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Noted Belarusian Blogger Gets Two Years In Prison For Allegedly Insulting Lukashenka
Well-known Belarusian blogger Andrey Byalyauski has been sentenced to two years in prison for allegedly insulting authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka with his postings on social media.
The Minsk-based Vyasna human rights center said Judge Anton Dudal pronounced the verdict and sentence for the 45-year-old blogger on August 22, after a trial behind closed doors that lasted only a couple of hours.
Byalyauski's project -- I Have A Question on TikTok and YouTube -- raises social, economic, and political issues and is well-known among Belarusian Internet users. He was arrested in late April and accused of insulting Lukashenka.
After Byalyauski's arrest, his account on TikTok was taken over by Belarusian law enforcement officials.
Byalyauski is one of dozens in Belarus who have faced trials since the election, which the opposition claims was rigged, as authorities have brutally suppressed dissent in any form.
The crackdown was evident again on August 22 as police in the capital, Minsk, arrested 57-year-old businessman Syarhey Mirharodzki, his 55-year-old wife, Ala, and their 24-year-old son Serafim.
The newspaper Nasha Niva reported that the trio was arrested for their participation in anti-Lukashenka rallies after the presidential poll results were announced in 2020.
Rights activists and opposition politicians say the poll was rigged to extend Lukashenka's rule. Thousands have been detained during countrywide protests and there have been credible reports of torture and ill-treatment by security forces. Several people have died during the crackdown.
Many of Belarus's opposition leaders have been arrested or forced to leave the country, while Lukashenka has refused to negotiate with the opposition.
The United States, the European Union, and several other countries have refused to acknowledge Lukashenka as the winner of the vote and imposed several rounds of sanctions on him and his regime, citing election fraud and the police crackdown.
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At Least 6 Killed In Russian Drone Strike On Ukraine's Sumy
A Russian drone attack that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called "a horrible tragedy" struck a residential building in the Ukrainian regional capital Sumy, officials said, killing at least six and injuring nine others, including a child.
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RFE/RL's Ukraine Live Briefing gives you the latest developments on Russia's invasion, Western military aid, the plight of civilians, and territorial control maps. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.
According to the Ukrainian prosecutor's office, those killed in the attack on January 30 were three couples who ranged in age between 61 and 74 years old. Ukraine's State Emergencies Service reports that rescue operations are still underway.
Russia launched more than 80 drones at Ukraine overnight, according to the Ukrainian Air Force, in what have become nightly waves of attacks across the country. Most of the drones were shot down by defense missiles or driven off track by electronic jamming.
"A terrible tragedy, a terrible Russian crime," Zelenskyy said of the strike.
"It is important that the world does not pause the pressure on Russia for the terror," he added.
Officials said that five apartments across four floors and 12 balconies were destroyed. More than 80 windows and balconies were damaged, and over 20 cars were impacted.
The strike also caused power, water, and heating outages in the affected building, with one entrance losing its gas supply
Russian forces have frequently targeted Ukrainian cities using drones, missiles, guided bombs, and multiple-launch rocket systems.
Despite overwhelming evidence, Russia denies deliberately attacking civilian infrastructure during its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
However, Ukrainian officials and international organizations classify such strikes as war crimes, emphasizing that they are deliberate attacks on civilians, hospitals, schools, and critical infrastructure.
Serbian Students March From Belgrade To Novi Sad
BELGRADE -- Hundreds of Serbian students have begun a march from Belgrade to the city of Novi Sad in the latest protest to shake the country over the deadly collapse of a train station roof they say was the result of deep-seated corruption.
Residents in the capital cheered from apartment windows as the students, some holding signs with the message "One step closer to justice," embarked on the 80-kilometer walk that will culminate with a rally in Novi Sad organized by students there.
"Traffic on the route will be suspended and redirected. Members of the traffic police and public order department, as well as ambulances and water tankers, will be deployed in front of and behind the convoy," Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said.
Anger over the November collapse of the roof, which left 15 people dead, has swept across the country, with tens of thousands taking to the streets as part of a movement calling for greater accountability and justice.
In response, Prime Minister Milos Vucevic and Novi Sad Mayor Milan Duric stepped down this week, saying they considered themselves "objectively responsible" for what happened.
Serbia Protest March Begins Amid Political Turmoil
The protests have piled pressure on populist Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, who faces his biggest challenge since taking office a decade ago.
Vucic said on January 29 that his ruling party will decide in the next 10 days whether it will put forward a new government, which has attempted to maintain close ties to traditional ally Russia while also promoting the country's European Union membership hopes, or call snap parliamentary elections.
The canopy collapse occurred after the Novi Sad railway station had been renovated twice in recent years by a Chinese-led consortium of four companies. Serbian Railways insisted the renovation didn’t include the concrete overhang, but some experts disputed that, while many people blame corruption and poor construction oversight for the tragedy.
Participants in recent demonstrations called for accountability for those deemed responsible for the Novi Sad tragedy. They have also demanded officials be investigated for the beating of students during the protests.
Vucic also said he was ready to provide an amnesty for all students and professors facing criminal charges following their arrests during the recent protests.
Students have also been holding more than 60 state universities in lockdown for the past two months. Their primary demand is that authorities release complete documentation on the railway station reconstruction projects.
The authorities claim all their demands have been met and urge students to open the faculties.
Academics, on the other hand, say the requirements have been only partially met and the suspension of work at the faculties will continue until further notice.
They insist the documentation on the reconstruction of the train station published on the website of the government of Serbia and on the website of the prosecutor-general's office in Novi Sad is incomplete.
- By RFE/RL
Russian Champion Skaters Naumov, Shishkova Among Scores Of Passengers Dead In D.C. Plane Crash
Former Russian World Champion figure skaters Vadim Naumov and his wife, Evgenia Shishkova, are among scores killed in a midair collision between a passenger jet and a military helicopter on a training flight over the Potomac River near the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.
Washington Fire Chief John Donnelly told a news conference on January 30 that the rescue operation had switched to a recovery operation as "we don't believe there are any survivors from the midair collision," which occurred shortly before 9 p.m. local time on January 29.
Sixty passengers and four crew members were on board the American Airlines flight from Wichita, Kansas, while there were three U.S. military members on the helicopter.
The Skating Club of Boston, where Naumov and Shishkova had been coaching since 2017, said in a statement that the two Russian coaches, who won the pairs gold medal at the 1994 World Figure Skating Championships, were among six members of the club who died in the crash.
"Our sport and our club have suffered a horrible loss with this tragedy," SCB CEI and Executive Director Doug Zeghibe said in a statement, noting the group had been in Kansas for the U.S. National Championships last week, which were followed by a development camp for promising junior skaters.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted by TASS as saying the news that other Russians were also on board the doomed flight.
"There were other of our fellow citizens on board. It's bad news today from Washington. We are sorry and send our condolences to families and friends," he added.
The pair, who also won the 1995-96 Champions Series final, moved to the United States after they ended their skating careers, and became coaches.
Their 23-year-old son, Maxim, is a U.S. citizen who competes for the United States in international competitions. He was the U.S. national junior champion in 2020.
Donnelly said 27 bodies had been recovered from the icy waters of the Potomac River, as well as one body from the U.S Army Black Hawk helicopter that was on a training mission when the accident occurred.
Video on social media showed the lights of two airborne objects heading toward each other before a fireball flashed through the sky.
Experts said it appeared as though the plane was only 300 feet (91 meters) above ground level and ready to land when it crashed with the helicopter.
Prague-based Israeli pilot and flight instructor Michael Parkanski said it appeared that all correct procedures were being followed, which suggested the incident might have been caused by human error.
"To me, it seems like a pure human factor error," he told RFE/RL. "It was a split second...they lost their concentration, same as can happen to us on the road, when we lose our concentration for a split second, and then an accident happens. It's a [great] pity, but in my opinion this is a pure human factor here."
Rescue crews were quickly on the scene but the search was complicated by darkness and near freezing temperatures.
The FAA said the jet involved was a Bombardier regional jet that had departed from Wichita, Kansas. It collided in midair with the Black Hawk helicopter as it approached for landing. The jet can hold about 60 passengers.
U.S. Figure Skating had held the national championships in Wichita from January 20-26 and some media reports said that as many as 14 skaters and coaches were on the flight.
In a statement President Donald Trump said he had been briefed on the "terrible accident" and thanked those involved in the "incredible work being done by our first responders." He said he was monitoring the situation and would provide details as they arise.
American Airlines said there were 60 passengers and four crew on board the flight. The Canadian-made Bombardier CRJ-701 twin-engine jet was manufactured in 2004 and can be configured to carry up to 70 passengers.
Three members of the U.S. military were on the Sikorsky H-60, commonly known as the Black Hawk, but no officers, according to news reports.
American Airlines Chief Executive Officer Robert Isom said "we don't know why" military helicopter came into path of passenger jet before collision.
There has not been a fatal U.S. passenger airplane accident since February 2009, but a series of near-miss incidents in recent years have raised serious safety concerns.
With reporting by Reuters, Fox News, and TASS
- By Kyrylo Ovsyaniy,
- Anna Myroniuk,
- Schemes and
- Carl Schreck
China Supplying Key Chemicals For Russian Missiles, RFE/RL Investigation Finds
KYIV -- Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine nearly three years ago, Western nations have accused China of supplying Moscow with microchips and other critical dual-use technologies that are “powering Russia’s brutal war of aggression.”
In response, Washington and Brussels have hit hundreds of Chinese companies and individuals with sanctions in a pressure campaign to stem the technology flow to the Kremlin’s war machine.
But left untouched by these Western sanctions are some two dozen Chinese companies supplying Russia with gallium, germanium, and antimony -- key elements found in the drones and missiles that Moscow is using to pummel Ukraine.
An investigation by Schemes, the investigative unit of RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service, has found that these Chinese companies are feeding these critical minerals to Russia’s military-industrial complex, including the state-owned conglomerate Rostec, which says it provides nearly 80 percent of the weapons the Kremlin is deploying in Ukraine.
According to records obtained by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and reviewed by Schemes, at least a third of these suppliers are partially owned by the Chinese government, which publicly denies having “fanned fire or fueled the flames” of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
The Chinese Sellers
These Chinese suppliers of critical minerals to Russia identified by Schemes include Yunnan Lincang Xinyuan Germanium Industry, whose largest stakeholder is Chinese Communist Party (CCP) member Bao Wendong. Its minority shareholders are two firms with state capital.
Another Chinese company supplying germanium, gallium, and antimony to Russia is VITAL Technology Group, a group of Chinese companies with around 25-percent ownership by Chinese state structures.
A third is Hynhe Technology, which is 10-percent owned by Zhejiang Jingsheng Mechanical & Electrical, a leading Chinese state-owned company in the northwestern city of Hangzhou.
Among the recipients of these Chinese metals is a Japanese-owned Russian firm that has sold silicon wafers to Russian manufacturers of microelectronics for weapons, customs and tax records reviewed by Schemes show. Japan has coordinated with Washington and Brussels on its own sanctions targeting Russian aggression.
Following Russia’s February 2022 invasion, the United States and the EU imposed restrictions on exports of gallium, germanium, and antimony to Russia. But China is not a party to Western sanctions targeting Moscow, meaning their effectiveness is limited.
“If there is direct cooperation between a Chinese and a Russian company, then the sanctions of Western partners do not directly affect this. They can continue to do what they do among themselves,” Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy's sanctions policy commissioner, Vladyslav Vlasyuk, told Schemes.
Vlasyuk added, however, that sanctions nonetheless play an important role in complicating the Russian military’s supply chain.
Conventional And Nuclear Weapons
Many countries across the world -- including the United States and EU member nations -- maintain reserves of gallium, germanium, and antimony due to their importance in microelectronics and military applications.
“These are all elements that are parts of any electronic systems…and even more so in a war zone, in military facilities, in any kind of defense system,” Tetyana Solomakha, a senior avionics lecturer at the Kyiv Aviation Institute, told Schemes.
Among the many military applications of these minerals are nuclear weapons, night-vision goggles, laser-guidance systems, drones, and infrared sensors for warships, aircraft, missiles, and tanks.
“These metals are used in microprocessors. A drone without a flight controller and without this microprocessor simply will not fly,” Anton Pobuta, founder of the Ukrainian company Lab 418, which manufactures drones, told Schemes.
When China, the world’s largest producer of gallium, germanium, and antimony, banned its companies last month from supplying the three minerals to the United States in response to new U.S. export controls targeting Beijing, Chinese officials specifically cited their military applications.
But Beijing has secured a firm hold on the market for these minerals in Russia, where buyers include multiple companies already subjected to U.S. sanctions.
Amid the Western sanctions regime, China became the only foreign supplier of gallium and germanium to Russia in 2023 and remains Russia’s largest supplier of antimony, according to Russian customs data obtained by Schemes.
The Rostec-linked companies through which Chinese rare minerals end up in the Russian defense sector include Germanium JSC, a direct Rostec subsidiary, and a private company called Germanium and Applications, which actively does business with Rostec.
Records reviewed by Schemes show that Germanium and Applications in turn supplies Chinese rare metals to companies that include the Urals Optical and Mechanical Plant, a manufacturer of optical equipment for Russian military jets and helicopters.
The Urals Optical and Mechanical Plant, which is under both U.S. and EU sanctions, describes itself as the “main suppliers of optical systems” for the Russian military.
Other Russian importers of Chinese rare minerals include the U.S.-sanctioned Enkor Grupp, an electronics manufacturer whose plant received a visit from Russian President Vladimir Putin last year, and Cryotrade Engineering, a company that has also been sanctioned by Washington and which works with Rostec and other firms in the Russian military industry.
Public procurement records show that Cryotrade Engineering, an importer of Chinese gallium, does business with multiple Russian research institutes under U.S. sanctions, including the Kurchatov Institute, a nuclear-weapons developer headed by a close associate of Putin. Gallium is used to stabilize the plutonium in atomic bombs.
Both gallium and germanium are used in technology critical for Russian weapons, including laser guidance systems like those used in the Orlan-30 unmanned reconnaissance drone, which Moscow has deployed in Ukraine.
The Russian Defense Ministry boasted in November that the Orlan-30’s laser designator rangefinder “makes it possible to accurately aim a guided munition, whether it is an adjusted aerial bomb or an adjusted artillery shell, at a target.”
Japan's Supply-Chain Link
Records reviewed by Schemes also show that a Russian subsidiary of the Japanese company Ferrotec, which produces silicon parts for microchips, has both imported antimony from China and sold silicon wafers to Russian manufacturers of microelectronics for the military.
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RFE/RL's Ukraine Live Briefing gives you the latest developments on Russia's invasion, Western military aid, the plight of civilians, and territorial control maps. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.
The subsidiary, Moscow-based Ferrotec Nord, has imported antimony over the past four years from companies within VITAL Technology Group, a Chinese conglomerate with around 25-percent ownership by Chinese state entities.
The most recent of these listed shipments in customs records obtained by Schemes came in February 2024, nearly two years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion.
As recently as last year, Ferrotec Nord sold silicon wafers to a plant outside Moscow called Epiel, according to tax records obtained by Schemes.
Epiel is among the main suppliers of microchip components to the Rostec-owned firm Angstrem, which openly states that it works with Russian arms manufacturers.
In Russian civil litigation in November 2023, Angstrem stated that it supplies microchips and semiconductor devices to the Russian Defense Ministry, state space agency Roskosmos, and sanctioned Russian arms manufacturer Uralvagonzavod, among other weapons producers.
The company added that its volume of orders had quadrupled due to Russia’s “special military operation” -- the official Kremlin description of its war on Ukraine.
Schemes sought comment from the Japanese holding Ferrotec on its rare-mineral imports from China and work with suppliers to Russia’s military-industrial complex.
The company did not respond in time for publication.
Pro-Russian Party In Georgia Cuts Ties With European Body - What’s At Stake?
The Georgian Dream party ceased its work in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), the head of the Georgian delegation said after the Strasbourg-based legislative body overwhelmingly passed a resolution calling on Georgia to set a date for new parliamentary elections.
Tea Tsulukiani announced the move on January 29, saying that conditions of the resolution, which passed 114-13, were "unacceptable, unfair, and unfounded."
The resolution calls on Georgian authorities to set a date for new parliamentary elections before April, release all political prisoners, and review controversial laws. Its demands echo those of protesters who continue to hold pro-European rallies in Tbilisi and elsewhere in the country.
Tsulukiani said the resolution’s demand for new elections “violates Georgia’s sovereignty and ignores the will of more than 1,120,000 voters who voted for Georgian Dream and is categorically unacceptable,” according to the Novosti-Gruzia.
“To accept this reservation on our part would be tantamount to betraying our electorate and, consequently, the overwhelming majority of our society,” Tsulukiani said. “Based on the above, we, members of the Georgian parliamentary delegation in Strasbourg, are ceasing our work in PACE from today.”
Georgian Dream was harshly criticized by members of the PACE during its plenary session on January 29. Among them was Latvian MP Zanda Kalniņa-Lukasevica, who said there had been a rollback of democracy in the country.
Georgian Dream last month pushed through its candidate, Mikheil Kavelashvili, a former soccer player and right-wing populist, as the country's new president despite widespread claims that the country’s parliamentary elections in October were not free and fair.
Georgian Dream claimed victory in the elections, which the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said were marred by instances of vote-buying, double-voting, physical violence, and intimidation.
Anti-government protests broke out in response to Georgian Dream’s claim and intensified in November after a government decision to delay negotiations on Georgia joining the European Union.
The authorities responded violently to the demonstrations, arresting hundreds of people and surveilling participants with Chinese-made cameras with facial-recognition capabilities.
The PACE’s resolution also calls for “an inclusive process involving all stakeholders and social actors” in Georgia to address “the shortcomings and problems revealed by the recent parliamentary elections.”
The process should strive for “an electoral environment conducive to the holding of genuinely democratic new parliamentary elections, which should be called in the coming months,” the resolution said.
Putin Says Ready For Peace Talks, But Not With 'Illegitimate' Zelenskyy
Russian President Vladimir Putin has again ruled out direct peace talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whom he called "illegitimate," prompting the Ukrainian leader to accuse Putin of being "afraid" of negotiating a settlement to the almost 3-year-old war.
"You can negotiate with anyone, but because of his illegitimacy, he [Zelenskyy] has no right to sign anything," Putin told state Rossiya 1 TV late on January 28.
He added that he would "allocate people to take part" in negotiations if Zelenskyy would be present instead of holding direct talks face-to-face.
Putin has said several times he does not consider Zelenskyy a legitimate leader since Zelenskyy's five-year term in office was supposed to end last year on May 20.
An election was to have taken place on March 31, 2024, but was postponed because the country is still under martial law due to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Zelenskyy, who under the constitution must continue to perform his duties until a new head of state is elected, responded to Putin's claim saying it is the Russian leader who is the obstacle to talks to end the fighting.
"Today, Putin once again confirmed that he is afraid of negotiations, afraid of strong leaders, and does everything possible to prolong the war," Zelenskyy wrote in a post on social media.
"Now we see that there is a possibility of achieving real peace, but it is Putin who is doing everything to either continue killing on a full scale instead of peace, or to get a pause in order to prepare a new full-scale invasion in the future, delivering hybrid strikes."
Ukraine has been under martial law since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022 and would have to amend the law in order to hold elections during a state of war.
Zelenskyy has been looking to the United States to put pressure on Moscow to end Russia’s all-out war on Ukraine amid reports that behind-the-scenes negotiations to resolve the conflict have been ramping up following the January 20 inauguration of President Donald Trump.
Since taking office, Trump has threatened to impose heavy taxes, tariffs, and sanctions on all goods coming from Russia to the United States and other countries if Moscow doesn't come to the negotiating table.
"If we don't make a 'deal,' and soon, I have no other choice but to put high levels of Taxes, Tariffs, and Sanctions on anything being sold by Russia to the United States, and various other participating countries," Trump wrote in a post on his social media website Truth Social on January 22.
Those threats appear to conflict with Trump's past praise for Putin, his criticism of U.S. aid to Ukraine, and his apparent eagerness for a quick end to the fighting, which led to concerns among Ukraine's supporters that he might sacrifice Kyiv's interests in the name of a deal, ultimately strengthening Russia.
The Kremlin has shrugged off Trump's hard-line comments, saying it doesn't see "any particularly new elements" in them.
Ukraine has been steadily losing ground on the battlefield for nearly a year now, as Russia’s bigger and better-armed military has been grinding down Ukrainian defenses and inflicting massive casualties.
One of Kyiv's biggest problems has been recruiting enough men to replenish depleted units. The government last year overhauled its system for mobilizing men, but Ukraine's frontline forces are still badly outnumbered.
Zelenskyy has also resisted lowering the draft age to 18, saying it would decimate the country’s demographics.
Ukraine Strikes Russian Oil Refinery In Major Attack On Energy Infrastructure
Ukraine's military said its drones struck a Russian oil refinery in the Nizhny Novgorod region as part of a massive attack targeting energy infrastructure, including a nuclear power site.
Ukraine's Defense Ministry said in a statement on January 29 that the refinery was "involved in providing support to the Russian occupation army."
"Combat work on strategic facilities involved in providing support for the Russian armed aggression against Ukraine will continue," it added.
Geolocation data from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty confirmed social media posts showing a major fire at the Sibur-Kstovo oil refinery near Nizhny Novgorod.
Russian government officials in Russia's Smolensk, Belgorod, Nizhny Novgorod, Tver, Kursk, Leningrad, and Bryansk regions said their areas had been hit by Ukrainian drones overnight, though they did not comment on the refinery strike.
Officials in the capital of Russia's Republic of Tatarstan, Kazan, and the country's second largest city, St. Petersburg, temporarily suspended traffic, citing safety concerns.
"In various areas of the Smolensk region, civilian objects are being subjected to a massive attack" by drones, Governor Vasily Anokhin wrote on Telegram.
No additional information was provided, but the Smolensk Nuclear Power Plant is a major power-generating facility some 100 kilometers from Smolensk city.
Belgorod regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov, wrote on Telegram that a drone attack hit a private house in the town of Razumnoye, killing a woman and her two-year-old child. According to Gladkov, the woman's husband and another child of the couple' were injured in the attack, which partially destroyed the house.
Gladkov also said that several Ukrainian drones hit infrastructure and buildings in and near the villages of Dvuluchnoye and Bezlyudovka. No casualties were reported.
The Russian Defense Ministry said its defenses shot down 104 Ukrainian drones over multiple regions overnight, but it was not possible to independently confirm the claims.
Both sides in the war have stepped up the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones in recent months, often targeting the enemy's energy infrastructure.
Russia has also caused widespread destruction of Ukrainian civilian sites with drones, rockets, artillery, and various types of bombs. The Kremlin has denied it targets civilian areas despite evidence of such attacks.
Inside Ukraine, regional Governor Vitaliy Kim said two women were killed due to a Russian missile attack on the city of Mykolayiv.
Off the battlefield, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian President Vladimir Putin was "afraid" to enter into negotiations on ending the war after the Kremlin leader ruled out direct talks with his Ukrainian counterpart.
Vintage Cars Of Ousted Ukraine President Yanukovych Destroyed In Russian Strike
"Today, Putin once again confirmed that he is afraid of negotiations, afraid of strong leaders, and does everything possible to prolong the war," Zelenskyy wrote on X.
“Every move he makes and all his cynical tricks are aimed at making the war endless,” he added.
Earlier, Putin told Russian state TV thattalks with Ukraine were possible but not with Zelenskyy, whom he deemed as "illegitimate" because his presidential term expired while the country was under martial law.
"But essentially, if they want to proceed, there is a legal way to do it. Let the chairman of the [Ukrainian parliament] handle it in accordance with the constitution," Putin said.
"However, so far, we simply do not see such a desire," he added.
Meanwhile, Axios reported the U.S. military transferred some 90 Patriot air-defense missiles from storage in Israel to Poland this week with an aim to deliver them to Ukraine.
The report, citing three people with knowledge of the operation, said the Israeli Air Force decommissioned the Patriot air-defense system more than 30 years after it was given to Israel during the first Gulf War.
After the Israelis announced the decommissioning, Kyiv suggested to U.S. and Israeli officials that Israel return the missiles to the U.S. military to be refurbished and then sent to Ukraine.
With reporting by Axios
Serbia's Vucic Weighs New Government, Snap Elections Amid Disarray
BELGRADE -- Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said the ruling party will decide in the next 10 days whether it will put forward a new government or call snap parliamentary elections after the resignation of the prime minister sent the Balkan nation's leadership scrambling for answers.
"In the next 10 days, we will make a decision whether we will go to elections or whether we will join the new government. We, as the Serbian Progressive Party [SNS], still do not have a candidate [for prime minister]," Vucic said on January 28.
The president was speaking at a news conference after the resignation of Prime Minister Milos Vucevic prompted the new crisis within the Serbian government.
Vucevic became the highest-ranking leader to resign amid mass protests in the capital, Belgrade, and elsewhere following the collapse of a concrete roof at a railway station in the city of Novi Sad on November 1, killing 15 people.
Student-led protests over the past three months have demanded accountability for those deemed responsible for the tragedy, with many alleging that corruption and incompetence were to blame.
Speaking at a hastily called news conference in Belgrade on January 28, Vucevic said he and Novi Sad Mayor Milan Djuric were stepping down to show accountability for what happened.
"The mayor of Novi Sad and I consider ourselves objectively responsible for what happened in Novi Sad and for that we are willingly paying the political price," Vucevic said.
“With the resignation of the prime minister, the entire cabinet falls, so practically speaking, the entire government is resigning,” he said, adding that Vucic had accepted his decision.
Vucic said he accepted Vucevic reluctantly because the prime minister did his job well and "didn't do anything wrong."
Vucic is a powerful figure in the country of some 6.8 million people as he attempts to maintain traditional close ties with Russia while promoting Serbia as a candidate for European Union membership.
SNS has dominated Serbia's politics for more than a decade, imposing its control at virtually all levels of power in the Balkan state.
According to the Serbian Constitution, if parliament fails to elect a new government within 30 days of the prime minister's resignation, the president is obliged to dissolve the National Assembly and schedule elections.
Vucic said he will organize consultations with all parliamentary parties on the next steps to be taken.
Opposition parties -- which have accused the populist SNS of irregularities in previous elections -- have demanded that a transitional government be created to ensure that any vote will be free and fair.
In June 2024 local elections, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said that "serious irregularities" occurred, including "violations of voting security."
The latest protests, which began on a small scale in Novi Sad following the railway station tragedy, have grown to mass demonstrations. On January 27, farmers on tractors joined students and others in a 24-hour blockade of main thoroughfares in the capital.
Rally participants complained that beatings by people wielding baseball bats left several protesters injured.
For more than two months, students have also blocked more than 60 state universities, garnering the support of much of the academic community.
Many students said they were not satisfied with the resignations of Vucevic and Djuric and demanded additional transparency in the investigation into the collapse of the Novi Sad railway roof.
The collapse occurred after the station had been renovated twice in recent years by a Chinese-led consortium of four companies.
Serbian Railways insisted the renovation didn’t include the concrete overhang, but some experts disputed that, while many people blame corruption and poor construction oversight for the tragedy.
The Novi Sad High Public Prosecutor's Office has so far questioned 48 individuals, including officials from Serbian Railways and Infrastructure.
With reporting by Reuters
Ukraine Anti-Corruption Agency Launches Probe Into Defense Chief Umerov
KYIV -- Ukrainian authorities said a criminal probe has been launched into Defense Minister Rustem Umerov for his failure to comply with an order to extend the contract of the chief of the Defense Procurement Agency (AOZ), in what appears to be a burgeoning dispute over arms procurement procedures.
Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) on January 28 told RFE/RL it had launched the probe into the possible abuse of power or official position by Umerov due to his refusal to renew the contract of AOZ head Maryna Bezrukova and his dismissal of two members of its Supervisory Board.
NABU said the Umerov probe was initiated following a complaint filed by the Anti-Corruption Action Center (AntAC), a nongovernmental organization.
The news of the Umerov probe came hours after Ukraine's cabinet officially fired Deputy Defense Minister Dmytro Klimenkov as part of a shakeup of the Defense Ministry's procurement operations.
The moves highlight what is seen as a pressing need for management reform in a sector critical to Ukraine's defense as it fights to repel Russia's full-scale invasion launched nearly three years ago.
Ukraine Invasion: News & Analysis
RFE/RL's Ukraine Live Briefing gives you the latest developments on Russia's invasion, Western military aid, the plight of civilians, and territorial control maps. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.
Umerov did not immediately comment on the news, which was announced late in the evening on January 28.
He had been appointed to his post by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in September 2023.
The NABU said in a statement that the abuse of power or official position, if proven, is punishable by imprisonment for a term of three to six years, along with fines and other sanctions. It also stated that a suspect is considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Earlier in the day, Klimenkov’s firing was announced by the government, saying he was dismissed in accordance with a pledge by Umerov to restructure procurement in the Defense Ministry.
In a televised broadcast on January 24, Umerov vowed to fire "all those who didn't do their job properly" and set comprehensive reforms under way within the AOZ.
Umerov also renounced the contract renewal of AOZ director Bezrukova and two state representatives, Taras Chmut and Yuriy Dzhihir, were replaced on the supervisory board.
Umerov said the new director of AOZ would be Arsen Zhumadilov, who heads the State Logistics Operator. Zhumadilov has since confirmed his acceptance of the role.
The moves came on the heels of a controversial decision by AOZ's supervisory board a week ago to unanimously extend Bezrukova's contract for one year.
The Defense Ministry immediately appealed the decision citing procedural irregularities. Bezrukova has since warned that the ongoing legal dispute could disrupt crucial procurement activities, particularly the supply of ammunition.
The situation at the Defense Ministry has attracted international attention.
In a joint statement, G7 ambassadors have called for a swift resolution to the matter, the implementation of governance reforms, and adherence to NATO principles.
The statement underscores the importance of maintaining public and international confidence in Ukraine's procurement systems, particularly as Western allies debate continued military support for Kyiv.
The AOZ, established in mid-2022, was intended to streamline the acquisition of arms as Russia escalated its aggression against Ukraine.
However, its performance has been criticized for inefficiency and lax governance. Bezrukova, who took over as director in early 2024, has faced mounting criticism for her management style.
Ukraine Giving Up Nukes Was 'Absolutely Stupid, Illogical, And Very Irresponsible,' Zelenskyy Says
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was optimistic about U.S. pressure on Moscow to end Russia's all-out war on Ukraine, according to a new interview, though he said he thought President Donald Trump was unclear how to do that.
In comments published January 25 with the Italian newspaper Il Foglio, Zelenskyy also pushed back on calls for more changes to the country's mobilization system, suggesting it would result in mass desertions.
Ukraine Invasion: News & Analysis
RFE/RL's Ukraine Live Briefing gives you the latest developments on Russia's invasion, Western military aid, the plight of civilians, and territorial control maps. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.
The interview was conducted by Cecila Sala, a journalist and popular podcaster who was released from a Tehran prison earlier this month after 21 days in custody.
Zelenskyy's comments come as behind-the-scenes negotiations to resolve the nearly-three-year-old invasion ramp up following Trump's inauguration.
Trump has vowed to quickly end Russia's all-out invasion, launched on February 24, 2022, and two of his top security aides, Keith Kellogg and Mike Waltz, have floated different ways they say Russia could be used to push a cease-fire or peace deal. Trump has said he wants to meet Russian leader Vladimir Putin as soon as possible.
Zelenskyy praised Trump's threats of increased economic sanctions to pressure Russia. However, he also said he told Trump about previous negotiations with "Putin giving his word and then not keeping it."
"I think [Trump] is not clear on the details," he was quoted as saying. "Almost everything depends on what we Ukrainians are able to secure to protect ourselves, because we will not make the mistakes of the past again."
"I told [Trump] frankly that Putin definitely does not want" to end the war, he said, "so it will not happen quickly. But Trump, thanks to his strength, sanctions, the strength of the U.S., and the economy, can speed it up."
Zelenskyy said he reminded Trump about the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, the deal under which Ukraine agreed to give up its small holdings of nuclear weapons in exchange for security guarantees -- from Russia, the United States, and Britain. Some Ukrainians say Kyiv would have been able to deter Russia from invading if it had kept the weapons.
Giving up the weapons was "absolutely stupid, illogical, and very irresponsible," the Ukrainian leader said.
"If I could go back to 1994, I would only trade our nuclear weapons for something that could truly deter any aggressor, regardless of their political power, territorial size, or military strength," Zelenskyy was quoted as saying. "Trump said, ‘Yes, I understand what you're saying. You cannot make the same mistake three times'."
Ukraine has been steadily losing ground on the battlefield for nearly a year now, as Russia's bigger and better-armed military has been grinding down Ukrainian defenses and inflicting massive casualties.
One of Kyiv's biggest problems has been recruiting enough men to replenish depleted units. The government last year overhauled its system for mobilizing men, but Ukraine's frontline forces are still badly outnumbered. Zelenskyy has also resisted lowering the draft age to 18, saying it would decimate the country's demographics.
The personnel problems have come into sharp focus with newly created brigades, some of which have seen mass desertions.
"Today, we are defending ourselves. If tomorrow, for instance, half the army heads home, we really should have surrendered on the very first day," Zelenskyy said. "That is how it is. If half the army goes home, Putin will kill us all."
Serbian PM Milos Vucevic Steps Down Amid Protests Over Novi Sad Train Station Tragedy
Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic resigned following weeks of mass protests demanding accountability for a deadly accident in Novi Sad where the collapse of a concrete canopy killed 15 people at the northern city’s rail station, which critics have blamed on rampant government corruption.
Speaking at a hastily called news conference in Belgrade on January 28, Vucevic said that he and Novi Sad Mayor Milan Djuric were stepping down to show accountability for what happened.
"The mayor of Novi Sad and I consider ourselves objectively responsible for what happened in Novi Sad and for that we are willingly paying the political price," he said.
"With the resignation of the prime minister, the entire cabinet falls, so practically speaking, the entire government is resigning. We will do our job responsibly until a new government is elected or until a new or different political decision is made," Vucevic said, adding that President Aleksandar Vucic had accepted his decision.
According to the Serbian Constitution, if parliament fails to elect a new government within 30 days of the prime minister's official resignation, the president is obliged to dissolve the National Assembly and schedule elections.
Djuric confirmed his resignation later in a statement.
"As someone who believes in the power of dialogue and mutual understanding, I believe that accepting responsibility and submitting my resignation is my human and political obligation and moral duty," he said.
Serbian farmers on tractors joined students on the main thoroughfares of Belgrade late on January 27 as demonstrators launched a 24-hour protest blockade against the handling of the aftermath of the deadly railway station disaster by the government and Vucic himself.
Although protests initially focused on the Novi Sad tragedy, anger has since mounted over the detention of protesters by Serbian authorities and attacks on students, one of whom was seriously injured and remains in hospital.
Djuric called on the police to find the attackers of the student as soon as possible and for the justice system to punish them.
"Stability and calming of tensions and stopping further divisions in society are a key condition for further progress and the development of Novi Sad and the improvement of the lives of the people of Novi Sad," he added.
A student group called Students of the Blockade said the actions fell short of their demands and called for a protest walk through Novi Sad to be held on January 30.
"Our demands have not been met," they said, without commenting further.
The canopy collapse occurred after the Novi Sad railway station had been renovated twice in recent years by a Chinese-led consortium of four companies.
Serbian Railways insisted that the renovation didn’t include the concrete overhang, but some experts disputed that, while many people blame corruption and poor construction oversight for the tragedy.
The Novi Sad High Public Prosecutor's Office has so far questioned 48 individuals, including officials from Serbian Railways and Infrastructure.
The prosecutor's office has also seized documents from multiple institutions and companies and ordered expert analyses to determine the cause of the collapse and those responsible.
Zelenskyy Presses Ukraine's Cause With Gathered World Leaders In Poland
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pressed efforts to bolster support as world leaders gathered in Poland to mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp, while on the battlefield Russian forces pressed their assault on Pokrovsk, their major target over recent months.
“I had a meeting with the president of France, Emmanuel Macron, to discuss further support for Ukraine,” Zelenskyy wrote on X from Poland on January 27.
“We focused in particular on security cooperation and possible formats for security guarantees for Ukraine and all of Europe. We are counting on France's support in the negotiation process for EU accession.”
Zelenskyy in recent remarks has expressed more openness toward a compromise settlement in the war with Russia, which began in 2014 with the Kremlin’s seizure and illegal annexation of Crimea and intensified following Moscow’s full-scale invasion of February 2022.
But he has stressed that Kyiv could only agree to a deal that would provide extensive security guarantees to Ukraine, including possible European peacekeeping troops backed by U.S. involvement and leadership.
Zelenskyy also met with European Council President Antonio Costa, who wrote on X that he assured the Ukrainian leader of "the EU's steadfast support.”
“I encouraged him to continue working on Ukraine's EU accession. Ukraine's progress so far has been remarkable. The EU will stand with Ukraine as long as it takes,” Costa added.
The EU on January 27 renewed its wide-ranging series of sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.
“Europe delivers: EU Foreign Ministers just agreed to extend again the sanctions on Russia,” EU foreign policy chief Kaia Kallas wrote on X.
Zelenskyy arrived in Poland to mark the Auschwitz event after placing a candle at the Babyn Yar Holocaust memorial in Kyiv, where more than 30,000 Jews were slaughtered by the Nazis over two days in 1941.
"It was the Nazis' deliberate attempt to erase an entire nation—to kill all its people and destroy everything that reminded the world of the Jewish nation. Six million victims," he wrote in a post on X.
On the battlefield, the Ukrainian General Staff late on January 27 said Russian troops had carried out at least 77 assaults in the Pokrovsk region during the day, claiming that 65 had been repulsed and that 12 were still ongoing.
Pokrovsk has been the target of a long, brutal offensive by Russian forces as they attempt to capture the vital logistics hub in Ukraine's Donetsk region.
Should Russian forces seize Pokrovsk, analysts say they will likely pause to consolidate their position before pushing north toward the city of Kramatorsk to seize the next major road network in Donetsk.
Reports of Russian air strikes also surfaced far away from the front lines. Svitlana Onyshchuk, governor of Ukraine's southwestern Ivano-Frankivsk region near the Romanian border, said drones had hit infrastructure sites over the past two days, causing damage but with no immediate reports of casualties.
Separately, the mayor of Kharkiv – Ukraine’s second-largest city – said a “large-scale fire” broke out after a Russian strike on a private business.
"Emergency services are on site. There is no information about potential casualties at this time," Mayor Ihor Terekhov wrote on social media.,
Zelenskyy on January 26 announced that he had replaced Brigadier General Andriy Hnatov as military commander in the east following continued gains by Russian forces in the region. Hnatov was reassigned to a training and communications role.
Major General Mykhailo Drapatiy, overall commander of ground forces, will now be responsible for the region and will also keep his previous duties.
Zelenskyy in June 2024 appointed Hnatov to replace Lieutenant General Yuriy Sodol following criticism that, under his leadership, Ukrainian forces suffered a large number of casualties and lost territory to Russian troops.
EU Renews Russia Sanctions After Assuring Hungary On Energy Matters
The European Union has renewed its wide-ranging sanctions against Russia after it overcame the objections of the government of Moscow-friendly Hungarian leader Viktor Orban by providing assurances on energy-related issues.
“Europe delivers: EU Foreign Ministers just agreed to extend again the sanctions on Russia,” EU foreign policy chief Kaia Kallas wrote on X on January 27.
“This will continue to deprive Moscow of revenues to finance its war. Russia needs to pay for the damage they are causing,” she added.
The developments came after Hungarian representatives blocked a joint statement by EU countries to reject the presidential election in Belarus, according to information from RFE/RL sources in Brussels.
Lacking the signatures of representatives from all 27 EU countries on Belarus, Kallas issued her own statement, saying the January 26 vote was not free and fair and calling on the Belarusian authorities to release all political prisoners.
Orban, who maintains friendly ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin, has repeatedly opposed the expansion of sanctions against Russia and increased European aid to Kyiv, despite the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
He had initially called for EU coordination with U.S. President Donald Trump -- who has often spoken in admiration of Putin -- before a decision was made on renewing sanctions on Moscow.
However, since his inauguration, Trump has spoken of potential new sanctions against Russia if Putin does not enter into Ukraine peace negotiations, apparently weakening Orban’s position against the measures.
The Hungarian leader then expressed objections to Kyiv’s move to end a deal that transited Russian gas to Hungary through Ukraine.
But the European Commission on January 27 offered a vow saying it was "ready to continue discussions with Ukraine on the supply to Europe through the gas pipeline system in Ukraine."
Asked how meaningful the pledge was, Kallas told a news conference: "Well, it meant [something] to Hungary. So that mattered."
Reuters, which saw the official statement, said it declared that the EU Commission was ready to involve Hungary and Slovakia in the process, although there was no mention of resuming deliveries of Russian gas.
"The Commission will approach Ukraine to request assurances regarding the maintenance of oil pipeline transfers to the EU," the EU statement also said.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said he was satisfied with the assurances.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy over the weekend said Kyiv was prepared to facilitate transit of gas from Azerbaijan to Europe as an alternative to Russian gas supplies.
"There is gas. There are supply routes from Azerbaijan. The main thing is – to have the political will to work for their people, and not with Moscow on some shadow pocket, as some characters in Eastern Europe do," Zelenskyy said in a joint news conference with Moldovan President Maia Sandu.
Ukraine last year refused to extend a contract with Russian state gas giant Gazprom for the transit of gas supplies to Europe, as Kyiv and the West look to deny Moscow revenue used to fund its war in Ukraine.
Most countries have begun developing alternative sources of gas, although some -- notably Slovakia and Hungary -- have said such means will drive up costs prohibitively.
Slovakia on January 27 also welcomed the commission statement on continuing talks with Ukraine regarding gas transit and that it looks positively on the option of the shipment of gas from Azerbaijan.
"Since the beginning, we had discussed with the Ukrainian government the possibility of shipping other than Russian gas through Ukraine, and therefore we see the Ukrainian side's willingness to discuss such transit as a return to a solution proposed by us," Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar said.
With reporting by Reuters
Protesting Serbian Students Set 24-Hour Belgrade Blockade, Joined By Farmers, Others
BELGRADE -- Serbian farmers on tractors joined students on the main thoroughfares of Belgrade as demonstrators launched a 24-hour protest blockade against President Aleksandar Vucic’s handling of the aftermath of a deadly railway station disaster late last year.
Protests on January 27 also intensified in more than a dozen other Serbian cities, including in Novi Sad, site of the November 1 collapse of a concrete canopy that killed 15 people at the city’s rail station.
Although rallies initially focused on the Novi Sad tragedy, the mounting anger could also pose a longer-term threat to Vucic's government, which has attempted to maintain close ties to traditional ally Russia while also promoting the country's European Union membership hopes.
Participants in recent demonstrations called for accountability for those deemed responsible for the Novi Sad tragedy. Many have carried banners calling for justice and emblazoned with slogans such as "Demands have not been met" and "We will pass this exam as well."
Late on January 27, crowds gathered in the Autokomanda area of Belgrade. Participants set up tents and played sports and board games as the planned blockade got under way.
The action came three days after tens of thousands of people took part in a general strike across the country, many staying away from work and refraining from making purchases for the day.
The canopy collapse occurred after the Novi Sad railway station had been renovated twice in recent years by a Chinese-led consortium of four companies. Serbian Railways insisted the renovation didn’t include the concrete overhang, but some experts disputed that, while many people blame corruption and poor construction oversight for the tragedy.
Protests have been taking place regularly since the incident as demonstrators demand the government take more robust action beyond an indictment announced last month naming the former transport minister, the former director of Serbian Railway, and 11 others.
Vucic on January 27 attempted to tamp down the anger at a news conference with Prime Minister Milos Vucevic and Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabic, and later urged student protesters to engage in dialogue, insisting that “we need to lower the tensions and start talking to each other.”
“Any kind of a crisis poses a serious problem for our economy. Such a situation in society is not good for anyone,” Vucic said.
Vucic also said he was ready to provide an amnesty for all students and professors facing criminal charges following their arrests during the recent protests.
Students have also been holding more than 60 state universities in lockdown for the past two months. Their primary demand is that authorities release complete documentation on the railway station reconstruction projects.
The authorities claim that all their demands have been met and urge students to open the faculties.
"There is no more documentation related to the reconstruction of the railway station," Vucic said on January 27.
Academics, on the other hand, say the requirements have been only partially met and the suspension of work at the faculties will continue until further notice.
They insist the documentation on the reconstruction of the train station published on the website of the government of Serbia and on the website of the prosecutor-general's office in Novi Sad is incomplete.
Tensions Rise As U.S., Taliban Exchange Threats
Tensions between Washington and Taliban leaders in Afghanistan are rising a week into President Donald Trump’s return to the White House.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio threatened on January 25 to place a bounty on Taliban leaders if the United States determines the group has imprisoned American citizens.
“Just hearing the Taliban is holding more American hostages than has been reported. If this is true, we will have to immediately place a VERY BIG bounty on their top leaders, maybe even bigger than the one we had on [Al-Qaeda leader Osama] Bin Laden,” Rubio wrote on X.
Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban’s acting interior minister, is currently the only senior member of the group on the FBI’s most wanted list. However, dozens of Taliban officials are sanctioned by the United Nations.
Rubio’s comment came days after the Taliban released two Americans in exchange for a member of the Taliban serving a life sentence in the United States on drug and terrorism charges.
The Taliban’s first formal response to Rubio came on January 27, with Suhail Shahin, the group’s ambassador to Qatar, claiming that it was the Taliban’s policy to resolve issues peacefully through dialogue.
However, he warned in a statement to RFE/RL's Radio Azadi, “in the face of pressure and aggression, the jihad [struggle] of the Afghan nation in recent decades is a lesson that everyone should learn from.”
The Taliban fought U.S. and NATO troops for nearly 20 years until its return to power in 2021 following a chaotic and bloody withdrawal of foreign forces.
A U.S. Department of Defense report in 2022 said around $7 billion dollars worth of military equipment was left behind in Afghanistan during the withdrawal, which were subsequently seized by the Taliban.
Ahead of his inauguration on January 21, Trump warned that if the Taliban did not return U.S. military equipment, he would cut future financial assistance to Afghanistan.
The Taliban has not publicly responded to Trump, but a source told Radio Azadi that the group “will not give even a single bullet back to the United States.”
Since the withdrawal of foreign forces, the United States has channeled around $3 billion through the United Nations and nongovernmental organizations to help humanitarian programs in Afghanistan.
- By Kenan Cerimagic and
- Una Cilic
Zelenskyy Warns Same Evil 'Still Exists' Today As Leaders Mark Auschwitz Anniversary
OSWIECIM, Poland -- Survivors of the Auschwitz death camp joined European leaders to mark the 80th anniversary of their liberation against a backdrop of rising support for far-right parties, particularly in Germany as it heads toward parliamentary elections next month.
Many of the now elderly survivors wore blue-and-white striped scarves reminiscent of their camp uniforms and carried candles as they walked to the Wall of Death at the camp in Poland, where some 1.1 million people were murdered by Nazi occupiers who set up the camp before it was liberated by Soviet troops on January 27, 1945, just months before the end of the World War II.
“We Poles, on whose land -- occupied by Nazi Germans at that time -- the Germans built this extermination industry and this concentration camp, are today the guardians of memory,” Polish President Andzrej Duda, who accompanied the survivors on their walk, said.
“May the memory of all the dead live on, may they rest in peace,” he added.
Ceremonies began early on January 27. The main commemoration, organized by the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, was held in a special tent built over the gate to the former Auschwitz II-Birkenau camp. One of the symbols of the commemoration was a freight car that stood directly in front of the gate.
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Chancellor Olaf Scholz attended the event, which came as Scholz faces a difficult reelection campaign amid the rise of the anti-immigration Alternative for Deutschland (AfD) party during and before his term in office.
"Sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, friends, neighbors, grandparents: more than one million individuals with dreams and hopes were murdered in Auschwitz by Germans," Scholz wrote on X.
"We mourn their deaths. And express our deepest sympathy. We‘ll never forget them. Not today, not tomorrow."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in neighboring Poland to mark the event after placing a candle at the Babyn Yar Holocaust memorial in Kyiv, where more than 30,000 Jews were slaughtered by the Nazis over two days in 1941.
"It was the Nazis' deliberate attempt to erase an entire nation—to kill all its people and destroy everything that reminded the world of the Jewish nation. Six million victims," he wrote in a post on X.
"The crime of the Holocaust must never be repeated, yet, sadly, the memory of it is gradually fading. And the evil that seeks to destroy the lives of entire nations still exists in the world today."
In a proclamation released by the White House, President Donald Trump was quoted as saying, "In the years since the liberation of Auschwitz on this day eight decades ago, the grave offenses that took place during the Holocaust and the cries of the Jewish people have echoed throughout the halls of history."
None of the foreign leaders attending the ceremonies made public speeches. Organizers said they wanted the day to focus on the few remaining survivors -- about 50 were at the camp for the commemorations.
Leon Weintraub, 99 years old and born in Lodz, Poland, was confined during the war with his family in the Litzmannstadt Ghetto before being sent to Auschwitz in August 1944. He eventually was separated from his family and moved to a labor camp.
“This Nazi camp symbolizes the unprecedented cruelty in the treatment of people throughout history, a place where the techniques of mass and industrial murder were first introduced,” Weintraub told those at the ceremonies.
Attendee Szymon Czyszek of Poland told RFE/RL, "I'm holding a picture of my grandfather, who was brought to Auschwitz in July 1941. He was a political prisoner because he was not afraid to speak his mind about the Germans."
"I think we just have to remember that if you treat people without dignity, atrocities like this can happen again, and we should never let that happen."
The anniversary also marked International Holocaust Memorial Day. On the eve of the commemorations in Poland, an Israeli government agency dedicated to supporting survivors of the Holocaust issued its yearly report estimating that more than 123,000 Holocaust survivors currently live in Israel.
They include 41,751 people who survived Nazi persecution and 44,334 who fled the advance of Nazi forces particularly in the former Soviet Union.
A third group of 37,630 survivors were victims of anti-Semitism during the war outside of Europe -- mainly Jews living under the French Vichy regime in Morocco and Algeria, as well as Iraqi Jews.
The report also mentions 133 Israelis who fought during World War II in the ranks of the Allied forces.
Hungary Blocks Joint EU Statement On Presidential Elections In Belarus -- Sources
Hungarian representatives have blocked a joint statement by European Union countries to reject the presidential election in Belarus, according to information from RFE/RL sources in Brussels.
Lacking the signatures of representatives from all 27 EU countries, EU foreign policy chief Kaia Kallas issued her own statement, saying that the January 26 vote was not free and fair and calling on the Belarusian authorities to release all political prisoners.
The regime’s decision to invite independent election monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) just 10 days before the elections prevented them from gaining access to key stages of the electoral process, Kallas said.
“This is further evidence of the complete lack of trust in these elections,” she said.
Kallas added that for these reasons and in light of the Belarusian regime’s involvement in Russia’s war against Ukraine and its hybrid attacks on its neighbors, “the EU will continue to impose restrictions and sanctions against the regime and provide financial support to civil society, Belarusian democratic forces in exile, and Belarusian culture.”
The European Union stands ready to support the country in stabilizing its economy and reforming its institutions once Belarus begins its democratic transition, Kallas said.
Hungary last week refused to sign a draft statement referring to the "undemocratic presidential elections" in Belarus on behalf of the 27 EU countries. But it was not alone in its opposition to the draft. Slovakia also refused to sign it.
The text, a copy of which was obtained by RFE/RL, said the "relentless and unprecedented level of repression” combined with human rights violations and restrictions on the opposition and access to independent media in Belarus “have deprived the electoral process of any legitimacy."
Representatives of Slovakia later agreed to sign the statement, but Hungarian authorities continued to refuse to sign it.
Hungary, led by Prime Minister Viktor Orban, has repeatedly opposed the expansion of sanctions against Russia and increased European aid to Ukraine.
Protesters In Europe Decry 'Sham' Lukashenko Vote
Demonstrators in Warsaw, Riga, Prague, and Vilnius decried the likely January 26 voting victory of Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka. The Washington-based Freedom House advocacy group said the expected start of Lukashenka's seventh term as president signifies the entrenchment of "an authoritarian state" and the European Parliament has called the vote a sham.
Belarus Releases Detained U.S. Citizen Anastasia Nuhfer, Says Washington
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on January 26 that American citizen Anastasia Nuhfer was released from a Belarusian prison.
Without offering details, Rubio wrote on X that Nuhfer had been detained during the presidency of Joe Biden and had been "unilaterally released" by Belarus.
Details surrounding Nuhfer's detention remain unclear, with her name previously absent from public discourse. Minsk never disclosed her name, and Washington does not release the names of detained Americans abroad without the consent of their families.
Lithuania-based Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya welcomed Nuhfer's release and highlighted the plight of political prisoners in Belarus under authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenko.
"Thank you to our [American] friends for your advocacy on [Nuhfer's] behalf and for all political prisoners in Belarus," she wrote on X. "Every one of them must be freed. We will continue to fight for the release of all unjustly detained."
Nuhfer's release was announced on the same day that Belarus is holding a presidential election in which Lukashenko is set to secure a seventh term in office in a vote described as a "sham" by Western leaders.
Belarus has faced international criticism for its treatment of political prisoners and suppression of dissent.
Ahead of the January 26 election, state media aired propaganda films featuring detained RFE/RL journalists Andrey Kuznechyk and Ihar Losik, as well as Ihar Karney, who previously wrote for RFE/RL.
Another prominent figure imprisoned in Belarus is U.S. citizen Yuras Zyankovich, a Belarusian-American lawyer and opposition politician.
Western Nations Condemn Election That Hands Belarus' Lukashenko Seventh Term
A group of Western countries decried the outcome of a presidential vote over the weekend that handed Belarusian authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenko a seventh term in office, saying the election couldn't be considered free nor fair given the regime's current clampdown on civil society.
Hours after Belarus' Central Election Commission on January 27 announced preliminary results giving Lukashenko 86.8 percent of the vote in the election, Australia, Canada, the European Union, New Zealand, and Britain issued a joint statement condemning the "sham" presidential election.
"No election can be considered free, fair or in line with international standards when it is held in a climate of ongoing repression, marked by a clampdown on civil society, arbitrary detentions, and restrictions on genuine political participation," the countries said in a joint statement on January 27.
In the vote, which barred the presence of international media and Western observers, Lukashenko ran against four other candidates, all of whom supported his government and its policies.
His closest competitor, Syarhey Syrankou, received just 3.2 percent.
Lukashenko, who has been in power for three decades, dismissed all criticism of the election, as did Moscow, Minsk's closest ally.
But the opposition, rights groups, as well as the West disagree
The Washington-based Freedom House advocacy group in its latest report has described Belarus as "an authoritarian state in which elections are openly rigged and civil liberties are severely restricted."
Lithuania-based opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya wrote on X on January 26 that rallies against the election were taking place in cities across Europe, adding: "Belarus demands freedom."
Britain and Canada both issued new sanctions targeting Belarusian officials and defense companies, including Ihar Karpenka, the chairman of the Belarusian Central Election Commission.
“Today, we are sending a clear message to...Lukashenko: Canada will not remain silent as his regime continues to trample on the rights and freedoms of Belarusian citizens and to support Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine," Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said in a statement.
"We remain in solidarity with the Belarusian people, as well as the Belarusian democratic forces, and we will continue to support their efforts toward establishing a real democracy in Belarus.”
Lukashenko has dismissed the criticism and shrugged off remarks from Western leaders.
"Recognize these elections or not: It's a matter of taste. I don't care about it. The main thing for me is that Belarusians recognize these elections," he told reporters.
Meanwhile, Kallas announced on January 27 continued support for Belarusian democratic forces during a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council.
She stressed that on the evening of January 26, Tsikhanouskaya addressed EU foreign ministers in Brussels at Kallas’ invitation, alongside EU Commissioner for Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi.
Discussions centered on the non-recognition of the elections and Lukashenko’s legitimacy, peaceful negotiations on Ukraine, visa and residency issues, and broader support for Belarusian civil society and democratic movements.
Kallas and Marta Kos, the EU Commissioner for Enlargement, issued a formal declaration on behalf of the EU, rejecting the legitimacy of the elections and Lukashenko’s regime. Additionally, more than 15 EU member states made individual statements, and the Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8) released a joint declaration condemning the elections.
Montenegrins Continue Protests Over Response To Mass Shooting
Thousands of protesters in the Montenegrin capital, Podgorica, staged a third rally this month to demand the resignation of senior security officials over the government’s response to a deadly mass shooting on January 1.
The rally on January 25, led by an informal student group, began with 13 minutes of silence for the victims before protesters marched from the Interior Ministry to the Parliament building. Students carried symbolic props, including a chair with a doll representing government officials, emphasizing the need for accountability.
The group blames police failures during the mass shooting in Cetinje, which left 13 people dead, and demands the resignations of Interior Minister Danilo Saranovic and Deputy Prime Minister for Security Aleksa Becic.
"If our demands are not met, we are prepared for civil disobedience led by students," said activist Itana Dragojevic.
The students also demand confiscation of illegal weapons, stricter gun permit reviews, improved police efficiency, and better mental health care. They have given Prime Minister Milojko Spajic until February 1 to respond.
In response to the shooting, the government on January 3 announced a raft of new gun-control measures following a seven-hour session of the National Security Council, which is chaired by the country's president.
The proposed law, announced by Prime Minister Milojko Spajic, will mandate the reverification of existing weapons licenses and impose severe penalties for those who fail to surrender illegal weapons within two months.
Spajic also said hunting clubs would be verified and the authorities would establish an anonymous hot line where citizens could report illegal weapons possession for a reward.
While estimates vary, Montenegro has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in Europe. In the country of just over 620,000 people, there are about 245,000 firearms in use, according to the Swiss-based Small Arms Survey.
Other estimates suggest the figure is lower. According to 2022 police data provided to RFE/RL's Balkan Service, there are over 100,000 legally owned weapons in Montenegro, while illegal firearms are estimated to number between 40,000 and 80,000.
- By RFE/RL
U.S. May Put Bounty On Taliban Leaders Over Hostages, Rubio Says
The United States may place a bounty on the top leaders of the Taliban, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on January 25 after finding out that the group may be holding more American hostages in Afghanistan.
"Just hearing the Taliban is holding more American hostages than has been reported," Rubio said on X.
"If this is true, we will have to immediately place a very big bounty on their top leaders, maybe even bigger than the one we had on bin Laden," he added, referring to the Al-Qaeda leader and mastermind of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Bin Laden was killed in 2011 by the U.S. military in a nighttime raid in Pakistan.
U.S. officials and media confirmed earlier this week the release of two Americans held in Afghanistan in exchange for a Taliban man imprisoned for life in California on drug and terrorism charges.
The two Americans who were set free were not identified by the Afghan Foreign Ministry, but according to U.S. media reports and family members, they were Ryan Corbett and William McKenty.
No mention was made of two other U.S. citizens -- George Glezmann and Mahmood Habibi-- who have been held by the Taliban since 2022. It was unclear whether these were the hostages that Rubio referred to.
The member of the Taliban who was released was Khan Mohammed, who had been sentenced to two life terms in 2008. The Afghan Foreign Ministry said his release came “as a result of long and fruitful negotiations” between Afghanistan and the United States.
A member of the new administration of President Donald Trump told reporters in Washington that the deal was brokered by President Joe Biden’s team before he left office on January 20.
Details of the negotiations were not revealed. The United States, like most countries, does not recognize the Taliban -- which seized power in Kabul in mid-2021 -- as the legitimate rulers of Afghanistan.
White House National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said in a statement on January 21 that the Trump administration "will continue to demand the release of all Americans held by the Taliban, especially in light of the billions of dollars in U.S. aid they’ve received in recent years."
Rubio's bounty comment came two days after the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) said that he has requested warrants for the Taliban's supreme leader, Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada, and the head of Afghanistan's Supreme Court, Abdul Hakim Haqqani.
Karim Khan announced that he is seeking arrest warrants for the alleged persecution of Afghan women and girls, an accusation the Taliban-run Foreign Ministry called "baseless."
In a statement, Khan said based on evidence collected thus far in an investigation reopened in October 2022 there were grounds to believe Akhundzada and Haqqani "bear criminal responsibility for the crime against humanity of persecution on gender grounds."
Mir Abdul Wahid Sadat, head of the Afghan Lawyers Association, told RFE/RL, that the ICC decisions and actions "have strong consequences" and said Khan's announcement was "a big threat to the Taliban."
With reporting by Reuters
Protests Held Across Serbia As Students Continue To Demand Accountability In Deadly Canopy Collapse
Thousands of people took to the streets on January 25 in several cities in Serbia to demand political and criminal responsibility for the deaths of 15 people in the collapse of a canopy at the railway station in Novi Sad.
Marches and demonstrations took place in Belgrade, Novi Sad, and more than a dozen other cities across the country in the latest in a series of protests spearheaded by students, who continue to call for accountability in the deadly canopy collapse nearly three months ago.
The demonstrators carried banners calling for justice and emblazoned with slogans such as "Demands have not been met" and "We will pass this exam as well," according to an RFE/RL reporter.
During the protest in Zrenjanin participants observed 15 minutes of silence -- one minute for each of the people killed when the canopy collapsed on November 1.
More than 1,000 people gathered in the center of the Novi Sad, where marchers held a 15-minute memorial service for the victims. Marchers shouted, "They attacked students," referring to two attacks on students in Belgrade in recent days.
Two female students were injured in separate incidents when cars were driven into groups of protesters. Prosecutors have charged the drivers of the cars with attempted murder.
The protests on January 25 came a day after a general strike observed by tens of thousands of citizens across the country who stayed away from work and refrained from making purchases for the day.
The canopy collapse occurred after the railway station had been renovated twice in recent years by a Chinese-led consortium of four companies. Serbian Railways insisted that the renovation didn’t include the concrete overhang, but some experts disputed that, while many people blame corruption and poor construction oversight for the tragedy.
Protests have been taking place regularly since the incident as demonstrators demand the government take more robust action beyond an indictment announced last month naming the former transport minister, the former director of Serbian Railway, and 11 others.
Ten of the defendants are in custody, but the former minister, Goran Vesic, remains at large, while two others are under house arrest.
The students also have been holding more than 60 state universities in lockdown for the past two months. Their primary demand is that authorities release complete documentation on the railway station reconstruction projects.
The authorities claim that all their demands have been met and urge students to open the faculties.
Academics, on the other hand, say that the requirements have been only partially met and the suspension of work at the faculties will continue until further notice.
They insist that the documentation on the reconstruction of the train station published on the website of the government of Serbia and on the website of the prosecutor-general's office in Novi Sad is incomplete.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on January 25 urged all documents related to the canopy collapse to be made public.
"I am calling on the government, the investor, the contractor, and the prosecutor's office to submit absolutely everything that has been requested," said Vucic in a video message on Instagram.
Vucic also said he has demanded that police officers secure the area around protests to protect them from any further car-rammings.
The president announced that police would also protect protests planned for January 27 involving an expected day-long blockade of a major traffic intersection in Belgrade.
With reporting by AFP
U.S. Citizen Detained In Southern Russia Since November
The detention of a dual Russian-American citizen has come to light in southern Russia.
On January 25, court documents accessed by RFE/RL's Caucasus.Realities in Kabardino-Balkaria, a Russian republic in the North Caucuses, said an individual identified by the initials K.T.N. has been detained in the region since November.
The detained individual is accused of "participating in an illegal armed group, terrorist activities and undergoing appropriate training."
The accused has so far refused to testify. His lawyer said there is no evidence of his involvement in the crimes he is charged with.
A senior investigator of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) in Kabardino-Balkaria is investigating the case.
Human rights campaigners and legal experts in Russia say individuals passed on as militants by the country's security services often claim to have confessed to alleged crimes because of torture during the preliminary investigation.
Moscow and Washington exchanged dozens of prisoners in the largest swap since the Cold War in August. A few U.S. citizens are still believed to be imprisoned in Russia.
4 Sentenced To Death For 'Blasphemous' Posts In Pakistan
A court in northwestern Pakistan has sentenced four men to death for allegedly posting sacrilegious materials about the Koran and Islamic figures.
On January 25, Tariq Ayub, a judge in Rawalpindi, a city adjacent to the capital, Islamabad, sentenced the four to death by hanging. They were also fined more than $16,000.
Ayub said the contempt of figures sacred to Muslims and insulting the Koran were unforgivable offenses that don’t deserve clemency.
The men were identified as Rana Usman, Ashfaque Ali, Salman Sajjad, and Wajid Ali.
Under Pakistan’s draconian blasphemy laws, anyone found guilty of insulting Islam can be sentenced to death.
"The doubts and uncertainties that arise in such cases are ignored by the courts," said Manzoor Rahmani, a lawyer for the sentenced men. "[This is likely] due to the fear of religious backlash and potential mob violence against the judge if the accused is acquitted."
Rahmani said he would appeal against the ruling in the provincial High Court in the eastern province of Punjab.
According to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), "blasphemy accusations, whether true or false, often lead to lengthy prison sentences on death row and solitary confinement."
Critics say the laws are often abused to settle scores or used to target members of Pakistan's religious minorities.
Since 1987, more than 2,000 people have been accused of blasphemy laws. Nearly 100 people have been lynched to death while dozens remain on death row, according to USCIRF.
The defendants were first accused under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act in 2022. Rights campaigners have criticized the law for curtailing the freedom of expression in the country.
This week, human rights watchdogs criticized amendments to the law that were adopted by the National Assembly or lower house of the Pakistani parliament on January 23. The amendments grant the government sweeping powers to control social media.
With reporting by AP and Dawn.com
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