"Near abroad" elections
Thousands of opposition supporters took to the streets of ex-Soviet Georgia's capital Tbilisi on Sunday to demand snap polls after the ruling party claimed victory in a parliamentary vote Saturday.
A tight second round later this month is expected in another ex-Soviet nation of Moldova, where a pro-European presidential challenger came from behind a pro-Russian incumbent to secure a surprise lead in Sunday’s vote.
Nagorno-Karabakh
Russia said Saturday it would provide "necessary" assistance to Yerevan in its conflict with Azerbaijan if fighting reached Armenian territory after its ally requested help.
Azerbaijan’s president said Sunday there was no reason for Russia to intervene in the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh because Baku is not threatening Armenian territory.
‘March against terror’
Police in Belarus on Sunday dispersed protesters marching from central Minsk to a Stalin-era execution site in the latest protest in weeks of demonstrations against strongman Alexander Lukashenko's disputed re-election.
Witnesses heard loud bangs and the sound of shots being fired, and saw police chasing protesters. Rights group Viasna said more than 120 people had been detained
Covid record
Russia confirmed a record daily increase in coronavirus infections Sunday with 18,665 cases, breaking the previous record set two days earlier by 382.
The country saw more than 18,000 new Covid-19 infections for the third time in as many days as the second wave of the pandemic hits Russian regions outside Moscow.
Weather record
Moscow has experienced the hottest October on record, averaging 9.2 degrees Celsius and beating the previous record set in October 1967 by 0.2 degrees, the Fobos weather center said.
This year’s record surpassed average October temperatures by 4.1 degrees, according to Russia’s Federal Meteorological Center.
AFP contributed reporting to this article.
