Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze criticized Brussels' demands to join sanctions against Russia. He said these calls were inappropriate, given that the EU itself is a major importer of Russian products.

Billionaire and former Nagorno-Karabakh state minister Ruben Vardanyan, sentenced in Baku to 20 years in prison, rejected the legal force of the ruling and dropped his appeal. His family explained that this decision stemmed from the fact that, in their view, the trial was a "staged performance" rather than a proper trial: the hearings were held behind closed doors, without access to independent observers, and the prosecution's motions were ignored. The full text of the verdict was also not released.

A group of imprisoned activists and journalists from Baku's Penal Colony No. 2 has appealed to the President of the European Commission. They demand the implementation of European Parliament resolutions calling for the release of Azerbaijani political prisoners.

In 2025, residents of the North Caucasus regions consumed the least amount of hard liquor in Russia. The lowest official retail sales figures were recorded in Chechnya (0.01 liters per capita). Other republics of the North Caucasus Federal District also demonstrated modest figures: Ingushetia - 0.7 liters, Dagestan - 2.2 liters, Kabardino-Balkaria - 2.6 liters, North Ossetia - 3 liters, and Karachay-Cherkessia - 3.4 liters. Experts attribute this decline to the prevalence of cultural and religious restrictions, as well as a preference for low-alcohol beverages.

An anti-war rally took place in Yerevan in front of the Russian Embassy. Participants unfurled banners reading "Putinism is evil. No to war," "Putin to The Hague," "Russians against war," as well as Ukrainian and white-blue-white flags.

The Supreme Court of Kazakhstan has suspended the extradition of Chechen activist Mansur Movlayev to Russia. The decision was made pending the consideration of his claim against the denial of refugee status, according to lawyer Murat Adam.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speaking in the European Parliament on the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion, stated that Ukraine did not choose this war and is doing everything possible to end it.

Yulia Melnichenko, a resident of Mozdok, North Ossetia, was detained in Moscow near the Prosecutor General's Office building after holding a solo picket against the persecution of her family. This is the second such incident: in October 2024, she was detained in Vladikavkaz for a similar protest.

A criminal case is under investigation in Ingushetia against four former Interior Ministry officers accused of beating a detainee. The incident occurred in Nazran and resulted in the hospitalization of the 28-year-old driver with a ruptured kidney.

The United Kingdom announced sanctions against pro-government Georgian television channels TV IMEDI and POSTV. The move was motivated by the systematic dissemination of disinformation regarding the war in Ukraine.