Georgia's third president, Mikheil Saakashvili, criticized Transparency International Georgia after the organization failed to include him on its list of political prisoners. TI's updated report states that there are currently 91 political prisoners in the country, but the former president's name is not among them.

The Kremlin said on Wednesday it had no information about a reported meeting between former senior German and Russian officials that Western media said may have taken place in Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku.

State Duma Deputy Alexander Tolmachev sharply criticized Azerbaijan's plans to develop a strategic dialogue with Germany, effectively calling into question Baku's right to an independent foreign policy course. The reason for this was President Ilham Aliyev's announcement of plans to take relations with Berlin to a new level.

While Armenia's attention is focused on the work of the new parliament and disputes over parliamentary mandates, processes are unfolding outside the country that could have a far greater impact on its future. Turkologist Varuzhan Geghamyan has drawn attention to this.

Ukrainian drones struck two major Wildberries logistics centers in southern Russia overnight, targeting facilities in the cities of Krasnodar and Nevinnomyssk, Russian authorities and the company’s founder said. Russian officials reported one death and at least 10 injuries.
 

Giorgi Gakharia, leader of the opposition party "For Georgia," supported the European Union's intention to press the new Syrian authorities to revoke their recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. He stated that Brussels' position on the self-proclaimed republics is particularly important given the "treacherous silence of the Georgian government regarding the ongoing de facto annexation of the Tskhinvali region."

Ilham Aliyev arrived in Berlin for an official visit at the invitation of Chancellor Friedrich Merz. During the visit, he held talks with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and the Chancellor. Energy was a key topic of the discussions. The parties also addressed transport corridors, economic cooperation, and the peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

A basketball school is set to be established in the Chechen Republic. It will bear the name of Uvais Akhtaev—a renowned Soviet basketball player of Chechen descent and one of the tallest players in the history of the sport.

The Supreme Court of Russia’s North Ossetia republic has rejected an appeal filed by the defense of 27-year-old Vladikavkaz resident Zarina Tomaeva, leaving her in pretrial detention. Her lawyers had sought to have the preventive measure changed to house arrest, citing her deteriorating health.

The lawyer for the man detained following a dispute with a foreign female tourist at the Agarani Estate hotel in Kakheti has presented his version of the events leading up to the altercation. The defense maintains that the conflict began well before the events shown in the video circulating online and was provoked by the actions of the tourists themselves.