Two Serbian warplanes flew close to a border crossing with its former province of Kosovo on September 26 amid an intensifying dispute over license plates as U.S. and European Union officials scramble to calm the situation.

Serbs on September 20 began blocking two main roads leading into Kosovo to protest Pristina's ban on cars with Serbian license plates.

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Pristina said its move mirrors a decision by Belgrade more than a decade ago when Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia.

The tensions have boiled up into acts of violence with Kosovo on September 25 accusing Serbs of attacking two offices run by Kosovo's Interior Ministry, including setting one of them on fire.

There were no reports of casualties.

Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti said both incidents were intentional, accusing Serbia of "encouraging and supporting" attacks on the state of Kosovo.

SEE ALSO:

Kosovo Police Say Interior Ministry Offices Attacked In Volatile North

Pristina has moved special units of the Kosovo police to the two border crossings.

Meanwhile, helicopters serving the NATO peacekeeping force in Kosovo, KFOR, have also been making regular flights over the area since the dispute erupted.

Media reported seeing Serbian jets circling the area on September 25.

In an effort to stem to tide of rising tensions, the U.S. State Department announced it will send Gabriel Escobar, its top official overseeing the Western Balkans, to Brussels this week to participate in European Union-led talks between the two countries.

"The United States is working with the EU, NATO, and the Governments of Kosovo and Serbia on immediate steps to de-escalate the situation and avoid actions which increase tensions, jeopardize progress under the EU-facilitated Dialogue and adversely impact the everyday lives of citizens," the State Department said in a statement to RFE/RL.

"We support the EU's offer to host discussions this week on this and other issues and encourage Kosovo and Serbia to re-engage openly, seriously, and immediately," the State Department said.

Kosovo's ban requires all drivers from Serbia to use temporary printed registration details that are valid for 60 days.

The government in Pristina says the ban resembles measures imposed by Serbia against drivers from Kosovo since 2008.

Tensions between Kosovo and Serbia are now at their highest for years despite an agreement reached last year at the White House to improve economic ties, including allowing the free flow of goods and people between the two countries. .

Kurti has asked Serbia to start recognizing Kosovo car license plates to allow the free movement of people and goods.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has said Kosovo should first remove police units sent by Pristina into northern Kosovo to help enforce the license-plate measures.

Kosovo's independence is recognized by 110 countries -- including the United States, Britain, and most Western states.

With reporting by Reuters

Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk defeated his English opponent in a 12-round bout to win the WBA, IBF, and WBO world heavyweight titles.

Usyk came close to knocking out reigning champion Anthony Joshua in the final round of the September 25 match in London before 66,000 spectators.

In a unanimous decision, the judges declared the 34-year-old Usyk the winner. It was only the second defeat for Joshua in his career.

"Usyk is very fit, he's got great feet, he threw a lot of punches,” Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn said. "[Joshua] got beat by the better man on the night."

Following his victory, Usyk became only the third boxer in history to win world titles at cruiserweight and heavyweight.

Englishman David Haye and American Evander Holyfield are the other two who have achieved that feat.

Ursyk is now 19-0 with 13 knockouts in his professional career.

The 6-foot-3-inch Usyk, who was born and raised in Crimea, won the gold medal in the heavyweight competition at the 2012 Olympics in London.

With reporting by ESPN

The Kremlin has said it would respond if the United States imposes new sanctions against Russia.

The U.S. House of Representatives last week passed the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which includes bills that call for new sanctions against Russia to punish it for what lawmakers say are its malign activities.

The NDAA would need to pass the Senate and be signed by President Joe Biden in order to become law. Biden is seeking to stabilize the tense U.S. relationship with Russia and has opposed some new sanctions pushed by Congress.

“We will have to answer wisely,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian state TV on September 26.

He did not say how Russia would respond.

The House version of the NDAA includes a bill to sanction Russia’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline and a bill prohibiting U.S. investors from buying Russian debt on the secondary market. U.S. investors are already prohibited from buying newly issued Russian debt.

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The Biden administration opposes sanctions on Nord Stream 2, which will carry Russian gas to Germany, because it says it will harm relations with Berlin, a key NATO ally.

A third bill calls on the Biden administration to review 35 Russian officials, politicians, and businessmen for possible sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Act.

Peskov is included among those 35 individuals.

With reporting by RBC

A top official at Russian natural gas producer Novatek who was arrested in the United States last week on tax charges says he is innocent and will "vigorously" fight the case.

"On Thursday I was indicted for baseless tax charges that I already settled through a voluntary program, and pleaded not guilty. I will vigorously fight these charges and will continue to discuss gas topics as normal," Mark Gyetvay, the deputy chairman of Novatek’s management board, said in a tweet on September 26.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced on September 23 that Gyetvay had been arrested on tax charges related to $93 million hidden in offshore accounts. He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

Gyetvay, who holds passports from both the United States and Russia, was released on a $80 million bond by a Florida judge, according to court filings.

As an American citizen, Gyetvay is required to pay U.S. taxes on his worldwide income even if he spends most of the year in Russia.

The 64-year old has been the face of Novatek to the Western investment community for more than a decade, conducting the quarterly earnings conference calls with stock and bond investors as well as speaking at industry conferences.

Novatek is Russia’s largest independent natural gas producer and analysts say its phenomenal rise from a bit player in the early 2000s to a $79 billion company today -- not far behind BP’s $89 billion market value -- is due in large part to the company’s connections to the Kremlin.

Gennady Timchenko, a key Novatek shareholder, is considered a close associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Their friendship goes back to the early 1990s.

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Gyetvay has been critical of U.S. energy policy toward Russia.

The United States has been seeking to reduce Europe’s reliance on Russian energy over the years, including blocking the launch of Nord Stream 2, a pipeline designed to carry natural gas directly to Germany via Baltic Sea.

The Nord Stream 2 pipeline will reroute gas currently transiting Ukraine, depriving Kyiv of as much as $2 billion in revenue. The United States has called it a political project aimed at hurting Russia’s smaller neighbor.

The project was completed earlier this month and is now awaiting certification by German and European authorities, a process that could take several months.

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In the meantime, European gas prices have surged to a record high amid a supply crunch. Washington is now accusing Russia of withholding additional natural gas supplies to Europe via Ukraine in order to pressure authorities to certify Nord Stream 2.

"Another laugher!!!" Gyetvay said in a tweet two days before his arrest after a U.S. official expressed concern that Russia was not sending enough gas to Europe. "Who tried to impose relentless sanctions while promoting [U.S. liquefied natural gas to Europe?] Reality -- we need ALL gas. Period."

Turkey’s president has signaled that he is considering buying more sophisticated Russian antiaircraft missile systems, a move that would further irk Washington.

Turkey, a NATO member, was kicked out of the F-35 fighter jet program and Turkish defense officials were sanctioned after Ankara bought the S-400 system in 2019.

The United States says the use of Russian systems within NATO poses a threat to F-35s.

For its part, Turkey says the S-400s could be used independently without being integrated into NATO systems.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the U.S. news channel CBS that Turkey has not been given the option to buy American-made Patriot missiles.

And he complained that Washington had not delivered F-35 stealth jets despite Turkey making a payment of $1.4 billion.

CBS released a partial transcript of Erdogan's comments ahead of a full interview to be broadcast September 26.

Military experts have called the S-400 missile defense system one of the most advanced air defense systems in the world

Erdogan is scheduled to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on September 29.

Based on reporting by AP and CBS

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says Moscow supports mutual recognition by countries of COVID-19 vaccines approved by other states.

"COVID-19 is our common enemy," Lavrov said while speaking to the UN General Assembly in New York on September 25. "We support mutual recognition of vaccines approved by national oversight bodies, in the interests of lifting restrictions on international travel of citizens as soon as possible."

Russia primarily uses its domestically produced Sputnik V vaccine, which is also being administered in dozens of countries.

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However, Sputnik V has still not been approved by the European Union’s medicines regulator and the World Health Organization (WHO), meaning those who have taken the vaccine could face restrictions in countries where it isn’t recognized.

Based on reporting by AFP, dpa, and TASS

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says the military junta in Mali has turned to "private Russian companies" for help in its fight against Islamist insurgents in the Western African country.

"This is activity which has been carried out on a legitimate basis," Lavrov said during a press conference at the United Nations headquarters in New York on September 25. "We have nothing to do with that."

The move comes despite warnings to Mali's military junta by the European Union, France, and Germany against hiring the Russian private security firm Vagner to fight against Islamic militants.

Vagner is believed to be controlled by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a close associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Although private military companies are illegal in Russia, observers say Vagner has in recent years played an increasingly important role in buttressing the Kremlin's ambitions abroad.

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Mali's Junta Dismisses Warnings Not To Hire Russia's Vagner 'Mercenaries'

The group has been active for several years in combat operations in different countries -- including in Syria, Libya, Sudan, and the Central African Republic.

The group’s presence in Africa has been growing in recent years as the Kremlin seeks to expand its international influence amid a global retrenchment by Washington, analysts say.

Mali slid into political turmoil last year, culminating in a military coup in August 2020 against President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita.

After overthrowing Keita, under the threat of sanctions, the military junta appointed an interim civilian government that was tasked with steering the country back to democratic rule by holding elections in February 2022.

But army strongman Colonel Assimi Goita overthrew that government in May and was later declared interim president.

Although Goita has pledged to respect the February 2022 deadline for civilian elections, observers say the likelihood of the vote taking place on schedule is increasingly in doubt.

French Defense Minister Florence Parly told reporters on September 20 after meeting in Mali with Defense Minister Colonel Sadio Camarag that hiring Vagner to fight Islamic militants would lead the country to "isolation."

But with Paris planning to reduce its troop numbers across the region by early 2022, the military junta has accused France of "abandonment."

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French Defense Minister Warns Mali Against Hiring Russian Security Firm Vagner

It has said "everything had to be considered to secure the country."

Germany has also warned that it will reconsider its deployments in Mali should the government strike a deal with Vagner.

The European Union's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell also warned earlier this week that the EU's ties with Mali could be seriously affected if it allows Russian private military contractors like Vagner to operate there.

With reporting by Reuters, AFP, RIA news, and Interfax

Romanian Prime Minister Florin Citu has won the leadership election of his ruling Liberal Party -- a vote seen as further reducing the chances of reuniting the fractured centrist coalition government that collapsed earlier in September.

Citu secured his leadership in a vote during the Liberal Party congress on September 25.

The demise of the Liberal Party-led coalition threatens Romania's economic recovery and efforts to reduce large state deficits.

The coalition included the junior partner USR Plus and the ethnic Hungarian group UDMR.

But USR Plus, a relatively new centrist party, withdrew its ministers from the cabinet in early September in a dispute over a regional development fund. It filed a no confidence vote in parliament against Citu's government and says it will not return until Citu is no longer prime minister.

USR Plus opposed a government decree to set up an $11.85 billion regional infrastructure-development-financing scheme that would give local mayors access to funds with limited oversight.

Political analysts say the vote for the leadership of the Liberal Party has dominated the public agenda for months and stalled policymaking.

Citu, a relative newcomer who is backed by centrist President Klaus Iohannis, challenged the unseated former party leader and prime minister Ludovic Orban.

Liberal Party lawmakers have objected to USR Plus's no-confidence motion at the Constitutional Court on technical grounds. A ruling is expected from the court next week.

Regardless of the no-confidence motion, Citu must still present a new cabinet lineup to parliament for approval in October to replace the former ministers from USR Plus who resigned.

A minority government of the Liberal Party and ethnic Hungarians would need backing from the opposition leftist Social Democrats, which would likely require political concessions.

With reporting by Reuters

MOSCOW -- More than 1,000 Russian demonstrators, angered by the official tally from online voting during last week's parliamentary elections, defied warnings from authorities on September 25 to protest in central Moscow.

The protest was organized by several Russian politicians, most of them Communists, who said they were cheated of victory by an online voting system.

Calling for the online voting system to be scrapped, the protesters held up posters with slogans, such as "bring back the elections."

"I came here today to express my will that we have once again been deceived," one woman demonstrator at the rally told reporters.

However, Russian President Vladimir Putin told a meeting with leaders of political parties entering the State Duma that "elections and online voting" are "unstoppable, just like technological progress."

Despite widespread accusations of fraud and voting irregularities, and in spite of a harsh crackdown and bans against candidates who oppose Putin and the ruling United Russia party, the president declared that last week's elections were "free and fair."

"The elections themselves were held openly and in strict accordance with the law," Putin said.

Based on the final official results released on September 24, United Russia received 324 of the 450 seats in the State Duma -- enough to retain a supermajority and pass legislation unilaterally. The Communist Party of the Russian Federation (KPRF) finished second to United Russia with 57 seats.

Three parties -- A Just Russia, the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, and New People -- all received under 30 seats each, while another three, smaller parties gained one seat each. Five non-party-affiliated candidates were also elected.

No opposition candidates recommended by jailed opposition leader Aleksei Navalny's Smart Voting app won individual seats.

SEE ALSO:

For Russia's Opposition, 'The Least-Worst Option' Was Key In the Duma Vote. Did It Work?

In five of Moscow's electoral districts, three KPRF candidates, one candidate each from the Yabloko and New People parties, and one independent candidate saw their leads over the ruling United Russia party vanish after e-voting results were added to the final tallies.

“Three days [of voting] plus remote voting -- it's like a two-stage bomb that will blow up society’s stability and finally discredit that stability that the president has been creating for many years,” Communist Party General Secretary Gennady Zyuganov, stated during a September 23 online meeting with KPRF members.

Amid the controversy and confusion over the online voting results, concerns are rising that the Russian government's promotion of blockchain-based e-voting gives it a way to frustrate public scrutiny of the ruling United Russia party's hold on power.

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Accusations of massive fraud and rampant voting violations also have put Russia's Central Election Commission (CEC) on the defensive over the offline vote from September 17-19. But CEC Chairwoman Ella Pamfilova has not acknowledged any major violations to date.

Russian police detained opposition activists on the eve of the September 25 protest. The Moscow mayor's office, the prosecutor's office, and city police all issued warnings that they would break up any other unauthorized demonstrations during the weekend.

There were no reports of arrests during the Moscow demonstration. But the Communists said about 60 of their activists were detained ahead of the protest. Many were released after being held for a few hours.

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Seeing Red: Russia's Communist Party Makes Gains In New Duma, But Does It Matter?

Many opposition allies of Navalny were barred from running for office. They accuse authorities of censorship.

Navalny's Smart Voting election-guide app aimed to evade United Russia's stranglehold on state media and politics. But it disappeared from the Apple and Google online stores on September 17, the day voting started.

A group of independent municipal and regional deputies has launched a petition demanding all results from all of the elections throughout Russia be invalidated due to numerous violations and irregularities in the voting.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, dpa, Ekho Moskvy, and TASS

PRISTINA -- Police in Kosovo said on September 25 that two offices run by Kosovo's Interior Ministry have been attacked in the northern part of the country.

The attacks took place in mostly ethnic Serb communities near border crossings that have been blocked by local Serbs to protest Kosovo's ban on cars with Serbian license plates entering the country.

The Interior Ministry's Vehicle Registration Center In the town of Zubin Potok was set ablaze, Kosovar police said in a statement.

Authorities said the fire damaged the ground floor of the building and was thought to have affected Interior Ministry offices there along with the library of the local House of Culture."

In the nearby town of Zvecan, two hand grenades were thrown at the Civil Registration Center in the building of the Municipal Assembly but did not explode, authorities said.

There were no reports of casualties.

Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti said both attacks were intentional, accusing Serbia of "encouraging and supporting" attacks on the state of Kosovo.

"Serbia is using Kosovo citizens to provoke a serious international conflict," Kurti said.

"Individuals or groups whose criminal activity endangers the rule of law and public order are attacking our state and disturbing the peace," Kurti wrote on Facebook. "They are clearly encouraged and supported by Serbia, namely the autocratic regime there."

Ethnic Serbs have used hundreds of vehicles to block two main roads in northern Kosovo near the border with Serbia since Pristina's ban on Serbian license plates came into force on September 20.

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Meanwhile, special units of the Kosovar police have been stationed at the Jarinje and Brnjak border crossings.

An AFP correspondent reported seeing Serbian fighter jets fly twice over the border area around noon on September 25.

Serbian military helicopters were seen on September 24 flying several times over the border posts blocked by ethnic Serb protesters.

Helicopters serving the NATO peacekeeping force KFOR have also been making regular flights over the area since the dispute erupted.

Kosovo's ban requires all drivers from Serbia to use temporary printed registration details that are valid for 60 days.

The government in Pristina says the ban resembles measures imposed by Serbia against drivers from Kosovo since 2008, when Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia.

Belgrade does not recognize Kosovo's independence, and many ethnic Serbs in northern Kosovo also consider themselves to be citizens of Serbia.

Kosovo's Interior Minister Xhelal Svecla said the latest attacks will not prevent the government from implementing its ban on Serbian license plates across all the territory of Kosovo.

"These criminal actions show best what would happen at the border crossings in Jarinje and Brnjak if we did not have the presence of special units to ensure order and security," Svecla said on Facebook on September 25. "Despite such actions, we will continue with our full commitment to implement the [Serbian license plate ban] throughout the territory of Republic of Kosovo."

Meanwhile, Kosovo's Defense Ministry is denying reports that the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) is preparing to deploy troops in northern Kosovo.

"The misinformation that the KSF is preparing military troops for intervention in northern Kosovo is completely untrue," the Defense Ministry said in a statement on September 24.

It said such reports were an attempt to "misinform the public and to present a situation of insecurity for our citizens of the Serb community."

Tensions between Kosovo and Serbia are now at their highest for years.

NATO's mission in Kosovo, where troops from the alliance maintain a fragile peace, has called for restraint.

The European Union and the United States have called for dialogue between the two sides on the issue in order to prevent tensions from escalating further.

Kurti has asked Serbia to start recognizing Kosovo car license plates to allow the free movement of people and goods.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has said Kosovo should first remove police units sent by Pristina into northern Kosovo to help enforce the license-plate measures.

Serbia and Kosovo committed in 2013 to a dialogue sponsored by the European Union in an attempt to resolve outstanding issues. But little progress has been made.

Kosovo's independence is recognized by 110 countries -- including the United States, Britain, and most Western states.

But Kosovo's independence is not recognized by Russia, Serbia's traditional ally, and five EU member states.

With reporting by RFE/RL's Balkan Service correspondent Luljeta Krasniqi-Veseli and Reuters

Russian security forces have detained migrant rights defender Valentina Chupik at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport.

Chupik who runs the migrant center Sunrise of the World, told Novaya Gazeta that authorities had seized her documents and notified her that she had been deprived of her refugee status since September 17. Chupik was also banned from entering Russia for 30 years, the newspaper reported.

The report said that Chupik was sent to a special detention center at the airport amid concerns that she could be deported to Uzbekistan where she could face torture.

"I am sitting in a special detention center at Sheremetyevo airport, Terminal F. It is not clear where they will take me," Chupik told Novaya Gazeta. She later stopped communicating, the newspaper said.

Chupik had returned to Russia from a trip to Armenia when she was detained.

The human rights activist moved to Russia from Uzbekistan after the 2005 bloody crackdown on anti-government protests in the eastern city of Andijon.

She was based in Moscow where she had been providing free legal assistance to migrants.

Russian authorities have not commented on her detention.

With reporting by Mediazona

A Russian court has sentenced five Jehovah's Witnesses to between six and six-and-a-half years in prison in the latest crackdown on the religious group, which is banned in the country.

A court in the southwestern city of Volgograd sentenced the five individuals on September 24 after they were found guilty of participating in the activities of an "extremist" organization.

Sergei Melnik, 49, and Igor Yegozaryan, 50, were sentenced to six years in prison, while 50-year-old Vyacheslav Osipov and 43-year-old Denis Peresunko were handed sentences of six years and three months. Valery Rogozin, 59, was given a six-and-a-half year sentence.

According to the indictment, the believers "received recommendations from followers of the confession from abroad, were engaged in missionary work, conducted services, collected donations for them, and also shared religious literature with other members of the community."

Russia labeled the Jehovah's Witnesses an extremist group and banned it in 2017, leading to a wave of court cases and prison sentences against its members.

For decades, the Jehovah's Witnesses have been viewed with suspicion in Russia, where the dominant Orthodox Church is championed by President Vladimir Putin.

The Christian group is known for door-to-door preaching, close Bible study, rejection of military service, and not celebrating national and religious holidays or birthdays.

According to the group, dozens of Jehovah's Witnesses have been either convicted of extremism or are in pretrial detention.

The Moscow-based Memorial Human Rights Center has recognized dozens of Jehovah’s Witnesses who have been charged with or convicted of extremism as political prisoners.

Russia has declared two organizations linked to the U.S.-based Church of Scientology "undesirable,” in a move that is likely to lead to the group being banned.

The Prosecutor-General's Office said on September 24 that the World Institute of Scientology Enterprises International and the Church of Spiritual Technology are religious corporations that "pose a threat to the security of the Russian Federation."

The issue will now be taken up by the Ministry of Justice, which could ban the group under laws governing "undesirable" foreign nongovernmental organizations.

The "undesirable" organization law, adopted in May 2015 and since updated, was part of a series of regulations pushed by the Kremlin that squeezed many nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations that received funding from foreign sources -- mainly from Europe and the United States.

Dozens of foreign nongovernmental organizations have been deemed "undesirable" in Russia.

Russian authorities have moved against the Church of Scientology in the past, closing the group’s Moscow branch in 2016. The Justice Ministry has also declared some of the group's literature extremist.

The Church of Scientology was founded in the United States in 1954 by science-fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard, and describes itself as a religion. It was first registered officially in Russia in 1994.

Prominent scientologists include Hollywood film stars Tom Cruise and John Travolta.

The group's critics say it is a cult and have accused Scientologists of harassing people who seek to quit.

With reporting by Current Time and Reuters

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has told the United Nations that his country is willing to engage in talks to achieve a sustainable peace in the South Caucasus region following last year's war with neighboring Azerbaijan over the region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

"Armenia is ready for a constructive dialogue, which should lead to the establishment of sustainable and lasting peace in the region," Pashinian told the UN General Assembly on September 24 in New York.

Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but the territory and some surrounding areas had been controlled by ethnic Armenian forces since the early 1990s.

The two sides have skirmished regularly over the years.

Internationally mediated negotiations under the auspices of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), involving the so-called Minsk Group co-chaired by Russia, the United States, and France, have been unable to produce a lasting settlement of the conflict.

In September 2020, Azerbaijan launched a military offensive that resulted in Baku regaining control of the surrounding districts, and much of Nagorno-Karabakh itself.

The sides agreed to a Russian-brokered cease-fire in early November, resulting in in the deployment of 2,000 Russian peacekeepers to the conflict zone.

Some 6,000 people were killed in the fighting. It is unclear how many more prisoners remain in captivity on either side.

Tensions since the signing of the cease-fire have remained high, with scattered reports of exchanges of gunfire.

"We propose to complete the process of the return of prisoners of war, hostages, and other captives without delay," Pashinian said.

"It is also necessary to resume the peace process for the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs," Pashinian added

With reporting by TASS

Local media in Serbia report that several people were injured when a public transport bus veered off the street into a children's playground in the capital, Belgrade.

Some reports quoted eyewitnesses as saying the injured included children.

But there was no official confirmation of the number injured as the authorities continued to investigate the afternoon incident in a residential section of the city's Zemun neighborhood.

One video showed a woman scrambling to reach a young child before the red city bus plowed at speed into a parked car.

Images showed smashed equipment where the bus had torn through the playground.

Based on reporting by AP, RTS.rs, Nova.rs, Telegraf.rs, and rs.N1info

Moscow police and city officials have warned the Communist Party against following through with calls for a gathering in the Russian capital on September 25 to protest the results of last weekend's elections.

Russia's media regulator, Roskomnadzor, has also ordered the publishers of the party's website to delete references to such an event, according to two Communist candidates.

Doubts have persisted among rivals of the ruling United Russia party and outside observers over the September 17-19 State Duma elections in the face of bans on opposition candidates and allegations of irregularities that helped propel President Vladimir Putin's allies to a new supermajority.

But Russia's Central Election Commission announced on September 24 that it had validated the election results.

SEE ALSO:

Russian Election Commission Validates Ruling Party Victory Despite Opposition Cries Of Foul

Commission Chairwoman Ella Pamfilova announced that United Russia won 324 seats in parliament -- 19 fewer than in 2016 but enough to allow it to change the constitution and cement Putin's grip on power ahead of a possible run in the 2024 presidential election.

The Communists have insisted publicly that their event on September 25 is a meeting of deputies and therefore does not require official approval.

But the Moscow mayor's office, the prosecutor's office, and city police have all issued warnings against unsanctioned activities, and said participants will be held accountable.

Reports quote city officials as saying gatherings violate anti-pandemic restrictions.

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Seeing Red: Russia's Communist Party Makes Gains In New Duma, But Does It Matter?

Roskomnadzor, meanwhile, sent a letter threatening to block the Communist Party website over its posting of details of the planned gathering.

Many opposition allies of jailed Kremlin critic Aleksei Navalny had been barred from running for office and accused the authorities of censorship.

Navalny's Smart Voting election-guide app, intended to evade United Russia's stranglehold on state media and politics, disappeared from the Apple and Google online stores on September 17, the day voting started.

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Moscow police on September 23 detained municipal deputy Sergei Vlasov and two other participants in a Communist Party demonstration on Pushkin Square three days earlier.

Ekho Moskvy quoted opposition Left Front leader Sergei Udaltsov as saying he was also detained on September 24.

Meanwhile, Moscow police on September 24 announced the administrative prosecution of 30 participants in the Pushkin Square demonstration against the election results.

A group of independent municipal and regional deputies has launched a petition demanding all results from all of the elections throughout Russia be invalidated due to numerous violations and irregularities in the voting.

With reporting by Ekho Moskvy

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian says Tehran will return to negotiations on resuming compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal "very soon."

Speaking on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on September 24, Amir-Abdollahian also described conversations between Iranian and Saudi officials as "constructive" and said Tehran had put forward dynamic proposals toward achieving peace in Yemen.

Iran has held six rounds of talks this year with world powers in Vienna aimed at reviving the nuclear accord, which was abandoned by former U.S. President Donald Trump in 2018. The negotiations were suspended in June when hard-liner Ebrahim Raisi was elected as Iran's new president.

A senior U.S. official on September 23 voiced growing frustration at a lack of Iranian movement toward talks on reviving the moribund nuclear agreement with world powers.

"For now there is no positive indication that Iran is prepared to come back to talks," the official was quoted as saying on condition of anonymity, noting that Tehran had not yet named a new negotiator for the meetings.

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U.S. Official Signals Iran Frustrations, Worries About Tehran's 'Plan B'

But Amir-Abdollahian sought to allay concerns that Tehran intended to abandon the talks.

"We are not seeking to quit the negotiating table," he told the official IRNA news agency on September 24.

"We will certainly pursue a negotiation that serves the rights and interests of our nation."

Later, a senior Iranian official speaking on condition of anonymity said that by "very soon," Tehran "can mean a few days, it can mean a few weeks."

But, the official said, "As soon as we finish the review process, without any time to be wasted, we shall return to the negotiations table."

Amir-Abdollahian's statement came after Raisi earlier this week told the UN General Assembly that Iran wants talks with world powers to revive the deal to lead to the removal of all U.S. sanctions.

Iran considers useful talks "whose ultimate outcome is the lifting of all oppressive sanctions," Raisi said in a prerecorded speech on September 21.

The same day, President Joe Biden told the General Assembly that the United States will return to the nuclear deal "in full" if Tehran does the same and will "engage Iran diplomatically."

Amir-Abdollahian accused Biden of "paradoxical behavior" in pursuing negotiations while imposing new sanctions "[that] has not been, and is not, a positive message or constructive message for the new administration in Tehran."

With reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP

The European Union is urging Russia to adhere to the norms of "responsible state behavior" after a cyberattack campaign targeted a number of member states.

"Some member states observed malicious cyberactivities, collectively designated as Ghostwriter, and associated these with the Russian state," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a statement on September 24 on behalf of the bloc.

"Such activities are unacceptable as they seek to threaten our integrity and security, democratic values and principles, and the core functioning of our democracies," he said.

The statement comes after Germany's prosecutor-general opened investigations earlier this month into a number of recent cyberattacks targeting German politicians -- attacks that the German Foreign Ministry has blamed on Moscow.

Russia rejected the allegations, which came ahead of Germany’s parliamentary elections on September 26.

According to Borrell, the Ghostwriter cybercampaign has targeted "numerous members of parliaments, government officials, politicians, and members of the press and civil society in the EU," with the hackers "accessing computer systems and personal accounts and stealing data."

He said the EU and its member states "strongly denounce" these activities, and warned the bloc would "consider taking further steps."

He did not provide further details.

On September 6, the German Foreign Ministry said the government had "reliable information" that the recent series of cyberattacks targeting politicians could be attributed to actors in Russia, "specifically to the Russian military intelligence service," known as the GRU.

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Germany and other EU members have accused Russia of cyberattacks in the past, with Moscow denying any involvement.

Russia's Central Election Commission has validated the results of last week's State Duma elections in the face of opposition allegations of irregularities in favor of the Kremlin-backed ruling United Russia party.

Commission Chairwoman Ella Pamfilova told a news conference on September 24 that United Russia took 324 seats in parliament -- 19 fewer than the last election in 2016 -- giving it a supermajority in the legislature, which allows it to change the constitution amid President Vladimir Putin's efforts to cement his grip on power ahead of a possible run in the 2024 presidential election.

The Communist Party took 57 seats in the vote, Pamfilova said, while A Just Russia-For Truth party received 27. The Liberal Democratic Party secured 21 seats and the New People party won 13. In addition, Rodina, the Party of Growth, and the Civic Platform will send one deputy each. Five independent candidates will also have mandates in the State Duma.

The election commission said the United Russia party won 49.82 percent of the ballots, compared to 18.93 percent for the runner-up Communist Party.

Many critics say the Kremlin carefully managed the elections from the start, with the opposition largely barred from running and a crackdown on government opponents that shows no sign of abating.

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In a major blow to opposition candidates, jailed Kremlin critic Aleksei Navalny's election-guide app aimed at eroding United Russia’s stranglehold on politics disappeared from the Apple and Google online stores on September 17, the day voting started. Navalny's associates decried the move as censorship, and slammed the tech giants for bowing to Putin's pressure tactics.

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Meanwhile, a group of independent municipal and regional deputies has launched a petition demanding all results from September 17-19 elections across Russia be invalidated due to numerous violations and irregularities in the voting.

"The brightest opposition politicians were not allowed to participate in the elections under far-fetched and unjust pretexts," the appeal says, adding that "multiday voting led to increased opportunities for massive falsifications."

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The petition also chided Pamfilova for overseeing an election process where the rights of independent observers were "subject to constant illegal restrictions," while restrictions to reporting at polling stations aimed at transparency were shut down, making "the voting process as closed as possible and setting the entire electoral system back a decade."

The election commission chief, however, told reporters on September 24 that the "elections fairly reflect the outcome of the vote."

The Polish border guard service says an Iraqi migrant has died near the country’s frontier with Belarus, the fourth such death in the area over the past week amid a surge in illegal migration across the European Union's eastern flank that officials accuse Minsk of fueling.

In Brussels, the EU executive said on September 24 that allowing border guards of the EU border agency Frontex on the border with Belarus would be "a very good idea."

"It is essential for Poland to carry out border management duties effectively. However, this should not come at the expense of human life. We urge member state authorities to ensure that people at the border are given the necessary care and assistance," a European Commission spokesman told a news conference.

Earlier in the day, the Polish Border Guard announced that a group of immigrants from Iraq was detained last night 500 meters from the border with Belarus.

"One of the men, despite having been resuscitated by a patrol and an ambulance team, died (probably of a heart attack)," it said on Twitter, adding that another person was taken to hospital after testing positive for COVID-19.

Poland and Lithuania are facing a surge in migrants, mainly from Iraq and Afghanistan, crossing over from Belarus in what European officials say is retaliation by Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka for sanctions against him and his regime by the bloc.

The two EU member states have declared states of emergency that deny entry to some border regions to anyone except border guards and security services. They are also building razor wire fences along their border with Belarus.

Warsaw has not invited Frontex staff, saying so far that it can manage the situation.

The Polish Border Guard reported more than 3,500 attempts to cross the border illegally from Belarus last month. More than 5,000 attempts have been recorded since the start of September.

On September 19, the Polish authorities said the bodies of three people who had allegedly tried to enter the country illegally were discovered in the border area with Belarus.

A fourth person was also found dead on the Belarusian side of the border.

Following the deaths, the International Organization for Migration and the UN refugee agency requested immediate access to asylum seekers stranded at Belarus's border with Poland and Lithuania.

The two agencies said in a statement they were “following with growing concern, reports of pushbacks of people at these borders. Groups of people have become stranded for weeks, unable to access any form of assistance, asylum or basic services. Many were left in dire situations, exposed to the elements, suffering from hypothermia. Some were rescued from swamps."

Addressing the UN Human Rights Council on September 24, the world body's human rights chief, Michelle Bachelet, called on Belarus's neighbors to protect asylum seekers.

"I take this opportunity to remind all governments that under international law, no one should ever be prevented from seeking asylum or other forms of international protection," Bachelet said, adding that illegal migrants and asylum seekers are entitled to food, water, and medical care.

She also said that any asylum claims should be examined individually.

Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki insisted that Poland was providing assistance, writing in a Facebook post, "We try to help and save the lives and health of all illegal migrants who have crossed the border into Poland and have been found in time.

The inflow of migrants at the Polish and Lithuanian borders began after the EU imposed several rounds of financial penalties against Lukashenka, his inner circle, and key state-owned companies in response to Lukashenka's brutal crackdown on peaceful demonstrators, the opposition, and independent media following a disputed presidential election in August 2020.

The opposition says the election was rigged, while the EU, the United States, and other countries have refused to recognize the official results of the vote and do not consider Lukashenka, who has ruled Belarus since 1994, to be the country's legitimate leader.

Bachelet told the Human Rights Council in Geneva that more than 650 people were believed to be imprisoned on politically motivated charges, and there had been no genuine investigations into police brutality and mistreatment.

Yury Ambrazevich, Belarus's ambassador to the UN rights council, rejected her report as being full of "unfounded statements and false accusations."

U.S. Ambassador Benjamin Moeling denounced what he called the "politically motivated trials and severe sentences that have followed" in Belarus.

With reporting by Reuters

Iranian authorities have confirmed the death of prisoner Shahin Naseri, who had claimed he witnessed the torture of champion wrestler Navid Afkari before his execution on homicide charges.

Prison officials on September 23 said they are investigating the cause of death in Naseri's case.

Two days earlier, the Oslo-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) group quoted "informed sources" as saying Naseri had died under “suspicious circumstances” in the Greater Tehran Penitentiary after being transferred to solitary confinement.

The rights group said the source told it that Naseri had been transferred to an unknown location on the anniversary of the execution of Afkari, who had been convicted of murdering a security guard during mass anti-government protests in 2018.

Afkari was hanged on September 12, 2020, despite an international outcry after he said he was tortured into making a false confession, while his attorney said there was no proof of his guilt. Iran's judiciary dismissed the torture claim.

Naseri claimed he witnessed Afkari being subjected to a heavy beating by two plainclothes agents and that he had heard him screaming.

In an audio message recently obtained by RFE/RL’s Radio Farda, Naseri said he was a witness to “medieval torture” against Afkari.

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Iran Executes Wrestler Convicted Of Homicide

He also said that authorities had threatened him not to testify about Afkari.

“We found out today that he was held in solitary confinement in the Greater Tehran Penitentiary to prevent him from making phone calls and giving interviews to news outlets,” IHR quoted an unnamed source as saying on September 22. The source added that Naseri was not suffering from any health issues and that he was not considered suicidal.

A statement by the General Directorate Of Prisons of the Tehran Province issued on September 23 said Naseri died 45 minutes after being taken to a prison clinic where resuscitation efforts, including cardiac massage and artificial respiration, failed to save him.

The statement, which said Naseri was serving a prison term for fraud, theft, and forgery, added that the cause of his death was being probed and will be announced later.

Following the announcement, the head of Iran’s Prisons Organization ordered a special probe into Naseri’s death, the semi-official ILNA news agency reported on September 23. The report said a deputy on health, correction, and education to the Prisons Organization had paid a visit to the Greater Tehran Penitentiary and "closely" examined the death of Naseri while also speaking to his cellmates.

Separately, the police said Naseri was arrested five days after Afkari and that the two men did not have any contact as they were held in separate branches, Naseri for fraud and Afkari for homicide. The police statement said Naseri had a record in several provinces for criminal offenses ranging from fraud, to forgery and theft.

Meanwhile, lawyer Babak Paknia said on Twitter that Naseri had contacted him on September 20 and asked for help. He didn’t offer more details.

Naseri’s death is the latest case of someone dying without official explanation while in custody in Iran.

In a report released on September 15, Amnesty International said it had recorded at least 72 such deaths in custody since January 2010 despite credible reports that the deaths were the result of torture or other ill-treatment, or the lethal use of firearms and tear gas by officials. The rights group said not a single Iranian official has been held accountable for these deaths.

Five climbers died after getting caught in a snowstorm while on the highest mountain in Europe, Russia's Mount Elbrus.

Fourteen other members of the group were rescued in strong winds and low visibility amid temperatures of minus 20 degrees Celsius, the Emergency Situations Ministry said on September 24.

Eleven of the survivors were taken to hospital.

The September 23 incident occurred when the 19 climbers were at an altitude of over 5,000 meters.

Elbrus, located in Russia's North Caucasus, peaks at 5,642 meters.

The group of climbers came from 11 regions of Russia, Interfax reported.

The company that organized the climb said there were four professional guides accompanying the group.

One of the climbers felt unwell and turned back with one of the guides, it said, while the rest of the group continued to the summit.

A storm struck on their way down and one of the climbers broke a leg, further slowing down the group.

Two climbers froze to death and two others lost consciousness and died as they were brought down the mountain, according to the company, which said the guides and some of the participants suffered frostbite.

With reporting by AFP and Reuters

Russian health authorities say 828 coronavirus-related deaths were recorded in the last 24 hours, a record daily total during the pandemic.

The anti-coronavirus crisis center said on September 24 that 21,379 new coronavirus cases had been found in the past 24 hours, slightly down from 21,438 cases the previous day.

It was the fourth consecutive day the country has seen more than 800 deaths due to the virus in Russia, which has the highest death toll in Europe.

Health officials said growth in new infections was “intense” in 36 of Russia’s 85 regions, and warned the situation could worsen as seasonal respiratory infections spike.

Russian hospitals, meanwhile, are girding for a possible influx of patients.

Last week, President Vladimir Putin went into self-isolation after dozens of members of his inner circle tested positive for COVID-19.

Putin, 68, has described his self-quarantine as a "test" for the Russian coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V, which he says he received several months ago.

Tajik President Emomali Rahmon has called on the Taliban to form an inclusive government in neighboring Afghanistan with the participation of all political and ethnic groups in order to allay tensions in the war-torn country.

In a prerecorded video message to the UN General Assembly in New York on September 23, Rahmon reiterated his concerns over recent developments in Afghanistan, calling them a "serious threat to regional security and stability."

The Taliban gained control over almost all of Afghanistan’s territory last month following a lightning offensive at the end of a 20-year U.S.-led military presence, triggering alarm among Central Asian states bordering Afghanistan over possible security threats emanating from the country and the potential for tens of thousands of refugees to pour over the border.

The militants have sought to reassure the international community that it poses no threat and suggested that it is now more moderate than during the brutal rule the hard-line Islamist group employed during its first stint in power from 1996 to 2001.

The Taliban promised inclusiveness and a general amnesty for former opponents but has been criticized for forming an all-male government led by hard-line veterans and composed almost entirely of members from the Pashtun ethnic group.

A ban on protests, a crackdown on demonstrators and journalists, and a rolling back of the rights of girls and women also failed to back up the group’s promises to respect human rights.

The international community has warned it would judge the group by its actions, and that recognition of a Taliban-led government would be linked to issues including the treatment of women and minorities.

Tajikistan is one of the few countries in the region that has rejected any talks with the Taliban.

In his address to the UN General Assembly, Rahmon accused the Taliban of not living up to its promises to form an inclusive government and criticized human rights groups for what he called their silence over "violation of the rights of other ethnic groups in Afghanistan."

In Panjshir, a rugged mountain valley northeast of Kabul where an anti-Taliban resistance front is active, the Tajik president accused Taliban fighters of carrying out killings and depriving residents of access to food, electricity, and Internet connection.

Rahmon called for comprehensive talks with the participation of all segments of Afghan society as one of the main conditions for stability in the country.

Afghanistan's ethnic Tajiks, who he said make up 46 percent of the country's population, and other ethnic groups “have the right to have a worthy place in the affairs of state."

While no reliable current data on ethnicity in Afghanistan exists to back up Rahmon's claim, the group Minority Rights says previous estimates have shown ethnic Tajiks comprise about 27 percent of Afghanistan's population, while ethnic Uzbeks are 9 percent and Turkmen 3 percent. The largest group, Pashtuns, are just over 40 percent of the populace.

The Tajik leader also expressed concern about what he called the strengthening of extremist groups such as the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, saying that the country “is on the verge of becoming a hotbed of international terrorism again."

Describing Tajikistan as a "front line" in the fight against terrorism and extremism, Rahmon called for support from the international community.

The top U.S. military officer says the United States should explore ways to expand its military contacts with Russia as a way to increase trust and avoid a miscalculation.

Army General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said allowing things such as observers at each other's combat exercises would increase transparency and reduce the risk of conflict.

“We need to put in place policies and procedures to make sure that we increase certainty, to reduce uncertainty, increase trust to reduce distrust, increase stability to reduce instability in order to avoid miscalculation, and reduce the possibility of great power war,” Milley said. “That’s a fundamental thing that we should try to do, and I am going to try to do it.”

Milley made the comments on September 23 after meeting his Russian counterpart, General Valery Gerasimov, chief of the Russian General Staff, in Finland on September 22.

Milley said that military contacts between the two powers currently are largely limited to senior leaders such as the defense secretary, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the supreme allied commander for Europe.

But he said allowing military service chiefs to form stronger relationships with their Russian counterparts and allowing observers at exercises are ideas worth exploring.

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Milley, who spoke with an AP reporter and one other reporter traveling with him back to the United States, declined to detail the contents of his talks with Gerasimov, but a statement from the Joint Chiefs of Staff suggested that more open communication was discussed.

“The meeting was a continuation of talks aimed at improving military leadership communication between the two nations for the purposes of risk reduction and operational deconfliction,” the statement said.

Milley said that military-to-military contacts with Russia have worked in the past to de-escalate tense situations. Without being specific, he said there were “a couple of incidents that occurred between us and the Russians over the last two years” that triggered calls between Milley and Gerasimov.

The U.S. and Russia increased cooperation on nuclear security and other defense issues after the end of the Cold War, but the relationship deteriorated after Russia and Georgia fought a brief war in 2008 and Russian troops remained in Georgia's regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Tensions spiked again in 2014 when Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula and its military intervened in eastern Ukraine.

In response to the invasion of Crimea, Congress in 2016 limited cooperation with Russia, prohibiting “military-to-military cooperation” until Russia ends its “occupation of Ukrainian territory” and “aggressive activities.” The law was later amended to say that it does not limit military talks aimed at “reducing the risk of conflict.”

With reporting by AP