Overview

• Russia and Tajikistan issued a joint declaration to deepen strategic partnership, expand military‑technical and counterterrorism cooperation, and urge rapid adoption of a UN cybercrime convention.
• In a bilateral meeting in Dushanbe, Putin presented Russia’s account of the December 2024 AZAL disaster, saying Russian air-defense missiles detonated near the jet while tracking Ukrainian drones and pledging compensation and legal review; this remains Moscow’s version of events.
• Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said talks with Ukraine are in a serious pause, citing no response from Kyiv to a draft agreement and proposed working groups tied to the Istanbul format.
• Presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said Russia briefed Tajik partners on the recent Putin–Trump contact in Anchorage and noted that working-level communications between the administrations continue.
• Russian authorities reported ongoing legal actions at home, including the arrest of a St. Petersburg warehouse manager over lethal surrogate alcohol distribution and court sentences of three captured Ukrainian servicemen for attacks in the Kursk region.