Georgia does not intend to restore diplomatic relations with Russia until Abkhazia and South Ossetia are deoccupied. This was stated by Nikoloz Samkharadze, head of the Georgian Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, who emphasized that a return to normal relations is only possible after the withdrawal of Russian troops from these territories and Russia's recognition of Georgia's territorial integrity.

Turkey is considering opening its land border with Armenia within the next six months, which could be a significant step toward normalizing relations in the region.

A massive number of dead Caspian seals—484 individuals—have been discovered on the Caspian Sea coast in Dagestan. According to the regional Ministry of Natural Resources, the animals' bodies were found on the beaches of Makhachkala and in coastal areas.

The human rights organization Amnesty International expressed grave concern over the arrest of Ali Karimli, chairman of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan. He was detained by the State Security Service following a search and remanded in custody for two months and 15 days.

Russian-Georgian relations remain at a standstill, despite Moscow's formal statements of readiness to discuss contentious issues. Izvestia reports that the Russian Foreign Ministry believes that key disagreements between the two countries remain unresolved.

Local residents of Chechnya captured video of the explosion in Gudermes that occurred on the night of December 2. The likely target of the drone attack was the Gudermes District Police Department building.

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze commented on a BBC investigation alleging that the country's authorities used a World War I-era chemical weapon called "kamit" to disperse anti-government rallies. He called this claim "absolutely false."

Former police officer Murat Adzhigiriev was sentenced in Maykop to two years and three months in a penal colony for assaulting journalists from the Adygea State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company (GTRK Adygeya) in the republic's Supreme Court. In addition to his prison term, he was fined 50,000 rubles.

The criminal investigation against Shahin Shikhlinsky, the former head of the Azerbaijani diaspora in Yekaterinburg, accused of organizing two murders and leading an ethnic criminal group in the Sverdlovsk region in the 2000s, has been completed. The case has been sent to court, where the trial will begin soon. The defendant pleads not guilty.

The Russian tanker MIDVOLGA 2, heading to Georgia with a shipment of sunflower oil, was attacked off the coast of Turkey, the country's General Directorate of Maritime Affairs reported. This is the third time in the past four days that Russian vessels have been attacked by naval drones near the Turkish coast.