In North Ossetia, following Dagestan, teachers were “recommended” not to use WhatsApp

The authorities of North Ossetia have actually banned teachers from using the WhatsApp messenger to communicate with parents of students. Instead, they were recommended to use the Sferum platform.

Previously, similar rules were introduced in Yekaterinburg and Dagestan. In the first region, Telegram was also banned.

This decision was made as part of the initiative to transfer school communication to the domestic platforms VKontakte and Sferum.

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Two Ingush natives were sentenced to lengthy prison terms for complicity in the murder of a Russian general
Society
Two Ingush natives were sentenced to lengthy prison terms for complicity in the murder of a Russian general
22 January 2026

The Second Western District Military Court sentenced Ingush natives Ramazan Padiyev and Batukhan Tochiyev to 18 and 22 years in a maximum-security penal colony. According to Kommersant, they were found guilty of complicity in the terrorist attack that resulted in the deaths of Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, the head of Russia's Radiation, Chemical, and Biological Defense (RCBD) forces, and his adjutant, Ilya Polikarpov.

Finnish President:
Politics
Finnish President: "Putin's policies in the South Caucasus and other regions of the world have not brought him success."
22 January 2026

During the Ukrainian Breakfast at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Finnish President Alexander Stubb stated that Russia's attempts to project its power globally have not been successful, citing the situation in Central Asia, the South Caucasus, Iran, Syria, and Venezuela as examples.

A Crimean Tatar political prisoner has reported critical health
Human rights
A Crimean Tatar political prisoner has reported critical health
22 January 2026

Tofik Abdulgaziyev, a Crimean Tatar convicted of participating in Hizb ut-Tahrir, is in critical condition, according to his wife, Aliye Kurtametova. Recent reports indicate a sharp deterioration in his health: on January 20, he complained of severe dizziness, nosebleeds, and elevated blood sugar levels. He had previously also reported a loss of coordination.

Chechnya has the lowest number of corruption crimes
Society
Chechnya has the lowest number of corruption crimes
22 January 2026

A study by the Center for Political Information found that Dagestan is among the regions with the highest number of civil servants dismissed "for loss of confidence" since 2022 (69). At the same time, Chechnya has one of the lowest rates in the country, with only two dismissals.