Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova commented on Yerevan's decision to cooperate with the United States in the peaceful use of nuclear energy. According to her, the Armenian side has the right to independently choose its foreign policy and economic partners, but the choice itself raises certain questions.

The State Security Service (SSS) of Azerbaijan has presented new details in the case of an alleged coup attempt involving former head of the Presidential Administration Ramiz Mehdiyev, former Deputy Prime Minister Abbas Abbasov, and the leader of the opposition Popular Front Party (PFPA) Ali Karimli. According to the agency, they, with the assistance of foreign intelligence agencies, were preparing a violent seizure of power.

Adam Kadyrov, the youngest son of the head of Chechnya, suffered serious consequences in a car accident in Grozny on January 16. According to Novaya Gazeta Evropa, his spleen was removed in a Moscow hospital, and he was diagnosed with a fractured jaw and optic nerve damage. The newspaper notes that there is a risk of losing the sight in one eye.

A farmer in Chechnya has managed to raise the largest bull in the North Caucasus and the world. Grozny-Inform reported this, specifying that the animal weighs nearly 1.9 tons.

Human Rights Watch reports an increase in cases of in absentia convictions in Azerbaijan. HRW Deputy Director for Europe and Central Asia, Giorgi Gogia, stated that Baku is intensifying its campaign of "cross-border repression."

US Vice President J.D. Vance's visit to Armenia and Azerbaijan signals two important changes: the diminishing significance of Moscow's declared spheres of influence and the weakening of Russia's position in the South Caucasus, writes the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA). The center emphasizes that, despite the Trump administration's desire to improve relations with Russia, the United States is confirming its intention to play an active role in the region, which the Kremlin considers its "near abroad."

In Moscow, activists have installed a new plaque on Anna Politkovskaya's home for the eleventh time, commemorating the destruction of a memorial plaque in her honor. The plaque reads: "Here in 2026, neo-Nazis destroyed a memorial plaque to Anna Politkovskaya."

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.

Adam Kadyrov, the third son of the Chechen leader, has been discharged from Moscow's Botkin Hospital, according to the VChK-OGPU Telegram channel. It is reported that he spent 25 days recovering from the accident.