Russia has stated its intention to fulfill all agreements between Presidents Vladimir Putin and Ilham Aliyev regarding the investigation into the crash of the Azerbaijan Airlines plane.

Armenia and Turkey have reached an agreement on mutual visa facilitation for holders of diplomatic, service, and special passports. Beginning January 1, 2026, these categories will be able to obtain a free electronic visa (e-visa) for travel between the two countries.

On December 31, 1994, on New Year's Eve, Russian troops launched an assault on Grozny. As part of the so-called "operation to restore constitutional order," the Russian command hoped to quickly capture the city, but they encountered a resounding failure. The Chechen resistance engaged in fierce fighting, and the Russian army suffered significant losses. Learn more in our video report.

In Ingushetia, the criminal case against Usman Aushev, the former mayor of the republic's capital, Magas, has been suspended. He was accused of abuse of office.

Russian oligarch Samvel Karapetyan, arrested in Armenia on charges of calling for a coup, has had his pretrial detention reduced. His pretrial detention has been replaced by house arrest.

The FSB announced that it had foiled a terrorist attack at a school in Adygea and detained the suspect. The agency claims he is a supporter of an international terrorist organization banned in Russia.

Azerbaijani opposition figure Samir Ashurov, serving a sentence in a prison colony, has declared a hunger strike after alleging violence by an administration official. According to his wife, Nurana Ashurova, the hunger strike was prompted by an incident in which a high-ranking prison official struck Ashurov in the face.

The Federal Security Service (FSB) has made a series of arrests in Moscow, Ingushetia, and Chechnya: members of the religious group "Wird of Followers of the Batal-Khadzhi Belkhoroev Movement" have been taken into custody. The FSB's Public Relations Center (PRC) claims that a significant quantity of weapons was seized during the operation.

A court in Nalchik sentenced Aslan Kushkhov to five years in prison for leaving his unit without leave during mobilization.

Adam Kadyrov, Secretary of the Chechen Security Council and son of the head of the republic, received another award from his father – the Akhmat-Khadzhi Kadyrov Memorial Medal. It was presented "for significant contribution to ensuring the security, stability, and prosperity of the homeland."