Latest news in Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, summary. Live

● Municipal elections in Georgia took place amid a boycott by most opposition parties and a large-scale protest involving tens of thousands of people who refused to participate, claiming the results were predetermined and falsified. Several politicians called for a “peaceful revolution and peaceful change of power” during the protest on the evening of October 4 and were arrested on the spot. Read more here

● At the same time, clashes with police broke out near the presidential palace as thousands protested on Rustaveli Avenue. Some demonstrators attempted to break into the palace, tearing down fences and setting up barricades. Special forces used water cannons and tear gas. More than 20 people were injured, most of them police officers, according to the Interior Ministry. Over ten people were detained.

● The State Security Service reported discovering weapons near Tbilisi that were allegedly intended for unrest on election day, October 4. “With the use of large quantities of firearms, ammunition, and explosives with detonators, sabotage acts were planned to coincide with the organized group violence and the attempt to seize the presidential palace,” Deputy Head of the SSS Lasha Maghradze said. One person accused of preparing a detonation device has been detained, and the search for others continues.

● Incumbent mayor Kakha Kaladze (in office since 2017) from the ruling Georgian Dream party won the Tbilisi mayoral election with 71.621% of the vote. Irakli Kupradze, representing the opposition parties Strong Georgia and Gakharia for Georgia, received 12.275%, while Iago Khvichia, leader of the opposition party Girchi, received 7.624%. Only these three opposition parties participated in the elections, which saw a turnout of about 41%.

● “The municipal elections in Georgia took place on Saturday amid large-scale repression against dissent,” reads a joint statement by EU High Representative/Vice-President Kaja Kallas and Commissioner for Enlargement Oliver Várhelyi.

● Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze of the ruling Georgian Dream party said that “Saturday’s rally aimed at overthrowing the constitutional order in Georgia was directly supported by foreign citizens and diplomats.” He specifically accused EU Ambassador Pawel Herczynski of supporting violence and demanded that he “openly condemn the attempted coup.” “Georgia is not a country that will allow foreign intelligence services to overthrow its government,” Kobakhidze said.

● In Russia, pro-government politicians voiced strong support for the Georgian Dream. Russian Senator Alexei Pushkov supported Kobakhidze’s statement, writing: “This is a provable accusation. It’s not just the EU ambassador in Georgia who feels obliged to organize an ‘orange revolution’ in any country that refuses to follow the West’s directives. We can recall Michael McFaul, the former U.S. ambassador to Russia, who was more interested in ‘developing democracy’ and meeting opposition leaders than in improving international relations.”

● Viktor Vodolatsky, First Deputy Chair of the State Duma Committee on CIS Affairs and Eurasian Integration, also supported the Georgian Dream. “Georgia is under attack by the EU and Western NGOs because it has decided to free itself from the network of nationalist structures controlling the European Union. Therefore, all EU resources are now aimed at igniting a civil war in Georgia to stage a ‘Maidan’ like in Ukraine,” Vodolatsky said.

● Russian presidential envoy for international economic cooperation Kirill Dmitriev drew parallels between the events in Georgia and protests in the United States, comparing the large-scale October 4 protest in Tbilisi with anti-Trump rallies in Oregon. “It’s the same scenario that leftists and globalists repeatedly use to incite violent protests, undermine governments, and attack the rule of law. It is now unfolding in Tbilisi, Georgia, and Portland, Oregon,” Dmitriev wrote.

● “Any gathering held on Georgian territory in the coming days will be considered a continuation of yesterday’s attempted coup. We urge everyone to take this into account and refrain from any actions that may lead to legal consequences,” the Interior Ministry said in a statement. Nevertheless, a new protest rally took place in front of Parliament on Sunday, the day after the elections.

● Another Georgian citizen who fought for Ukraine, Vano Sabashvili, faces extradition from Armenia to Russia. His friends said Sabashvili did not know that Moscow had placed him on an international wanted list. He was detained by Armenian authorities on September 9 after crossing the Georgian border without issue. Sabashvili served in the Georgian armed forces for eight years and fought in Ukraine as part of the International Legion during the early stages of Russia’s invasion. Later, a court in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic sentenced him in absentia for fighting on Ukraine’s side. Another Georgian citizen, Giorgi Kinoyan, has been under arrest in Armenia for several weeks, also awaiting a court decision on Russia’s extradition request.

● In Tbilisi, a 33-year-old Georgian citizen, M.G., was arrested for injuring a police officer on duty.

● Nineteen-year-old Mariam Robakidze, who was severely injured in a gas explosion in the Lotkini district on the outskirts of Tbilisi on the night of September 24, has died in hospital.

● A major diplomatic scandal occurred at Vasil Levski Airport in Sofia, reports the Bulgarian outlet Blitz. “A delegation from the Armenian community of Ani, including the head of the municipality, Arman Saribekyan, was subjected to a humiliating security check. According to reports, the guests were forced to fully undress, interrogated, and held in service premises for several hours,” the publication writes. The Armenian delegation arrived in Bulgaria at the invitation of the mayor of Novi Pazar, Georgi Georgiev. “Their personal belongings were searched, even the frame of a painting they brought as a gift was damaged. The whole process was accompanied by insulting questions — who they were, why they came, and why now,” Georgiev told Blitz. However, this story is not mentioned on the municipality’s Facebook page, which only reports that the delegation visited Bulgaria from October 1–4 and was warmly welcomed.

● Archbishop Mikael Ajapakhyan, after being sentenced to two years in prison on charges of attempting to organize a coup, wrote a letter through members of parliament. The head of the Shirak Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church promised that he “will now become more dangerous for the authorities than ever before.” “The evil power, consisting of mediocrities and complete nonentities, along with their pitiful servants, has completed yet another immoral scenario by unlawfully convicting me on fabricated charges. This will be a disgrace for the current ‘non-power,’” Ajapakhyan wrote. More details about the case and the “Russian trace” reportedly uncovered by the security service here.

● Several citizens have launched an open-ended sit-in and hunger strike in the courtyard of the Surb Yotverk (Seven Wounds) Church in Gyumri, protesting the two-year imprisonment of Archbishop Mikael Ajapakhyan, reports Aravot.am. They are demanding his release and calling on Gyumri residents to join them to “prevent justice in Armenia from being buried.” (pictured below)

● Does peace between Yerevan and Baku imply the withdrawal of Russian border guards from Armenia? In an interview with PassBlue, Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ani Badalyan said that Russian patrols along the Armenia–Iran border are regulated by a bilateral agreement and therefore are not related to the Washington document initialed by Armenia and Azerbaijan on August 8.

● Head of the National Center for Education Quality Assurance: Following the latest attestation, salaries have been increased for more than 6,300 teachers.

● President Vahagn Khachaturyan hosted at his residence the winners of the “Best of the Year” competition in 12 categories for teachers. In his address, he emphasized that such initiatives reflect the state’s prioritization of education.

● The Summit of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) will be held in the city of Gabala on October 6–7. Local media report that the presidents of Turkey, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus have confirmed their participation. The theme of the summit is “Regional Peace and Security,” focusing on developing multilateral cooperation within the organisation.

● Activist Nidjat Ibrahim, sentenced to six years and six months in prison, told the appellate court that he has been on hunger strike for more than two weeks, protesting what he calls his unjust arrest. Ibrahim was detained in September last year on charges of stabbing a local resident, which he categorically denies, calling the case politically motivated. He claims that someone suddenly attacked him on the street, pushed him to the ground, and staged a knife incident, with police officers appearing on the scene immediately. A week before his arrest, Ibrahim reportedly tried to leave the country with his family but was prevented from doing so. He then called the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ emergency hotline and said he would set himself on fire in front of the ministry building if not allowed to leave. Earlier, in July 2020, Ibrahim was detained while preparing a protest demanding the resignation of President Ilham Aliyev and sentenced to one year and three months in prison on charges of spreading the coronavirus.

In recent years, several civic and political activists in Azerbaijan have been arrested on similar street-stabbing charges, including former diplomat Emin Ibrahimov, Popular Front Party members Zamin Salaev and Kenan Zeynalov, Confederation of Trade Unions “Ishchi Masasi” chairman Afiaddin Mammadov, and Yoldash Media founder Ahmed Mammadli. All deny the accusations.

● State budget revenues from the oil and gas sector in the first half of the year exceeded the same period last year by 16.7%. The main growth came from oil extraction and oil and gas service sectors. Revenues from payments in the extractive industries increased by 20.4% and 30.7% in the first and second quarters, respectively, compared to the same periods last year.

● In Kalbajar, the foundation has been laid for a high-altitude wind power plant as part of a major investment project implemented by the Azerbaijani-Turkish partnership Baltech Green and Clean Energy Invest. The project was launched in November last year during the international COP29 Climate Forum held in Azerbaijan. The wind plant is being built at an altitude of 3,100 meters and is expected to be operational in early 2028 with a final capacity of 600 MW. According to the state program, eight industrial solar and wind power plants with a total capacity of about 2 GW will be built by 2027. By 2030, Azerbaijan aims to reach 6 GW, of which 4 GW are planned for export. The implementation of these plans will increase the share of green energy in the national energy system to 32.6%, save 1.2 billion cubic meters of gas annually, and significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to the press release.

● The Baku International Arts Festival (BIAF) has been announced for October 31 – November 16, 2025, with the support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the Ministry of Culture. “The main mission is to bring world-class art to Baku and present local talents on an international platform […] These investments in art strengthen Baku’s image as a dynamic, modern capital at the crossroads of East and West,” the press release says.

● About 510 kilograms of narcotics smuggled from Iran across the Caspian Sea have been intercepted. The Border Service reported the arrest of an organized criminal group whose members are citizens of Iran and Azerbaijan.

Photo by JAMnews: a market in the Sabunchu settlement on the outskirts of Baku

Top stories in Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia from 29 September-3 October, 2025