News
- By RFE/RL
U.S. Deports Second Russian Hacker After Long Prison Term Ends
The United States has sent another Russian hacker back home after serving years in U.S. prison.
Aleksandr Panin, the primary developer of a prolific malware known as SpyEye, was deported to Russia on January 5, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said in a statement to RFE/RL.
Panin was released on November 8 after serving more than eight years in a Mississippi prison and turned over to ICE custody for deportation, the agency said.
Panin, who is from Tver, was arrested in July 2013 at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia.
He pleaded guilty a year later to a charge of conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud.
He was sentenced in April 2016 to 9 1/2 years in prison, including the time he spent in pretrial detention.
Panin sold his malware -- a successor to the notorious Zeus software that ravaged banks more than a decade ago -- to criminals on online forums for up to $8,500, according to court documents.
U.S. prosecutors say SpyEye affected more than 10,000 bank accounts at 253 financial institutions.
Panin's deportation comes four months after the United States deported Aleksei Burkov, a hacker who was the subject of a years-long extradition battle, to Russia after he served more than five years of a nine-year term.
Burkov’s early release from prison came amid the restart of U.S.-Russia cybertalks, leading to speculation that it may have been part of a deal with Moscow, something Washington denied.
Burkov was detained in Israel in December 2015 at the request of the United States on cybercrime charges.
Russia also submitted an extradition request, claiming Burkov was wanted at home, sparking a tug-of-war between Moscow and Washington for the hacker.
Burkov was eventually extradited to the United States in 2019. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced in 2020 to nine years in prison, including time served since 2015.
Burkov may have been released early from prison for providing help to U.S. investigators, defense attorneys told RFE/RL at the time. His lawyer declined to comment.
Federal criminal procedure rules allow courts to reduce defendants' prison terms if within a year of their sentencing they provide “substantial assistance” to investigators.
Burkov’s partner, Ruslan Yeliseyev, a Ukrainian, received a similar reduction in his sentence and was deported back to his home country in 2020.
- By RFE/RL
U.S. Accuses Russia Of Preparing 'False-Flag' Operation In Ukraine
The White House has accused Russia of sending saboteurs into eastern Ukraine in order to stage an incident that could provide a pretext for an invasion if Moscow's security demands are not met.
Spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters on January 14 that U.S. intelligence indicates that Russia "has prepositioned a group of operatives to conduct a false-flag operation in Ukraine. The operatives are trained in urban warfare and using explosives to conduct acts of sabotage.”
Our intelligence indicates that Russian influence actors are already starting to fabricate Ukrainian provocations in state and social media to justify a Russian intervention..."-- White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki
The comments come after a week of high-stakes talks in Geneva, Brussels, and Vienna between U.S. and European officials with Russian diplomats who have essentially demanded a whole-scale reorganization of Europe’s security structure.
Russia has deployed nearly 100,000 troops to areas along Ukraine’s borders, prompting Western intelligence officials to warn that Moscow could be poised to conduct a new invasion of Ukraine.
"Our intelligence also indicates that Russian influence actors are already starting to fabricate Ukrainian provocations in state and social media to justify a Russian intervention and sow division in Ukraine,” Psaki said.
"The Russian military plans to begin these activities several weeks before a military invasion, which could begin between mid-January and mid-February," she added.
In Moscow, the U.S. intelligence assessment, which was earlier announced by unnamed U.S. officials, was derided.
"Until now, all these statements have been unfounded and have not been confirmed by anything," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted by state news agencies as saying.
As the United States and its Western allies have raised alarms over a massive Russian troop buildup near Ukraine, Russia has asked for written guarantees that the NATO military alliance will not admit former Soviet states such as Ukraine, among other demands.
Washington and its NATO allies held three rounds of talks with Russia in an attempt to defuse the situation, but while expressing openness to dialogue they have made clear that NATO's open-door policy for sovereign states is not negotiable.
Moscow, which has denied that it is planning to invade Ukraine, has said it could not wait indefinitely for a written Western response to its security demands.
“We have run out of patience,” Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said during his annual foreign policy conference on January 14. “We expect a written response from our Western colleagues on our proposals.
“We are convinced that, if there is a will to compromise, one can always find mutually acceptable solutions,” he said.
Earlier, a U.S. official who discussed the alleged “false-flag” operation said the U.S. intelligence was based on intercepted communications and observations of the movements of people.
Fighting between Ukrainian government forces and Russia-backed separatists who control parts of Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk regions has killed more than 13,200 people since April 2014.
Several Ukrainian government website were hit by hackers overnight, disabled and defaced by poorly worded cybergraffiti that made threats about Ukraine’s sovereignty. As of the evening of January 14, more than 12 hours after going down, the Foreign Ministry’s website and several others remained out of service.
Ukraine's Security Service said in a statement late on January 14 that its criminal investigation revealed some signs of the involvement of "hacker groups associated with the special services of the Russian Federation."
No group has taken responsibility for the attack, but Russian hackers linked to Moscow have repeatedly been blamed for cyberattacks on Ukrainian government websites and infrastructure in the past.
U.S. officials have threatened Russia with "massive and severe" sanctions and other measures if a new invasion of Ukraine does occur. Among the measures floated publicly include cutting Russia out of the SWIFT global system for bank messaging and major new export restrictions of technology to Russia.
New legislation making its way through the U.S. Senate threatens new restrictions on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to Germany, as well as personal sanctions against President Vladimir Putin if an invasion occurs.
With reporting by The New York Times and Reuters
- By RFE/RL
U.S. Welcomes Russia's Arrest Of Alleged Hackers, Including Suspect In Pipeline Ransomware Attack
WASHINGTON -- The United States has welcomed Russia’s move to arrest alleged members of a notorious hacking group, including the individual suspected of being behind last year's ransomware attack on a U.S. pipeline operator.
“We're pleased with these initial actions,” a senior administration official said on January 14, adding the United States expects Russia to prosecute the alleged hackers.
Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) earlier in the day announced it had arrested 14 suspected members of Sodinokivi/REvil at the request of the United States.
The suspects were apprehended in Moscow, St. Petersburg, as well as other regions through a joint investigation by the FSB and the Interior Ministry.
One of the individuals arrested is alleged to have been behind the May ransomware attack against Colonial Pipeline, the senior U.S. administration official said.
The ransomware attack forced the company to preemptively shut down its pipeline, which stretches from Texas to New Jersey and delivers nearly half of the transport fuels for the Atlantic Coast, causing a temporary fuel shortage.
It helped propel cybersecurity to the top of the agenda of the summit a month later between U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva.
During the summit, Biden called on Putin to go after cybercriminals operating from inside Russia who target businesses around the world, especially in the United States, through ransomware attacks.
Russia-based hackers are believed to be behind a significant proportion of global ransomware attacks. However, the Kremlin has historically turned a blind eye to their activities as long as they don’t target domestic companies and individuals, experts say.
Biden and Putin agreed in June to set up a working group on cybersecurity.
The senior administration official said the United States has given Russia information on the alleged hackers through that working group channel.
Among the 14 individuals detained by the FSB were two hackers alleged to have been behind July’s ransomware attack on the Florida-based software firm Kaseya. That attack affected businesses around the world and may have prompted a call days later between Biden and Putin.
A Moscow court on January 14 moved to arrest the two alleged Kaseya hackers, Andrei Bessonov and Roman Muromsky, and hold them in pretrial detention.
Both Muromsky and Bessonov have been charged with the illegal use of currencies and placed in custody until March 13, according to a court spokesperson.
Overall, the FSB raided more than 25 locations tied to the 14 suspects and netted more than $5.6 million, including cryptocurrencies, as well as luxury cars and computer equipment.
Western Countries Urge Kosovo To Allow The OSCE To Collect Serb Referendum Votes
Five Western nations, including the United States, have welcomed Serbia’s upcoming referendum on judicial reforms but expressed regret that Kosovo will no longer allow the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to collect the ballots of eligible Serb voters living there.
The January 16 referendum on amendments to the constitution aims to depoliticize the appointment of prosecutors and judges to help qualify Serbia for eventual accession to the European Union.
The proposed changes are a “key step to strengthen the independence of the judiciary and to enhance the transparency and effectiveness of the country’s rule of law institutions,” France, Germany, Italy, Britain, and the United States said in a statement issued on January 14 by the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade.
The five nations also expressed regret that Kosovo has not allowed the OSCE to collect the ballots of eligible voters living there, which had been the case previously.
“We call on the Kosovo government to allow Serbs in Kosovo to exercise their right to vote in elections and electoral processes in accordance with this established practice,” they said in the statement.
A day earlier, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a post on Twitter that he had discussed the issue with both Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. He said that “people should be able to exercise their right to vote.”
Kurti countered by saying, “A referendum in the sovereign territory of another state is not a practice accepted by any democratic country.”
“Serbs in Kosovo with dual citizenship can vote in Serbia’s referendum by mail or in the liaison office in Pristina”, Kurti said in a tweet on January 12.
Vucic told Serbia’s state-run RTS TV channel on January 12 that there would be "greater and far-reaching consequences than expected" if polling stations were not opened in Kosovo, so Serbs could participate in the referendum.
The Western Balkan country is a candidate for EU membership but to achieve that goal it must strengthen the independence of the judiciary and improve the rule of law.
In November, the Council of Europe, the EU’s rights watchdog, said its constitutional advisory body concluded that most of the proposed amendments were made in line with its recommendations.
The plebiscite will be held under a new referendum law which abolished a minimum 50 percent turnout threshold.
That law was condemned by environmental groups who said it may be used by the government to give free rein to foreign mining companies in the country.
Watchdog Slams Bulgarian Court Ruling As 'Judicial Harassment' Of Journalists
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has condemned as “judicial harassment” a recent court ruling in Bulgaria where two journalists and a website were found guilty of defamation for articles they published in 2018.
The Sofia City Court (SCC) found that Boris Mitov, now a journalist for RFE/RL’s Bulgarian Service, and Stoyana Georgieva, had caused physical and mental anguish to Svetlin Mihailov, a former chairman of the SCC, and ordered them and the website that published the articles four years ago to pay him damages amounting to 60,000 Bulgarian lev ($34,659).
In 2018, Mitov was covering Mihailov’s bid to become head of the SCC, Bulgaria's largest district court, for the news website Mediapool. At the time, Georgieva was the editor in chief of Mediapool.
Four of those articles were examined by the court, and Judge Daniela Popova ruled on December 21 that they contained “defamatory allegations against [Mihailov].”
Lawyers for Mitov and Georgieva argued that the articles in question contained information about Mihailov, including questions about his sizable wealth and property, that had appeared at the time and since then in other publications.
In her ruling, Popova did not specify exactly what extracts from the articles in question she found “indecent, vulgar, and cynical.”
Popova ordered the two journalists and Mediapool to each pay Mihailov 20,000 lev ($11,553).
“This gag-verdict could set a dangerous precedent for press freedom in Bulgaria,” said Pavol Szalai, the head of RSF’s European Union and Balkans desk, in a statement issued on January 14. “The disproportionate amount of damages that the journalists have been ordered to pay could have a chilling effect on media covering matters of public interest.”
“We urge the Sofia appeal court to overturn this decision. At the same time, we call on the government to adopt concrete provisions so that abusive lawsuits can no longer muzzle press freedom in Bulgaria,” Szalai added.
Popova took over the case only two months before issuing her final ruling, replacing another judge who had been dealing with it for nearly a year, Reporters Without Borders noted.
Her decision, the media monitoring group said, makes no mention of the fact that the plaintiff is a public figure and was, moreover, the court’s former president.
RFE/RL President Jamie Fly had called the court’s decision “outrageous” and said it was meant to intimidate some of Bulgaria’s finest investigative journalists for reporting publicly known facts.
“The public has a right to accountability, and intimidation tactics like this will not keep RFE/RL from informing its audience about issues of public interest,” Fly said in a statement.
Lawyers for the two journalists and Mediapool have appealed the ruling.
- By Current Time
Former President Poroshenko Not Worried He'll Be Arrested Upon Return To Ukraine
Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, who has been out of the country since December, says he will return to Ukraine despite rumors he will be immediately arrested on charges of suspected treason.
Poroshenko told Current Time in an interview that the case investigators have been trying to build against him for allegedly helping separatists sell some 1.5 billion hryvnyas ($54 million) worth of coal to Kyiv in 2014 and 2015 targets "the fate of all Ukraine."
"I will not end up behind bars, they will not have enough courage, forces, or will for that," he said when discussing what he thinks will happen upon his return to Ukraine, expected on January 17.
"I am coming back not to defend myself from [President Volodymyr] Zelenskiy, but to defend Ukraine... We must defend Ukraine from [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, defend the country from the incompetent, rotten, and absolutely corrupt authorities," Poroshenko added.
In December, Ukraine's State Investigation Bureau said Poroshenko had been placed under formal investigation for high treason, accusing him of "facilitating the activities" of separatists fighting government forces in a conflict that has claimed more than 13,200 lives since April 2014. Poroshenko rejected the accusations as politically motivated.
On January 6, Ukrainian authorities said that a court in Kyiv had frozen Poroshenko's property as part of a formal investigation into alleged high treason, which he has rejected.
The 56-year-old former president, who is now a lawmaker and the leader of the opposition European Solidarity party, has denied the allegations while accusing Ukrainian authorities of crossing "a red line" by bringing treason charges against a former head of state.
Last month, prosecutors asked a Ukrainian court to arrest Poroshenko with bail set at 1 billion hryvnia ($37 million).
Poroshenko faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted of the treason charges.
- By RFE/RL
'We Have Run Out Of Patience': Lavrov Calls For West To Respond Quickly To Kremlin Demands
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says Moscow has "run out of patience" with the West and expects a written response to its demands for security guarantees within a week after diplomatic talks with NATO and the United States failed to make headway on the issue amid a buildup of Russian troops on the border with Ukraine.
Diplomats have offered a dire assessment of a week of high-level diplomacy that included bilateral talks between Washington and Moscow, and separate rounds of discussions with NATO and the the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) against the backdrop of Western concerns that Russia's military buildup on Ukraine's doorstep may be a prelude to an invasion.
Speaking at his annual foreign policy news conference on January 14, Lavrov said the Kremlin wouldn’t wait indefinitely for the Western response to Moscow’s demands that NATO neither expand nor deploy forces to Ukraine and other ex-Soviet states, which the Kremlin has said were key to diplomatic efforts to defuse soaring tensions over Ukraine.
“We have run out of patience,” Lavrov said at the news conference.
Washington and its allies have firmly rejected Moscow's demand for security guarantees precluding NATO's expansion and warned of "massive consequences" if Russia renews its aggression against Ukraine. U.S. officials have cast Russia's combative rhetoric and buildup of some 100,000 troops near Ukraine as a pressure tactic and said that the United States, while open to dialogue, will never submit to blackmail or allow such threats to be rewarded.
NATO has also stated clearly that it would not compromise on core principles, including the right for sovereign nations to decide what kinds of security arrangements they want to be part of.
U.S. Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith said earlier this week that no alliance member was willing to budge on NATO's open-door policy, while reiterating a commitment to meaningful reciprocal dialogue with Russia.
Lavrov said Russia, too, wants the standoff over security in Europe to be resolved with mutual respect and a balance of interests, but has warned it will consider various options to respond if the West spurns Russia's security proposals.
The White House has said that the threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine remains high and on January 14 announced it had intelligence suggesting Russia had sent saboteurs into eastern Ukraine to stage an incident that could be used as a pretext to justify an invasion in the event its demands in negotiations are not met. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the assessment was based on "unfounded" information.
Lavrov’s comments came hours after Kyiv reported a massive cyberattack on several government websites.
"Some say the cyberattack could be the prelude for other activities, military activities," Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg told reporters at a meeting of the bloc's top diplomats in the French city of Brest.
The standoff with Russia "is serious, more serious than anything we've seen in recent years," Schallenberg added.
Referring to the cyberattack on Ukraine, Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde added that this is "exactly the kind of thing that we have warned of and that we are afraid of.”
"If there are attacks against Ukraine, we will be very harsh and very strong and robust in our response," Linde said.
Despite the increased tensions, Russia and the West have agreed to leave the door open to possible further talks on arms control and confidence-building measures intended to reduce the potential for hostilities.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on January 14 that she will travel to Moscow next week for talks over the Ukraine crisis, even though she admitted a quick solution is unlikely to be found.
"It is a characteristic of diplomacy in a crisis that it takes a lot of persistence, patience and strong nerves ... This is why it is so important to intensively make use of varying channels of communications," she said from an informal meeting of European Union foreign ministers in the French port city of Brest.
In related news, the Russian Defense Ministry announced on January 14 that troops stationed in eastern Siberia and the Far East region have been scrambled for movement across the country as part of snap drills to check their “readiness to perform their tasks after redeployment to a large distance.”
The ministry noted that “special attention will be given to the assessment of the country's transport infrastructure to ensure the movement of troops,” adding that the troops will conduct drills involving firing live ammunition after the redeployment.
Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in March 2014 and supported separatist clashes in Ukraine’s east after anti-government protests toppled Ukraine's Russia-friendly former president, Viktor Yanukovych, in February 2014.
Fighting between Ukrainian government forces and Russia-backed separatists who control parts of Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk regions has killed more than 13,200 people since April 2014.
With reporting by AFP, Reuters, and AP
- By Current Time
Navalny Associates Volkov, Zhdanov Placed On Russia's 'Terrorist' List
Ivan Zhdanov and Leonid Volkov, two of jailed Russian opposition politician Aleksei Navalny's closest associates, have been placed on the country's list of "extremists and terrorists."
The entries for the two appeared in the register of Rosfinmonitoring on January 14, putting them on the same level as right-wing nationalist groups and foreign terrorist organizations such as the Taliban and the Islamic State extremist group.
According to the Russian law, the bank accounts of individuals added to the list must be frozen immediately.
Both Volkov, the 41-year-old former coordinator of the now-defunct network of Navalny’s teams across Russia, and Zhdanov, the ex-chief of Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), left the country last year and currently reside abroad.
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Russia announced last year that it had placed the two activists on an international wanted list.
Zhdanov, 33, told Current Time that the move by Rosfinmonitoring was expected and characterized it as another of the "Russian state's fascist methods."
"We will continue our activities. We will not stop them in any way," he said.
"It is a pleasure to feel that our activities are considered as problematic, a thorn for them.... Repression [in Russia] has became something extremely massive with really serious consequences," Zhdanov said, adding that the "key problems" faced by Russia today originate from the actions and policies of President Vladimir Putin.
The FBK has relentlessly targeted senior government officials over the past decade with widely watched videos detailing corruption allegations that were distributed via the Navalny LIVE channel.
Navalny's political network has been instrumental in implementing a "smart voting" strategy -- a project designed to promote candidates most likely to defeat Kremlin-linked figures.
Last year, the Moscow City Court declared the FBK and other groups related to Navalny as extremist, preventing people associated with Navalny and his network of regional offices across Russia from seeking public office.
The ruling also carries possible lengthy prison terms for activists who have worked with the organizations.
Navalny himself has been in prison since February 2021 after he was arrested the month prior upon returning to Russia from Germany, where he had been undergoing treatment for a near-fatal poisoning with a Novichok-type nerve agent that he says was ordered by Putin.
The Kremlin has denied any role in Navalny's poisoning.
Last year, Zhdanov's father, Yury, was handed a suspended prison sentence last month in a corruption case that critics say is politically motivated.
Earlier this week, he was placed in a detention center for allegedly violating sentence restrictions imposed on him.
Ivan Zhdanov has accused the Kremlin of trying to pressure him by arresting his father.
With reporting by Ekho Moskvy and Interfax
U.S. Offers Support After Ukraine Hit By Massive Cyberattack
The United States has offered to provide Ukraine "whatever help it needs to recover" from a massive cyberattack that Kyiv has said appears to have links to hacker groups associated with Russian intelligence services.
The cyberattack, which targeted several Ukrainian government websites on January 14, came amid increased tensions between the West and Russia, which has massed troops and military equipment near the border with Ukraine.
The news was first reported early on January 14 by Ukraine's Education and Science Ministry on its Facebook page. Kyiv later said the cyberattack, which took place on the night of January 13-14, had not changed the content of any of the government websites targeted and that no personal data had been leaked.
Ukraine's Security Service said in a statement late on January 14 that its criminal investigation revealed some signs of the involvement of "hacker groups associated with the special services of the Russian Federation."
The Culture and Information Policy Ministry had earlier said that "initial data" indicated that the attack originated in Russia. The ministry added that its experts had suggested that the attack might be related to the failure of recent talks between Washington and Moscow over Russia's troop buildup, as well as the Kremlin's demands that NATO not admit any former Soviet states, such as Ukraine.
U.S. President Joe Biden was briefed on the incident, a White House National Security Council spokesperson said on January 14.
"We will provide Ukraine with whatever support it needs to recover," the spokesperson said.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg "strongly condemned" the attack and said that cyberexperts from member countries were exchanging information with and "supporting the Ukrainian authorities on the ground."
Josep Borrell, the European Union's top diplomat, also condemned the attack and said the EU's political and security committee and cyberunits would meet to see how to respond and help Kyiv.
In a statement, Ukraine's government said that a number of other state websites had been suspended to prevent the attack from spreading, though most of the affected state resources had already been restored.
During the cyberattack, a message appeared on the website of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry written in Ukrainian, Russian, and Polish, warning Ukrainians to “be afraid and expect the worst.”
On some of the websites, a text appeared in the same three languages saying all data of Ukrainians uploaded to the network had become public.
"We are going to mobilize all our resources to help Ukraine to tackle this cyberattack. Sadly, we knew it could happen," Borrell told reporters at an EU foreign ministers meeting in the western French port city of Brest. "It's difficult to say [who is behind it]. I can't blame anybody as I have no proof, but we can imagine."
Stoltenberg said NATO and Ukraine would strengthen cybercooperation in the coming days.
“NATO and Ukraine will sign an agreement on enhanced cybercooperation, including Ukrainian access to NATO's malware information-sharing platform. NATO’s strong political and practical support for Ukraine will continue,” Stoltenberg said.
No group has taken responsibility for the attack, but Russian hackers linked to Moscow have repeatedly been blamed for cyberattacks on Ukrainian government websites and infrastructure in the past.
The West has accused Russia of deploying tanks, artillery and about 100,000 soldiers on Ukraine's war-torn eastern border in recent weeks, in what NATO says is preparation for an invasion.
Moscow says it has no plans to invade Ukraine.
In December, Russia unveiled proposals to contain the United States and NATO in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, saying that the US-led alliance should not admit Ukraine or Georgia as new members.
This week the United States and its NATO allies held talks with Russia in an attempt to ease tensions, but all three rounds of negotiations -- in Geneva, Brussels and Vienna -- failed to make significant progress.
On January 13, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Moscow saw no reason to hold a new round of security talks with the West following a lack of progress.
In October 2020, the United States charged six Russians with carrying out cyberattacks on Ukraine's power grid, the 2017 French elections, and the 2018 Winter Olympics.
At the time, the U.S. Justice Department said the six were current or former members of the GRU -- Russian military intelligence -- and were also accused of staging a malware attack called "NotPetya," which infected computers of businesses worldwide causing nearly $1 billion in losses.
With reporting by AFP and Reuters
- By RFE/RL
Djokovic Battling In Legal Court To Stay In Australian Open
Australia has canceled the visa of unvaccinated world tennis No. 1 Novak Djokovic and a court has ordered him to report to an immigration detention hotel, leaving the Serbian tennis star's chances of defending his title at the
Grand Slam tournament in Melbourne up in the air just days before play starts.
A Federal Court judge said late on January 14 that the 34-year-old tennis star must report to the detention center by 8 a.m. local time the next day after Djokovic's lawyers requested an injunction to stop the revocation of his visa, as ordered hours earlier by Immigration Minister Alex Hawke.
The Serb had been hoping to begin his quest for a record 21 st Grand Slam title when play begins in Melbourne on January 17. Instead, his next court date has been set for January 15 for an immigration hearing to stay in the country.
But that came to a screeching halt when Hawke issued a statement on January 14 saying that he was using his discretionary powers on visa issues to cancel Djokovic’s visa “on health and good order grounds, on the basis that it was in the public interest to do so.”
“This decision followed orders by the Federal Circuit and Family Court on 10 January 2022, quashing a prior cancellation decision on procedural fairness grounds,” Hawke’s statement said.
“In making this decision, I carefully considered information provided to me by the Department of Home Affairs, the Australian Border Force and Mr. Djokovic.”
Djokovic's legal team said the decision to revoke the visa was based on the argument that allowing Djokovic to stay would excite anti-vaccination sentiment. They countered that while he has publicly opposed compulsory vaccination, he has not campaigned against vaccination in general, making Hawke's decision "patently irrational."
The news came after Djokovic had practiced serving and returning on a court at Melbourne Park with no spectators present.
Djokovic had been included in the tournament’s draw as the top seed, but he had remained in limbo as Hawke considered whether to cancel his visa for a second time over COVID-19 entry regulations.
Australia's pandemic response has been seen as very restrictive, including an insistence for those entering the country to be double-vaccinated or show acceptable proof they cannot be vaccinated to enter quarantine-free.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison defended the visa cancelation saying it was carried out on the basis of public interest.
"Australians have made many sacrifices during this pandemic, and they rightly expect the result of those sacrifices to be protected," he said in a statement.
"That is what the (immigration) minister is doing in taking this action today...Our strong border protection policies have kept Australians safe, prior to COVID and now during the pandemic," he added.
Djokovic, a vaccine skeptic, traveled to Melbourne with a medical exemption to Australia’s requirements for visitors to be inoculated against COVID-19.
He appeared eager to defend his title and vie for a record-breaking Grand Slam trophy when the tournament gets under way on January 17.
His troubles started immediately upon arrival in Melbourne when the Australian Border Force decided his exemption was invalid and put him in an immigration detention hotel.
On January 10, an Australian judge reinstated Djokovic's visa and allowed him out of detention. Since then the matter has been before Hawke, whose spokesman said earlier this week that "lengthy further submissions" from Djokovic's legal team had delayed a decision.
The situation has caused an outcry in Australia, which has endured some of the world's longest lockdowns and is now experiencing runaway cases attributed to the omicron variant. Serbia, on the other hand, has rallied behind the player, with some Serbs expressing anger over his treatment.
Finance Minister Simon Birmingham defended the government’s policies on January 14, saying they were "crystal clear."
They require noncitizens who enter Australia to be double dose vaccinated “unless they have a clear and valid medical exemption against that," Birmingham said on Australian television.
"That policy has not changed, and we will continue to apply that policy rigorously," Birmingham said.
Djokovic's cause was not helped by a mistake on his entry declaration on which a box was ticked stating he had not traveled abroad in the two weeks before arriving in Australia. In fact, he had traveled between Spain and Serbia.
Djokovic blamed the error on his agent and acknowledged that he also should not have done an interview and photoshoot for a French newspaper on December 18 while infected with COVID-19.
Some tennis players say Djokovic should be allowed to play, but not all have been supportive.
Stefanos Tsitsipas, ranked fourth in the world, criticized his behavior, telling Indian broadcaster WION, “For sure he has been playing by his own rules."
With reporting by Retuers and AFP
Republican Bill To Impose Sanctions On Nord Stream 2 Businesses Fails In U.S. Senate
Democrats in the U.S. Senate have defeated a bill that would have slapped sanctions on businesses involved in the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline.
The bill, sponsored by Senator Ted Cruz (Republican-Texas), needed at least 60 votes to pass. It was defeated by a vote of 55-44 on January 13.
Lawmakers from both parties have opposed the pipeline, but Democrats said Cruz's bill would have harmed relations with Germany at a time when the U.S. is seeking to present a united front against Russia and its troop buildup near the border with Ukraine.
Cruz said the 55-44 vote showed a majority of senators support fast action on the pipeline.
"Only immediately imposing sanctions can change [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's calculation, stop a Ukrainian invasion, and lift the existential threat posed by Nord Stream 2," Cruz said.
Other Republicans accused Democrats of being timid in standing up to Putin.
Putin “can smell the weakness,” Senator John Barrasso (Republican-Wyoming) said before the vote. “Stopping this pipeline should be an area of bipartisan agreement.”
The $11 billion undersea pipeline was completed in September but has not yet received regulatory approval from Germany.
Critics say Nord Stream 2 will increase Europe’s energy reliance on Russia, while enabling Moscow to reroute gas exports around Ukraine, depriving the country of billions of dollars a year in transit fees.
Democrats emphasized that much of the work on the pipeline was done under the administration of former President Donald Trump.
“This is the Trump-Putin pipeline,” said Senator Robert Menendez (Democrat-New Jersey) and sponsor of a rival bill to impose sanctions on Russia if it invades Ukraine. That bill has yet to come up for a vote.
Based on reporting by Reuters and AP
Blinken Says U.S. Has Raised Mysterious Illness With Russia That Is Afflicting Diplomats
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States has raised an illness with Russia that has afflicted American diplomats as it works to find out what the ailment is and what causes it.
Blinken said “virtually the entire government” is working to get to the bottom of the illness known as Havana Syndrome, which has afflicted about 200 U.S. diplomats, officials, and family members.
"To date, we don't know exactly what's happened and we don't know exactly who is responsible," Blinken said in an interview with MSNBC on January 13.
His comments came after a report in The Wall Street Journal saying that more American diplomats were reported ill in Paris and Geneva, where the United States and Russia held security talks on January 10 over Moscow's troop buildup near the Ukrainian border.
“We’ve raised this with the Russians, but we still don’t have a determination…of who is responsible,” he said. “We’ve made clear that if they are responsible, or for that matter, anyone who is responsible will suffer severe consequences.”
U.S. officials suspect directed radio frequency or energy attacks have caused sickness and even brain damage in U.S. diplomats and intelligence officials in Cuba, China, Russia, Europe, and other places.
The mysterious illness carries symptoms that include migraines, nausea, memory lapses and dizziness. It is named Havana Syndrome after first being reported among U.S. officials in the Cuban capital in 2016.
Blinken said he has met with State Department employees around the world who described the illness and how it has disrupted their lives.
"There is no doubt in my mind that people have been directly and powerfully affected," he said.
Based on reporting by MSNBC and Reuters
Armenia, Turkey Hold First Round Of Talks On Normalizing Ties, Agree To Hold More
Representatives of Armenia and Turkey have agreed to continue negotiations after a first round of talks in Moscow on January 14 aimed at normalizing relations after years of animosity.
Ruben Rubinian, the deputy speaker of the Armenian parliament, and Serdar Kilic, a former Turkish ambassador to the United States, agreed during their meeting in the Russian capital that Turkey and Armenia should work to regulate ties “through dialogue” and without preconditions, the Armenian Foreign Ministry said.
"The date and place of the second meeting will be determined via diplomatic channels," the ministry said.
Going into the talks, the Armenian Foreign Ministry said it expected the negotiations to result in the establishment of diplomatic relations with Turkey as well as the opening of the border between the two countries.
Last month, Armenia lifted a ban on the import of Turkish goods that had been a burden mostly to Armenians, and Turkey announced charter flights to Armenia would be allowed.
Relations between Armenia and Turkey have historically been complicated over the 1915 killings of Armenians at the hands of the Ottomans.
But it was the war between Armenian separatists and Azerbaijan over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh during the Soviet Union's chaotic breakup in 1991 that soured any potential for relations between Ankara and Yerevan. Armenia's victory prompted Turkey to seal the border in 1993 in support of its Turkic allies in Baku.
Regional dynamics changed when Armenia and Azerbaijan fought a six-week conflict in 2020 over Nagorno-Karabakh that had been under ethnic Armenian control for nearly three decades.
NATO member Turkey threw its weight behind Azerbaijan in the war, which ended with a Russia-brokered cease-fire in November 2020 that allowed its Turkic ally to regain control over parts of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding territory, with Russian peacekeepers on the ground.
- By RFE/RL
Turkey, Armenia Voice Optimism Ahead Of Normalization Talks
Turkey and Armenia both expressed optimism on January 13 ahead of the start of talks in Moscow to normalize relations as part of a broader Russia-mediated regional peace effort involving Azerbaijan.
Special envoys from Turkey and Armenia will hold the first round of direct talks in Moscow on June 14 following months of behind-the-scenes diplomacy aimed at building a broader rapprochement in the South Caucasus region.
Relations between Armenia and Turkey have historically been complicated over the 1915 mass killings of Armenians at the hands of the Ottomans.
But it was the war between Armenian separatists and Azerbaijan over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh during the Soviet Union's chaotic breakup in 1991 that soured any potential for relations between Ankara and Yerevan. Armenia's victory prompted Turkey to seal the border in 1993 in support of its Turkic allies in Baku.
Regional dynamics changed when Armenia and Azerbaijan fought a six-week conflict in the autumn of 2020 over Nagorno-Karabakh, which had been under ethnic Armenian control for nearly three decades.
NATO member Turkey threw its weight behind Azerbaijan in the war, which ended with a Russian-brokered cease-fire in November 2020 that allowed its Turkic ally to regain control over parts of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding territory, with Russian peacekeepers on the ground.
“Ever since Azerbaijan liberated territory under occupation, we have entered a new period in the Caucasus,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told a meeting of EU ambassadors in Ankara on January 13.
“We have begun a process to normalize relations with Armenia. It’s important for Armenia to seize the opportunity and establish positive relations with Azerbaijan in order for steps (to normalize relations) to yield results,” he added.
Following years of frozen ties, Armenia expects dialogue to lead to the establishment of diplomatic relations under the principle of “no preconditions,” Vahan Hunanian, a spokesman for the Armenian Foreign Ministry, said on January 13 ahead of talks in Moscow.
“We expect that as a result of the process, diplomatic relations will be established between Armenia and Turkey and the border between the two countries, which was unilaterally closed by Turkey in the early 1990s, will be opened,” the Foreign Ministry spokesman stressed.
Yerevan and Ankara in December announced that they would appoint special envoys to lead the talks. Former Turkish Ambassador to the United States Serdar Kilic will represent Ankara and Vice Speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia, Ruben Rubinian, will lead negotiations for Yerevan.
In the meantime, Armenia lifted a ban on the import of Turkish goods that was imposed over Ankara's backing of Azerbaijan in the 2020 war with Armenia.
Turkey in December also announced that charter flights to Armenia would be allowed. On January 13, Turkish budget carrier Pegasus Airlines said it will begin regular charter flights between Istanbul and Yerevan in early February.
Armenia and Turkey last tried to normalize relations in 2008-2009 in what was dubbed “football diplomacy,” but the sides were ultimately unable to reach agreement.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev have also held several rounds of EU and Russian-mediated talks since the Nagorno-Karabakh war to overcome border tensions and advance diplomacy.
With reporting by RFE/RL's Armenian Service and sondakika.com
Iranian Teachers Demand Better Pay In 'Power Of The Pen' Protest
Iranian teachers took to the streets of more than 50 cities across Iran to demand better working conditions and pay. Amateur video posted on social media on January 13 showed teachers holding up pens and chanting for justice in nationwide protests.
Hungary To Offer Fourth COVID-19 Booster Shot
Hungary will offer a fourth COVID-19 vaccine shot to people who ask for it, after conferring with a doctor.
“Anyone can get a fourth coronavirus jab based on a consultation with a doctor," said Gergely Gulyas, Prime Minister Viktor Orban's chief of staff, on January 13.
On January 12, Denmark became the first EU member state to offer a fourth shot to its most vulnerable citizens. Israel and Chile are also offering fourth shots.
Hungary is experiencing a fifth wave of infections driven by the highly contagious omicron variant.
Early data from multiple countries show the variant causes less severe illness and fewer hospitalizations and deaths compared to delta, especially among the vaccinated.
Gulyas said the government does not expect a rapid increase in hospitalizations and deaths despite expectations that infections will likely hit all-time highs.
New COVID-19 infections jumped to 9,216 on January 13 from 7,883 the previous day, but the number of patients treated in hospital declined.
In Hungary, 40,164 people have died of COVID-19.
Just over six million Hungarians have received at least two shots, and 3.3 million have also received a third booster, out of a population of 9.8-million.
Based on reporting by AFP and Reuters
Moldova Pays Gazprom December Gas Bill, Asks For January Extension
Moldova’s gas distribution company, Moldovagaz, says it has paid Russian state-owned gas giant Gazprom for natural gas supplied in December as the country struggles to pay for higher energy prices.
"Moldovagaz has transferred the full payment for natural gas supplied in December 2021 to Gazprom," the company said in a statement posted on its website on January 13.
Moldova in October declared a state of emergency and started buying gas from countries other than Russia after its contract with Gazprom expired at the end of September and the two sides failed to agree on details and the pricing of a new long-term deal.
But in a breakthrough in late October, the Moldovan government and Gazprom announced a new price formula for a five-year agreement to keep gas flowing.
Moldovagaz still has until January 20 to make a down payment for this month's gas bill, according to the contract with Gazprom.
Moldovan Minister of Infrastructure and Regional Development Andrei Spinu said on January 11 that the purchase price has increased from $550 per thousand cubic meters in December to $647 in January, a hike that could cause problems for one of Europe's poorest countries.
Spinu said he had asked Gazprom CEO Aleksei Miller to consider the possibility of postponing the advanced payment for January by 10-20 days so that Moldovagaz could accumulate funds.
Some observers say Russia is using energy against the impoverished country sandwiched between EU member Romania and Ukraine for electing pro-Western President Maia Sandu in 2020 in a vote that rejected Russia-backed incumbent Igor Dodon.
Russia has rejected the accusations, saying the hike was purely commercial and reflected global markets.
With reporting by unimedia.md and TASS
Bulgarian Far-Right Protesters Try To Storm Parliament During Rally Against COVID Restrictions
Supporters of Bulgaria's far-right Rebirth (Vazrazhdane) party tried to storm the country's parliament building during a protest against COVID-19 restrictions. An estimated 1,000 people took part in the rally on January 12 in downtown Sofia that turned into a clash with police. Hundreds of law enforcement officers were deployed. They finally stopped the protesters when they reached the parliament's entrance. The Rebirth party leader, lawmaker Kostadin Kostadinov, addressed the rally in a video message from quarantine at home. Bulgaria, an EU member, has one of the highest COVID-19 death rates in the world.
Iranian Teachers Stage Protests In More Than 50 Cities Over Work Conditions, Pay
Hundreds of teachers have joined protests in more than 50 Iranian cities, demanding higher salaries and better labor conditions.
Reports indicated that teachers protested in the capital, Tehran, as well as Isfahan, Shiraz, Mashhad, Rasht, Qom, and other cities around the country.
Reports said at least three protesters were detained.
The teachers reportedly criticized what they referred to as the government’s "indifference to education" while also calling for the release of their detained colleagues.
The protesters demanded that the government move more quickly on a planned grading system for teachers based on experience and performance. They also want their pensions to be aligned with the salaries of working teachers as soon as possible.
“Rise up! Rise up!” some of the protesters chanted in Tehran, according to amateur videos posted online.
The protesters also chanted slogans such as: "If embezzlement is reduced, our problems will be solved!"; "We only heard promises, we didn't see justice.”; and “Incompetent parliament, shame on you!”
Teachers have staged several protests in recent weeks. Security forces have sometimes responded using heavy-handed tactics and arresting some participants.
The protests come amid soaring inflation as the impact of crippling U.S. sanctions and years of mismanagement have hit the country hard.
Last month, Iran's parliament passed legislation to raise teachers' salaries following several days of countrywide protests and a strike that impacted the Islamic republic's education system.
Measures passed by legislators on December 15 guarantee teachers will earn about 80 percent of the salaries of university faculty members, one of the protesters' demands.
Education Minister Yousef Nouri promised that the law, which had been repeatedly introduced in parliament in recent years but failed to pass, would be swiftly implemented after its approval, the government news agency IRNA reported.
With reporting by AFP
Internet In Turkmenistan, Already The World's Slowest, Faces Further Restrictions
ASHGABAT -- Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov has ordered the National Security Ministry to impose further controls on the Internet in the tightly controlled Central Asian nation, which is already known for having the world's slowest and most expensive service.
Berdymukhammedov said at a televised session of the State Security Council on January 12 that "control over the Internet had not been properly conducted in 2021."
He ordered the National Security Ministry to focus more on people who post on social networks "ideas damaging to Turkmenistan's constitutional structures, actions that disrupt social order, and propagate terrorism, extremism, ultra-nationalism, and other illegal activities."
Berdymukhammedov's orders come days after protests over gas price hikes in neighboring Kazakhstan led to deadly nationwide unrest and the removal of Kazakhstan's first president, Nursultan Nazarbaev, from the political scene. During the protests, Kazakh authorities switched off the Internet and restricted mobile-phone operations for five days.
Berdymukhammedov has ruled his country with an iron fist, tolerating little dissent while shutting it off from the outside world amid an economic crisis that has pushed many of its citizens into poverty.
The hard-line government in Ashgabat has stepped up control on people's access to information in recent years in an attempt to contain the message coming out of Turkmenistan about people's hardships, while also blocking any information coming from abroad that is critical of the Turkmen government.
In December, the U.K.-based Cable.co.uk said in a report on worldwide broadband speed that Turkmenistan, with an average Internet speed of 0.50 megabits per second (Mbps), was the slowest of all 224 countries surveyed in 2021. In Turkmenistan, it took just over 22 hours and 34 minutes to download a movie file with a size of 5 gigabytes.
- By RFE/RL
Watchdogs Urge Kazakh Officials To Respect Rights After Unrest
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch (HRW) have urged Kazakh authorities to respect human rights after detaining thousands amid anti-government rallies that turned deadly in the former Soviet republic's largest city, Almaty, last week.
Kazakh officials have said that almost 10,000 people were arrested across the country after protests over a sharp hike in the price of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in the remote western region of Manghystau spread all the way to Almaty.
The unrest escalated and turned deadly as security forces battled against some in the streets who allegedly attacked police, captured and torched government buildings, and looted shops.
In its World Report 2022 issued on January 13, HRW said that Kazakh authorities "have failed to prioritize protecting human rights during the country’s current crisis, and should urgently cancel any order to shoot to kill without warning and uphold the rights of those in detention."
“With dozens, perhaps hundreds killed and thousands in detention, the human rights concerns over the crisis in Kazakhstan are acute and need to be urgently addressed,” HRW's Europe and Central Asia director, Hugh Williamson, said.
“The global spotlight is on authorities in Kazakhstan to show that they respect people’s basic human rights. Kazakhstan should be transparent about the recent events, investigate abuses by government forces, and hold those responsible accountable.”
A day earlier, Amnesty International demanded that Kazakhstan immediately release journalists and activists arrested during and after the unprecedented protests in the oil-rich Central Asian nation.
Amnesty said that individuals who did not commit internationally recognized crimes but were arrested arbitrarily and for violating Kazakhstan’s controversial law on public gatherings must be also released immediately.
The rights group also called on Kazakh authorities to conduct thorough and unbiased investigations into all reported human rights violations during the protests, including cases where police are accused of using deadly weapons against peaceful demonstrators.
The exact number of protesters killed during the unrest remains unknown, although Kazakh authorities have said that at least 18 law enforcement officers were killed.
A Telegram-channel affiliated with the Kazakh government said on January 10 that 164 civilians died during the unrest, but the Health Ministry said later that the figure was not true and was mistakenly published due to a technical malfunction.
"The silence of authorities regarding the exact number of victims from the unrest and the circumstances of their deaths is outrageous. The information about victims among the civilian population must be revealed immediately," Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, said.
During the protests, Kazakh authorities switched off the Internet and restricted mobile-phone operations for five days.
Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev blamed rights activists and independent journalists for "inciting" the protests, which led to the arrest of several reporters in different towns and cities across the country. Some reporters are still said to be missing.
"Authorities must restore unlimited access to the Internet, unblock all other forms of communication, and stop repressing those who collect and share information. During a crisis, independent information has a decisive impact," Struthers said.
Officials in Kazakhstan said earlier this week that order has been restored in most of Kazakhstan.
Toqaev requested help from the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) as the protests spread on January 5.
The CSTO quickly sent more than 2,000 troops to Kazakhstan, mainly Russian soldiers, but also small contingencies from CSTO member states Belarus, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Armenia.
On January 13, CSTO troops began withdrawing from Kazakhstan in a process authorities have said will last 10 days.
Russia-Led CSTO Troops Begin Withdrawal From Kazakhstan
NUR-SULTAN -- Troops from the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) have begun to withdraw from Kazakhstan after being called in to help stabilize the Central Asian nation following deadly unrest sparked by a fuel price hike amid an apparent standoff with loyalists of former President Nursultan Nazarbaev.
The "collective peacekeeping forces...are starting to prepare equipment and materiel for loading into the planes of the military transport aviation of the Russian aerospace forces and returning to the points of permanent deployment," said a Russian Defense Ministry statement carried by Russian news agencies.
The CSTO -- an alliance comprised of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, and Tajikistan -- have said the pullout should take about 10 days to complete, though Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on January 13 that it may take only seven days to finish.
The CSTO troops arrived in Kazakhstan last week after President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev declared a state of emergency on January 5 and asked the bloc for military assistance when the protests turned deadly, with security personnel and mobs clashing on city streets nationwide.
The exact number of people killed in the violence remains unclear. Although the official death toll was announced as 164, Toqaev has said hundreds of civilians and security forces were killed and injured.
Toqaev claimed that "foreign-trained terrorists" were behind the protests in an attempt to overthrow the government. But analysts say there appears to be an internal power struggle between the president and followers of Nazarbaev, who has remained a powerful figure in the country since handpicking Toqaev as his successor in 2019.
After dismissing the cabinet, Toqaev removed the 81-year-old Nazarbaev as head of the National Security Council, a powerful position from which the longtime leader continued to exert considerable influence over the oil-rich Central Asian nation.
Toqaev also fired the head of the country’s National Security Committee (KNB), longtime Nazarbaev ally Karim Masimov, and then had him arrested on a charge of high treason. Several other security officials were also detained.
The KNB said in statement on January 13 that Masimov is being investigated for "actions aimed at forcibly seizing power."
According to the statement, Masimov's former deputies, Daulet Erghozhin and Anuar Sadyqulov, have been also arrested in conjunction with the case.
Toqaev sought to reassure citizens that he was working toward economic stability, ordering the central bank and the financial regulations agency to ensure foreign exchange market stability in order to build confidence in the local currency -- the tenge.
With reporting by AFP and TASS
- By RFE/RL
Energy Monitor Says Gazprom Largely To Blame For Natural-Gas Storage Deficit In Europe
The head of the International Energy Agency (IEA) has blamed Russia for worsening Europe's natural-gas crisis, saying that high prices and low storage levels largely stem from the behavior of state-owned gas supplier Gazprom.
Europe is grappling with an energy shortage that’s resulted in record gas and power prices over the past few months. Gas storage levels are at only 50 percent capacity, compared with the historical average of 70 percent at this point in the year.
Fatih Birol, executive director of the Paris-based, 30-member IEA, said the current storage deficit is largely due to Gazprom. Russia could send up to one-third more gas through existing pipelines, said Birol, whose organization provides policy recommendations on affordable and sustainable energy.
“We believe there are strong elements of the tightness in European gas markets due to Russia’s behavior," Birol told reporters.
Birol cited other pipeline supporters, such as Norway, Algeria, and Azerbaijan, saying that they had increased their supplies to Europe, while Gazprom reduced its exports by 25 percent in the fourth quarter compared with a year ago "despite high market prices,” he added.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Gazprom has met its obligations under long-term contracts and blamed high spot gas prices on European decisions to move toward volatile short-term market pricing. He has also asserted that German gas customers have been reselling Russian gas to Poland and Ukraine rather than addressing their own market’s needs.
Birol stated directly that Russia is using gas to put political pressure on Western Europe.
He noted that low Russian gas flows to Europe “coincide with heightened geopolitical tensions over Ukraine,” adding, “I just wanted to highlight this coincidence.”
Russia has moved nearly 100,000 troops near Russia’s border with Ukraine and made demands that NATO cease any further eastward expansion. It also wants German and European Union regulators to approve its newly built Nord Stream 2 pipeline that would bypass other countries and start bringing natural gas directly to Germany.
With reporting by AP, Bloomberg, and Reuters
Novi Sad Becomes European Capital Of Culture For One Year
The northeastern Serbian city of Novi Sad officially became European Capital of Culture on January 13 after a yearlong delay caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The European Capital of Culture designation was created by the European Commission to highlight the richness and diversity of cultures in Europe.
Novi Sad’s program during 2022 will follow the concept originally sketched out for 2021, which consists of four areas under the theme "For New Bridges."
The program is designed to help the city develop its strategy for the sustainable development of its cultural sector with a focus on strengthening cultural institutions and participation, and renewing cultural heritage.
Novi Sad citizens and visitors will be offered various cultural programs throughout the year, both from the popular and the alternative cultural scene. According to the organizers, Novi Sad will host more than 4,000 artists during the year.
The European Capital of Culture was established in 1985 to emphasize the richness and diversity of European cultures, strengthen cultural ties between Europeans, bring together people from different European countries, promote mutual understanding, and strengthen a sense of European unity.
Since the designation was launched by a resolution of EU ministers of culture, more than 40 European cities have won the title.
Novi Sad holds the title of European Capital of Culture in 2022 with two other cities: Kaunas in Lithuania and Esha in Luxembourg.
Many cities use the designation to enable wider access to culture, improve their image, develop tourism, and strengthen cultural and creative industries.
Based on reporting by RFE/RL's Balkan Service
- By RFE/RL
HRW Urges Democratic Leaders 'To Do Better' In Face Of Authoritarian Rise
Human Rights Watch says the world's democratic leaders need "to do better" in meeting global challenges if they are to build momentum in toppling autocrats after a wave of protests against authoritarian rule last year.
In its World Report 2022, released on January 13, the rights watchdog said autocratic leaders faced significant backlash in 2021, but democracy will only flourish if democratic leaders do a better job of addressing global problems to show people that democracy delivers.
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The report notes that leaders with autocratic tendencies call the shots in many parts of the world, including Russia and China, while continuing to make inroads in regions where the democratic process is being undermined through illicit actions, including corruption, meant to consolidate the authoritarians' grip on power.
"Today’s democratic leaders are not rising to the challenges facing the world," HRW Executive Director Kenneth Roth noted in the introduction to the report.
“In country after country, large numbers of people have taken to the streets, even at the risk of being arrested or shot, which shows the appeal of democracy remains strong.... But elected leaders need to do a better job of addressing major challenges to show that democratic government delivers on its promised dividends,” he added.
The report says that leaders with authoritarian tendencies frequently use government funds to finance self-serving projects rather than public needs.
Roth points out that in Hungary, for example, Prime Minister Viktor Orban has spent European Union subsidies on football stadiums, "which he used to pay off cronies, while leaving hospitals in a decrepit state."
In Russia, the report says the legislative crackdown that began in November 2020 intensified ahead of September general elections, especially by expanding and toughening legislation on "foreign agents" and "undesirable foreign organizations."
Russia's "foreign agent" laws require those designated to register with the authorities and label their content with an intrusive disclaimer, with criminal fines for not doing so.
Kremlin critics say the "foreign agent" designation brings up Soviet-era connotations that are intended to root out any independent civic activity in Russia.
Many activists, journalists, and associates of jailed opposition politician Aleksei Navalny have left the country in recent months amid increasing pressure on independent media and those voicing dissent. Several of those who left were on the "foreign agent" list.
"Authorities used some of these laws and other measures to smear, harass, and penalize human rights defenders, journalists, independent groups, political adversaries, and even academics," the report notes, adding that authorities "took particular aim at independent journalism."
In Belarus, the report says, authorities last year escalated smear campaigns and prosecutions against political and civic activists, independent journalists, and human rights defenders on trumped-up, politically motivated charges, following a wave of protests in 2020 triggered by strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka's claim of victory in a presidential election widely seen as manipulated in his favor.
In China, President Xi Jinping solidified his grip on power "while the government doubled down on repression inside and outside the country in 2021," it said. Furthermore, Beijing's “zero-tolerance” policy toward COVID-19 strengthened the authorities’ hand as they imposed harsh policies in the name of public health.
Despite so many examples of authoritarian gains last year, the report notes that there is hope for a resurgence of democracy in some parts of the world, as "alliances of opposition parties have formed" ahead of forthcoming elections in countries such as Hungary and Turkey.
Roth says that since autocrats can no longer rely on "subtly manipulated elections" to preserve power, a growing number are "resorting to overt electoral charades that guarantee their desired result but confer none of the legitimacy sought from holding an election."
"This growing repression is a sign of weakness, not strength," Roth said.
"If democracies are to prevail, their leaders must do more than spotlight the inevitable shortcomings of autocratic rule," he added.
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