Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan justified the payment of large New Year bonuses to officials by citing the need to improve government efficiency and the attractiveness of public service. He stated that this is part of the government's anti-corruption strategy.

A criminal case has begun in a Baku court against Novruz Taghiyev, an activist with the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), accused of fraud and document forgery. Taghiyev is also known as a pro bono security guard for PFPA leader Ali Karimli.

At the "Shield of Democracy" forum in Brussels, Georgia's fifth president, Salome Zurabishvili, stated that Russia's strategy against her country is based on the use of democratic instruments. She believes Moscow is using the media, social media, and elections to undermine the state from within.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that the country's membership in the pro-Russian military bloc, the CSTO, limited its access to international arms markets.

Public figures in Armenia have appealed to the Prosecutor's Office demanding that criminal proceedings be instituted against Russian television host Vladimir Solovyov for inciting aggression against the country. The Union of Informed Citizens bases its demand on Article 151 of the Armenian Criminal Code, which provides for liability for public calls to unleash aggression, noting that the provisions of the Criminal Code can be applied to individuals who commit crimes outside the country.

The US will gain control of the Armenian-American venture, TRIPP Development Company, with a 74% stake, to implement the Trump Route (TRIPP) project. The corresponding statement was published following a meeting between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan in Washington.

Over the past night, 19 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were shot down over Stavropol Krai, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense. The city of Nevinnomyssk was damaged in the attack, where UAV debris fell near residential buildings.

The accounts and property of relatives of Mikhail Nadezhin, the former head of the Ministry of Emergency Situations for the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR), have been seized as part of a bribery investigation.

Former senator from Karachay-Cherkessia, Rauf Arashukov, who was sentenced to life imprisonment, received an additional 10 years in prison. He was found guilty of bribing an employee of the Black Dolphin prison. The court also fined him 120 million rubles and confiscated the bribe—3 million.

Apti Alaudinov, Deputy Chief of the Main Military-Political Directorate of the Ministry of Defense and commander of the Akhmat unit, commented on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's call for the United States to kidnap Ramzan Kadyrov, similar to the capture of the Venezuelan president.