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- By RFE/RL
U.S. Quits ‘Hypocritical’ UN Human Rights Council
The United States says it is withdrawing from the United Nations Human Rights Council, calling it a “cesspool of political bias.”
The U.S. ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, said at the State Department on June 19 that the "hypocritical and self-serving" body "makes a mockery of human rights."
She lambasted the Geneva-based council for "its chronic bias against Israel" and lamented that its members include "persistent human rights offenders" like China.
Washington refused to join the council when it was first created in 2006 during the presidency of George W. Bush. His successor, Barack Obama, opted to join in 2009.
U.S. officials have long complained that the council focuses too much on Israel while ignoring rights violations in other countries.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu applauded the U.S. move as "courageous," while UN human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein called it "disappointing, if not really surprising."
Russia's UN mission said the U.S. criticism of the council for failing to make changes advocated by Washington appears "cynical."
Based on reporting by AP and AFP
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U.S Defense Secretary Chairs Meeting Of Ukraine Allies On Military Aid
![Lloyd Austin is making his first overseas trip since receiving treatment for prostate cancer. (file photo)](https://gdb.rferl.org/de8f5060-89c8-4894-894f-9123b0a6b614_cx0_cy5_cw0_w250_r1_s.jpg)
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is chairing a meeting of Ukraine's allies at the U.S. Ramstein Air Base in Germany on March 19 to discuss ways to beef up military support for embattled Ukrainian forces as a critical $60-billion military aid package remains stuck in the U.S. House of Representatives due to Republican opposition.
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 monthly meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG), also known as the Ramstein Format, consisting of some 50 nations that support Ukraine comes amid growing concerns that Kyiv's forces are running out of ammunition and advanced heavy weapons as they struggle to stave off Russia's advance on the eastern front.
Austin is making his first overseas trip since receiving treatment for prostate cancer. The Pentagon said he will reiterate that Washington remains committed to Ukraine.
"Secretary Austin has once again invited defense ministers and senior military officials from around the world to discuss the crisis in Ukraine and various security issues facing U.S. allies and partners," the press service of the U.S. Air Force in Europe told RFE/RL earlier.
As the $60 billion package remains stuck in the House, the United States on March 12 announced a one-off military aid package for Ukraine of 300 million dollars. The amount came from the Pentagon, which had saved money on contracts, U.S. national-security adviser Jake Sullivan has said. The $300 million represents a rounding error in the Pentagon's roughly $840 billion budget.
European military aid for Ukraine has become critical for the embattled Ukrainian troops facing an enemy vastly superior in numbers and in the amount of artillery ammunition used daily on the battlefield.
On March 18, the European Council approved the creation of the Ukraine Assistance Fund (UAF) and earmarked 5 billion euros ($5.4 billion) for it. "With the fund, we will continue to support Ukraine to defend itself from Russia’s war of aggression with whatever it takes and for as long as we need to," the EU's top diplomat, Josep Borrell said in a statement on March 18.
The funds will be used for the provision of both "lethal and non-lethal military equipment and training," it said.
Russian artillery, meanwhile, continued to wreak havoc in eastern Ukraine, where daily shelling has exacted a mounting death toll among Ukrainian civilians.
Russian shelling killed three civilians in Ukraine's southern region of Kherson, regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin said on March 19, adding that two high-rise residential buildings were damaged during the shelling.
In the Donetsk region, one man was killed and five others were wounded by Russian shelling on March 19, Governor Vadym Filashkin reported on Telegram.
With reporting by Reuters
U.S. Bans Entry To Officials Of North Macedonia, Kosovo Over Suspicion Of Corruption
![Karposh Mayor Stevco Jakimovski (left) and Katica Janeva, a former special prosecutor in North Macedonia (composite file photo)](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0aff-0242-93f6-08dc47631767_w250_r1_s.jpg)
A former special prosecutor and a current presidential candidate in North Macedonia have been banned from entering the United States for their involvement in "corrupt acts" to benefit themselves.
Former chief special prosecutor Katica Janeva and presidential candidate Stevco Jakimovski, who is the mayor of the city of Karposh, are the two officials who have been blacklisted, the State Department said in a statement on March 18.
The State Department also banned Xhabir Zharku, the former mayor of the city of Kacanik in Kosovo, from entering the United States.
"Their actions undermined the rule of law and the public’s faith in their respective governments’ democratic institutions and public processes," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in the statement.
The travel bans "reaffirm the U.S. commitment to supporting the rule of law and strengthening democratic institutions throughout the Balkans," Miller said.
Janeva used her political influence and official power for personal benefit, Miller said, adding that there was credible information that she solicited and accepted a bribe to influence a prosecution under her purview.
Miller said Jakimovski and Zharku used their positions to interfere with procurement processes.
He added that the State Department also banned entry to the United States to the immediate family members of Janeva and Jakimovski, namely Jakimovski’s two adult sons, Goce Jakimovski and Damjan Jakimovski, and Janeva’s spouse and adult son, Venci Janev and Lazar Janev.
U.S. Ambassador to North Macedonia Angela Ageler said on X, formerly Twitter, that the decision to ban the three officials should come as no surprise.
"The United States will continue to name officials of any party, branch of government, or community engaged in significant corruption. The people of North Macedonia deserve justice and accountability from their institutions to stop the tide of criminal behavior and stem the cancer of corruption," Ageler said.
Janeva is already serving a seven-year prison sentence for abuse of authority in a racketeering case. Her sentence was upheld by the Supreme Court in June 2022.
Jakimovski is the president of the Civic Option for Macedonia (GROM) party and intends to run for president of North Macedonia in elections scheduled for April 24. He handed over petitions carrying thousands of signatures to the State Election Commission on March 18.
Jakimovski was charged with corruption in 2019, including "abuse of an official position and authority" and "illegal construction." He was accused of abusing his position in public procurement proceedings and other crimes related to privatization in North Macedonia.
4 Killed In Russian Shelling Of Kherson And Donetsk Regions, Officials Say
![At least four civilians were killed in the Russian shelling, Ukrainian officials said. (file photo)](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0a00-0242-e4e6-08dc24b3811f_w250_r1_s.png)
Russian shelling killed three civilians in Ukraine's southern region of Kherson, regional Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said on March 19, adding that two high-rise residential buildings were damaged during the shelling. In the Donetsk region, one man was killed and five others were wounded by Russian shelling, Governor Vadym Filashkin reported on Telegram. Separately, the Ukrainian Navy said it shot down two Russian reconnaissance drones over the southern region of Odesa early on March 19. To read the original stories by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, click here.
- By Reuters
Afghan Asylum Seeker Convicted For New Mexico Killing Of Pakistani Immigrant
![The Afghan man was found guilty of murdering a Pakistani immigrant in the state of New Mexico in one of three ambush-style shootings. (file photo)](https://gdb.rferl.org/87160887-8c00-4dbd-afc3-f929200b02e7_cx0_cy9_cw0_w250_r1_s.jpg)
A jury in the U.S. state of New Mexico on March 18 found an Afghan asylum seeker guilty of murdering a Pakistani immigrant in one of three 2022 ambush-style shootings. Mohammad Syed, 53, faces life imprisonment for the murder of Aftab Hussein, 41. Syed is charged with two other killings of Muslim men that have been linked to sectarian violence, but police and the Islamic community blamed them on interpersonal feuds. “As best we can tell, the motive in this may truly be a random serial killer type of mentality that we will never understand,” the prosecutor said.
- By Reuters
Report: EU To Impose Tariffs On Russian Grain Imports
![An woman sweeps up grain in a warehouse in the the village of Konstantinovo, near the southern Russian city of Stavropol. (filenphoto)](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0aff-0242-afd1-08db40a1a6d5_cx0_cy2_cw0_w250_r1_s.jpg)
The European Union is preparing to levy tariffs on grain imports from Russia and Belarus to placate farmers and some member states, the Financial Times reported on March 19 citing people familiar with the plans. In the coming days, the European Commission is expected to impose a duty of 95 euros ($103.26) per ton on cereals from Russia and Belarus, the British business newspaper said, adding that tariffs of 50 percent would also be placed on oil seeds and derived products.
Journalist Jailed After Laying Flowers At Navalny's Grave
![People pay tribute at the grave of late Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny in Moscow on the day of Russia's presidential election on March 17.](https://gdb.rferl.org/5065b419-b0d4-4e95-a7cc-d252ca9233bf_cx0_cy4_cw0_w250_r1_s.jpg)
A Moscow court sentenced SotaVision journalist Antonina Favorskaya to 10 days in jail on charges of disobedience to the police after visiting the grave of late opposition politician Aleksei Navalny, where she lay flowers and took photographs. Favorskaya and two colleagues were detained on March 17 in a cafe near the cemetery after visiting Navalny's grave and taken to the police for identity verification. The two colleagues were eventually released, but Favorskaya, who initially refused to show her documents to the police, was held overnight and later sentenced by the court. Favorskaya used to cover Navalny's trials as a journalist. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here.
Use Of Drones On Battlefield Becoming Priority For Ukraine, Says Top Commander
![Ukraine's top military commander, Oleksandr Syrskiy (file photo)](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0a00-0242-7fb9-08dc28f245c1_w250_r1_s.jpg)
The commander in chief of Ukraine’s armed forces on March 18 again touted the use of drones on the battlefield, saying that they are becoming more and more important in the fight against Russian forces.
Making his remarks on the same day that the government approved a major expenditure for the purchase of the weapons, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskiy said on Telegram that Ukrainian troops should be equipped with the most effective and newest weapons. He also emphasized the training of specialists in electronic warfare, drones, and automated control systems.
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.
"Unmanned systems occupy a prominent place here. Therefore, the development of the use of unmanned systems is my priority,” he said.
Ukraine is working on speeding up the implementation of innovative technologies and ensuring the "adaptability of certain bodies of the military management" when it comes to these defenses, he added.
Last week, after visiting Ukrainian positions in the Zaporizhzhya region, Syrskiy said that fighting has been characterized by the broad use of drones of all types along with artillery and mortar fire.
"Under such circumstances, unmanned attack systems are gradually becoming the main strike weapon of ground units in a combined military battle," he said on March 14.
Syrskiy made it clear on March 18 that the search is on for what he called "asymmetric solutions" to obtain an advantage on the battlefield.
"We take a comprehensive approach to planning our needs, first of all taking into account actual experience from the battlefield,” Syrskiy said. “But the most important task that technologies and innovations must perform is the preservation of the lives of our soldiers."
As Syrskiy touted the use of drones in warfare, the Ukrainian government’s cabinet of ministers decided to allocate an additional 5 billion hryvnyas ($129 million) for the purchase of more of them for the armed forces, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced.
"The funds will be directed to the purchase of drones necessary for our defenders on the front lines," Shmyhal said.
Ukraine is trying to increase its own production of weapons in order to reduce dependence on supplies from Western partners. Kyiv’s troops are struggling with a severe shortage of artillery shells across a front line that stretches more than 900 kilometers in eastern and southern Ukraine.
Putin's Reelection Confirms Russia Is 'Authoritarian Society,' Says NATO Chief
![NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Putin incorrectly stated in his victory speech that NATO troops are in Ukraine. NATO allies have provided training but "are not planning any military presence on the ground."](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0aff-0242-f729-08dc475b113b_cx0_cy4_cw0_w250_r1_s.jpg)
TBILISI -- NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Russia's presidential election was "not free nor fair" and only confirms that Russia is "an authoritarian society."
In an interview with RFE/RL on March 18 in Tbilisi on the second day of a trip to the South Caucasus, Stoltenberg said the election that handed President Vladimir Putin a fifth term was "rigged and, of course, no surprise." Stoltenberg also said Moscow's attempt to conduct the vote in occupied territories of Ukraine was a violation of international law.
The NATO secretary-general said Putin incorrectly stated in his victory speech that NATO troops are in Ukraine. NATO allies have provided training but "are not planning any military presence on the ground."
Stoltenberg also reiterated that NATO has an open-door policy for countries that seek membership and denied that the alliance is "expanding aggressively eastward," which was one of the justifications Putin used for launching Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Countries in Eastern Europe have been told that if they meet NATO standards and are democratic societies, then NATO membership is open to them, he said.
"We respect if you don't want NATO membership. But of course, we also respect if you want NATO membership," he said, adding that those countries cannot "live in a world where Moscow decides what [its] neighbors can do or not do."
Stoltenberg would not say whether Ukraine's bid to join NATO would be granted during the NATO summit in Washington in July, but he said he expects the alliance to "make decisions that will move Ukraine even closer to NATO," including steps to ensure that Ukraine's military is "fully operable" with NATO and to further integrate political cooperation.
"First of all, we are implementing what we have already agreed, but I also expect new decisions," he said.
Asked whether Georgia's aspirations to join NATO would advance during the summit, Stoltenberg said he could not "prejudge or preempt" the summit's outcome.
"I think the most important thing we can do is to ensure that we help [Georgia] to implement the necessary reforms on transparency, on fighting corruption, on strengthening a rule of law in institutions," he said.
For the first time Stoltenberg said Georgia and Ukraine "have separate and independent responsibilities" when it comes to their NATO applications, indicating a decoupling of the two countries' bids.
"They are at different levels in different ways," he said, implying that Ukraine's application is more urgent because it is currently fighting Russian forces.
"I'm not saying that Ukraine is ahead of Georgia in all fields," he said. "There are individual assessments, there are individual efforts to support Georgia and to support Ukraine, and there will be individual separate decisions."
Asked about the recent requests for protection from Moscow by separatists in the breakaway Transdniester region of Moldova and in Georgia's breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, the NATO chief admitted that the alliance wouldn't be able to offer much other than to condemn the presence of Russian forces and to pressure Russia to revoke its recognition of these territories as separate states.
Stoltenberg, who has been urging NATO members to provide Kyiv with badly needed ammunition and military equipment, also acknowledged that international support for the Ukrainian military has not remained at the same high level as it was at the beginning of the war, noting that a major aid package from the United States has stalled in Congress.
He said he still expects the United States to agree to support Ukraine because a majority in the U.S. Congress supports more aid for Ukraine and because it is in the security interest of the United States to do so.
- By RFE/RL
Russia Labels Two Canadian Schools, Democracy NGO As 'Undesirable Organizations'
![The "undesirable organization" label has been applied to dozens of foreign groups since Moscow began using the classification and effectively bans organizations outright.](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0aff-0242-c8c3-08dc34a52a3e_cx0_cy4_cw0_w250_r1_s.jpg)
Russia's Prosecutor-General's Office on March 18 labeled two Canadian educational institutes -- the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto and Carleton University's Norman Paterson School of International Affairs -- and the Russian Canadian Democratic Alliance NGO as "undesirable." The "undesirable organization" law, adopted in 2015, was a Kremlin-backed regulation on NGOs that receive funding from foreign sources. The label has been applied to dozens of foreign groups since Moscow began using the classification and effectively bans organizations outright.
Kyrgyz Court Annuls Ministry's Move To Block Independent Kloop Russian Website
![Kloop is a Kyrgyz news website whose main contributors are students and graduates of the Kloop Media Public Foundation School of Journalism. As an independent media entity, it is known for publishing reports on corruption.](https://gdb.rferl.org/DBA19E39-1CB3-4BB7-919F-727A06FEC410_cx0_cy9_cw0_w250_r1_s.jpg)
BISHKEK -- A court in Kyrgyzstan's capital, Bishkek, ruled to annul a move by the Central Asian nation's Culture Ministry to block the Russian-language website of the independent media outlet Kloop.
Lawyer Nurbek Sydykov told RFE/RL on March 18 that if the court's decision is not appealed or if an appeal is rejected by the Bishkek City Court, the website will resume operations.
The website was blocked last September and later in November the Kyrgyz-language website for the outlet was also blocked amid a government campaign to pressure the Kloop Media Public Foundation.
The former Soviet republic's Culture Ministry said it blocked the sites after the State Committee of National Security (UKMK) claimed the media outlet distributed false information.
The claim was about a report that appeared on Kloop's website in September about jailed opposition politician Ravshan Jeenbekov and a statement he made saying that he was tortured while in custody.
The ministry demanded Kloop remove an article about the alleged torture of Jeenbekov from its site in Russian or face being blocked.
On September 12, Kloop published a statement saying it was refusing to remove the material as the story in question attributed all information about the situation faced by Jeenbekov while in custody to actual individuals and sources.
Kloop said at the time it was officially informed of the lawsuit against it and that the move was taken after an audit by the UKMK determined its "published materials are aimed at sharply criticizing the policies of the current government" and that "most of the publications are purely negative, aimed at discrediting representatives of state and municipal bodies."
Established in June 2007, Kloop is a Kyrgyz news website (kloop.kg) whose main contributors are students and graduates of the Kloop Media Public Foundation School of Journalism. As an independent media entity, it is known for publishing reports on corruption within various governmental bodies and providing training to Central Asian journalists in fact-checking and investigative techniques.
RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service, known as Radio Azattyk, Kloop, and the Center for Corruption and Organized Crime Research (OCCRP) have collaborated on a series of investigations concerning corruption in Kyrgyzstan.
Kyrgyzstan's civil society and free press have traditionally been the most vibrant in Central Asia. But that has changed amid a deepening government crackdown.
Kyrgyz authorities blocked Radio Azattyk's websites in Kyrgyz and Russian in late October 2022 after it refused to take down a video, which was produced by Current Time, a Russian-language network run by RFE/RL in cooperation with Voice of America.
Officials of the Central Asian state claimed that the authors of the video "predominantly" took the position of the Tajik side of a story. RFE/RL rejected the accusation saying the broadcaster "takes our commitment to balanced reporting seriously" and that after a review of the content in question, "no violation of our standards" was found.
In July 2023, the Bishkek court annulled the decision that shut down RFE/RL's operations in Kyrgyzstan.
- By RFE/RL
EU Council Approves New Aid Fund For Ukraine With $5.4 Billion
![Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy shakes hand with EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell in Kyiv on February 7.](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0a00-0242-385c-08dc2812ea33_w250_r1_s.jpg)
The European Council has approved the creation of the Ukraine Assistance Fund (UAF) and earmarked 5 billion euros ($5.4 billion) for it as Kyiv struggles to battle invading Russian forces. "With the fund, we will continue to support Ukraine defend itself from Russia’s war of aggression with whatever it takes and for as long as we need to," the EU's top diplomat, Josep Borrell said in a statement on March 18. The funds will be used for the provision of both "lethal and nonlethal military equipment and training," it said.
Kyrgyz Court Allows Jailed Politician To Get Medical Treatment Abroad
![Politician Bektur Asanov waves at the city court in Bishkek in November 2022.](https://gdb.rferl.org/000a0000-0aff-0242-025a-08dac2dff023_cx2_cy67_cw97_w250_r1_s.jpg)
A court in Bishkek on March 18 allowed jailed politician Bektur Asanov to get back surgery in Turkey after his jailed co-defendants threatened to launch a hunger strike. Hundreds of people rallied last week in Kyrgyzstan's three regions demanding the release of Asanov, his 10 jailed co-defendants, and 16 other activists who are under house arrest over their 2022 protest against a Kyrgyz-Uzbek border delimitation deal. The activists were arrested after they protested the controversial deal that saw Kyrgyzstan hand over the territory of the Kempir-Abad Reservoir to Uzbekistan. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service, click here.
Belarusian Evangelical Pastor Gets Additional 15 Days In Jail Over Prayers For Ukraine
![Belarusian pastor Alyaksandr Zaretski had called on his parishioners to pray for Ukraine and political prisoners in Belarus.](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0a00-0242-28ad-08dc471b2559_w250_r1_s.jpg)
A court in Belarus has sentenced pastor Alyaksandr Zaretski, head of an evangelical church in the northeastern region of Vitsebsk, to an additional 15 days in jail over his calls to parishioners to pray for Ukraine and political prisoners in Belarus. Zaretski was initially arrested on February 23 and sentenced to 15 days in jail after local authorities accused him of "violating regulations of holding public gatherings." Zaretski pleaded not guilty. The state website for court decisions said on March 18 that Zaretski was sentenced to another 15 days in jail on March 5. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Belarus Service, click here.
Iranians Visit Slain Protesters' Graves As New Year Approaches
![A traditional Haft-Sin table in Iran pays remembrance to those who died during the Women, Life, Freedom protests.](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-c0a8-0242-11a5-08db2931a919_cx0_cy2_cw0_w250_r1_s.jpg)
Iranian families have visited the graves of relatives who lost their lives in protests despite a heavy police presence and heightened tensions over government restrictions on freedoms.
In the western Iranian city of Sanandaj, despite a heavy security presence, many families of those who died in the Women, Life, Freedom protests made their way to the graves of their loved ones as the Persian New Year, which in 2024 coincides with the onset of spring on March 20, approaches.
Pictures and video on social media showed visitors at the resting places of notable figures, including Mahsa Mogouei, a taekwondo champion from Isfahan who was killed in 2022; Aylar Haqi, a doctor from Tabriz; Mohsen Mousavi from Tehran's bazaar area; and Abolfazl Mahdipour, among others.
In one expression of grief and remembrance, the family of Sina Naderi from Kermanshah could be seen arranging a traditional Norouz Haft-Sin table on his grave, blending the celebration of the new year with the mourning of their loss.
Kamellia Sajadian, grieving for her son Mohammad Hasan Turkman and in honor of Seyyed Mohammad Hosseini, who was executed during the protests, took to Instagram to urge Iranians to remember all of those "waiting for their kind-hearted and those imprisoned, whose hearts remain with their children buried in the soil."
Many Iranians took to the streets in 2022 to protest against declining living standards and a lack of freedoms. The unrest grew after the death of Mahsa Amini in September of that year. The 22-year-old died under mysterious circumstances while she was in police custody for an alleged head-scarf violation.
The clampdown resulted in the deaths of approximately 600 demonstrators, as reported by human rights groups, and thousands of arrests. The Iranian judiciary has also executed several protesters, further inflaming public outcry against the regime's harsh tactics.
The government has been accused of stepping up the pressure on the victims' families through collective arrests and the summoning of grieving families by security agencies with the aim of keeping them from commemorating the lives of their loved ones, which the government fears will trigger further unrest.
Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda
Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan Agree On 11 More Kilometers Of Border
![In all, the border between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan is 972 kilometers, of which more than 700 kilometers have now been agreed upon.](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0aff-0242-9ff3-08dc4665a3d3_cx0_cy16_cw0_w250_r1_s.jpeg)
Kyrgyz officials said on March 17 that Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan agreed on roughly another 11 kilometers of the border between the two nations after special talks were held in the Tajik town of Buston last week. The delimitation and demarcation of the Kyrgyz-Tajik border has been an issue for decades but turned into an extremely urgent problem in recent years after several deadly clashes took place along disputed segments of the frontier. In all, the border between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan is 972 kilometers, of which more than 700 kilometers have now been agreed upon. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service, click here.
Moldova's Sandu Calls On Lawmakers To Merge EU Referendum With Presidential Poll
![Moldovan President Maia Sandu speaking on March 18](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0aff-0242-331f-08dc473cf556_w250_r1_s.jpg)
Moldovan President Maia Sandu has called on lawmakers to organize a referendum on joining the European Union simultaneously with a presidential election in October. Speaking at a news conference in Chisinau on March 18, the pro-Western Sandu said merging the two would ensure "as high a turnout as possible," thus giving the plebiscite more legitimacy. Moldova, which has been seeking to shake off Russia's decades-long influence, was invited to open accession talks with the EU in 2022. Last week, the bloc's executive said Moldova had fulfilled six out of nine conditions necessary to start accession negotiations. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Moldovan Service, click here.
Kyrgyz Activist Under Investigation After Airing Video Critical Of Government
![Askat Jetigen](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0aff-0242-43c4-08dc47144331_cx0_cy11_cw0_w250_r1_s.jpg)
BISHKEK -- A court in Bishkek on March 18 released activist and traditional bard singer Askat Jetigen but ordered him not to leave the country while an investigation into his alleged "calls for mass unrest" continues. Jetigen, who was detained over the weekend, is known for his criticism of the Kyrgyz government. His last video criticizing reforms by the Culture Ministry was aired on March 15. Human rights groups have criticized President Sadyr Japarov's government for using the "mass unrest" charge as a tool to muzzle dissent and impose stricter control over independent media. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service, click here.
Nadezhdin Supporter Jailed For Conducting Exit Poll In Russian Vote
![Boris Nadezhdin had said his "observers" would monitor the voting.](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0aff-0242-6d32-08dc46c3a663_w250_r1_s.jpg)
Another supporter of anti-war politician Boris Nadezhdin was sentenced to five days in jail on a charge of resisting police. Vasily Gorelikov was detained while conducting an exit poll on March 17, the last day of voting, at a polling station in the Far Eastern city of Nakhodka. Nadezhdin, whose application to run in the election was rejected by authorities over what they said were irregularities in support signatures, had said his "observers" would monitor the voting. Last week, at least three pro-Nadezhdin activists were handed jail terms of up to six days on charges that they rejected. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here.
Baku Said To Be Preparing To Reopen Tehran Embassy After Attack
![The Azerbaijani Embassy was the scene of an armed assault in January 2023 that resulted in the death of one embassy employee and left two others injured.](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0aff-0242-4a5b-08db67420222_cx0_cy10_cw0_w250_r1_s.jpg)
The Azerbaijani Embassy in Tehran is preparing to resume operations, according to Iran's ambassador to Baku, signaling a potential thaw in relations between the two countries.
In a statement to Baku TV, Iranian Ambassador Abbas Musavi said preparations for the reopening are under way, with an Azerbaijani delegation already having made the journey to Tehran. He did not give a specific date for the reopening.
The announcement comes a year after the Azerbaijani Embassy was the scene of an armed assault in January 2023 that resulted in the death of one embassy employee and left two others injured.
The attack, which Baku has called an "act of terrorism," led to a significant downturn in diplomatic relations, prompting Azerbaijan to remove its embassy staff from Tehran. Azerbaijan left open its consulate in Tabriz.
Musavi addressed the incident, saying that investigations by both nations concluded the attack was an isolated act driven by personal motives. The assailant, identified as Yasin Husseinzadeh, has been apprehended and tried. Details of the sentence were not released, but in Iran murder is punishable by a maximum penalty of death.
The trial of Husseinzadeh, marking a year since the attack, has been a focal point in discussions between the two countries, with Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian confirming on March 16 that a delegation from Azerbaijan would soon visit Tehran to facilitate the embassy's reopening.
Baku had said that the identification and prosecution of anyone involved in the attack were prerequisites for the normalization of relations and the reopening of its embassy in Tehran.
Relations between Iran and Azerbaijan also have been complicated by Azerbaijan's ties with Israel and Iran's support for Shiite groups in Azerbaijan. Such disputes have led to mutual accusations and arrests over alleged espionage and efforts to establish a theocratic state in Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan has also accused Iran of backing Armenia in a long-standing conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Iran also has long accused Azerbaijan of fueling separatist sentiments among its sizeable ethnic Azeri minority.
Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda
2 Killed By Ukrainian Strike On Russia's Belgorod, Officials Say
![The aftermath of a military strike on Belgorod on March 17](https://gdb.rferl.org/3bf471e0-b493-4fef-ad65-bd2294a7058c_cx0_cy10_cw0_w250_r1_s.jpg)
Two people were killed and four others were wounded in a Ukrainian air strike on Russia's Belgorod region on March 18, the head of the region's administration, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said on Telegram.
Gladkov said one of the two victims was a 17-year-old boy, while one of the wounded was a young girl pulled from under the rubble.
Ukraine has not commented on the attack, which could not be independently confirmed.
Russia's Defense Ministry earlier on March 18 said the Belgorod region had been targeted by 10 Ukrainian Vampire missiles. All had been shot down by the air defense systems, it said.
Meanwhile, air-defense systems shot down 17 of the 22 drones launched by Russia at several Ukrainian regions early on March 18, Ukraine's military said in a statement on Telegram.
The drones were destroyed over nine Ukrainian regions -- Kyiv, Poltava, Khmelnytskiy, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Dnipropetrovsk, Vinnytsya, Zaporizhzhya, and Rivne -- the military said, adding that the Kharkiv and Sumy regions were also targeted by a total of seven missiles.
The military did not report any casualties or damage, but regional authorities in Sumy said civilian infrastructure was damaged in the city of Konotop.
5 Men Sentenced To Life In Case Of Murdered Tajik Banker
![(Left to right) Dilshod Saidmuradov, Bakhtovar Safarov, and Akbar Ahmadov](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0aff-0242-5b84-08dc472ecf5d_w250_r1_s.png)
DUSHANBE -- Tajikistan's Supreme Court has sentenced five men to life in prison in the high-profile case of the abduction and murder of one of the Central Asian nation's wealthiest bankers, Shohrat Ismatulloev.
The court told RFE/RL that the sentences and verdicts were pronounced on March 18 without giving any details.
Sources close to the court told RFE/RL that a former senior police officer, Dilshod Saidmurodov, as well as four other defendants -- Qamar Azizov, Akbar Ahmadov, Bakhtobar Safarov, and Shohrukh Khojaev -- were handed life sentences.
The court also ordered the confiscation of all properties and assets held by Saidmurodov.
Another 10 defendants were sentenced to prison terms of between one year and eight years for their involvement in Ismatulloev's murder.
No further details of the trial, which started in January, were available as it was held behind closed doors inside a detention center in Dushanbe, the capital.
Last month, Tajik Prosecutor-General Yusuf Rahmon said that two people suspected of involvement in Ismatulloev's abduction and murder are still at large, while two other suspects were dead -- Rustam Ashurov fled to Moldova in June of last year, where he was fatally wounded after he resisted Moldovan police at the Chisinau International Airport, and Parviz Mustafokulov, who died while in pretrial detention.
Moldovan authorities said at the time that Ashurov worked at the Tajik Interior Ministry for seven years but was fired for unspecified criminal activities.
Shohrat Ismatulloev, the deputy chairman of Orienbank, one of Tajikistan’s leading banks, was abducted in June last year. His body was found in August.
Investigators say the abductors wanted to extort money from the banker. According to the investigators, the abductors severely tortured Ismatulloev before killing him.
Orienbank, the largest private financial institution in the authoritarian Central Asian country, has been linked to the family of President Emomali Rahmon, several sources told RFE/RL.
Amid 'Repression And Intimidation,' Putin Posts 'Record' Election Win
![Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks in Moscow after polling stations closed. Putin -- who is now set to surpass Soviet dictator Josef Stalin’s nearly 30-year reign -- said the election showed that the nation was "one team."](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0aff-0242-d96a-08dc47413659_cx0_cy5_cw0_w250_r1_s.jpg)
Vladimir Putin has claimed a fifth presidential term with a landslide victory in a tightly controlled election that has been condemned by the West as neither free nor fair as the Russian leader seeks to prove overwhelming popular support for his full-scale invasion of Ukraine and increasingly repressive policies.
With 99.75 percent of ballots counted, Putin won another six-year term with a post-Soviet record of 87.29 percent of the vote, the Central Elections Committee (TsIK) said on March 18, adding that turnout was also at a "record" level, with 77.44 percent of eligible voters casting ballots.
The 71-year old Putin -- who has ruled as either president or prime minister since 2000 -- is now set to surpass Soviet dictator Josef Stalin’s nearly 30-year reign to become the longest-serving Russian leader in more than two centuries.
"This election has been based on repression and intimidation," the European Union's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told journalists in Brussels on March 18 as the bloc's foreign ministers gathered to discuss the election, among other issues.
The March 15-17 vote is the first for Putin since he launched his invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 that has killed tens of thousands of Russians and led to a clear break in relations with the West. In holding what has widely been viewed as faux elections, Putin wants to show that he has the nation’s full support, experts said.
The vote was also held in Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, where hundreds of thousands of Russian soldiers are located. Moscow illegally annexed the regions since launching the invasion, though it remains unclear how much of the territory it controls.
The Kremlin's goal "is to get as many people as possible to sign off on Russia's war against Ukraine. The idea is to get millions of Russian citizens to retroactively approve the decision Putin single-handedly made two years ago," Maksim Trudolyubov, a senior fellow at the Kennan Institute, wrote in a note ahead of the vote.
In remarks shortly after he was declared the winner, Putin said the election showed that the nation was "one team."
But Western leaders condemned the vote, with a White House spokesman saying they "are obviously not free nor fair," and EU foreign ministers roundly dismissing them as a sham ahead of agreeing to impose sanctions on individuals linked to the mistreatment and death of Kremlin critic Aleksei Navalny.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told RFE/RL in an interview in Tbilisi on the second day of a visit to the Caucasus that the Russian election was "not free nor fair." He said those who have had the courage to oppose Putin "are either force to flee, to live abroad, they are jailed, or some of them are killed as we saw with Aleksei Navalny."
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, speaking at the start of the EU foreign ministers' meeting, said Russia's election was "an election without choice."
French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne said the conditions for a "free, pluralistic, and democratic election were not met," and British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said the election outcome highlighted the "depth of repression" in Russia.
"Putin removes his political opponents, controls the media, and then crowns himself the winner. This is not democracy," Cameron said.
France, Britain, and other countries condemned the fact that Russia had also held its election in occupied regions of Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Putin has become "sick with power" and he is just "simulating" elections.
"This imitation of 'elections' has no legitimacy and cannot have any. This person must end up in the dock in The Hague [at the International UN Tribunal for War Crimes]," Zelenskiy said on X.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan congratulated Putin and again offered to mediate between Moscow and Ukraine, the Turkish presidency announced.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the presidents of Azerbaijan and Belarus also congratulated Putin as did the leaders of China, Iran, and North Korea.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said President Xi Jinping and the Russian leader "will continue to maintain close exchanges, lead the two countries to continue to uphold longstanding good-neighborly friendship, deepen comprehensive strategic coordination."
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi called Putin's victory "decisive," the state news agency IRNA reported, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said in a congratulatory message to Putin quoted by Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) that Russian voters had shown "unshakeable support and trust in" their president, state media reported.
In the tightly controlled race, Putin was opposed by three relatively unknown, Kremlin-friendly politicians whose campaigns were barely noticeable.
Prior to the election the Kremlin banned anti-war politician Boris Nadezhdin from the ballot after tens of thousands of voters lined up in the cold to support his candidacy. Nadezhdin threatened to undermine the narrative of a united nation behind Putin and his war, experts said.
Russia’s opposition movement suffered a serious blow last month when Navalny, who was Putin’s fiercest and most popular critic, died in unclear circumstances in a maximum-security prison in the Arctic where he was serving a 19-year sentence on charges of extremism widely seen as politically motivated.
Russian political analyst Ivan Preobrazhensky said in an interview with Current Time that Putin was also frightened by the rebellion staged by mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin in June when Prigozhin's forces briefly took control of Rostov-on-Don and were greeted by many citizens as heroes.
Prigozhin ended his rebellion before reaching Moscow and was later killed in a plane crash that many believe was retaliation by the Kremlin.
With reporting by Reuters, AFP, and dpa
Moldova Dismisses Separatists' Drone Strike Claim As Provocation
![Images published by media in Transdniester claimed that a kamikaze drone hit a helicopter near Tiraspol.](https://gdb.rferl.org/01000000-0aff-0242-2d6e-08dc4696760f_w250_r1_s.jpg)
Moldova's government has dismissed claims in Russian and Transdniester media that a drone strike on March 17 had destroyed a military helicopter on the ground in the breakaway region.
Separatist-linked news portals and Telegram channels published photos and video footage of the alleged wreckage of a Russian attack helicopter and cited Transdniester's self-styled state security ministry as saying the helicopter was struck by a kamikaze drone.
"The incident is an attempt to provoke fear and panic in the region. The depicted equipment has not been working for several years,” the Moldovan government's Reintegration Bureau said in a statement. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Moldovan Service, click here.
Taliban Says It Strikes Back After Deadly Pakistani Strikes
![A Pakistani Army soldier stands guard on the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. (file photo)](https://gdb.rferl.org/013e0000-0aff-0242-2f78-08da7a0269c5_cx0_cy2_cw0_w250_r1_s.jpg)
Afghanistan's Taliban-led government said its border forces targeted the Pakistani military installation along its eastern border in retaliation for two air strikes that Islamabad carried out on Afghan territory that killed eight people, including three children.
The Taliban's artillery shelling on March 18 came hours after Pakistani warplanes bombed "militant hideouts" inside Afghanistan that Islamabad said belonged to Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban.
In Kurram, a western district in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, locals confirmed the Taliban’s shelling of the area. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
Haji Nowroz Ali, a local tribal leader, told RFE/RL’s Radio Mashaal that a gunbattle between the Taliban and Pakistani forces ensued after four rockets were fired at the border village of Kharlachi from Afghanistan.
Pro-Taliban accounts on X, formerly Twitter, shared a video they claimed showed the Taliban's attacks on Pakistani installations in what appeared to be Kharlachi.
Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have been on the rise since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan following the withdrawal of the U.S.-led forces in August 2021. Islamabad accuses the conservative Islamist movement of harboring TTP militants on its territory and allowing them to carry out cross-border attacks in Pakistan. Afghanistan's ruling Taliban deny this.
At "around 3 a.m., Pakistani aircraft bombarded civilian homes" in Afghanistan's southeastern provinces of Khost and Paktika bordering Pakistan, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement.
"Pakistan should not blame Afghanistan for the lack of control, incompetence, and problems in its own territory," Mujahid said in a statement.
He added the strikes targeted Pakistan's Barmal district of Paktika and the Spera district of Khost, killing three women and three children in Paktika, and two women in Khost.
In a March 18 statement, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry defended the attacks.
"Certain elements among those in power in Afghanistan are actively patronizing the TTP and using them as a proxy against Pakistan," the statement said, adding that groups like the TTP are a collective security, which requires the two neighbors to "work toward finding joint solutions in countering terrorism and to prevent any terrorist organization from sabotaging bilateral relations."
Pakistani officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, have said that the house of Abdullah Shah, one of the TTP commanders reportedly hiding in Afghanistan, was apparently targeted in the attacks in Paktika.
But Mujahid rejected the accusation and said Shah was inside Pakistan.
"The same [Pashtun] tribe lives on both sides [of the Durand Line border]. Its members frequently move among their communities," he said in a statement.
The TTP said the strikes targeted civilians, denying Shah's house had been hit.
The group issued a video in which Shah claimed to be present in the Shawal areas of Waziristan, which borders Afghanistan’s Paktika and Khost Provinces.
An unconfirmed social media post said "multiple" Pakistan strikes targeted the Paktika, Khost, and Kunar regions.
The reported strikes came after seven Pakistani soldiers were killed and 17 others wounded in a militant attack that targeted a sprawling army post in the volatile North Waziristan district near the Afghan border on March 16.
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, who attended the funeral of those killed in the attack on March 17, said Islamabad would give "a befitting reply to the terrorists" that perpetrated the attack.
With reporting by AFP and Reuters
- By RFE/RL
Putin Says He Agreed To Swap Navalny Days Before His Death
![A photograph of Russian opposition politician Aleksei Navalny and his wife Yulia is placed amid flowers on his grave following his funeral at the Borisovskoye cemetery in Moscow on March 2.](https://gdb.rferl.org/8b90db5f-4ea1-47c8-abfe-d6737433731b_w250_r1_s.jpg)
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he agreed to swap his fiercest critic, Aleksei Navalny, several days before the opposition leader died in prison last month.
Speaking in Moscow on March 17 shortly after securing a new six-year term, Putin said he agreed to swap Navalny on the condition that he not return to Russia. It was the first mention of Navalny by name by the Russian leader in more than a decade.
Navalny died on February 16 in unclear circumstances in an Arctic prison where he was serving a 19-year term on extremism and other charges widely seen as politically motivated.
Putin did not say whom he wanted in return for freeing Navalny but last month in an interview with former Fox News host and political commentator Tucker Carlson, the Russian leader said he was willing to swap Westerners held in Russian prisons for convicted murderer and former Federal Security Service (FSB) Colonel Vadim Krasikov.
Investigative journalist Christo Grozev told RFE/RL in late February that he was involved in a plan to exchange Navalny for Krasikov, who was convicted of murdering a Chechen citizen of Georgian ethnicity.
The plan was presented to Putin in February.
At least three countries participated in the discussions -- the United States, Germany, and Russia -- Grozev said in an interview on February 27 with RFE/RL's Bulgarian Service.
The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Putin’s remarks.
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