Uzbek citizen Zhavokhir Utkirov was sentenced to 20 years in a maximum-security penal colony for plotting an attack on the Stavropol Krai government building. The ruling was handed down by the Southern District Military Court.
Russian President Vladimir Putin held a meeting with North Ossetia Head Sergei Menyailo in the Kremlin. The main topic of discussion was the republic's socioeconomic progress.
Menyailo highlighted positive trends: growth in the gross regional product, an influx of investment, as well as successes in industry (including agriculture), deep processing, logistics, and tourism.
Vladimir Putin, in turn, drew attention to the acute unemployment problem: in North Ossetia, the rate is three times higher than the national average. Menyailo confirmed the employment challenges and outlined plans to address them. These include the construction of a transport and logistics hub ("dry port") for 90 million units of goods. The facility will create 8,500 jobs. Furthermore, a basalt fiber production plant is expected to open; construction will begin this year, Menyailo noted.