlers in Nagorno-Karabakh

by Armine Avetisyan

•8 min read

The authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh are hoping to incentivise more people to settle in the sparsely populated areas of Nagorno-Karabakh to encourage economic growth and strengthen its sense of security. However, the unresolved conflict with Azerbaijan casts shadow on these plans. Levon, who now resides in Yerevan, has been thinking of moving to Nagorno-Karabakh for over a year. He is 24 years old and studies at the National Polytechnic University of Armenia. A communications engineer