Speaking to foreign ambassadors, diplomats, and analysts in Poland, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan outlined Yerevan's expectations of the European Union. He emphasized the importance of the EU's ongoing support, including the deployment of the European Monitoring Mission (EMM) in Armenia.

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov recalled that the AZAL passenger plane that crashed on December 25, 2024, was shot down due to the fault of the Russian Ministry of Defense.

Azerbaijani opposition activist and politician Tofig Yagublu, sentenced to nine years, has gone on a hunger strike to protest his placement in solitary confinement. His daughter believes this is the authorities' retaliation for a protest her brother, Rahim, held outside the hotel where Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev was staying in Washington.

The Prosecutor General's Office has filed a 10 billion ruble lawsuit against former State Duma deputy from Dagestan, Rizvangadzhi Isayev. He is the brother of former Deputy Prime Minister of Dagestan Shamil Isayev, who was convicted of contracting the murder of journalist Gadzhimurad Kamalov.

Deputies have introduced a bill in the State Duma banning the wearing of niqabs and any other clothing that covers the face. Examples cited include the ban on wearing such clothing in Central Asian countries.

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze criticized Brussels' demands to join sanctions against Russia. He said these calls were inappropriate, given that the EU itself is a major importer of Russian products.

Billionaire and former Nagorno-Karabakh state minister Ruben Vardanyan, sentenced in Baku to 20 years in prison, rejected the legal force of the ruling and dropped his appeal. His family explained that this decision stemmed from the fact that, in their view, the trial was a "staged performance" rather than a proper trial: the hearings were held behind closed doors, without access to independent observers, and the prosecution's motions were ignored. The full text of the verdict was also not released.

A group of imprisoned activists and journalists from Baku's Penal Colony No. 2 has appealed to the President of the European Commission. They demand the implementation of European Parliament resolutions calling for the release of Azerbaijani political prisoners.

In 2025, residents of the North Caucasus regions consumed the least amount of hard liquor in Russia. The lowest official retail sales figures were recorded in Chechnya (0.01 liters per capita). Other republics of the North Caucasus Federal District also demonstrated modest figures: Ingushetia - 0.7 liters, Dagestan - 2.2 liters, Kabardino-Balkaria - 2.6 liters, North Ossetia - 3 liters, and Karachay-Cherkessia - 3.4 liters. Experts attribute this decline to the prevalence of cultural and religious restrictions, as well as a preference for low-alcohol beverages.

An anti-war rally took place in Yerevan in front of the Russian Embassy. Participants unfurled banners reading "Putinism is evil. No to war," "Putin to The Hague," "Russians against war," as well as Ukrainian and white-blue-white flags.