The European Commission said a cargo ship suspected of having deliberately damaged power and Internet cables in the Baltic Sea is part of Russia's so-called "shadow fleet," prompting the EU to threaten new sanctions against Moscow.

"We strongly condemn any deliberate destruction of Europe’s critical infrastructure," the commission said in a statement on December 26.

"The suspected vessel is part of Russia’s shadow fleet, which threatens security and the environment, while funding Russia’s war budget. We will propose further measures, including sanctions, to target this fleet," the statement added.

The statement added that "in response to these incidents, we are strengthening efforts to protect undersea cables, including enhanced information exchange, new detection technologies, as well as in undersea repair capabilities, and international cooperation."

The remarks come after two fiber-optic cables owned by Finnish operator Elisa linking Finland and Estonia were broken on December 25. A third link between the two countries -- owned by China's Citic -- was damaged, authorities said.

An Internet cable running between Finland and Germany belonging to Finnish group Cinia was also believed to have been severed, according to officials.

SEE ALSO:

Environmentalists Warn Of Disaster As Russian Officials Race To Grounded Tankers In Kerch Strait

Investigators said the damage could have been caused by the ship intentionally dragging its anchor.

Finnish authorities on December 26 boarded and took command of the Cook Islands-registered Eagle S oil tanker in the Baltic Sea as part of the investigation.

The Finnish customs service said the Eagle S is believed to belong to Russia's so-called “shadow fleet” of old, uninsured oil vessels used to bypass Western sanctions and maintain a source of revenue. The poor condition of these ships has also raised concerns about environmental disasters.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb also suggested the cargo has Russian links and that his country is closely monitoring the situation.

"It is necessary to be able to prevent the risks posed by ships belonging to the Russian shadow fleet," Stubb wrote on X.

EU foreign ministers on December 16 adopted a package of sanctions against Moscow targeting tankers transporting Russian oil as the bloc looked to curb the circumvention of previous measures aimed at hindering Kremlin's ability to wage war against Ukraine.

SEE ALSO:

EU Ministers Approve New Sanctions Targeting Russian 'Shadow Fleet'

Meanwhile, NATO chief Mark Rutte said on December 26 that the alliance is ready to help Finland and Estonia as they launch their probe into the possible "sabotage."

"Spoke with [Estonian Prime Minister] Kristen Michal about reported possible sabotage of Baltic Sea cables,” he wrote on X.

“NATO stands in solidarity with Allies and condemns any attacks on critical infrastructure. We are following investigations by Estonia and Finland, and we stand ready to provide further support."

With reporting by AFP and dpa

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on December 26 that Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is ready to offer a “platform” for possible peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv to end the war in Ukraine. Putin told the media Fico said during a recent meeting that "if there are any negotiations, [the Slovaks] would be happy to provide their country as a platform." Most terms suggested so far by Putin have been deemed unacceptable to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Fico is one of the few European leaders Putin has stayed friendly with since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, prompting criticism of the Slovak leader by Zelenskiy and many Western leaders. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here.

Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian is scheduled to travel to Russia on January 17, state-controlled media in Iran and Russia reported on December 26. Quoting Iranian Ambassador to Moscow Kazem Jalali, Iran's Tasnim news agency said that “the president will visit Russia on January 17 and a cooperation agreement between the two countries will be signed during the visit." Russia and Iran both are under severe financial sanctions imposed by Western nations and have stepped up bilateral cooperation on many fronts in recent years. The West has accused Iran of providing weapons to Russia for use against Ukraine. Tehran has denied the allegations despite evidence widespread use of Iranian-made drones in the war.

SARAJEVO -- Bosnia-Herzegovina’s security minister has been arrested on charges of money-laundering, abuse of office, and accepting bribes, the Balkan nation’s prosecutor’s office said.

The minister, Nenad Nesic, was among seven people arrested on similar charges, the office said on December 26.

The charges stem from an investigation by the Bosnian state prosecutor and the Interior Ministry of Bosnia's ethnic-Serb entity, Republika Srpska, into suspected corruption at the Roads of RS (Putevi RS) public company, where Nesic was general manager from 2016 to 2020.

The company's current general manager, Milan Dakic, was also among those arrested, prosecutors said. The company did not immediately comment.

Nesic, 46, has been Bosnia’s security minister since 2022.

SEE ALSO:

U.S., EU Slam Bosnian Serb Efforts To Block Bosnia-Herzegovina's EU Integration

When asked by reporters about the case as he was entering an East Sarajevo police station, Nesic said only that "I continue to fight for Republika Srpska," according to Reuters.

Nesic is president of the Democratic People's Alliance (DNS), which is in a coalition with Milorad Dodik's Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD).

Dodik, who is president of Republika Srpska, claimed on social media that this was an "unacceptable procedure" and a "persecution of cadres" from the Bosnian government.

The pro-Russia Dodik is under sanctions imposed by the United States and Britain for his efforts to undermine the Dayton agreements that ended the 1992-95 Bosnian war.

He is currently facing trial himself on charges he failed to comply with the decisions of international High Representative Christian Schmidt.

Ethnic Serb lawmakers this week said Dodik's trial was political and based on illegal decisions by the high representative. They claimed that the court was unconstitutional because it was set up by Schmidt and not by the Dayton agreement.

Since the Dayton peace accords were put into effect, the country has consisted of a Bosniak-Croat federation and the mostly ethnic Serb Republika Srpska under a weak central government, where Nesic holds the security portfolio.

With reporting by Reuters

Israel carried out large-scale air strikes on the main airport in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, on December 26 as it steps up attacks on the Iranian-backed Huthi rebels in what Tehran called a “violation” of peace and security.

Huthi rebels said three people were killed and 14 were injured or missing following the Israeli attacks on the airport and other sites in Yemen, including port facilities.

"Fighter jets conducted intelligence-based strikes on military targets belonging to the Huthi terrorist regime on the western coast and inland Yemen," the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said.

SEE ALSO:

Fall Of Assad Unravels Iran's Decades-Old 'Axis Of Resistance'

The attacks followed recent rocket launches by the Huthi fighters against the Tel Aviv area, although little damage was reported.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry condemned the Israeli strikes on Yemen, calling them "aggressions" that it claimed were "a clear violation of international peace and security."

It said they represented "an undeniable crime against the heroic and noble people of Yemen," who had "not spared any effort to support the oppressed people of Palestine."

The Israeli military has said air strikes in Yemen are targeting Huthi sites that have been used to receive Iranian weapons, which are then often transported to other Tehran-linked groups in the Mideast -- mainly Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Hamas has been designated a terrorist group by the United States and the European Union, while Hezbollah has also been deemed a terrorist group by Washington. The EU blacklists its military arm but not its political wing. The U.S. State Department designated the Huthis as a terrorist group at the start of this year.

Hamas and Hezbollah have been severely weakened following massive Israeli military strikes on their respective sites in Gaza and Lebanon, and most of their leaders have been killed in Israel's military response to Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the strikes would continue against the Huthi rebels, who have also targeted shipping in the Red Sea, claiming they are in solidarity of Hamas fighters in Gaza.

"We are determined to cut this branch of terrorism from the Iranian axis of evil. We will continue until the job is done," Netanyahu said in a video statement.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus -- head of the World Health Organization who was at the Sanaa airport during the Israeli attack -- said he was safe but that "one of our plane's crew members was injured.”

With reporting by Reuters, dpa, and AFP

A Pakistani military court has sentenced 60 people to prison terms ranging between two and 10 years over violent protests that erupted after the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan in 2023, the army’s media wing said on December 26.

The defendants, who included a relative of Khan as well as two retired military officers, were sentenced in connection with attacks on military facilities. Twenty-five other people were sentenced on the same charges on December 21.

They have the right to appeal the sentences, the military’s media wing said in a statement.

SEE ALSO:

Arrest Of Former Pakistani PM Imran Khan Touches Off Nationwide Protests

Protests erupted across Pakistan in May 2023 when Khan was arrested during his court appearance on corruption charges that he and his supporters deny.

Thousands of Khan’s supporters ransacked military facilities and stormed government buildings. Several people were killed, and dozens were injured in the unrest.

At least 1,400 protesters, including leaders of Khan’s Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) party were arrested following the riots. But only 105 of those detained faced military trials.

PTI condemned the sentencing, and said the court had violated the defendants’ rights.

The United States expressed deep concern about the sentences, while Britain said that trying civilians in military courts "lacks transparency, independent scrutiny, and undermines the right to a fair trial.”

The European Union said the sentences are "inconsistent with the obligations that Pakistan has undertaken under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.”

Kazakh experts are due to arrive on December 27 to examine the crash site and black box of the ill-fated Azerbaijan Airlines passenger jet, as speculation – and evidence – mounted suggesting that a Russian air defense missile may have inadvertently struck the craft.

Even as the probe intensifies, countries with victims aboard the plane – Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Kyrgyzstan -- continue to mourn their dead and treat the injured among the 67 passengers and crew who were aboard when the Embraer 190 aircraft fell from the sky on December 25.

The plane went down on a scheduled flight from the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, to Grozny in Russia's Chechnya region after it was diverted and attempted an emergency landing near the city of Aqtau in western Kazakhstan, killing 38 and injuring 29, many with severe burns suffered in the flaming crash.

Speculation swirled around the tragedy, with some experts pointing to holes seen in the plane’s tail section as a possible sign that it could have come under fire from Russian air defense systems engaged in thwarting Ukrainian drone attacks.

A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told news agencies that indications suggest a Russian antiaircraft system struck the airliner, although the official provided no details.

Canada expressed concerns about reports that Russian air defenses may have caused the crash.

"We call on Russia to allow for an open and transparent investigation into the incident and to accept its findings," the Canadian Global Affairs office said on X.

Evidence, yet to be corroborated by authorities, includes footage from inside the plane before the crash, images of the planes hole-pocked tail section after the crash, a survivor’s comments, and accounts indicating that there was a suspected drone attack around the time the plane apparently tried to land in Grozny.

SEE ALSO:

Mounting Evidence Suggests Russian Air Defenses Hit Passenger Jet Before Crash

Reuters quoted an Azerbaijani source familiar with the investigation as saying results indicated the plane was hit by a Pantsir-S air defense system, a self-propelled antiaircraft gun and missile system designed by Russia.

It was not immediately clear where the black box would be examined. The process can be highly technical, and not all countries have the resources to undertake such work.

Gulag Aslanli, a leader of Azerbaijan's opposition Musavat movement, told RFE/RL that an international commission was needed to investigate the incident.

"Russia cannot be allowed there," he said. "If the black box is going to be taken to Russia and examined there, I will look at its outcome with suspicion."

Talgat Lastaev, Kazakhstan's vice minister of transport, told RFE/RL that experts are scheduled to arrive at the site on December 27 to assess the next steps regarding the black box.

Officials said it typically takes about two weeks to fully assess a black box, although various conditions can alter that time frame.

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Commenting on unconfirmed reports that the plane may have been shot down by a missile, Kazakh Senate Speaker Maulen Ashimbaev said it was “not possible” to say what may have damaged the aircraft until the investigation is finished.

"Real experts are looking at all this and they will make their conclusions. Neither Kazakhstan, Russia, nor Azerbaijan, of course, is interested in hiding information, it will be brought to the public," Ashimbaev said.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov made a similar comment, saying: "We need to await the end of the investigation.” It was “wrong” to speculate before the investigators gave their findings, Peskov added.

Russia's Interfax news agency quoted officials as saying the plane, commissioned in 2013, had passed a maintenance check in October and that the pilot had "vast experience," with more than 15,000 flying hours.

Azerbaijan Airlines President Samir Rzayev also told reporters the plane had been fully serviced in October and that there was no sign of technical malfunction.

But he said it was too early to determine a cause: "The plane has been found with a black box. After detailed research, all aspects will be clear."

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The airline suspended flights along the route of the crash pending completion of the investigation.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev also said it was too early to determine a cause but at one point had suggested bad weather could have contributed to the crash.

The office of Azerbaijan’s Prosecutor General said that "all possible scenarios are being examined."

As the first seven survivors arrived back in the country on December 26, Azerbaijan observed a national day of mourning. Burials of four of those who lost their lives were conducted during the day, with additional funerals expected in the coming hours and days.

National flags were flown at half-mast across Azerbaijan, and signals were sounded from vehicles, ships, and trains as the nation observed a moment of silence at noon to honor the victims of the plane crash.

Officials in Baku said the wounded arrived on a special flight arranged by Azerbaijan's Emergency Affairs Ministry and that the injured were accompanied by medical professionals.

There was no immediate word on the condition of the injured, who were among 29 survivors from the crash, many of whom suffered severe burn wounds.

Ayhan Solomon, Azerbaijan’s chief consul in Aqtau, told reporters that 26 of those killed were Azerbaijani citizens.

He said initial reports indicate that 16 Azerbaijani citizens survived. “Of those, 10 to 12 are in good condition and others remain critically stable,” he added.

Azerbaijan Airlines' supervisory board said on December 26 that the families of those killed will be compensated with 40,000 manats ($23,460), while those injured would receive 20,000 manats ($11,730).

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Along with the 42 Azerbaijani citizens, those aboard Flight J2-8243 were listed as 16 Russian nationals, six from Kazakhstan, and three Kyrgyz citizens, officials said.

The survivors include nine Russian citizens, who were flown to Moscow on December 26 by the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry. Three of the Russian survivors were in critical condition, according to Russian health authorities.

Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister Qanat Bozymbaev -- who is in charge of a special government commission to investigate the incident -- said many of those who died in the crash were not immediately identifiable due to massive burns suffered.

Bozymbaev said the 29 survivors had injuries ranging from moderate to severe, with many also suffering from major burns.

According to Kazakhstan’s Health Ministry, the injured included at least two children and 11 people had been placed in intensive care.

The United States and European Union on December 25 condemned plans by ethnic-Serb leaders in Bosnia-Herzegovina to block efforts for closer European integration for the Western Balkan nation.

Lawmakers in the country’s ethnic-Serb entity, Republika Srpska, late on December 24 ordered Serb representatives in state institutions to block decision-making actions and law changes needed for the country's further integration into the EU.

In response, the embassies of the United States, Britain, France, Germany, and Italy, along with the EU delegation in Bosnia, in a joint statement condemned the Serb parliament's acts as "a serious threat to the country's constitutional order."

SEE ALSO:

U.S. Imposes More Sanctions On Bosnian Serb Leader's 'Patronage Network'

"At a time when formal opening of EU accession negotiations has never been so close, a return to political blockades would have negative consequences for all citizens, a majority of whom support EU accession," the statement said.

The Republika Srpska parliament announced the actions in response to the trial of regional leader Milorad Dodik, who is under U.S. and British sanctions for actions that Western governments allege are aimed at the eventual secession of Republika Srpska from Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Dodik is on trial in a long-delayed, ongoing process on charges he failed to comply with the decisions of the High Representative in Bosnia. He faces up to five years in prison and a ban on participating in politics if convicted.

Ethnic Serb lawmakers said Dodik's trial was political and based on illegal decisions by international High Representative Christian Schmidt. They claimed that the court was unconstitutional because it was set up by Schmidt and not by the Dayton agreement.

Since the Dayton peace accords that ended the 1992-95 Bosnian War, the country has consisted of a Bosniak-Croat federation and the mostly ethnic Serb Republika Srpska under a weak central government.

Dodik, who is friendly with Russian President Vladimir Putin, has often made somewhat contradictory comments about his entity's place in Bosnia.

He has denied it has ever pursued a policy of secession or disputed the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bosnia under the Dayton agreement.

He has said, however, that Republika Srpska "has the right to a political fight for its status” under the Dayton accords.

He has also called for the “disassociation” of Republika Srpska from Bosnia -- which Washington called “secession by another name.”

PRISTINA -- A special panel in Kosovo overturned a decision by the election commission that had barred the country's largest ethnic-Serbian party from participating in upcoming elections due to its strong links with Belgrade.

"The Central Election Commission (CEC) is ordered to certify the political entity Serbian List and the candidates of this political entity...for the elections for the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo to be held on February 9, 2025," the Electoral Complaints and Appeals Panel (ECAP) said on December 25.

The ruling stated that the party had fulfilled all obligations required regarding the political filings and was therefore entitled to be certified.

On December 23, the CEC said when it announced its decision not to certify Serbian List that its main reason was the party's nationalistic stance and close ties to Serbia.

Some commission members noted that Serbian List leader Zlatan Elek has never referred to Kosovo as independent and continues to call it Serbia's autonomous province of Kosovo.

The CEC also said that Serbian List has close ties with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and other Serb leaders who also refuse to recognize Kosovo's independence.

Serbia has close ties to Russia and has refused to join international sanctions on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine, although Vucic has attempted to balance relations with the West and has continued to press Belgrade's desires to join the European Union.

Elek on December 24 said he planned to appeal the order and said he was confident it would be overturned.

The Serbian List -- which described the CEC decision as an attempt "to eliminate" it from the electoral process -- welcomed the latest ruling.

The party said the CEC is now obliged to act on the PZAP decision but added it remains to be seen whether the commission will "continue to violate its own law and regulations and act on direct political pressure from the authorities in Pristina."

The February parliamentary elections are expected to be a key test for Prime Minister Albin Kurti, whose party came to power in 2021 in a landslide in the Western-backed Balkan nation.

Prior to the ECAP ruling, political analyst Albert Krasniqi of the Demokraci+ NGO told RFE/RL that the CEC decision is part of the preelection campaign being conducted by Kurti’s Self-Determination party (Vetevendosje).

He forecast that Serbian List would appeal the decision and predicted it would be successful in getting it reversed.

“All this noise will last at most four days, and I am sure that the ECAP will reverse this decision of the CEC and will oblige the CEC to certify Serbian List,” Krasniqi said.

Kosovo proclaimed independence from Serbia in 2008. Belgrade still considers Kosovo a province of Serbia and has a major influence on the ethnic Serbian minority living there.

Authorities declared a region-wide state of emergency in Russia's Krasnodar region, warning that oil was still washing up on the coastline following a December 15 incident involving two Volgoneft tankers carrying thousands of tons of low-quality heavy fuel oil. "Initially, according to the calculations of scientists and specialists, the bulk of fuel oil should have remained at the bottom of the Black Sea, which would allow it to be collected in water. But the weather dictates its own conditions -- the air warms up and oil products rise to the top. As a result, they are brought to our beaches," regional Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said on December 25. Dozens of kilometers of Black Sea coastline in the southern Russian region have been covered in heavy fuel after the two oil tankers were badly damaged during a storm in the Kerch Strait. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here.

If North Korea’s elite troops were expecting an easy campaign against Ukrainian forces entrenched in Russia’s Kursk region, they faced a harsh reality on the ground.

About 1,100 North Korean special forces have been killed or injured in Russia since entering the fray against Ukraine a few weeks ago, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service reported on December 19. A general was reportedly among those killed.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on December 23 put the figure even higher, at more than 3,000, or about a quarter of the North Korean special forces sent to Russia, though he couched his statement by saying the data was preliminary. RFE/RL could not confirm either of the reported numbers.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, though, doesn’t seem to be fazed by the rapid losses. The authoritarian leader is reportedly doubling down in his support of Russian President Vladimir Putin, in exchange for critical supplies of oil, cash, and military technology.

SEE ALSO:

Ukraine, U.S. Say North Korean Soldiers Killed, Wounded In Russia's Kursk

Zelenskiy said on December 23 that North Korea may send more troops and weapons to the front. The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff seconded that forecast, saying Pyongyang is preparing to rotate or supply additional forces to Russia.

North Korean military support is coming at a critical time in the war. Russia is seeking to overpower an undermanned and under-resourced Ukrainian infantry and gain territory before its own manpower and resources become constrained.

Russia has lost more than 600,000 soldiers in the nearly three-year war, the Pentagon said in early October. It has burned through so much war material that it is struggling to replace its artillery and missile needs amid sweeping Western sanctions.

Now nearly two-thirds of the mortars and shells Russia launches at Ukraine come from North Korea, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing Andriy Kovalenko, a Ukrainian Army officer. And every third ballistic missile was made in North Korea, Ukrainian officials said.

Pyongyang is ramping up arms production to meet Russia’s growing need, experts said.

Trench Warfare

Russian troops are now gaining ground in Ukraine’s east at the fastest pace since the start of the war. Kyiv carried out a surprise incursion into the Kursk region in August, seizing a swath of Russian territory in the hope of drawing enemy forces away from eastern Ukraine. That hasn’t materialized, thanks in part to the supply of North Korean troops.

The arrival of the North Korean troops in Russia in October was initially seen as an act of desperation on the part of Putin, who has had to significantly bump up salaries to attract new recruits.

However, The New York Times reported on December 23, citing U.S. officials, that it was North Korea who approached Russia with the offer of troops and Putin accepted. It is unclear when Kim made the offer.

SEE ALSO:

Putin, Kim Sign New Accords At Anti-Western Summit in Pyongyang

Putin traveled to Pyongyang to meet Kim in June. During the summit, the two leaders agreed on a strategic treaty that includes a mutual defense provision. Putin signed the treaty into law in November.

The supply of troops to Russia can help Kim evade sweeping sanctions on technology and materials for military use. North Korea was hit with international sanctions after conducting its first nuclear test in 2006.

Pyongyang hasn’t been engaged in a hot war in decades. Thus, its miliary brass and troops – which number more than 1 million -- have no combat experience. The deployment in Russia's war with Ukraine is a way for Kim and his military to acquire some.

However, Kim’s troops are ill-prepared for the type of trench warfare with widespread use of drones and missiles they are facing in Kursk, experts say.

Hyunseung Lee, a North Korean who spent 3 1/2 years with an artillery and reconnaissance battalion in the early 2000s before defecting, told RFE/RL last month that Kim’s troops "don't really train with that equipment."

SEE ALSO:

'They're Totally Not Ready': Ex-Soldier Reveals Why North Korean Troops Will Struggle Against Ukraine

He said they cannot master drones and the high-tech equipment in such a short period of time.

Videos circulating on social media show Ukrainian kamikaze drones striking and killing North Korean soldiers in Kursk’s snow-covered fields.

Commenting on the videos in a December 19 tweet, Lee called it a “sad predictable outcome.”

Modern warfare technology is not the only issue leading to large-scale deaths of North Koreans, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). The Washington-based research firm said North Korean soldiers were struggling to communicate and coordinate with Russian forces due to language barriers.

Perhaps more importantly, North Koreans are now conducting the initial attack in open territory on Ukrainian positions, ISW said. Some military experts cynically call such fighting tactics “meat assaults” because they result in a large loss of life among the attackers.

Yevhen Yerin, a spokesman for the Ukrainian military intelligence service, told the AFP news agency on December 24 that Russia’s use of North Korean troops has not had a major impact on the battlefield.

“It is not such a significant number of personnel," he said, adding that they use tactics that are "primitive, linked, frankly speaking, more to the times of the Second World War."

The cockpit recorder has been recovered intact as authorities stepped up their investigation following the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger jet in Kazakhstan that killed at least 38 of the 67 people aboard on December 25.

Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister Qanat Bozymbaev said many of the 38 people who died aboard the Azerbaijan Airlines scheduled flight from Baku to Grozny in Russia's Chechnya region were not immediately identifiable due to massive burns suffered.

He added the 29 survivors had injuries ranging from moderate to severe, many also suffering from major burns in the crash.

Kazakhstan’s Health Ministry said the injured included at least two children and that 11 people had been placed in intensive care. Some discrepancies remained over casualty figures provided by various authorities.

The cause of the crash was not immediately known amid unconfirmed reports of heavy fog or a possible bird strike. Azerbaijani and Kazakh authorities have launched an investigation, and officials said the airliner's cockpit recorder had been recovered.

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Bozymbaev and Kazakh law-enforcement authorities would conduct the probe of the crash, although he did not suggest any foul play at this time.

In Baku, the prosecutor's office said that "all possible scenarios are being examined."

Azerbaijan Airlines said it was suspending all its flights from Baku to the Chechnya region, pending an investigation of the tragedy.

Russia's Interfax news agency quoted officials as saying the plane, commissioned in 2013, had passed a maintenance check in October and that the pilot had "vast experience," with more than 15,000 flying hours.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who cut short his visit for an informal summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in Russia, said it was too early to determine a cause but suggested bad weather could have contributed to the crash.

“The information provided to me is that the plane changed course between Baku and Grozny due to worsening weather conditions and detoured to the Aqtau airport [before] it crashed,” he said.

Video showed the plane crashing along the coast of the Caspian Sea short of the airport.

In a dramatic account of the incident, Elmira, a witness on the ground, told RFE/RL's Kazakh Service that she was on a company bus near Aqtau with other work colleagues when they saw a plane break up above them and that several people attempted to aid victims following the crash.

"We rushed toward the scene, pulling people out from the tail section, which had separated," she said.

"The nose of the plane was on fire. We rescued those alive from the back -- they were severely injured and crying."

She said a young girl cried out, "Save my mom! My mom is there!" Others also pleaded for help, she added.

"Ambulances arrived soon after, and we handed the injured over... I am in shock now and cannot get these scenes out of my mind."

At the Heydar Aliyev International Airport in Baku, the families of the passengers of Flight J2-8243 gathered in a designated area, anxiously waiting for news about the fate of their loved ones.

Vugar Ismayilov, whose friend Habib Ismayilov, was on board the plane, told RFE/RL that he hadn’t yet received any news about Habib.

Ismayilov said that Habib, a 25-year-old native of the Aghdash region in central Azerbaijan, had been reluctant to go on this trip, which would take him to Daghestan via Grozny.

“I dropped my friend off at the airport this morning. He was going to Daghestan for work, and it was his first time traveling to Daghestan,” Ismayilov said. “He didn’t really want to go on this trip. He went there because of work.”

Nezaket Bayramova, whose sister Jamila Bisloyeva was among the passengers of the ill-fated aircraft, told the Turan Information Agency that she had no information about her sibling’s situation.

"We called the hotline that was set up [for the relatives], they took our information and said they would inform us. But there is still no news," Bayramova said.

"I don't know anything. From what I heard, a bird hit the plane. I don't know anything else,” she said.

There was a heavy police presence at the Baku airport, where ambulances and emergency crews could also be seen in the vicinity.

Kazakhstan's Emergencies Ministry said in a statement that rescue teams were at the location of the crash and that fire services had put out a blaze at the site.

Videos from the scene of the crash showed the aircraft lying upside down on the ground with part of its fuselage ripped away from the wings and the rest of the plane.

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Azerbaijan Airlines said the Embraer 190 aircraft, with flight number J2-8243, had been flying from Baku to Grozny, the capital of Chechnya, but was forced to make an emergency landing approximately three kilometers from Aqtau.

The airline said it would keep members of the public updated and changed its social media banners to solid black.

A spokesperson for Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency said that preliminary information showed that the pilot had decided to divert to Aqtau after a bird strike on the plane led to “an emergency situation on board.”

Media reports said earlier that the plane had been rerouted due to fog in Grozny.

Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev has set up a special commission -- led by Deputy Prime Minister Bozymbaev -- to investigate the incident.

Toqaev also instructed authorities to send a group of medics from the capital, Astana, to Aqtau to help treat the survivors.

At Aliyev’s instruction, representatives of the Azerbaijani government left for Aqtau, the Azerbaijani Press Agency reported.

The delegation includes the ministers for digital aviation, transport and emergency situations, the deputy health minister, the deputy prosecutor-general, and the deputy director of the State Civil Aviation Agency among others, the news agency added.

Officials said crew members were all Azerbaijani citizens.

Including the crew, there were 42 citizens of Azerbaijan aboard, six from Kazakhstan, three from Kyrgyzstan, and 16 Russian nationals, officials said.

Pakistani air strikes killed 46 civilians in eastern Afghanistan, the Taliban-led government in Kabul said on December 25, while Islamabad claimed it targeted suspected militant hideouts in border areas.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told RFE/RL that there were many women and children among the victims of the December 24 strikes, which hit four locations in the Barmal district of Paktika Province.

There was no immediate comment from Pakistani authorities on the strike inside Afghanistan.

However, the Pakistani Army said security forces killed 13 insurgents in an overnight intelligence-based operation in South Waziristan, a Pakistani district that borders Paktika.

RFE/RL cannot independently verify the claims.

The strikes are likely to further spike tensions between the two neighbors.

Pakistan says that militants from the Islamist group Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) are hiding across the border in Afghanistan, and Islamabad has repeatedly asked the Afghan Taliban to take action against them. But the Afghan Taliban say the TTP are in Pakistan.

SEE ALSO:

Pakistani Militants Kill 16 Near Afghan Border As Violence Grows

The latest Pakistani air strikes come just days after TTP militants carried out a raid near the northwestern border with Afghanistan that killed 16 security officers and wounded eight others.

The attack occurred when militants opened fire at a security checkpoint in South Waziristan in the early hours of December 21.

The TTP, which seeks to impose Shari'a law in Pakistan, claimed responsibility for the attack and said it killed 35 Pakistani security officers. RFE/RL could not independently confirm the number of dead. Neither side said how many militants were killed during the attack.

There has been a steady increase in TTP attacks in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in August 2021.

KYIV -- "Massive" Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure showed no letup as night fell on Christmas Day following what President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called an “inhumane” assault by the Kremlin’s forces – leaving hundreds of thousands in the bitter cold without heating and causing blackouts in the capital, Kyiv.

"Today, [Russian President Vladimir] Putin deliberately chose Christmas to attack,” Zelenskiy said on December 25, adding that Moscow continues to “fight for a blackout” throughout the country.

“What could be more inhumane? More than 70 missiles, including ballistic missiles, and more than a hundred attack drones."

The Russian Defense Ministry, meanwhile, claimed its forces had conducted a "massive strike" on critical energy sites that were supporting Ukraine’s "military-industrial complex."

"The aim of the strike was achieved. All facilities have been hit," the ministry said in a statement.

In Washington, U.S. President Joe Biden, who will leave office on January 20, offered new support and further aid for Ukraine in the face of the Christmas Day attacks.

“In the early hours of Christmas, Russia launched waves of missiles and drones against Ukrainian cities and critical energy infrastructure," Biden said in a statement.

"The purpose of this outrageous attack was to cut off the Ukrainian people’s access to heat and electricity during winter and to jeopardize the safety of its grid."

He added that "the United States and the international community must continue to stand with Ukraine until it triumphs over Russia’s aggression."

"I have directed the Department of Defense to continue its surge of weapons deliveries to Ukraine, and the United States will continue to work tirelessly to strengthen Ukraine’s position in its defense against Russian forces," he said.

Regional governors reported that six people were injured in the northeastern city of Kharkiv and one person was killed in the Dnipropetrovsk area, as residents struggled to recover amid the freezing cold.

Governor Oleh Syniehubov also reported "damages to civilian nonresidential infrastructure” in the regional capital of Kharkiv .

Kharkiv came “under a massive missile attack,” Mayor Ihor Terekhov said on the Telegram social media platform.

“A series of explosions was heard in the city and there are still ballistic missiles heading toward the city," Terekhov wrote early on December 25.

Ukrainian authorities reported that there was no letup in drone attacks into the evening of December 25, with areas around Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Chernihiv being targeted.

In Ukraine, where a majority of Christians identify as Orthodox Christians, this was the second Christmas that was officially designated by the government to be observed not on January 7, but on December 25, in line with Roman Catholic and many Western Christian traditions.

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In Russia, home to the largest number of Orthodox Christians, believers still celebrate Christmas on January 7.

From outside the country, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also condemned what he called an "ongoing assault on Ukraine's energy infrastructure."

"I pay tribute to the resilience of the Ukrainian people, and the leadership of President Zelenskiy, in the face of further drone and missile attacks from Putin's bloody and brutal war machine with no respite even at Christmas," Starmer said in a statement.

Pope Francis, in his Christmas address, made an urgent plea for "all people, all peoples, and nations [to] silence the weapons and overcome divisions."

"Let there be silence of the weapons in martyred Ukraine," Francis said while calling for negotiations to "achieve a just and lasting peace" in the war-torn country.

Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko said that Russia was “again massively attacking the energy sector” on December 25.

"The transmission system operator is taking the necessary measures to limit consumption to minimize the negative consequences for the energy system,” Halushchenko wrote on Telegram.

Dnipropetrovsk Governor Serhiy Lysak reported that the province had been under a “major attack since the morning,” with Russian forces “trying to destroy the region's power system.”

Air raid sirens rang out across Ukraine in the early morning, while the country’s air force reported that Russian Kalibr cruise missiles had been launched from the Black Sea.

Since the start of the war in February 2022, Russia has repeatedly attacked Ukraine’s energy sector, severely damaging the country’s power grid and causing frequent outages.

In a similar attack on December 13, more than 90 missiles and more than 200 drones were used -- but 81 of the missiles were shot down, according to Zelenskiy.

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Inside Russia, authorities said the Ukrainian military attacked the city of Lgov in the Kursk region, hitting a residential building and killing four people.

It wasn't immediately clear if the damage was caused by drones or shelling.

Russian officials also reported Ukrainian drone attacks in the Belgorod region and Voronezh regions.

The reports could not immediately be verified.

The president of the largest ethnic-Serbian party in Kosovo on December 24 said that he will file an appeal with the Election Complaints and Appeals Panel (ECAP) over a decision by the Central Election Commission (CEC) barring the party’s from the February 9 elections due to its strong links with Belgrade.

Zlatan Elek told a news conference that he expects the decision of the CEC against Serbian List (Srpska Lista) to be annulled.

Elek used harsh words against Prime Minister Albin Kurti, saying he wanted to "eliminate" Serbian List from the race.

"This is institutional and legal violence against the Serbian people, against the Srpska List, because Kurti does not want to see Srpska List MPs in the Kosovo Parliament, but wants obedient Serbs in that parliament," said Elek.

The CEC said on December 23 when it announced its decision not to certify Serbian List that its main reason was its nationalist stance and close ties to Serbia.

SEE ALSO:

Kosovo Election Authority Bans Ethnic Serbian Party From Elections

Some commission members noted that Elek has never referred to Kosovo as independent and continues to call it Serbia's autonomous province of Kosovo.

The CEC also said that Serbian List has close ties with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and other Serb leaders who also refuse to recognize Kosovo's independence.

Kurti, speaking his own news conference on December 24, accused Serbian List of being under the command of Belgrade.

"The Serbian List is unfortunately representing the wide scope and high degree of Serbia's interference in Kosovo's internal affairs," Kurti said.

Kurti has previously criticized Serbian List regarding its relationship with Vucic and fugitive former Kosovar Serb politician Milan Radoicic. Kosovar officials have accused Radoicic of being the ringleader of an ambush near the Serbian Orthodox Banjska Monastery complex in September 2023 that killed a policeman and injured another.

Radoicic, who has taken responsibility for the armed attack, remains in Serbia, which refuses to extradite him. Kosovo has characterized the assault on the monastery as a terrorist attack and accused of being responsible for it.

Belgrade has denied involvement and has said the attack was not terrorism.

Kurti underlined that the Serbian List has never distanced itself from the attack nor condemned it.

"Radoicic continues to be the de-facto head of Srpska Lista," Kurti said. "In my view, the Serb List is not an expression of the political organization of Serbs in Kosovo, but rather Belgrade's dictate to the Serbs of Kosovo by placing Radoicic as the leader of that party."

Kosovar President Vjosa Osmani also said that the Serbian List is engaged in terrorist acts, acts of aggression, and violations of the constitutional order, according to her office in responses to RFE/RL’s inquiries.

"Every decision made by the CEC must be respected, as part of the commitment to the rule of law and preserving institutional integrity," Osmani said, according to her office.

Petar Petkovic, head of the Office for Kosovo in the Serbian government, said that Osmani's "shameful" statement only confirms that the CEC's decision was political and made on Kurti's orders.

“[Osmani] and Kurti know neither about democracy nor the rule of law. With this stance, Pristina is showing that the Serbian List and the unity of Serbs are a thorn in its side. Therefore, the Serbian List must win," Petkovic stated on X.

Meanwhile, the international community has warned against the process of certifying political entities becoming politically motivated.

The U.S. Embassy in Pristina assessed that "it is necessary for voters, not political bodies, to decide who represents them."

German Ambassador to Kosovo Joern Rohde said that equal application of the law for all is necessary and the certification process should not be politicized.

Similar reactions have been expressed by the European Union and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

The Kosovo Democratic Institute said the CEC's decision was "contrary to the law and other applicable regulations." Eugen Cakolli of the institute said if the Serbian List appeals to the ECAP, it will be certified and the CEC's decision will be annulled.

With reporting by AFP

Pakistani military jets on December 24 conducted air strikes inside Afghanistan, targeting suspected hideouts of the Islamist militant group Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

The TTP positions targeted were in the Murgha area of the Bermal district in Afghanistan's Paktika Province, according to sources. The area borders the Angoor Adda town in Pakistan's volatile South Waziristan tribal district.

Pakistani jets carried out strikes against one target in the Murgha area and two more areas of the Bermal district.

There has been no official comment from Pakistan, but some accounts on X believed to be related to Pakistani intelligence confirmed the strikes and claimed casualties among the TTP militants.

An Afghan Taliban leader, speaking to RFE/RL on condition of anonymity, confirmed the strikes but added that it is too early to report on casualties.

The Afghan Taliban leader said an Afghan government official confirmed to him that there were strikes in three places in Paktika Province but it was not yet known who was targeted.

Pakistani security sources say the hideouts of the TTP were hit and dozens of militants were killed.

But a TTP official who spoke with RFE/RL said a camp of Pakistani displaced persons was bombed and civilians killed.

Pakistan says that TTP militants are hiding across the border in Afghanistan, and Islamabad has repeatedly asked the Afghan Taliban to take action against them. But the Afghan Taliban say the TTP are in Pakistan.

SEE ALSO:

Pakistani Militants Kill 16 Near Afghan Border As Violence Grows

The air strikes on December 24 come just days after TTP militants carried out a raid near the northwestern border with Afghanistan that killed 16 security officers.

The attack occurred when militants opened fire at a security checkpoint in South Waziristan in the early hours of December 21. Laddha Police Deputy Superintendent Hidayat Ullah told RFE/RL that, in addition to the 16 killed, eight officers were wounded.

The TTP, which seeks to impose Shari'a law in Pakistan, claimed responsibility for the attack and said it killed 35 Pakistani security officers. RFE/RL could not independently confirm the number of dead. Neither side said how many militants were killed during the attack.

The year already had been one of the deadliest for the region.

There has been a steady increase in TTP attacks in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province since the Taliban regained control of Kabul in August 2021.

The Pakistan Center for Conflict and Security Studies said in its most recent report that more than 240 people were killed in "terrorist incidents" in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in November.

The death toll included 68 security officers, the highest in a single month this year.

Meanwhile, the Army Public Relations Directorate (ISPR) claims to have killed dozens of suspected militants in operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa this month.

The governments of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Pakistan say they are committed to wiping out the TTP.

Iran’s council on safeguarding the Internet has voted to lift bans on the WhatsApp messenger and the Google Play apps, state media reported.

The Supreme Cyberspace Council voted unanimously in favor of lifting restrictions on some foreign-owned applications, including WhatsApp and Google Play, during a meeting on December 24, state news agency IRNA said.

"Today, we took the first step toward lifting Internet restrictions with unanimity and consensus," Communications Minister Sattar Hashemi said on X.

It was not immediately clear when the decision would come into force. The Supreme Cyberspace Council holds its meetings behind closed doors and its members' votes are not made public.

IRNA reported that the members of the council voted to lift restrictions while at the same time "emphasizing the importance of rule-of-law governance in cyberspace."

The two apps were restricted in 2022 following the Woman, Life, Freedom protests that were severely suppressed.

SEE ALSO:

'Women, Life, Freedom': Iran's Protest Movement Magnifies Defiance, Camaraderie 2 Years On

The Supreme Cyberspace Council, which was established by order of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has also emphasized "supporting domestic platforms."

On the eve of the council’s meeting, Mehr News Agency published a document indicating that, based on a Supreme Cyberspace Council plan, an "advertising support package" is to be allocated to domestic messaging services.

The document states that the “first phase” of the council’s plan will include “building infrastructure” for domestic content platforms.

While the bans on WhatsApp and Google Play were lifted by the council, other popular social media platforms including Facebook, X, Telegram, and YouTube remain blocked in Iran.

Critics of the restrictions have argued that the controls have been costly for the country.

"The restrictions have achieved nothing but anger and added costs to people's lives," social and political activist Ali Rabiei said on X on December 24.

Vice President Mohammad Javad Zarif added that President Masud Pezeshkian believes in removing restrictions and does not consider the bans to be in the interest of the people and the country.

“All experts also believe that this issue is not beneficial to the country's security," Zarif said on December 24.

Others, however, warned against lifting the restrictions.

The reformist Shargh daily reported on December 24 that 136 lawmakers in Iran's 290-member parliament sent a letter to the council saying the move would be a "gift” to Iran's enemies.

The lawmakers called for allowing access to restricted online platforms only "if they are committed to the values of Islamic society and comply with the laws of" Iran.

With reporting by AFP and Reuters

A Russian cargo ship sank in the Mediterranean Sea, leaving two members of its crew missing, Russian and Spanish authorities said on December 24.

Fourteen members of the crew were rescued from a lifeboat and taken to Spain, the country’s maritime rescue agency said.

The Russian Defense Ministry said the ship began sinking after an explosion in the engine room, but Spanish authorities did not confirm that an explosion had occurred.

The vessel is owned by a subsidiary of Oboronlogistika, a shipping and logistics company established under the Russian Defense Ministry that has been designated for sanctions by the United States and the European Union for its ties to Russia's military.

Spanish authorities said they received an alert around 1 p.m. local time on December 23 when the vessel, the Ursa Major, was roughly 100 kilometers from the coast of southeastern Spain. A ship nearby reported poor weather conditions and said the Ursa Major was listing.

Authorities said a Russian warship arrived later to oversee rescue operations and that the 142-meter-long vessel sank around midnight. On board the vessel were empty containers and two cranes, Spanish authorities said.

The Russian Embassy in Spain told state news agency RIA Novosti that it was investigating and that it was in contact with local authorities.

The Ursa Major left St. Petersburg on December 11 and its final destination was Vladivostok, where it was scheduled to arrive on January 22, according to open-source data.

Some news outlets, including Mediazone, cited open-source information in reporting that the sunken dry cargo ship was actually heading to Syria, where the Kremlin-loyal regime of Bashar al-Assad was overthrown earlier this month, to help evacuate a Russian military base.

SEE ALSO:

Russia Moving Military Assets To Africa After Syria Setback

Tracking data indicate that Russia also sent the dry cargo ship Sparta and three large landing ships to the Mediterranean amid reports that Russia was evacuating military personnel and equipment in the wake of the fall of the Assad regime.

But an open-source analyst cited by RFE/RL studied the data on the cargo that was on board the Ursa Major and concluded that it was indeed heading to Vladivostok.

A photo and video show that there were two port cranes on board the sunken ship as well as 45-ton hatch covers for the construction of nuclear icebreakers. According to analyst Alexander Oliver, the loss of the cargo will be a big blow to the port of Vladivostok and the icebreaker construction program.

Oboronlogistika vessels have been repeatedly used to supply Russian military bases in Syria. The United States in May 2022 imposed sanctions against Oboronlogistika and several other Russian companies involved in maritime transportation for the Russian Defense Ministry.

With reporting by Reuters and AP

YouTube traffic in Russia has plummeted to just 20 percent of its “normal levels” in recent days, a leading Russian expert said, describing the situation as a “de facto” blocking of the video-sharing platform in the country.

Mikhail Klimarev, director of the nonprofit organization Society for the Protection of the Internet, said in a Telegram post on December 23 that YouTube traffic in Russia has dropped to one-fifth of the levels recorded before the authorities reportedly began to deliberately slow down the service in July.

“Google’s monitoring service currently shows 8.5 traffic points from Russia. Before the “slowdown,” it was 40 points. This means it’s now at roughly 20 percent of normal levels,” Klimarev wrote on his Telegram channel, ZaTelecom, adding: “YouTube is de facto blocked in Russia.”

SEE ALSO:

The Throttling Of YouTube: Kremlin Censorship Enters Uncharted Waters

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a resident of the Russian city of Surgut told RFE/RL on December 24 that YouTube has become “inaccessible for some time.”

“I first noticed YouTube becoming frustratingly slow in the summer, now it is simply impossible to open,” she said.

“We have three smartphones in our family and get the Internet from two different [service providers.] We tried [opening YouTube] in all of them. I can say for sure that we can’t open YouTube anymore,” the Surgut resident added.

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YouTube, which is owned by Google, has tens of millions of users in Russia.

Russian YouTube users have been experiencing mass outages and slowdown in the service since July. Russian authorities said the problems were caused by Google's failure to upgrade equipment used to ensure access to Google services in Russia.

Critics, however, accuse the authoritarian government in Moscow of deliberately disrupting the service to prevent Russians from viewing content there that is critical of the Kremlin’s policies.

In July, Russian outlet, Gazeta.ru quoted two sources close to the president’s administration as saying that Moscow was planning to begin blocking YouTube in September.

The EU-based news website Meduza at the time quoted a source in Russia’s telecommunications sphere who claimed the government started slowing YouTube speeds on July 11.

YouTube said in August that it was aware that some people in Russia were not able to access the platform, but it insisted that the problem was not caused by any action or technical issues on YouTube’s part.

Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated Moscow’s position, claiming that the YouTube service disruption was caused by Google’s failure to upgrade equipment.

During his annual news conference and call-in show on December 19, Putin also demanded that Google and YouTube observe Russia’s laws and not use the Internet as a tool to “achieve [the U.S.] government’s political goals.”

There was no immediate response by Google.

Russia has blocked major social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.

Six people died in a fire at a migrant workers’ temporary residence in the Russian republic of Tatarstan, highlighting the increasingly difficult conditions faced by those coming to Russia seeking work.

The regional Investigative Committee said a criminal investigation into the blaze on December 24 has been opened. It added that the wooden building on a farm housed more than three dozen Uzbek migrant workers.

Migrants, especially from Central Asian countries such as Uzbekistan, have long provided desperately needed workers across Russia even though the conditions they live in can be poor.

In October, the Russian government approved a measure that cuts the quota for residence permits for foreigners in 2025 by almost half even as the number of workers entering the country has fallen to a 10-year low, exacerbating an acute labor shortage.

The move came as public sentiment toward migrants grows increasingly negative, with some 80 percent of Russians surveyed expressing concerns about the high number of migrants, particularly from Central Asia and the Caucasus.

Hundreds of thousands of migrant workers from those areas legally reside in Russia on working visas allowing them to stay and work in the country for a limited period, while residence permits allow stays in Russia for years.

SEE ALSO:

Russia's Ethnic Minorities Brace For 'Excesses' As Xenophobia Spikes After Crocus Attack

But many Russians turned against migrants from Central Asia after a terrorist attack at the Crocus City Hall entertainment center near Moscow in March that claimed 140 lives.

Several Tajik citizens were arrested over their alleged involvement in the attack. The men appeared in court bearing clear signs of beating and torture.

Suspicions of migrants from Central Asia were further stoked last week when Russian authorities said they had arrested a man from Uzbekistan over the assassination of a senior general in Moscow on December 17.

The arrest of the 29-year-old, who Moscow claimed killed Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov on Ukraine's orders has triggered fear among Central Asian migrants in Russia. Kirillov was the highest-ranking Russian military officer to be assassinated since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

SEE ALSO:

Central Asian Migrants Brace For Backlash After Russian General's Killing

Authorities in Tatarstan have not tied the fire to the backlash. In addition to the investigation, the republic’s president, Rustam Minnikhanov, has ordered a check of housing for workers at farms in Tatarstan and pledged assistance for the victims of the fire.

Alisher Ilkhamov, an Uzbek analyst and the director of the U.K.-based research entity Central Asia Due Diligence, said Uzbeks will be portrayed "to some extent as the villains” in the assassination.

"Anti-migrant rhetoric has been very popular with Russian politicians recently," Ilkhamov said. "Now that will be reinforced.”

A Russian court has sentenced U.S. citizen Eugene Spector to 15 years in a penal colony for "espionage" amid accusations by several Western governments that Moscow is convicting foreign nationals to use as bargaining chips in prisoner swaps.

Spector was sentenced on December 24 by the Moscow City Court after a trial that was held behind closed doors. Little is known about the charges the former pharmaceuticals executive faced as the court claimed classified materials during the trial warranted it being closed to the public.

The case comes against a backdrop of deteriorating relations between Moscow and Washington, which are at their lowest point since the end of the Cold War.

Moscow has also been accused of targeting U.S. citizens by detaining them on trumped-up charges to later use as bargaining chips in talks to bring back Russians convicted of crimes in the United States and other Western nations.

At least 10 U.S. citizens remain behind bars in Russia even after a prisoner swap on August 1 involving 16 people that Moscow agreed to free in exchange for eight Russians convicted of crimes and serving prison terms in the United States and Europe.

SEE ALSO:

'They Remain In Torturous Conditions': The Prisoners Left Behind In Russia After Historic Exchange 

“Although the prisoner exchange can rightly be considered a victory for diplomacy, we should not hastily declare that justice has prevailed,” Yulia Mineeva, an associate at Chatham House, said after the prisoners were swapped.

“The Russian side held hostages to free their hitmen, spies, and hackers, while the West made a tough decision in favor of the freedom and lives of innocent people, not only their citizens but Russian nationals as well.”

The state TASS news agency said Spector was born in 1972 in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) and moved to the United States, where he became a citizen. His Russian name is Yevgeny Mironovich, TASS added.

Spector was the chairman of the board of Medpolymerprom Group, a company known for its focus on developing cancer-curing drugs.

He was sentenced in 2021 to four years in prison on alleged bribery charges. His sentence was reduced by six months after a retrial.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called for Georgian security forces to be investigated for the “brutal police violence” against largely peaceful protesters who have taken to the streets for anti-government demonstrations.

Police have clashed with protesters for over two weeks, detaining dozens and injuring scores of people who accuse the government of the ruling Georgian Dream party -- founded by Russia-friendly billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili -- of moving the country away from the EU and closer to Moscow.

“In widespread and apparently punitive acts, security forces have chased down, violently detained, and beat protesters. Police also tortured and otherwise ill-treated them in police vans and police stations,” HRW said in a report on December 24.

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The political crisis erupted after Georgian Dream claimed victory in October elections that the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said was marred by instances of vote-buying, double-voting, physical violence, and intimidation.

The rallies intensified after a government decision last month to delay negotiations on Georgia joining the European Union.

The authorities have responded violently to the demonstrations, arresting hundreds of people in recent weeks and closely watching participants with Chinese-made surveillance cameras with facial-recognition capabilities.

Dozens of protesters – as well as journalists covering the rallies – have been beaten and detained by police were wearing riot gear or full-face black masks, with no identifiable insignia.

“The level of the authorities’ violence against largely peaceful protesters is shocking, blatantly retaliatory, and violates Georgia’s domestic laws and international norms,” said Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch.

“The scale of the police ill-treatment of protesters and the failure of Georgian authorities to hold them accountable for it indicates they either authorized or condoned the violence.”

Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili on December 22 called on Georgian Dream to set a date for new parliamentary elections by December 29.

Zurabishvili has been locked in a standoff with the party since the October parliamentary elections, which the opposition has refused to recognize.

Georgian Dream has denied any election wrongdoing and has refused to consider new elections despite the almost daily protests.

Georgia received EU candidate status in December last year but ties with Brussels have been tense in recent months following the adoption in May of a controversial "foreign agent" law pushed through parliament by Georgian Dream, which has ruled since 2012.

Critics say the legislation threatens media outlets and civil society groups and mirrors a similar Russian law used by the Kremlin to stifle political opponents and civil society.

While initially endorsed by Georgian Dream for her successful presidential run in 2018, Zurabishvili has been a thorn in the ruling party's side.

Although officially a nonpartisan president limited to a ceremonial role, Zurabishvili has criticized Georgian Dream for its increasingly authoritarian stance.

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Anti-Government Protesters Dance Through Tbilisi

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Earlier this month, an electoral college dominated by Georgian Dream chose Mikheil Kavelashvili, a 53-year-old former soccer player and right-wing populist, as Georgia's next president.

His inauguration is supposed to take place on December 29, though the 72-year-old Zurabishvili, whose term ends this year, has said she isn't going anywhere.

The 'foreign agent' law, which mandates that organizations receiving significant foreign funding register as foreign agents, took effect on August 1, sparking significant backlash from international and domestic actors.

The government last week pledged to amend the law, though it did not give details of the changes it would enact.

CHISINAU -- Moldova's pro-Western president, Maia Sandu, was sworn in for a second term in what analysts call a critical milestone for the integration of one of Europe's poorest countries into the European Union.

Sandu defeated her Russian-friendly opponent, Alexandr Stoianoglo, in the second-round of a hard fought election last month.

The Harvard University educated, former World Bank official's victory -- coming just one week after another former Soviet republic, Georgia, suffered a setback on its EU path when elections were won by Moscow-friendly incumbents -- came as a relief for Moldova's Western partners, who hailed it as proof that democracy can win over Russian meddling.

Sandu said in her inauguration speech that she hopes her second and final four-year mandate will tie her legacy to "Moldova being in the European Union."

During Sandu's first term, Moldova secured EU candidate status in 2022 and opened accession talks earlier this year after firmly aligning itself with its neighbor, Ukraine, after Russia's unprovoked invasion in 2022, and joining the EU sanctions regime against Russia.

Moldovan President Starts Second Term, Says EU Integration Is "Path To Security And Prosperity"

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"European integration is our path to security and prosperity, but let's not think of it as a business-class ticket to paradise," Sandu said in her inauguration speech. "It's not a miracle cure to all our problems. The French won't come here to run our judiciary. The Danes won't come in to clean up our garbage. The Germans won't come in to manage our border crossings. Only we are responsible for our lives, for our country."

Last week the European Union applauded Moldova for the successful conduct of the presidential elections and of the referendum on enshrining EU accession in the constitution," while blasting the "hybrid attempts to undermine the country's democratic institutions."

Moldovan officials had warned for months of threats from Russia that included disinformation and facilitating millions in illicit payments for an informal network of anti-EU organizers.

At the same time, they also fended off cyberattacks and deepfakes, and publicly confronted what they regarded as false narratives aimed at influencing the outcome of the vote.

Sandu, 52, became Moldova's first female president with a landslide victory in 2020, running on a strong pro-EU message and vowing to fight corruption.

Stoianoglo, 57, from Gagauzia -- a Turkic-speaking autonomous region of Moldova with pro-Russian sentiment -- campaigned on a law-and-order theme, although critics slammed him for what they say was a failure to address high-level corruption during his time as Moldova's prosecutor-general.

One person was killed and 11 were wounded by a ballistic missile strike on an apartment block in the Ukrainian city of Kryviy Rih, local officials said on December 24 as clashes were reported along much of the front line in eastern Ukraine amid gains by Russian forces and speculation over the Kremlin’s strategy.

Ukrainian officials condemned the attack on the building in Kryviy Rih, calling it a direct hit on a four-story residential block with 32 apartments.

Dnipropetrovsk Governor Serhiy Lysak said 11 people had been wounded and seven of them had been hospitalized.

He described three of the wounded as two women, ages 69 and 72, and a 78-year-old man, and said all were in moderate condition. He said later that one man who had been pulled from the rubble could not be revived despite doctors doing everything possible to resuscitate him.

Lysak added that there may still be people buried in the rubble.

Ukraine's human rights ombudsman reacted angrily, noting that the strike occurred on Christmas Eve.

"While other countries of the world are celebrating Christmas, Ukrainians are continuing to suffer from endless Russian attacks," Dmytro Lubinets said on Telegram.

Kryviy Rih, the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has regularly been the target of Russian missile attacks throughout the war.

Russia says it does not deliberately target civilians despite widespread evidence to the contrary and thousands of deaths among the civilian population.

Ukraine’s General Staff of the Armed Forces said earlier on December 24 that by mid-morning some 235 clashes had been recorded at the front since the start of the previous day, with intense fighting in the direction of Kharkhiv, Donetsk, and Kupyansk.

It added that Russia lost over 1,600 soldiers and 30 armored vehicles during the period, though the claim could not be independently verified. Moscow rarely comments on its losses in the war.

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Darkness And Drones: Winter Warfare On Ukraine's Front Lines

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The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said in a report on December 24 that Russia’s priorities in the current fighting remain unclear as troops make incremental advances south and southwest of the key city of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region.

“It remains unclear if Russian forces will be able to exploit these gains to envelop the town or if they intend to advance to the administrative boundary of Donetsk region,” the ISW said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said last week that Moscow is nearing its primary goal in the war, though he didn’t elaborate.

Ever since Ukraine's counteroffensive to drive out invading Russian forces culminated with little success in October 2023, Russian troops have slowly pushed westward, capturing the Donetsk city of Avdiyivka and then the town of Vuhledar. Russia currently controls about 60 percent of Donetsk.

Russian troops reportedly are just a few kilometers from the edge of Pokrovsk and could be on the verge of taking it.

Pokrovsk is strategically significant because it serves as a major transportation hub, is close to the front lines, and serves as a supply hub for military operations in the Donbas region.

• Serhiy Nuzhnenko

Russian forces have neared the outskirts of Pokrovsk, a strategically important transportation and logistics hub in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region. Once home to more than 60,000 people before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, only a fraction of this population now remains in the embattled city. Photojournalist Serhiy Nuzhnenko recently visited Pokrovsk with a colleague from RFE/RL's Donbas.Realities and talked to some residents who are still living there.

Fighting between Russia and Ukraine has ratcheted up in recent weeks, with Moscow launching waves of drones and missiles across Ukrainian territory, mainly aimed at civilian and energy infrastructure.

Kyiv has countered with attacks on Russian oil and energy targets just inside Russian territory and over the weekend struck high-rise buildings in Kazan, the capital of Russia's oil-rich republic of Tatarstan.

A delegation from Kazan on December 24 traveled to Belgorod to study best practices in organizing civil defenses during drone attacks, according to Kazan media citing a statement by city's mayor, Ilsur Metshin.

Metshin said that Kazan must establish a clear plan so that residents know how to respond in emergencies and where to find shelters.

"Everyone should have this in mind. We will bring the best practice in the country by the end of the week," the mayor said.

He said he understands that in Belgorod all residents can evacuate to shelters within minutes.

Last week Putin dangled the prospect of Russian concessions, saying more than once during his annual question-and-answer conference that Moscow was ready for a compromise.

But he attached numerous conditions to the idea of compromise, suggesting Moscow’s goal of subjugating Ukraine and winning major security guarantees from NATO and the West remain in place, as well as saying he does not consider Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy a legitimate leader.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump -- whose inauguration is set for January 20 -- has said he would move to end the war quickly and during his remarks at Turning Point’s America Fest convention on December 22, said, "We have to end that war. That war is horrible, horrible."