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- By RFE/RL
COVID-19: Moscow Has App To Monitor Quarantine; Belarus Denies First Fatality
The global death toll has surpassed 45,000 with over 900,000 infections confirmed, causing mass disruptions as governments continue to try to slow the spread of the new respiratory illness.
Here's a roundup of developments in RFE/RL's broadcast countries.
Russia
Moscow authorities say they have developed a smartphone application to help control the movement of residents during the coronavirus lockdown.
The head of the Moscow city IT department, Eduard Lysenko, said on April 1 that the program, which is still being tested, won't be mandatory for all residents, just those who have been confirmed with the coronavirus.
The app will collect user data from smartphones and then forward it without encryption to the servers of the app's developers.
While the developers claim the app will help ensure public safety, some critics are concerned about how much private data and access it will give on private individuals to officials.
Vladislav Zdolnikov, the author of the Telegram channel "IT and Sorm," said he studied the app's code and found that it transmits all data to the Moscow city administration without encryption, meaning it could potentially be used to collect personal data -- including access to a phone's camera, photo gallery, Internet usage, call history, and messaging -- on individuals who have nothing to do with city officials.
The daily Kommersant said earlier that Moscow authorities may oblige residents to receive QR codes anytime they wish to exit their homes.
As of April 1, Russia had officially recorded 2,777 cases of the coronavirus, an increase of 440 cases over the previous day. A total of 24 people have died from COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.
Some critics have accused the government of underreporting figures on the outbreak.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin said Putin had decided to handle his duties remotely after the head of Moscow's Kommunarka hospital tested positive for coronavirus following a meeting with the president last week, during which the two shook hands.
"These days distance work will be used by the president to the maximum extent," Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists, adding that Putin was at a presidential residence outside Moscow.
Peskov has said the president is healthy and being regularly tested for the virus.
Earlier on April 1, Putin signed legislation that allows the government to declare a state of national emergency as it battles to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
The law was approved by parliament's lower chamber, the State Duma, the day before.
The legislation allows the government to declare an emergency situation across the country and to establish mandatory rules of conduct during a state of emergency.
Officials have been tightening restrictions on the movement of people in recent days amid a spike in the number of reported coronavirus cases in Russia, especially in the capital, Moscow, which has all but confined its 12 million residents to their homes.
St. Petersburg, Russia's second-largest city, and more than 20 other regions from the westernmost exclave of Kaliningrad to the Arctic region of Murmansk and Tatarstan on the Volga River, have followed Moscow's example by introducing compulsory self-isolation regimes.
Earlier, thousands of new conscripts who were to begin their conscription into Russia's armed forces were told to stay home and wait because of the coronavirus outbreak.
Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu ordered a delay to the regular spring armed-forces draft that was to start on April 1, telling the draft commission to send new conscripts to military units no earlier than May 20.
The draft process was originally scheduled to run from April 1 to July 15.
A 12-month stint in the armed forces is mandatory for all male Russian citizens -- with few exceptions -- between 18 and 27 years of age.
Conscription occurs twice a year, in spring and autumn.
Avoiding the draft is a felony offense under Russia's Criminal Code and punishable by up to two years in prison.
Neighboring Kazakhstan and Ukraine postponed their spring drafts to the armed forces last month.
Belarus
Belarusian authorities say the death of a man who died on March 30 in the eastern city of Vitsebsk was not because of the coronavirus, discounting what had appeared to be the country's first fatality from the outbreak.
Relatives of Viktar Dashkevich received autopsy papers and a death certificate late on March 31 which put the cause of death for the 75-year-old actor from the National Drama Theater in Vitsebsk as "unspecified pneumonia."
Dashkevich was hospitalized with pneumonia and chronic lung disease on March 21. One of two coronavirus tests performed on him had come back as positive.
Belarus's approach to the outbreak has been criticized by some for lacking transparency, especially with regard to the reporting of cases.
A Belarusian news-website editor who published an article on the coronavirus was arrested on March 25 and charged with “receiving a bribe,” which carries a possible 10-year prison sentence.
The arrest of Syarhey Satsuk, director and editor in chief of the online news outlet Ej.by has been questioned by rights activists since it came three days after he published an editorial criticizing Lukashenka's approach to the coronavirus epidemic and casting doubt on official infection figures.
Satsuk is also known for his previous reporting on corruption issues in the health sector.
Jeanne Cavelier, the head of Reporters Without Border’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia desk, has called the arrest “a warning to media that question the Belarusian government’s health-care policies.”
Bulgaria
All Bulgarian lawmakers will undergo coronavirus tests on April 1 after one member of parliament tested positive for the COVID-19 disease, National Assembly Speaker Tsveta Karayancheva has told an emergency briefing.
The lawmaker who has tested positive is Hasan Ademov, a member of the center-right Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF), Karayancheva told the briefing in the parliament building late on March 31.
General Ventsislav Mutafchiiski, the chief of Bulgaria's National Operations Headquarters, said on April 1 that Ademov was in hospital, but did not provide any other details.
The 240-member parliament is scheduled to hold a session on budget updates on April 2. It was not immediately clear if the meeting will go ahead as planned.
Why Numbers Don’t Tell The Full Story
A daily compilation of global coronavirus cases by Johns Hopkins University is currently the most comprehensive in the world, but it relies on information provided by governments.
In many countries, there are restrictions on releasing such information or reasons why the full story might not want to be told.
The methodology, immediacy, transparency, and quality of this data can vary dramatically country by country.
On March 31, the Bulgarian government rescinded an order requiring people to wear medical masks in public places to protect against the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, just one day after it issued the order.
Health Minister Kiril Ananiev canceled the requirement on March 31 after hundreds of people filed a lawsuit against the order, claiming there are not enough medical masks available for the public.
The plaintiffs in the lawsuit argued that the law should not be in place until the government could issue enough masks to the population.
Ananiev said in a statement that he still supported the mandatory use of a face covering “as another means of preventing the spread of the virus.”
He added, however, “As I do not have full agreement, I have just signed an order canceling [the order] until consensus is reached in our society."
On March 30, the Health Ministry had ordered that "all persons, when in indoor or outdoor public places, are required to have a face mask on.”
The moves come as Bulgaria, along with the rest of the world, struggles to stem the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
As of late March 31, Bulgaria had confirmed nearly 400 cases of coronaviirus infections and eight deaths. However, experts caution that it is impossible to determine the actual number of infections in any country because of the lack of testing.
Bulgaria, the poorest member of the European Union, has closed schools, restaurants, and bars, restricted intercity travel and access to parks, and banned all domestic and foreign holidays and trips until at least April 13 to contain the spread of the outbreak.
Other countries, including Slovakia and the Czech Republic, have ordered the use of masks in public, either at all times or when shopping and conducting other actions.
Romania
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases continues to grow in Romania, where the death toll has reached 85.
The government's crisis group on April 1 reported seven more fatalities and 215 more infections, bringing the number of those infected to 2,460, with 34 patients in serious condition.
Almost 120,000 people are in self-isolation, while more than 12,000 others are under quarantine.
Critics say that the number of tests has been insufficient. With a population of 19.5 million, Romania has performed some 26,600 tests, while fellow EU member the Czech Republic, a country of 10.6 million, has tested more than 55,000 people.
A total of 196 Romanians have been confirmed positive abroad, most of them in Spain and Italy -- two of the countries most affected by the pandemic -- while 24 others have died of COVID-19 in Italy, France, and other Western countries.
The northeastern city of Suceava, where more than a quarter of all cases were registered, has been in lockdown since March 31.
With a population of just over 100,000, Suceava had more than 600 cases and one-third of all Romania's fatalities. More than half of the country's 285 infected doctors, nurses, and other medical staff were in Suceava, officials said.
Authorities say the spread was caused by poor management and corruption at the Suceava hospital, where infected medical personnel were allowed to mingle with healthy colleagues, while people with connections to the local elite jumped the line to be tested even when that was not apparently necessary.
The quarantine will last until mid-April, when a 30-day nationwide state of emergency declared on March 16 is set to end.
The growing number of medical personnel confirmed positive has prompted many doctors, paramedics, nurses, and auxiliary personnel to leave their jobs, either in frustration at the lack of medical supplies or because of fatigue or sheer panic.
Armenia
Armenia has suspended public transport in the capital, Yerevan, as the authorities announced the death of a fourth patient infected with the novel coronavirus.
The 89-year-old patient suffered from multiple medical conditions, including arterial hypertension and diabetes, officials said on April 1.
Earlier in the day, the Health Ministry said the number of confirmed coronavirus cases had risen by 39 to 571 in the previous 24 hours, the highest number in the South Caucasus region.
Meanwhile, all subway and bus services were suspended in Yerevan in an effort to slow the spread of the respiratory illness.
People can use taxis or their cars, but they must be able to prove that they left their homes for work or another urgent reason.
Law enforcement officers set up checkpoints on highways outside Yerevan and other cities and towns, checking every vehicle leaving or entering these communities.
On March 31, existing curbs on people's movement and the closure of most businesses in the country were extended until April 13.
Bus services between the capital and the rest of the country were halted last week.
Some Yerevan residents expressed anger over the temporary ban on public transport, saying they have to work and cannot afford taxis on a daily basis.
"I work in a hospital and also provide home care to a sick person," said Liana Babayan. "Working people should be able to use public transport. Let them just show their documents or have their temperature checked."
Iran
Iran's death toll from the coronavirus has passed 3,000, officials say, as President Hassan Rohani accused the United States of missing a "historic opportunity" to lift sanctions.
Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur on April 1 reported 138 fatalities in the previous 24 hours, bringing the total to 3,036.
The number of confirmed cases increased by 2,987 to 47,593, Jahanpur said.
Iran is one of the world's worst-hit countries, and there are concerns that the actual figures are much higher.
Speaking at a cabinet meeting, Rohani said Iranians had done "great work" and that the epidemic appeared to be receding in all provinces.
He also asserted the United States had missed a "historic opportunity" to lift the sanctions against Iran and "for once to say to the Iranian nation that they are not an anti-Iranian people."
Washington has insisted that medicines and medical equipment are exempt from its sanctions, but restrictions on Iran's banking system and an embargo on its oil exports have limited Iran's ability to purchase items.
Earlier this week, Britain, France and Germany used a special trading mechanism for the first time to send medical supplies to Iran in a way that does not violate U.S. sanctions.
The U.S. sanctions were imposed after President Donald Trump in 2018 withdrew the United States from a landmark nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers.
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyz President Sooronbai Jeenbekov has dismissed Deputy Prime Minister Altynai Omurbekova and Health Minister Kosmosbek Cholponbaev for their "failure" to adequately respond to the coronavirus outbreak.
The April 1 move comes after Jeenbekov sharply criticized official efforts to stem the outbreak, which has seen 111 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, including 11 children.
Jeenbekov was critical of preparations to deal with the outbreak, saying the number of infections was the result of "unsatisfactory efforts to take preventive measures."
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan has officially registered its third death due to the coronavirus.
The Health Ministry in Nur-Sultan said on April 1 that a coronavirus patient died in the central Qaraghandy region. It had previously reported that coronavirus patients had died in Nur-Sultan and the Aqmola region that surrounds the capital.
In a separate statement, the ministry said that, as of April 1, the number of coronavirus cases in the Central Asian nation had reached 369.
Uzbekistan
In Uzbekistan, a probe has been launched into a local lawmaker on suspicion of spreading false information about the coronavirus in the eastern city of Qoqon.
The Uzbek Prosecutor-General's Office said on April 1 that a member of the Qoqon city council, whose identity was not disclosed, is accused of placing an audio file on a social network, in which he gave false information regarding two individuals allegedly diagnosed with the virus.
As of April 1, the number of confirmed cases reported by health authorities in Uzbekistan was 173, including two deaths.
Turkmenistan
In neighboring Turkmenistan, which has not yet declared any cases of the coronavirus, authorities suspended the movement of freight transport through the country until May 1.
A Turkmen Foreign Ministry document on the suspension was made public by a Kazakh businessman and confirmed by two Turkmen diplomatic sources to the Reuters news agency.
Tajikistan
In Tajikistan, state penitentiary service chief Mansurjon Umarov told RFE/RL that all visits to inmates held in prisons and detention centers had been suspended as of March 31.
Tajikistan has also not declared any cases of the coronavirus.
Georgia
Police have set up checkpoints on roads into the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, to screen motorist for the coronavirus.
The new measures took effect on March 31. Medical personnel took the temperature of drivers and passengers, though not all infected people have a fever
With reporting by RFE/RL's Armenian, Belarus, Bulgarian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Romanian, Russian, Tajik, Turkmen, and Uzbek services, dpa, Reuters, Dii24.ro, Hotnews.ro, The Sofia Globe, Radio Racyja, Novaya gazeta, Krasnaya zvezda, Kommersant, Ekho Moskvy, and TASS
More News
- By Reuters
Belgium Orders 3 Chechens Jailed On Terrorism Charges
A Belgian judge ordered three Chechens jailed on terrorism-related charges, a day after police launched country-wide raids over fears of a possible attack. Six people in all appeared before the judge on July 26. Prosecutors said the judge found the three to be suspected members of an offshoot of the Islamic State extremist group, known as Islamic State Khorasan. The July 25 police raids were carried out in Brussels, and four other major cities, under judicial warrants. The country was hit by suicide bomb attacks at its main airport and in its subway system in 2016, attacks that killed 32 people and wounded hundreds.
3 Bulgarians Arrested In Vandalism Of Holocaust Memorial In Paris
Three Bulgarian citizens have been detained on suspicion of vandalizing the Holocaust Memorial in Paris in May, the State Agency for National Security (DANS) said on July 26.
Two of the Bulgarians were detained on July 25 in Bulgaria in a joint operation between DANS and the Interior Ministry. The third was detained in another EU country, the DANS said in a statement.
DANS said the detainees "gravitate around Bulgarian groups professing a far-right extremist ideology."
They are suspected of vandalizing the Holocaust Memorial by making 35 red palm prints on the monument. French authorities announced in May shortly after the graffiti appeared that it was investigating whether the desecration was coordinated by Russia.
DANS said Bulgarian law enforcement acted on a European arrest warrant issued on July 19 by French authorities into crimes, including participation in an organized criminal group and damage of property on ethnic, racial, and other grounds.
Investigators began tracking the Bulgarians in May when it identified three suspects who stayed in a hotel in Paris and then traveled to Belgium.
The French prosecutor's office told RFE/RL that the reservations were made from Bulgaria.
Investigators are looking into whether the graffiti was ordered by the Russian security services after a similar act of vandalism in October carried out by two Moldovans, who admitted to painting Stars of David on properties in Paris.
France blamed a Russian disinformation campaign for amplifying the graffiti on social media. The Russian Embassy in Paris condemned what it said were "groundless attempts" to seek a Russian connection.
The red palms on the Holocaust Memorial were meant to symbolize bloodstained hands and refer to Israel's war against Hamas, which has been designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. and Britain.
The vandalization took place on May 14, months into the war that erupted in October after Hamas launched an attack on Israel. Israel’s retaliatory offensive has sparked numerous protests in Western countries by pro-Palestinian groups who have drawn attention to the relatively high number of Palestinian deaths and the conditions of Palestinian refugees.
The Paris Holocaust Memorial is inscribed with the names of 3,900 men and women who helped save Jews from persecution during the World War II Nazi occupation of France.
Prosecutors are investigating damage to a protected historical building for national, ethnic, racial or religious motives. The penalty for the vandalism may be more severe if discrimination is proved.
Noted Member Of Banned Tajik Political Party Dies In Prison
A noted member of the banned Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT), Muhammadali Faizmuhammad, died in a Tajik prison infirmary at the age of 65, his relatives told RFE/RL on July 26. According to the relatives, Faizmuhammad had heart problems and diabetes. He was arrested in September 2015 along with 13 other members of the IRPT and later sentenced to 23 years in prison. Tajikistan outlawed the opposition group in 2015, branding it a terrorist organization, a claim the party denies. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Tajik Service, click here.
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Poland Approves Bill Allowing Use Of Arms At Belarus Border
Polish lawmakers voted on July 26 in favor of a bill making it easier for security services to use weapons at the Poland-Belarus border, legislation that has public support but that critics say infringes human rights. Poland has been dealing with an influx of migrants at the border since 2021. Both Warsaw and the EU say Belarus and Russia have been orchestrating the crisis by flying in migrants from the Middle East and Africa. The situation turned tragic in June when a Polish soldier was fatally stabbed through the border fence. The bill would allow security services to use force including firearms on the border in certain emergency situations.
Russia's Central Bank Raises Key Interest Rate To 18 Percent
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Finland Suspects Russian Vessel Of Territorial Violation
Finland suspects a Russian vessel violated the country's territorial waters on July 26, the Finnish Defense Ministry said in a statement. The ministry said the border guard is investigating the incident, which it said took place in the eastern Gulf of Finland. The border guard's chief investigator said the ship was a seabed exploration vessel operating under the Russian Navy's Baltic Sea fleet. Petter Stauffer told Finland's Helsingin Sanomat newspaper that the ship was escorted out of the area by a Finnish border guard vessel and that the incident lasted around 7 minutes. Relations between Finland and Russia have soured since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which prompted Helsinki to join NATO.
Prosecutors Seek 9 Years In Prison For Siberian Journalist Over Ukraine War Coverage
Prosecutors asked a court in Siberia on July 26 to sentence Sergei Mikhailov, a journalist and founder of the LIStok newspaper in the city of Gorno-Altaisk, to 9 years in prison on a charge of distributing false information about the Russian military. The charge stems from coverage by LIStok in 2022 of alleged atrocities by Russian troops against Ukrainian civilians in the town of Bucha. Mikhailov insists the decision to publish the materials in question had been made by his chief editor, Viktor Rau, and not him. Rau, who is currently outside of Russia, has confirmed it was his idea to publish the materials. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Siberia.Realities, click here.
October Date Set For Parliamentary, Local Elections In Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan's Central Election Commission announced on July 26 that parliamentary and local elections will be held in the Central Asian nation on October 27. Those up for election include 150 members of the parliament's lower chamber, the Legislative Chamber; 56 members of the upper chamber, the Senate; and 65 members of the Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Karakalpakstan, as well as members of the Tashkent municipal, regional, and 208 district councils. Half of the Legislative Chamber of deputies will be elected via party lists, while the other half will be voted in from single-mandate districts under a majority system. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Uzbek Service, click here.
German Sentenced To Death In Minsk Shown On Belarusian TV
A German citizen sentenced to death last month in Minsk has been shown in a video on Belarus television asking for mercy in a statement that appears to have been made under duress.
Belarus-1 state-run television aired the video of Rico Krieger, who was sentenced to death last month on a mercenary charge, late on July 25.
In the 17-minute video, the 30-year-old Krieger was shown sitting behind bars in handcuffs. During his monologue he said he is sorry and expressed hope that authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka, who has run Belarus with an iron fist for 30 years, will pardon him.
The practice of showing so-called repentance videos by opposition politicians or activists made under apparent duress after their arrests has been common in Belarus for years.
Krieger's "confession" appeared as though it was being used for propaganda purposes, with him speaking German with a voiceover translation into Russian.
A narrator's voice introducing Krieger says German officials remain silent despite Krieger's personal appeals to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
However, a government spokesperson told a news conference in Berlin on July 26 that "the chancellor is of course aware of the case and, like the entire government, is worried about these events, especially in connection with the death sentence."
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock later on July 26 commented on the actions of the authorities in Belarus.
"It is unbearable how the Belarusian regime paraded a German national on television," Baerbock told journalists in Hamburg.
She said the Foreign Office and the Germany Embassy in Minsk were in "close contact" with Krieger and his family and were providing consular support.
"We must do everything to ensure that his rights are maintained and remain protected," Baerbock added.
In the video, Krieger says he worked as a paramedic and in the security service of the U.S. Embassy in Berlin before he established an online contact with Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) via a foreign mercenary unit in the Ukrainian armed forces last year.
Belarus Under Lukashenka: 30 Years Of Dictatorship In 30 Posters
Krieger said an SBU officer asked him to conduct several assignments before he could be allowed to join the mercenary group.
Namely, Krieger said, the SBU officers asked him to travel from Germany to Belarus via Azerbaijan and take pictures of military objects in the eastern Belarusian region of Mahilyou and the Azyaryshcha railway station near Minsk, which he did in early October and sent the pictures to the SBU via the Internet.
After that, Krieger said, he was instructed by phone to find a backpack on October 5, 2023, at a site coordinated by SBU officers and place it on railways, which he also did.
"Now I know that no one was hurt, that there were no human casualties," Krieger says in the video as he starts crying.
Krieger then says he was arrested on October 6 at the Minsk airport while waiting for his flight to Berlin.
At that moment, a video showing an explosion on the rails near a station appears on the screen with the date and time: October 5, 2023, 11:22 p.m.
"I definitely consider myself guilty.... I repent every second," Krieger says, adding that he can be executed at any time and asking German officials for help and Belarusian authorities for clemency.
The details of Krieger's case were not known until the Vyasna human rights group reported last week that he was sentenced to death in June for mercenary activity, terrorism, creating an extremist group, intentionally damaging a vehicle, and illegal operations with firearms and explosives.
According to Vyasna, it was the first trial in Belarus for "mercenary activity."
Belarusian authorities have not commented on the case.
With reporting by dpa
Russia Lists Organizations Associated With Nonexistent Anti-Russian Separatist Movement As 'Extremist'
Russia's Justice Ministry on July 25 declared 55 organizations registered abroad as "extremist" because of their association with the banned Anti-Russian Separatist Movement, a grouping that doesn't exist. The listed organizations advocate self-determination for ethnic republics and regions within the Russian Federation. One group on the list -- the Free Russia Foundation -- was established by Russian opposition and rights activists in exile. Last year, Russia designated as "undesirable organizations" two movements registered abroad -- the League of Free Nations and the Forum of Post-Russia's Free Peoples, which represent activists of indigenous ethnic groups of Russia's ethnic regions. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Idel.Realities, click here.
Five Belarusians Accused Of Plotting Terrorist Act Directed By Kyiv
Five Belarusians have gone on trial for allegedly plotting a would-be terrorist act on May 9, 2023, that prosecutors say involved guidance from Ukraine. Judge Syarhey Khrypach of the Minsk City Court started the trial behind closed doors of Valer Vodzin, Andrey Hryhoryeu, Hanna Savachkina, Tatsyana Rusak, and Viktoria Vouchak on July 26. The defendants are charged with high treason, terrorism, participating in a military conflict abroad or recruiting for such activities, illegal use of explosives and ammunition, creating an extremist group, and the illegal smuggling of explosives. If found guilty, the defendants face up to 20 years in prison. Because the trial has been closed, it is not known how the defendants pleaded. Prior to the trial, they were not able to comment publicly on the charges. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Belarus Service, click here.
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Former Russian Deputy Defense Minister Arrested On Corruption Charges
Russia's Investigative Committee said on July 26 that former Deputy Defense Minister Dmitry Bulgakov had been arrested on corruption charges. Bulgakov was dismissed in September 2022 after serving as deputy defense minister for almost 14 years. His detention comes after several other top military and Defense Ministry officials were arrested on corruption charges before and after Putin dismissed his longtime ally, Sergei Shoigu, as defense minister in mid-May. Former First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov took over for Shoigu. To read the original story by Current Time, click here.
- By RFE/RL
EU To Transfer To Ukraine 1.5 Billion Euros In Proceeds From Frozen Russian Assets
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has announced that the European Union will send Ukraine 1.5 billion euros ($1.63 billion) that represent revenues from Russian assets frozen by the 27-member bloc.
"Today we transfer 1.5 billion in proceeds from immobilized Russian assets to the defense and reconstruction of Ukraine," von der Leyen wrote on X. "There is no better symbol or use for the Kremlin's money than to make Ukraine and all of Europe a safer place to live."
Following Moscow's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the West froze some 276 billion euros ($300 billion) in sovereign Russian wealth funds and the Group of Seven (G7) industrialized countries last month decided to service a $50 billion loan for Ukraine with proceeds generated by Russia's frozen assets, prompting Moscow to threaten legal action.
On July 25, EU Economic Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni said the G7 was likely to have a framework deal on the loan for Ukraine's defense and reconstruction by October, according to Euractiv.com.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal voiced gratitude for the EU move in a message on X.
"Thank you, @vonderleyen, and the EU for your steadfast support and this significant contribution to Ukraine's defense and reconstruction. Together, we are turning adversity into strength and building a safer, more resilient Europe," he said.
Most of the frozen Russian sovereign funds -- some 210 billion euros ($228 billion) -- are held in Europe, while about $10 billion is in the United States, Euractiv.com estimates. Some $30 billion are in Japan, and $10 billion in Britain.
In reaction to von der Leyen's announcement, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia will not leave the EU's move unanswered but said Moscow's response had to be carefully planned.
"This is certainly grounds for well-thought-out actions in response to such unlawful decisions being implemented by the European Union. Such actions will certainly follow," Peskov told journalists on July 26.
Ukrainian Forces Fight Intense Battles In Donetsk Region, Zelenskiy Says
Ukrainian forces are under heavy pressure in the east of the country, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on July 26, describing the area around Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region as the main focus of Russian attacks.
Zelenskiy said on X that Ukraine's military command is assessing the situation and pledged that "everything must be done and will be done to strengthen our positions" in the area.
"It is important that our warriors receive exactly what they need under these conditions of very intense battles and pressure from the Russian Army," he said.
The General Staff said in its evening assessment on July 26 that Russian forces had launched more than 30 assaults in the Pokrovsk area, adding they were "paying a high price for their attempts to advance" there. Russian losses amounted to 187 people killed and wounded, the General Staff said.
Zelenskiy also expressed "special appreciation" to all units that attacked Russian bases and logistics in occupied territories of Ukraine.
"The occupier must feel that this is Ukrainian land," Zelenskiy said without citing what bases were hit. "And each destroyed Russian airbase, each destroyed Russian military aircraft whether on the ground or in the air, means saving Ukrainian lives."
Earlier on July 26 a Russian military airfield in occupied Crimea was reportedly targeted by a missile strike that caused explosions and a fire, Ukrainian media and Russian Telegram channels reported.
The Ukrainian TV channel Suspilne, citing local residents, reported explosions in the cities of Saky and Yevpatoria in Crimea. "Very powerful explosions" were reported by residents in Saky, which is home to a Russian airfield.
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The Crimean Wind channel on Telegram reported that an ammunition depot at the airfield was struck and quoted a source as saying that missiles and aircraft had been blown up.
The Russian Telegram channel Astra, citing emergency services sources in occupied Crimea, said the airfield and the munitions depot had been attacked with long-range ATACMS missiles, starting a fire. Two Russian soldiers sustained shrapnel wounds, Astra reported.
Astra also said that an ATACMS missile hit a Russian air-defense site in the Saky district, destroying a radar station. Citing unnamed sources, it said a total of four ATACMS missiles were fired from Ukraine, and two were shot down by Russian air defenses.
The information could not be independently confirmed.
Russia's Defense Ministry did not mention the strikes on Crimea, saying only that its air defenses shot down six Ukrainian drones -- four over the Rostov region and two over the Kursk region.
The Saky military airfield, near the village of Novofedorivka, has been targeted by missile strikes several times in the past.
The air base is home to Russia's 43rd Fighter Aviation Regiment, which supports Russian troops in southern Ukraine and operates Su-24 bombers and Su-30 fighters.
Occupied Crimea was used by the Russian military as a relatively safe launching pad for missile attacks on Ukraine since the start of the war in February 2022.
But in April, the United States began delivering versions of the powerful long-range ballistic missile ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile Systems) that can travel as far as 300 kilometers, effectively making it possible for Ukraine to hit any of the more than 100 Russian military targets in Crimea.
Russia, meanwhile, once again targeted Ukrainian energy facilities with drone and missile strikes.
Energy supplier Ukrenerho said on July 26 that facilities in the Zhytomyr and Chernihiv regions were hit.
The Ukrainian Air Force said separately that its air defenses shot down 20 of the 22 drones launched by Russia at targets in four of its regions on July 26.
The attacks on the Kherson, Sumy, Zhytomyr, and Chernihiv regions came a day after Moscow struck installations in the Ukrainian port of Izmayil on the Danube near NATO member Romania's border, prompting the alliance to scramble F-18 jets to monitor the situation.
On July 26, Romania's Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian charge d'affaires from the Russian Embassy in Bucharest, the ministry said in a statement.
"The Romanian Foreign Ministry representative conveyed the Romanian authorities' firm protest and condemned the repeated attacks by the Russian forces on the Ukrainian civil infrastructure, requesting their immediate cessation," the statement said.
The Romanian side "emphasized the irresponsible nature of [Russia's] military strikes, including in the immediate vicinity of Romania's border, which endanger national security."
Bucharest also "highlighted the sole responsibility of the Russian Federation, as a result of its aggression against Ukraine, for the serious deterioration of the security environment in the Black Sea."
Another Kazakh Stand-Up Comedian Jailed For 'Hooliganism'
Kazakh stand-up comedian Aleksandr Merkul, who often tells jokes about the current government and Russian President Vladimir Putin, was sentenced to 10 days in jail on July 26 on a charge of hooliganism. The charge stems from his performance in a restaurant in Astana last month, a video of which went viral on the Internet. The 31-year-old Merkul pleaded guilty. Earlier in May, another Kazakh comedian, Nuraskhan Basqozhaev, was also sentenced to 10 days in jail on the same charge. Many stand-up comedians in Kazakhstan have expressed concerns over the sentence, calling it an attack on freedom of speech. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Kazakh Service, click here.
- By Current Time
Moscow Car-Bombing Suspect Extradited From Turkey To Russia
A Russian man suspected of being behind a car bombing that left two people wounded in Moscow on July 24 has been extradited from Turkey and has arrived in the Russian capital, Interior Ministry spokeswoman Irina Volk said on July 26.
One of the two people wounded in the car explosion in a parking lot in northern Moscow was reported to be a senior military intelligence officer, although confusion still persists about the identity of both victims.
The bombing suspect, identified as Russian citizen Yevgeny Serebryakov, was detained by Turkish police in the Aegean Sea resort of Bodrum after arriving there on a flight on July 24, the same day the bombing occurred, according to a statement by Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya.
Volk, in a post on Telegram, said the arrest and extradition of Serebryakov was possible through the cooperation of Russian and Turkish law enforcement agencies coordinated through Interpol channels.
"Today, Serebryakov was taken to Russia and handed over to investigators of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation," Volk said.
Neither the Investigative Committee nor the Interior Ministry have identified the two people wounded in the blast, saying only that a criminal investigation and a forensic investigation had been opened into the incident that occurred on Moscow's Sinyavinskaya Street.
But Russian media reports said Andrei Torgashov, 49, the deputy chief of a military satellite-communications radio center who had reportedly taken part in Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and his wife were the two victims of the bombing.
However, a person purported to be Torgashov's wife, Maya, was quoted by the 360 Telegram channel as saying that neither she nor her husband was in the car when the explosion occurred, claiming other people were in the vehicle.
In an unverified video posted on the Telegram channel of the MSK1.ru news site on July 26, a young man in handcuffs who is described as Serebryakov says the Ukrainian secret services promised him "Ukrainian citizenship and $10,000-$20,000 to blow up an officer in Moscow."
The authenticity of the video could not be independently established.
An earlier report in the Moskovsky komsomolets newspaper had previously said that "the investigation leads include possible involvement of Ukrainian special services and their agents."
Several Russian military officials and pro-Kremlin public figures and bloggers have been targeted by bombing attacks since Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Serebryakov, 29, was born in the city of Uryupinsk in the Volgograd region, according to Russian media reports.
Ukraine Says Fresh Russian Drone Attack On 4 Regions Repelled
Ukrainian air defenses shot down 20 of the 22 drones launched by Russia at targets in four of its regions early on July 26, the air force said in a message on Facebook. The attacks on the Kherson, Sumy, Zhytomyr, and Chernihiv regions came a day after Moscow struck installations in the Ukrainian port of Izmayil on the Danube near NATO member Romania's border, prompting the alliance to scramble F-18 jets to monitor the situation. Russia's Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said that its air defenses shot down six Ukrainian drones -- four over the Rostov region and two over the Kursk region. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, click here.
- By Reuters
Pentagon Finds Another $2 Billion Of Accounting Errors For Ukraine Aid
The Pentagon has found $2 billion worth of additional errors in its calculations for ammunition, missiles, and other equipment sent to Ukraine, a U.S. government report revealed on July 25. The Government Accountability Office report showed that the U.S. Department of Defense has faced challenges in valuing defense articles sent to Ukraine due to unclear accounting definitions. The Pentagon said in 2023 that "replacement value" had been used instead of "depreciated value" to tabulate the billions in matériel sent to Ukraine. That correction uncovered a $6.2 billion error, and the Pentagon now says $2 billion more in overstatements have been found. As a result, an additional $2 billion worth of arms can be sent to Ukraine to cover the amount of aid approved by the Biden administration.
- By AFP
Russian, Chinese Foreign Ministers Discuss Cooperation On Sidelines Of ASEAN
The foreign ministers of Russia and China met on July 25 on the sidelines of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) talks in Laos. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in a statement afterward that he discussed issues of cooperation within ASEAN "in detail" with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. The two also discussed implementing "a new security architecture" in Eurasia, according to the statement, which did not elaborate. Wang said Beijing was "ready to work with Russia to uphold the ASEAN-centered, open, and inclusive regional cooperation architecture" in the face of "external disturbances and obstacles." The meeting came a day after Wang held talks in China with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
Russian Deputy Announces Slowdown In YouTube Upload Speeds
Russian State Duma Deputy Aleksandr Khinshtein announced on July 25 that by the end of next week, the speed of video uploads to YouTube in Russia will decrease by 70 percent. Khinshtein wrote on Telegram that the artificial slowdown was related to the allegation that YouTube "violates and ignores the law with impunity." In early July, YouTube blocked the channels of several Russian singers and artists over their support of Russia's war in Ukraine. Khinshtein accused YouTube of having an anti-Russian hosting policy that removes the channels of public figures whose "position differs from the Western point of view." Khinshtein is the first Russian authority to publicly confirm Moscow's involvement in slowing down YouTube in Russia. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here.
Azerbaijan Threatens Military Action Against Armenia Over Border 'Provocations'
YEREVAN -- Azerbaijan threatened on July 25 to take large-scale military action against Armenia in response to what it called Armenian “provocations” along the border between the two countries.
The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry claimed that the Armenian military recently used “heavy weaponry” and a reconnaissance drone in the area. The ministry also called on Armenia and its sponsors to “refrain from creating a new hotbed of war” in the South Caucasus.
“If such provocative actions do not stop, appropriate steps will be taken using all means in the arsenal of the armed forces of Azerbaijan for the purpose of self-defense,” it added in a statement.
The ministry also denounced Western powers for stepping up military cooperation with Armenia, citing joint military exercises conducted by the United States in Armenia this month, an arms deal with France, and the European Union’s allocation of 10 million euros ($10.9 million) in military aid to Yerevan.
It claimed these actions can inspire Armenia “to resort to new provocations and prepare for another war against Azerbaijan.”
The Armenian Foreign Ministry rejected the claims. Spokeswoman Ani Badalian insisted that Yerevan remains committed to its “peace agenda” and “will not deviate from this strategy.”
She pointed to Baku ignoring a recent Armenian proposal to conduct joint investigations of cease-fire violations alleged by either side.
Badalian said Armenia’s arms acquisitions from France and other nations are solely aimed at the “defense of its internationally recognized territory.”
The Armenian Foreign Ministry claimed on June 19 that Azerbaijan may be planning to unleash a “new aggression” against Armenia after hosting the COP29 summit in November. It pointed to Baku’s angry reaction to a different French-Armenian arms deal signed in Paris.
The latest Azerbaijani threats came two weeks after the foreign ministers of the two nations met in Washington for talks hosted by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. They reported no progress toward the signing of an Armenian-Azerbaijani peace treaty.
The neighboring countries have been negotiating a peace treaty since Azerbaijan retook control of the Nagorno-Karabakh region in September 2023, following a lightning offensive.
A traditional ally and partner of Russia, Armenia recently has turned toward improving its ties with the West and putting on ice its relations with Moscow, which Yerevan has blamed for failing to support it in its conflict with Azerbaijan.
- By AFP
Russia Fails In Bid To Regain 2022 Olympic Skating Gold
Russia failed to have its 2022 gold medal restored in team figure skating from the Beijing Winter Olympics, the sport’s top court said on July 25. The Russians had appealed against the decision to strip the team of the gold that it won largely thanks to the points scored by 15-year-old Kamila Valieva, who is now serving a four-year ban for doping. She had tested positive before the Olympics for trimetazidine, a drug used to treat angina but banned for athletes. When her points were deducted, Russia was relegated to bronze. The gold medal now goes to the U.S. team. They are expected to receive the medals on August 9 at a special ceremony during the Paris Olympics, which start on July 26.
- By Reuters
Ukraine Asks Hong Kong Not To Let Russia Use It To Circumvent Sanctions
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on July 25 visited Hong Kong and called on its leader to prevent Russia from using Hong Kong to circumvent Western sanctions imposed on Moscow for its full-scale war in Ukraine. Kuleba “called on the Hong Kong administration to take measures to deprive Russia and Russian companies of the opportunity to use Hong Kong to circumvent restrictive measures imposed for Russian aggression against Ukraine," the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Both Hong Kong and China are seen by the U.S. government as key routes for Russia to source materials for its military, including semiconductors and drone parts.
- By Reuters
Putin Hosts Syria's Assad, Expresses Concern Over Mideast Tensions
Russian President Vladimir Putin met President Bashar al-Assad of Syria in the Kremlin, video distributed by the Kremlin press service on July 25 showed. Putin told Assad he was concerned that tensions are rising in the Middle East, but neither leader provided further details on their talks. Russia has waged a military campaign in Syria since September 2015, teaming up with Iran to allow Assad’s government to fight armed opposition groups and reclaim control over most of the country. Russia has maintained a military foothold in Syria and keeps troops at its bases there.
Series Of Terrorist Acts Prevented In Ukraine, EU Countries, Kyiv Says
Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) said on July 25 that its officers, along with the National Police, had prevented a series of terrorist attacks in the country and IN EU member states Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland. According to an SBU statement, the suspected organizer of the planned arson attacks on civic buildings and an associate were detained in the western Prykarpattya region. The two suspects allegedly coordinated, under the supervision of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), the activities of 19 members of a terrorist group in several Ukrainian regions. The two men were informed that they are suspected of high treason and forgery. Russia has not commented on the report. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, click here.
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