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- By RFE/RL
Armenia's Pashinian Claims Landslide Election Victory, Sees Constitutional Majority In Parliament
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has won a landslide victory in snap parliamentary elections called to end a political crisis that erupted after ethnic Armenian forces lost a six-week war against Azerbaijan last year and ceded territory in and around the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Preliminary results from the June 20 election showed that, with all precincts counted, Pashinian's Civil Contract party won 53.9 percent of the vote, while former President Robert Kocharian's Armenia Alliance – which is alleging election fraud -- got 21 percent.
"The people of Armenia gave our Civil Contract party a mandate to lead the country and personally me to lead the country as prime minister," Pashinian announced in the early hours of June 21.
"In the newly elected parliament, Civil Contract will have a constitutional majority and form a government," he added later in a post on Facebook.
Speaking at a rally of his supporters in Yerevan in the evening, Pashinian said the political crisis in the country was over and called for unity.
But Kocharian’s alliance said it would not recognize the results until alleged voting irregularities were addressed. The Armenia Alliance announced that it will ask the Constitutional Court to overturn the official elections results, saying it has “serious grounds to consider these elections illegitimate.”
In a statement on June 21, it accused authorities of illegally using their administrative leverage to try to keep Pashinian in power. It said the bloc’s activists have been harassed by the authorities during the election process.
WATCH: International Observers: Armenia's Elections Were 'Competitive And Generally Well-Managed'
Kocharian’s bloc accused government officials of “pre-planned falsification of the election results.”
However, international observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said the vote was "competitive and generally well-managed."
"The vote count was assessed positively in most polling stations where it was observed and was characterized by a high level of transparency," the OSCE said.
"Reconciliation and counting procedures were followed overall, and observers noted very few significant procedural errors or serious violations," it added, noting that the election on the whole was "characterized by intense polarization and marred by increasingly inflammatory rhetoric among key contestants."
The head of Armenia's Central Electoral Commission, Tigran Mukuchian, said the election "on the whole" was conducted in line with local rules and regulations.
Opinion polls before the election showed the contest to be mainly a neck-and-neck race between Pashinian's party and Kocharian's newly created alliance, with each at around 24 percent support.
A total of 21 parties and four alliances took part in the election. The Central Election Commission said that nearly 50 percent of around 2.6 million eligible voters cast their ballots.
Individual parties needed to cross the 5 percent threshold to gain entry to parliament, while blocs needed 7 percent.
However, Armenian law states that at least three parties must sit in parliament, making the "I Have The Honor" bloc, which won just over 5 percent, the third party that will be represented. It narrowly edged out Prosperous Armenia, a party led by business tycoon Gagik Tsarukian, which won slightly below 5 percent.
The results, if they hold, mean Pashinian's party will control an even greater percentage of seats than the 50 percent needed to rule, since the votes of parties that don't clear the threshold will be distributed among those that enter parliament.
The election was held against the backdrop of already flaring tensions following a monthslong political crisis fueled by the defeat of Armenian forces against Azerbaijan in a six-week war last autumn over Nagorno-Karabakh.
Pashinian, who stepped down as required by law to allow the election to take place but remains the country's leader, called the early elections in response to sustained opposition rallies and dissent within the state over his handling of the war that ended with a Moscow-brokered cease-fire in November.
The fragile peace deal restored Baku's sovereignty over a chunk of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding districts that had been controlled by ethnic Armenian forces since a war in the early 1990s. The defeat stunned Armenians and prompted months of recriminations.
During the election campaign, emotionally charged threats and insults raised concerns of postelection violence, especially in the event of allegations that the result is rigged or otherwise challenged. More than a dozen opposition candidates and activists were detained during the campaign, accused of bullying or bribing voters.
On the eve of the election, the largely ceremonial President Armen Sarkisian urged his compatriots to remain peaceful, saying it would be unacceptable that "political and moral boundaries are crossed, that the situation escalates and hatred and enmity are fomented."
With reporting by AFP, AP, Interfax, and Reuters
UEFA Announces Probe After Players Taunted During Euro 2020 Matches In Budapest
European soccer's governing body says it will investigate "potential discriminatory incidents" at two Euro 2020 games played in Budapest.
The probe will focus on incidents that occurred during Hungary's 3-0 loss to Portugal on June 15 and its 1-1 draw with France on June 19, UEFA said in a statement on June 20. Both matches were played at Puskas Arena in the Hungarian capital.
France striker Kylian Mbappe, who is black, was taunted by monkey chants from the crowd, and fellow forward Karim Benzema, who has Algerian roots, was also the target of verbal abuse by spectators.
Portuguese media reported that superstar Cristiano Ronaldo was targeted during Hungary's defeat to Portugal.
An ethics and disciplinary inspector has been appointed to conduct an investigation, UEFA's statement said.
More than 55,000 people, mostly fans of Hungary, attended the two matches. Budapest is the only host city to allow full crowds for Euro 2020 games.
Hungary, which still has a chance of progressing to the last 16, is scheduled to play its last game in Group F against Germany in Munich on June 23. It may play the match in a stadium lit up in rainbow colors.
Munich Mayor Dieter Reiter told dpa on June 20 he was going to write to UEFA to ask for permission for Germany's stadium to be lit up with the colors as "an important sign of tolerance and equality."
The Hungarian parliament approved a law on June 15 banning discussions and dissemination of information in schools that is deemed by authorities to promote homosexuality and gender change.
Critics have slammed the law as an attack on the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.
Based on reporting by dpa and AP
- By RFE/RL
U.S. Preparing New Sanctions Against Russia Over Navalny Poisoning
The United States is preparing new sanctions against Russia over the poisoning of Kremlin critic Aleksei Navalny, U.S. national-security adviser Jake Sullivan has said.
"We are preparing another package of sanctions to apply in this case as well," Sullivan said on CNN on June 20.
Sullivan said the sanctions will come once the United States ensures that the right entities are targeted.
"When we do that, we will impose further sanctions with respect to chemical weapons," Sullivan said.
Navalny was arrested in January when he returned to Russia from Germany, where he had received treatment for a near-fatal poisoning in August with a Soviet-era nerve agent. Navalny has blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin directly for the attack, a claim the Kremlin has denied.
U.S. President Joe Biden said he told Putin during their summit last week that human rights will always be on the table and that he will continue to raise the issue, including the arrest of Navalny.
Biden said that he also warned Putin of the consequences if Navalny were to die in prison, telling reporters at a news conference that he "made it clear" that the consequences should Navalny die "would be devastating for Russia."
The Biden administration announced in March that it was placing sanctions on seven senior Russian officials, including Putin's deputy chief of staff, after a U.S. intelligence assessment concluded "with high confidence" that officers from Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) were behind Navalny's poisoning.
The U.S. announcement came on the heels of European Union sanctions against four senior Russian officials.
Russia reacted angrily, saying the move was "absolutely unacceptable" and would have a destructive effect on the country's already bad relations with the United States and the European Union.
Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov was recalled later in March following a comment by Biden indicating he agreed that Putin is a "killer."
Relations between Washington and Moscow further deteriorated in April when the United States announced sanctions against dozens of Russian individuals and entities and expelled 10 Russian diplomats as it moved to hold the Kremlin accountable for election interference and a massive cyberattack on U.S. government and corporate computer networks.
U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan also returned to the United States for consultations.
Around the same time, Biden said the United States wanted a stable, predictable relationship with Russia and proposed the summit that took place last week in Geneva, Switzerland.
No major breakthroughs were announced after the summit, but the two leaders said they found some common ground on minor issues and announced their ambassadors would soon be returning to their posts.
Antonov departed Moscow on June 20 to return to Washington. No date has been announced for Sullivan's return.
Antonov is due to start work in Washington on June 21. He told RIA Novosti that he was optimistic and wanted to help build "equal and pragmatic" relations with the United States.
With reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, and RFE/RL's Russian Service
- By RFE/RL
Kremlin Announces Date For Putin's Live Call-In Show
The Kremlin has announced the date of President Vladimir Putin's live, nationally televised call-in show, an event that will fall about 10 weeks before the flagging popularity of the ruling political party is put to the test in national elections.
Such events -- when average Russians are ostensibly able to ask Putin questions directly -- have been held regularly in the past.
But this year's event, set for June 30, comes with the country's dominant party, United Russia, suffering from record-low public approval.
That's potentially problematic for the Kremlin, which last year engineered changes to the constitution, opening the door for Putin to stay in power potentially until 2036.
If other parties gain seats at the expense of United Russia, or if there is lackluster turnout in the September 19 election to the 450-seat State Duma, that could make the next presidential election, in 2024, more troublesome.
Putin, who is already the longest-serving Russian leader since Josef Stalin, has not indicated whether he will run for reelection.
While Russians are increasingly anxious about stagnant wages, growing inflation, and declining quality of life, Putin remains an all-but-unrivaled political figure, with high approval ratings.
At a party congress on June 19, Putin, who is not formally a party member, announced that Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu would head United Russia's candidate list-- a move aimed at increasing voter enthusiasm.
The government has also taken steps to quash opposition political movements, including that of Aleksei Navalny, the anti-corruption crusader who built a formidable national organization that has dented Putin's public image.
He survived a near-fatal poisoning last year, then was jailed upon returning to Russia in January after recuperating in Germany.
Russia Warns Of New Restrictions As It Reels From Surging Cases
Russia's labor minister has said workers who fail to get the COVID-19 vaccine in regions where the shot has been made compulsory could be forced to take unpaid leave.
Anton Kotyakov's comments, made on a government Telegram channel on June 20, come as Moscow, St. Petersburg, and other Russian cities introduce an array of a new measures. The most prominent new proposal aims for mandatory shots for service workers.
Russia is grappling with a deadly new third wave of infections, with nearly half of them appearing in Moscow.
The Russian capital registered a slight decrease on June 20, with 8,305 infections in 24 hours. Still, it's higher than two weeks ago, when about 3,000 cases were recorded daily.
Among major public events that could be affected by the new measures is the Euro 2020 soccer tournament. Some matches are being played in St. Petersburg, which saw more than 1,000 new cases for the first time since the end of February.
Russia, with 129,361 deaths recorded by the government, is the hardest-hit country in Europe.
Based on reporting by AFP, AP, dpa, and Reuters
- By RFE/RL
Negotiators Adjourn Iran Nuclear Talks, Leave For Consultations
Negotiators have adjourned talks on reviving the Iran nuclear deal for consultations in their capitals, saying on June 20 that further progress was made to restore the agreement but it's now up to the governments involved to make political decisions.
Enrique Mora, the European Union's envoy to the negotiations, gave no indication when the talks would resume but said progress had been made on a number of technical issues and the participants would have a clearer idea of how to close a deal when they return.
"We have now more clarity on technical documents -- all of them quite complex -- and that clarity allows us to have also a great idea of what the political problems are," Mora said.
Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia's envoy at the negotiations, said he expected the diplomats to return for the final round in about 10 days and said they could finalize negotiations next month.
"I believe we have all chances to arrive at the final point of our negotiations, maybe even by mid-July, unless something extraordinary and negative happens," he said.
In a written statement, senior diplomats from Britain, France, and Germany, known as the E3, urged speedy decision-making.
"Delegations will now travel to capitals in order to consult with their leadership," the diplomats said. "We urge all sides to return to Vienna and be ready to conclude a deal. The time for decision is fast approaching."
The comments came after the latest round of negotiations involving Iran and six world powers that have been going on in Vienna since April.
The meeting was overshadowed by the election of Ebrahim Raisi in Iran, which puts hard-liners in control of Iran's government.
Raisi, who won nearly 62 percent of the vote in the June 18 election, will take office in early August, replacing Hassan Rohani, who has served the maximum two consecutive terms. He was a key architect of the nuclear deal, which lifted some international sanctions in exchange for Iran agreeing to curbs on its nuclear program.
EU foreign-policy chief Josep Borrell said on June 20 he hoped the election of Raisi would not be an obstacle to reaching a deal in Vienna.
"We are very close. We have been working for two months," Borrell told reporters during a visit to Beirut. "So I hope that the results of the elections is not going to be the last obstacle that will ruin the negotiation process."
Israel's new prime minister warned that Raisi's election was "the last chance for the world powers to wake up before returning to the nuclear agreement and to understand who they're doing business with."
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Raisi was "infamous among Iranians and across the world" for alleged crimes against humanity for his part in execution trials three decades ago.
"A regime of brutal hangmen must never be allowed to have weapons of mass destruction that will enable it to not kill thousands, but millions," Bennett said.
Israel has long opposed Iran's nuclear program, which Tehran insists is intended for peaceful purposes.
The United States in 2018 withdrew from the landmark pact under which Iran agreed to curtail its nuclear ambitions in exchange for the lifting of many sanctions against it.
The remaining parties to the deal are Iran, Russia, China, France, Britain, Germany, and the European Union.
The United States is present, but not directly negotiating, mainly due to Iran's refusal to meet face-to-face. Instead, the U.S. delegation is at a nearby location in Vienna, with the other delegations and the EU as go-betweens.
Since U.S. President Donald Trump pulled out of the 2015 deal, Tehran has rebuilt some of its stockpiles of enriched uranium, a potential pathway to weapons.
Trump's successor, Joe Biden, has indicated a willingness to rejoin the agreement once Washington is certain that Tehran is willing to respect its commitments.
With reporting by AFP, AP, and Reuters
- By RFE/RL
Armenians Vote In Snap Elections Triggered By War With Azerbaijan
YEREVAN -- Armenians voted in snap elections on June 20 with tensions running high following a monthslong political crisis fueled by the defeat of Armenian forces against Azerbaijan in a six-week war last autumn over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Preliminary results with only 8 percent of precincts counted showed Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian's Civil Contract party leading with 61.7 percent of the votes ahead of former President Robert Kocharian's Armenia Alliance with 17.6 percent.
Prosperous Armenia, a party led by business tycoon Gagik Tsarukian, was third with 5.32 percent of the vote.
More results were expected to roll in over the course of the morning.
The Central Election Commission said nearly 50 percent of around 2.6 million eligible voters cast their ballots.
"On the whole, the election was conducted in accordance with the country's legislation," said the head of the Central Electoral Commission, Tigran Mukuchian.
With a total of 21 parties and four alliances taking part in the election, the final political constellation that emerges may not be known for days or even weeks if no party secures a majority.
Opinion polls before the election showed the contest to be mainly a neck-and-neck race between Pashinian's party and Kocharian's newly created alliance, with each mustering about 24 percent support.
A voter in Yerevan told RFE/RL that he voted for peace and unity.
"Be it Nikol [Pashinian], Robert [Kocharian] or anyone else, they should take care of the nation and raise it back to its feet," the man said.
Pashinian called the early elections in response to sustained opposition rallies and dissent within the state over his handling of the war that ended with a Moscow-brokered cease-fire in November.
Pashinian, who swept to power after leading large anti-establishment protests in 2018 that ousted his predecessor, stepped down as required by law to allow the election to take place but remains the country's leader. The new parliament could restore him to the post or choose a new prime minister.
Despite Pashinian's dwindling poll numbers, down from 60 percent before the war, the former journalist has shown he can still draw thousands of supporters to rallies.
The fragile peace deal restored Baku's sovereignty over a chunk of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding districts that had been controlled by ethnic Armenian forces since a war in the early 1990s. The defeat stunned Armenians, and prompted months of recriminations and political infighting.
Pashinian has defended the deal, saying it prevented Turkish-backed Azerbaijani forces from taking control over the entire Nagorno-Karabakh region. He has also blamed previous administrations for wasting diplomatic opportunities and endemic corruption that left the military unprepared.
More than 6,000 people were killed in the autumn war and thousands of civilians displaced, while the Armenia-Azerbaijan border area remains tense and the long-term fate of the peace deal uncertain. The issue of prisoners of war and other detainees is a potent social issue as well.
Kocharian, a native of Nagorno-Karabakh, ran a campaign promising security, economic growth, and resolving political tensions.
"I voted for a dignified peace and economic growth, this is my choice," Kocharian told reporters after casting his ballot on June 20.
In addition to being president between 1998 and 2008, he was one of the leaders of Nagorno-Karabakh's separatist forces during the early 1990s war and became the region's first de facto president between 1994 and 1997.
While president of Armenia, he was accused of acting unlawfully by sending police to disperse postelection protests in Yerevan in 2008. Eight demonstrators and two police officers died in the clashes.
Pashinian was one of the organizers of the 2008 protest and was ultimately jailed until being released in 2011 under a government amnesty.
Kocharian was later charged over the deadly crackdown on protesters and spent about a year and a half in pretrial detention. He was cleared of criminal charges earlier this year in a case the former president said was a politically motivated attack by Pashinian, but still faces a separate corruption probe.
During the 12-day election campaign, emotionally charged threats and insults raised concerns of postelection violence, especially in the event of allegations that the result is rigged or otherwise challenged. More than a dozen opposition candidates and activists were detained during the campaign, accused of bullying or bribing voters.
On the eve of the election, the largely ceremonial President Armen Sarkisian urged voters to remain peaceful, saying it would be unacceptable that "political and moral boundaries are crossed, that the situation escalates and hatred and enmity are fomented."
The outcome of the vote may hinge on which smaller parties clear a 5 percent threshold and which political alliances cross the required 7 percent hurdle to enter parliament.
If no party or alliance wins an outright majority, Pashinian or Kocharian will have six days to cobble together a coalition with smaller parties.
Failure to find a coalition leads to a runoff vote between the two top parties or alliances that determines the final distribution of seats under Armenia's so-called "stable majority" rule.
That provision automatically gives the winner of the runoff 54 percent of the legislature's seats. Remaining seats would be divided as mandated by the first-round results.
Many analysts say the country is likely to either have a coalition government or face a runoff.
With reporting by AP, AFP, and dpa
Explosions Rock Moscow As Fireworks Warehouse Burns
Russian firefighters were battling a massive blaze at a fireworks depot in central Moscow on June 19. The sound of fireworks exploding rang through the air, while a big plume of smoke rose skywards. At least two firefighting helicopters were deployed to fight the flames.
- By RFE/RL
Explosions Rock Moscow As Fireworks Warehouse Burns
MOSCOW – A warehouse in central Moscow containing an estimated 15 tons of fireworks caught fire on June 19 and burned for several hours.
Three water-dropping helicopters and a fire boat were sent in to help fight the blaze, as passersby reported hearing multiple explosions from the fire on the Luzhnetskaya Embankment, not far from the huge Luzhniki Stadium complex.
"There are multiple explosions of firecrackers," an unidentified emergency services worker told the state TASS news agency.
Three firefighters and one warehouse employee were reportedly injured in the incident
According to some reports, a neighboring building was also burning.
With reporting by TASS, Reuters, and AP
Putin Promises Billions In New Spending Ahead Of Russian Elections
MOSCOW -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has promised billions of rubles in additional spending in the months remaining before legislative elections in September.
Putin was addressing a congress of the ruling United Russia party in Moscow on June 19. Although Putin is technically not a member of the party, United Russia's main platform is to support Putin and it is the mechanism by which the Kremlin maintains a near monopoly on all levels of political power.
Putin praised United Russia for its "ability to renew and constantly develop" in a speech in which he promised to boost spending on infrastructure, education, and health care.
"I'm sure that United Russia sets for itself the highest bar, which is to confirm its leadership position and to secure victory in the elections," Putin said.
Putin also proposed that United Russia's national party list feature prominent figures including Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. His proposal was later accepted by the party.
The relatively unpopular former president, Dmitry Medvedev, who headed the party’s federal list in 2011 and 2016, was not among the top five candidates.
Party lists are designed to attract attention by featuring popular figures who usually do not end up actually accepting legislative mandates.
With the country mired in economic woes that have seen a decline in real incomes and rising inflation, United Russia has been polling at historic lows. According to the Levada Center polling outfit, just 27 percent of Russians support the party, down from 31 percent last August.
In the run-up to the elections, during which all 450 seats in the lower house of parliament, the State Duma, will be up for grabs, the Kremlin has cracked down -- sometimes brutally -- on opposition political figures and independent media.
In the 2016 Duma elections, United Russia won 90 percent of the 225 single-mandate seats despite winning just over 50 percent of the vote. Political analysts say that many of these seats could be vulnerable if popular opposition figures were able to participate in the elections.
Opposition leader Aleksei Navalny, who suffered a near-fatal nerve-agent poisoning last August that he blames on Putin, was imprisoned in January. His network of regional offices closed down after the government declared them to be an "extremist" organization.
Other potential independent candidates have also been persecuted. Former State Duma Deputy Dmitry Gudkov fled the country earlier this month after police opened a fraud investigation against him and a relative.
Moscow municipal lawmaker Ketevan Kharaidze, of the Yabloko party, and St. Petersburg municipal deputy Maksim Reznik were both detained on June 18.
In his remarks at the United Russia congress, Putin said that "our common task is to do our utmost to ensure that the election is held openly and honestly in accordance with the law so that its results can reflect the true will of the nation."
- By Current Time
At Least Four Dead After Skydivers' Plane Crashes In Siberia
At least four people have died after an airplane with recreational skydivers-in-training aboard crashed at an air field in the Siberian region of Kemerovo.
There were conflicting reports of how many people were aboard the L-410 aircraft on June 19.
But later, officials were quoted as saying that four people had died and 15 more were injured.
A local branch of the federal investigators' office said it was looking into the causes of the accident, which occurred near Tanay airfield at around 10 a.m. local time.
It said the plane was returning to the airfield after one of the pilots radioed that one of the aircraft's engines had failed, and that it apparently clipped a tree with its wing and crashed.
- By RFE/RL
Body Of Missing American Student Found In Russia, Suspect Detained
Russian authorities say they have detained a suspect after the body of an American graduate student who went missing this week in the Nizhny Novgorod region of Russia was thought to have been discovered after a three-day search.
Police opened a criminal investigation when 34-year-old Catherine Serou was unaccounted for after she got into a car "with a stranger" earlier in the week.
"Today, as a result of a large-scale search operation, the girl's body was discovered," the federal Investigative Committee said in a statement, without naming the victim.
They said a local man in his 40s with previous convictions for "grave and especially grave crimes" had been detained "on suspicion of committing murder."
Serou's mother, who is in Mississippi, told U.S. National Public Radio (NPR) that she last heard from her daughter in a text message that said: "In a car with a stranger. I hope I'm not being abducted."
She said her daughter may have hitched a ride as she was in a hurry to reach a clinic where a payment had not gone through, the station said.
Officers and more than 100 volunteers were said to have been searching a forested area outside the city, which is about 400 kilometers east of Moscow.
Serou was a former Marine who served a tour in Afghanistan, NPR said.
She had reportedly sold her California condominium two years ago to finance her trip to Russia to study the language before applying for law school.
She enrolled in a master's program in law at Lobachevsky University in Nizhny Novgorod in the fall of 2019, according to NPR.
A local Russian search-and-rescue group, Rys (Lynx), whose volunteers were helping in the search, posted news of the discovery of the body and expressed condolences to Serou's family.
With reporting by RIA Novosti and AP
Poles Blame Kremlin For 'Unprecedented' Cyberattack On Senior Officials
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has said that Poland's security services were scrambling to "secure the many inboxes" of ranking politicians victimized by an "external hack cooked up at the Kremlin."
His statement on June 18 came after the chairman of the ruling Law and Justice party, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, described a "large-scale" cyberattack on leading Polish politicians there that Kaczynski also said was launched from inside Russia.
Kaczinski described the targets as "Poland's top officials, ministers, lawmakers of various political stripes."
Two days earlier, Polish lawmakers held a closed-door session to mount a response to what a government spokesman said was an "unprecedented" attack.
Many sides on EU and NATO member Poland's political landscape are staunch historical critics of Russia.
Warsaw has been a leading voice for tough responses to Russia's seizure of Ukrainian territory in 2014 and its military buildup on its western border.
It has also taken hard lines over Mosow's alleged poisoning of political opponents at home and abroad, election meddling, Kremlin support for a brutal crackdown on political dissent in neighboring Belarus, and ongoing cybercrime emanating from Russia.
The e-mail account of Poland's COVID-19 vaccination chief, Michal Dworczyk, was reportedly hacked a week ago and purported messages posted on the Internet.
Kaczynski said the cyberattack was intended to "destabilize our country."
At their summit on June 16, U.S. President Joe Biden said he and Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed to further discussions on keeping certain types of critical infrastructure off-limits to cyberattacks.
Biden also said they would hold additional talks on the pursuit of criminals carrying out ransomware attacks.
NATO leaders this week denounced Moscow's "hybrid actions," "widespread disinformation campaigns," and "malicious" cyberactivities.
Based on reporting by AFP and the Financial Times
Khamenei Hails Iran Vote After Presidential Race Called For Hard-Liner Raisi
Iranian election officials have announced that hard-liner Ebrahim Raisi has beat out a narrow field of mostly conservative candidates to win Iran's presidential election with nearly 62 percent of the vote.
But the vote was marked by a historically low turnout that provided ammunition for critics of the country's clerically dominated leadership and its tightly guarded corridors of power
The heavily vetted final group of four candidates and scattered calls for a boycott had been expected to favor 60-year-old cleric and judiciary head Raisi, who has been accused by rights groups of crimes against humanity for his part in execution trials three decades ago.
Official turnout was announced at just 48.8 percent, the lowest for any presidential ballot since the Islamic Revolution of 1979.
But Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who holds ultimate power in Iran's political and religious affairs, called the vote a defeat of "enemy propaganda."
"The great winner of yesterday's election is the Iranian nation, which once again stood up against the propaganda of the enemy's mercenary media and the temptation of ill-wishers, and showed its presence in the heart of the country's political arena," Khamenei said in a statement.
He praised people's "epic and enthusiastic" presence in the voting.
The previous low for turnout in any Iranian presidential election had been 50.6 percent in 1993.
The vote's outcome was widely predicted after vetting authorities disqualified all but seven of hundreds of would-be candidates. Three of those seven bowed out on the last day.
Election day saw many polling stations lightly attended, eyewitnesses said, although state-led media showed queued-up voters throughout June 18.
The leader of the controversial National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) said after the vote that the "nationwide boycott" had dealt the "greatest political and social blow" to Khamenei's system.
The NCRI is the political wing of the Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO or MEK), an exiled opposition group seeking to overthrow the Islamic republic and which Tehran regards as a "terrorist" organization.
"The boycott proved and showed the world that the Iranian people's only vote is to overthrow this medieval regime," NCRI head Maryam Rajavi was quoted as saying.
Khamenei said grievances over the economy and the pandemic as well as attempts to discourage people from voting and some technical glitches on voting day had no effect on people's determination to vote.
In a move seemingly aimed at directing the international narrative away from low turnout and reformists' calls to boycott the vote, Iran's Foreign Ministry said on June 19 that it had summoned Britain's envoy over "difficulties" for Iranians trying to vote in the United Kingdom.
Former central banker Abdolnaser Hemmati, the only relative moderate left in the race after another quit on the last day of the campaign, tweeted his concession and congratulations to Raisi early on June 19.
"Congratulations to the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran on the election of Ayatollah Raisi," Hemmati wrote on Twitter. "I hope the 13th government can bring glory to the Islamic Republic of Iran, improve livelihood and livelihood with the comfort and welfare of the great nation of Iran."
The other two hard-line candidates, Mohsen Rezai and Amirhossein Ghazizadeh-Hashemi, congratulated Raisi.
Messages of congratulations to Raisi were quickly announced from Russian President Vladimir Putin, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Iraqi President Barham Salih, the United Arab Emirates’ Vice President and Prime Minister Sheikh Muhammad bin Rashed, and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Muhammad Bin Zayed.
But the Foreign Ministry of Iran's regional foe Israel sharply criticized Raisi as Iran's "most extremist president to date."
"An extremist figure, committed to Iran’s rapidly advancing military nuclear program, his election makes clear Iran’s true malign intentions and should prompt grave concern among the international community," the statement said.
The United States said Iranians were "denied their right to choose their own leaders in a free and fair electoral process."
A State Department spokesperson said the United States would continue to engage in negotiations on restoring the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, working alongside allies and partners.
Raisi was one of the judges in 1988 who oversaw a series of speedy trials in which thousands of political prisoners were sentenced to death and executed.
Human rights organizations say he is guilty of crimes against humanity, and the United States has placed him under sanctions.
Amnesty International issued a statement on June 19 urging an investigation into Raisi's past as a deputy prosecutor in Tehran and a member of the "death commission" responsible for thousands of disappearances and extrajudicial executions.
"That Ebrahim Raisi has risen to the presidency instead of being investigated for the crimes against humanity of murder, enforced disappearance, and torture is a grim reminder that impunity reigns supreme in Iran," the group said.
"Iranian authorities paved the way for Ebrahim Raisi to become president through repression and an unfair election," said Michael Page, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. "As head of Iran's repressive judiciary, Raisi oversaw some of the most heinous crimes in Iran's recent history, which deserve investigation and accountability rather than election to high office."
Analysts have suggested that a win for Raisi would signal the rise of anti-Western hard-liners to the detriment of pragmatists like Rohani, a key architect of the moribund 2015 nuclear deal under which Iran agreed to limit its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.
Both Tehran and Washington have said they want to restore the deal, which was abandoned in 2018 by the administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump. Negotiations to revive the accord restarted in April with the election on the horizon adding to already complicated talks.
Raisi has suggested he would favor continuing those talks.
But Khamenei has said that he wants "actions, not promises" from the five world powers who originally signed the accord with Tehran, which has steadily flouted terms of the agreement by rebuilding stockpiles of enriched uranium and increasing its ability to enrich it to higher levels of purity.
The European Union has announced that parties to the 2015 deal will hold a formal meeting on June 20.
With reporting by AFP and Reuters
- By RFE/RL
U.S. Says 'Contingency' Aid Ready If Russia Attacks Ukraine
The United States has prepared contingency military aid in the event of further Russian military incursions into Ukraine, the White House has said.
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement on June 18 that recent U.S. media reports that the United States held back security assistance to Ukraine were "nonsense."
Politico and The Washington Post reported this week that President Joe Biden's administration set aside a military aid package to Ukraine worth tens of millions of dollars that included lethal weapons.
The potential package, which was said to include arms and more anti-tank missiles, had been drawn up in response to a Russian troop and military hardware buildup near Ukraine's borders in the spring.
The military maneuvers caused consternation in Washington and European capitals about Moscow's intentions at a time of increased fighting in eastern Ukraine between Kyiv and Kremlin-backed separatists.
The U.S. media outlets reported the United States temporarily halted the proposal when Russia said in April that it intended to reduce the more than 100,000 troops it had moved near the border areas.
Despite the withdrawal announcement, U.S. and Ukrainian officials say Russia has left some military hardware in place, which could be used to rapidly mobilize in the event of escalation.
Moscow says the remaining forces, including armored units and rocket systems, are in place for military drills later in the year.
The United States has provided more than $2.5 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since 2014, when Russia forcibly seized Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and backed separatists in the east, sparking a war that has killed more than 13,000 people.
Earlier this month, the Pentagon announced a $150 million package to Ukraine of "defensive lethal assistance," including counter-artillery radars, communications and electronic warfare equipment, and counter-drone systems.
In March, the Pentagon announced another tranche of $125 million, including additional armed Mark VI patrol boats.
The assistance comes from funds already committed by Congress for the U.S. government's fiscal year that ends in September.
"The idea that we have held back security assistance to Ukraine is nonsense. Just last week -- in the run-up to the U.S.-Russia summit -- we provided a $150 million package of security assistance, including lethal assistance," Psaki said in her statement.
"We have also prepared contingency funds in the event of a further Russian incursion into Ukraine," she added. "As President Biden told President [Vladimir] Putin directly, we will stand unwavering in support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity."
Biden has said he seeks a relationship with Russia that is "stable and predictable," a message he sought to instill ahead of a summit with Putin this week when the two leaders discussed wide-ranging issues from cyberattacks and arms control to the conflict in Ukraine.
With reporting by Politico and The Washington Post
- By RFE/RL
Moscow University Seeks To Monitor Protest Moods Among Students Via Internet
The Moscow-based Russian State Humanitarian University (RGGU) seeks to use special software to monitor students' inclination for protest, a group called Roskomsvoboda said on June 17.
According to Roskomsvoboda, its members studied Russia's federal site on state purchases and discovered documents announcing a 12 million ruble ($165,000) tender for software that would allow the university to monitor, compile, and analyze data gathered from students' Internet usage.
According to the document, the monitoring would take place around the clock and alert university officials to any information "of particular interest."
The document said that the software would "analyze in detail material related to education, student life, [and] youth politics posted on Internet websites, social networks, blogs, and forums."
Among other things, the software system is also required to highlight the mention of certain names and groups, activities related to discussions about media reports and social groups, and groups of influence in an effort to analyze tensions among students and their potential for protest.
The goals of the system are described in the documents as "monitoring controlled Internet resources, finding vulnerable parts of controlled Internet resources, preventing leaks of protected data, including service and confidential information, and the creation of reports."
- By Todd Prince
Ukraine Slaps Sanctions On Oligarch Wanted By U.S. Ahead Of President's Trip To Washington
Ukraine has imposed punitive sanctions on Dmytro Firtash, a powerful tycoon indicted by the United States for corruption, as President Volodymyr Zelenskiy widens his crackdown against influential elites ahead of his first official visit to Washington next month.
National Security and Defense Council Secretary Oleksiy Danylov on June 18 announced the sanctions against Firtash, who is currently living in Vienna while fighting extradition to the United States.
In announcing the sanctions, Danylov accused Firtash of selling titanium to Russia's defense industry. Kyiv is engaged in a war against Kremlin-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine that has left more than 13,000 people dead since 2014.
Ukraine's security chief also announced sanctions on businessman Pavel Fuchs over his acquisition of more than a dozen natural-gas fields from a former official tied to the government of former President Viktor Yanukovych, who was ousted in a popular uprising in 2014.
Firtash and Fuchs have been linked to former President Donald Trump's personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, who sought dirt in Ukraine on President Joe Biden's son, Hunter.
Zelenskiy will meet Biden for the first time in Washington in July.
Danylov did not give details about the sanctions, although they historically freeze an individual's assets inside Ukraine, including bank accounts.
Firtash controls key businesses in Ukraine's chemical, titanium, and natural-gas industries. Forbes this year listed him as the country's 25th-wealthiest individual, with a net worth of $420 million.
The United States indicted Firtash, who is believed to have strong ties to the Kremlin, in March 2014, shortly after Russia seized Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula.
U.S. prosecutors accuse the Ukrainian businessmen of paying bribes to officials in India for licenses to mine titanium, which they planned to sell to U.S. aerospace giant Boeing.
Firtash denies the charges and calls them politically motivated. He is currently seeking a new trial after Austria's Supreme Court upheld his extradition in 2019.
Although he has lived in Austria since 2014, Firtash has continued to prosper financially in Ukraine. He is believed to control around 75 percent of the country's gas-supply companies.
Yuriy Vitrenko, the CEO of the state-owned natural gas company Naftogaz, told RFE/RL earlier this month that he suspected Firtash might be shifting his profits from Ukraine's gas industry to affiliated companies in Western Europe through a scheme known as transfer pricing.
He also expressed concern that Firtash was selling gas he bought at below-market prices from Naftogaz to industrial users in violation of an agreement.
'Hold Them To Account'
George Kent, the deputy U.S. assistant secretary of state who oversees Ukraine, called on Kyiv in April to go after Firtash as part of its anti-corruption agenda.
Kent highlighted Firtash's role as an importer in the 1990s and 2000s of gas from Russia, a business that many officials and analysts have said was rife with graft.
"Why is it that it is the U.S. who indicts and goes after corrupt Ukrainians?" Kent said, referring to the U.S. indictment against Firtash.
"It's time for the Ukrainian leadership and the justice system -- rather than not making decisions against corrupt oligarchs -- to use Ukrainian institutions to go after corrupt Ukrainians and hold them to account," he said.
The Biden administration has made Kyiv's progress on reforms, including fighting corruption, a greater priority in the two countries' relationship.
U.S. officials and analysts have expressed concern about a rollback of Ukraine's reform agenda over the past year, including the dismantling of anti-corruption legislation.
Biden stressed the need for Ukraine to push ahead with tough economic and political changes as well as tackle corruption in a phone call with Zelenskiy on June 7. During the call, Biden extended an invitation to the Ukrainian leader to visit the White House this summer.
When asked a day later by Senator Chris Murphy (Democrat-Connecticut) during a Foreign Relations Committee hearing if there were any reforms that the Biden administration wanted to see Ukraine deliver prior to Zelenskiy's White House visit, Secretary of State Antony Blinken cited several, including a desire to see "people engaged in corrupt practices brought to justice."
In an op-ed posted on the website of the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based think tank, Zelenskiy said his administration would be taking steps to rein in the power of tycoons like Firtash who wield great influence on Ukraine from behind the scenes.
Ukrainian and Western experts blame the tycoons for blocking crucial economic and political reforms that could put the country on a path toward greater prosperity and European integration. They have called for them to be investigated by an independent judiciary amid concern Zelenskiy's use of sanctions could become a substitute to proper legal institutions.
Zelenskiy's administration in February placed sanctions on Viktor Medvedchuk, a powerful tycoon and politician close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, for allegedly helping the separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Iranian Presidential Election: Videos Of Polling Stations Show Low Voter Turnout
RFE/RL's Radio Farda received several videos that purported to show polling stations in Tehran and other cities on June 18 where only a few people could be seen. The authenticity of the clips could not be verified. The presidential election in Iran is taking place amid widespread voter apathy prompted by worsening economic conditions, state mismanagement, and the coronavirus pandemic.
Opposition Alliance Rallies In Yerevan Ahead Of Early Poll
YEREVAN -- Thousands of supporters of former President Robert Kocharian’s opposition Armenia Alliance have rallied in the center of Yerevan ahead of snap general elections this weekend.
The June 18 demonstration in the capital’s central Republic Square came a day after a similar rally by supporters of caretaker Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian.
Addressing the crowd, Kocharian hailed his alliance’s "triumphant campaign."
“This is not a struggle for power, this is a struggle to return statehood to our people. "
The rally for Kocharian, who served as president between 1998 and 2008, was the last campaign event before the June 20 vote, which is aimed at resolving a political crisis that has engulfed the country since last autumn's war against Azerbaijan over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
A close race for first place is expected between Pashinian’s Civil Contract party and the newly created Armenia Alliance, and it remains unclear whether either group will be able to control a majority of seats in parliament after the elections -- either on their own or by forming a governing coalition.
There are 21 parties and 4 political alliances competing.
A second-round vote would be held between the top two parties or alliances if nobody is able to form a governing coalition within six days.
Pashinian, 46, swept to power in 2018 after leading massive demonstrations that ousted his predecessor.
His popularity has plummeted since he signed a Russian-brokered cease-fire deal in November 2020 that halted a six-week war between Azerbaijan and Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh.
The deal saw Armenia hand over swaths of territory around the region that ethnic Armenians had controlled since the early 1990s.
The conflict claimed at least 6,900 lives.
- By RFE/RL
Russia To Officially Exit Open Skies Arms Control Treaty In December
Russia says it has notified its partners under the Open Skies arms control treaty that it will leave the group in December, following the departure from the accord by the United States late last year.
"Russia has notified all the member states about its decision to withdraw from the Open Skies Treaty six months after sending a notice. Therefore, this will occur on December 18, 2021," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on June 18.
The North Atlantic Council, NATO's principal political decision-making body, said it "deeply" regretted Russia’s move, saying the accord is "an important legally binding instrument which contributes to transparency, security and stability, and mutual confidence in the Euro-Atlantic area."
It also accused Russia of failing to engage "constructively" to resolve outstanding issues of compliance.
The treaty, which entered into force in 2002, allowed its 34 signatories to conduct short-notice, unarmed observation and surveillance flights over one another's territories to collect data on military forces and activities. More than 1,500 flights have taken place under the agreement.
The United States formally withdrew in November 2020 from the verification agreement, which Washington said Moscow "flagrantly violated," six months after giving notice of its pending exit. Moscow denies it has violated the accord.
The administration of Trump’s successor, Joe Biden, said last month it had decided not to reenter the Open Skies Treaty.
In response, President Vladimir Putin signed a law formalizing Russia's withdrawal from the pact earlier in June. Both chambers of Russia’s parliament had earlier approved the move.
The Russian Foreign Ministry on June 18 said the U.S. decision to withdraw from the treaty had "significantly upset the balance of interests" among the pact's members and had compelled Moscow to exit.
According to the North Atlantic Council, Russia "has for many years refused to fully comply with its obligations under the Treaty on Open Skies, by, inter alia, imposing non-compliant flight restrictions over the Kaliningrad region, and near its border with Georgia."
The U.S. pull out was another blow to the system of international arms control that former President Donald Trump had repeatedly scorned, complaining that Washington was being either deceived or unfairly restrained in its military capabilities.
In January, just days after being inaugurated, Biden moved to extend New START, the last major arms-control treaty remaining between Moscow and Washington.
- By RFE/RL
EU 'Reaches Deal' On Belarus Economic Sanctions Over Ryanair Flight Incident
The European Union has reached an agreement on economic sanctions on Belarus, Austria’s government and EU diplomats say, in response to the forced landing of a Ryanair flight last month in Minsk and the arrest of an opposition activist who was onboard.
Austria’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on June 18 that the agreement "is sending a clear and targeted signal against the Belarusian regime's unbearable acts of repression," while Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg tweeted that the sanctions were "robust and targeted."
EU foreign ministers meeting in Luxembourg on June 21 will discuss the measure agreed upon by experts tasked with drawing up sanctions designed to hit the regime of longtime authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka "in the wallet," AFP quoted a European diplomat as saying.
If agreed by EU governments at a political level, the sanctions would include a ban on new loans, on EU investors from trading securities or buying short-term bonds, on EU banks from providing investment services, and on EU export credits, according to Reuters.
The news agency said EU experts also agreed on a tighter arms embargo and a ban of exports to Belarus of communications equipment that could be used for spying.
The proposed sanctions also reportedly include a ban on importing potash, a major Belarusian export, as well as restrictions on EU purchases from Belarus of tobacco products, oil, and oil-related products.
The June 18 agreement overcame opposition from Austria to targeting the Belarusian financial sector, amid concerns it could hurt Austrian banks with deep ties to Belarus, diplomats said.
The EU has already responded to the diversion of the Ryanair flight between two EU countries by blocking Belarusian airlines from EU airports and airspace. Europe's aviation regulator has also urged other airlines to avoid Belarusian airspace.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell earlier told members of the European Parliament that the bloc would likely adopt economic sanctions on Belarus this month.
On May 23, Belarusian authorities scrambled a military jet to escort the passenger flight over its airspace to land in Minsk in what many countries regard as a "state hijacking." After the plane landed law enforcement immediately arrested opposition blogger Raman Pratasevich and his Russian girlfriend, Sofia Sapega.
Belarus's move came amid a brutal crackdown by Belarusian authorities on demonstrations against the disputed results of a presidential election in August 2020.
Election officials say Lukashenka won a sixth term, but the European Union, the United States, and other countries refuse to recognize the official result and do not consider Lukashenka to be the country's legitimate leader.
With reporting by Reuters
Turkmen With Natural-Gas Debts Deprived Of Right To Buy Subsidized Food
Residents in Turkmenistan's eastern region of Lebap who owe debts for natural gas are being deprived of the right to purchase subsidized food.
RFE/RL correspondents report from the region that indebted citizens, many of whom have low incomes or medical conditions, have seen their natural-gas supplies cut and been told that their properties could be confiscated.
The development comes amid an already dire economic situation marked by rising unemployment, food and medicine shortages, and overdue salaries and pensions.
Government critics and human rights groups say President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov has suppressed dissent and made few changes since he came to power after the death of autocrat Saparmurat Niyazov.
Like his late predecessor, Berdymukhammedov has relied on providing citizens with subsidized goods and utilities to help maintain his grip on power.
The country has seen a dramatic increase in the number of individuals who rely on subsidized food, and prices at state grocery stores have risen.
Each customer is allowed to purchase a liter of cottonseed and sunflower oil, as well as one kilogram of sugar and rice per month in special shops. Sometimes the stores also sell eggs and chicken legs.
Turkmenistan boasts the world's fourth-largest proven natural-gas reserves but it has been mired in an economic slump worsened by the coronavirus pandemic, both of which the Turkmen government has officially denied.
According to Human Rights Watch, Berdymukhammedov, "his relatives, and their associates control all aspects of public life, and the authorities encroach on private life."
Uzbek Authorities Detain Six Alleged Members Of Banned Islamic Group
SAMARKAND, Uzbekistan -- Authorities in Uzbekistan's southeastern region of Samarkand say they have detained six alleged members of Hizb ut-Tahrir, an Islamist group banned in 2016 by Uzbekistan's Supreme Court as an extremist organization.
The Interior Affairs Directorate of the Samarkand region says the group was apprehended on June 17 in the district of Urgut.
"Some of the suspects were previously convicted for propagating ideas of terrorist groups," the directorate said.
Hizb ut-Tahrir is a global organization based in London that seeks to unite all Muslim countries into an Islamic caliphate.
The group says its methods for reaching that goal are peaceful.
Moscow Court Postpones Extradition Hearing Of Belarusian Kickboxer
MOSCOW -- A court in Moscow has postponed an extradition hearing of Alyaksey Kudzin, a Belarusian champion kickboxer who is wanted in Minsk for taking part in mass protests against Belarus's authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka.
The Moscow Regional Court was scheduled to start Kudzin's hearing on June 18. But it postponed the session for one week after Belarusian human rights organizations and the Moscow Helsinki Group demanded that the court reject Belarus's extradition request.
The court said it would start the hearing after it receives a document from Russia's Foreign Ministry about "the situation around human rights in Belarus."
Kudzin is a world champion in kickboxing and muaythai (Thai boxing). He is wanted by authorities in Belarus for allegedly resisting law enforcement officials.
Last August, Kudzin took part in mass protests in the city of Maladechna near Minsk. The protest was called to challenge official presidential election results that handed a sixth term to Lukashenka.
Kudzin was arrested at the time and sentenced to several days in jail.
A criminal investigation was launched against him later. But Kudzin fled the country instead of showing up for his trial in Minsk last November.
He first stayed in France. In early 2021 he was arrested at Minsk's request upon his arrival in Russia.
Belarusian authorities filed their extradition request with Russian officials in February.
Austria To Provide 1 Million Additional COVID Vaccine Doses To Balkans
Austria says it plans to send a million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to the Western Balkans in addition to the doses it is funneling toward the region on behalf of the European Union.
Chancellor Sebastian Kurz made the announcement in Vienna on June 18 following a summit with his counterparts from countries of the former Yugoslavia that are not EU member states -- Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia. Albania’s infrastructure minister and EU special envoy Miroslav Lajcak also attended.
In April, Austria already committed to send 651,000 doses of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine to the six Balkan countries by August on behalf of the EU.
Speaking at a news conference after the Vienna summit, Kurz said: "Beyond that, we also want to make a contribution bilaterally as the Republic of Austria and we have decided as a government that we will make a million vaccine doses available to the states of the Western Balkans."
The doses are to be delivered between August and the end of the year, the chancellor said, adding that in the beginning it will mainly be doses from the manufacturer AstraZeneca.
A spokesman was quoted as saying that further details -- including which countries would receive the doses or how they would be distributed among them -- would still need to be decided.
A quarter of Austria's nearly nine million people are fully vaccinated.
Kurz reiterated on June 18 that Vienna is in favor of a renewed push for the accession of the six Western Balkan countries to the bloc.
"There is still a lot of necessary reform work, but there has been a lot of progress as well in the last few years, which needs to be recognized," he said.
The EU has already launched accession talks with Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia.
With reporting by Reuters, exxpress.at, AFP, dpa, and RFE/RL’s Balkan Service
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