The Russian Foreign Ministry called the Russian base in Armenia “the only guarantee of its sovereignty”

The presence of the 102nd Russian military base in Armenia is the only real guarantee of the country’s sovereignty. The idea that their withdrawal will somehow strengthen the military potential of the republic is dangerous demagoguery. This statement was released by the Russian Foreign Ministry.

The day before, the head of the ministry, Sergei Lavrov, said that the Armenian leadership, under far-fetched pretexts, distorting the history of the last three years, is deliberately leading to the collapse of relations with the Russian Federation.

On February 29, Speaker of the Armenian Parliament Alen Simonyan said that the authorities are not discussing the withdrawal of the Russian base from the country, “but believe that the current security architecture does not work.”

Recently, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and members of his government have openly criticized the Kremlin. He was accused of the passivity of Russian peacekeepers during the last Karabakh war. In addition, Armenia expresses doubts about the advisability of membership in the CSTO, a post-Soviet analogue of NATO led by the Russian Federation.

Последние новости
Former Georgian Interior Ministry Official: Banned Substance Used to Disperse Rally at Central Election Commission in 2020
Politics
Former Georgian Interior Ministry Official: Banned Substance Used to Disperse Rally at Central Election Commission in 2020
8 December 2025

Former Georgian Interior Ministry official Lasha Shergelashvili, who served as the head of the Armaments Department of the Special Operations Directorate, said on Formula TV that a banned substance was used to suppress a protest outside the Central Election Commission in 2020. When asked if he had any suspicions, he replied that he "knew for sure that it was used" as he was there at the time.

The Speaker of the Russian State Duma questioned Georgia's prospects for European integration due to its adoption of an anti-LGBT law
Politics
The Speaker of the Russian State Duma questioned Georgia's prospects for European integration due to its adoption of an anti-LGBT law
8 December 2025

Russian State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin recalled that anti-LGBT laws have been in effect in Russia for three years, prohibiting any propaganda of LGBT rights, pedophilia, and gender reassignment. He also noted that, according to the amendment to the country's Constitution, "marriage is a union between a man and a woman," emphasizing that this is the choice of Russian citizens.

Regions of the North Caucasus Federal District (NCFD) have demonstrated the lowest alcohol consumption in Russia
Society
Regions of the North Caucasus Federal District (NCFD) have demonstrated the lowest alcohol consumption in Russia
8 December 2025

Alcohol consumption among Russians has been steadily declining. November 2025 saw the eighth consecutive monthly decline, bringing the figures close to the minimum levels of 1997-1998.

The North Caucasus diaspora in Turkey has demanded an end to the criminal prosecution of a Circassian activist in Russia
Human rights
The North Caucasus diaspora in Turkey has demanded an end to the criminal prosecution of a Circassian activist in Russia
8 December 2025

Representatives of the North Caucasus diaspora in Turkey have protested the criminal prosecution of Larisa Tuptsokova, a Circassian activist from Adygea, and demanded that the republic's authorities cease pressuring her and her supporters.