Day: June 6, 2026

Russian activist Dubovsky in Georgia

Russian citizen and political activist Vladimir Dubovsky claims he was the target of recruitment attempts by Georgia‘s State Security Service in 2025 while being held in Gldani prison in Tbilisi following his arrest for taking part in pro-European protests that have been going on since autumn 2024.

Dubovsky said he was offered assistance in settling in Georgia in exchange for providing information about Georgian activists involved in the protests.

Georgia’s Penitentiary Service has denied the allegations.

Dubovsky remained in Tbilisi after a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights prevented his deportation to Russia. His account was published in an interview with Radio Free Europe’s Georgian service.

Allegations of surveillance and recruitment

According to Dubovsky, a few days after his arrest he was taken to an office under the pretext of meeting a psychologist. There, he says, he was met by two men who identified themselves as officers of Georgia’s State Security Service.

Dubovsky claims they offered to help him remain in Georgia in exchange for information about Georgian activists involved in the protests. He says he was shown names, surnames and photographs of various individuals taken at demonstrations.

According to his account, he was asked to build relationships with those individuals, discuss political issues with them and pass on information. Dubovsky said he believed the purpose of such contacts may have been to facilitate further surveillance or wiretapping.

“If you do not want to return to Russia, we will help you. Stay in Georgia and help us,” Dubovsky quoted the men as saying.

He said the offer included assistance with a renewed asylum application and a positive decision on that application, accommodation, the possibility of continuing to live in Georgia, obtaining permanent residency and eventually acquiring citizenship.

Dubovsky says he refused to cooperate and was subsequently threatened with deportation to Russia. At the time, Russian authorities had placed both him and his current wife, Alina Savelyeva, on a wanted list.

“Of course I was afraid of being deported to Russia, but I said I would rather return to Russia than sacrifice those people,” Dubovsky said, referring to the Georgian protest participants.

Russian citizen arrested in Georgia on US sanctions evasion charges

The US accuses Kurashkevich of facilitating the import of aircraft spare parts into Russia in circumvention of sanctions. Her lawyer said she denies the allegations.

Couple wanted by Kremlin

The 34-year-old Vladimir Dubovsky was born in Irkutsk to a family of ethnic Ukrainians. In 2024, Russian authorities added him to their register of “terrorists and extremists”. According to publicly available information, the designation was linked to his support for the Ukrainian armed forces.

A criminal case has also been opened against his wife, Alina Savelyeva, on charges of “spreading false information about the Russian armed forces”.

Dubovsky and Savelyeva first arrived in Georgia in 2021. In 2022, they were arrested on charges of illegally crossing the Georgian border — an accusation they did not deny, although they said it resulted from unforeseen circumstances.

Three years later, in 2025, after their asylum application in Georgia was finally rejected, the couple were arrested again as they were preparing to leave the country.

Dubovsky spent two months in pre-trial detention at Gldani prison, while Savelyeva was held in Rustavi prison.

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Russian national Kurashkevich arrested in Georgia

Russian national Tatiana Kurashkevich, who is wanted by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), was detained at Tbilisi airport. According to her lawyer, Beka Nemsitsveridze, Kurashkevich arrived in Georgia as a tourist and was unaware that she was the subject of an international arrest warrant.

Georgia’s Interior Ministry said officers from the Central Criminal Police Department and the Prosecutor General’s Office arrested a person wanted internationally on charges of multiple serious crimes. The operation was carried out under a joint declaration signed with the US State Department and in coordination with the FBI.

Speaking to local outlet Tabula, Kurashkevich’s lawyer said the United States accuses her of facilitating the import of aircraft spare parts into Russia in circumvention of sanctions. He said his client denies the allegations.

If extradited to the United States, she could face up to 70 years in prison.

The Tbilisi City Court has ordered Kurashkevich to remain in pre-trial detention for three months pending further proceedings.

Georgia’s spy hunt: who is targeted and why?

Georgia’s State Security Service has arrested four people on espionage charges over the past month.

The lawyer said the Georgian court was not examining the substance of the allegations or whether Kurashkevich had committed a crime. The proceedings concern only whether she should be extradited to the United States.

“Nothing is being contested in Georgia. The US has brought charges alleging her involvement in the import and export of goods subject to sanctions. She simply arrived in Tbilisi as a tourist and it emerged at the airport that she was wanted through Interpol. She was detained. The only issue for the Georgian side is whether she should be extradited to the United States,” Nemsitsveridze said.

According to the lawyer, the materials provided by the US authorities at this stage are limited, although additional documentation is expected to be submitted once extradition proceedings begin.

Eva Merkacheva commented on the detention, describing Kurashkevich as a postgraduate student at the Diplomatic Academy of Russia’s Foreign Ministry and a specialist in international trade.

Merkacheva said Kurashkevich could face up to 70 years in prison in the United States if convicted on charges related to sanctions evasion and other financial crimes.

New NDAA bill calls for US assessment of Russian and Chinese intelligence networks in Georgia

The bill also states that human rights concerns are becoming an increasingly important part of the US security cooperation agenda

Ukraine strikes two vessels with Azerbaijani nationals

Five Azerbaijani nationals were killed and three others injured in a drone attack in the Taganrog Bay of the Sea of Azov, according to Azerbaijani media reports. The incident took place overnight on 5 June between 00:45 and 01:55 local time.

Two foreign-flagged bulk carriers, Natra and Zirkon, were travelling from Turkey to the Russian port of Rostov-on-Don in ballast to load grain when they came under drone attack. The vessels were reportedly not owned by Azerbaijan.

Bu gün gecə saatlarında Azov dənizinin Taqanroq körfəzində heyətində ümumilikdə 25 nəfər Azərbaycan vətəndaşının olduğu “Natra” və “Zirkon” yük gəmilərinə dron hücumları həyata keçirilib.

Bu barədə Azərbaycan Xarici İşlər Nazirliyi (XİN) məlumat yayıb.

Bildirilib ki, hücum… pic.twitter.com/4fqJwOC0mo

— Oxu.Az (@oxuaz) June 5, 2026

Details of the incident

According to Russia’s Taman Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre:

• The Natra was hit by four drones. Two crew members were killed. A fire broke out on board but was extinguished by the crew. The vessel remained afloat but requires towing.
• The Zirkon sustained four drone strikes to its superstructure. Three crew members were killed.

A total of 25 Azerbaijani nationals were on board the two vessels. The surviving sailors were rescued by the crews of three ships that were passing nearby.

MFA: Drone Attack on Two Cargo Ships Carrying 25 Azerbaijani Citizens in Sea of Azov Leaves 5 Dead

Two foreign cargo ships carrying a total of 25 Azerbaijani citizens on board were subjected to drone attacks during the night, Aykhan Hajizada @Aykhanh, Head of the Press… pic.twitter.com/mPGN33oF4I

— APA News Agency (@APA_English) June 5, 2026

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry responds

Responding to enquiries from local media, Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Aykhan Hajizada confirmed the incident:

“Two foreign cargo vessels carrying a total of 25 Azerbaijani nationals on board came under drone attack overnight. The vessels do not belong to the Azerbaijani state.”

The ministry said it was coordinating with relevant state bodies, diplomatic missions and other authorities to establish the circumstances of the incident and provide assistance to Azerbaijani citizens affected by the attack.

Russia’s reaction

Russia’s Foreign Ministry described the incident as a Ukrainian “terrorist attack”. The ministry said the vessels had been targeted by Ukrainian drones and that the attack “once again confirms the terrorist nature of the Kyiv regime”.

Russian authorities said the circumstances surrounding the incident were under investigation and expressed condolences to the families of those killed. Moscow also said it was in close contact with the Azerbaijani authorities and Azerbaijan’s embassy in Russia and stood ready to provide any necessary assistance.

Ukraine’s position

Ukraine confirmed the drone strikes. The commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, Robert Brovdi, said drones had targeted five vessels, including bulk carriers and a tanker, in the ports of Mariupol and Berdyansk, as well as in coastal waters under Russian control.

According to Brovdi, the vessels were being used to “export Ukrainian grain” as well as transport military cargo and fuel. He also claimed that the ships’ names had been painted over and their radar systems switched off.

The condition of the two vessels, the exact circumstances surrounding the deaths of the sailors and further details of the attack are still being established.

Russian court sentences Abkhaz MP Kan Kvarchia to 10.5 years in absentia  JAMnews

Russian court jails Abkhaz MP

Abkhaz opposition leader and MP Kan Kvarchia has been sentenced in absentia by a Russian court to 10.5 years in prison. The guilty verdict was handed down on 4 June by a court in the Russian city of Sochi on charges of armed robbery.

The Abkhaz opposition described the ruling as “politically motivated”.

The case relates to an incident on 5 November 2025, ahead of local elections in Abkhazia, when a group of opposition activists led by Kvarchia obstructed the work of three Russian political consultants who were allegedly working illegally for pro-government candidates.

Russian political strategists secretly worked for pro-presidential candidates in Abkhazia

One ran a “local” newspaper and was smearing opponents, the other secretly worked at the Election Commission. The opposition exposed them, but the “consultants” were simply expelled from Abkhazia

To catch the political consultants “red-handed”, the activists went to their office and later handed them over to Abkhazia’s State Security Service for further investigation.

However, no investigation followed, and the consultants were simply sent back to Russia, where they filed a complaint with Russia’s Investigative Committee, alleging that the activists had assaulted them and threatened to kill them.

Russia’s Investigative Committee subsequently opened a criminal case against Kvarchia and seven other activists. Some time later, Abkhazia’s Prosecutor General’s Office launched a similar criminal investigation.

All defendants in the case, with the exception of Kvarchia, were placed under house arrest pending the investigation. No such measures could be taken against Kvarchia, however, as he enjoys parliamentary immunity. Prosecutors sought to strip him of that immunity, but parliament rejected the request.

Abkhazia parliament refuses to hand over opposition MP Kan Kvarchia to prosecutors

The decision was seen not only as an act of solidarity, but also as a sharp assessment of the quality of the investigative authorities’ work

The Kremlin has long held a grudge against Kvarchia and stripped him of his Russian citizenship in early 2025.

Kvarchia’s allies in Abkhazia described the Russian court’s harsh sentence as politically motivated.

“We consider the Sochi court’s ruling against MP Kvarchia to be politically motivated and unjust. In our view, it is being used ahead of parliamentary elections in Abkhazia to discredit undesirable politicians and intimidate the public. Such biased treatment of our citizens affects the mood of the entire nation,” a joint statement by Abkhaz opposition organisations said.

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Tater, 46, had been released from a psychiatric facility in Moscow where he had spent more than a month, News.az reports citing CBS.news.com.

In April Tater had been examined by doctors and diagnosed with a mental disorder, and then sent for forced psychiatric treatment.

Russian authorities accused Tater of mistreating hotel staff in Moscow after his initial arrest. Officials later said he was also under investigation for assaulting a police officer, a charge that could see him face up to five years in prison.

At the court hearing, Tater stated that he was being persecuted by the US Central Intelligence Agency and was seeking political asylum in Russia.

Russia imprisoned several Americans as tensions with Washington soared in recent years. Paul Whelan, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and teacher Marc Fogel were all designated wrongfully detained by the U.S. government, along with dual U.S.-Russian national Ksenia Karelina.  

All four of those Americans have been freed in prisoner swaps with Moscow.

Among the U.S. nationals still jailed in Russia is U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Gordon Black, whose three-year, nine-month prison sentence for robbing and threatening his Russian girlfriend was reduced in April by seven months.

Robert Gilman, 72, is currently serving a 3 1/2-year sentence in Russia for assaulting a police officer, and Travis Leake, a musician convicted on drug charges, was sentenced to 13 years in prison last summer. 

A Russian court sentenced another 72-year-old American, Stephen Hubbard, to nearly seven years in prison in October for fighting alongside Ukraine’s military.

TASS quoted Tater’s lawyer, Polina Vlasyuk, as saying she had no information regarding his whereabouts or circumstances. 

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