Former senator from Karachay-Cherkessia, Rauf Arashukov, who was sentenced to life imprisonment, received an additional 10 years in prison. He was found guilty of bribing an employee of the Black Dolphin prison. The court also fined him 120 million rubles and confiscated the bribe—3 million.

Apti Alaudinov, Deputy Chief of the Main Military-Political Directorate of the Ministry of Defense and commander of the Akhmat unit, commented on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's call for the United States to kidnap Ramzan Kadyrov, similar to the capture of the Venezuelan president.

During the New Year holidays, ski resorts in the North Caucasus Federal District (NCFD) welcomed 70,700 guests, an 18% increase compared to last year. This figure, published by the Kavkaz.RF development institute, reflects the number of cable car users.

Armenia plans to withdraw Russian border guards from the Akhurik checkpoint on the border with Turkey. A decision to transfer control of the checkpoint has already been made. However, Russian border guards will remain at the outpost.

Activist Tamara Mearakishvili filed a cassation appeal against the Tskhinvali City Court's decision to deport her to Georgia. In the appeal, she challenges the legality and validity of the court's decision, alleging a violation of her constitutional rights. Mearakishvili emphasizes that she has been a citizen of South Ossetia since 2013, having previously renounced her Georgian citizenship.

On Monday, January 12, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov held his first meeting of 2026 with representatives of all government agencies to discuss plans for the coming period. During the meeting, he sarcastically commented on rumors circulating online about his hospitalization and critical health condition. He published a video of the incident on his Telegram channel.

Russian Ambassador to Armenia Sergey Kopyrkin was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Yerevan following harsh and provocative statements by Russian propagandist Vladimir Solovyov.

Former Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili pleaded guilty to laundering illegal income on an especially large scale, striking a plea bargain. The Georgian Prosecutor General's Office announced that he was sentenced to 5 years in prison and a fine of 1 million lari (US$370,000).

In 2025, Azerbaijan exported 25.2 billion cubic meters of natural gas, demonstrating the diversification of its export destinations.

The Armenian Prosecutor General's Office has appealed the court's decision to change the pretrial detention of billionaire and Russian citizen Samvel Karapetyan from pretrial detention to house arrest. According to the businessman's lawyer, Aram Vardevanyan, the prosecutor's office insists on Karapetyan's re-arrest.