Over the past night, 19 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were shot down over Stavropol Krai, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense. The city of Nevinnomyssk was damaged in the attack, where UAV debris fell near residential buildings.

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.

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.

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.

Russian propagandist Vladimir Solovyov's statement about the possibility of a "special military operation" in Armenia has provoked a sharp reaction in Yerevan. Tigran Hakobyan, head of the Armenian Television and Radio Commission, proposed stripping the television host of his state award, the Order of Honor.

On Russian television, propagandist Vladimir Solovyov stated that Russia should focus on its "near abroad" rather than Syria or Venezuela. In his view, the situation in Armenia and Central Asia poses a far greater problem for Moscow.