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Former Afghan Presidential Contender Questions Karzai's Legitimacy

"The government that comes out of this illegal decision will not be able to ensure the rule of law in the country," Abdullah says.
"The government that comes out of this illegal decision will not be able to ensure the rule of law in the country," Abdullah says.
(RFE/RL) -- Abdullah Abdullah, who was Hamid Karzai's top challenger in Afghanistan's recent presidential election before pulling out of a second-round runoff, is now questioning Karzai's legitimacy as president.

Abdullah's comments, made during his first media appearance since Karzai was declared the winner on November 2, come amid reports that he pulled out of the runoff after power-sharing talks with Karzai broke down.

"A government which is derived from such an illegal decision is not going to be able to deliver," Abdullah said. "So on that basis, I reaffirm my commitment to the people of Afghanistan on the principals of the agenda which I started."

Abdullah said Karzai's next administration will not have broad legitimacy and won't be able to implement promised reforms, including those aimed at reining in corruption. He labeled the Afghan Independent Election Commission's (IEC) decision to cancel the November 7 runoff and name Karzai the winner "illegal."

"This decision does not have a legal basis and the government that comes out of this illegal decision will not be able to ensure the rule of law in the country and will not be able to fight administrative corruption," he said.

The IEC's decision came after Abdullah pulled out of the runoff on the grounds that transparent elections could not be held. Analysts widely predicted that Abdullah would have lost the second round vote, and some suggest that his withdrawal was intended both to deny Karzai a clean victory and also to position himself for a significant role in the future government.

"The Washington Post" reported on November 4 that Abdullah's team was negotiating a power-sharing deal with Karzai just hours before he announced his withdrawal from the runoff. The Washington daily reported that former President Burhanuddin Rabbani, a key Abdullah backer, was keen on cutting a deal but that Karzai refused to accept the Abdullah camp's demands for cabinet posts.

During today's press conference, which came just a day after Karzai committed himself to the formation of an inclusive government, Abdullah ruled out any role in the new cabinet.

"I have no interest in the future cabinet of Karzai's government, and I will pursue my agenda, which is change," he said.

He suggested he will now assume the role of a top opposition leader.

"This popular movement to bring the rule of law, to monitor the actions of the government, to bring them to accountability, to push for transparency, to observe what is going on, and to serve the interest of the country in a broad sense, and strengthen the basis of national unity in this country -- this movement will continue," he said.

Abdullah urged his supporters to remain peaceful.

"My expectation from the people is to use constraint and behave on the basis of the rule of law and not resort to any illegal action for the fulfillment of their goals," Abdullah told journalists at his Kabul home.

The latest reports from Kabul suggest that technocrats and some existing ministers will be included in Karzai's future cabinet, which is expected to be formed within three weeks.

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Baku Said To Be Preparing To Reopen Tehran Embassy After Attack

The Azerbaijani Embassy was the scene of an armed assault in January 2023 that resulted in the death of one embassy employee and left two others injured. 
The Azerbaijani Embassy was the scene of an armed assault in January 2023 that resulted in the death of one embassy employee and left two others injured. 

The Azerbaijani Embassy in Tehran is preparing to resume operations, according to Iran's ambassador to Baku, signaling a potential thaw in relations between the two countries.

In a statement to Baku TV, Iranian Ambassador Abbas Musavi said preparations for the reopening are under way, with an Azerbaijani delegation already having made the journey to Tehran. He did not give a specific date for the reopening.

The announcement comes a year after the Azerbaijani Embassy was the scene of an armed assault in January 2023 that resulted in the death of one embassy employee and left two others injured.

The attack, which Baku has called an "act of terrorism," led to a significant downturn in diplomatic relations, prompting Azerbaijan to remove its embassy staff from Tehran. Azerbaijan left open its consulate in Tabriz.

Musavi addressed the incident, saying that investigations by both nations concluded the attack was an isolated act driven by personal motives. The assailant, identified as Yasin Husseinzadeh, has been apprehended, tried, and received the maximum penalty allowed by Iranian law.

The trial of Husseinzadeh, marking a year since the attack, has been a focal point in discussions between the two countries, with Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian confirming on March 16 that a delegation from Azerbaijan would soon visit Tehran to facilitate the embassy's reopening.

Baku had said that the identification and prosecution of anyone involved in the attack were prerequisites for the normalization of relations and the reopening of its embassy in Tehran.

Relations between Iran and Azerbaijan also have been complicated by Azerbaijan's ties with Israel and Iran's support for Shiite groups in Azerbaijan. Such disputes have led to mutual accusations and arrests over alleged espionage and efforts to establish a theocratic state in Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan has also accused Iran of backing Armenia in a long-standing conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Iran also has long accused Azerbaijan of fueling separatist sentiments among its sizeable ethnic Azeri minority.

Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda

2 Killed By Ukrainian Strike On Russia's Belgorod, Officials Say

The aftermath of a military strike on Belgorod on March 17
The aftermath of a military strike on Belgorod on March 17

Two people were killed and four others were wounded in a Ukrainian air strike on Russia's Belgorod region on March 18, the head of the region's administration, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said on Telegram.

Gladkov said one of the two victims was a 17-year-old boy, while one of the wounded was a young girl pulled from under the rubble.

Ukraine has not commented on the attack, which could not be independently confirmed.

Russia's Defense Ministry earlier on March 18 said the Belgorod region had been targeted by 10 Ukrainian Vampire missiles. All had been shot down by the air defense systems, it said.

Meanwhile, air-defense systems shot down 17 of the 22 drones launched by Russia at several Ukrainian regions early on March 18, Ukraine's military said in a statement on Telegram.

The drones were destroyed over nine Ukrainian regions -- Kyiv, Poltava, Khmelnytskiy, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Dnipropetrovsk, Vinnytsya, Zaporizhzhya, and Rivne -- the military said, adding that the Kharkiv and Sumy regions were also targeted by a total of seven missiles.

The military did not report any casualties or damage, but regional authorities in Sumy said civilian infrastructure was damaged in the city of Konotop.

5 Men Sentenced To Life In Case Of Murdered Tajik Banker

(Left to right) Dilshod Saidmuradov, Bakhtovar Safarov, and Akbar Ahmadov
(Left to right) Dilshod Saidmuradov, Bakhtovar Safarov, and Akbar Ahmadov

DUSHANBE -- Tajikistan's Supreme Court has sentenced five men to life in prison in the high-profile case of the abduction and murder of one of the Central Asian nation's wealthiest bankers, Shohrat Ismatulloev.

The court told RFE/RL that the sentences and verdicts were pronounced on March 18 without giving any details.

Sources close to the court told RFE/RL that a former senior police officer, Dilshod Saidmurodov, as well as four other defendants -- Qamar Azizov, Akbar Ahmadov, Bakhtobar Safarov, and Shohrukh Khojaev -- were handed life sentences.

The court also ordered the confiscation of all properties and assets held by Saidmurodov.

Another 10 defendants were sentenced to prison terms of between one year and eight years for their involvement in Ismatulloev's murder.

No further details of the trial, which started in January, were available as it was held behind closed doors inside a detention center in Dushanbe, the capital.

Last month, Tajik Prosecutor-General Yusuf Rahmon said that two people suspected of involvement in Ismatulloev's abduction and murder are still at large, while two other suspects were dead -- Rustam Ashurov fled to Moldova in June of last year, where he was fatally wounded after he resisted Moldovan police at the Chisinau International Airport, and Parviz Mustafokulov, who died while in pretrial detention.

Shohrat Ismatulloev
Shohrat Ismatulloev

Moldovan authorities said at the time that Ashurov worked at the Tajik Interior Ministry for seven years but was fired for unspecified criminal activities.

Shohrat Ismatulloev, the deputy chairman of Orienbank, one of Tajikistan’s leading banks, was abducted in June last year. His body was found in August.

Investigators say the abductors wanted to extort money from the banker. According to the investigators, the abductors severely tortured Ismatulloev before killing him.

Orienbank, the largest private financial institution in the authoritarian Central Asian country, has been linked to the family of President Emomali Rahmon, several sources told RFE/RL.

Amid 'Repression And Intimidation,' Putin Posts 'Record' Election Win

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks in Moscow after polling stations closed. Putin -- who is now set to surpass Soviet dictator Josef Stalin’s nearly 30-year reign -- said the election showed that the nation was "one team."
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks in Moscow after polling stations closed. Putin -- who is now set to surpass Soviet dictator Josef Stalin’s nearly 30-year reign -- said the election showed that the nation was "one team."

Vladimir Putin has claimed a fifth presidential term with a landslide victory in a tightly controlled election that has been condemned by the West as neither free nor fair as the Russian leader seeks to prove overwhelming popular support for his full-scale invasion of Ukraine and increasingly repressive policies.

With 99.75 percent of ballots counted, Putin won another six-year term with a post-Soviet record of 87.29 percent of the vote, the Central Elections Committee (TsIK) said on March 18, adding that turnout was also at a "record" level, with 77.44 percent of eligible voters casting ballots.

The 71-year old Putin -- who has ruled as either president or prime minister since 2000 -- is now set to surpass Soviet dictator Josef Stalin’s nearly 30-year reign to become the longest-serving Russian leader in more than two centuries.

"This election has been based on repression and intimidation," the European Union's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told journalists in Brussels on March 18 as the bloc's foreign ministers gathered to discuss the election, among other issues.

The March 15-17 vote is the first for Putin since he launched his invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 that has killed tens of thousands of Russians and led to a clear break in relations with the West. In holding what has widely been viewed as faux elections, Putin wants to show that he has the nation’s full support, experts said.

The vote was also held in Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, where hundreds of thousands of Russian soldiers are located. Moscow illegally annexed the regions since launching the invasion, though it remains unclear how much of the territory it controls.

The Kremlin's goal "is to get as many people as possible to sign off on Russia's war against Ukraine. The idea is to get millions of Russian citizens to retroactively approve the decision Putin single-handedly made two years ago," Maksim Trudolyubov, a senior fellow at the Kennan Institute, wrote in a note ahead of the vote.

In remarks shortly after he was declared the winner, Putin said the election showed that the nation was "one team."

But Western leaders condemned the vote, with the White House National Security Council spokesperson saying they "are obviously not free nor fair given how Mr. Putin has imprisoned political opponents and prevented others from running against him."

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said "this is not what free and fair elections look like," adding in his message on X, formerly Twitter, that illegal elections have also been held on occupied Ukrainian territory.

The French Foreign Ministry said Putin's reelection came amid a wave of repression against civil society. It also praised in a statement the courage of "the many Russian citizens who peacefully protested against this attack on their fundamental political rights."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Putin has become "sick with power" and he is just "simulating" elections.

"This imitation of 'elections' has no legitimacy and cannot have any. This person must end up in the dock in The Hague [at the International UN Tribunal for War Crimes]," Zelenskiy said on X.

Putin's allies were quick to heap praise on the Russian leader for his election success.

China, one of Russia's most importants allies, congratulated Putin, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian saying President Xi Jinping and the Russian leader "will continue to maintain close exchanges, lead the two countries to continue to uphold long-standing good-neighborly friendship, deepen comprehensive strategic coordination."

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi called Putin's victory "decisive," the state news agency IRNA reported.

WATCH: Leading psychiatrists discuss how excessive power can impact brain functioning and what the impulse for total control reveals about the mind and personality traits of authority figures.

How Decades Of Power Shaped Putin's Brain
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Putin was opposed by three relatively unknown, Kremlin-friendly politicians whose campaign was barely noticeable. The main intrigue was whether Russians would heed opposition calls to gather at polling stations at noon on March 17 to silently protest against Putin’s rule.

Russian media had reported in the months leading up to the election that the Kremlin was determined to engineer a victory for Putin that would surpass the 2018 results, when he won 77.5 percent of the vote with a turnout of 67.5 percent.

The Kremlin banned anti-war politician Boris Nadezhdin from the ballot after tens of thousands of voters lined up in the cold to support his candidacy. Nadezhdin threatened to undermine the narrative of overwhelming support for Putin and his war, experts said.

Independent election observers were barred from working at this year’s presidential election for the first time in post-Soviet history, experts said. Russian elections have been notorious for ballot stuffing and other irregularities.

The vote was also held in Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, where hundreds of thousands of Russian soldiers are located.

The United States called the elections neither fair nor free.

'Noon Against Putin'

With options to express resistance severely limited by the lack of competition and repressive laws, opposition leaders called on voters opposed to Putin to gather near polls at noon to show the Kremlin and the country that they were still a force.

Russia's opposition movement suffered a serious blow last month when Aleksei Navalny, Putin’s fiercest and most popular critic, died in unclear circumstances in a maximum-security prison in the Arctic where he was serving a 19-year sentence on charges of extremism widely seen as politically motivated.

Long lines formed at polling stations across Russia's 11 time zones at the designated time for the "Noon Against Putin" protest, including in Novosibirsk, Chita, Yekaterinburg, Perm, and Moscow among other Russian cities.

Thousands Join Navalny-Backed Anti-Putin Protests As Russians Vote
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"We're not really expecting anything, but I'd somehow like to make a record of this election for myself, tick the box for myself, so, when talking about it later, I could say that I didn't just sit at home, but came and tried to do something," said one Russian who came to vote at noon.

"The action has achieved its goals," Ivan Zhdanov, the head the Anti-Corruption Foundation formerly headed by Navalny, said in a YouTube video. "The action has shown that there is another Russia, there are people who stand against Putin."

The Moscow prosecutor's office had earlier warned of criminal prosecution against those who interfered with the vote, a step it said was necessary due to social-media posts "containing calls for an unlimited number of people to simultaneously arrive to participate in uncoordinated mass public events at polling stations in Moscow [at noon on March 17] in order to violate electoral legislation."

Lawyer Valeria Vetoshkina, who has left the country, told Current Time that if people do not bring posters and do not announce why they came to the polling station at that hour, it would be hard for the authorities to legitimately declare it a "violation."

But she warned that there were "some basic safety rules that you can follow if you're worried. The first is not to discuss why you came, just to vote. And secondly, it is better to come without any visual means of agitation: without posters, flags, and so on."

Ella Pamfilova, head of Russia's Central Election Commission (TsIK), on March 16 said there had been 20 cases of people attempting to destroy voting sheets by pouring liquids into ballot boxes and eight incidents of people trying to destroy ballots by setting them on fire or by using smoke bombs.

Russians living abroad also took part in the "Noon Against Putin" campaign, with hundreds of people lining up at 12 p.m. outside the Russian embassies in Sidney, Tokyo, Phuket, Dubai, Istanbul, Berlin, Paris, and Yerevan among other capitals.

Voters Outside Russia Line Up For 'Noon Against Putin' Protests
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"It's not an election. It's just a fake. And so we're here to show that not Russians elect the current leader of Russia, that we [are] against him very severely, and that lots of people had to flee their country to be free," said Anna, a Russian citizen living in Berlin and who gathered outside the embassy in the German capital.

Putin was challenged by Liberal Democratic Party leader Leonid Slutsky, State Duma deputy speaker Vladislav Davankov of the New People party, and State Duma lawmaker Nikolai Kharitonov of the Communist Party, none of whom opposed the war.

The Russian leader had the full resources of the state behind him, including the media, police, state-owned companies, and election officials.

Moldova Dismisses Separatists' Drone Strike Claim As Provocation

Images published by media in Transdniester claimed that a kamikaze drone hit a helicopter near Tiraspol.
Images published by media in Transdniester claimed that a kamikaze drone hit a helicopter near Tiraspol.

Moldova's government has dismissed claims in Russian and Transdniester media that a drone strike on March 17 had destroyed a military helicopter on the ground in the breakaway region.

Separatist-linked news portals and Telegram channels published photos and video footage of the alleged wreckage of a Russian attack helicopter and cited Transdniester's self-styled state security ministry as saying the helicopter was struck by a kamikaze drone.

"The incident is an attempt to provoke fear and panic in the region. The depicted equipment has not been working for several years,” the Moldovan government's Reintegration Bureau said in a statement. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Moldovan Service, click here.

Updated

Taliban Says Several Killed In Pakistani Strikes Inside Afghanistan

A Pakistani Army soldier stands guard on the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. (file photo)
A Pakistani Army soldier stands guard on the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. (file photo)

Afghanistan's Taliban government on March 18 said Pakistani warplanes bombed "militant hideouts" inside Afghanistan belonging to the Pakistani Taliban, Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), killing at least eight civilians, including three children.

Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have been on the rise since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan following the withdrawal of the U.S.-led forces in August 2021, with Islamabad accusing the radical movement of harboring TTP militants on its territory and allowing them to carry out cross-border attacks in Pakistan.

At "around 3 a.m., Pakistani aircraft bombarded civilian homes" in Afghanistan's southeastern provinces of Khost and Paktika bordering Pakistan, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement.

Mujahid said the strikes targeted the Barmal district of Paktika and the Sepri district of Khost. He said three women and three children had been killed in Paktika and two women in Khost.

Earlier, Mujahid confirmed witness reports of air strikes, saying in response to a question by RFE/RL, “Yes, there was an air strike.”

Pakistan's government has not commented on the alleged strikes so far, but Pakistani officials speaking on condition of anonymity have said that the house of Abdullah Shah, one of the TTP commanders reportedly hiding in Afghanistan, was apparently targeted in the attacks in Paktika.

The report could not be immediately confirmed, with Taliban authorities saying they are assessing the information. The TTP said the strikes targeted civilians, denying that Shah's house had been hit.

An unconfirmed social media post said "multiple" strikes targeted Paktika, Khost, and Kunar regions.

The reported strikes came after seven Pakistani soldiers were killed and 17 others wounded in a militant attack that targeted a sprawling army post in the volatile North Waziristan district near the Afghan border on March 16.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, who attended the funeral of those killed in the attack on March 17, said Islamabad would give "a befitting reply to the terrorists" that perpetrated the attack.

With reporting by AFP and Reuters

Putin Says He Agreed To Swap Navalny Days Before His Death

A photograph of Russian opposition politician Aleksei Navalny and his wife Yulia is placed amid flowers on his grave following his funeral at the Borisovskoye cemetery in Moscow on March 2.
A photograph of Russian opposition politician Aleksei Navalny and his wife Yulia is placed amid flowers on his grave following his funeral at the Borisovskoye cemetery in Moscow on March 2.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he agreed to swap his fiercest critic, Aleksei Navalny, several days before the opposition leader died in prison last month.

Speaking in Moscow on March 17 shortly after securing a new six-year term, Putin said he agreed to swap Navalny on the condition that he not return to Russia. It was the first mention of Navalny by name by the Russian leader in more than a decade.

Navalny died on February 16 in unclear circumstances in an Arctic prison where he was serving a 19-year term on extremism and other charges widely seen as politically motivated.

Putin did not say whom he wanted in return for freeing Navalny but last month in an interview with former Fox News host and political commentator Tucker Carlson, the Russian leader said he was willing to swap Westerners held in Russian prisons for convicted murderer and former Federal Security Service (FSB) Colonel Vadim Krasikov.

Investigative journalist Christo Grozev told RFE/RL in late February that he was involved in a plan to exchange Navalny for Krasikov, who was convicted of murdering a Chechen citizen of Georgian ethnicity.

The plan was presented to Putin in February.

At least three countries participated in the discussions -- the United States, Germany, and Russia -- Grozev said in an interview on February 27 with RFE/RL's Bulgarian Service.

The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Putin’s remarks.

Apparent Fire-Bombing Disrupts Voting At Russian Consulate In Chisinau

Fire was reported at the Russian Consulate in Chisinau as Russians voted in the presidential election on March 17.
Fire was reported at the Russian Consulate in Chisinau as Russians voted in the presidential election on March 17.

Voting for Russia's presidential election was disrupted at the Russian Consulate in Chisinau on March 17 after an apparent fire-bombing. Flames and smoke broke out in the consulate's courtyard as dozens of voters were lined up to cast their ballots in an election widely expected to be won by incumbent President Vladimir Putin. A man was reportedly detained following the incident, which eyewitnesses said was caused when someone shouting "I despise Russia" threw something over the consulate fence. Images showed scorch marks on the wall of the consulate and smoke rising from the courtyard. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Moldovan Service, click here.

Paris Olympics Could Feature Only 40 Russian Athletes

Protesters rally against allowing athletes from Russia and Belarus to participate in the 2024 Olympics in Paris in Lausanne, Switzerland, in March 2023.
Protesters rally against allowing athletes from Russia and Belarus to participate in the 2024 Olympics in Paris in Lausanne, Switzerland, in March 2023.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) Vice President John Coates is unsure how many Russians will compete as neutral athletes at the Olympic Games in Paris this summer, but thinks reports that it might be as low as 40 could be close to the mark. Under sanctions put in place because of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, for which Belarus acted as a staging post, the IOC is allowing only some Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in Paris under tight restrictions. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has described the December decision to allow them as "shameful."

Georgia's South Ossetia Reportedly Discusses Possible Inclusion Into Russia

Alan Alborov (file photo)
Alan Alborov (file photo)

South Ossetia, a breakaway region in Georgia, has discussed its possible inclusion into Russia with Moscow, Russian state-run news agency RIA Novosti reported, citing South Ossetia's parliament speaker on March 17. "We are discussing all these issues in close coordination with Russia, taking into account our bilateral relations and treaties," it quoted Alan Alborov as saying in response to a question about the possibility of holding a referendum on the subject.

Traffic Accident In Southern Afghanistan Leaves 21 Dead, 38 Injured

A motorbike crashed into a passenger bus, which then hit a fuel tanker on the opposite side of the road, said a traffic official. (file photo)
A motorbike crashed into a passenger bus, which then hit a fuel tanker on the opposite side of the road, said a traffic official. (file photo)

A traffic accident in southern Afghanistan left at least 21 people dead and 38 injured, according to a provincial traffic department. The accident occurred on the morning of March 17 in the Gerashk district of Helmand Province on the main highway between the southern Kandahar and western Herat provinces, a statement from the department in Helmand said. A motorbike crashed into a passenger bus, which then hit a fuel tanker on the opposite side of the road, said a traffic official in Helmand. An investigation into the accident was under way, he added.

Updated

Ukraine Launches Far-Ranging Drone Attacks Amid Russia's Presidential Vote

Russia has fired more than 800 artillery rounds at Sumy in recent days, or half of what it fired at the region all last year.
Russia has fired more than 800 artillery rounds at Sumy in recent days, or half of what it fired at the region all last year.

Ukraine launched a massive new wave of drone attacks on March 17 that reportedly killed two people as Russians cast ballots on the final day of a presidential vote set to extend President Vladimir Putin's rule for another six years.

Meanwhile, Russia launched a missile attack on the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolayiv, injuring five people, local officials said. Sumy in the east was also hit.

The Russian Defense Ministry reported downing 35 Ukrainian drones overnight, including four in the Moscow region. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said there were no casualties or damage. The attack temporarily shut down three Moscow airports.

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine

RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's full-scale invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war in Ukraine, click here.

According to the Defense Ministry, another two drones were shot down over the Kaluga region south of the Russian capital and the Yaroslavl region northeast of Moscow. More Ukrainian drones were downed over the Belgorod, Kursk, Rostov, and Krasnodar regions.

The attack on Belgorod killed a 16-year-old girl and severely injured her father, local officials said. Belgorod, which borders Ukraine, has been shelled for the past three days, with at least six people killed, local officials said.

RFE/RL is unable to independently confirm death and injury counts on either side of the conflict.

In Krasnodar, Ukraine struck the Slavyansk refinery, triggering a fire and killing one person.

The attack is the latest against Russia's refining industry as Kyiv seeks to disrupt gasoline and jet-fuel supplies to the Russian armed forces as well as oil-product exports. Oil exports account for the lion's share of Russia's federal budget revenues.

Overall, Ukraine has increased the frequency of drone attacks inside Russia as it seeks to bring the Kremlin-launched war to the Russian people. Ukraine has invested heavily in its nascent drone industry as the weapon plays an increasingly important role in the war.

In Mykolayiv, at least two ballistic missiles landed in the city, injuring five and damaging homes and cars, according to local officials.

In Sumy near the Russian border, infrastructure came under fire. Russia has fired more than 800 artillery rounds at Sumy in recent days, or half of what it fired at the region last year.

Russia has been ramping up production of shells and rockets as it pours money into defense spending.

Russia has ramped up air and ground attacks against Ukrainian forces in recent months to take advantage of its superiority in weapons and people. Ukraine is suffering from a lack of manpower and ammunition at the moment amid Kyiv’s failure to pass a new mobilization bill and Washington’s failure to pass a $60 billion aid package for the embattled country.

Kyiv needs to mobilize several hundred thousand people, a politically unpopular move, if it hopes to drive back Russian forces, experts say. Kyiv could pass a new bill as early as the end of the month.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Congress could vote in the coming weeks on a new bill that would unleash aid to Ukraine. U.S. intelligence officials have warned that Ukraine could face serious setbacks if it does not receive U.S. aid soon.

With reporting by AP

India Captures Bulgarian-Managed Ship From Pirates, Rescues Crew

The navy said in a post on social media that all 35 pirates aboard the ship, the Maltese-flagged bulk-cargo vessel Ruen, had surrendered.
The navy said in a post on social media that all 35 pirates aboard the ship, the Maltese-flagged bulk-cargo vessel Ruen, had surrendered.

Indian naval forces including special commandos seized a cargo vessel that had been hijacked by Somali pirates, rescuing 17 crew members, a spokesperson for the navy said on March 16. The navy said in a post on social media that all 35 pirates aboard the ship, the Maltese-flagged bulk-cargo vessel Ruen, had surrendered, and the ship had been checked for the presence of illegal arms, ammunition, and contraband. The Ruen was hijacked last year and the navy said it had intercepted the vessel on March 15. The ship was listed as being managed by Bulgarian company Navigation Maritime Bulgare.

Iran's Medical Council Warns Of Doctor Shortage Due To Emigration

The report cited the ongoing economic crisis in Iran as a key reason for medical personnel choosing to leave. (file photo)
The report cited the ongoing economic crisis in Iran as a key reason for medical personnel choosing to leave. (file photo)

Iran's Medical Council in a March 16 report warned that the country is facing a shortage of doctors, especially pediatric surgeons, because of the increasing number of physicians emigrating from the country. The nongovernmental organization's report cited the ongoing economic crisis in Iran as a key reason for medical personnel choosing to leave. Mohammad Raiszadeh, head of the council, previously called the "emptying of physicians" a "serious" crisis and warned about the future of Iran's health sector. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Radio Farda, click here.

Trump Son-In-Law Kushner Plans Luxury Projects In Serbia, Albania

Former U.S. President Donald Trump (left), his daughter Ivanka Trump (center), and her husband, Jared Kushner, attend a mixed-martial-arts event at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, on March 9.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump (left), his daughter Ivanka Trump (center), and her husband, Jared Kushner, attend a mixed-martial-arts event at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, on March 9.

Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of former U.S. President Donald Trump, has disclosed plans to develop luxury projects in the Serbian capital, Belgrade, and on Albania's Adriatic Sea coastline. "Excited to share some early design images for development projects we have been creating for the Albanian coast and downtown Belgrade," he wrote on social media with artist renderings of four sites. The New York Times on March 15 reported that among the projects is a luxury hotel, 1,500 residential units, and a museum in Belgrade at the site of the vacant former Yugoslav Army headquarters that was destroyed by NATO bombings in 1999.

Iranian Religious Scholar, Women's Rights Activist Arrested

Sedigheh Vasmaghi (file photo)
Sedigheh Vasmaghi (file photo)

Sedigheh Vasmaghi, a prominent Iranian religious scholar and political activist, has been arrested by plainclothes security agents, her husband, Mohammad Ebrahimzadeh, said on March 16. Vasmaghi was arrested at her home by four agents -- three men and a woman – with what they said was a court order. They seized her laptop, medications, and her cane, her husband said. Vasmaghi had been summoned by the authorities in the past and is an outspoken critic of the clerical establishment and the compulsory hijab. She had worn a head scarf for years, but in recent months she appeared without a head scarf to protest the repression of women, she told RFE/RL. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Radio Farda, click here.

Bulgarians Lay To Rest Patriarch Neophyte, Who Opposed Russian War

Bulgarian Patriarch Neophyte is laid to rest in Sofia on March 16.
Bulgarian Patriarch Neophyte is laid to rest in Sofia on March 16.

Thousands of people in the Bulgarian capital, Sofia, joined with Orthodox Christian leaders on March 16 to bid a final farewell to Patriarch Neophyte, who died on March 13 after a long illness. The popular Neophyte, who became patriarch in 2013, was an outspoken critic of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Patriarch Bartholomew, the Istanbul-based spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, led the funeral service of the Bulgarian patriarch. Following Neophyte's death, Bulgaria’s leadership called for four days of mourning, while President Rumen Radev postponed the scheduled handover of the mandate to form a new government until March 18. To read the original story by RFE/RL’s Bulgarian Service, click here.

Updated

Several Troops Killed In Suicide Attack On Pakistan Military Post

Casualty figures are expected to rise as firing between the militants and security forces continued. (file photo)
Casualty figures are expected to rise as firing between the militants and security forces continued. (file photo)

Pakistan says seven soldiers were killed and 17 wounded in a militant attack that targeted a sprawling army post in the volatile North Waziristan district near the Afghan border on March 16.

"The terrorists rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into the post, followed by multiple suicide-bombing attacks, which led to the collapse of a portion of a building," the Pakistani military said in a statement.

Residents in North Waziristan in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province said a powerful explosion shook doors and damaged windows at around 6.15 a.m. local time.

The army said five soldiers died in the truck bombing and two officers in the shoot-out that ensued. All six assailants were killed and a clearance operation was still under way in the area, it added.

The army did not name the militant group behind the attack. But a newly formed militant group, Jaish-e Fursan-e Muhammad, claimed responsibility for the assault.

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack and paid tribute to the soldiers who lost their lives.

North Waziristan has long been a hotbed of militants operating on both sides of the border. Pakistani officials say attacks have risen in recent months, many of them claimed by the Pakistani Taliban (TTP).

After the Afghan Taliban returned to power following the withdrawal of the U.S.-led forces from the country, many TTP members have reportedly found sanctuary in Afghanistan, using it to launch more frequent attacks on Pakistani troops and civilians.

It has damaged the relationship between Islamabad and the Taliban-led government in Kabul, which denies allowing Afghanistan to be used by militants.

Pakistani military officials have previously claimed that their mop-up operations in North Waziristan cleared the area of Taliban fighters and other militant groups.

With reporting by Reuters
Updated

Zelenskiy Praises Range Of Ukraine's Drones Following Attacks Deep Inside Russia

A photo posted on the official Telegram account of the Belgorod region's governor on March 16 purports to show the aftermath of fresh attacks on Belgorod.
A photo posted on the official Telegram account of the Belgorod region's governor on March 16 purports to show the aftermath of fresh attacks on Belgorod.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has hailed the new long-range capabilities of his military’s combat drones following reports of attacks deep inside Russian territory.

"In these weeks, many have already seen that the Russian system of warfare has weak points and that we can reach these points with our weapons," Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address on March 16.

He did not name a specific attack but the remarks came after reports that three oil facilities in Russia's Samara region -- more than 1,000 kilometers inside Russia -- had been set ablaze in drone attacks on March 15.

Earlier on March 16, Ukrainian forces launched multiple attacks on Russia, killing at least three people in the border city of Belgorod and hitting an oil refinery in the Samara region, Russian officials said.

A man and two women died in the Ukrainian shelling that also wounded three others in Belgorod, regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov wrote on Telegram.

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The official added that five people were also wounded when a Ukrainian drone hit a car in the village of Glotovo, some 2 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.

A Ukrainian drone strike caused a fire at an oil refinery that belongs to Russian oil giant Rosneft in the Samara region, some 850 kilometers southeast of Moscow, regional Governor Dmitry Azarov said. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

Social-media videos showed images of buildings on fire. Azarov said that an attack on another refinery was thwarted.

The attacks come a day after a Russian ballistic missile strike killed at least 20 people and wounded more than 70 others in the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa.

Two Iskander-M missiles fired from Russian-occupied Crimea struck a residential area in Odesa on March 15, Governor Oleh Kiper said.

Several of the victims were medics and rescuers who were killed by a second missile after they rushed to the scene to treat people hurt in the initial strike, Kiper added.

In his evening video address on March 15, Zelenskiy vowed that Russia would receive a "fair response" from Kyiv's forces.

On March 16, Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said it had detained a 61-year-old Russian man for planning what it called a terrorist attack on Ukraine's behalf on a trans-Siberian railway junction in the Ural Mountains' Sverdlovsk region.

State news agency TASS quoted the FSB as saying the man had been recruited by Kyiv's intelligence services in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv and sent to Russia. The agency said the man had confessed to the charges and was cooperating with the investigation.

Ukraine has previously said it was targeting the trans-Siberian railway, a key route for Russian freight traversing the country.

The March 16 Ukrainian attacks come as Russia entered the second day of voting in a presidential election that is all but certain to extend Vladimir Putin’s rule by another six years after he crushed dissent. Putin has accused Kyiv of trying to disrupt the election.

With reporting by Reuters and AP
Updated

Russian Police Investigate At Least 28 Cases Of 'Vandalism In Polling Stations'

A woman pours a liquid into a ballot box during the Russian presidential election in Moscow on March 15.
A woman pours a liquid into a ballot box during the Russian presidential election in Moscow on March 15.

Russians completed the second day of voting late on March 16 in a three-day presidential election that has seen sporadic protests as some people, defying threats of stiff prison sentences, showed their anger over a process set up to hand Vladimir Putin another six years of rule.

Russian officials and independent media on March 16 reported some three dozen incidents of individual protests at polling stations, with some people attempting to destroy voting sheets by a variety of methods.

Russian authorities also stepped up threats of long prison terms for those who attempt to disrupt the voting process, including during a planned noon action on March 17.

More than one-third of Russia's 110 million eligible voters cast ballots in person and online on the first day of the country's three-day presidential election, the Central Election Commission (TsIK) said after polls closed on March 15 in the country's westernmost region of Kaliningrad.

Balloting started up again on March 16 in the Far East of Russia and continued in all 11 time zones of the country, as well as the occupied Crimean Peninsula and four other Ukrainian regions that Moscow partially controls and baselessly claims are part of Russia.

Putin is poised to win and extend his rule by six more years after any serious opponents were barred from running against him amid a brutal crackdown on dissent and the independent media.

The ruthless crackdown that has crippled independent media and human rights groups began before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine was launched, but has been ratcheted up since.

Almost exactly one month before the polls opened, Putin's most vocal critic, opposition leader Aleksei Navalny, died in an isolated Arctic prison amid suspicious circumstances as he served sentences seen as politically motivated.

Independent media on March 16 reported that Russian police had opened at least 15 criminal probes into incidents of vandalism in polling stations by midday, a number expected to grow.

Some Russians expressed their anger over Putin's authoritarian rule by vandalizing ballot boxes with a green antiseptic dye known as "zelyonka" and other liquids.

Among them was a 43-year-old member of the local election commission in the Lenin district of Izhevsk city, the Interior Ministry said on March 16.

The official was detained by police after she attempted to spill zelyonka into a touchscreen voting machine, the ministry said. Police didn’t release the woman’s name, but said she was a member of the Communist Party.

Green Dye And Fire Spoil Ballot Boxes In Incidents Across Russia
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Similar incidents were reported in at least nine cities, including St. Petersburg, Sochi, and Volgograd.

In Moscow, police arrested a woman who burned her ballot inside a voting booth in the city’s polling station N1527 on March 15, Russian news agencies reported, citing election officials in the Russian capital.

The news outlet Sota reported that that woman burned a ballot with "Bring back my husband” handwritten on it, and posted video purportedly showing the incident.

There also was one report of a firebombing at a polling station in Moscow, while In Russia's second-largest city, St. Petersburg, a 21-year-old woman was detained after she threw a Molotov cocktail at an entrance of a local school that houses two polling stations.

"It’s the first time I've see something like this -- or at least [such attacks] have not been so spectacular before," Roman Udot, an election analyst and a board member of the independent election monitor Golos, told RFE/RL.

"The state launched a war against [the election process] and this is the very striking harvest it gets in return. People resent these elections as a result and have started using them for completely different purposes [than voting]."

Ella Pamfilova, head of Russia's Central Election Commission, said that over the first two days of voting there had been 20 incidents of people pouring liquids into ballot boxes and eight cases of attempted arson or the use of smoke bombs.

Russia's ruling United Russia party claimed on March 16 that it was facing a widespread denial-of-service attack -- a form of cyberattack that snarls internet use -- against its online presence. The party said it had suspended nonessential services to repel the attack.

Meanwhile, Russian lawmakers proposed amendments to the Criminal Code to toughen punishments for those who try to disrupt elections "by arson and other dangerous means." Under the current law, such actions are punishable by five years in prison, and the lawmakers proposed to extend it to up to eight years in prison.

No Serious Challengers

Before his death, Navalny had hoped to use the vote to demonstrate the public's discontent with both the war and Putin's iron-fisted rule.

He called on voters to cast their ballot at 12 p.m. on March 17, naming the action "Noon Against Putin." HIs wife and others have since continued to call for the protest to be carried out.

Russian Opposition Plans 'Noon Against Putin' Election Protests
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Viral images of long lines forming at this time would indicate the size of the opposition and undermine the landslide result the Kremlin is expected to concoct.

The Moscow prosecutor's office threatened criminal liability for those who come to the polling stations at noon on the last day of voting. The office said it could regard long lines at noon as interfering with the work of election commissions.

Putin, 71, who has been president or prime minister for nearly 25 years, is running against three low-profile politicians -- Liberal Democratic Party leader Leonid Slutsky, State Duma deputy speaker Vladislav Davankov of the New People party, and State Duma lawmaker Nikolai Kharitonov of the Communist Party -- whose policy positions are hardly distinguishable from Putin's.

Boris Nadezhdin, a 60-year-old anti-war politician, was rejected last month by the TsIK because of what it called invalid support signatures on his application to be registered as a candidate. He appealed, but the TsIk’s decision was upheld by Russia's Supreme Court.

"Would like to congratulate Vladimir Putin on his landslide victory in the elections starting today," European Council President Charles Michel wrote in a sarcastic post on X, formerly Twitter, on March 15.

"No opposition. No freedom. No choice."

Ukraine and many Western governments have condemned Russia for holding the vote in regions it occupies parts of, calling the move illegal.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres added his voice to the criticism on March 15, saying he "condemns the efforts of the Russian Federation to hold its presidential elections in areas of Ukraine occupied by the Russian Federation."

His spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, added that the "attempted illegal annexation" of those regions has "no validity" under international law.

Many observers say Putin warded off even the faintest of challengers to ensure a large margin of victory that he can point to as evidence that Russians back the war in Ukraine and his handling of it.

With reporting by Reuters and AP

Bulgarian Political Bloc Condemns Verbal Attack On Jewish Member

Bulgarian legislator Daniel Laurer (file photo)
Bulgarian legislator Daniel Laurer (file photo)

Bulgaria's reformist We Continue the Change/Democratic Bulgaria political bloc (PP-DB) on March 15 condemned an incident the day before in which a mob cornered a Jewish member of parliament representing the PP-DB in a cafe, calling him names and shouting anti-Semitic phrases at him.

The PP-DB said in a statement that it strongly opposes any kind of “discriminatory speech and hooligan attacks” and called the attack against member of parliament Daniel Laurer unacceptable and called for those involved in the “hooligan attack” to be held accountable.

"We are using this opportunity to express again strong concern about the currently unpunished incitement of ethnic hatred in Bulgarian society,” the statement said. “With the clear knowledge that it is done for election purposes, we are convinced that tacitly encouraging such behavior is far from harmless."

The statement was in response to an incident on March 14 in which a group of about 20 people verbally attacked Laurer. The demonstrators entered a cafe where Laurer was and started shouting anti-Semitic phrases such as "Go to Israel," "Jewish SOB,” and "Jews destroyed this world” and calling Laurer names.

The group eventually allowed Laurer to leave the cafe but continued taunting him as he walked to the nearby National Assembly building.

Some of the people in the group had taken part in a protest sponsored by the Revival party that was held earlier on March 14 in front of the U.S. Embassy. The Revival party, which has expressed anti-European and pro-Kremlin views, is the fourth-largest in the Bulgarian parliament.

Human rights organizations called the verbal attack on Laurer a hate crime and demanded an investigation. Thus far, Bulgaria’s law enforcement agencies have remained silent.

The PP-DB together with the GERB form Bulgaria’s governing coalition, which supports a pro-Western course. Laurer previously served as minister of innovation and growth in former Prime Minister Kiril Petkov's government.

The Bulgarian Helsinki Committee (BHC) announced on March 15 that it had sent a message to the prosecutor's office about the attack on Laurer, saying the incident is a clear example of hate speech.

The attack on Laurer “is a dangerous escalation of fascist propaganda against which the Bulgarian Prosecutor's Office is inactive," the BHC said.

The press center of the Interior Ministry said the identity of the people who participated in the incident had been established. Police were due to submit a report to the prosecutor-general's office.

The prosecutor-general’s office in Sofia said in January that it opened an investigation into an incident in which obituaries of Adolf Hitler were pasted onto the exterior of the Sofia Synagogue.

The Jewish community said at the time that there had been an increase in anti-Semitic incidents in the country.

Europe To Use Frozen Russian Profits To Buy Arms For Ukraine

French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk pose at a press conference in Berlin on March 15.
French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk pose at a press conference in Berlin on March 15.

Ukraine's European supporters will use profits on frozen Russian assets to finance arms purchases for Kyiv, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on March 15 following a meeting with his French and Polish counterparts in Berlin. Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk reaffirmed their support for Ukraine at the meeting. Scholz told a joint news conference afterward that the “windfall” profits from Russian assets frozen in Europe would support arms purchases. European support has become increasingly key as U.S. President Joe Biden has been unable to get a big Ukraine aid package through Congress.

Orban Calls For Hungarians To 'Occupy Brussels' In Upcoming Elections

In a speech on March 15, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has often clashed with the EU during his time in power, said Hungary had to choose between "Brussels and Hungarian freedom."
In a speech on March 15, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has often clashed with the EU during his time in power, said Hungary had to choose between "Brussels and Hungarian freedom."

BUDAPEST -- Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a nationalist who has held power in Hungary for the past 14 years, has issued a stinging rebuke of the European Union and called on his countrymen to help "occupy Brussels" in elections set for the bloc this summer.

In a speech during a national holiday to commemorate Hungary’s failed 1848 revolution against Habsburg rule, the right-wing populist, who has often clashed with the EU during his time in power, said Hungary had to choose between "Brussels and Hungarian freedom" in the vote.

"They start wars, destroy worlds, redraw countries' borders and graze on everything like locusts," Orban told the crowd from the steps of the National Museum.

“We Hungarians live differently and want to live differently.”

Orban and his Fidesz ruling party have been accused by critics at home and abroad of backsliding on democracy, threatening judicial independence, and of being hostile toward migrants and people from the LGBT community.

The Hungarian prime minister has talked openly about his plans to turn the country from a democracy into an "illiberal state," and the government has taken control of much of Hungary's print and broadcast media.

Budapest also has repeatedly used its veto power to thwart initiatives supported by the rest of the bloc such as refusing to send weapons to Ukraine to help it repel invading Russian forces and maintaining economic and diplomatic ties with Moscow during war, souring relations with Brussels dramatically as Hungary prepares to take over the EU's rotating presidency on July 1.

With elections for the European parliament now less than three months away, Orban told the crowd, many of whom were brought in on buses from elsewhere in the country, 2024 will be a "turning point" for the right wing.

“Brussels is not the first empire that has set its eyes on Hungary,” said Orban, who last week traveled to the United States to meet with former President Donald Trump while avoiding any meetings with President Joe Biden or his administration.

“The peoples of Europe today are afraid that Brussels will take away their freedom.... If we want to preserve Hungary’s freedom and sovereignty, we have no choice: We have to occupy Brussels.”

Orban's fiery anti-EU rhetoric came a day after U.S. Ambassador to Hungary David Pressman warned Budapest about its expanding relationship with Russia saying it raised “legitimate security concerns.”

Opposition politicians, speaking at other rallies, delivered messages that contrasted with those of Orban. Among the opposition politicians who addressed the crowds was businessman Peter Magyar, who has said he plans to launch a new party to challenge Fidesz.

"No matter what faults the European Union has, this is the club that we are a member of," said Magyar, who was once close to Fidesz.

Magyar said there is a moral, political, and economic crisis in Hungary, and the majority of Hungarians "have lost confidence in the entire political elite."

He listed examples of corruption in Hungary ranging from wasted EU funds to shortcomings in health-care, education, and child protection and said the current government can be defeated in an election.

"If Hungarian voters finally see a real, incorruptible, 'nonblackmailable,' honest, open, and free-from-extremism political force, more and more people will believe that there is hope for change, perhaps faster than many would think," Magyar said.

Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of late Russian opposition figure Aleksei Navalny, spoke in a video message at a Budapest rally sponsored by Mayor Gergely Karacsony and student associations. She described Orban as an accomplice of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"Be brave," Navalnaya said, repeating one of her husband’s central messages. She added that beyond Orban there are other Putin supporters in Europe.

Putin dared to start its full-scale invasion of Ukraine because he knew that he would get help from some backers in Europe, she said. Just as Putin does not represent all of Russia, Hungary cannot be equated with all that Orban represents, she said.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, and dpa

Activist Says Kyrgyz President Accepted $3 Million From Tycoon In 2020

Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov and Raimbek Matraimov, the former deputy chairman of the customs service (composite photo)
Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov and Raimbek Matraimov, the former deputy chairman of the customs service (composite photo)

Associates of Kyrgyz activist Melis Aspekov, who was sentenced last month to seven years in prison on charges of plotting mass disorder, have published a letter in which Aspekov claims President Sadyr Japarov accepted $3 million from Raimbek Matraimov, the former deputy chairman of the customs service. The letter, which the activists published on March 15 on Facebook, says Japarov received the money in October 2020 when he was released from prison. Japarov's office has rejected Aspekov's claims. Aspekov, who in 2020-21 was at the center of corruption scandal, was sentenced on February 28 to seven years in prison for promoting mass disorder. (CORRECTION: A previous version of this story said Japarov was involved in the corruption scandal.)

U.S. Envoy Frustrated With Kurti's Refusal To Reverse Serbian Dinar Ban

U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Gabriel Escobar told RFE/RL after meeting with Kurti on March 15 that the ban on the dinar is causing Kosovar citizens "a lot of pain."
U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Gabriel Escobar told RFE/RL after meeting with Kurti on March 15 that the ban on the dinar is causing Kosovar citizens "a lot of pain."

PRISTINA -- Frustration is growing among Kosovo's Western backers, a senior U.S. diplomat told RFE/RL's Balkan Service, because of Prime Minister Albin Kurti's refusal to reverse a ban on the use of Serbia's dinar in the country's ethnic-Serb dominated north.

The restriction, which bans financial institutions from using any currency other than the euro for local transactions, took effect on February 1, ratcheting up tensions between Serbia and Kosovo in the face of efforts by Washington and Brussels to get the dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade back on track.

"What is happening now with the decision of the Central Bank [of Kosovo] is that there are many [Kosovar] citizens who are feeling a lot of pain, people who are not getting their modest salaries," Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and U.S. envoy for the Western Balkans U.S. Gabriel Escobar told RFE/RL after meeting with Kurti on March 15 at the end of a three-day visit.

Kosovo is not a member of the European Union or its common currency area, the eurozone, but it unilaterally adopted the euro in 2002 to help bring monetary stability and to simplify and reduce transaction costs inside and outside the country.

Belgrade, which has never acknowledged its former province's 2008 declaration of independence, still pays many ethnic Serbs at institutions in Serb-dominated parts of Kosovo in dinars. Many also hold their pensions and get child allowances in dinars.

Escobar told RFE/RL during the interview in Pristina that Kurti had told him the decision to reverse the ban was not his to make.

"The prime minister said that it was the decision of an independent institution (the central bank)," Escobar said.

"We are talking about [people] with disabilities, pensioners, students -- the most vulnerable people -- and this decision has affected them very deeply," he said.

The central bank argues that the change doesn’t stop anyone from accepting money from any country, it just means the money is converted into euros. Still, it adds a layer of cost and complication to the daily lives of ethnic Serbs still tied to the dinar.

The U.S. diplomat, however, said the dinar issue "will be a topic of discussion in Brussels" on March 19 when the chief negotiators of Kosovo and Serbia are scheduled to meet, and that he still hopes a solution will be reached.

Escobar decried what he called the lack of communication between Kurti's government and the United States, one of Kosovo's key Western allies.

"We will always be a close friend of Kosovo, but that doesn't mean we're not going to have differences with individuals and with individual governments. And I think that's where we are right now, we are entering a period of a lack of communication. And we, at least from the American side, are doing everything that we can to repair that relationship," he said.

Referring to Kurti's ruling party, Escobar admitted there is a "lot of frustration with this Vetevendosje government not just in Washington, but in Brussels, Rome, Berlin, and Paris as well."

Escobar has previously warned that the ban on the circulation of the Serbian dinar impacts the most vulnerable people in the Serb community.

The decision "has caused some real hardship for some of the citizens of this country," he said.

Separately, the EU has warned both Kosovo and Serbia that refusal to compromise on the issue jeopardizes both countries' chances of joining the 27-member bloc.

Diplomatic sources have told RFE/RL the March 19 meeting in Brussels is expected to cover the sequencing plan for the implementation of the agreement on the path toward normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia among other issues, including the dinar.

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