Volodymyr Zelenskyy proposed that the US apply the same measures to Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov as were applied to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, in order to "make Putin think twice."

On the night of January 7, Russian air defense systems shot down one fixed-wing drone over North Ossetia. The Russian Ministry of Defense reported this on its Telegram channel.

Azerbaijan and Turkey have signed a new agreement to supply 33 billion cubic meters of natural gas from the Absheron field in the Caspian Sea. Shipments, totaling 2.25 billion cubic meters per year, will begin in 2029 and continue until the 2040s via the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum pipeline.

Speaker of the Georgian Parliament Shalva Papuashvili, in his response to the events in Venezuela, noted that Tbilisi's two main objectives remain unchanged: restoring Georgia's territorial integrity and ensuring the well-being of its people.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev made a number of statements in an interview with local television channels. He stated that the war with Armenia will end politically in 2025 and called the past year historic for Azerbaijani-American relations, attributing this to the end of the war and the Trump administration.

Ramzan Kadyrov, the head of Chechnya, promoted his 20-year-old son, Akhmat Kadyrov, to acting deputy prime minister of the republic. He will continue to serve in this new position alongside his post as Minister of Physical Culture and Sport of Chechnya, a position he has held since May 2024.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a joint statement with ten clergy on reforming the Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC). The statement calls for a public announcement of the reform program, the removal of the de facto head of the AAC, Catholicos Karekin II, the adoption of a new charter, and the election of a new Catholicos of All Armenians.

Following Sukhumi, Tskhinvali also responded to the Georgian Foreign Ministry's statement on events in Venezuela. The South Ossetian Foreign Ministry stated that the Venezuelan authorities' decision to recognize the self-proclaimed republic as an "independent state" is beyond question.

The Georgian Foreign Ministry commented on recent events in Venezuela, expressing hope that they will lead to the authorities reversing their recognition of Georgia's occupied regions. The ministry noted that it is closely monitoring developments and hopes for "future processes to develop in accordance with the interests of the Venezuelan people."

Akhmed Dudayev, Minister of National Policy, External Relations, Press, and Information of the Chechen Republic, has denied rumors of the illness and hospitalization of regional leader Ramzan Kadyrov. To debunk the disinformation, the official published a video demonstrating the politician's physical fitness.