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.

The head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, made a nearly week-long trip to Moscow, where he held a number of meetings, including with Russian President Vladimir Putin. However, there is no official confirmation of this meeting, writes Novaya Gazeta Evropa.

Relations between Moscow and Tbilisi are not being built in any way. Russia has not interfered and does not intend to interfere in any way in the events in Georgia. This was stated by the press secretary of the Russian president, Dmitry Peskov.

Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili delivered a speech in the European Parliament. According to her, "Georgia has been, is and will be the West's conductor in the region, and the Russian Federation is trying to take over it."

The supply of offensive weapons by France to Armenia poses a practical threat to Azerbaijan. Baku has repeatedly conveyed to Yerevan and its patrons in the United States that the armament must be stopped. This was stated by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in an interview with RIA Novosti.

In Georgia, after the adoption of the law on foreign agents, 476 foreign-funded NGOs and media outlets voluntarily submitted applications for registration within the established deadlines. 16 media organizations and 120 NGOs refused to do so. They appealed the law to the European Court of Human Rights.

The first investment project in Karabakh was carried out by Tatarstan. This was stated by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in an interview with RIA Novosti.

On Tuesday, December 17, the EU Council published a report on enlargement, which Brussels considers a strategic priority in light of the Russian-Ukrainian war. The report reaffirms the full and unconditional commitment of Ukraine, Moldova and six candidate countries in the Western Balkans to European integration. It is noteworthy that Georgia and Turkey were mentioned in the text, but were not included in the list of "favourites".

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze thanked five countries "that expressed their support for the Georgian people" at a meeting of the EU Council. According to the head of the Cabinet, these are Hungary, Slovakia, Italy, Spain and Romania.

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