On Monday, January 12, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov held his first meeting of 2026 with representatives of all government agencies to discuss plans for the coming period. During the meeting, he sarcastically commented on rumors circulating online about his hospitalization and critical health condition. He published a video of the incident on his Telegram channel.

Russian Ambassador to Armenia Sergey Kopyrkin was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Yerevan following harsh and provocative statements by Russian propagandist Vladimir Solovyov.

Former Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili pleaded guilty to laundering illegal income on an especially large scale, striking a plea bargain. The Georgian Prosecutor General's Office announced that he was sentenced to 5 years in prison and a fine of 1 million lari (US$370,000).

In 2025, Azerbaijan exported 25.2 billion cubic meters of natural gas, demonstrating the diversification of its export destinations.

The Armenian Prosecutor General's Office has appealed the court's decision to change the pretrial detention of billionaire and Russian citizen Samvel Karapetyan from pretrial detention to house arrest. According to the businessman's lawyer, Aram Vardevanyan, the prosecutor's office insists on Karapetyan's re-arrest.

Russian propagandist Vladimir Solovyov's statement about the possibility of a "special military operation" in Armenia has provoked a sharp reaction in Yerevan. Tigran Hakobyan, head of the Armenian Television and Radio Commission, proposed stripping the television host of his state award, the Order of Honor.

A 19-year-old conscript soldier from Dagestan has suffered memory loss after suffering a severe head injury, allegedly as a result of a beating at a military unit in the Voronezh Region. He is currently undergoing treatment in Moscow.

On Russian television, propagandist Vladimir Solovyov stated that Russia should focus on its "near abroad" rather than Syria or Venezuela. In his view, the situation in Armenia and Central Asia poses a far greater problem for Moscow.

Armenia and Azerbaijan exchanged lists of goods that could potentially become the subject of bilateral trade. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that the final list is "under consideration."

Today, a drone alert was declared in the North Caucasus. This was reported by the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Dagestan, as well as the heads of North Ossetia, Stavropol Krai, and Kabardino-Balkaria.