A court in Tskhinvali has sentenced civil activist Tamara Mearakishvili, accused of spying for Georgia. Citing the court ruling, the online resource "Sapa" reports that the sentence is "immediate expulsion" and a fine of 2,000 rubles, equivalent to more than $24. The ruling was made on December 31, and the Georgian citizen was tried under the article "on violation of the stay regulations by foreigners."

The first research and production center for unmanned aerial systems (R&P Center UAS) is planned to open in Ingushetia at the Serdalo Technopark. Adam Kokorkhoyev, the republic's Minister of Industry and Communications, announced the consideration of a public-private partnership project with Aerocosmos to create the Serdalo-Ural complex.

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.

According to Adygea Governor Murat Kumpilov, between 4,000 and 5,000 people remain without power in the republic due to downed power lines. Although the situation is gradually stabilizing, strong winds and repeated outages are slowing restoration efforts.

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."

A new hafiz school, designed to accommodate 100 students, has opened in the village of Novy Sharoy in the Achkhoy-Martan District of the Chechen Republic. The school is named after Ali ibn Abu Talib, the fourth righteous caliph and cousin of the Prophet Muhammad.

Ossetian activist Tamara Mearakishvili stated that she was persecuted in South Ossetia on charges of espionage for posting a photo on Instagram of a cell phone tower. According to the prosecution, the tower could have been used by intelligence agencies or could have been a target for them.

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.

In Ingushetia, there have been cases of non-payment of December wages to employees of a number of public sector organizations, including hospitals and community centers.