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An appeal against the verdict was filed by a nurse at a private sanatorium in Nalchik, who was sentenced to four years in prison for infecting more than 70 people with hepatitis C and HIV.

Mould Khabaev, convicted of the 1995 attack on Budyonnovsk and serving his sentence, was sentenced to six years in prison for attacking a prison employee.

A court in Maykop found former Elbrus village head Uzeir Kurdanov and local resident Larisa Kadyrova guilty of fraud involving a plot of land in the Elbrus National Park and sentenced them to prison terms.

A Tbilisi court has extended the pretrial detention of opposition politician Elene Khoshtaria, who is accused of defacing Kakha Kaladze's election poster.

Daniyar Kamendagaliev was killed in combat in Ukraine. Since the beginning of the military operation, at least 664 soldiers from the Astrakhan region have been confirmed killed.

On December 26, the Telegram channel "Sudzhuk Lagoon #battleforproran" published photos taken on the coast of Novorossiysk. The footage shows dead cormorants. According to the source, the bodies of approximately 300 birds were found in the area between the Gesha Kozodoev monument and the Ministry of Emergency Situations base.

The Tbilisi City Court postponed hearings on cases involving "sidewalk blockades" outside the Georgian Parliament. On the 394th day of daily protests, as on other days, supporters of European integration gathered on Rustaveli Avenue, demanding freedom of peaceful assembly.

During a hearing at the Baku Military Court, former Nagorno-Karabakh Parliament Speaker David Ishkhanyan delivered his closing statement, denying the charges. The verdict will be announced at the next hearing.

The Sovietsky District Court of Makhachkala ruled unlawful police inaction regarding the complaints of journalists Magomed Magomedov and Idris Yusupov*, who were detained back in January 2023 during pickets in support of Abdulmumin Gadzhiev. For nearly two years, security forces ignored the journalists' allegations of unlawful detention and failed to respond to their lawyers' requests.

The Leninsky District Court of the Rostov Region has sentenced Vladimir Okunev, the region's former deputy governor and former director of a state-owned enterprise, to in absentia. He is suspected of abuse of office and restricting competition.

The statute of limitations for holding police officers accountable for the torture of four Anapa residents has expired. No one has been punished for the torture in 10 years. The statute of limitations has also expired for the charges against the Anapa residents whose confessions were extracted by force.

The warning systems, which were tested for the third time this month in Chechnya, are operational, but there is no information on what to do in the event of a drone attack or missile strike, nor is there information on shelters, residents said. Human rights activists emphasized that the authorities are showing indifference to the fate of the republic's residents.

Shamil Magomedov, the former head of Dagestan's Untsukulsky District, who was sentenced to 7.5 years in prison for extortion and illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, failed to obtain a reduced sentence.

A Tuapse resident's apartment was completely destroyed by fire after a drone attack on November 25th, forcing her to live in rented accommodation. Neighboring apartments were also damaged, but a month later, authorities ordered only a plastic sheeting to replace the roof.

Aslan Tengizov, Amur Mashitlov, Ratmir Apshev, and five other fighters from the Baksan district were killed in combat. Since the beginning of the Russian operation in Ukraine, authorities have publicly acknowledged that at least 358 soldiers from Kabardino-Balkaria have been killed there.

The Russian Investigative Committee's announcement that the criminal case had been terminated has raised questions among Azerbaijani authorities, said Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, adding that Baku expects compensation from Moscow.

All three cofferdams have already been installed over the sunken parts of the ships, the deputy head of the Kuban Ministry of Emergency Situations reported. Bloggers expressed hope that the protective structures will withstand the approaching storm.

Animal shelters require constant oversight. The actions of the owner of a shelter in the Rostov region, where numerous animals died, have dealt a blow to the entire animal rights movement, social media users noted, calling for exemplary punishment for the owner of the "Forgotten Hearts" shelter, Tatyana Makarova.

The trial court placed Islamic blogger Mansur Gneev under house arrest, but a few days later the Krasnodar Regional Court remanded him in custody, Gneev's wife said. She said security forces returned some of the items seized during the search, but the money and prayer mats, along with several other items, remain in their possession.

Vladislav Ochir-Arayev and Chingiz Bembeyev were killed in combat. Since the beginning of the military operation in Ukraine, at least 204 fighters from Kalmykia have been officially recognized as killed.