Azerbaijani soldier detained after crossing into Armenia and shooting a local resident

On October 1, an Azerbaijani soldier, Nasimi Musayev, entered the village of Shaki in Armenia’s Syunik Province. He shot a 39-year-old local woman in the leg with an assault rifle. The incident happened in front of her three children, two of whom also suffered injuries. Armenia’s Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case against Musayev.

The Armenian National Security Service issued a brief statement only after people began discussing the incident on social media. It emerged that Azerbaijan’s State Security Service had informed its Armenian counterparts on September 29 that a serviceman had left his unit under unknown circumstances. “Authorities could not rule out the possibility that he had illegally crossed into Armenia. The competent authorities of Armenia and Azerbaijan then launched search operations,” the statement said.

“My brother and sister came home from their classes and saw that the window was broken. They called our mother. She and our father came by car. My mother had a knife in her hand. She always kept it with her in case something like this happened, so she could protect herself. My mother went inside and stabbed him with the knife. The man then fired a shot and ran away,” the injured woman’s son told a local media outlet.

Meanwhile, her sister said the Azerbaijani man took the children hostage, while their mother, who tried to protect them, lost three fingers on her left hand. In an interview with Radio Azatutyun (Freedom), she said her sister’s two children were talking to their parents on the phone as they walked home from school. They then saw that the lock on their front door had been broken. When they entered the house, they saw an Azerbaijani soldier in the living room. They tried to call their mother for help, but the Azerbaijani man took their phone away.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has effectively ruled out exchanging an Azerbaijani serviceman. Speaking in an interview with Infocom, Pashinyan said Armenia and Azerbaijan have an understanding that soldiers who cross the border should be dealt with independently of other detainee cases. “We have an understanding that cases involving soldiers crossing over and being returned will be treated separately from all other cases,” Pashinyan said.

Later, Pashinyan told Parliament that Ani Avetisyan, the Armenian woman whom an Azerbaijani shot, should have waited for police, rather than entering the property where he was alone with her children. Pashinyan called the shooting, which has sparked outcry across Armenia, a “regular criminal incident”, attracting criticism from Avetisyan’s relatives. At that time, Avetisyan was still in the hospital after the incident; she had lost a finger and had part of her leg amputated, according to her husband.

Sources:

• JAM News, “Azerbaijani soldier enters Armenia, fires at local residents”, https://jam-news.net/azerbaijani-soldier-who-entered-armenia-fired-at-local-residents/

• The Armenian Report, “Pashinyan Rejects Swapping Azerbaijani Soldier Accused of Shooting Armenian Mother for Armenian POWs”, https://www.thearmenianreport.com/post/pashinyan-rejects-swapping-azerbaijani-soldier-accused-of-shooting-armenian-mother-for-armenian-pows

• GHULINYAN Ani, OC Media, “Pashinyan suggests victim of Azerbaijani soldier shooting should have waited for police”, https://oc-media.org/pashinyan-suggests-victim-of-azerbaijani-soldier-shooting-should-have-waited-for-police/

Controversial Amulsar gold mine opens in Armenia after long delay

Armenia officially launched operations at the Amulsar gold mine on October 10, a decade after construction began on a project repeatedly delayed by environmental protests and financing setbacks, writes Civilnet.am. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan attended the opening near the spa town of Jermuk. Amulsar is Armenia’s second-largest gold deposit by volume, after Sotk. Pashinyan described the development of the Amulsar gold deposit in the southeastern Vayots Dzor province as a “success story” that will contribute to the country’s economic development. “The mineral resources that turned into gold before our eyes today belong to the Republic of Armenia and are the property of its people,” he said.

Pashinyan also said the government had addressed environmental concerns, including the risk of contamination of Lake Sevan, Armenia’s largest freshwater lake. He pointed to the absence of protests at the opening as evidence that those concerns had been resolved. Nevertheless, the My Heart Is In the Highlands initiative organised a gathering on October 19 in front of a COP17 venue demanding the closure of the Amulsar gold mine and a new environmental impact assessment.

A member of the My Heart Is In The Highlands initiative, Karine Panosyan, told OC Media that they planned to gather in front of the Green Zone, which is a COP17 venue open to the public and then intended to move on to the Blue Zone, which is the official, restricted negotiation area for UN member delegations.

“The police did not let us take our posters and walk from the Green Zone to the Blue Zone, saying it was for safety reasons. But that is very funny because we were all very safe and calm. We were not going to cause any danger or anything else. They forbid us to organise our protest here with our posters and to say what we want to say to the world about the ecological problem in Armenia”, said Panosyan.

A US-Canadian company now called Lydian Canada Ventures planned to start open-pit mining operations and produce 210,000 ounces of gold annually, worth 880 million USD at current international prices, there in late 2018, more than two years after obtaining the necessary licenses from Armenia’s former government. However, several dozen environmental protesters blocked all roads leading to Amulsar after the “velvet revolution” of April-May 2018 brought Pashinyan to power, disrupting the planned operations. The protesters said that the project would wreak havoc on the environment. Lydian denied that, saying it would use modern technology to prevent such damage.

The current Armenian government did not revoke Lydian’s mining licenses. But it refrained from using force to end the blockade, effectively siding with the protesters. By then, Lydian claimed it had invested 460 million USD.

After losing the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh, the government began negotiating with Lydian to revive one of the biggest foreign investment projects in Armenia’s history. In 2023, two US and Canadian equity firms that currently own Lydian agreed to give the government a 12.5% stake in the Amulsar operation. In February 2025, Pashinyan’s government guaranteed repayment of 150 million USD in loans it obtained from Armenian banks to finish construction of production facilities at Amulsar.

Sources:

• ADAMYAN Siranush, Civilnet.am, “Armenia officially launches Amulsar gold mine after years of delays”, https://civilnet.am/en/news/1014687

• Azatutyun.am, “New Gold Mine Opens In Armenia After Years Of Disruption”, https://www.azatutyun.am/a/33875030.html

• GHULINYAN Ani, OC Media, “Protesters demand closure of Amulsar gold mine as COP17 opens”,

Talysh activist Hafiz Ismayilov arrested in Azerbaijan

Talysh activist Hafiz Ismailov, who arrived in Baku for the anniversary of his father’s death, has been detained on charges of inciting hatred. The Talysh community in Azerbaijan has linked his arrest to the practice of persecuting Talysh activists. “On September 6, Hafiz Ismailov and his brother were taken by security forces from their sister’s apartment in the Binagadi district of Baku. However, after some time, security forces released the brother. No information about Hafiz Ismailov’s fate emerged for almost two weeks. Then the family was officially informed that Hafiz Ismailov is being held in the detention centre of the State Security Service. He has been charged under Article 283 (incitement of national, racial, social, or religious hatred and enmity) of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan. Initially, he had a court-appointed lawyer. But later, relatives hired another lawyer for his defence. Still, he has not yet been able to meet with Ismailov,” a representative of the Talysh community in Azerbaijan told a correspondent of Caucasian Knot.

According to the source, Ismailov is a citizen of the Russian Federation, has lived in Nizhny Tagil for a long time, served in the police, and resigned five years ago. “To be honest, we do not understand the reason for Hafiz Ismailov’s arrest. He did not engage in any political activity in Azerbaijan. Hafiz Ismailov only reposted publications on social networks defending the rights of Talysh arrested in Azerbaijan and critical materials about the socio-economic life in Azerbaijan…” he said to Caucasian Knot.

Talysh (self-name – “tolish”) are people living in Azerbaijan and Iran. According to the 2009 population census in Azerbaijan, the Talysh population was estimated at 112,000, but other estimates put the total Talysh population in the republic at 500,000.

The Union for the Freedom of Political Prisoners of Azerbaijan published a list of political prisoners. The new list includes 322 people, including six activists classified as representatives of national minorities. The list was compiled by Leyla Yunus, director of the Institute for Peace and Democracy, and Elshan Hasanov, head of the Political Prisoners Monitoring Centre.

Sources:

• Caucasian Knot, “A Talysh from Russia has been arrested in Baku on charges of inciting hatred”,https://www.eng.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/79006
• Talysh News, “Talysh Activist Hafiz Ismailov Added to Azerbaijan’s New Political Prisoners List”, https://talysh.eu/talysh-activist-hafiz-ismailov-added-to-azerbaijans-new-political-prisoners-list/

Production starts in Azerbaijan’s first Israeli weapons factory

Azerbaijan has established local rifle production in cooperation with Israeli arms manufacturer Ari Arms. The new factory manufactures rifles based on the AR-15 platform. Its opening in early October 2026, attended by President Ilham Aliyev, marks another step in military-industrial cooperation between the two countries, European Security and Defence reported.

The manufacturing facility was established through cooperation between Ari Arms and Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Defence Industry. The plant produces the OR-4 model, which is based on the Western AR-15 platform. According to available information, this is the first time Azerbaijan has produced Western-designed rifles.

The facility is intended to establish domestic industrial manufacturing capacity. Ari Arms is a subsidiary of AS Holidays. Through the project, the company aims to expand domestic production and strengthen Azerbaijan’s industrial independence.

President Ilham Aliyev also attended the official opening ceremony in early October 2026. No further details were provided regarding production capacity, output figures, or the planned share of locally sourced components.

ARI Arms has previously worked with the Philippines and Armenia, and won an IDF tender in 2025. ARI Arms signed the contract shortly after winning a different order at the end of 2024— which it then quickly cancelled, with Israel’s Defence Ministry citing “flaws in the bidding process”, a claim ARI Arms disputes. Before receiving the contract, a Haaretz investigation reported that the firm had little weapons experience, having previously specialised in metal and plastic processing, OC Media said.

Sources:

• EGOZI Arie, “Euro-sd.com, Azerbaijan Produces Ari Arms Rifles in Israel Partnership”, https://euro-sd.com/2026/10/news/land/54279/azerbaijan-ari-arms/

• MC BRIDE, Elizabeth, OC Media, “Production starts in Azerbaijan’s first Israeli weapons factory”, https://oc-media.org/production-starts-in-azerbaijans-first-israeli-weapons-factory/

Georgia appoints special representative for relations with Russia after yearlong vacancy

On October 21, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze appointed Giorgi Zurabashvili, the first deputy foreign minister, as his special representative for relations with Russia. The post had remained vacant since December 2025, JAM News reported. Kobakhidze said the role was essential to efforts to resolve the conflict with Russia peacefully, maintain and develop trade and economic ties, and sustain dialogue on humanitarian issues. With Georgia and Russia having no diplomatic relations, he said, the special representative’s work plays a key role alongside the Geneva discussions.

Zurabashvili previously headed several departments at the Georgian Foreign Ministry and served as an ambassador. He became deputy foreign minister in 2024 and was appointed first deputy foreign minister on July 1, 2025. Kobakhidze described him as an experienced diplomat and said he was confident his knowledge and experience would enable him to fulfil the position’s responsibilities.

Grigol Gegelia, one of the leaders of the Strong Georgia–Lelo opposition coalition, whose party the government is seeking to ban, believes that: “This is a direct, cynical signal that the parties are being banned at Russia’s behest, and that on the very same day, in a synchronised move, a person is appointed to pursue warmer relations with Russia.”

Moscow welcomed the appointment. Konstantin Zatulin, first deputy chairman of the Russian State Duma’s Committee on CIS Affairs, called the decision a step in the right direction. “The decision to appoint a special representative is a step in the right direction. Relations between Russia and Georgia must develop,” Zatulin said.

Sources:

•  JAM News, “Georgia appoints new special envoy for relations with Russia: what does it mean?”, https://jam-news.net/georgia-appoints-new-special-envoy-for-relations-with-russia-what-does-it-mean/
• DUMBADZE Ana, “Giorgi Zurabashvili appointed PM’s special representative for Russia relations”, https://georgiatoday.ge/giorgi-zurabashvili-appointed-pms-special-representative-for-russia-relations/