Senior Georgian Orthodox clerics and conservative religious groups on May 17 are marking a new holiday known as Family Purity Day with a march along Tbilisi's central Rustaveli Avenue, the scene of weeks of protests against a divisive "foreign agent" bill that was passed by parliament earlier this week.

Family Purity Day was established by Georgia's conservative Orthodox Church in 2014 in response to the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT), which is marked every year on May 17 to raise awareness of LGBT rights violations around the world.

To avoid confrontation, no rallies against the "foreign agent" law are scheduled during the march for Family Purity Day.

The event, which is marked by an official day off this year, is backed by the ruling Georgian Dream party, which pushed a bill curtailing LGBT rights in March, just weeks before it reintroduced in parliament the "foreign agent" bill seen as modelled on a similar draconian Russian law.

The anti-LGBT Georgian Dream bill bans transgender surgery, child adoption by same-sex couples, indicating sex that is other than male and female in official documents, and organizing public events propagating same-sex relations.

Both pieces of legislation are seen as attempts by Georgian Dream, founded by Russian-friendly billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, to cement its grip on power ahead of elections scheduled for October.

Parliament speaker Shalva Papuashvili posted a congratulatory message on social media on May 17, while many officials have announced their participation.

The official attention given to the event appears to be an attempt to tamp down the impact of weeks of massive protests against the contentious "foreign agent" bill approved by parliament earlier this week as police violently cracked down on demonstrators.

SEE ALSO:

Clashes Erupt Inside, Outside Georgia's Parliament Over 'Foreign Agent' Law's Approval

Pro-Western President Salome Zurabishvili, who has been at odds with Georgian Dream, has called the legislation "unacceptable" and "not consistent" with the country's path toward integration into Euro-Atlantic institutions.

Zurabishvili has vowed to veto the law, a move for which she has 10 days following the May 14 vote of approval in parliament. But Georgian Dream's parliamentary majority will allow it to easily override the presidential veto.

The law has been condemned by the United States, the European Union, and rights watchdogs, who have pointed to its similarity with legislation used by President Vladimir Putin to crush dissent in Russia and stifle independent institutions, prompting Georgians to refer to the measure as "the Russian law."

SEE ALSO:

Interview: Georgian Dream Is 'Isolated' And The 'Foreign Agent' Law Is Just 'A Way To Maintain Power'

Zurabishvili has warned that Georgia's survival as a state is in danger because of the legislation, which requires media outlets, NGOs, and other nonprofits to register as "pursuing the interests of a foreign power" if more than 20 percent of their funding comes from abroad.

"It's unacceptable because it reflects a turn of the Georgian attitudes towards the civil society, towards the media and towards the recommendations of the European Commission that are not consistent with what is our declared policy of going towards a European integration,” Zurabishvili told the Associated Press in an interview on May 16.

On May 15, protesters marched along with the foreign ministers of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Iceland in a gesture of solidarity with Georgians' Western aspirations.

An RFE/RL source in Brussels said European Council President Charles Michel held talks with Zurabishvilil and Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, where he stressed that the Georgian people must determine their own future. Michel told Kobakhidze to search for a way out of the political turbulence, the source said.

Kobakhidze has accused the protesters of "following the agenda of the political minority" and charged that they were showing a "great irresponsibility" toward their country.

The Georgian Dream-controlled security forces have repeatedly cracked down violently on protesters in recent weeks using water cannons, tear gas, and rubber bullets.

SEE ALSO:

'Rubber Bullets And Beatings': Victims, Eyewitnesses Talk Of Violence Against Georgian Protesters

Activist Davit Katsarava, who had been violently detained outside parliament and had sustained serious injuries to his face on May 14, recalled his ordeal in an interview with RFE/RL from his hospital bed.

"They cuffed my hands behind my back and called in a minivan that was parked nearby. I was brought to the minivan and I heard one of them order others: 'Make a [human] ring.' About 10 men beat me mercilessly," a bedridden Katsarava, whose face still bore visible traces of serious injuries, told RFE/RL.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis voiced concern about the violence employed to crack down on protesters.

"It's truly worrying what we see happening in the street when it comes to intimidations and brutality," he said in an interview with RFE/RL in Tbilisi.

"This has to stop," he said.

The turbulence has begun to affect the country's economy, forcing the central bank on May 16 to intervene on the local market to support the lari, the national currency, which had dropped almost 5 percent during the day to a near two-year low amid fears of a prolonged political crisis over the law.

Moldovan lawmakers have set October 20 as the date for both a presidential election and a referendum on the country joining the European Union. Pro-Western President Maia Sandu, whose first presidential term ends on December 24, has announced her intention to run for reelection. Moscow-friendly socialist and communist parliamentary opposition leaders have said they are currently holding talks on proposing a common presidential candidate. Sandu, who defeated pro-Russian Igor Dodon in November 2020, has since turned Moldova, one of Europe's poorest countries, on a firm Western path. Moldova was invited to open accession negotiations with the 27-member EU in June 2022. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Moldovan Service, click here.

BRUSSELS -- The United States hopes that by the upcoming NATO summit in Washington, nearly all 32 alliance members will meet the pledge made 10 years ago to increase defense spending to 2 percent of GDP, said U.S. Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith.

"By this summer, when we get to the Washington summit, we expect to have roughly two-thirds of the alliance meeting the target," Smith said on May 16 in an interview with RFE/RL.

NATO members Croatia, Albania, Montenegro, and North Macedonia in particular were urged "to work harder to try and hit the 2 percent target" by the time the NATO summit takes place, she said.

"They have all worked tirelessly over the last decade to increase their defense spending, and we salute those efforts," Smith said.

"Those are difficult national decisions to make that are hard when there are demands on the domestic side of the house to spend money on other priorities."

President Joe Biden is hoping to celebrate the largest number of allies at 2 percent than seen over the last decade at the July 9-11 summit, she said.

"So, anything that our friends in the Western Balkans can do to increase that defense spending would be appreciated. And it's not just because of burden sharing, but it's because of the current security environment," Smith said. "There are threats all around us."

She cited the war in Ukraine, Russia's evolving partnership with China, its increased defense production, and the support Russia is receiving from Iran and North Korean.

"There are so many reasons for us all to increase our defense spending. And we really want to get to a situation where every member of this alliance spends 2 percent," she said.

The alliance has come a long way since making the 2014 pledge when only three members spent 2 percent of GDP on defense. That has grown to 18, according to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in an interview with RFE/RL in February.

Smith agreed that three other Balkan non-NATO members -- namely Kosovo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Serbia -- have a special relationship with alliance.

Bosnia is a "full-fledged aspirant" that has openly stated a desire to join, and all 32 ambassadors recently traveled to Bosnia to talk about what more could be done to deepen the partnership, help Bosnia transform and modernize its forces, and work on interoperability.

Serbia has its own sovereign decision to make on whether or not it wants to pursue membership, Smith said.

"Right now, the answer coming from Serbia is no. But they do have a partnership with the alliance where we are able to…train with them [and] work with them on any specific needs that they have when it comes to cybersecurity or work on modernizing their forces. They can determine how they want to work with the alliance."

Kosovo is more complicated, because four NATO countries do not recognize its independence.

"But the United States has a very close partnership with Kosovo, and we are not only supporting the EU-led, facilitated dialog that is working towards normalization between Kosovo and Serbia, but from a U.S. bilateral perspective, we are here to support our friends in Kosovo as they work towards their own Euro-Atlantic aspirations and work to strengthen their forces as well."

Asked about U.S. concerns over about Serbia's purchase of military equipment from China and Russia, Smith said the United States had been very clear.

"They should tread lightly and be cautious about working with [Chinese-]owned companies. We believe there are risks and challenges in doing so, and we also do not believe that this is the time for any country to be deepening its relationship with Russia," she said.

The United States has delivered "frank and open messages" in conversations with Serbia, but also recognizes that it is their own sovereign decision.

She also warned against Russian influence and disinformation, saying the United States encourages its friends in the Western Balkans to stay focused on the values they share with the West and their Euro-Atlantic aspirations.

"Russia is doing its very best to put out, a whole sea of disinformation campaigns that often misrepresent what NATO is about," she said. "They often try to make the claim that NATO is directly engaged in the war in Ukraine, which is preposterous and not true."

Russia puts out falsehoods about what NATO does in the Western Balkan region and refuses to acknowledge that NATO is a defensive alliance, she said.

"It is, in fact Russia that is the aggressor in the case of Ukraine. Russia started this war in Ukraine and of course it could end it tomorrow if it so desires," she said.

Ukrainian air defenses shot down all 20 drones that were launched by Russia at five of its regions overnight, the military said early on May 17. The drones were downed over the Kharkiv, Poltava, Vinnytsya, Odesa and Mykolayiv regions, the Ukrainian Air Force reported. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage. Separately, the military administrator of the Kharkiv region, Oleh Synyehubov, said five drones were shot down over Kharkiv city, and debris from a drone ignited a fire in one of the city's districts. To read the original stories by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, click here and here.

At least seven people have died in northeastern Iran amid severe flooding and heavy rainfall in the city of Mashhad, with local authorities warning the death toll may rise as rescue operations continue to hunt for individuals yet to be accounted for.

The floods were triggered by an intense rainfall that started earlier this week, inundating streets and sweeping away cars. Videos on social media show multiple vehicles being carried off by rushing waters.

According to local media reports, at least 12 people have been reported missing. The head of the Crisis Management Department of Khorasan Razavi Province, Reza Abbasi, confirmed that searches are ongoing in Torghabeh, Shandiz, Mashhad, and Fariman county.

Abbasi said authorities are working to ensure proper verification from forensic specialists before attributing deaths to the floods.

Of the confirmed casualties, five were from Mashhad and two from the surrounding rural areas of Fariman.

Abbasi urged residents of Mashhad to avoid unnecessary travel as poor weather conditions are expected to persist in the region through to the end of the week, posing risks of further flooding.

The Iranian Meteorological Organization issued a warning on May 16 for potential severe thunderstorms and heavy winds over the coming 24 hours, affecting several provinces including West and East Azerbaijan, Ardabil, and parts of the Alborz mountain range, among others.

This flooding has acted as a grim reminder of deadly floods in April 2019, when heavy rains in Shiraz triggered a major disaster that claimed 22 lives and caused extensive damage.

Experts say climate change has amplified droughts and floods that are plaguing Iran, and that their intensity and frequency threaten food security.

The Iranian Meteorological Organization has estimated that 97 percent of the country is experiencing drought to some degree.

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

A 6 billion-euro ($6.5 billion) development plan for the Western Balkans is a clear signal of the European Union's commitment to the economic and democratic transformation of the Western Balkans, Montenegrin Prime Minister Milojko Spajic said on May 16 at a summit of the region's six leaders.

The European Union approved the plan -- 2 billion euros in grants and 4 billion euros in loan guarantees -- in November to help the countries of the Western Balkans accelerate reforms and economic growth.

The plan envisaged by the EU is meant to speed up both the region's economic growth and its integration with the EU norms and legislation that would eventually bring membership in the bloc.

European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelji said at the last summit of Western Balkan leaders that the development plan could double the region's economic output over the next decade if timely reforms are implemented.

The "growth plan is no longer a draft, it is a reality we have started to implement," Varhelji said at a news conference at the summit on May 16 in Kotor, Montenegro.

"Because of the development plan and the intensity of aid from the economic and investment plan, the reform agenda, and additional financial aid until 2027, the Balkans will be ready...or could make itself ready to join the EU," said Varhelji.

SEE ALSO:

EU Envoy Urges Faster Reform Pace In Western Balkans, Touts 6 Billion Euro Development Plan

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia James O'Brien, who also took part in the summit, said the priorities of the plan are to reduce costs, facilitate market movement, and create jobs.

O'Brien added that access to the Single European Payment Area (SEPA), an EU payment initiative aimed at simplification of bank transfers in euros, would reduce the cost of transfers by as much as 7 percent.

"This will reduce the cost of borrowing, which will allow businesses to expand," O'Brien said.

Borjana Kristo, president of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia-Herzegovina, said that there is consensus in her country that the main foreign policy goal is the path to joining European Union, while Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti confirmed his commitment to reforms that need to be implemented under the plan.

Kurti also called on Serbia to prosecute those responsible for last year's deadly attack by armed Serbs on Kosovar police officers in the village of Banjska in northern Kosovo.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said that the growth plan will bring good results to the region. Belgrade is the single-largest recipient of the plan.

"We appreciate and are grateful for the money, but more important than the money are the structural reforms that we have to implement, and we appreciate that very much."

He also said he is convinced that the countries of the region will not enter the EU before Ukraine.

"My intelligence tells me that it will be like that," he said, adding that he knows that the EU is "very popular in your countries," but "not so much in mine."

With reporting by Reuters

The United States announced sanctions on May 16 on two Russian individuals and three Russian companies for facilitating arms transfers between Russia and North Korea, including ballistic missiles for use in Ukraine. It is the latest round of sanctions imposed by the U.S. Treasury and State departments to disrupt and expose arms transfers between the two countries, a Treasury Department statement said. "Today's action reflects our commitment to disrupt [North Korea's] deepening military cooperation with Russia," said Brian Nelson, undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence. Pyongyang has been providing ballistic missiles and munitions to Russia and seeking military assistance in return, the statement said.

TBILISI -- Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said his visit to Tbilisi this week was meant to show support for demonstrators opposed to Georgia's "foreign agent" bill and to warn against a "fateful decision" that could derail all the work the country has done toward becoming an EU member.

Landsbergis, who spoke with RFE/RL's Georgian Service on May 15, said he hopes his visit to Georgia shows the Caucasus nation that it faces a choice between one path leading to the European Union and another that "brings you closer to Russia."

What he heard "loud and clear" from Georgians during his visit was that "it's obviously clear that Georgia belongs to Europe," he said. And he heard nothing that made him think this was a "forced" or "ambiguous, short-term decision."

But he said he wanted to visit Georgia to "ring the bell and raise a red flag," that if the "foreign agent" bill -- approved earlier this week by parliament -- becomes law, Georgia's EU membership bid may hang in the balance.

"We hear the Georgian people when we think about Georgia, so losing that is a very big decision," he said.

SEE ALSO:

Georgian President Calls 'Foreign Agent' Law 'Unacceptable'

Tens of thousands of Georgians have been demonstrating against the "foreign agent" bill, which is backed by the ruling Georgian Dream party and was passed by parliament on May 14. The demonstrations, which have at times been met with violence from security officers, have opposed Georgia shifting away from a pro-Western course.

The legislation requires media outlets, NGOs, and other nonprofits to register as "pursuing the interests of a foreign power" if more than 20 percent of their funding comes from abroad.

Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has pledged to veto the bill in the coming days, however the dominant position of Georgian Dream and its partners in parliament is strong enough to override a presidential veto.

Landsbergis said requiring NGOs and other organizations that have operations in Georgia to be labeled as foreign agents because they "raise questions that you don't like" is not democratic and is not in compliance with the European standards.

He added that if it's transparency the Georgian government seeks by pursuing the law, there are "European ways" to achieve these goals, and the European Commission and partner countries such as Lithuania can help Georgia understand how to implement them.

Landsbergis, who met with Zurabishvili during his visit, said he expressed concern over the violence that authorities have used against demonstrators, saying this also conflicts the goal of pursuing a European path.

"It's truly worrying what we see happening in the street when it comes to intimidations and brutality," he said. "This has to stop."

Peaceful protest has to be allowed and protected, he added, "so that people can have a voice in the matters that are important to them."

Landsbergis said the authorities had used "concerted" intimidation against the demonstrators and this means they have been planned and organized. He said he and the other ministers raised questions about the violence in their talks with government officials and said they expected the incidents would be investigated.

"We brought it up in every meeting that we had," he said.

Security officers in Astana on May 16 detained Kazakh activist Aidar Syzdyqov on unspecified charges. Syzdyqov's wife, Aigul Toqpaeva, shared a video showing Syzdyqov being taken away by Spetsnaz officers. Toqpaeva said she went to a police station hoping to find her husband there, but had to rush home after her neighbors said police were searching her apartment. Later, officers leaving her residential building tried to take her telephone to prevent her from filming them. They told her they were from the anti-drugs directorate. Syzdyqov is an activist of the unregistered opposition Algha, Qazaqstan (Forward, Kazakhstan) party. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Kazakh Service, click here.

Russia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on May 16 that it summoned a representative of the British Embassy in Moscow to inform them that the United Kingdom's defense attache, A. T. Coghill, had been declared persona non grata and must leave the country within a week. The ministry said the move was a response to a British decision on May 8 to expel Russia's defense attache. British Interior Minister James Cleverly said at the time that London's move was made in response to Moscow's "malign activity."

The Russian Prosecutor-General's Office said on May 16 it had labeled the independent news outlet SOTA an "undesirable organization" amid an ongoing crackdown on free media. The office said SOTA's materials aim "to destabilize social and political situation in Russia...damage the spiritual and moral basis of Russian society...and...discredit Russian armed forces." The "undesirable organization" law, adopted in 2015, targets NGOs and media outlets that receive funding from foreign sources. Russian officials have used the designation, which was expanded in 2021, to marginalize dozens of foreign organizations. Russia in February labeled Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty an "undesirable organization." To read the original story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here.

A Moscow court on May 16 extended the pretrial detention of four Tajik nationals suspected of carrying out a terrorist attack on the Crocus City Hall concert venue in March that left more than 140 people dead. The Basmanny district court ruled that Saidakram Rajabalizoda, Dalerjon Mirzoev, Muhammadsobir Faizov, and Shamsiddin Fariduni must stay in custody until at least August 22. Hours later, the court extended the pretrial detentions of four other Tajik citizens accused of assisting in the attack. Several other Tajik nationals and a Kyrgyz-born Russian citizen were arrested for their alleged involvement in the attack. To read the original story on RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here.

Kyrgyzstan's State Committee for National Security (UKMK) said on May 16 that it detained 28 Pakistani nationals a day earlier for "working illegally" in a sewing shop in Bishkek. According to the UKMK, their foreigners' entry visas had expired. Those in custody were sent to a detention center for the Interior Ministry's anti-extremism and migration service. On May 15, Bishkek police shut down delivery services conducted by more than 400 foreign students on motorcycles and scooters, citing traffic safety concerns. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service, click here.

Fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor has obtained Russian citizenship and identity documents, Moldovan authorities confirmed on May 16, a move that runs counter to current legislation in the tiny country wedged between Ukraine and Romania.

Shor, who was sentenced to 15 years in June last year for his role in a $1 billion bank fraud and other illicit schemes, has been under both U.S. and European Union sanctions for his attempts to destabilize Moldova, one of Europe's poorest nations.

Shor, who founded the pro-Moscow Shor Party, fled Moldova following pro-Western President Maia Sandu's election in 2020 and has been reportedly hiding in Israel, whose citizenship he also possesses.

Shor was granted Russian citizenship and obtained a passport in January, according to information obtained by Moldovan authorities, police spokeswoman Diana Fetco said. Fetco said Russian authorities failed to officially notify Chisinau that Shor had become a Russian citizen.

Viorel Tentiu, the chief of the Moldovan brach of Interpol, told local media that Shor got Russian citizenship at the beginning of this year and now has three passports -- Moldovan, Israeli, and Russian -- although Moldovan legislation only allows dual citizenship.

The Shor Party was declared unconstitutional by Moldova's Constitutional Court and dissolved in June last after it organized months of antigovernment protests in Chisinau with the aim of toppling Sandu and her reformist government. Shor orchestrated the protests from abroad, addressing the rallies via video ink.

U.S.-educated Sandu has been working to shake off Moscow's decades-long influence on the former Soviet republic and bring the country closer to the European Union. Moldova received an invitation to open accession negotiations with the 27-member bloc in June 2022.

Separately, nine lawmakers formerly affiliated with the banned Shor Party announced in Parliament on May 16 that they have established a new parliamentary group called Victorie-Pobeda whose main aim is to unite the opposition against Sandu when she stands for re-election in October.

Following the announcement, speaker Igor Grosu ordered an "assessment" of the legality of the new group, which was reportedly formed on April 21 in Moscow.

A court in Kazakhstan has fined two activists from the Feminita movement that defends women's rights for taking part in an unsanctioned rally in Almaty to protest against a 24-year prison sentence handed to former Economy Minister Quandyq Bishimbaev for violently beating his wife to death last year. Gulbaqyt Otebai and Gulzada Serzhan were ordered each to pay a 184,000 tenge ($415) fine for organizing and taking part in an unsanctioned public event. Both women had pleaded not guilty. Otebai and Serzhan were among several activists of Feminita who marched to demand a life sentence for Bishimbaev. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Kazakh Service, click here.

Dozens of residents of the town of Qulsary in Kazakhstan's western region of Atyrau have demanded immediate and higher compensation to allow them to rebuild their lives after devastating floods caused by abrupt warm weather in late March that led to massive snowmelt.

Protesters gathered in front of the town's administrative building told RFE/RL on May 16 that they spent the previous night at the site, adding that the number of the protesters during the night was much higher.

The protesters have set up three tents at the site and say they plan to stay there until their demands are met by local administrators.

Police officers have monitored the protest, which has remained peaceful.

The protesters are demanding the government calculate compensation at 400,000 tenges ($903) per square meter, while the officials say the calculations will be made by 200,000-240,000 tenges per square meter.

• RFE/RL's Russian Service
• RFE/RL's Kazakh Service
• RFE/RL's Tajik Service

As the worst flooding in living memory persists, floodwaters continue to wreak havoc across Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Russia, prompting the mass evacuation of more than 125,000 people.

Officials also said earlier that only those whose houses were damaged, but not fully destroyed, will receive cash for repair works, while those whose houses were fully destroyed will receive newly built homes.

Funds for the program will go directly to construction companies, a system the protesters rejected saying they want all financial compensation to be given directly to them.

"We demand cash. If they give us money, we will decide ourselves if we want to build new houses at sites we choose or buy new houses," one of the protesters told RFE/RL.

About 3,000 private homes were either damaged or destroyed by the floods. Officials condemned some 570 houses affected by the floods, saying they are beyond repair.

In recent weeks, several regions in Kazakhstan’s north and adjacent Russian regions have faced devastating floods caused by abrupt warm weather that led to a massive snowmelt.

Qulsary, with some 66,000 residents, was the worst-hit area in Kazakhstan.

A Russian rights movement said on May 16 that police detained activist Olga Suvorova in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk while she was visiting a doctor following surgery and took her to a psychiatric clinic against her will for unknown reasons. According to the Myagkaya Sila (Soft Power) movement, police detained Suvorova to prevent her from participating in a gathering of the Rassvet (Dawn) political party led by would-be presidential candidate Yekaterina Duntsova, whose registration for the March presidential election was rejected by election officials. Suvorova is an active member of Duntsova’s party. She has faced police pressure in the past. To read the original story by RFE/RL's North.Realities, click here.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who was critically injured in an assassination attempt, has regained consciousness and is in "serious but stable condition" a day after being shot several times by a "lone wolf" gunman in an attack that has sent shock waves across the country and Europe as a whole.

Deputy Prime Minister Robert Kalinak told reporters on May 16 that it is still too early to say whether the 59-year-old Slovak leader would recover from the attack because of "the extent of the injuries caused by four gunshot wounds."

But some positive signs could be seen, President-elect Peter Pellegrini told reporters after visiting Fico.

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"He is able to speak but only a few sentences and then he is really tired because he is on some medication," Pellegrini, a key ally of the prime minister, added.

Hospital officials in the central Slovak city of Banska Bystrica said the 59-year-old populist leader underwent five hours of surgery performed by two teams of doctors late on May 15 on multiple gunshot wounds that left Fico fighting for his life.

"During the night doctors managed to stabilize the patient's condition," Deputy Prime Minister Robert Kalinak told reporters gathered at the hospital where Fico was being treated.

"Unfortunately, his condition is still very serious as the injuries are complicated," Kalinak, who is also the defense minister and a close ally of Fico in his Smer-SD party, said, adding the attack had a "political motive."

WATCH: 'An Attack On Democracy': Leaders Condemn Shooting Of Slovak PM Fico

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Local media reported on May 16 that police have charged Fico's suspected attacker, who was subdued by security officers within seconds of the shooting, with attempted murder. The suspect's name has not been released, but reports said he is a 71-year-old man.

"This is a lone wolf who had radicalized himself recently after the presidential election (in April)," Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok said, adding that an initial investigation showed there was “a clear political motivation” behind the attack on Fico.

The shooting has rattled the nation of around 5 million people in the heart of Central Europe, and comes after a particularly bruising and polarizing election campaign last year that propelled Fico to the prime minister's office for the fourth time.

"When I first found out this information, I was really surprised and really sad about this because I think that this is not the resolution," a woman told RFE/RL in Bratislava on May 16. "People shouldn’t act like this and this conflict I hope will end and people will accept each other."

Another woman said that situation is "really horrible for everyone involved, for our country, for its head, and for his family mainly."

President Zuzana Caputova called on May 16 for an end to a "vicious circle of hatred" sweeping Slovakia.

"Let's step out of the vicious circle of hatred and mutual accusations. What happened yesterday was an individual act, but the tense atmosphere of hatred has been our collective work," she said in a statement.

Fico was shot several times from close range as he walked to greet a small crowd following a government meeting in the town of Handlova, nearly 200 kilometer northeast of the capital, Bratislava.

Video from the scene showed Fico approach the crowd of mainly elderly people when several shots rang out. He then slumped backward to the ground. Secret service officers quickly rushed to his aid and carried him to a car that sped off toward a local medical facility before he was airlifted to a hospital in Banska Bystrica.

Deputy Prime Minister Tomas Taraba later told the BBC in an interview late on May 15 that "fortunately, as far as I know the operation went well -- and I guess in the end he will survive...he's not in a life threatening situation at this moment."

"He was heavily injured -- one bullet went thought the stomach and the second one hit the joint -- immediately he was transported to the hospital and then to the operation," Taraba said.

Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok told reporters that an initial investigation showed there was “a clear political motivation” behind the attack on Fico.

The shooting has been condemned by leaders around the world who expressed shock that a peaceful democracy like Slovakia would be the place of such a crime.

"This is terrible for everyone involved. For the country, for its head, for his family mainly," a woman in Bratislava told RFE/RL.

The shooting also has been condemned by leaders around the world who expressed shock that a peaceful democracy like Slovakia would be the place of such a crime.

"Such acts of violence have no place in our society and undermine democracy, our most precious common good. My thoughts are with PM Fico, his family," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the "news of the cowardly assassination attempt on Slovakian Prime Minister Fico shocks me deeply. Violence must have no place in European politics."

U.S. President Joe Biden said he was alarmed by the reports of the attack on Fico. He said he and his wife, first lady Jill Biden, were praying for a swift recovery, "and our thoughts are with his family and the people of Slovakia."

Biden also said in a statement that he condemned "this horrific act of violence" and said the U.S. Embassy "is in close touch with the government of Slovakia and ready to assist.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy denounced the attack, saying that every effort should be made to ensure that violence does not become the norm in any country.

A populist who has taken several extreme policy positions over the years, Fico has been a critic of military support for Ukraine in its battle to repel Russian troops.

His coalition government halted Slovak shipments of weapons for Kyiv and opposes sanctions against Moscow for the Ukraine invasion. Fico has also said he would veto any move to invite Ukraine to join the NATO military alliance.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin called the assassination attempt "a despicable crime" in a message to Caputova.

Analysts said the attack on Fico pointed to the deep political polarization in Slovakia that has emerged over the past year. They added that the EU member was not alone in experiencing such divisiveness, with many countries across Europe being in a similar situation.

Since the election, Fico’s government, which includes the far-right nationalist SNS party, has taken several decisions that have sparked protests and accusations from the opposition that the prime minister was eroding democratic institutions to tighten his grip on power.

Slovakia's largest opposition party had planned a protest against government reforms to the public broadcaster later on May 15, but canceled the event due to the shooting.

The rally was called because last month Fico’s cabinet backed a Culture Ministry proposal to abolish the existing Radio and Television of Slovakia and replace it with a new body, Slovak Television and Radio.

The new entity’s director-general is to be chosen by a council comprised of members appointed by the cabinet and the Fico-controlled parliament.

Last year, parliament approved a plan to close the special prosecutor’s office that oversaw sensitive corruption cases and serious crimes, raising concerns in the EU that Fico was eroding the rule of law in the country.

Fico said the office had abused its authority.

Magomed Daudov, a close associate of the authoritarian ruler of Russia's Chechnya region in the North Caucasus, Ramzan Kadyrov, resigned as the speaker of the Chechen parliament on May 15 after serving in the post for nine years. Daudov is under U.S. and British sanctions over his role in mass violations of human rights in Chechnya. Last year, the Ukrainian Security Service launched a probe against Daudov, accusing him of actively taking part in Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Kadyrov said on Telegram that the deputy speaker of the Chechen parliament Shaid Zhamaldayev, 69, has replaced Daudov. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Caucasus.Realities, click here.

A court in Russia's Far East has again refused to transfer to a less restrictive psychiatric clinic a Yakut shaman who became known across the country in 2019 for his attempts to march to Moscow to drive President Vladimir Putin out of the Kremlin. Aleksandr Gabyshev's lawyer, Aleksei Pryanishnikov, said on May 16 that he will once more appeal the court's decision. Several recommendations to transfer Gabyshev to a general psychiatric clinic have been rejected since he was placed in a restrictive clinic against his will in July 2021. The Memorial human rights group has recognized Gabyshev as a political prisoner. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Siberia.Realities, click here.

Russian President Vladimir Putin praised his strengthening partnership with China during a state visit to Beijing where Chinese leader Xi Jinping pledged to play a constructive role in helping Europe return to “peace and stability.”

The two leaders -- who declared a “no limits” partnership between their country shortly before Moscow’s February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine -- said during a joint appearance on May 16 that they signed new documents to deepen cooperation between their countries.

Putin, who is looking for more support to sustain his country’s isolated economy and war machine in Ukraine, said their relationship is “one of the main stabilizing factors in the international arena.”

Xi said the two countries were furthering their relationship as “good neighbors, good friends, good partners,” and that both he and Putin agreed on the need for a “political solution” to the war in Ukraine.

“China hopes for the early return of Europe to peace and stability and will continue to play a constructive role toward this,” Xi said, speaking alongside Putin.

Despite expressing neutrality towards the war in Ukraine, China has emerged as the Kremlin's leading international supporter by supplying Russia with key components that Moscow needs for its productions of weapons and as a vital consumer for oil and gas that has helped boost the Russian economy.

SEE ALSO:

Putin Heads To China With Military Ties Front And Center

The high-profile state visit comes as Russian forces have made small advances on the battlefield and pressed an offensive in northeastern Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, already forcing almost 8,000 people to flee their homes.

In February 2023, China offered a broad 12-point plan for peace outlining general principles for ending the war in Ukraine, but didn’t offer new specifics on how Beijing might be prepared to engage with both sides of the conflict.

On the eve of Putin’s departure to Beijing, he said in an interview with China’s state-run official Xinhua News Agency that the Kremlin was willing to begin negotiations over Ukraine under certain conditions.

“We are open to a dialogue on Ukraine, but such negotiations must take into account the interests of all countries involved in the conflict, including ours,” Putin was quoted as saying in a written interview.

Xi recently returned from a trip to Europe where he visited France, Serbia, and Hungary and discussed the war in Ukraine on his tour with European leaders.

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China In Eurasia Briefing: What We Learned From Xi's Trip To Europe

Putin said that he would inform Xi about “the situation around the Ukrainian crisis” during their informal dinner in the evening, where the leaders, along with a substantive delegation of top officials, will meet behind closed doors.

Before their remarks, Xi and Putin signed a joint statement on deepening their comprehensive strategic partnership between their two countries.

Xi described negotiations as “frank, friendly, and substantive,” while Putin said that they had been “warm and businesslike.”

Russia has become increasingly economically dependent on China as Western sanctions cut its access to much of the international trading system and Putin said that Russian and Chinese banks would be strengthening their contacts. He also praised Xi’s signature Belt and Road Initiative.

Neither leader commented on the status of the Power of Siberia-2 gas pipeline, which would supply China with gas from fields previously serving European markets.

Following informal meetings and a state dinner, Putin will travel on May 17 to attend an economic forum in Harbin, a city in northeastern China with strong cultural, historical, and business ties to Russia.

A Russian court has replaced a 10 1/2 year prison term in the drugs-related conviction of a former leader of the banned Open Russia rights group, Lia Milushkina, with a more lenient sentence in a case widely considered to be politically motivated.

A court in the city of Pskov ruled on May 16 that Milushkina's prison term must be replaced by 18 months of so-called "correctional work."

The punishment defined as "correctional work" in Russia means that convicts stay home and work at their permanent jobs, with certain portions of their salaries being deducted by the State Treasury during the assigned term.

In August 2021, a court in Pskov, sentenced Milushkina to 10 1/2 years in prison and her husband, Artyom Milushkin, to 11 years after finding them guilty of illegal drug trafficking.

Milushkina is the former coordinator of the local branch of the Open Russia rights group linked to exiled Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Her prison sentence was deferred until 2024 because the couple has two young children.

Several Khodorkovsky-linked organizations have been banned or otherwise targeted in recent years under so-called “foreign agent” laws, including the pro-democracy Open Russia movement.

The couple was arrested in January 2019 and charged with selling a large amount of drugs based on testimony given by anonymous witnesses and a police agent whose drug addiction came up during the trial. The police officer is now serving time for drug possession.

Milushkin was also charged with arson.

During the trial, the defendants said they were arrested before a rally against arbitrary police practices and officers planted the drugs.

The activists say the charges are politically motivated because they often organized and participated in protests in Pskov, a city 700 kilometers northwest of Moscow.

After the verdict was read, Artyom Milushkin broke the benches inside a cage where defendants are seated for hearings.

In May 2021, Open Russia ceased operations to protect its members.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian praised a controversial border-demarcation deal with Azerbaijan, calling it a great success in opening remarks to a cabinet meeting on May 16 as dozens of protesters opposing the agreement gathered again outside the government building, which was cordoned off by police in riot gear.

Protesters led by a charismatic cleric, Archbishop Bagrat Galstanian, have been opposed to what they call “unilateral territorial concessions” to Azerbaijan as they demand Pashinian’s resignation over his security policies.

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Armenian Archbishop Leads Fresh Protests Pressing For PM's Resignation

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Pashinian and his government have dismissed the opposition’s criticism and reject the resignation demand.

To read the original story by RFE/RL's Armenian Service, click here.

TBILISI -- Georgia's president has called a contentious "foreign agent" law approved by parliament earlier this week "unacceptable" and "not consistent" with the country's path toward Euro-Atlantic institutions.

Thousands of people have taken to the streets of the capital, Tbilisi, to protest the government-supported law, which has been condemned by the United States, the European Union, and rights watchdogs for emulating a similar piece of Russian legislation used by President Vladimir Putin to crush dissent and stifle independent institutions.

“It’s unacceptable because it reflects a turn of the Georgian attitudes towards the civil society, towards the media and towards the recommendations of the European Commission that are not consistent with what is our declared policy of going towards a European integration,” President Salome Zurabishvili told the Associated Press in an interview on May 16.

Zurabishvili has pledged to veto the law in the coming days and has warned that Georgia's survival as a state was in danger because of the legilstion, which requires media outlets, NGOs, and other nonprofits to register as "pursuing the interests of a foreign power" if more than 20 percent of their funding comes from abroad.

Zurabishvili, who is at odds with the ruling Georgian Dream party that pushed the legislation through parliament, has 10 days from the day of the vote to exercise her veto powers. However, the dominant position of Georgian Dream and its partners in parliament is strong enough to override a presidential veto.

Similar legislation in Russia has been used to stifle dissent and curb independent media, prompting Georgians to refer to the measure as "the Russian law."

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'You Have To Choose Politics Or Work': The Georgians Fired For Protesting

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On May 15, protesters marched along with the foreign ministers of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Iceland in a gesture of solidarity with Georgians' Western aspirations.

"I want a future for the Georgian people where its European place is guaranteed," Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis told cheering crowds outside parliament late on May 15.

"We have started this journey together and our nations know what it means to be under the pressure of Moscow. We will never leave you, but all of us must shape the destiny of our nations," said Landsbergis, whose country, like Georgia and Estonia, used to be part of the former Soviet Union before declaring independence as communism collapsed more than three decades ago.

An RFE/RL source in Brussels said European Council President Charles Michel held talks with Zurabishvilil and Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, where he stressed that the Georgian people must determine their own future. Michel told Kobakhidze to search for a way out of the political turbulence, the source said.

Kobakhidze has accused the protesters of "following the agenda of the political minority" and charged that they were showing a "great irresponsibility" toward their country.

The Georgian Dream-controlled security forces have repeatedly cracked down violently on protesters in recent weeks using water cannons, tear gas, and rubber bullets.

SEE ALSO:

'Rubber Bullets And Beatings': Victims, Eyewitnesses Talk Of Violence Against Georgian Protesters

Activist Davit Katsarava, who had been violently detained outside parliament and had sustained serious injuries to his face on May 14, recalled his ordeal in an interview with RFE/RL from his hospital bed.

"They cuffed my hands behind my back and called in a minivan that was parked nearby. I was brought to the minivan and heard one of them order others: Make a [human] ring. About 10 men beat me mercilessly," a bedridden Katsarava, whose face still bore visible traces of serious injuries, told RFE/RL.

"After two or three minutes, three of them followed me into the van and my [beating] continued there. My whole face and my head were bloody and swollen. They took out a phone and started filming. I heard one of them say [they were sending the video to someone]," Katsarava said.

Doctors said he had suffered a broken clavicle and fractured jaw and had undergone surgery.

The turbulence has begun to affect the country's economy, forcing the central bank on May 16 to intervene on the local market to support the Lari, the national currency, which had dropped almost 5 percent during the day to a near two-year low amid fears of a prolonged political crisis over the law.

Russian authorities added 17-year-old anti-war activist Yegor Balazeikin to the country's list of terrorists and extremists on May 15. Balazeikin was sentenced to six years in prison in November for throwing Molotov cocktails at recruitment centers in Kirovsk and St. Petersburg in February 2023 in protest at Moscow's war in Ukraine. He said his actions were strongly influenced by the death of his uncle, who was killed after volunteering to fight in Ukraine. The prosecutor said Balazeikin could not “hide behind” his uncle’s death, but said the defendant's age, health, and his confession were considered in determining the sentence. To read the original story by RFE/RL’s North.Realities, click here.