Analysts are looking into the murky future of Russian leadership as experts weigh potential successors to Vladimir Putin. Meanwhile, investigators and AI summaries have dismissed conspiracy theories labeling the Chabad-Lubavitch movement as an espionage front.
Key Stories
The search for a post-Putin plan — Predictive analysis suggests that because there is no designated heir, a power vacuum would likely be filled by a consensus among the security elite or a technocrat like Mikhail Mishustin.
Conspiracy claims against religious group debunked — Authorities and analysts have found no evidence to support claims that the global Chabad-Lubavitch movement acts as a front for international money laundering or espionage.
The siloviki hold the keys to power — Experts believe that any leadership transition in Russia will be decided behind closed doors by the security services rather than through a public mandate.
Case studies in isolated financial crimes — While some individual members of religious organizations have faced legal issues for fraud, experts clarify that these isolated incidents do not reflect the mission of the global movement.
A café has opened in Stockholm that is largely powered by artificial intelligence, with AI systems involved in menu creation, purchasing decisions, and even staff recruitment, AzerNEWS reports.
On 29 April, the 13th meeting of the Armenian–Azerbaijani border delimitation commissions was held in the Armenian town of Aghveran. An Azerbaijani delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev arrived in Armenia to take part in the talks.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia said the sides discussed issues of mutual interest.
“The sides, with the participation of representatives of the business communities, also discussed issues related to the development of trade and economic cooperation, mutual supplies of goods and services, as well as transit shipments,” the statement said.
However, even before the official readout was published, journalists spotted a Rolls-Royce car belonging to prominent Armenian businessman Samvel Aleksanyan among vehicles leaving the venue. This prompted speculation about the involvement of business figures in the discussions. According to one local TV channel, the possibility of exporting sugar to Azerbaijan had previously been discussed with Aleksanyan, although the businessman has not confirmed this.
Delegation led by Shahin Mustafayev leaves hotel in Aghveran where talks were held
Deputy prime ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan — Mher Grigoryan and Shahin Mustafayev — last met on 28 November 2025. For the first time since the commissions began work in 2022, the sides held the meeting on one of their territories — in the Azerbaijani city of Gabala. The vice-premiers agreed then to hold their next meeting in a city in Armenia.
The visit of the delegation led by Shahin Mustafayev to Armenia was not announced in advance.
In the morning, Azerbaijani media reported that a plane carrying the delegation had already landed at Yerevan airport. Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ani Badalyan later confirmed this but gave no further details.
Armenian journalists later established that the meeting was taking place in Aghveran. However, security officers barred journalists from approaching the hotel where the talks were taking place, saying they had not been invited and that a closed event was underway.
Armenia MFA readout: key outcomes of Grigoryan–Mustafayev talks
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia issued a press statement immediately after the talks, saying the sides exchanged views on organisational and technical issues related to the delimitation process.
They also agreed and exchanged draft texts of the next instructions on the procedure for carrying out delimitation work:
procedures for the work of expert groups;
creation of a delimitation map of the state border between Armenia and Azerbaijan;
formalisation and publication of delimitation documents.
Mher Grigoryan and Shahin Mustafayev also highlighted the continued transit of goods through Azerbaijan to Armenia:
“It was noted with satisfaction that Azerbaijan supplies petroleum products to Armenia, which is an indication of the establishment of trade and economic ties between the two countries.”
The statement stresses that this is possible due to the “political will” of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
From Moscow and Brussels to border meetings: outcomes of previous talks
The first meeting of the delimitation commission co-chairs took place nearly four years ago, on 24 May 2022. Mher Grigoryan and Shahin Mustafayev met on the interstate border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, agreeing to use various venues for future meetings.
The second meeting was hosted by Russia in Moscow, and the third by the European Council in Brussels. All subsequent meetings were held on the Armenian–Azerbaijani border.
No progress at Armenia–Azerbaijan–Georgia border junction
On the northern section — where the borders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia meet — no progress has been observed so far.
At their 11th meeting on 16 January 2025, Mher Grigoryan and Shahin Mustafayev agreed to continue the delimitation process from the north. They said work would start at the tri-border point and proceed southwards to the Armenia–Azerbaijan border with Iran.
The statement following the meeting in Gabala also reflected this, but no concrete steps have followed.
Following a summit in Washington on 8 August 2025 — where the sides agreed to unblock communications along the so-called “Trump Route” (TRIPP) — there were discussions about resuming delimitation in southern Armenia. This concerns Syunik Province, where a road is expected to link Azerbaijan with its exclave of Nakhchivan. However, no tangible progress has followed there either.
Two-year pause in delimitation process
On 30 August 2024, Mher Grigoryan and Shahin Mustafayev signed regulations on the joint work of the delimitation commissions. A few months later, the document was ratified — first in Armenia, then in Azerbaijan. It entered into force on 1 November 2024.
So far, only a 12.6-kilometre section of the border has been demarcated. Notably, this work was carried out before the regulations were signed and ratified. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan described the process as a “pilot”.
Border posts have been installed along the Tavush–Gazakh section. Border guard units from both countries — rather than regular armed forces — are deployed along this stretch.
The 19th Beijing International Motor Show 2026 is currently underway in China, bringing together key players from across the global automotive industry, AzerNEWS reports.
Google has introduced an experimental feature called Ask YouTube, a chatbot designed to search and analyze content on YouTube. The tool allows users to submit complex queries and receive detailed responses that combine concise text explanations with relevant video clips and precise timestamps. It also supports follow-up questions, making the search experience more interactive and conversational, AzerNEWS reports.
