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- By RFE/RL
COVID-19: One Iranian 'Dying Every 10 Minutes'; Romania Urges Expats To Stay Away
The global coronavirus pandemic has infected more than 230,000 people worldwide, 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.
Iran
The death toll from the coronavirus in Iran continues to rise as the worst-affected country in the Middle East prepares for scaled-down celebrations of Norouz, the Persian New Year.
"With 149 new fatalities in the past 24 hours, the death toll from the virus has reached 1,284," Deputy Health Minister Alireza Raisi said on state television on March 19.
“Unfortunately, we have had 1,046 new cases of infection since yesterday,” Raisi added.
Iran has the third-highest number of registered cases after China and Italy.
With the country reeling from the outbreak, officials have recommended that Iranians stay home during the March 20 holiday, a time when hundreds of thousands usually travel to be with friends and relatives.
The government has closed schools at all levels, banned sports and cultural events, and curtailed religious activities to try and slow the spread of the virus.
Kianoush Jahanpour, the head of the Health Ministry's public relations and information center , noted on March 19 that the data on the outbreak means an Iranian dies every 10 minutes from COVID-19, while 50 infections occur each hour of the day.
"With respect to this information, people must make a conscious decision about travel, traffic, transportation, and sightseeing," he added.
Despite the dire circumstances, many Iranians were angered by the temporary closure of Shi'ite sites, prompting some earlier this week to storm into the courtyards of two major shrines -- Mashhad's Imam Reza shrine and Qom's Fatima Masumeh shrine.
Crowds typically pray there 24 hours a day, seven days a week, touching and kissing the shrine. That's worried health officials, who for weeks ordered Iran's Shi'ite clergy to close them.
Earlier on March 19, officials announced that the country wouldn’t mark its annual day celebrating its nuclear program because of the outbreak.
Georgia
The Georgian government has ordered the closure of shops except grocery stores and pharmacies beginning March 20 to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
The measure, announced on March 19, also exempts gas stations, post offices, and bank branches. The South Caucasus country has so far reported 40 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus, and no deaths.
Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia on March 19 said he would declare a state of emergency, as many countries in Europe already have, if health authorities advise him to do so.
"As of today, I would like to emphasize that there is no need for this. However, in agreement with the president, we have decided, as soon as that need arises, that we will be able to make this decision within a few hours," he said.
Romania
President Klaus Iohannis has urged Romanians working abroad to refrain from traveling home for the Orthodox Easter amid fears of a worsening of the coronavirus outbreak in the country.
Romania has been under a 30-day state of emergency since March 16.
Iohannis made the appeal in a televised speech on March 19 as thousands of workers returning from Western Europe were slowly crossing into Romania after having clogged Hungary's borders both to the west and the east for two days in a row.
Romania is the European Union's second-poorest country, and at least 4 million Romanians work abroad, according to estimates.
The bottlenecks were worsened by Hungary's decision to close its borders on very short notice from March 17 at midnight -- a measure relaxed by Budapest after consultations with the Romanian government.
"Romanians from abroad are dear to us, and we long to be with them for Easter," Iohannis said. "However, that won't be possible this year.... We must tell them with sadness but also with sincerity not to come home for the holidays," he added.
Some 12,500 mostly Romanian travelers had crossed into Romania in 4,600 vehicles as of the morning of March 19, Romanian border police said.
They said 180 people were immediately quarantined, while some 10,000 were ordered into self-isolation once they reached their destinations.
The rest were mostly travelers in transit toward Moldova and Bulgaria, according to the police.
Romania has confirmed 277 coronavirus cases.
One of the patients is in serious condition in intensive care, while 25 people have recovered, according to health authorities.
No deaths have been reported so far.
However, authorities are concerned that the massive number of Romanians returning, mostly from Italy and Spain -- the European countries most affected by the coronavirus pandemic -- will lead to a spike in infections in the run-up to Orthodox Easter on April 19.
The Romanian military has started building an emergency hospital in Bucharest amid fears that the country's crumbling health-care system will not be able to cope with the outbreak.
Ukraine
Some 900 Ukrainians are embarking on March 19 on a train journey from Prague to Kyiv as part of an evacuation plan amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The train is set to travel through the Czech Republic and Poland, where it will make a stop at Przemysl, before heading to the western Ukrainian city of Lviv and the capital.
Yevhen Perebiynis, the Ukrainian ambassador to Prague, tweeted that more than 3,000 Ukrainians residing in the Czech Republic had asked to be evacuated.
Meanwhile, the mayor of Zhytomyr, Serhiy Sukhomlyn, said the city located 140 kilometers west of Kyiv recorded its first coronavirus infection.
Sukhomlyn said the patient, aged 56, had recently returned from Austria.
As of March 19, there were 21 confirmed cases of the respiratory illness in six regions and the capital, Kyiv, the Health Ministry said.
Meanwhile, Ukraine recorded its third death linked to COVID-19 in the western Ivano-Frankivsk region.
An elderly woman died one day after visiting a hospital with severe flu-like symptoms, according to the Health Ministry.
Russia
Russian officials have reported the country's first death connected to the coronavirus outbreak, but quickly backtracked, saying an elderly woman perished due to a detached blood clot.
The Moscow health department said on March 19 that the 79-year-old, who had tested positive for COVID-19, died in a Moscow hospital from pneumonia related to the virus.
Svetlana Krasnova, head doctor at Moscow's hospital No. 2 for infectious diseases, said in a statement that the woman had been admitted with "a host of chronic diseases," including type 2 diabetes and heart problems.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin then confirmed the coronavirus-releated death, saying on Twitter, "Unfortunately, we have the first loss from the coronavirus infection."
Hours later, however, health officials put out another statement saying an autopsy had confirmed the woman had died of a blood clot.
A subsequent official tally of the number of official coronavirus cases in Russia showed 199 confirmed infections but no deaths.
It was not clear whether the woman's death would eventually be counted as a result of the virus.
Though President Vladimir Putin said earlier this week that the situation was "generally under control," many Russians have shown a distrust for official claims over the virus, and fear the true situation is much worse than they are being told.
Amid a recent rise in the number of cases, officials have temporarily barred entry to foreigners and imposed restrictions on flights and public gatherings.
The national health watchdog on March 19 tightened restrictions for all travellers from abroad with a decree requiring "all individuals arriving to Russia" to be isolated, either at home or elsewhere.
Russia Rushes To Build Hospital For COVID-19 Treatment
Serbia
Serbia has closed its main airport for all passenger flights and said it will shut its borders for all but freight traffic in an effort to curb the spread of coronavirus.
The government banned commercial flights to and from the Nikola Tesla Airport in Belgrade on March 19.
However, the airport will remain open to humanitarian and cargo flights, according to the Ministry of Construction, Traffic, and Infrastructure.
Later in the day, President Aleksandar Vucic said that as of March 20, Serbia's border crossings will be closed for all passenger road and rail transport.
"Nothing but trucks will be allowed to enter," Vucic said. "From noon tomorrow we will also halt commercial passenger transport inside the country."
The move comes after some 70,000 Serbs working in Western Europe and their families returned to Serbia in the last few days despite appeals by authorities not to do so.
Serbia currently has 103 confirmed coronavirus cases, with no fatalities.
The Balkan country had already imposed a state of emergency, introduced a night curfew for all citizens, and ordered the elderly to stay indoors.
Pakistan
Authorities in Pakistan have closed shrines of Sufi saints in the capital, Islamabad, and elsewhere while access to museums, archaeological, and tourist sites have been banned as confirmed coronavirus cases jumped to 301, mostly in pilgrims returning from Iran.
Two Pakistanis who had returned from Saudi Arabia and Dubai became the country's first victims when they died on March 18 in the northwest.
Schools have already been shut in Pakistan.
Thousands of Pakistanis, mostly pilgrims, have been placed into quarantine in recent weeks at the Taftan border crossing in the country's southwestern province of Balochistan after returning from Iran, one of the world's worst affected countries.
Pakistani authorities on March 19 plan to quarantine hundreds more pilgrims who returned from Iran. These pilgrims will be kept at isolated buildings in central Pakistan for 14 days.
Uzbekistan
Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev’s influential son-in-law says police have identified individuals who allegedly published the names of Uzbek nationals who tested positive for the new coronavirus.
Otabek Umarov, who is also the deputy head of the president’s personal security, said on Instagram that officials are now trying to determine the legality of the perpetrators’ actions.
A joint working group set up by the Interior Ministry and the Prosecutor-General’s Office has also identified 33 social media accounts involved in “disseminating false information that provokes panic among people,” Umarov wrote.
He called the accounts a “betrayal” of the country and a matter of “national security.”
Umarov’s comments come amid a campaign by the Uzbek government to crack down on information that incites panic and fear among the public amid the coronavirus crisis.
On March 16, the country’s Justice Ministry said that, according to Uzbek law, those involved in preparing materials with the intention of inciting panic -- and those storing such materials with the intent to distribute them -- will face up to $9,400 in fines or up to three years in prison.
Those who spread such information through media and the Internet face up to eight years in prison, the ministry added.
The statement came a day after the Central Asian nation announced its first confirmed coronavirus infection, which prompted the government to introduce sweeping measures to contain the outbreak, including closing its borders, suspending international flights, closing schools, and banning public gatherings.
The number of infections had risen to 23 as of the morning of March 19, the Health Ministry said.
The ministry said that the 23 individuals are all Uzbek nationals who had returned home from Europe, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates.
The Health Ministry regularly updates its social media accounts with information on the outbreak in Uzbekistan. Posts are frequently accompanied by the hashtag “quarantine without panic” in both Uzbek and Russian.
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan
The Kazakh national currency, the tenge, has continued to weaken sharply as the number of coronavirus cases in the oil-rich Central Asian nation reached 44.
Many exchange points in Nur-Sultan, the capital, and the former Soviet republic's largest city, Almaty, did not sell U.S. dollars or euros on March 19, while some offered 471 tenges for $1, more than 25 percent weaker than in early March when the rate was around 375 tenges.
The tenge has plunged to all-time lows in recent days following an abrupt fall in oil prices and chaos in the world's stock markets caused by the coronavirus outbreak.
The Kazakh Health Ministry said on March 19 that the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the country had increased by seven to 44.
In neighboring Kyrgyzstan, three people, who returned home from Saudi Arabia several days ago, tested positive for the virus, which led to three villages being sealed off in the southern Jalal-Abad region.
In two other Central Asian nations, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, no coronavirus cases have been officially recorded to date.
Armenia
A relative of an Armenian woman blamed for spreading the coronavirus in the South Caucasus country alleges that criminal offenses have been committed against members of their family.
It emerged last week that the woman had traveled from Italy before attending a family gathering with dozens of guests in the city of Echmiadzin, disregarding health warnings about the coronavirus pandemic.
The woman, whose name was not released, later tested positive for the virus and was hospitalized. Dozens of other people who attended the gathering were placed under a 14-day quarantine.
Armenia has reported a total of 122 cases so far, including dozens in Echmiadzin. It has not yet reported any deaths.
Echmiadzin was locked down and a nationwide state of emergency has been announced in a bid to slow the spread of infection in Armenia.
Many on social media in Armenia expressed anger over what they said was irresponsible behavior by the woman.
Some ridiculed the woman and used offensive language against her. A photo of her also was posted online.
The woman’s lawyer, Gohar Hovhannisian, said that one of her relatives who lives abroad filed a complaint with the public prosecutor on March 17.
The complaint alleges that personal information about infected people was illegally obtained and published by the press and social media along with insults and photographs.
"It affects the mental state of a person. Imagine that a person is sick and such language is used against her or him and her or his personal data are published," Hovhannisian said.
The Prosecutor-General's Office forwarded the report to police to investigate the case.
Human rights activist Zaruhi Hovhannisian, who is not related to the lawyer, noted that the protection of personal data is enshrined in Armenia’s law. He said that disclosure of personal data in this case made it possible to identify the infected woman.
"Moreover, under the law on medical care and public services it is forbidden to disclose medical secrets, talk about people’s medical examinations and the course of their treatment as well as to pass these data to third parties," the activist said.
Earlier this week, a shop owner in Yerevan filed a complaint with police alleging that he had been attacked by three relatives of the woman in question for posting a joke about her on Facebook.
Police said they had identified and questioned three people over that complaint. But the authorities did not reveal their identities.
Azerbaijan
The Azerbaijani capital, Baku, has been sealed off to slow the spread of the coronavirus in the South Caucasus state.
According to a government decision, as of March 19 entrance to Baku, the nearby city of Sumqayit, and the Abseron district has been banned for all cars, except ambulances, cargo trucks, and vehicles carrying rescue teams and road accident brigades. The measure will run until at least March 29.
All railway links between Baku, Sumqayit and the Abseron district, and the rest of the country were also suspended.
Azerbaijan has reported 34 confirmed coronavirus cases, with one fatality.
In neighboring Armenia, where authorities announced a state of emergency until April 16, the number of coronavirus cases is 115.
Elsewhere in the South Caucasus, Georgia, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases reached 40.
Afghanistan
The United States is temporarily suspending the movement of new soldiers into Afghanistan as a way of protecting them from the coronavirus outbreak.
U.S. Army General Scott Miller said in a March 19 statement that the move could mean that some of the troops already on the ground in Afghanistan may have their deployments extended to ensure that the NATO-led Resolute Support mission continues.
"To preserve our currently healthy force, Resolute Support is making the necessary adjustments to temporarily pause personnel movement into the theater," he said.
“We are closely monitoring, continually assessing and adjusting our operations so we can continue to protect the national interests of the NATO allies and partners here in Afghanistan," he added.
About 1,500 troops and civilians who recently arrived in Afghanistan have been quarantined, Miller said, stressing that this was purely a precautionary measure and “not because they are sick.”
Earlier this month, the United States began reducing its troop presence in Afghanistan as part of a peace deal signed in February with the Taliban.
The agreement sees an initial reduction of U.S. troops in Afghanistan from about 13,000 to 8,600 soldiers.
Miller did not mention the agreement in his statement.
So far, 21 U.S. and coalition staff exhibiting flu-like symptoms are in isolation and receiving medical care, Miller’s statement said.
With reporting by RFE/RL's Armenian, Azerbaijani, Georgian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Romanian, and Uzbek services, AP, AFP, Reuters, Digi24.ro, G4media.ro, and Hotnews.ro
More News
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
Russia's central bank on July 26 raised its key interest rate by 200 basis points to 18 percent, promising further tightening due to ongoing inflation. The rate brings the cost of borrowing to its highest in more than two years. The key rate was raised to 20 percent in April 2022 shortly after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in late February that year. The central bank also estimated its inflation forecast for 2024 to 7 percent, up from a previous estimate of 4 percent. It projects a decline in annual inflation in 2025 to 4.0 to 4.5 percent. To read the original story by RFE/RL's North.Realities, click here.
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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.
Suspect In Killing Of Former Ukrainian Lawmaker Detained
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on July 25 that a suspect in the shooting death of former lawmaker Iryna Farion, who was known for campaigns promoting the Ukrainian language, was detained in the eastern city of Dnipro.
Zelenskiy wrote on Telegram that Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko had informed him of the detention of an 18-year-old man suspected in the July 19 shooting.
"The operation to detain the suspect was very complicated. Hundreds of specialists from the National Police of Ukraine, the SBU, and other services worked on solving the murder, all these days," Zelenskiy wrote, adding that he asked Klymenko to provide the public with all of the details of the investigation in the high-profile case.
Klymenko said shortly afterward in a statement that the suspect rented at least three apartments in Lviv while preparing the attack on Farion.
"Now the suspect is in custody. It is important to obtain all the details. At this point, investigators are inclined to think that the shooter is just the one who carried out the attack," Klymenko said, adding that any follow-up information will be made public later.
The Schemes (Skhemy) investigative unit of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service was able to identify the suspect but decided not to disclose the information.
The suspect's father told RFE/RL that his son could not have had any motive to kill Farion.
"I am currently on the battlefield and have not seen my son for some time. I talked to him on the phone on a regular basis," the man said, adding that his son is a graduate of a high school in Dnipro.
"He passed courses on using drones so that he could join Ukrainian troops. He played soccer," said the suspect’s father, whose identity Schemes also decided not to reveal.
RFE/RL also interviewed residents in Dnipro, including one woman who described the suspect as a “very good boy.” The woman, who spoke anonymously, said she had difficulty believing the teenager could have been the killer.
The young man had a "healthy lifestyle," reads a lot, and was studying to be a journalist, she told RFE/RL.
Schemes confirmed through other sources that the suspect is a graduate of a high school in Dnipro. As a soccer player with the city's youth soccer club, he participated in a soccer tournament in autumn 2022 to support Ukraine's armed forces.
The 60-year-old Farion was shot in the head on a street in Ukraine's western city of Lviv and died in a hospital hours later.
Farion, a linguist, became a member of the nationalist Svoboda party in 2005 and was elected to parliament in 2012 but failed in subsequent attempts to win reelection.
She gained notoriety for frequent campaigns to promote the Ukrainian language and discredit public officials who spoke Russian.
Farion’s views were seen as radical by some critics, and some of her statements sparked controversy.
In 2018, when Ukraine was fighting Russia-backed separatists who had seized territory in the east, she called for a drive to "punch every Russian-speaking person in the jaw."
In 2023, she was dismissed as a professor at the Department of Ukrainian Language at the Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences at Lviv Polytechnic University due to her controversial statements.
At the end of May, the Lviv Court of Appeal issued a ruling reinstating her to the position.
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