On the eve of US Vice President J.D. Vance's visit to Armenia and Azerbaijan, more than 20 Armenian human rights and civil society organizations sent him an open letter calling for support for the release of Armenian prisoners held in Baku.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian ambassador in response to statements by Russian State Duma deputy Konstantin Zatulin. Baku protests Zatulin's position, which they believe has long attacked Azerbaijan's sovereignty, encouraged separatism, and distorted information about the trials of Armenian citizens found guilty of war crimes.

Russian passport and driver's license issuance offices in the self-proclaimed Republic of Abkhazia are being suspended. The decision was made by the Russian Embassy in Sukhumi following statements from Abkhaz parliamentarians questioning the legality of these offices.

Chechnya's leader, Ramzan Kadyrov, and billionaire Suleiman Kerimov, a member of the Federation Council from Dagestan who had previously been in conflict over the division of Wildberries assets, have reached a reconciliation. The settlement cost Kerimov's partners $1.8 billion.

Head of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov announced that 20 of the 157 Russian soldiers exchanged on February 5 and returned from Ukrainian captivity were natives of Chechnya.

At a meeting in Moscow with Armenian Parliament Speaker Alen Simonyan, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov expressed surprise at statements by Armenian politicians about a potential "northern threat" and "hybrid threats." According to Lavrov, only the European Union is pressuring Yerevan, demanding a choice between cooperation with Russia or the EU.

One of the results of the negotiations between Ukraine, Russia, and the United States in Abu Dhabi was an agreement on the first prisoner of war exchange in four months, based on a 157-for-157 formula. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced this yesterday, and US Special Presidential Envoy Steven Witkoff confirmed the information today.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk expressed the opinion that Armenia will eventually need to choose between the European Union and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). According to him, simultaneous participation in both associations is not feasible.

At a ceremony in Abu Dhabi, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev received the Sheikh Zayed Foundation Award for Human Fraternity from the President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The leaders of the two countries were awarded for their consistent advancement of the peace agenda and their commitment to ensuring cooperation and stability in the region.

As a result of a broken jaw following a car accident, Adam Kadyrov, the son of the head of Chechnya, is forced to remain in a Moscow hospital on a strict, gentle diet, according to the Telegram channel of the Chechen opposition movement NIYSO (designated extremist in Russia). During this period, he is allowed to consume only liquid foods—primarily broths, soups, and nutritional formulas—since proper chewing is impossible.