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U.S. To Review Relations With Georgia, Slaps Visa Bans On Officials Over 'Foreign Agent' Law
The United States has announced visa restrictions on Georgian government officials and a comprehensive review of bilateral relations with Tbilisi over a "foreign agent" law recently pushed forward by the ruling Georgian Dream party despite weeks of mass protests.
The legislation -- formally called the Law On Transparency Of Foreign Influence -- is seen as mirroring a similar repressive measure introduced by the Kremlin in Russia, endangering the country's path toward EU integration and bring it closer to Moscow.
It has been condemned by the United States and the European Union, which has said it is "incompatible" with Georgia's long-standing bid for membership.
"The Department of State is implementing a new visa restriction policy for Georgia that will apply to individuals who are responsible for or complicit in undermining democracy in Georgia, as well as their family members," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.
He added that the restrictions would also apply to those responsible for "suppressing civil society and freedom of peaceful assembly in Georgia through a campaign of violence or intimidation."
Georgia's ruling party responded to the announcement by saying the visa restrictions would be "nothing but a gross attempt to restrict Georgia's independence and sovereignty."
The reaction from Georgian Dream also accused the United States of pursuing a policy of "threats and blackmail" and "anti-Georgian rhetoric," adding that "no blackmail whatsoever can force us to go against our country."
Critics have said the legislation was introduced by Georgian Dream, founded by Russian-friendly Georgian tycoon Bidzina Ivanishvili, in order to cement the party's grip on power ahead of elections later this year seen as crucial for Georgia's Euro-Atlantic path.
"Anyone who undermines democratic processes or institutions in Georgia -- including in the lead-up to, during, and following Georgia’s October 2024 elections -- may be found ineligible for U.S. visas under this policy and precluded from travel to the United States. Immediate family members of such persons may also be subject to these restrictions," Blinken said.
The statement did not mention by name any individual who could be sanctioned under the new restrictions.
Washington has been a steady supporter of Georgia's Western integration, and Blinken said he was launching "a comprehensive review of bilateral cooperation between the United States and Georgia."
"U.S. support for Georgia’s democracy is longstanding and foundational to our bilateral relationship," Blinken said, warning that the United States will continue to monitor the Georgian government's moves.
"As we review the relationship between our two countries, we will take into account Georgia's actions in deciding our own," he said, adding, "It remains our hope that Georgia's leaders will reconsider the draft law and take steps to move forward with their nation’s democratic and Euro-Atlantic aspirations."
Under the measure that prompted weeks of protests violently repressed by authorities, media and NGOs will have to register as "pursuing the interests of a foreign power" if they receive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad.
Georgia was given EU candidate status on December 14, but has yet to start the accession negotiations, which can last for years. Georgians have also been given the green light for visa-free travel in the Schengen zone.
Georgian Dream has insisted that it remains committed to joining Western institutions and the law was only meant to increase transparency on NGO funding.
President Salome Zurabishvili, who has been at odds with the government, on May 18 vetoed the law but the Georgian Dream-controlled parliament has enough votes to override her veto.
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- By AFP
Afghan Taliban Delegation To Attend Next Round Of UN Talks In Qatar
Taliban authorities will attend the third round of United Nations-hosted talks on Afghanistan in Doha, Qatar, a government spokesman said on June 16. The Taliban-led government's participation in the conference of foreign special envoys to Afghanistan had been in doubt after it was not included in the first round and then refused an invitation to the second round. Zabihullah Mujahid told AFP a delegation from Afghanistan will participate in the Doha conference scheduled for June 30 and July 1. Mujahid told Afghan media that a delegation would attend because the talks' agenda appeared "beneficial to Afghanistan." The agenda includes "topics such as aid for Afghanistan and creating opportunities for investors in Afghanistan."
First Pride Rally Held In Kyiv Since Russia's Full-Scale Invasion
Several hundred LGBT activists and their supporters, including Ukrainian soldiers, marched in central Kyiv on June 16 to demand the government grant them more rights as they took part in the first Pride march in the Ukrainian capital since Russia launched its full-scale invasion more than two years ago.
Protected by riot police, demonstrators demanded the legalization of civil unions and harsh penalties for discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
Staff from the U.S. Embassy and several European embassies attended the rally on one of the central streets of Kyiv as participants shouted slogans such as, "It's always time for human rights."
In addition to seeking legal reforms to legalize civil unions for same-sex couples, campaigners are seeking changes in the law to allow people in those partnerships to make medical decisions for wounded soldiers and bury victims of the war.
Viktor Pylypenko, a Ukrainian soldier who has served as a rifleman and paramedic in the Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Donetsk regions, told RFE/RL his group brought two messages to the march, each one displayed on banners.
One called on the world to "stop procrastinating" and send Ukraine more weapons and air-defense systems, he said. The other demanded the Ukrainian president and parliament "stop procrastinating" on the implementation of European values and on the introduction of human rights for groups that face discrimination.
Others said LGBT soldiers serving in the military are fighting the same as others and only want equal treatment under the law in their relationships and other aspects of their lives.
"We are ordinary people who are fighting on an equal footing with everyone else, but deprived of the rights that other people have," Dmitriy Pavlov, an army soldier who used a cane to walk, told the Associated Press.
Many of the soldiers displayed rainbow patches on their uniforms and showed off the medals they had received.
Participants carried rainbow flags or wrapped themselves in them. Undeterred by rainy weather and a heavy police presence, many participants wore colorful clothing and gawdy accessories as they marched. The event lasted about 20 minutes and ended without provocations when participants went to the nearest metro station and dispersed.
Organizers faced difficulties ahead of the event. City authorities turned down a petition to allow it to be held at a metro station.
Police set up cordons in central Kyiv to keep the marchers clear of a counterdemonstration in which protesters carried posters with anti-gay slogans as they joined a march to a memorial for fallen soldiers in the center of the city.
The Pride march was condemned by one of the main branches of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
"This action is part of a left-wing radical political movement and is aimed at imposing a political ideology, and also aimed at destroying the institution of the family and weakening Ukrainian society in the conditions of war and repelling Russian aggression," the church said in a statement.
With reporting by AP
4 Killed In Roadside Bombing In Pakistan's Restive Northwest
Four passengers were killed and two others wounded in a roadside bomb explosion in Pakistan’s northwest province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on June 16. The incident occurred in the restive tribal district of Kurram. District emergency service officials told Radio Mashaal that all the victims were members of one family. The two wounded are being treated at a military hospital in Peshawar. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. Kurram has a history of sectarian violence. To read the original story by Radio Mashaal, click here.
- By Reuters
Iran Rebukes G7 For Statement On Nuclear Program Escalation
Iran called upon the Group of Seven (G7) on June 16 to distance itself from "destructive policies of the past," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said, referring to a G7 statement condemning Iran's recent nuclear program escalation. On June 14, the G7 warned Iran against advancing its nuclear enrichment program and said it would be ready to enforce new measures if Tehran were to transfer ballistic missiles to Russia. "Any attempt to link the war in Ukraine to the bilateral cooperation between Iran and Russia is an act with only biased political goals," Kanaani said.
Security Forces Storm Russian Detention Center To End Hostage Drama
A hostage drama at a detention center in southern Russia is reported to be over after Russian security forces stormed the facility, Russian state-run media reported on June 16.
The hostages at the facility in Rostov-on-Don were uninjured, said RIA Novosti, citing Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service. It said the hostage takers had been “liquidated,” with other local news outlets reporting that at least some of the prisoners had been killed.
Six inmates had reportedly taken two staff hostage at the detention center in the Rostov region, demanding a car and free passage. The six had been accused of terrorist activities and some were reported to have links to the Islamic State (IS) extremist group.
IS has carried out a number of attacks on Russian soil in recent years, including most recently in March when gunmen opened fire on a crowd at a concert hall in suburban Moscow, killing 145 people.
State-run TASS has reported, citing unnamed sources in law enforcement, that the hostage takers had been armed with a penknife, a rubber baton, and a fire ax. They were reported to have moved with the hostages to a central courtyard.
According to the Baza telegram channel, six inmates had knocked out the window bars in their cell and entered the control room, taking two staff hostage.
- By RFE/RL
80 Countries Back Ukraine's 'Territorial Integrity' At Swiss Peace Summit
Eighty countries have called for the "territorial integrity" of Ukraine to be the foundation of any peace agreement to end Russia's war in a communique issued on the second and final day of their gathering at a Swiss resort on June 16.
Russia's absence at the Ukrainian-initiated Global Peace Summit has dampened hopes of any breakthrough, as has China's decision to stay away.
Participants India, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates were among those that did not sign the final document, which focused on issues of nuclear safety, food security, and the exchange of prisoners.
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.
The final statement said the UN Charter and "respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty…can and will serve as a basis for achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine."
"We believe that reaching peace requires the involvement of and dialogue between all parties," it also said.
Viola Amherd, the Swiss president who hosted the event, told the final news conference that the fact that the "great majority" of participants agreed to the final document "shows what diplomacy can achieve."
On the eve of the summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin issued harsh terms for a cease-fire, including that Ukraine hand over control of four regions in areas not only occupied by Russian invading forces, but Ukrainian-controlled regions as well, demands immediately rejected by Kyiv and its Western backers.
Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, said the conference was "rightly" titled "Path to Peace" because such a goal will not be achieved in a single step.
"It was not a peace negotiation because Putin is not serious about ending the war. He is insisting on capitulation. He is insisting on ceding Ukrainian territory -- even territory that today is not occupied by him," she said. "He is insisting on disarming Ukraine, leaving it vulnerable to future aggression. No country would ever accept these outrageous terms."
Speaking at the end of the two-day meeting in Burgenstock, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the support of Western and other leaders demonstrates that the rule of international law can be restored.
"I hope that we can achieve results as soon as possible," Zelenskiy said. "We'll prove to everyone in the world that the UN Charter can be restored to full effectiveness."
In holding the summit, Zelenskiy had been seeking to rally a greater number of countries behind Ukraine's cause, especially those from the so-called Global South, and maintain world attention on Russia's brutal invasion. That has become more urgent amid some global fatigue with the 28-month war, fighting in the Middle East, and growing concern about Chinese aggression toward Taiwan.
The June 15-16 summit was the culmination of Zelenskiy's efforts over the past 19 months to engage global leaders in helping end the biggest war in Europe since World War II.
Switzerland agreed to host the summit with the hope it would pave the way for a future peace process that includes Russia. Zelenskiy did not want Russia to participate at this stage.
At their meeting on June 16, delegates agreed on a final summit declaration that focused on three issues: a call for the need for nuclear and food security and the return of prisoners of war and children removed from Ukraine during the conflict.
Ihor Zhovkva, Zelenskiy's deputy chief of staff, told reporters on the sidelines of the summit that Kyiv decided to focus on these three issues "because the majority of the international community is united around these positions today."
"The text is balanced. All of our principled positions on which Ukraine had insisted have been considered," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told reporters on June 16 about the final communique.
"Of course we...understand perfectly that a time will come when it will be necessary to talk to Russia," he said. "But our position is very clear: We will not allow Russia to speak in the language of ultimatums like it is speaking now."
Also to be decided on June 16 at the peace summit is the host country for the follow-up conference meant to build on the Swiss momentum.
Saudi Arabia was believed to be one of the leading candidates, and Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said on June 15 that the kingdom was ready to assist the peace process, but he warned a viable settlement would hinge on "difficult compromise."
China, which backs Russia, joined scores of countries that sat out the event. Beijing has said any peace process would require the participation of both Russia and Ukraine, and has put forward its own ideas for peace.
On June 15, on the first day of the Swiss summit, many Western leaders condemned Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, citing the UN Charter in defense of its territorial integrity, and rejecting Putin's demands for Ukraine to cede land for peace.
"One thing is clear in this conflict: There is an aggressor, which is Putin, and there is a victim, which is the Ukrainian people," Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said.
"Russia should realize that it has borders, like any other state, and that it has neighbors, like any other state. This international community, the new security architecture, can exist only when the big countries, the biggest of the biggest, recognize their neighbors, respect their neighbors and their territorial integrity," Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili said.
"Sovereignty, territorial integrity, and discrediting aggression as a tool of statecraft are crucial principles that must be upheld in case of Ukraine and globally," Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas told the opening session on June 15. "That is why I'm concerned about so-called peace plans and initiatives that ignore the core UN Charter principles. We cannot treat Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty as somewhat secondary," Kallas added.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, representing the United States while President Joe Biden attended a fundraiser in California, said Putin's June 14 “peace” proposal was not a call for negotiations but a call "for [Ukraine's] surrender."
Harris also reiterated America's full backing for Ukraine and announced $1.5 billion in new U.S. assistance for multiple projects, including energy infrastructure and civilian security.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stated that "peace in Ukraine cannot be achieved without involving Russia" but noted Russia has refused all collective calls for peace.
Ahead of the summit, leaders from the Group of 7 major industrial nations announced a $50 billion loan package for Kyiv that will leverage interest and income from the more than $260 billion in frozen Russian assets.
Biden and Zelenskiy this week signed a security agreement that commits the United States over 10 years to continued training of Ukraine's armed forces.
Biden, who decided not to attend the summit despite pleas from Zelenskiy, also approved sending Ukraine a second Patriot missile system and imposed another round of financial sanctions on Russia.
The White House also eased restrictions that kept Ukraine from using American weaponry to strike inside Russia, allowing strikes into Russia for the limited purpose of defending Kharkiv.
Last month, Russia launched a small-scale offensive in the northern Kharkiv region, seeking to stretch Ukraine's outgunned and outmanned forces across the roughly 1,200-kilometer front line. The effort has slowed, as Ukraine rushed new units to the area, reinforced positions, and fired on Russian positions across the border.
Armenia Proposes 'Joint Mechanism' With Azerbaijan To Investigate Cease-Fire Violations
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has proposed the establishment of a mechanism to investigate allegations of cease-fire violations with Azerbaijan.
His suggestion for a "joint mechanism" on June 15 came days after the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry claimed Armenian soldiers had opened fire on Azerbaijani troops in Baku's Naxcivan exclave.
The Armenian military dismissed the allegation, describing it as "misinformation," and EU observers in Armenia said they had not recorded unusual activities along the border.
Addressing members of his Civil Contract party, Pashinian said allegations of cease-fire violations were either true or meant to escalate tensions between the neighbors.
The embattled prime minister said the launch of a joint investigation committee could help determine whether claims of cease-fire violations were true.
Azerbaijan on June 13 accused Armenian troops of targeting Azerbaijani positions in the village of Khavush in the Sharur region, the village of Nurgut in the Ordubad region, and Guney Gyshlag village in the Shahbuz region. Baku said it had responded.
The Armenian premier's popularity has taken major hits in recent years, in large part because of the loss to Azerbaijan in the 2020 Second Nagorno-Karabakh War and the subsequent Azerbaijani military recapture of Karabakh in 2023.
Protests have gripped Yerevan since April, when authorities agreed to hand back to archrival Azerbaijan territory that Armenia had controlled since the 1990s.
Residents of nearby settlements say the move cuts them off from the rest of the country and accuse Pashinian of giving away territory without getting anything in return. Pashinian has defended the move as part of efforts to secure peace with Azerbaijan.
Led by Archbishop Bagrat Galstanian, protesters have been calling for Pashinian’s resignation as his government nears a controversial peace deal with Azerbaijan.
Secretary Of Russia's Ruling Party Steps Down
Andrei Turchak on June 15 resigned from his post as secretary of United Russia. Accepting the resignation, party Chairman Dmitry Medvedev appointed Vladimir Yakushev, the presidential envoy in the Urals Federal District, as the acting secretary of Russia’s ruling party. Earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin appointed Turchak as the governor of the Altai Republic -- a move seen by observers as political exile for a man once described as Putin's star student. Turchak also serves as the first deputy chairman of the Federation Council. To read the full story by RFE/RL’s Siberia.Realities, click here.
Belarusian Journalist Facing Extradition Says Fighting To 'Save My Life'
Belarusian journalist and opposition activist Andrey Hnyot, who is being held in Serbia, told RFE/RL's Balkan Service on June 14 that he is fighting extradition to "save my life." Hnyot was detained at the Serbian capital's airport at the request of Belarus last October. Last week, he was transferred to house arrest. Belgrade's Higher Court on June 13 upheld his extradition ruling, but it can still be appealed. Hnyot is wanted by Minsk for tax fraud, a charge he said was "ridiculous" and politically motivated. An EU spokesman has expressed concern to RFE/RL that Hnyot will face "political repression and ill-treatment" if extradited. To read the full interview by Nevena Bogdanovic of RFE/RL’s Balkan Service, click here.
- By AP
Olympic Committee Approves 25 Russian, Belarusian Athletes For Paris Games
The Olympics governing body on June 15 approved 14 Russians and 11 Belarusians with neutral status to compete at the Paris games this summer. The athletes compete in four sports: cycling, gymnastics, weightlifting, and wrestling. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) did not clear any Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in taekwondo. After initially banning the two countries' athletes from world sports following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the IOC adjusted its regulations to allow their participation under a neutral banner subject to strict conditions and excluding team events. The summer games kick off on July 26 and conclude on August 11.
Former Iranian Prison Official, Swedish EU Diplomat Released In Prisoner Exchange
A former Iranian prison official who was sentenced to life in a Swedish prison for crimes committed during the mass execution of political prisoners in 1988 was released by Sweden, officials said, in a prisoner swap that also saw Tehran release an EU diplomat.
A third man, a dual Iranian-Swedish citizen, was also released as part of the June 15 deal, which was hailed as a breakthrough in long-strained relations between Tehran and Stockholm.
Hamid Nouri was arrested at a Stockholm airport in 2019 and was charged with the mass execution and torture of political prisoners at Iran's notorious Gohardasht prison. The killings targeted members of a political-militant organization known as the MKO that advocated the overthrow of Iran's clerical regime.
Sweden's prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, meanwhile, said in a video posted to social media that Johan Floderus and Saeed Azizi were en route to Sweden "and will soon be reunited with their families."
All three returned to their countries on June 15.
The exact conditions or circumstances of the swap were not immediately clear, although it appeared to have been negotiated with the help of the Gulf state of Oman, according to a statement published by the Oman state news agency.
Floderus, a Swedish national, had been visiting Iran in the spring of 2022 on a private trip. He was detained at Tehran airport on April 17, 2022, as he prepared to leave the country. He was later accused by Iranian prosecutors of espionage.
He had been employed as a diplomat with the EU's External Action Service, the bloc's foreign policy arm.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell hailed the release of Floderus and Azizi, adding that the bloc "will continue to work" to secure the release of other EU citizens "arbitrarily detained in Iran."
Azizi, a dual Swedish-Iranian national, was taken into custody on November 12, 2023, at his residence in Tehran shortly after arriving from Sweden. He was convicted of "colluding to act against national security" and sentenced to five years in prison.
Azizi’s lawyer, Reza Shefakhah, wrote on X that neither he nor his client's family had been made aware of the prisoner exchange.
At least three other Swedish citizens are currently held in Iran.
Amnesty International welcomed the release of Floderus and Azizi but questioned why Ahmadreza Djalali, an Iranian-Swedish doctor and academic who is sentenced to death in Iran, was not among the prisoners released.
"The circumstances confirm our earlier fears that Iran is holding Swedish citizens hostage to use in a prisoner swap," the rights group said in a statement posted to X.
Djalali was detained in 2016 and subsequently sentenced to death for allegedly spying for Israel -- a charge that his family denies.
Simon Kasper Brown and Stephen Kevin Gilbert, who were detained in 2021 and later convicted of drug trafficking, receiving eight and five years in prison, respectively.
Other Europeans held in Iran include French citizens Cecile Kohler and her partner, Jacques Paris, as well as a man identified only by his first name Olivier. Kohler and Paris are accused of spying, but no details have been released about Olivier's case.
The Islamic republic is also holding German-Iranian Nahid Taqavi, who was sentenced to more than 10 years in prison, and Jamshid Sharmahd, a German citizen of Iranian descent sentenced to death.
An unnamed Austrian national was sentenced to 7 1/2 years in jail in Iran last year for spying, according to Vienna.
With reporting by AFP
- By RFE/RL
Iran Installing, Starting Cascades Of Advanced Centrifuges, Says UN Watchdog
The UN nuclear watchdog said Iran has started up new cascades of advanced centrifuges and planned to install others in the coming weeks. The June 14 report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was met with strong criticism by the United States and other Western nations. "We remain committed to a diplomatic solution preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon," the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement cosigned by Germany and Britain. The IAEA said its inspectors verified that Iran had begun feeding uranium into three cascades of advanced centrifuges at its Natanz enrichment facility. Its report, however, did not include any suggestion Iran planned to go to higher enrichment levels.
- By RFE/RL
Sweden Says Russian Tactical Bomber Violates Airspace, Intercepted By Jets
Sweden’s military said a Russian tactical bomber was intercepted by fighter jets after the bomber briefly violated Sweden's airspace. The June 14 incident occurred roughly three months after Sweden shed its decades-old neutrality policy and joined the NATO. In a statement released on June 15, Swedish Air Force chief Jonas Wikman said two Gripen jets were sent to meet the Su-24 after it failed to respond to radio warnings near the Baltic Island of Gotland. Russia’s military made no immediate statement about the incident.
- By Anton Kokaia
EU Considering Visa Restrictions, Sanctions In Response To Georgian 'Foreign Agent' Law
The European Union will consider reimposing visa requirements for Georgians, according to a leaked document, in response to a widely criticized "foreign agent" law passed by parliament despite street protests and international warnings.
In addition to suspending the visa-free EU regime in place since 2017, the document, seen by RFE/RL’s Georgian Service, also calls for considering sanctions on top Georgian government officials, the suspension of financial assistance and other measures.
Georgian government officials could not be immediately reached by RFE/RL for comment.
Georgia's parliament, which is controlled by the Georgian Dream party, last month gave final passage to the so-called foreign agent law, overriding a veto by President Salome Zurabishvili.
The law requires nongovernmental organizations and media groups that receive at least 20 percent of their funding from outside the country to register as organizations "pursuing the interests of a foreign power."
Violations could result in fines of the equivalent of more than $9,000.
The law is modeled on a similar measure in Russia, which was initially passed in 2012 and has been gradually expanded and toughened to encompass civil society groups, human rights activists, media organizations, and others. The law has forced the closure of dozens of organizations and individuals in Russia, and forced activists and reporters to flee the country.
RFE/RL, its Russian-language TV network Current Time, and specific parts of its editorial services were designated foreign agents by the Russian Justice Ministry in 2017. RFE/RL closed its Moscow bureau in 2022.
In Georgia, lawmakers pushed through the legislation in the face of increasingly dire warnings from the European Union and the United States.
Protesters staged near nightly demonstrations outside parliament building in Tbilisi, often clashing with riot police.
According to the document, the European Commission, the EU's executive body, will consider initially reimposing visa rules on Georgian government officials and diplomats.
In case of "further deterioration of the situation," such as "use of violence against protesters" or "intimidation or major irregularities in the electoral process," the document proposes other harsher measures, including imposing visa rules for all Georgians.
The initial measure will be considered more seriously later this fall ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for the end of October. Georgian Dream will be seeking to hold onto or expand its hold in parliament.
The additional measure will be considered "in case of election falsification and serious misconduct of the electoral process," according to the document.
- By RFE/RL
World Leaders Converge For Ukraine Summit Shadowed By Putin's Hard-Line Demands
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed a large gathering of world leaders at a Swiss alpine resort, tasked with developing a roadmap to end Europe's biggest war in eight decades, as a historical moment. However, the absence of Russian and Chinese officials dampened prospects for a major breakthrough.
Zelenskiy told reporters that representatives from 101 countries and international organizations have gathered in Burgenstock, a mountain resort near the Swiss city of Lucerne, for two days of talks about how to end Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine that has killed or wounded hundreds of thousands of people on both sides.
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.
"We have succeeded in bringing back to the world the idea that joint efforts can stop war and establish a just peace," Zelenskiy, flanked by Swiss President Viola Amherd, said in remarks on June 15 opening up the talks.
In holding the summit, Zelenskiy is seeking to rally a greater number of countries behind Ukraine’s cause, especially those from the so-called Global South, and maintain world attention on Russia’s brutal invasion. That has become more urgent amid some global fatigue with the 28-month war, fighting in the Middle East, and growing concern about Chinese aggression toward Taiwan.
Swiss officials hosting the conference said more than 50 heads of state and government, mostly from Europe, would attend the gathering. Other nations were sending lower-level delegations. European bodies and the United Nations were also expected to send representatives.
Vice President Kamala Harris and White House national-security adviser Jake Sullivan are representing the United States as President Joe Biden returned home to hit the campaign trail following a week in Europe, where he met with Zelenskiy twice.
China, whose economic and political ties with Russia have flourished over the past decade, driven in part by their opposition to the U.S.-led global order, declined to participate with Moscow's presence. India and Brazil, who along with China and Russia are members of BRICS, sent nonministerial officials.
Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer, who is attending the summit, said getting the Global South onboard is crucial to forging a roadmap toward peace and called the participation of Indian and Brazilian representatives a “first glimmer of hope.”
Nehammer said that “without parts of Asia, Africa, and South America, we will not be able to get the Russian Federation to change its mind."
Russia has turned for support to countries in the Global South, a bloc that makes up the majority in the UN General Assembly, amid isolation from the West and parts of Asia following its invasion of Ukraine.
In a possible attempt to undermine the Swiss gathering to which his nation was not invited, Russian President Vladimir Putin promised on the eve of the event to "immediately” order a cease-fire and begin negotiations if Kyiv gave up territory seized by Moscow and renounced plans to join NATO.
In an interview with RFE/RL on June 15, Mykhaylo Podolyak, an adviser to Zelenskiy, called Putin's statement "an attempt to hijack” the summit’s agenda. He said Putin’s plan was “nothing new” and “unrealistic.”
The June 15-16 summit is the culmination of Zelenskiy’s efforts over the past 19 months to engage global leaders in helping end the biggest war in Europe since World War II.
Switzerland agreed to host the summit with the hope it would pave the way for a future peace process that includes Russia. Zelenskiy did not want Russia to participate at this stage.
The Ukrainian leader first presented his 10-point peace formula virtually at the Group of 20 meeting held in Indonesia in November 2022. That was followed by four meetings between national security advisers of several nations, including Ukraine.
Zelenskiy’s plan calls on Russia to end hostilities, withdraw its troops from occupied Ukrainian territory, including Crimea, and restore Ukraine’s 1991 borders, something many experts say is ambitious considering Russia appears to have the upper hand on the battlefield.
But with Russia not present, only three themes will be on the table at this summit: nuclear safety, including at the Russia-controlled Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant; the exchange of prisoners of war and the return of Ukrainian children taken by Russia, which has resulted in International Criminal Court charges against Putin; and global food security.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine, one of the world's largest exporters of grain, caused food prices to surge, hurting impoverished countries, especially in Africa and the Middle East.
Ihor Zhovkva, Zelenskiy’s deputy chief of staff, told reporters on the sidelines of the summit that Kyiv decided to focus on those three issues "because the majority of the international community is united around these positions today."
In response to a question by RFE/RL, Andriy Yermak, head of Zelenskiy’s administration, told reporters on June 15 that the two-day gathering will conclude with a joint statement that would be presented to Russian representatives invited to the next summit.
The next summit could be held in Saudi Arabia, a nation that maintains good ties with Russia. Zelenskiy visited Saudi Arabia in the days leading up to the summit.
As summit participants gathered in Switzerland, Russia’s all-out war on Ukraine showed no signs of abating despite Moscow losing at least 350,000 troops to death or injury since 2022.
Ukraine’s General Staff said on June 15 that there had been more than 60 clashes with Russian forces over the past 24 hours.
Last month, Russia launched a small-scale offensive in the northern Kharkiv region, seeking to stretch Ukraine's outgunned and outmanned forces across the roughly 1,200-kilometer front line. The effort has slowed, as Ukraine rushed new units to the area, and reinforced positions.
But a lack of weaponry from the United States -- whose supplies stalled for months due to congressional infighting -- gave Russia a battlefield advantage, along with Ukraine’s inability to bring large numbers of fresh troops into the fight.
The recent battlefield setbacks have made Zelenskiy’s peace proposal look increasingly ambitious, experts have said.
Ahead of the summit, leaders from the Group of 7 major industrial nations announced a $50 billion loan package for Kyiv that will leverage interest and income from the more than $260 billion in frozen Russian assets.
Biden and Zelenskiy this week signed a security agreement that commits the United States over 10 years to continued training of Ukraine’s armed forces.
Biden, who will not be attending the summit despite pleas from Zelenskiy, also approved sending Ukraine a second Patriot missile system and imposed another round of financial sanctions on Russia.
The White House also eased restrictions that kept Ukraine from using American weaponry to strike inside Russia, allowing strikes into Russia for the limited purpose of defending Kharkiv.
Analysts say that is a contributing factor for Ukraine’s recent efforts in halting the Russian offensive there.
With reporting by AP, Reuters
Ukraine's Military Claims Hits On Concentrated Russian Troops; Moscow Says 5 Dead In Belgorod
Ukraine fired missiles and artillery at 15 areas where Russia troops were concentrated on June 14 as Russia tried to use its advantage in manpower, equipment, and air support to seize territory in eastern Ukraine, Kyiv's General Staff said.
"Despite the intense enemy onslaught, the Ukrainian soldiers fought back hard and effectively," the General Staff said in its late summary of the day's fighting.
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The Ukrainian military said there were 81 combat clashes during the day, while the Russian military said its troops seized about a dozen settlements, and the governor of the Belgorod region said five people were killed in attacks on the region.
In the area around Kharkiv, Russian forces supported by air power, tried to storm the positions of Ukrainian units in the Vovchansk and Tykhoy districts three times. All enemy attacks were repelled, Kyiv said.
At the same time, 10 combat clashes took place near Kupyansk, and Russian forces also tried to improve their positions in several towns in the Dnipropetrovsk region. The Ukrainian military said all enemy assaults near Sinkyvka were repulsed, while battles were still going on elsewhere.
Russian troops also attacked towns near Lyman in the Donetsk region. The General Staff described the situation as under control, saying four clashes had ended, while five were still ongoing.
The armed forces also noted that the Russian Army was "intensively" attacking in the Pokrovskiy area, where Ukrainian defenders repelled 17 attacks. At least a dozen other clashes were ongoing.
"The situation is difficult, but controlled by the defense forces," the General Staff said. Ukrainian soldiers "are making efforts to prevent the enemy from advancing deep into Ukrainian territory."
The claims could not be independently verified.
In the Russian region around the city of Belgorod, regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said Ukrainian attacks killed five people on June 14.
Gladkov said on Telegram that two bodies had been pulled from an apartment building hit by Ukrainian shelling in the border town of Shebekino.
Emergency services, quoted by news agencies, said a third body was later found in the rubble after shelling caused a stairwell to collapse.
A drone also struck a car in a village near Shebekino, killing the driver, and a woman was killed in her home when it was struck by rocket fire in the village of Oktyabrsky.
With reporting by Reuters
- By RFE/RL
G7 Leaders Hammer Out Details Of Loaning Ukraine Billions Using Profits From Frozen Russian Assets
Group of Seven (G7) leaders affirmed their decision to make available around $50 billion to Ukraine by using frozen Russian assets as they wrapped up their two-day summit in Italy on June 14.
The leaders said in their final communique that by leveraging "the extraordinary revenues" of Russian assets frozen in Europe, they are sending "an unmistakable signal" to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"We are working together and with others to address the pressing challenges of our time," the G7 leaders said in the communique, noting their solidarity with Ukraine as well as support for a deal that would lead to an immediate cease-fire and release of hostages in Gaza, investment in sustainable infrastructure in Africa, and commitments to address climate change and migration.
A senior U.S. administration official, meanwhile, provided details about the sovereign-assets deal, telling reporters on a conference call on June 14 that the proceeds will flow to Ukraine through multiple channels.
Every G7 country -- Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United States -- will do its part in the deal, the senior U.S. official said.
The United States has committed to loan up to $50 billion while Canada has committed to loan $5 billion, the official said, adding that the European Union and Japan were considering whether to join the loan syndicate.
As part of its deliberations, the Europe Union is currently discussing a loan that would be up to $25 billion, the official said.
Britain is considering guaranteeing repayment of loans, while the European Union is expected to provide the income generated from some $280 billion in frozen Russian foreign exchange reserves in the bloc, most of it in Belgium.
Those assets, which are generally invested in short-term government bonds of Western governments, are generating income amounting to a few billion dollars a year.
The senior U.S. administration official said Ukraine will not have to pay back anything and the loan would not change Ukraine's debt-to-GDP ratio, which financial agencies like Moody's use to assign ratings to government debt.
The lenders will be repaid from the profits accrued on the frozen Russian assets or through the countries that guarantee the loans.
Before the EU can take part in the loan syndicate or disperse the profits it must get all 27 members to commit to the continued freeze on the Russian reserves.
"We fully expect the EU27 will meet this moment [and] authorize continued immobilization of Russia’s sovereign assets," the senior U.S. official said, citing comments made by the leaders of Italy, France, and Germany as well as senior EU officials as encouraging.
G7 leaders turned their attention on June 14 to other matters, including discussions on migration, artificial intelligence, economic security, and the Indo-Pacific region, stressing their determination to meet global challenges "at a crucial moment in history."
Pope Francis also became the first pontiff to address a G7 summit, delivering a speech on artificial intelligence.
With reporting by AP
Flight To Chisinau Makes Emergency Landing In Bucharest After Alleged Bomb Scare
A plane en route from Moscow to Chisinau made an emergency landing in Bucharest on June 14, Moldovan authorities and a pro-Russian member of parliament said.
Romanian press reports said the plane made the emergency landing because of a bomb threat.
One report said a suspicious package was found, while another said a call was placed to the emergency-response number advising that a bomb was on the aircraft.
After the emergency landing at Bucharest's international airport in Otopeni, the Romanian SRI intelligence service checked the aircraft and determined that the bomb threat had been a false alarm, Romanian media reported.
Vladimir Cebotari, founder of FlyOne, the low-cost carrier that operated the flight, also said the bomb alert was false. Cebotari told ProTV Chisinau that several people were detained.
There was a different story, however, from Moldova's Civil Aviation Authority, which said on Facebook that the airline failed to notify aviation authorities about flight schedule changes three days in advance, as required by law.
As a result, the flight did not receive the necessary approval from Moldova and was diverted.
There were more than 170 passengers on board the aircraft, most of them Moldovan citizens, according to a Moldovan media report.
Lawmaker Marina Tauber of the Shor Party said that the plane was carrying members of the Moldovan opposition political bloc Victory and that the flight originated in Moscow.
"Chisinau airport refused to allow a flight from Moscow via Yerevan carrying participants in the congress of the Moldovan opposition political bloc 'Victory' to land," she said on Telegram. "The aircraft was diverted to Bucharest."
Moldovan pro-Russian opposition parties gathered in Moscow in April to announce the formation of the Victory political bloc ahead of the presidential election and an EU membership referendum in October.
The pro-Moscow Shor Party was founded by oligarch Ilan Shor, who fled Moldova following pro-Western President Maia Sandu's election in 2020.
Moldovan authorities confirmed on May 16 that Shor had obtained Russian citizenship and identity documents. Moldovan authorities said Russia failed to officially notify Chisinau that Shor, a fugitive wanted in Moldova, had become a Russian citizen.
Shor was sentenced in Moldova to 15 years in June 2023 for his role in a $1 billion bank fraud and other illicit schemes.
Also in June 2023, the Shor Party was declared unconstitutional by Moldova's Constitutional Court and dissolved after it organized months of anti-government protests.
With reporting by AFP
Hungarian, Slovak Embassies In Sarajevo Vandalized After UN Srebrenica Resolution
Red graffiti reading 8,372 -- the official number of victims of the 1995 Srebrenica genocide in Bosnia-Herzegovina -- has been scribbled on the walls of the Hungarian and Slovakian embassies in Sarajevo.
The graffiti appeared on June 14, three weeks after the United Nations approved a resolution to commemorate the Srebrenica genocide. Hungary was among 19 countries that joined Serbia in voting against the resolution adopted by the General Assembly on May 23. Slovakia was among the 68 countries that abstained from the vote.
The resolution designates July 11 as the International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica, establishing an annual day of commemoration for the massacre of 8,372 local Bosnian Muslim men and boys.
The Sarajevo Canton police on June 14 confirmed to RFE/RL that its investigation into the graffiti scrawled on the two embassies had been completed and that the incident had been classified as vandalism.
Police also carried out an investigation on June 14 into the word "genocide" written in red letters on a residential building not far from the Serbian Embassy in Sarajevo, Sarajevo Canton police confirmed to RFE/RL.
The law enforcement authority in charge of securing diplomatic missions in Bosnia barred RFE/RL from photographing the graffiti, but photos of it were published online by the Public Service of Republika Srpska.
Neither embassy would comment on the incident.
"We do not want to comment. You have seen the pictures. Of course we noticed, but we have no comment," the Hungarian Embassy said in response to RFE/RL's request for comment.
The nonbinding UN resolution sparked protests and a lobbying campaign by Serbia's president and the Bosnian Serb leadership to block it.
The resolution condemns any denial of the Srebrenica genocide as a historical event and condemns actions that glorify those convicted of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide by international courts.
The genocide was carried out by members of the Republika Srpska Army and was labeled in 2007 as a genocide by the International Court of Justice in The Hague.
More than 50 people were sentenced in connection to the genocide. Among them were the wartime president of Republika Srpska, Radovan Karadzic, and the commander of its army, Ratko Mladic.
- By RFE/RL
Putin Lays Out Already Rejected Conditions For Talks On Eve Of Ukraine Peace Summit
Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered an immediate cease-fire with Ukraine, setting out conditions that Kyiv has already rejected just a day before a peace summit in Switzerland from which he was excluded.
During a speech at the Foreign Ministry in Moscow on June 14, Putin laid out the terms of his proposal: the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from its territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhya, which Russia has claimed, and an end to Kyiv's NATO aspirations.
“We will do it [end Russia's offensive] immediately,” Putin said.
The terms Putin laid out, which have been mooted by Russian officials several times in the past, were once again rejected by Ukraine, while NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg slammed the conditions as a path to "more aggression, more occupation."
"There is no novelty in this, no real peace proposal, and no desire to end the war," Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said in a post on X.
"But there is a desire not to pay for this war and to continue it in new formats. It's all a complete sham. Therefore -- once again -- get rid of illusions and stop taking seriously the 'proposals of Russia' that are offensive to common sense."
Putin presented his conditions ahead of a June 15-16 Ukraine peace summit in Switzerland, to which he was not invited.
Leaders and representatives of more than 70 countries are scheduled to meet in the Swiss resort of Burgenstock to chart a way forward to end the war in Ukraine.
Ukraine hopes to win broad international backing for its vision of the terms needed to end the war with Russia.
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A draft of a communique for the peace summit seen by RFE/RL says future peace negotiations should involve "representatives of all parties" in the conflict.
The United States will be represented by Vice President Kamala Harris and national-security adviser Jake Sullivan, while French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will also attend the summit.
Russia has dismissed the significance of the summit, saying it “makes no sense” to hold discussions on ending the hostilities without Moscow.
"This is not a proposal made in good faith," Stoltenberg said of Putin's offer following a meeting of defense ministers in Brussels on June 14. "This is a proposal that actually means that Russia should achieve their war aims by expecting that Ukrainians should give up significantly more land than Russia has been able to occupy so far."
Putin also restated a demand for Ukraine's demilitarization and said an end to international sanctions must be included in a peace deal.
He also repeated his call for Ukraine's "denazification," a nod to his often voiced but baseless slur against Kyiv's leadership.
Russia has blamed Ukraine's preliminary steps to joining NATO as one of the main reasons it launched what it calls a "special military operation" against Ukraine in February 2022.
NATO leaders will hold a summit in Washington next month, though Kyiv is not expected to receive a full invitation to join the alliance.
The alliance stated in the final declaration of last year's summit in Vilnius that "Ukraine’s future is in NATO," though U.S. President Joe Biden has Ukraine will not join NATO while it is at war.
- By Mike Eckel
Italian Police Reportedly Arrest Russian In Connection With 2023 Artyom Uss Escape
Italian authorities say they have arrested a Russian businessman living in Switzerland in connection with the March 2023 escape of Artyom Uss, a Russian man who fled Italian house arrest just prior to extradition to the United States.
The arrest of the man, identified by Italian media as Dmitry Chirakadze, 54, is the latest twist in the winding mystery of how Uss, the son of a powerful former Russian governor, managed to elude Italian authorities and secretly return to Russia.
Italian prosecutors previously identified six people as being accomplices in Uss's escape; three are in custody in Italy, Slovenia, and Croatia. The man held in Croatia, Vladimir Jovancic, is awaiting his own extradition to the United States.
Chirakadze was arrested on June 14 as he arrived at Rome's Fiumicino airport from Sardinia, according to Italian media.
Milan prosecutors and police did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Italian media identified Chirakadze as the founder of a Russian legal-services website called Pravo.ru and married to a Russian woman named Lyubov Orlova.
He's reportedly the owner of a a luxury resort in Sardinia and a hunting estate in Krasnoyarsk, the Siberian region where Uss is from originally. Uss's father was the governor of Krasnoyarsk until resigning last year, around the time that Uss escaped.
He also served as former deputy governor of Kemerovo, located in the heart of Russia's coal-mining Kuzbas region.
Uss was indicted by a U.S. grand jury in 2022, charged as part of an alleged scheme to smuggle dual-use technologies to Russia, evading Western sanctions imposed in punishment for Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
He was arrested at the Milan airport in October 2022, and ordered held, pending hearings to decide on his extradition to the United States.
Italian authorities agreed to let him wait out the proceeding under house arrest, with an electronic monitoring bracelet -- a decision that was publicly criticized by U.S. officials.
In March 2023, Uss escaped from the villa in Milan's southern suburbs, breaking off his monitoring bracelet, and driving east. About three weeks later, he announced his presence back in Russia.
The incident embarrassed the Italian authorities and even drew criticism from Italy's prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, who said the decision to release him from house arrest had "anomalies." One Italian lawmaker said Italy had "embarrassed itself internationally."
The United States later announced a $5 million reward for information leading to Uss's arrest.
After Uss's return, his father Aleksandr publicly thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for his help in securing his son's release.
Kyrgyz Activists Protesting Border Deal With Uzbekistan Acquitted
A court in the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, has acquitted all members of a group facing 20 years in prison for protesting a border deal with Uzbekistan. The judge ruled on June 14 that were was insufficient evidence to convict the 27 activists. Earlier this week, prosecutors asked for lengthy sentences for each member of the group for protesting a deal that saw Kyrgyzstan hand over the Kempir-Abad reservoir to Uzbekistan. On June 12, several international rights groups demanded the immediate release of the protesters and said the request for lengthy sentences for each activist "compounds an already shocking miscarriage of justice." To read the full story by RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service, click here.
Ammunition Flowing To Ukraine Through Czech Initiative, Foreign Minister Says
PRAGUE -- Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said the first shipments procured under a Czech initiative to increase supplies of badly needed ammunition in Ukraine are now arriving and will continue to flow.
"This year we will be able to procure and continuously deliver quite a lot of ammunition -- Czech-supplied through different channels -- more than a million of shells to Ukraine so far," Lipavsky said on June 13 in an interview with RFE/RL.
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The Czech Republic has been working for months on a plan to procure artillery shells from countries outside the European Union and provide them to Ukraine, whose troops in recent months have suffered from a debilitating shortage.
Under the initiative, Czech government officials and private companies have worked to source ammunition rounds from around the world.
The leaders of five European NATO states said in a joint statement on May 28 that 15 EU and NATO states have pledged around 1.6 billion euros ($1.7 billion) to fund the project.
Lipavsky said the total number of countries that have pledged to participate in the initiative is 20, including five countries that have already sent money only to finance purchases.
The total number grew to 21 on June 14, Czech Defense Minister Jana Cernochova said, when Luxembourg joined the inititative with a pledge to make financial contributions. She did not say how much Luxembourg would contribute.
"We are now able to make deals and to bring ammunition from different countries and then send it to Ukraine so it can…rightfully defend itself from Russian aggression," Lipavsky said in the interview.
He declined to provide specifics, saying it’s up to the individual countries to announce that deals have been fulfilled.
He said deals are currently being completed in Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Portugal, and Canada -- the five countries that have agreed to finance the purchases.
Asked about financial issues in some countries, Lipavsky said he hopes to “move from pledges and sympathies” to getting deals signed and financed.
“We know that the Ukraine needs a lot of large-caliber ammunition, and there's...a big opportunity,” he said. “So we hope that we will be [striking] more of the deals.”
The top Czech diplomat also spoke about the peace summit on Ukraine taking place this weekend in Switzerland, saying it is part of the bigger task of securing Ukraine and Europe as a whole.
“We have to strive for peace,” he said.
Czech President Petr Pavel will be joined at the summit by the head of the Czech National Nuclear Safety Authority "because nuclear and radiation safety is one of our priority [topics]," he said.
Lipavsky acknowledged that some countries have said there can be no progress without Russia's participation, but he noted that the peace summit wouldn't be necessary if there had been no Russian aggression in the first place.
At this point, he said he sees “no will to stop the horrendous attacks on Ukraine, which are continuing daily and nightly.”
“Every war ends with negotiations and with diplomacy. That's what we know for sure,” he said. “If Russia is ready to acknowledge that the aggression won't be successful, then probably they will be ready to come to the negotiation table.”
It also must change from seeking the total destruction of Ukrainian statehood and the removal of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and acknowledge that Ukraine is a sovereign state with international recognized borders, he added.
The foreign minister also said that the European Union must show Russia that its efforts to increase hybrid threats -- those involving both cyberspace and disinformation campaigns -- won’t be tolerated.
He said foreign ministers from eight EU countries have sent a letter to EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell asking him to curb Russian diplomats' movements in the Schengen Area over their concern that the free movement of the diplomats facilitates "malign activities."
The measure is needed because the movement of Russian diplomats and their family members lays the groundwork for threats in cyberspace and other "sabotages and subterfuges," he told RFE/RL.
"These hybrid threats were increasing, and the European Union needs to show Russia that this won’t be tolerated,” he said.
Iran Detains 1 For Allegedly Insulting Late President Raisi
An unnamed person was arrested on June 13 in Iran’s central city of Qom for allegedly insulting the late President Ebrahim Raisi following his death in a helicopter accident last month. The police accused the individual of “having ties” to the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad and of “collaborating” with foreign-based opposition media. No evidence was provided for the claims. Iranian authorities often accuse critics of working with foreign intelligence agencies and opposition outlets. To read the full story in Persian by RFE/RL’s Radio Farda, click here.
Russian Airline Pilot Convicted Of Treason Dies In Prison
Retired Russian airline pilot Igor Pokusin, whose opposition to his country’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine landed him in prison, has died at the age of 61. Pokusin, who had two prosthetic joints and a stent implanted in his heart, was sentenced to eight years in January on a charge of trying to volunteer in the Ukrainian Army. Sources on June 14 told RFE/RL’s Siberia.Realities that Pokusin died in prison on June 11. The cause of death was not immediately clear. Pokusin was born in the Ukrainian port city of Odesa but lived most of his life in Abakan, the capital of Russia’s Republic of Khakassia. To read the original story by RFE/RL’s Siberia.Realities, click here.
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