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Putin Signs Independence Decrees In Precursor To Seizing Ukrainian Regions

Russian President Vladimir Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to host a ceremony on September 30 at which he will formally move to seize four Ukrainian territories by signing documents that the Kremlin is calling “accession treaties.”

Putin recognized the independence of the Ukrainian regions Kherson and Zaporizhzhya in decrees early on September 30 that are an intermediary step paving the way for the two occupied regions of Ukraine to be annexed by Russia.

The decrees are similar to steps Putin took in February just before launching the invasion of Ukraine regarding Luhansk and Donetsk.

The United States and the United Nations on September 29 strongly denounced Russia's plans to hold the annexation ceremony, which comes on the heels of referendums in Kherson, Zaporizhzhya, Luhansk, and Donetsk that Western countries said were a “sham” but that Moscow-installed officials in the regions said overwhelmingly showed support for joining Russia.


U.S. President Joe Biden said the United States would never recognize Russia's claims on Ukraine's territory, while U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the referendums were "a futile effort to mask what amounts to a further attempt at a land grab in Ukraine," adding in a statement that the results "were orchestrated in Moscow and do not reflect the will of the people of Ukraine."

As Washington and the European Union prepared additional sanctions to further isolate Russia, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pressed Putin in a call to take steps to reduce tensions, while UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said annexation would mark a "dangerous escalation" that would jeopardize the prospects for peace.

Guterres said any decision to proceed with the annexation of the four regions "would have no legal value and deserves to be condemned."

The annexations "will prolong the dramatic impacts on the global economy, especially in developing countries, and hinder our ability to deliver life-saving aid across Ukraine and beyond," Guterres said.

The Kremlin announced earlier that it will move to seize the territories through the signing of documents on "the accession of new territories into the Russian Federation."

The territory amounts to about 15 percent of Ukraine's total area and is equal to the size of Hungary.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the signing ceremony involving Putin and Moscow-imposed leaders from the Ukrainian regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhya would take place at 3 p.m. Moscow time.

Putin will sign accession documents in an ornate Kremlin hall and deliver a speech, Peskov said. A pop concert will be held on Red Square, where a stage with giant video screens has been set up and where billboards proclaim "Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhya, Kherson -- Russia!"

The announcement prompted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to call an emergency meeting of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council on September 30, presidential spokesman Serhiy Nikiforov said on Facebook. The agenda and other details will be announced later, Nikiforov added.

Zelenskiy promised a "very harsh" response to the annexation, which he previously said destroyed any chance of reviving peace talks.

"The cost of one person in Russia wanting to continue this war is that Russian society will be left without a normal economy, a worthwhile life, or any respect for humanitarian values," Zelenskiy said in his evening address on September 29.

Zelenskiy also issued a separate video directed at Russia’s ethnic minorities, especially those in Daghestan, one of the country's poorer regions in the North Caucasus.

“You do not have to die in Ukraine,” he said, standing in front of a plaque in Kyiv memorializing what he called a Daghestani hero. He called on the ethnic minorities to resist mobilization.

Further heightening tensions is Putin's partial military mobilization, which has prompted an exodus of Russian men. Putin told a meeting of the National Security Council on September 29 that mistakes made in carrying out the mobilization must be corrected.

He said Russian men mistakenly called up for service should be sent back home and only reservists with proper training and specialties should be summoned to serve.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, and RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service

More News

Russia's FSB Says 3 People From Central Asian Country Arrested After Attack Foiled

A statement quoted by Russian news agencies said the FSB had "put an end to the terrorist activities” of three people who were planning to blow up a device in a public place in the Stavropol region.
A statement quoted by Russian news agencies said the FSB had "put an end to the terrorist activities” of three people who were planning to blow up a device in a public place in the Stavropol region.

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said on March 29 that it had arrested three people from "a Central Asian country" who were plotting an attack in the south of the country. A statement quoted by Russian news agencies said the FSB had "put an end to the terrorist activities” of three people who were planning to blow up a device in a public place in the Stavropol region. Russian television showed images of several men pinned to the ground by FSB agents. RIA Novosti said materials for a bomb had been found in the home of one of the suspects.

U.S. Ambassador To Russia Issues Rare Statement On Information Shared Before Terrorist Attack

Ambassador Lynne Tracy said several Russian officials had “misrepresented and publicly dismissed” the usefulness of information passed on to Russian security services earlier this month. (file photo)
Ambassador Lynne Tracy said several Russian officials had “misrepresented and publicly dismissed” the usefulness of information passed on to Russian security services earlier this month. (file photo)

The U.S. ambassador to Russia on March 29 issued an unusual diplomatic statement refuting Russian government claims about information that the United States shared with Russia ahead of the terrorist attack last week on a concert hall outside Moscow that killed more than 140 people.

Ambassador Lynne Tracy said several Russian officials had “misrepresented and publicly dismissed” the usefulness of information passed on to Russian security services earlier this month related to threats from the Islamic State, which claimed responsibility for the attack soon after it was over.

In the statement, Tracy reiterated that the information shared with Russian authorities was in writing and was specific, timely, and credible.

She said United States sent the information out of a “longstanding ‘duty to warn’ policy” that enables the sharing of information when there is a threat to innocent civilians. This is a practice that the United States follows not just with allies but also “with countries with whom we may have deep disagreements, including Russia,” she said.

The United States will continue to share such information and will also “continue to respond” to Russian government requests for assistance related to the investigation of the Crocus City Hall terrorist attack, she added.

The State Department later on March 29 emphasized that Washington had “shared clear and timely information with Russian authorities to help prevent the attack and save innocent lives.” Spokesman Matthew Miller said Russia's attempts to shift the blame to others are “absurd.”

Aleksandr Bortnikov, head of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), on March 26 reiterated President Vladimir Putin’s claim that not only Ukraine but the West had a role in the deadly attack.

Without offering any evidence, Bortnikov alleged that Western spy agencies also could have been involved in the attack even as he acknowledged receiving the information from the United States early in March about a potential terrorist attack.

Islamic State has said several times that it was responsible for the attack, and the United States and other Western governments have said it was "abundantly clear” that Islamic State was solely responsible.

Tracy said the attack was “cruel and barbaric” and has resulted in a difficult and painful time for Russia.

“Our hearts go out to those who are grieving from this senseless tragedy,” she said, adding that the United States “categorically condemns terrorism in all its forms.”

Zelenskiy Appoints Danilov To Be Ukraine's Ambassador To Moldova

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Oleksiy Danilov, whom he dismissed from the National Security and Defense Council on March 26, “will continue his work in the diplomatic direction.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Oleksiy Danilov, whom he dismissed from the National Security and Defense Council on March 26, “will continue his work in the diplomatic direction.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on March 29 appointed former secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksiy Danilov to serve as Ukraine’s ambassador to Moldova. Zelenskiy said Danilov, whom he dismissed from the National Security and Defense Council on March 26, “will continue his work in the diplomatic direction.” Moldova is "an extremely important state” for Ukraine “both from the point of view of security challenges in the region and from the point of view of bilateral cooperation,” he said. Zelenskiy earlier on March 29 dismissed Mark Shevchenko from the post of ambassador to Moldova. To read the original story on RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service, click here.

Serbian University Blockaded For Second Day By Group Demanding Dismissal Of Professor

Protesters blocked the building of the Faculty of Philosophy in Novi Sad, demanding the dismissal of professor and journalist Dink Gruhonjic on March 28.
Protesters blocked the building of the Faculty of Philosophy in Novi Sad, demanding the dismissal of professor and journalist Dink Gruhonjic on March 28.

A protest to demand the dismissal of a professor at a university in Serbia entered its second day on March 29 as other faculty members and students of the school held a rally to demand an end to the blockade.

A group believed to be mostly young men has blocked the entrance to the Faculty of Philosophy in Novi Sad, barricading its doors, which are plastered with Serbian flags and statements attributed Professor Dinko Gruhonjic, whose dismissal the group is demanding.

Gruhonjic, who is also a journalist, has recently been targeted by both right-wing groups and representatives of the ruling coalition in Serbia.

The protesters accuse Gruhonjic of committing “hate speech” by glorifying the commander of the Jasenovac camp in a video that has been circulating on social networks for weeks. The school says the video has been edited and is false.

During World War II, tens of thousands of Serbs, Jews, Roma, and anti-fascist Croats were killed at Jasenovac camp -- known as Croatia's Auschwitz. The camp was run by Croatia's Nazi-allied Ustase regime.

The number of protesters inside the Faculty of Philosophy is unknown. A statement issued on March 28 by the group said they planned to continue the barricade until the faculty makes an announcement.

Student vice rector Damjan Vakanjac said in the statement that if the faculty had not been "deaf to our demands," the protest would not have taken place.

Vakanjac and Student Parliament President Ivana Macak called for the blockade after the group sent an ultimatum demanding Gruhonjic resign.

The protesters initially gathered on March 28 in front of the Faculty of Philosophy and then entered the building about 30 minutes later, locking the entrance with chains and a padlock and blocking the door with chairs. Police entered the building but left without commenting to the media about the situation or taking any concrete actions.

Gruhonjic joined a group of about 100 professors and students at the March 29 rally in front of the school to call for an end to the blockade.

Gruhonjic told RFE/RL he is focused on protecting himself and his family because of "constant death threats” over the past 20 days.

"If this continues, we will probably have to move out of the country at some point because we are being threatened with murder," he said, speaking in front of the faculty building.

The Public Prosecutor's Office in Novi Sad told RFE/RL that it is conducting a preliminary investigation regarding threats against Gruhonjic.

The dean of the Faculty of Philosophy in Novi Sad, Ivana Zivancevic Sekerus, said the blockade had
denied professors the right to work and the students the right to study.

"This is no longer the matter of one professor, this is the matter of all professors and students," said Zivancevic Sekerus, who took part in the rally.

Nevena Jevtic, an assistant professor at the Faculty of Philosophy in Novi Sad, said the school had been "left in the lurch" by all the institutions that the administration reached out to on March 28. But professors at the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade and the Faculty of Science and Mathematics in Novi Sad expressed support for their colleagues and asked for an immediate reaction from authorities.

With reporting by Mila Manojlovic
Updated

Moscow Court Charges Journalist Who Covered Navalny's Trials

Favorskaya was scheduled to be released from prison on March 27 after serving 10 days in jail on a charge of disobedience to police orders filed after she was detained on March 17 in a cafe after visiting Navalny’s grave. 
Favorskaya was scheduled to be released from prison on March 27 after serving 10 days in jail on a charge of disobedience to police orders filed after she was detained on March 17 in a cafe after visiting Navalny’s grave. 

A court in Moscow on March 29 formally charged Russian journalist Antonina Favorskaya with participating in an extremist organization in connection with alleged posts to websites and social media platforms tied to the foundation founded by late opposition politician Aleksei Navalny.

The reporter for SOTAvision media outlet was charged during a closed-door hearing at the Basmanny Court of Moscow. According to investigators, she collected materials, filmed and edited videos, and created publications for Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK).

Favorskaya covered Navalny’s court hearings for years and filmed the last video showing the Kremlin critic alive on February 15 at a court hearing that he took part in over video link from an Arctic prison. The next day, Navalny suddenly died in the prison.

Russia Charges Journalist Who Covered Navalny’s Trials
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Kira Yarmysh, spokeswoman for Navalny’s widow, Yulia Navalnaya, said on March 28 after Favorskaya was ordered held in pretrial detention that the journalist did not post videos on the website of the FBK, which was labeled an extremist organization in 2021.

“The media write that Antonina Favorskaya was accused of publishing 'posts on FBK platforms.' Favorskaya did not publish anything on FBK, but even if we discard the falsity of the accusation, its essence remains -- the journalist is accused of journalistic activity,” Yarmysh said on X, formerly Twitter.

Favorskaya was scheduled to be released from prison on March 27 after serving 10 days in jail on a charge of disobedience to police orders filed after she was detained on March 17 in a cafe after visiting Navalny’s grave.

Favorskaya is one of several Russian journalists targeted by authorities as part of a sweeping crackdown against dissent in Russia that is aimed at opposition figures, journalists, activists, and members of the LGBT community.

Favorskaya denies the new charges, which could result in a six-year prison sentence if she is convicted.

According to Mediazona, she managed to tell reporters on March 29 that she was being tried for an article about how the Federal Penitentiary Service tortured Navalny.

The journalist's home was also searched after her arrest, and at her March 29 court appearance, she said that four rubber ducks were confiscated. The seizure of the ducks, a symbol of anti-corruption protests in 2017, showed the “absurdity of this whole process,” she said.

Updated

One Year Later, Family Of U.S. Reporter Imprisoned In Russia Still Seeks 'Certainty'

Mikhail and Danielle Gershkovich, father and sister of detained journalist Evan Gershkovich, look at photos of Evan in her wedding album at Danielle's apartment in Philadelphia on February 27.
Mikhail and Danielle Gershkovich, father and sister of detained journalist Evan Gershkovich, look at photos of Evan in her wedding album at Danielle's apartment in Philadelphia on February 27.

A year after the arrest of Evan Gershkovich in Russia, the Wall Street Journal reporter’s family pledged to continue to fight for release from a Moscow prison where he is being held on espionage charges the White House and his employer say are fabricated.

Gershkovich became the first U.S. journalist arrested on spying charges in Russia since the Cold War when he was detained on March 29, 2023, by the Federal Security Service (FSB), which said he had been trying to obtain military secrets.

The Wall Street Journal and the U.S. government have vehemently rejected the espionage charges, saying he was merely doing his job as an accredited reporter when he was arrested.

Gershkovich stands inside a defendants' cage before a court hearing to consider an appeal against his pretrial detention on espionage charges in Moscow on October 10, 2023.
Gershkovich stands inside a defendants' cage before a court hearing to consider an appeal against his pretrial detention on espionage charges in Moscow on October 10, 2023.

Gershkovich saw his detention extended to June 30 earlier this week by the Moscow City Court. The Kremlin said on March 29 it had no information on when the 32-year-old’s trial will begin. If found guilty, he faces up to 20 years in jail.

"We never anticipated this situation happening to our son and brother, let alone a full year with no certainty or clear path forward," his family said in a letter published by the Wall Street Journal on March 29 to mark the anniversary.

"But despite this long battle, we are still standing strong."

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement on March 29 that "to date, Russia has provided no evidence of wrongdoing for a simple reason: Evan did nothing wrong. Journalism is not a crime."

Born in the United States to Soviet emigres, Gershkovich reported from Russia for six years before being detained in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg.

Leon Panetta, former director of the CIA, said the United States must play a "tough game" with Russian President Vladimir Putin in order to get Gershkovich released.

"We have got to play a tough game with Putin to make sure he’s not going to get away with this kind of game." Panetta said on Fox News.

Gershkovich will ultimately be released through a prisoner swap, Panetta predicted, saying the United States could "develop some leverage" for such a deal by arresting Russian spies in the United States "so that [Putin] has a reason to come to the bargaining table."

State Department spokesman Vedant Patel, also speaking on Fox News, said the United States engages daily with the "highest levels of the Russian government" in its effort to win Gershkovich's release, but he said it was "important not to talk about the deliberations in public."

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has also stressed the importance of silence about any negotiations, but Wall Street Journal Associate Editor Paul Beckett, who is leading the newspaper’s efforts to free Gershkovich, said talks involving Gershkovich on any level keep his supporters “optimistic that something can be done.”

Russian authorities accuse Gershkovich of collecting state secrets about the military industrial complex at the behest of the U.S. government.

Wall Street Journal Associate Editor Paul Beckett, who is leading the newspaper’s efforts to free Gershkovich, told Current Time in an interview broadcast on March 29 that the reporter is “holding up OK under very difficult circumstances.”

“He's in his cell for 23 hours a day. He has an hour outside in the courtyard, which is about the same size as his cell. So we've just been very grateful that he's been able to maintain his equilibrium,” Beckett said of Gershkovich’s incarceration in Moscow’s Lefortovo prison.

Beckett said that besides one hour of courtyard time per day, Gershkovich has been in constant correspondence with his family, including swapping lines from shows that they enjoyed together, and weekly meetings with his lawyers.

Earlier on March 28 in Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was asked about reports of a possible prisoner exchange involving Gershkovich, and he stressed the importance of silence about any negotiations.

But Beckett said talks involving Gershkovich on any level keep his supporters "optimistic that something can be done."

Gershkovich is one of two American reporters currently being held by Russian authorities. The other is Alsu Kurmasheva, an RFE/RL journalist who holds dual Russian-American citizenship.

RFE/RL journalist Alsu Kurmasheva stands in a glass cage in a courtroom in Kazan, Russia, on February 1.
RFE/RL journalist Alsu Kurmasheva stands in a glass cage in a courtroom in Kazan, Russia, on February 1.

Kurmasheva, 47, was arrested in Kazan last October and charged with failing to register as a foreign agent under a punitive Russian law that targets journalists, civil society activists, and others. She’s also been charged with spreading falsehoods about the Russian military and faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

RFE/RL and the U.S. government say the charges are reprisals for her work as a journalist for RFE/RL in Prague. She had traveled to Russia to visit and care for her elderly mother and was initially detained while waiting for her return flight on June 2 at Kazan airport, where her U.S. and Russian passports were confiscated.

Gershkovich has been designated as wrongfully detained by the U.S. government. Kurmasheva, however, has not despite pleas from RFE/RL and Kurmasheva’s family.

The Wall Street Journal on March 28 published a story about her detention and the difficulties her husband, Pavel Butorin, who also works for RFE/RL in Prague, and their two daughters, aged 12 and 15, have had without her and their efforts to have her designated as wrongfully detained.

The designation would mean her case would be assigned to the office of the Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs in the State Department, raising the political profile of her situation and allowing the Biden administration to allocate more resources to securing her release. The designation currently applies only to Gershkovich and another American held in Russia, Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine and corporate security executive who is serving a 16-year prison sentence on espionage charges.

Other events being held to mark the one-year anniversary of Gershkovich’s detention include a 24-hour read-a-thon of his work by his Wall Street Journal colleagues at the newspaper’s headquarters in New York and swimming events at Brighton Beaches in New Zealand, South African, Canada, the United States and Britain.

The beaches were chosen in recognition of his family’s connection to Brighton Beach in Brooklyn, New York, which is home to a large Russian immigrant community. Gershkovich's parents emigrated from the Soviet Union, separately, in 1979.

Updated

Tajikistan Detains Several People In Connection With Deadly Moscow Attack

People mourn and bring flowers to the Crocus City Hall concert venue following a terrorist attack in Krasnogorsk, outside Moscow, on March 25.
People mourn and bring flowers to the Crocus City Hall concert venue following a terrorist attack in Krasnogorsk, outside Moscow, on March 25.

DUSHANBE -- Tajik authorities detained nine people this week in connection with the March 22 deadly attack on a concert hall near Moscow, local media reported on March 29, citing a security source.

All nine were reportedly detained by the state security service in the Vahdat district on the outskirts of Dushanbe on March 25, and brought to the capital. They are allegedly also suspected of having connections with the Islamic State group, which has claimed responsibility for the terrorist attack.

A separate source in Dushanbe told RFE/RL on March 29 there were several youths among the detainees.

On March 26, a source at Tajik law enforcement agencies told RFE/RL that six people were arrested in Vahdat on suspicion of plotting a terrorist attack but didn't provide further details.

Russia's Investigative Committee said on March 28 that it had detained another suspect in relation with the attack on the Crocus City Hall venue in the Moscow suburb of Krasnogorsk which killed more than 140 people. The committee didn’t provide details of the suspect’s identity or alleged actions, but said he was detained in suspicion of being involved in financing the attack.

Russian authorities have previously said that 11 suspects had been arrested, including four men who allegedly carried out the attack. Those four -- identified as Tajik citizens Muhammadsobir Faizov, Saidakram Rajabalizoda, Dalerjon Mirzoev, and Faridun Shamsiddin appeared in a Moscow court on March 24 on terrorism charges.

Another Tajik, Lutfulloi Nazrimad, 23, appeared on March 29 in the Basmanny Court of Moscow for a closed-door hearing. According to Kommersant, Nazrimad was detained on March 23. He pleaded guilty to disturbing public order and was sentenced by the Preobrazhensky District Court to administrative arrest for 15 days.

The Islamic State-Khorasan, a faction of the Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the massacre, but Russian officials have persistently claimed -- without presenting evidence -- that Ukraine and the West had a role in the attack.

Kyiv denies involvement and Ukrainian officials claim that Moscow is pushing the allegation as a pretext to intensify its fighting in Ukraine.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Russia's charge of Ukrainian involvement in the attack was "nonsense and propaganda" and reiterated that the United States had passed detailed information to Russian security services about an extremist attack in Moscow in advance of the March 22 assault.

"It is abundantly clear that [Islamic State] was solely responsible for the horrific attack in Moscow last week," Kirby said on March 28. "In fact, the United States tried to help prevent this terrorist attack and the Kremlin knows this."

With reporting by Reuters and AP

Armenian Banks To Ditch Russian Cards Over U.S. Sanctions

Visa and Russian MIR payment cards (illustrative photo)
Visa and Russian MIR payment cards (illustrative photo)

Armenian banks on March 29 said they would stop processing transactions made by Russian Mir payment cards due to Western sanctions imposed on Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine. In September 2022, the U.S. Treasury Department threatened foreign banks with secondary sanctions for servicing Mir cards, a Russian card payment system. The Union of Banks of Armenia said the country's commercial banks "will stop servicing Mir cards as of March 30, because of the risk of secondary sanctions." An exception will be made for Mir cards issued by the Armenian subsidiary of Russia's state-controlled VTB Bank, it added.

Pakistani Official Says China Halts Work On Two Projects After Deadly Attack

Volunteers transport the coffins of a Chinese national from a hospital following a suicide attack the Shangla district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province on March 26.
Volunteers transport the coffins of a Chinese national from a hospital following a suicide attack the Shangla district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province on March 26.

Chinese contractors have halted construction on two major dam projects in Pakistan after a suicide bomber killed five Chinese engineers and a Pakistani driver this week, a provincial official told AFP on March 29. The companies have demanded that Pakistan authorities come up with new security plans before reopening the sites where around 1,250 Chinese nationals are working, the official said. The security of Chinese workers is a major concern to both countries, with nationals frequently targeted by militants hostile to outside influence.

Updated

Romania Finds Drone Fragments Near Border As Russia Targets Ukraine's Energy Sector

A firefighter works at a site of a Russian missile and drone strike in Ukraine's Cherkasy region on March 29, 2024.
A firefighter works at a site of a Russian missile and drone strike in Ukraine's Cherkasy region on March 29, 2024.

Russia missiles and drones hit three thermal power plants of Ukraine's largest private power firm DTEK on March 29, damaging facilities, the company said, as Moscow’s forces launched fresh attacks on Ukraine’s energy sector.

"The equipment was severely damaged. After the attack ended, the power engineers promptly started to repair the damage," DTEK said on the Telegram messaging app.

Earlier on March 29, Ukrainian power grid operator Ukrenerho reported that Russian forces "struck again at energy facilities in a massive and combined attack" overnight, damaging "thermal and hydroelectric power plants in the central and western regions."

Ukrenerho added that emergency shutdowns were applied in the country's southeastern Dnipropetrovsk Province, while power facilities were also hit in Poltava and Cherkasy regions.

Meanwhile, NATO member Romania said it had found fragments of what appeared to be a drone on a farm near the river Danube and the border with Ukraine late on March 28.

Russia has been striking targets in western and central Ukraine with missile and drone attacks conducted at night.

Army and intelligence officers check the place where a possible drone fell in Romania, close to the Ukrainian border, the night before, on March 29.
Army and intelligence officers check the place where a possible drone fell in Romania, close to the Ukrainian border, the night before, on March 29.

"In the evening of March 28, 2024, fragments that seem to come from an aerial device (drone) were identified on an agricultural land in Insula Mare a Brailei," Romania's Defense Ministry said in a statement, adding that an investigation has been launched into the incident.

The sweeping missile and drone strikes -- the biggest of which came on March 22 -- have already caused major damage to Ukraine’s energy sector, forcing Kyiv to halt power exports and rely on imports. DTEK lost about 50 percent of its capacity after being hit by Russian attacks, Ukrainian power distributor Yasno said this week.

In the morning on March 29, Ukrainian television reported that explosions were heard in the Ivano-Frankivsk and Khmelnytskyi regions and the city of Dnipro as Russian cruise missiles were spotted in Ukrainian air space.

At least five people, including a 5-year-old, were wounded in Russian strikes on the Kamianske district near Dnipro that targeted both infrastructure and private homes, regional officials said.

Two of the wounded -- one in serious condition -- were hospitalized, while three others including the child were receiving outpatient treatment, said Serhiy Lysak, head of the Dnipropetrovsk regional military administration. Three summer houses were destroyed, and four houses were partially damaged in the attack, Lysak added.

The Ukrainian military said its air-defense forces had destroyed 58 drones from a total of 60 launched by Russia overnight, along with 26 of 39 missiles.

In neighboring Poland, Polish and allied aircraft were activated early on March 29 after Russia launched missile strikes on Ukraine, the Operational Command of the country’s armed forces said.

"Polish and allied aircraft are operating in Polish airspace, which may result in increased noise levels, especially in the southeastern part of the country," the Command said on the social media platform X. The southeastern part of Poland borders Ukraine.

With reporting by Reuters

U.S. Again Dismisses Russian Assertion Of Ukrainian Link To Concert Hall Attackers

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby (file photo)
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby (file photo)

The White House has again dismissed Russia's allegation that Ukraine was involved in the attack on the Crocus City concert hall and said that the United States had passed clear and detailed information to Russian security services about an extremist attack in Moscow in advance of the attack.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on March 28 that Russia's charge of Ukrainian involvement in the attack was “nonsense and propaganda."

Kirby spoke shortly after Russia's Investigative Committee said it had uncovered evidence that the four gunmen who carried out the attack on March 22, which killed more than 140 people were linked to Ukraine.

"It is abundantly clear that [Islamic State] was solely responsible for the horrific attack in Moscow last week," Kirby said, reiterating the U.S. position, which is shared by France. "In fact, the United States tried to help prevent this terrorist attack and the Kremlin knows this."

The written message to Russia's security services was passed on March 7 at 11:15 a.m. and was one of multiple advance warnings that the United States provided to Russian authorities about the potential for extremist attacks on concerts and large gatherings in Moscow, Kirby said.

The messages were passed "following normal procedures and through established channels that have been employed many times previously,” he said, emphasizing his rebuke of Russian officials by comparing them to "manure salesmen" who "carry their samples in their mouths."

Islamic State has said several times that it was responsible for the attack, and IS-affiliated media channels have published graphic videos of the gunmen inside the venue.

Despite the IS claim of responsibility and the information released by the United States, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other Russian officials have persisted in trying to implicate Ukraine. Russia's Investigative Committee claimed on March 28 that suspects in the attack had "links with Ukrainian nationalists."

"As a result of work with the detained terrorists, an examination of technical devices seized from them and analysis of financial transactions, evidence of their links with Ukrainian nationalists has been obtained," the Investigative Committee said in a statement.

It alleged that the suspects had received "significant amounts of money and cryptocurrency from Ukraine" and said another man "involved in financing the terrorists" had been identified and detained and investigators would ask the court to remand him in custody. No other details were provided.

With reporting by Reuters, dpa, AFP, and RFE/RL's Russian Service

Russian Mathematician Sentenced To 4 Years In Prison On Justifying Terrorism Charge

Russian mathematician Azat Miftakhov (file photo)
Russian mathematician Azat Miftakhov (file photo)

A court in Yekaterinburg sentenced mathematician Azat Miftakhov on March 28 to four years in prison on a charge of justifying terrorism, which he and his supporters reject. Miftakhov, 31, was arrested in September immediately after he served almost six years for involvement in an arson attack against the offices of the ruling United Russia party. Miftakhov also rejected the charges in that case. Miftakhov, who has been recognized by U.S., European, Japanese, and other Russian mathematicians, said at the time that he had been tortured by investigators. The Memorial human rights group has recognized Miftakhov as a political prisoner. To read the original story by RFE/RL’s Russian Service, click here.

Russian Veto Ends UN Monitoring Enforcement Of North Korea Nuclear Sanctions

 The vote in the 15-member UN Security Council was 13 in favor, with Russia against and China abstaining
The vote in the 15-member UN Security Council was 13 in favor, with Russia against and China abstaining

Russia has vetoed a UN Security Council resolution in a move that effectively abolishes the monitoring by UN experts of sanctions against North Korea over its nuclear program, although the sanctions themselves remain in place. Russia’s March 28 veto represented a turnaround on the monitoring regime and prompted Western accusations that Moscow was acting to shield its weapons purchases from North Korea for use in its war against Ukraine in violation of the sanctions. The vote in the 15-member council was 13 in favor, with Russia against and China abstaining. To read the original story by AP, click here.

Court In Russia's Bashkortostan Orders Arrest Of Former Navalny Team Member

Bashkortostan activist Olga Komleva (file photo)
Bashkortostan activist Olga Komleva (file photo)

A former member of late Russian opposition politician Aleksei Navalny's team in Bashkortostan, Olga Komleva, was sent to pretrial detention on March 28 on a charge of participating in an extremist group's activities. Komleva, 45, is also a journalist with the RusNews online media outlet. She covered mass protests in January against the imprisonment of Bashkir activist Fail Alsynov. All Navalny's organizations were labeled extremist in 2021. The former leader of Navalny's headquarters in Bashkortostan, Lilia Chanysheva, was sentenced to 7 1/2 years in prison on extremism charge last year. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Idel.Realities, click here.

Kazakh Flooding Caused By Rapid Snowmelt Affects Hundreds Of Homes, Prompts Evacuations

Rescue services tackle flooded streets in the Kazakh city of Aqtobe on March 28. (file photo)
Rescue services tackle flooded streets in the Kazakh city of Aqtobe on March 28. (file photo)

Kazakh emergency officials said on March 28 that almost 300 residential buildings have been affected by ongoing floods caused by an abrupt shift to warm weather that led to a mass snowmelt. More than 100 flooding cases were registered across the country's Abai, Aqmola, Aqtobe, Qostanai, and West Kazakhstan regions. An estimated 1,431 people, including 312 children, were evacuated from areas affected by the floods in a 24-hour period. Rescue teams are continuing to search for three people who went missing in the northeastern Abai region, where the floods destroyed a bridge. A state of emergency has been announced in several districts. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Kazakh Service, click here.

Russian Fighter Jet Crashes Near Sevastopol, Says Moscow-Installed Governor

The Russian Su-35 fighter jet reportedly fell into the sea off Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula on March 28.
The Russian Su-35 fighter jet reportedly fell into the sea off Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula on March 28.

A Russian Su-35 fighter jet crashed on March 28 near occupied Sevastopol, the Russia-installed governor of Ukraine's Crimea Peninsula said. "A military plane fell into the sea.... Civilian objects were not damaged,” Mikhail Razvozhayev said on Telegram. The pilot ejected and was picked up by rescuers about 200 meters from the shore, Razvozhayev said, adding that his life was not in danger. The Russian Defense Ministry has not commented on the report about the downed plane. Russian Telegram channels reported earlier that a Russian Su-35 fighter jet had crashed near Sevastopol. The cause of the crash was unclear. To read the original story on RFE/RL’s Russian Service, click here.

Amnesty International Calls On Pakistan To Stop Expelling Afghan Girls And Women

Afghan refugee women and children sit at a registration center after arriving back from Pakistan in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, late last year.
Afghan refugee women and children sit at a registration center after arriving back from Pakistan in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, late last year.

Amnesty International has urged Pakistan to halt expelling hundreds of thousands of Afghan girls and women to neighboring Afghanistan.

“The deportation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan will put women and girls at unique risk,” Amnesty's South Asia Office wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on March 27.

The global rights watchdog's plea comes ahead of the beginning of a new phase of the expulsion of Afghan refugees from neighboring Pakistan. Islamabad plans to force some 850,000 documented Afghan refugees back to their country next month if they don't leave voluntarily.


Since October, Pakistan has already expelled more than 500,000 Afghans who lacked proper documents to stay in the country.

“Forced returns seriously curtail their rights to education, work, movement, and in some cases, expose them to imminent threat of violence,” Amnesty said.

“The Government of Pakistan must halt all deportations and take affirmative measures to ensure the safety of refugee women and girls,” it added.

After returning to power in August 2021, the Taliban’s ultraconservative Islamist government n Afghanistan has banned teenage girls and women from education. It also prohibited women from employment in most sectors.


Afghan women must also wear a niqab -- a strict head-to-toe veil -- in public. Taliban restrictions have severely curtailed women’s mobility by requiring them to be accompanied by a male chaperone outside their homes. Women are also banned from leisure activities, including visits to parks.

“Women and girls will experience serious repression of their rights to education, work, freedom of movement and more if deported,” Amnesty said.

The new warning comes two days after Amnesty called in a new report on Islamabad to reverse forced expulsions of all Afghans.

The report, Pakistan: Human Rights Charter, issued on March 25, asked Islamabad to protect all at-risk "refugees in compliance with Pakistan obligations under the principle of non-refoulement."

Non-refoulement is a fundamental principle of international law that prohibits a state from returning asylum seekers to a country where they would face persecution based on their race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion.

Pakistan lacks a domestic law that offers a path to refugee status. It is not a signatory to the 1951 UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees or the 1967 protocol intended to remove constraints on who can be considered a refugee.

Cryptic Serbian President Warns Of 'Difficult Days' Ahead

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic (file photo)
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic (file photo)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic warned on March 28 that "difficult days" lie ahead for his country, without elaborating. Vucic added that he had spoken with the European Union and the Quint nations -- an informal decision-making group consisting of the United States, France, Germany, Italy, and Britain. He rejected assessments that Serbia is abandoning its European path after the announcement of a possible exit from the Council of Europe if that organization accepts Kosovo, Serbia's former province whose independence Belgrade does not recognize. He said he would provide more details “in the coming days.” To read the original story on RFE/RL’s Serbian Service, click here.

Updated

Putin Says Russia Does Not Intend To Attack NATO, But Air Bases Hosting F-16s Would Be 'Legitimate Target'

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with military pilots in the town of Torzhok in the western Tver region on March 28. (file photo)
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with military pilots in the town of Torzhok in the western Tver region on March 28. (file photo)

Russia has no plans to attack any NATO country, President Vladimir Putin said on March 28, but he warned that Moscow's forces could target NATO bases if they host F-16 fighter jets flying combat sorties in Ukraine.

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"We have no aggressive intentions toward [NATO] states," Putin told air force pilots at a facility in the Tver region northwest of Moscow, according to a Kremlin transcript.

He said it would be "complete nonsense" to suggest that Russia would attack countries such as Poland, the Baltic states, and the Czech Republic, adding: "Just nonsense, another way to cheat their population and force them to allocate additional resources."

Ukraine is awaiting the delivery of F-16s from Western countries that have promised to send Kyiv at least 42 F-16s. Ukrainian pilots have been training in the West for months on how to fly the warplanes.

Asked whether Russian pilots would be "allowed" to attack F-16 warplanes deployed at airfields in NATO countries if they were used against Russia, Putin indicated that Moscow would consider them fair game if F-16s based there flew combat sorties in Ukraine.

"Of course, if they are used from airfields of third countries, they become a legitimate target for us, no matter where they are located," he said.

F-16s delivered to Ukraine are to be housed by Ukrainian air bases. However, it remains unclear how many Ukrainian air bases can accommodate F-16s, which require high-quality runways and well-protected, well-camouflaged hangars.

In Ukraine, Putin said, Russia would seek to destroy F-16s "the same way we destroy their tanks, armored vehicles and other equipment today, including multiple-launch rocket systems." He asserted that the delivery of the warplanes to Ukraine "will not change the situation on the battlefield."

Putin also said that, when conducting military planning, Russia would take into account that F-16s can carry nuclear weapons. Ukraine renounced nuclear arms in the 1990s and there is no talk of equipping the jets with any such weapons.

Putin's assurance that Russia has "no aggressive intentions" against NATO may ring hollow in the alliance, because he has made many false claims about various aspects of Russia's war against Ukraine, among other things.

Before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russian officials, including Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, dismissed U.S. and other Western countries' warnings that an invasion was imminent.

Kazakh Man Sentenced For Killing 4-Year-Old During 2022 Unrest

Arman Zhuman
Arman Zhuman

ASTANA -- A man was sentenced to seven years in prison in a high-profile trial related to the death of a 4-year-old girl during deadly unrest in Kazakhstan in January 2022.

The military court in Astana on March 28 annulled serviceman Arman Zhuman's acquittal from November and sentenced him after finding him guilty of abuse of power.

Aikorkem Meldekhan was shot dead in the Central Asian nation's largest city, Almaty, by what the court concluded was military personnel, when she and other members of her family were in a car on their way to a grocery store on January 7, 2022.

The vehicle was sprayed with at least 20 bullets, also wounding Aikorkem's 15-year-old sister.

Zhuman's lawyer, Oksana Musokhranova, said the court's decision will be appealed.

Aikorkem's father, Aidos Meldekhan, said he is not satisfied with the court's decision, insisting that the charge should have been changed from abuse of power to murder of a minor and attempted murder.

At least 238 people are believed to have been killed by Kazakh security forces during a brutal crackdown on anti-government protesters in January 2022.

With the country in the throes of unrest, President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev gave police and military troops the controversial order to "shoot to kill without warning." He justified the move by saying "20,000 extremists trained in foreign terrorist camps" had seized Almaty airport and other buildings.

No evidence of foreign-trained terrorists was ever presented.

The order sparked an outcry and Aikorkem's picture turned into an image symbolizing the victims of the crackdown, many of whom were killed -- some under torture -- by police, security forces and military personnel, including troops of the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization, whom Toqaev invited into the country "to restore law and order."

Poland Temporarily Opens Ukraine Border Crossing Amid Grain Talks

A protest at the Ukraine-Poland border on February 11
A protest at the Ukraine-Poland border on February 11

Poland has temporarily opened one border crossing with Ukraine, Kyiv said on March 28, as government representatives met in Warsaw to defuse a dispute over Ukrainian grain imports.

The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine said in a statement on Telegram that 120 trucks were expected to cross the Uhryniv-Dolhobichuv checkpoint into Poland. It said the crossing would remain open until April 2.

The announcement was made as the Polish and Ukrainian governments met for more than six hours in Warsaw to discuss a row over Ukrainian grain imports, but a breakthrough appears unlikely.

Border crossings with Ukraine have been blocked for weeks as farmers in Poland demand the reimposition of customs duties on agricultural imports from Ukraine, which were waived following Russian’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

They argue that Ukraine is flooding Europe with cheap grain, making it impossible to compete.

"It is difficult to expect any breakthrough after these talks, any specific agreement, for example, on agricultural issues," said Jan Grabiec, head of the prime minister's office. "We are still in dialogue and both sides -- at least for today -- are not fully satisfied."

Ukraine’s Agriculture Minister Mykola Solsky wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that the talks were “difficult but frank.” He said solutions had been discussed, which would be “announced soon.”

Russian Journalist Faces Extremism Charge Over Alleged Link To Navalny

Antonina Favorskaya
Antonina Favorskaya

Russian journalist Antonina Favorskaya was not released on March 27 after serving 10 days in jail on a charge of disobedience to police orders and was sent to pretrial detention instead. The reporter for the SOTAvision media outlet is now accused of taking part in the activities of late opposition politician Aleksei Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation that was labeled as extremist in 2021. On February 15, Favorskaya recorded the last video of Navalny at a court hearing he was taking part in via a video link from an Arctic prison. The next day, Navalny suddenly died in the prison. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here.

Imprisoned Mother Of Chechen Activists Hospitalized

Zarema Musayeva
Zarema Musayeva

Zarema Musayeva, the imprisoned mother of three self-exiled outspoken Chechen opposition activists, has been hospitalized.

The Team Against Torture human rights group in Russia said on March 28 that Musayeva, who is serving a five-year term in a colony settlement -- a dormitory-like penitentiary located near an industrial facility where convicts work alongside regular employees -- was hospitalized after her eyesight deteriorated sharply and swellings appeared on her body.

The rights group quoted Musayeva's lawyer Aleksandr Savin as saying that his client has an acute form of diabetes, cataracts, and constant pain in her knee.

According to Savin, Musayeva needs proper medical assistance. Earlier in March, Musayeva's lawyer said the penitentiary authorities in the city of Argun had refused to let Musayeva see a doctor for two months, although a medical examination could have resulted in her early release.

Musayeva's initial request for early release was rejected by a court in Chechnya in December.

Musayeva is the mother of Ibragim, Abubakar, and Baisangur Yangulbayev, all of whom have fled the country citing harassment from Chechen authorities over their online criticism of Kremlin-backed Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov.

Chechen police and security officers detained Musayeva in January 2022 in her apartment in the Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod, some 1,800 kilometers from Chechnya, and forcibly returned her to the North Caucasus region's capital, Grozny.

In July, a court in Chechnya sentenced Musayeva to 5 1/2 years in prison on charges of fraud and attacking a police officer, which Musayeva and her supporters have denied.

In September, the Supreme Court of Chechnya shortened Musayeva's prison term by six months and said Musayeva must serve her term in a colony settlement instead of a penitentiary colony.

Kadyrov, other Chechen officials, and a member of the Russian Duma have publicly vowed to kill all members of the Yangulbayev family, calling them "terrorists."

Journalists, rights activists, and other Russians have urged the government to punish those who issued the threats.

Abubakar Yangulbayev has accused Kadyrov's law enforcement and security officers of "lawlessness on a daily basis in Chechnya" and said the case against his mother is Kadyrov's retaliation for his activities.

Ibragim and Abubakar have said they faced years of pressure from Chechen authorities over their online criticism of Kadyrov and the rights situation in Chechnya.

Many of their relatives have been similarly harassed in Chechnya and even deprived of their homes since Kadyrov and his people vowed to kill them and their families.

The activists' father, retired federal Judge Saidi Yangulbayev, and a sister fled Russia in January 2022 following the threats.

Russian and international human rights groups have for years accused Kadyrov of overseeing grave human rights abuses, including abductions, torture, extrajudicial killings, and the persecution of the LGBT community.

Kremlin critics say Putin has turned a blind eye to the abuses because he relies on the former rebel commander to control separatist sentiment and violence in Chechnya.

Updated

Tajik Man Detained In St. Petersburg Amid Migrant Crackdown

As Tajik Suspects Face Charges For Moscow Attack, Other Migrants Face Backlash In Russia
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A 26-year-old Tajik national has been detained in St. Petersburg on a charge of justifying terrorism, the Investigative Committee said on March 28.

The arrest comes amid an ongoing crackdown on migrant laborers following a terrorist attack near Moscow last week that has left at least 143 people dead and hundreds wounded.

Investigators say the Tajik citizen, who was not named by authorities, posted comments justifying terrorism under a video taken from last week's attack on the Crocus City Hall entertainment center in the city of Krasnogorsk, near Moscow, that was claimed by the Islamic State extremist group.

In an online statement, the Investigative Committee posted a video that purportedly showed the detained man apologizing.

The independent Astra Telegram channel identified the man as Bahodur Zuhurov.

A court decision on the suspect's possible pretrial arrest is pending. If convicted, the man may face up to five years in prison.

Earlier, a spokeswoman for the St. Petersburg court, Darya Lebedeva, said another Tajik national, Ahmad Faizulokhonzoda, will be deported from Russia for violating registration regulations and for being a member of a Telegram chat group allegedly used to recruit the suspects who were arrested over the March 22 attack.

Faizulokhonzoda was ordered to pay a 5,000 ruble ($55) fine and placed in an immigration center.

Russian officials said earlier that 11 suspects, including four men who allegedly attacked the entertainment center, were detained. The four men, all ethnic Tajiks, on March 24 were sent to pretrial detention until at least May 22.

On March 25, three Tajik men residing in Russia and a Kyrgyzstan-born Russian citizen were sent to pretrial detention for at least two months.

Neighbors of one of the suspects arrested in Russia, Dalerjon Mirzoev, told RFE/RL on March 28 that his brother, Ravshanjon Mirzoev, had joined the Islamic state group in Syria in 2016.

RFE/RL correspondents found Ravshanjon Mirzoev's name on a list of people wanted in Tajikistan on unspecified charges. A source close to the Central Asian nation's law enforcement told RFE/RL that Ravshanjon Mirzoev died four years ago in the Middle East.

The Crocus City Hall attack sparked a wave of anti-migrant and xenophobic manifestations across Russia after authorities detained 11 suspects, eight of whom -- mostly ethnic Tajiks -- were sent to pretrial detention.

This week, a banner saying "Visa-Free Regime Kills" appeared at a makeshift memorial near what was left of the Crocus City Hall.

Russian lawmaker Mikhail Sheremet proposed restrictions on foreigners' visits to the country during the "special military operation" -- the official term for Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

Another lawmaker, former presidential candidate Vladislav Davankov, said migrant laborers should be placed under digital monitoring and should be deported after committing even minor violations.

Some comments under the Russian lawmakers' online statements call for the closure of all mosques in Russia and keeping migrant workers in special dwellings without the right to freely move about in the country.

Members of indigenous ethnic groups from Russia's ethnic republics have also faced harassment, aggression, and violence in public places in Moscow and other Russian cities in recent days.

Human rights defender Valentina Chupik told Current Time that during the week in just one court in Moscow's Cheryomushki district, police brought about 25 labor workers, mostly Tajiks, each hour for deportation.

"I have not slept for five nights. I receive about 1,000 complaints each day, of which some 700 are linked to migrants' detainments. In all, I have now 3,500 complaints from [migrant workers] detained by police. Some 150 complaints a day are about the beating of migrants by police," Chupik said.

Other complaints include migrants' statements accusing police officers of robbing them during questioning and falsely accusing them of disobeying police orders, she said.

According to Chupik, authorities intentionally incite anti-migrant sentiments "to distract people's attention" from the "fact that the terrorist attack was overlooked" after Russian authorities received warnings from the United States that an attack was imminent.

"The goal is to deflect people's anger from the authorities to a known weak group of people who can be easily subdued and is clearly 'alien,'" Chupik said.

Bulgaria Heading For Sixth Election In Three Years

Bulgarian President Rumen Radev (file photo)
Bulgarian President Rumen Radev (file photo)

SOFIA -- Bulgaria is preparing for yet another general election -- the sixth since April 2021 -- after the populist There Is Such a People (ITN) party on March 28 refused to form a government, the third party to decline the mandate.

Previously, the center-right GERB and its former coalition partner, the pro-Western Continue the Change/Democratic Bulgaria (CCDB) both said they could not form a new cabinet.

ITN's move paves the way for President Rumen Radev to appoint a caretaker government and schedule elections in two months.

Bulgaria will vote for the European Parliament on June 9, so the two polls could be held on the same day, but that depends on Radev's ability to quickly appoint a caretaker government.

Following the elections in April last year, Bulgaria had a joint government supported by the reformist CCDB and GERB. They had agreed on an 18-month government with a rotation of the prime ministers -- first Nikolay Denkov from CCDB and, after nine months, Maria Gabriel from GERB.

Denkov stepped down on March 5 to let GERB lead the government for the following nine months, as agreed. But Gabriel failed to form a government, and on March 27 Denkov also rejected Radev's invitation to try to put together a cabinet.

Bulgaria is the poorest of the 27 members of the European Union and has been wrestling with widespread corruption.

The Balkan country has been grappling with political instability since major anti-corruption protests in 2020.

Before the elections in April last year, the country was run by caretaker governments appointed by Radev in the absence of a stable elected coalition.

Radev on March 28 said he would start consultations with all potential caretaker prime ministers on March 30.

Following constitutional amendments, the president can choose between the chairman of the National Assembly, the governor or deputy governor of the Bulgarian National Bank, the chairman or deputy chairman of the Audit Chamber, and the ombudsman or his deputy.

With reporting by Reuters

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