A large-scale protest action will take place in several cities of Georgia at 15:00 on December 28, the SOVA Telegram channel reports. The demonstrators will form a human chain - the so-called "chain of unity".

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appointed Deputy Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People Nariman Dzhelal (Dzhelyalov) as Ambassador to Turkey. The Ukrainian leader wrote about this on his Telegram channel.

The Azerbaijani Parliament (Milli Majlis) rejected the criticism leveled at the country's authorities in the European Parliament resolution. It concerned repressions against journalists and activists.

At a meeting with Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset, the Georgian government once again confirmed its openness to discussing the law on foreign agents. This was stated by Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze.

More than 70 representatives of the independent press have been attacked while covering protests in Georgia, some of them repeatedly. Cases of beatings, the use of water cannons and tear gas, obstruction of work, insults and damage to property, arrests, etc. have been recorded, according to a report by the international organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on the EU to put pressure on the Georgian government at a meeting of the European Council in Brussels. According to him, "the Russian-controlled mafia in Georgia is working to drag the country under Putin's influence and distract it from the European path," and the EU's task is to "put pressure on the pro-Russian Georgian government."

A bust of Joseph Stalin has appeared in the village of Nart in the Ardon district of North Ossetia. As noted by the chairman of the public movement "For Our Vladikavkaz" Kazbek Tautiev, the appearance of new monuments to the leader of the USSR is explained by the society's demand for an objective coverage of history.

EU Ambassador to Georgia Pavel Gerchinsky stated at a meeting with local media representatives that the country's European integration has stopped. According to him, Tbilisi-Brussels relations are at their lowest point due to a number of undemocratic decisions by the Georgian authorities. In particular, the diplomat noted the deplorable situation with freedom of the press.

The UK has imposed sanctions on five senior Georgian officials, including the Interior Minister, his assistant, and three police chiefs. The restrictions target, in particular, Georgian Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri, head of the Special Tasks Department Zviad Kharazishvil, and Deputy Interior Minister Alexander Darakhvelidze. They were accused of "brutal suppression of the media and protesters." The measures include a travel ban to the UK and an asset freeze.

Russian President Vladimir Putin cited Chechnya and Tuva as an example to other regions, where the highest birth rate in the country is recorded. Answering a journalist's question during a direct line, the head of state said that these two regions do not need separate programs to stimulate the birth rate.