On the eve of the trial of the Abzas Media journalists arrested in Azerbaijan, international human rights organizations Amnesty International and Reporters Without Borders called on the country's authorities to release them. The human rights activists also appealed to foreign diplomats and the international community with a request to take part in the trial.

The Supreme Court of Kabardino-Balkaria recognized the "crimes of the German fascist invaders committed on the territory of the Kabardino-Balkarian Autonomous SSR during the Great Patriotic War as genocide of the Soviet people." The Investigative Committee of the republic reported that during the occupation, more than four thousand civilians and prisoners of war were killed, and also died of hunger and disease.

Civil journalist Ernes Ametov, sentenced to 11 years, reported that he lost 10 kilograms in IK-12 in the Vologda region. According to his wife, the prison administration did not allow her to give her husband vitamins and medicine during a visit.

The US may impose new sanctions against Georgia, said State Department spokesman Matthew Miller.

Chechnya's Interior Minister Aslan Iraskhanov has been promoted to the rank of police lieutenant general. This follows from a decree by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The former state minister of Nagorno-Karabakh, businessman Ruben Vardanyan, is facing a life sentence after being held in Azerbaijani captivity for more than a year. Vardanyan’s lawyers said that Azerbaijani prosecutors have filed about 45 new potential charges against him.

Russia is in no hurry to respond to Armenia's proposal to resolve issues related to the broadcasting of Russian TV channels. This gives the government of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan the opportunity to block all Russian channels in the near future, writes the Armenian newspaper Past.

A court in Krasnodar Krai sentenced six participants in the mass riots at Makhachkala airport to lengthy prison terms. Roosevelt Tagirov received eight years in prison, Bashir Magamedaliev, Magamednabi Shaikhslamov, Alibeg Ramazanov, Magamed Gadzhiev - seven years each, Shamil Gadzhiev - 4.5 years.

Armenia took fourth place among the popular destinations for the New Year holidays among Russians. 7% of Russian citizens who have planned a vacation abroad are planning to visit the country. The first three positions were taken by Thailand, Uzbekistan and Turkey - 11%, 10% and 8%, respectively. These are the data from a study by the Aviasales air ticket purchasing service.

Law enforcement officers in the Tver and Vladimir regions detained Khamidulla Yapov and Minkail Magamadov. They are accused of attacks on Russian military personnel as part of the detachments of field commanders Shamil Basayev and Khattab in Chechnya in 1999 and 2000 during the Second Russian-Chechen War. This was reported by the Russian Investigative Committee.