Supporters of Russian history teacher Nikita Tushkanov, who was imprisoned for criticizing Moscow's war in Ukraine online, said on December 12 that the activist was sent to solitary confinement for seven days for lying on a bed before it was officially sleeping time.
Azerbaijan and Armenia exchanged prisoners of war on December 13, with Baku releasing 32 Armenian soldiers captured in 2020-2023, while Yerevan released two Azerbaijani soldiers captured in April 2023 as part of an earlier announced agreement on several goodwill steps.
A court of appeals in Moscow on December 13 rejected an appeal filed by opposition politician Ilya Yashin, who is serving an 8 1/2-year prison term for his criticism of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
A Moscow court on December 13 refused to imprison activist Lev Skoryakin, who in October went missing in Kyrgyzstan after applying for asylum there and was later located in a Moscow detention center.