Russian President Vladimir Putin sees domestic and international developments trending in his favor and likely will press aggressive tactics in Ukraine, but the war is unlikely to end anytime soon, the top U.S. intelligence official said on May 2. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told the Senate Armed Services Committee that Russia had intensified strikes on Ukraine's infrastructure to hamper Kyiv's ability to move arms and troops, slow defense production, and force it to consider negotiations. Russia's increasingly aggressive tactics were meant to signal to Ukraine that continuing to fight will only increase the damage, she said.

Regional officials and employees of local state entities in Turkmenistan's western region of Balkan have been forced to buy watches with pictures of President Serdar Berdymukhammedov and his father and predecessor, Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov, on the face of the timepiece. RFE/RL correspondents report that the watches cost between 1,500 and 3,000 manats ($410-$820). Those of higher ranks are obliged to buy the more expensive watches, while the less expensive editions are for lower-tier employees at state entities. Despite Turkmenistan's abundant resources of natural gas, the majority of its population has been living in poverty for years. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Turkmen Service, click here.

Around 30 children were injured, three gravely, when an ice cream truck careened down a hill into a national holiday celebration in the Suzak region of Kyrgyzstan on May 2.

According to the police, the truck's driver parked the vehicle and left it without putting on the emergency brake.

Health Minister Alymkadyr Beishenaliev said 29 children between 9 and 16 years old were injured.

Seven are in intensive care, including three who are in “serious” condition.

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

A draft resolution to establish an international day to commemorate the Srebrenica genocide has been sent to the UN General Assembly for a vote, Bosnia-Herzegovina's permanent representative to the UN said.

"After several rounds of inclusive consultations, the final motion of the resolution 'International Day of Remembrance and Commemoration of the Srebrenica Genocide in 1995' by the cross-regional core group went to the President of the UN General Assembly [Dennis Francis] and all permanent missions to the UN," Zlatko Lagumdzija announced on X, formerly Twitter, late on May 1.

In July 1995, more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were rounded up and killed by Bosnian Serb forces in Potocari near the eastern town of Srebrenica -- the worst mass killing in Europe since World War II.

The massacre has been deemed genocide by various verdicts of both the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

The resolution, which would declare July 11 as the International Day of Remembrance for the Genocide in Srebrenica, was initiated by Germany and Rwanda and is co-sponsored by the United States, France, Bosnia, and other countries.

It is expected to be put to a vote in the General Assembly in early May and would be observed starting from next year -- the 30th anniversary of the genocide.

The final draft, seen by RFE/RL, condemns any denial of the Srebrenica genocide as well as actions that glorify convicted war criminals and perpetrators of crimes against humanity and genocide.

It also highlights the importance of completing the process of finding and identifying the remains of victims of the Srebrenica genocide and calls for the continued prosecution of its perpetrators that have yet to be brought to justice.

So far, more than 50 individuals have been sentenced to some 700 years in prison for their roles in the Srebrenica genocide.

Leaders of Bosnia's Serb entity, Republika Srpska, and Serbia have voiced angry opposition to the resolution, which they claim would label Serbs as a “genocidal nation.” Serbia is supported by Russia and China.

On April 30, Russia’s envoy to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, dismissed the resolution as “one-sided” and “politically charged.” Nebenzya said the move would not promote reconciliation among the peoples of Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Milorad Dodik, Republika Srpska's Russia-friendly leader, has repeatedly threatened that if the resolution is adopted, the entity "will withdraw from the decision-making process in Bosnia."

Dodik, who has been sanctioned by the United States and Britain over his efforts to undermine the Dayton peace accords, has regularly reiterated his denial of the Srebrenica genocide.

Dodik told supporters at a rally in Banja Luka on April 18 that the actions of the Republika Srpska Army in Srebrenica in 1995 were "a mistake that left the crime," but he denied it was genocide.

Serbia's nationalist president, Aleksandar Vucic, said the resolution should be subjected to a vote in the UN Security Council, not the General Assembly.

Unlike resolutions presented to the General Assembly, those put to a vote in the Security Council can be vetoed by any of its five members, therefore allowing Russia and China to sink it.

A 24-year-old man from Siberia died in hospital in St. Petersburg after self-immolating in front of a military recruitment center in Russia's second-largest city, medical personnel at the Dzhanelidze hospital said on May 2. Several Telegram channels said on May 1 that the man was hospitalized the previous day with burns over 90 percent of his body after he set himself on fire on the territory of the Leningrad region's military recruitment center. Since Russia launched its ongoing invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, several Russians have lit themselves on fire in protest. Dozens also have been arrested on terrorism charges for arson attacks on military recruitment centers. To read the original story by RFE/RL's North.Realities, click here.

Tehran has imposed a round of sanctions on a group of American and British companies and individuals, including British Defense Minister Grant Shapps, over their support for Israel in its war in the Gaza Strip.

In a statement on May 2, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said British officials and entities were sanctioned because of the United Kingdom’s “deliberate support” for Israel, including “committing terrorist acts” that threatened regional peace.

The sanctions also target several military officials, including Simon Cloke, commander of Royal Air Force Akrotiri, a British air base in Cyprus used by RAF fighter jets to target the Iran-aligned Huthi rebels in Yemen.

In a separate tranche of sanctions, Iran targeted U.S.-based arms manufacturers and senior members of hawkish think tanks for their support of Israel.

Sanction targets include Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics, as well as the energy company Chevron.

Among the individuals sanctioned by Iran is Brad Cooper, who is identified as the commander of the United States Navy’s Fifth Fleet in the Middle East. Cooper turned over command of the Fifth Fleet to George Wikoff on February 1.

The targets of the sanctions will have their bank accounts in Iran frozen and will not be issued visas to enter Iranian territory.

While the impact of these measures remains unclear, they appear to be largely symbolic.

U.S. and U.K. fighter jets targeted Huthi positions several times earlier this year in response to the Yemeni rebels targeting commercial shipping in the Red Sea. The Huthis pledged to continue their attacks unless there was a ceasefire was reached in Gaza.

Israel launched its Gaza offensive in October 2023 in retaliation for a surprise attack on Israeli settlements led by Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union.

Nearly 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed in the Hamas-led attack. The health ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip says more than 34,000 people have been killed in the Israeli offensive.

The largest bank in the United States, JPMorgan Chase, said on May 2 its assets in Russia may be seized following lawsuits filed in Russia and the United States. In March, Russia's stated-owned VTB bank filed a lawsuit to regain its funds blocked abroad after JP Morgan Chase sued VTB in New York to halt its efforts to recover $439.5 million from an account that was blocked after Russia launched its ongoing invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and VTB was hit with sanctions. To read the full story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here.

Artem Marchevskiy, a close associate of pro-Russia Ukrainian politician Viktor Medvedchuk, has left Prague for Slovakia after Czech authorities imposed sanctions on him for attempts to carry out "influence operations" for Moscow's benefit on Czech territory. Media reports cited sources and Marchevskiy's lawyer on May 2 as saying Slovak authorities had provided Marchevskiy with temporary protection status. Marchevskiy holds Ukrainian and Israeli passports. Earlier, German publication Der Spiegel identified Medvedchuk and Marchevskiy as operators of the Prague-based pro-Moscow news website Voice Of Europe. The German publication said the website played a key role in financing pro-Kremlin European Parliament candidates. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here.

TBILISI -- Activists and opposition politicians in Georgia have called for another mass protest on May 2 over the government push to approve a controversial "foreign agents" bill that may jeopardize the country's move toward European Union membership, a day after security forces violently dispersed tens of thousands demanding the legislation be scrapped.

The country has been rocked by days of protests over the proposed law, denounced by opponents as being inspired by similar repressive legislation in Russia that Moscow has used to stifle dissent.

Roman Gotsiridze, leader of the Eurooptimists political group in parliament, called on Georgians to come to the national legislature on May 2 at 7 p.m. in Tbilisi to confront the "puppet government."

Embed share

Massive Crowds Meet Fresh Police Crackdown As Georgian Protests Continue

Embed share

The code has been copied to your clipboard.

---

width px height px

---

The URL has been copied to your clipboard

No media source currently available

0:00 0:01:16 0:00

The parliamentary press center said all planned events in the building, including sessions and plenary meetings, had been suspended until at least 2 p.m. due to a "red-level security threat" created by the protesters the previous night.

On May 1, police used water cannons, tear gas, and other instruments to try and disperse one of the largest demonstrations the country has ever seen after the legislation was advanced in a second-reading vote. A third and final reading vote is expected on May 17.

Several people were arrested and more than a dozen protesters were injured amid reports police shot rubber bullets into the crowd.

RFE/RL has not confirmed the usage of rubber bullets by police, and Deputy Interior Minister Aleksandr Darakhvelidze told reporters early on May 2 that "no rubber bullets" were used by law enforcement officers "although there were sufficient legal reasons for their use."

However, staff at the New Hospital clinic in the capital told RFE/RL a 25-year-old man was treated for a wound just above the eye. Pictures circulating on social media showed some protesters with welts and other injuries on their bodies from what they said were rubber bullets.

A wave of anger has washed across Georgia since the ruling Georgian Dream party said it was reintroducing a slightly modified version of legislation that protests forced it to back away from last year.

If adopted, the law would require organizations and groups to register as "foreign agents" if they receive more than 20 percent of funding from abroad.

• RFE/RL's Georgian Service

Police in Tbilisi fired tear gas and water cannons at protesters gathered outside Georgia's parliament on May 1 after a controversial "foreign agent" bill advanced in its second reading. The bill has fueled weeks of demonstrations and warnings from Brussels it could jeopardize Georgia's EU hopes.

Critics call the bill "the Russian law," a reference to the "foreign agent" law that the government in Moscow has used to silence critics. Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili, who has distanced herself from the policies of the ruling party, has promised to veto the law if it is formally adopted in a third reading, as expected.

Western countries from the EU and the United States have expressed concern over the legislation and the crackdown on those voicing their opposition.

"The statements and actions of the Georgian government are incompatible with the democratic values that underpin membership in the EU and NATO and thus jeopardize Georgia's path to Euro-Atlantic integration," the U.S. State Department said in a statement.

Embed share

Explainer: Why Are Mass Protests Shaking Tbilisi?

Embed share

The code has been copied to your clipboard.

---

width px height px

---

The URL has been copied to your clipboard

No media source currently available

0:00 0:01:47 0:00

"The United States condemns the Kremlin-inspired 'foreign influence' legislation advanced in Georgia's parliament...and the false narrative government officials have adopted to defend it."

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned that the South Caucasus country was at a crossroads and should "stay the course" on the road to Europe.

"I am following the situation in Georgia with great concern and condemn the violence on the streets of Tbilisi," von der Leyen wrote on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter.

She added in a statement that "the European Union has also clearly expressed its concerns regarding the law on foreign influence. The Georgian people want a European future for their country."

Georgia's Special Investigation Service said a probe into excessive force against the demonstrators was ongoing.

Meanwhile, the international hacking collective Anonymous claimed responsibility on May 2 for hacking the websites of the Georgian Dream party and pro-government PosTV television channel. The two websites have been inaccessible since late on May 1.

Anonymous called the move "a response to police violence against the protesters against the law in question and warned that more government websites will be hacked over "inhumane actions of the Georgian police against their own citizens."

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called for an investigation into footage appearing to show that as many as 21 Ukrainian troops had been executed as, or after, they surrendered to Russian forces, and urged that those responsible be punished for war crimes. The group said in a statement that drone footage posted on social media appeared to show 15 Ukrainian soldiers being killed as they attempted to surrender, while six others were possibly shot dead as they were surrendering or had already surrendered. HRW said the footage posted in December and February do not appear to be isolated incidents.

A Russian missile strike early on May 2 on Ukraine's Black Sea port of Odesa wounded 14 people and damaged critical civilian infrastructure in the third missile attack on the city in as many days.

The head of the region's military administration, Oleh Kiper, said on Telegram the strike ignited a fire, and the storage depots of the local branch of Ukraine's postal service were damaged.

A Russian attack on Odesa the previous day seriously wounded a man who later died in a hospital.

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine

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

Russia has been targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure for months and repeatedly attacked Odesa in recent days, including on April 29 using an Iskander missile. Five civilians died in that attack and 23 were injured, officials said.

On May 1, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in an interview with Foreign Policy that as much as half of Ukraine's energy system had been damaged by Russia's attacks.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told NATO members last week that his country needs a minimum of seven additional Patriot air-defense systems to counter Russian air strikes amid a shortage of weaponry sparked by delays from the United States, where lawmakers were unable to agree on an aid package for months, while European allies have been unable to deliver ammunition at the scale promised.

An influx of weapons is expected to flow after U.S. President Joe Biden signed the long-delayed $61 billion military aid package last week. Biden said the package would include air-defense munitions to help Ukraine protect its cities and infrastructure, artillery shells, and long-range missile systems.

Faced with the quasi-daily Russian onslaught on its infrastructure, Ukraine has resorted to striking Russia's energy facilities -- especially oil refineries -- with its own drones, whenever possible.

On May 2, Smolensk Governor Vasily Anokhin said on Telegram that Ukrainian drones targeted energy infrastructure in his region.

"Today, the Smolensk region was again attacked by Ukrainian UAVs. In the Roslavl district, the enemy attempted to damage a civilian energy infrastructure facility. There were no casualties. Emergency and law enforcement services are working at the scene," Anokhin said, without giving details.

Separately, Russia's Defense Ministry said its air-defense systems downed 12 Ukrainian drones over several regions.

It said five drones were destroyed over the Bryansk region, three over the Krasnodar region, two over Rostov, and one each over the Kursk and Belgorod regions.

Kursk Governor Roman Starovoit said on Telegram that a Ukrainian drone damaged power lines in the village of Ponyri.

Regional officials in three more Russian regions -- Smolensk, Oryol, and Voronezh -- said they had been targeted by Ukrainian drones. In Oryol, Governor Andrei Klychkov said energy infrastructure was damaged in two districts where the electricity supply was partially disrupted.

Ukraine has not commented on the Russian claims, which could not be independently verified immediately.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has dismissed Ilya Vityuk, head of the cybersecurity department of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), amid allegations of corruption. The decree announcing the sacking of Vityuk was published on Zelenskiy’s website on May 1. Neither Zelenskiy, the SBU, nor Vytyuk has publicly commented on the dismissal. Vityuk had already been placed on leave before his dismissal. In early April a reporter who wrote an article about Vityuk’s wealth was summoned to a military recruitment center, prompting Ukraine’s top military commander, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskiy, to launch an internal audit. To read the original story on RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service, click here.

The United States on May 1 accused Russia of violating the international chemical weapons ban by deploying the choking agent chloropicrin against Ukrainian troops and using riot control agents "as a method of warfare" in Ukraine. "The use of such chemicals is not an isolated incident and is probably driven by Russian forces' desire to dislodge Ukrainian forces from fortified positions and achieve tactical gains on the battlefield," the State Department said in a statement. Chloropicrin is banned by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, which was created to monitor compliance with the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention.

The U.S. Treasury Department on May 1 imposed new sanctions on hundreds of companies and people tied to Russia's weapons development program as part of its continuing effort to limit Russia’s ability to access the materials it needs to “prosecute its illegal war against Ukraine."

The department said in a news release that the goal of the sanctions was to "further degrade Russia’s ability to sustain its war machine."

The Treasury Department imposed sanctions on nearly 200 targets, while the State Department designated more than 80.

The sanctions aim to limit Russia's military-industrial base, chemical weapons programs, and people and firms in third countries that help Russia acquire weapons components.

They also target more than a dozen Chinese firms accused of helping Russia find workarounds to previously announced sanctions. The new measures also aim to punish individuals tied to the death of Russian opposition politician Aleksei Navalny.

The “Treasury has consistently warned that companies will face significant consequences for providing material support for Russia’s war, and the U.S. is imposing them today on almost 300 targets,” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said.

The actions "will further disrupt and degrade Russia’s war efforts by going after its military industrial base and the evasion networks that help supply it," she said in the news release.

Included in the new sanctions announcement are importers of ingredients used to produce gunpowder, rocket propellants, and other explosives. Also included are Russian government entities and people tied to Russia's chemical and biological weapons programs and firms related to Russia's natural gas construction projects.

The Treasury Department’s news release said firms in China, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Slovakia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates are accused of helping Russia acquire technology and equipment from abroad.

The State Department sanctions target three people in connection to the death of Navalny, who died in February in a Russian Arctic prison. Russian authorities say he died of natural causes. His followers believe he was killed by the authorities, which the Kremlin denies.

Added to the U.S. sanctions list are the director of the correctional colony in Russia where Navalny was held for the majority of his imprisonment, the head of the solitary confinement detachment, and the head of the medical unit at the Arctic colony where he was imprisoned before his death.

The officials oversaw the cells where Navalny was kept in solitary confinement, the walking yard where he allegedly collapsed and died, and Navalny's health, including in the immediate aftermath of his collapse, the State Department said.

The sanctions freeze any assets the entities and individuals hold in U.S. jurisdiction, block them from using the U.S. financial system, and bar American citizens from dealing with them.

With reporting by AP and Reuters

Prime minister-elect Milos Vucevic told the Serbian parliament on May 1 that membership in the European Union remains the country’s strategic goal but said “burdens” introduced into the membership process “cannot be ignored.”

Vucevic, leader of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), said EU expectations are tied to Serbia "humiliating" itself by recognizing Kosovo's independence and joining sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.

In a three-hour speech to parliament setting out his government’s priorities, Vucevic, who named his cabinet on April 30, said Serbia will maintain its policy of not joining the sanctions.

"There is no doubt that pressures will continue, and probably intensify, but our commitment to stay in the same positions remains," he said.

Serbia “cannot and will not give up its friendship with Russia, whose people we consider fraternal, just as we do with Ukrainians,” he said, noting that Serbia has condemned Russia's attack on Ukraine and considers the territorial integrity of Ukraine inviolable.

SEE ALSO:

New Serbian Government To Keep East-West 'Two Chairs' Policy

He described his cabinet as a "government of continuity" of Serbian policies and said Belgrade's foreign policy will be guided by the existing principles of political independence and military neutrality.

Vucevic emphasized the importance of Serbia’s partnership with China, saying a trade agreement would open doors to Serbian entrepreneurs.

"Despite conflicting views from many in the West, China represents a friendly state, a partner, and a reliable ally in defending our territorial integrity," he said, adding that he looks forward to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s planned visit on May 7-8.

SEE ALSO:

China's Xi To Visit Serbia, Hungary During European Tour Next Week

Serbia is also committed to building the best relations with the United States, he said.

"Where there are disagreements, as with Kosovo and Metohija, we will reiterate our position [and] work to make our American partners hear and understand us," Vucevic said, using the Serbian name for its former province.

Vucevic reiterated that Serbia has never questioned the territorial integrity of neighboring Bosnia-Herzegovina, stating Serbia will be a partner for everyone who wants to work on strengthening the Dayton peace accords that ended the Bosnian War and established two entities -- Republika Srpska and the Bosniak-Croat federation -- under a weak central government.

"No one can forbid us from loving the Republika Srpska,” he said, referring to the entity dominated by ethnic Serbs. “No one will impose guilt or the stigma of a genocidal people on us," he said in an apparent reference to a proposed UN resolution that would declare July 11 as the International Day of Remembrance for the Genocide.

The genocide near Srebrenica in 1995 of more than 8,000 Bosniak men and boys by Bosnian Serb forces has been deemed genocide by various international courts. Serbia has voiced strong opposition to the resolution.

Vucevic also mentioned Serbia’s relations with other Balkan countries. There are numerous challenges in Serbia’s relations with Croatia, but he said Serbians in Croatia will always be able to rely on their home country, “which will help them not only financially but also culturally and thus prevent their assimilation."

Speaking about relations with Montenegro, he said that throughout history, "no one has been closer to Montenegro than Serbia and there is no reason for it not to be so again," adding that Serbia will not dispute Montenegro's statehood.

The prime minister-designate said that one of the priorities of the new government will be to strengthen the standard of living, and special attention would be paid to pensioners. He also announced that the future government would continue with intensive investments in the Serbian armed forces.

The new government was announced four and a half months after elections in which the SNS won a majority in parliament.

Opposition coalitions Serbia Against Violence and NADA (Hope) have accused the coalition led by the SNS of electoral theft in the December 17 vote, and numerous irregularities were identified by both international and domestic observer missions.

Serbian authorities have repeatedly denied that there were any serious electoral irregularities.

BELGRADE -- By appointing two members who are under U.S. sanctions to the new Serbian government, Belgrade has only nurtured its relationship with Moscow, a senior associate with the Berlin-based Council for Democratization Policy told RFE/RL on April 30.

But including the two sanctioned officials to the new government roster "doesn't imply abandoning the policy of sitting on two chairs" -- one in the East and one in the West, said Bodo Weber, who replied to e-mailed questions from RFE/RL after the government was named.

The "two-chair" policy refers to Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic's attempt to maintain good relations with the European Union -- which Serbia strives to join -- while keeping close ties to traditional ally Russia, even after the Kremlin's decision to invade Ukraine in February 2022.

Milos Vucevic, leader of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), was tapped last month to form a new government, and on April 30 he announced it will include former intelligence chief Aleksandar Vulin, who has been under U.S. sanctions since July 2023, to the post of deputy prime minister, and Nenad Popovic, another official blacklisted by the United States, as a minister without portfolio.

Embed share

Serbia Finally Grants Special Passports To (A Few) Refugees

Embed share

The code has been copied to your clipboard.

---

width px height px

---

The URL has been copied to your clipboard

No media source currently available

0:00 0:02:25 0:00

Vulin was placed on the U.S. sanctions list in July 2023 for allegedly using his position to further Russian and criminal agendas, including arms dealing and drug trafficking.

Popovic, designated in November 2023, used his Russia-based businesses to enrich himself and gain close connections with Kremlin senior leaders, according to the U.S. Treasury Department.

The U.S. State Department told RFE/RL that the United States is "disappointed to see two sanctioned individuals proposed for positions in the new government." The department's e-mailed response to a request for comment added, "Our position on Mr. Vulin and Mr. Popovic is well known. They remain under U.S. sanctions."

Vucevic also named Milica Djurdjevic Stamenkovski, president of the right-wing Zavetnici party, to head the Ministry of Family Care. The Zavetnici party, formerly in opposition, entered into cooperation with the SNS after the December elections, which were marred by widespread allegations of fraud and irregularities.

There also are several new names in the 25-member government, while 13 ministers remain at the helm of the same ministries they led in the previous government.

SEE ALSO:

Kosovo*: Its Footnote Is Both A Blessing And A Curse

"There's a recognizable continuation of the trend of greater involvement of party operatives [and] members of the inner circle around Vucic," said Weber, adding that he didn't see any ideological shift in the policy of Vucic's regime in the composition of the new government.

He said Vucic's regime has always relied less on a specific ideology and more on maintaining power, "so the authoritarian mindset behind it, rather than its nationalist ideological heritage, has been and remains more important."

Asked what message the new government sends to the international community, Weber said EU membership has long been more of a means for Vucic to consolidate and maintain power and to strengthen Serbia's international position rather than a serious goal.

At the same time Weber is very critical of the European Union's "appeasement policy" toward Serbia, saying it means Vucic doesn't need to worry about what message his new government sends.

"Since the EU has failed to muster the strength to stop its long-failed appeasement policy toward the authoritarian-autocratic regime in Serbia, what continues is a performance devoid of any substance called Serbia's European integration," he said.

SEE ALSO:

Wider Europe Briefing: The Georgian Gamble And The Big EU Enlargement 20 Years Later

An initiative by Germany and France on the political dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo, a former province of Serbia whose independence Belgrade does not recognize, "was based precisely on that previously proven failed appeasement policy toward Vucic," Weber added. "It has gloriously failed in an unprecedented escalation in northern Kosovo, which Western capitals still aren't willing to acknowledge."

Tensions in ethnic-Serb dominated northern Kosovo have remained high since an incident in September that left an ethnic Albanian Kosovar police officer dead after an encounter with masked commandos allegedly led by a Kosovar Serb politician. Three of the gunmen were also killed.

Weber said Belgrade will never face sanctions for the regime's "direct responsibility for the attack…ensuring that even resorting to massive electoral fraud in the December elections in Belgrade won't provoke a serious reaction from the West."

He added that Vucic apparently had no concerns about a possible strong U.S. reaction to the appointment of two sanctioned ministers.

The policy of imposing sanctions on officials close to the Kremlin remains "entirely disconnected from the general policy of the U.S. administration towards Belgrade."

Weber also criticized the United States as having "taken a leading role in the Western appeasement policy."

However U.S. envoy for the Western Balkans Gabriel Escobar has urged the two sides to resolve their differences. And in March during a visit to Pristina he put pressure on Prime Minister Albin Kurti to reverse a ban on the use of Serbia's dinar in the country's north.

SEE ALSO:

Under Investigation Across Europe, Pro-Kremlin Voice Of Europe Has Deep Balkan Ties

But Weber said it was apparent that nurturing relations with Moscow was considered in forming the government at a time when Vucic feels pressure due to the Council of Europe coming closer to admitting Kosovo and a UN resolution on the genocide in Srebrenica.

"However, this still doesn't mean abandoning the policy of sitting on two chairs," Weber said.

Weber also said Vucevic has the capacity to lead the government and keep the cabinet together based on his status as a member of Vucic's "inner circle" and his position as president of the party.

He added that it will be interesting to see how Vucic relates to the prime minister, noting it won't be as easy to shift blame for negative events onto the government when it's led by the president of the ruling party.

None of this will jeopardize the stability of a regime that currently isn't seriously threatened, "least of all by the West, and it seems, no longer by the opposition," Weber said.

With reporting by RFE/RL's Balkan Service

Russia’s envoy to the United Nations has dismissed a proposed General Assembly resolution on the 1995 massacres in the Bosnian town of Srebrenica as "one-sided" and "politically charged." Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya told the Security Council on April 30 that the draft, which was submitted by Germany and Rwanda and proposes declaring July 11 the International Day of Remembrance for the victims of the "Srebrenica genocide," would not promote reconciliation among the peoples of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 1995, Bosnian Serb militias killed more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys in an action that has been labeled genocide by international tribunals. To read the original story by RFE/RL’s Russian Service, click here.

A surge of labor unrest, buffeted by widespread protests over sharp cuts to fuel quotas for truck drivers, has swept across Iran as economic hardship and poor living standards wrack the country’s workforce.

Several cities and provinces have seen large-scale protests by truck drivers in recent days ahead of the May 1 international labor day holiday, as they vent their anger of a cut in monthly fuel allocations from 3,000 liters to just 500 liters.

The reduction in fuel quotas has increased costs for operators, in turn raising the prices of goods and services for the broader population.

The protests have coincided with other protests by retired workers and in various industrial sectors across the country, which is reeling from the bite of economic sanctions on the economy over Tehran’s nuclear program.

In Arak, retired workers voiced their discontent against what they perceive as government mismanagement of the economy, while workers from Pars Paper Mill in Haft Tappeh and retirees in Shush rallied against local officials, demanding accountability and improved living conditions.

Local authorities in several regions, including Dashtyari, have reportedly ignored the protests, leading to increased frustration among the demonstrators.

According to the Free Union of Iranian Workers, the local governor in Dashtyari left his office without engaging with the protesters, exacerbating tensions.

In an attempt to quell dissent ahead of International Workers Day, several labor and social activists in Sanandaj were summoned and interrogated by local intelligence services, rights groups said.

Unrest -- including months of protests by workers -- has rattled Iran in recent years in response to declining living standards, wage arrears, and a lack of welfare support.

Labor Ministry data show Iran's poverty rate doubled in 2021, with one-third of the population living in "extreme poverty." Since then, conditions have failed to improve.

In September 2023, Iran's Misery Index, calculated by the Iranian Statistics Center, rose to 60.4 -- its highest point ever and more than double what it was six years ago. The higher the rating, the worse off people feel.

Labor laws in Iran do not recognize the right of workers to form independent unions.

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

The United States said it was "disappointed" following the announcement that two individuals under U.S. sanctions have been included in the proposed new Serbian cabinet.

"We are disappointed to see two sanctioned individuals proposed for positions in the new government," a U.S. State Department spokesman told RFE/RL in a written statement on May 1.

The two nominees in question are Aleksandar Vulin, who has been proposed as deputy prime minister, and Nenad Popovic, who was tabbed as a minister without portfolio.

"Our position on Mr. Vulin and Mr. Popovic is well known," the State Department spokesman said. "They remain under U.S. sanctions." He added that Washington plays no role in the appointments in the Serbian government.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on May 1 that he is "not happy" with the State Department's position.

"I hope we will have good relations with our American partners," he said. "It is extremely important to have good relations."

Vulin, a former director of Serbia's BIA security agency, was sanctioned by Washington in July 2023 for "corrupt and destabilizing acts that have also facilitated Russia's malign activities in the region."

Popovic, a businessman and former minister without portfolio, was sanctioned in November 2023 for allegedly "operating in or having operated in the electronics sector of the Russian Federation economy."

In March, Vucic asked Defense Minister Milos Vucevic to form a new government after contested parliamentary elections last December.

Vucevic, the leader of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), has been serving as defense minister and deputy prime minister since 2022. The SNS and its coalition partners won a narrow majority of 129 mandates in the 250-seat legislature in the close-fought vote that was marred by allegations of fraud.

Vucevic announced his picks on April 30, saying his cabinet would include the heads of 25 ministries and five ministers without portfolios.

Current Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic has been proposed as interior minister, while Police Minister Bratislav Gasic was selected as defense minister.

Serbia's parliament was set to discuss the formation of the new government on May 1.

Five people were killed on May 1 in separate strikes in eastern Ukraine by Russian forces firing missiles and bombs that hit small towns in the regions of Kharkiv and Donetsk, local officials said.

In the northeastern Kharkiv region bordering Russia, a guided bomb attack killed two civilians, a 38-year-old woman, and her father inside a car, the region's governor said.

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine

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

On the morning of May 1, "two guided aerial bombs hit the center of the town of Zolochiv," around 15 kilometers from the Russian border, Kharkiv regional Governor Oleh Synyehubov said on national television.

Synyehubov said in addition to the two people killed in the car, another 13 people, including an 11-year-old child, were wounded.

Further east in the Kharkiv region close to the city of Kupyansk, Russian shelling killed a 67-year-old woman in the village of Lelyukivka, Synyehubov added.

In the Donetsk region, two people were killed and six were injured in the small town of Hirnyk, about 15 kilometers from the front line, said regional Governor Vadym Filashkin.

"The Russians attacked the town with Uragans (Hurricanes) this afternoon," Filashkin wrote on Telegram, referring to self-propelled rocket launchers designed in the Soviet Union to deliver cluster munitions.

The two people killed were a 57-year-old woman and a 64-year-old man, he added.

Artillery and drone strikes in Nikopol, located in the center-east of the country, wounded four people, regional Governor Serhiy Lysak said.

Three civilians were reported killed earlier on May 1 in a Russian missile strike against the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Odesa, local authorities said.

Regional Governor Oleh Kiper said three others were injured in the overnight attack, which damaged civilian infrastructure.

Embed share

Ukrainian Mother Who Served In Military Now Helps Others Deal With War Trauma

Embed share

The code has been copied to your clipboard.

---

width px height px

---

The URL has been copied to your clipboard

No media source currently available

0:00 0:02:43 0:00

Russia has repeatedly attacked Odesa in recent days, including on April 29 using an Iskandr missile. Five civilians died in that attack and 23 were injured, officials said.

Meanwhile, an oil refinery in Russia’s Ryazan region was damaged by a drone strike early on May 1, the region’s governor said in a post on Telegram.

Governor Pavel Malkov wrote that there were no casualties.

Local residents posted videos purportedly showing a large fire and explosions at the refinery.

Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry said a drone had been intercepted over the region, as well as three over the Voronezh region and one over the Kursk region.

Since the beginning of the year, 18 Russian oil refineries have been damaged by drone attacks.

Ukraine has not commented on the majority of the incidents.

With reporting by AFP

The Bulgarian parliament has unanimously approved legislation to ban advertising for gambling on nearly all forms of media -- from television and radio to newspapers and websites.

All 198 members present on April 30 -- the last day of work for the 49th parliament-- voted in favor of the ban on second reading.

The legislation, which will become law within a few weeks when it is published in the official register, provides for a complete ban on advertising for gambling except on billboards, social media, and at sports facilities that don't cater for children. The legislation places a distance limit of 300 meters on billboards near schools and says all ads must include a large warning taking up at least 10 percent of the ad that says gambling can lead to addiction.

The advertising restriction also does not apply to the state lottery on the grounds that it is obliged to distribute its profits for sports and to cover health-care expenditures, which is not the same for private operators.

The legislation was proposed last week by Temenuzhka Petkova of the center-right GERB party and its UDF partner as well as Yordan Tsonev of the ethnic Turkish MRF party. It moved rapidly through the Budget Committee and was quickly approved after its first reading in parliament.

Advertising for gambling is currently prohibited, but there are loopholes that businesses take advantage of. The law says that the amount of winnings and the names of winners cannot be included in advertisements, but prominent people can be featured in ads along with other messages.

Child protection organizations, psychologists, gambling groups, media experts, and citizens have been pushing for years for the law to be tightened, while major broadcasters, media groups, the Association of Broadcasters (ABBRO), and gambling businesses have strongly opposed the ban.

They say they are heavily dependent on revenue from advertising and argue it threatens freedom of speech. They also insist that there are other ways to limit advertising to protect vulnerable groups.

Revenue Losses?

The broadcasters and gambling operators also point out that they have already planned their budgets, which have factored in revenue from gambling associated with this summer's Euro 2024 soccer championship and have signed advertising contracts for the tournament.

The Bulgarian Gambling Association has also voiced its opposition, warning that the ban could result in the growth of unlicensed gambling sites, which would weaken consumer protection and deprive the government of budget revenues from taxes and fees for gambling.

Former Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov said the ban is a direct threat to the broadcasters and other media affected because it means a major source of revenue would disappear and Bulgaria's media outlets would become less independent.

While Denkov’s Continue the Change/Democratic Bulgaria (PP-DB) supported the bill in principle, some of its members say it should be amended to include restrictions on people who receive social benefits and people facing foreclosures.

The Confederation of Employers and Industrialists in Bulgaria (CEIBG) said on April 29 that the ban would have "lasting adverse effects on the state, society, and the business climate in the country."

They say that banning advertising for gambling will lead to the loss of about 100,000 jobs along with losses in tourism, sports, culture, and the state budget, and that it will affect foreign investment and exacerbate capital flight.

A draft bill Georgia's government is pushing through parliament, the so-called “foreign agents” bill, will place a blanket label on civil society organizations and human rights defenders that creates an atmosphere of "mistrust, fear and hostility" making it difficult for the country's civil society to operate, according to a senior official at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

Matteo Mecacci, director of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) at the OSCE, told RFE/RL's Georgian Service on April 30 that the bill, which has sparked huge protests in the capital, Tbilisi, and called into question the Caucasus nation’s subsequent path towards membership in the European Union, will have "negative consequences for civil society.

"The draft law imposes restrictions on civil society organizations for receiving foreign funding, which is too broad. Some of the provisions are also vague which increases the risk of arbitrary application,” he explained.

"If the essence and content of the draft law is approved, the impact on civil society will still be negative," he added.

Georgia’s parliament was set to vote on April 30 on the second reading of the controversial bill that critics at home and abroad say mirrors Kremlin legislation that has been used in Russia to silence critics and dissent.

Embed share

Georgian 'Foreign Agents' Bill Sparks Mass Rallies On Both Sides Of The Issue

Embed share

The code has been copied to your clipboard.

---

width px height px

---

The URL has been copied to your clipboard

No media source currently available

0:00 0:02:24 0:00

Tens of thousands have taken to the streets of Tbilisi for more than two weeks to protest the legislation introduced by the ruling Georgian Dream party.

The United States, Britain, and the European Union, which granted Georgia candidate status in December, have all criticized the bill. EU officials have said it could halt Georgia's progress toward integration with the bloc.

If adopted, the law would require organizations and groups to register as "foreign agents" if they receive more than 20 percent of funding from abroad.

"I understand that the majority of civil society organizations in Georgia receive financial support from international donor institutions, (and indeed almost all larger organizations voluntarily reveal the list of their donors),” Mecacci said in written remarks to questions from RFE/RL.

"This draft law, if adopted, would therefore turn the vast majority of civil society institutions overnight into 'foreign agents' or 'representatives of foreign powers,' which is contrary to the spirit of international cooperation.”

At a pro-government rally in Tbilisi on April 29, former prime minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, the billionaire who founded the ruling Georgian Dream party and remains influential, claimed that a "global party of war" had hijacked the EU and NATO and was using those institutions to undermine Georgian sovereignty.

Critics say the legislation is similar to a law in Russia that first targeted NGOs and rights groups before being expanded to include media organizations, individual journalists, YouTube vloggers, and others who receive money from outside of Russia. Kyrgyzstan has passed similar legislation and lawmakers in Kazakhstan have been mulling such a move.

Such “foreign agent” laws have a "chilling effect" on civil society, said Mecacci, who headed the OSCE election observation mission to Georgia in 2013 and was a member of the Italian parliament.

“A blanket label on civil society organizations and human rights defenders as foreign agents or anything similar creates an atmosphere of mistrust, fear and hostility that makes it difficult for civil society to operate, Mecacci explained.

“The European Court of Human Rights has also said clearly that this kind of labelling is not just unjustified and prejudicial, but also has a strongly stigmatizing effect on their activities.”

SEE ALSO:

Wider Europe Briefing: The Georgian Gamble And The Big EU Enlargement 20 Years Later

Backers of the Georgian bill defend it by claiming it is similar to legislation in Western countries, including the United States.

That comparison was misleading if not flat-out false, argued Mecacci.

“There is a fundamental difference between the draft law under discussion and legislation in the U.S. and some other countries.

"In the latter, the legislation does not label civil society simply for receiving foreign funding, but rather seeks to ensure that private companies or nonprofits that take part in advocacy or lobbying efforts on behalf of a foreign power, register with the authorities, and then that this information is made publicly available,” he said.

“Such legislation does not apply to independent civil society organizations or media as such, and the mere receipt of funding from abroad is not sufficient to presume that they are “agents” of a foreign power and put into question their independence. The issue is not the origin of the funding received by the organization, but the nature of its activities and the work they conduct in the country.”

The Georgian bill is nearly identical to a proposal that the governing party was pressured to withdraw last year after large street protests.

The only change in wording from the previous draft law says noncommercial organizations and news media that receive 20 percent or more of their funding from overseas would have to register as “pursuing the interests of a foreign power.” The previous draft law said “agents of foreign influence.”

Although Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili says she would veto the law if it is passed by parliament in the third reading, the ruling party can override this by collecting 76 votes. Then the parliament speaker can sign it into law.

The final reading of the bill is scheduled to be debated on May 17.

"Highly confidential" documents uncovered by British broadcaster BBC indicate that Nika Shakarami, a 17-year-old Iranian protester, was sexually assaulted and killed after being detained by security forces during unrest sparked by the Women, Life, Freedom protests in 2022.

According to a report published by the BBC on April 30, the documents contain detailed minutes and a report of Shakarami's case as compiled by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). It reportedly includes the names of the individuals responsible for her death and senior commanders who allegedly tried to cover up what occurred.

RFE/RL has not been able to independently verify the BBC report.

"This document summarizes the appalling actions taken against Nika Shakarami, detailing her arrest and the subsequent cover-up attempts by senior commanders," the BBC said.

Shakarami went missing during protests in September 2022 in Tehran over the death of Mahsa Amini, who died while in police custody for allegedly wearing her head scarf improperly.

In her last communication with her friends, Shakarami said she was being chased by security forces.

Eight days later, Nika's body was returned to her family. The government said she had committed suicide.

SEE ALSO:

Mother Of Dead Teen Protester Accuses Iranian Authorities Of 'Lying' About Her Death In Attempt To 'Exempt Themselves'

The BBC report said documents showed Shakarami was forcibly taken into a refrigerated van, where she was handcuffed and assaulted by a male officer. As she was being assaulted, Shakarami fought back, prompting the officers to beat her with batons, they added.

Nasrin Shakarami, Nika’s mother, told RFE/RL’s Radio Farda in an exclusive video message that “the forensic medical certificate indicated that my daughter died from multiple blows from a hard object to her head.”

The BBC’s investigation revealed that a former Iranian security officer confirmed the authenticity of the documents through contacts within the IRGC’s archive, utilizing an "official code issued daily to senior intelligence officers." Questions remain about how the former agent still had access to the changing security codes.

"The document explicitly states that after being apprehended, Ms. Shakarami was placed in a van with several security agents," according to the BBC. One of the agents, as per the document, admitted to becoming “aroused” during the assault, although he later denied certain actions attributed to him.

In the document, Behruz Sadeghi, a member of the security team, is quoted as saying that it was "completely dark" inside the van and "we could only see each other with the light from our mobile phones."

When Shakarami became restive, Sadeghi says, two of his colleagues, Arash Kalhor and Sadegh Manjazi, moved to forcibly restrain her.

"She started cursing again which led to Arash Kalhor gagging her with his sock, while Sadegh laid her on the van floor and sat on her to calm her down.”

The documents quoted Kalhor as saying in a statement that, when Shakarami started yelling and struggling again, "I turned on my mobile phone and saw Sadegh Manjazi sitting on her with his hand in her trousers."

Iranian authorities and the IRGC did not respond to inquiries made by the BBC about the documents.

Following her death, the authorities were ordered by senior officials to ditch Shakarami’s body on a quiet street next to the Yadegar Imam highway in Tehran, the BBC reported, citing the documents.

During the "Women, Life, Freedom" protests, Iranian state media attempted to claim that Shakarami had committed suicide by jumping from an unfinished building near her aunt’s home, where she was living.

Her family has stated that they were not allowed to see her body, only viewing parts of her severely damaged head and face.

"Who do we complain to when no one in the government will take responsibility for killing Nika?" her mother said in despair.

SEE ALSO:

Iranian Regime Facing Major Challenge From Intense 'Hijab' Protests After Woman's Death In Custody

The incident was similar in some ways to what Amini endured before her death.

Authorities have said she fell into a coma soon after her arrest because of health problems. But her family says she was in good health, while eyewitnesses said the 22-year-old was beaten while she was being detained.

Public anger at Amini's death has been widely seen as one of the biggest threats to Iran's clerical establishment since the foundation of the Islamic republic in 1979.

At least 500 people have been killed around the country since authorities began a crackdown on her supporters, with thousands more detained or harassed.

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

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi is scheduled to visit Iran to take part in a nuclear conference from May 6 to May 8 and to meet Iranian officials, Iran's semiofficial Mehr news agency said on April 30. "Grossi will meet Iranian officials in Tehran before participating in the International Conference of Nuclear Sciences and Technologies held in Isfahan," the agency reported. The IAEA chief said in February that he was planning a visit to Tehran to tackle a "drifting apart" in relations between the agency and the Islamic republic.

Kyiv authorities on April 30 started dismantling a monument honoring the Pereyaslav Agreement signed in 1654 at talks organized for the Ukrainian Cossack state’s ceremonial pledge of allegiance to the Russian tsar. The monument is located under the so-called Arch of the Ukrainian People (formerly the Arch of Peoples' Friendship). The monument to the Pereyaslav Agreement is the second Soviet-era monument to be dismantled and removed from under the arch. Kyiv officials took down the first one -- a monument symbolizing the reunification of Ukraine and Russia -- in April 2022, two months after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, click here.