Former Georgian Interior Ministry official Lasha Shergelashvili, who served as the head of the Armaments Department of the Special Operations Directorate, said on Formula TV that a banned substance was used to suppress a protest outside the Central Election Commission in 2020. When asked if he had any suspicions, he replied that he "knew for sure that it was used" as he was there at the time.

Russian State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin recalled that anti-LGBT laws have been in effect in Russia for three years, prohibiting any propaganda of LGBT rights, pedophilia, and gender reassignment. He also noted that, according to the amendment to the country's Constitution, "marriage is a union between a man and a woman," emphasizing that this is the choice of Russian citizens.

Opposition figure Gulu Mammadli stated that the arrest of Ali Karimli, leader of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), was expected, but the reasons go beyond simple criticism of the authorities. According to Mammadli, Karimli's publications in major Western media have increased his political significance and visibility abroad, which has caused concern among the Azerbaijani authorities.

Chechnya's leader, Ramzan Kadyrov, published a video statement following the Ukrainian drone attack on Grozny-City. He said the strike on high-rise buildings in central Grozny makes no tactical sense or sense.