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- By RFE/RL
China Announces More Tit-For-Tat Sanctions On U.S., Canadian Citizens Over Xinjiang Criticism
Beijing has announced sanctions against two Americans, a Canadian, and a rights advocacy group over their criticism of China's treatment of Uyghurs in the northwestern region of Xinjiang.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said China's tit-for-tat measure would only focus more attention on "genocide" and rights abuses against ethnic Uyghurs and other Muslim groups in Xinjiang.
"Beijing's attempts to intimidate and silence those speaking out for human rights and fundamental freedoms only contribute to the growing international scrutiny of the ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang," Blinken said.
China's action comes after the European Union, Britain, Canada and the United States sanctioned several members of Xinjiang's political and economic hierarchy last week over rights abuses in the region.
China has retaliated in recent days by announcing its own sanctions against public officials and citizens of the EU, Britain, Canada, and the United States who have been critical of Beijing's policies.
China's Foreign Ministry has accused the United States and Canada of imposing sanctions "based on rumors and disinformation."
Those named on March 27 as the latest targets of Chinese sanctions include two members of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, Gayle Manchin and Tony Perkins, Canadian member of parliament Michael Chong, and a Canadian parliamentary committee on human rights.
They are prohibited from entering mainland China, Hong Kong, and Chinese-administered Macau.
'Badge Of Honor'
Chong said being sanctioned by Beijing was a "badge of honor."
"We've got a duty to call out China for its crackdown in #HongKong & its genocide of #Uyghurs," Chong tweeted.
"We who live freely in democracies under the rule of law must speak for the voiceless."
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau described the measures as "an attack on transparency and freedom of expression."
International human rights groups says at least one million Uyghurs and people from other mostly Muslim groups have been held in camps in Xinjiang.
Rights groups also accuse Chinese authorities of forcibly sterilizing women and imposing forced labor.
With reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, and dpa
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Ukrainian Military Officials Detained Over Failures In Defense Of Kharkiv Region
Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) and the State Bureau of Investigations (DBR) have detained three high-ranking Ukrainian military officials accused of failing to properly defend the Kharkiv region during a Russian offensive in May 2024.
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According to an official statement published on January 20 by the DBR, those detained include a brigadier general, a lieutenant general, and a colonel.
The investigation alleges that the officials, who held key leadership positions in Ukraine's territorial defense, neglected to adequately prepare defensive positions along the border areas of the Kharkiv region.
During the renewed Russian assault, they reportedly lost control over their troops, contributing to the loss of strategic territory in the region.
Charges against the detained officers include negligent military service during wartime and the organization of an unauthorized retreat from the battlefield.
If convicted, the officials could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison. Authorities are currently determining pretrial restriction measures for the three detainees.
The arrests come as Ukrainian regions, including Kharkiv, Donetsk, and Kherson, were hit by intense Russian attacks overnight. Local authorities reported two civilian deaths with four others injured due to shelling.
In the Donetsk region, one civilian was killed and another injured in the Pokrovsk district, where residential buildings sustained significant damage.
In Kherson, one civilian was killed in an attack while in Kharkiv, a 14-year-old girl was injured in Zolochiv, and a 45-year-old man was wounded after stepping on an explosive device.
Russian authorities, meanwhile, reported Ukrainian drone attacks in Kazan, the capital of the Russia's Republic of Tatarstan, early on January 20.
According to local officials, drones targeted a defense industrial facility.
They claimed there were no casualties or significant damage to the facility, which could not be independently verified.
The Kazan Aviation Plant, which manufactures strategic bombers used in Russia's war against Ukraine, was reportedly the main target, which if hit, could cause a major disruption to Russia's military operations in Ukraine.
Russian authorities said they temporarily closed airports in Kazan, Nizhnekamsk, and Izhevsk as a precaution. The airports were later reopened.
Trump To Be Sworn In As U.S. President
Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 47th U.S. president at an indoor ceremony in Washington.
- By Ray Furlong
Why Are European Troops For Ukraine A Nonstarter?
Incoming U.S. President Donald Trump’s inauguration is likely to herald a tectonic shift in Washington’s policy on Ukraine, with a declared push for a peace or cease-fire deal and a clear desire for U.S. disengagement.
That has led European leaders to discuss previously unthinkable ideas about how to ensure Ukraine’s postwar security without U.S. involvement.
Top of the list is French President Emmanuel Macron’s suggestion of deploying European military forces to Ukraine if a deal is agreed.
Europe Invasion's New Name
As RFE/RL was preparing publication of this investigation, Europe Invasion changed its X handle from @EuropeInvasions to @UpdateNews724 – the most recent of several name changes the account has undergone over the past two years, according to archived data of the account. For the purposes of this report, the name “Europe Invasion” will be used throughout this report to refer to the account.
First mooted nearly a year ago, it was reinvigorated after Trump’s election victory. Last month, Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said Rome would be willing to join a potential mission and his German counterpart, Boris Pistorius, said Berlin was “preparing” and “considering scenarios.”
But these two examples highlight the enormous obstacles to such a mission.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said such discussions were premature.
Given Nazi Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union -- including Ukraine -- during World War II, it is also hard to imagine German forces deployed in the country.
European Union Foreign Affairs chief Kaja Kallas said that as long as Russia was shelling Ukraine, “we have nothing to talk about.”
Of course, she meant publicly. But her comment underlines another factor that may make a European military role a nonstarter: Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“I think there is absolutely no indication that at the moment Putin is interested in negotiations at all,” said Ian Bond, deputy director of the Center for European Reform, a think tank. “You know, Putin thinks he's winning.”
A 'Tall Order'
Bond is not alone in this assessment. Trump appears to disagree, stating at his January 7 Mar-a-Lago news conference that he believed he could achieve a deal within six months. But even then, there’s no sign that Putin would agree to a European force.
Nicu Popescu, at the European Council on Foreign Relations, sees a further difficulty. As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, Moscow can block any peacekeeping mission.
“The problem with traditional peacekeeping missions is that they are bound by UN decisions, meaning Russia could veto it or terminate the mission at any time. Such a mission would also not be limited to Western countries but also have troops from other parts of the world,” he said.
Popescu, who was Moldovan Foreign Minister in 2021-2024, said the discussion among European leaders is not about peacekeepers.
“What’s being discussed is a military presence to prevent another war. It means troops, not lightly armed peacekeepers, but equipped with antiaircraft, anti-electronic warfare capacities, to defend cities like Odesa and Kyiv.”
Popescu admits that is a “tall order” for European armies.
Britain and France have Europe’s strongest militaries, but are overstretched.
In Britain, the military has been largely focused on anti-terror and counterinsurgency operations since the September 11 attacks in the United States in 2001. It has been through cuts in the last decade and a recent parliamentary report said Britain was “underprepared” to counter the Russian threat.
In July, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced a review of defense strategy, declaring that Britain’s armed forces were “hollowed out.”
The French Army has greater numbers than the British but has also been stretched by yearslong combat deployments across Africa. French experts have voiced doubts about its capacity for a higher-intensity conflict, such as Ukraine.
“We only have six long-range rocket launchers left, we do not have any real means of combating drones,” noted Leo Peria Peigne from the French Institute of International Relations in November.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said security guarantees for Kyiv to end Russia's war would only be effective if the United States provides them. Some advocates of a European military presence say it would only be possible with U.S. help in areas such as planning, logistics, and intelligence.
Political Constraints
Adding to these military constraints are political ones. Would European governments really be willing to deploy significant forces to Ukraine against Russia’s wishes and without U.S. involvement on the ground?
The idea could be deeply unpopular with public opinion. Polling in Western Europe has consistently shown low levels of support for sending troops to Ukraine.
The risks of sending such a contingent, even in a noncombat role, would be enormous. Rules of engagement would have to be set covering how to respond if they are fired on by Russian forces, and the political fallout of casualties could be huge.
Macron already has his back to the wall after losing his majority in France’s National Assembly. Starmer has only just returned his Labour Party to office after 14 years in opposition. Both leaders have a lot to lose from a bloody crisis involving their soldiers in Ukraine.
Many would also point to the danger of escalation. This appears to be one reason outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration ruled out any military presence in Ukraine.
Still, some analysts argue that the situation on the battlefield could get so bad that European leaders feel compelled to act.
“If you are Poland, the prospect of the collapse of Ukraine with millions of refugees flowing across your borders and Russian forces coming up to your border is much, much worse than the prospect of having to do more to shore up Ukraine's current front lines,” said Ian Bond.
But, he added, “We're a very, very long way away from that.”
- By Todd Prince
Trump Again Vows To End Ukraine War, Warns Taliban About Weapons
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has again said he would get Ukraine and Russia to stop fighting while also saying he would demand that the Taliban return billions of dollars of U.S. military equipment left behind in Afghanistan in 2021.
“I will end the war in Ukraine, I will stop the chaos in the Middle East, and I will prevent World War III from happening,” Trump told a packed crowd at the Capital One Arena in Washington on January 19, a day before his inauguration, without giving details.
Analysts say it will be difficult to end the war in Ukraine in the near term because Russian President Vladimir Putin believes he is winning and has no incentive to stop the fighting.
Trump’s rally, his first in the city since January 6, 2021, when his supporters stormed the Capitol, featured a rundown of items he has claimed he would achieve during the next four years at home and abroad, including strengthening the military.
Trump will be sworn in as the 47th president on January 20. The ceremony will be held inside the Capitol for the first time in 40 years due to freezing temperatures.
During his speech, Trump claimed the United States has been giving the Taliban in Afghanistan “billions of dollars a year” and that he will end that unless the extremist group gives back billions in U.S. equipment.
“And I say, if we're going to pay billions of dollars a year, tell them we're not going to give them the money unless they give back our military equipment,” Trump said.
The United States left about $7 billion in military equipment in Afghanistan when it chaotically pulled out in August 2021 as the Taliban retook control of the capital, Kabul.
The Taliban takeover has led to a downward economic spiral with more than half of the country’s population of some 42 million people in need of humanitarian assistance, such as food, according to USAID, the U.S. development arm.
The United States has given more than $2.1 billion in humanitarian funding to Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover, according to USAID.
Since taking power, the Taliban has been condemned by Western leaders, international organizations, and activists for brutal human rights violations, especially against women and girls.
Note: This article has been amended to provide a more accurate estimate of the size of Afghanistan's population.
Relief And Frustration As Gaza Cease-Fire Goes Into Effect, First Releases Completed
A long-awaited cease-fire in the Gaza Strip came into effect on January 19, followed by the release of three Israeli hostages after an hourslong delay, underscoring the fragility of the deal between Israel and U.S.-designated terrorist group Hamas.
Hours after the release of the three Israeli women from Hamas captivity, Israeli authorities early on January 20 said 90 Palestinian prisoners -- all women or minors -- had been set free in the first of several planned exchanges.
The truce and the hostage release, agreed on January 15 after months of negotiations, is the first step in a multistage process aimed at ending the 15-month conflict in Gaza.
The conflict broke out when Iran-backed Hamas attacked southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages to Gaza. Israel retaliated by launching a devastating war in the Palestinian enclave that has killed over 46,000 people, according to Gaza health authorities.
The deal will see the exchange of dozens of Israeli hostages for some 1,000 Palestinian prisoners and the delivery of urgent humanitarian aid into Gaza, which has grappled with a major humanitarian crisis.
The start of the truce on January 19 was delayed by nearly three hours, with Israel saying it had not received the names of the first three hostages to be released. Hamas blamed the holdup on “technical field reasons.”
During the delay, Israel continued its attacks in Gaza. The Palestinian Civil Defense, an emergency service, said that at least 19 people were killed in several attacks across the territory.
Following confirmation of cease-fire, U.S. President Joe Biden -- speaking a day before he leaves office -- welcomed the agreement that his administration has long sought.
“The road to this deal has been not easy at all, and a long road,” he said in brief remarks at the Royal Missionary Baptist Church in North Charleston, South Carolina.
Biden added that the long-term success of the cease-fire will also depend on the next administration, as Donald Trump takes the presidency at noon on January 20.
Trump wrote on social media: “Hostages starting to come out today! Three wonderful young women will be first."
Ursula von der Leyen, head of the European Commission, said: "Seeing the hostages' reunion with their families fills our hearts with hope. Let it be the start of a new chapter for Israel and the Palestinian people."
Meanwhile, Israel's far-right Jewish Power party has announced that it is leaving the government in protest against the cease-fire deal. The move leaves Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with a thin parliamentary majority.
There were celebrations across Gaza and some Palestinians began returning to their homes as the cease-fire took hold.
Zaher al-Kashif, a Palestinian writer and analyst, said there was a “sense of relief and happiness” in the territory. But he said many in Gaza, most of which is in ruins, are facing an uncertain future.
“We are waiting for real help and a real perspective for our future, which is unclear in the shadow of widespread destruction and the spread of poverty and hunger,” said Kashif, who lives in Gaza City.
In the first phase of the deal, a six-week cease-fire will begin, during which Israeli troops will withdraw from parts of Gaza. Hamas will release 33 of some 90 Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.
Palestinians displaced by the conflict will be allowed to return to their homes in the first phase of the deal, while humanitarian aid will start to flow into the Hamas-run enclave.
Further negotiations on the second and third phase of the agreement will begin on the 16th day of the deal’s implementation, and analysts say this could pose the first real challenge to the cease-fire’s longevity.
The second phase of the agreement involves the release of the remaining hostages and, crucially, the end of the war. The final stage of the deal focuses on the reconstruction of Gaza.
The Israel-Hamas war has profoundly altered the Middle East’s geopolitical landscape. Iran and Russia, once dominant forces, have suffered severe setbacks, while Israel has expanded its regional influence.
Menachem Klein, senior lecturer at Bar Ilan University in Tel Aviv, said many Israelis have “mixed feelings” about the cease-fire and hostage deal.
“They are very happy that the hostages are back. On the other hand, they are frustrated because the war did not achieve its goals. Israel did not finish Hamas. Therefore, the expectation is to continue the war sometime in the future and destroy, totally destroy, Hamas,” said Klein, a former government adviser.
- By RFE/RL
NATO, EU Bolster Kosovo Contingents Ahead Of Tense February Election
NATO and the European Union are beefing up their resources in Kosovo amid rising tension in the Balkan nation ahead of February 9 parliamentary elections.
The Western military alliance said it has sent 200 additional Italian soldiers to bolster the NATO-led KFOR peacekeeping mission, which has been in the country since 1999 and now has some 4,000 troops, down from a peak of 50,000.
"Today, Italian troops from KFOR's reserves completed their arrival...reinforcing KFOR's presence in Kosovo," a statement said. The "Italian mechanized infantry brigade 'Sassari,' will carry out a range of activities, together with KFOR troops."
It said the force "will be deployed in response to any relevant developments in the security situation including during the election period."
Separately, the EU said an election observation mission has been established to oversee the parliamentary vote.
Nathalie Loiseau, a French member of the European Parliament who has been named mission leader, said a team of 100 observers will monitor the elections, underlining "continuous EU support for Kosovo to further strengthen its democratic governance."
The election is seen by many as a test of strength for Prime Minister Albin Kurti and his ruling party as tensions remain high with the country's ethnic-Serbian minority and the government in neighboring Serbia itself.
Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, a decade after a war between ethnic-Albanian rebels and Serbian forces, which ended after a 78-day NATO air campaign drove Serbian troops out and the international peacekeeping force moved in.
The conflict left more than 10,000 people dead -- most of them ethnic Albanians from Kosovo.
Kosovo has an ethnic Serbian majority in several districts, while ethnic Albanians overwhelmingly populate the rest of the Balkan country.
Serbia has not recognized Kosovo's independence, and several incidents have ratcheted up angry feelings on both sides in recent years.
Tensions rose most recently when Kosovar authorities on January 15 raided municipal offices in 10 Serbia-backed areas as the government continued to press the closure of so-called parallel institutions that gave Belgrade leverage in its former province.
Authorities in Kosovo say the work of the Serbian institutions, which have been in operation since the postwar period in 1999, is "illegal."
Ethnic Serbs in northern Kosovo have been guided for decades by Belgrade and its parallel structures in the region, including Serbian banks, a pension system, and unemployment benefits.
The United States has been one of Kosovo's major supporters since its independence declaration, but Washington has expressed opposition to many of Pristina's actions against its Serbian minority and has urged negotiated settlements on a range of issues.
The EU has told both sides that a normalization of relations is a requirement to be considered for bloc membership.
The upcoming election has also entered the spotlight after Kosovo's Central Election Commission (CEC) decided on December 23 not to certify the main ethnic Serbian party, effectively barring it from the parliamentary elections.
The CEC said its main reason for declining to certify Serbian List was its nationalist stance and close ties to Serbia.
However, a special appeals court on December 25 ordered the CEC to certify the Serbian List and its candidates for the election, ruling that the party had fulfilled all obligations required regarding filings and was therefore entitled to be certified.
With reporting by AP and AFP
Zelenskiy Renews Plea For Patriot Systems After Week Of Nonstop Russian Attacks
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said his embattled nation had been slammed by more than 1,000 Russian projectiles over the past week, prompting him to renew his urgent plea for additional air defense weapons, particularly the U.S.-made Patriot missile system.
“In one week, the Russian army used about 550 attack drones, almost 60 missiles of various types, and more than 660 aerial bombs,” Zelenskiy wrote on his Telegram channel.
He thanked soldiers and warfare units for defending against the “daily strikes on infrastructure” and for preventing most of the weapons from “reaching their targets.”
However, he added that the “constant task is to continue to strengthen the protection of our skies.”
“More Patriots for Ukraine means more protection of life. More range for Ukraine means more guarantees that the Russian war can be stopped,” he added.
Zelenskiy has stepped up his appeals for the sophisticated Patriot air defense system over the past year as Russian forces continue assaults against Ukrainian infrastructure and civilian sites.
Ukraine is thought to have at least five Patriot systems, although details have been kept mostly secret as some allies have sent full batteries while others have promised to send parts for the units.
A Patriot system costs more than $1 billion to manufacture and some $4 million more each time it is fired.
In an interview with Ukrainian TV on January 19, military chief Oleksandr Syrskiy said Ukraine is seeking to develop its own air defense system with capabilities equivalent to the Patriots.
“During Soviet times, [Ukraine] effectively manufactured all the controllers for anti-aircraft systems. So we have the capacity and the ability to make [them]. Work is under way to develop our own domestic air defense system."
When asked if they will be as effective as the U.S.-made systems, Syrskiy said, "I hope they will be comparable in performance to the Patriots."
On the battlefield, the Ukrainian General Staff reported more than 80 clashes near the strategic Donetsk city of Pokrovsk, the target of a brutal Russian offensive over recent months.
A day earlier, Ukrainian military spokesman Viktor Trehubov claimed the situation in Pokrovsk was "stable" and that there were no Russian troops inside the city, even as authorities rushed to evacuate children from the bombed-out ruins.
"In Pokrovsk, in the city itself, the situation has not changed. It is stable,” Trehubov said, while acknowledging that Russian forces still appeared intent on encircling the area.
“There is no enemy there. We have already had to counteract information thrown into the network that they have allegedly arrived. This is simply not true," he insisted.
Once home to 60,000 residents, Pokrovsk now has only around 7,000 people remaining, local authorities estimate.
The situation around the important logistics hub remains unclear. Heavy losses have been reported on both sides, although neither military discloses its casualties.
Russian forces have been closing in on Pokrovsk for several weeks, but some observers suggest the Kremlin may decide to bypass the city and seek to capture more territory further inside Ukraine instead.
On January 18, the Russian Defense Ministry said its forces had taken control of two more settlements in the region, the village of Petropavlivka -- between the towns of Pokrovsk and Kurakhove -- and Vremivka.
If Russian forces were to take Pokrovsk, it would represent a major gain for the Kremlin after fighting that has left the city mostly in ruins.
In his comments, Trehubov said that "the enemy is trying to cling to the area south of Pokrovsk in order to advance southwest of the settlement and cut off logistics routes."
"What is happening in the settlements south of Pokrovsk…there are constant battles, constant attempts by the enemy to take the area, make a base with it, and advance.”
“The Russians are currently far from this goal, but they are trying," he added.
The U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) in its latest update said that “Russian forces recently advanced in the Pokrovsk direction and continued offensive operations in the area on January 17.
With reporting by Reuters and Ukrayinska pravda
Georgian Protesters Back On Streets As Ex-President Takes Cause To Trump Inauguration
TBILISI -- Anti-government protesters took to the streets of Tbilisi on January 18, with many demonstrators wearing masks in defiance of new regulations banning face-coverings as authorities attempt to keep tabs on dissenters in the Caucasus nation.
Many of the masks featured images mocking billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, Georgia’s most powerful man and the founder of the Georgian Dream -- the party that has angered protesters with its perceived turn away from its once-growing Western ties and more toward Russia.
Meanwhile, former President Salome Zurabishvili -- who broke with the government during her term and sided with protesters -- told Fox News that the United States and Europe have a "stake" in defending Georgian democracy against both an "unconstitutional" government in Tbilisi and potential Russian interference.
Zurabishvili was in the United States to attend U.S. leader Donald Trump's inauguration on January 20.
She said she would urge Trump to tell Russian President Vladimir Putin, in any future call or meeting: "Hands off Georgia. Hands off the Caucasus."
On December 29, Georgian Dream pushed through its candidate, Mikheil Kavelashvili, a former soccer player and right-wing populist, as the country's new president.
However, Zurabishvili, his predecessor, continues to call herself Georgia's "only legitimate president" and is recognized as president by Georgia’s opposition amid widespread claims the country’s recent parliamentary elections were not free and fair.
The January 18 pro-Europe rally in Georgia, involving several hundred people, marked the 52nd consecutive night of demonstrations in the capital and led to the arrest of at least six people.
Georgia's parliament passed a law on December 13 forbidding protesters from covering their faces and banning fireworks and lasers from demonstrations following weeks of clashes between security personnel and pro-Europe protesters.
Many rally participants have worn gas masks and face-coverings as defenses against police tear gas and water cannons and to avoid being identified by authorities, placing them in increased danger of arrest.
Lawmakers also approved a move to raise fines for defacing buildings and blocking traffic after protesters blocked several key roads in the city near the parliament building and other government sites.
Some demonstrators have launched firecrackers at police and used lasers to disrupt security cameras.
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 in November to delay negotiations on Georgia joining the European Union.
The authorities responded violently to the demonstrations, arresting hundreds of people 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.
Western leaders and rights activists have condemned the Georgian government’s violent crackdown on protesters.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) on December 24 called for Georgian security forces to be investigated for the “brutal police violence” against largely peaceful protesters who took to the streets for anti-government demonstrations.
“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.
The Moscow-friendly Ivanishvili last month was sanctioned by the United States for undermining Georgia's democracy for the "benefit of the Russian Federation."
"Ivanishvili and Georgian Dream's actions have eroded democratic institutions, enabled human rights abuses, and curbed the exercise of fundamental freedoms in Georgia," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at the time.
Georgia received EU candidate status in December 2023, but ties with Brussels first became tense following the adoption in May of a controversial "foreign agent" law pushed through parliament by Georgian Dream, which has been in power since 2012.
Zurabishvili and the tens of thousands of Georgians demonstrating in the streets have pushed for new parliamentary elections as the only way out of the current crisis.
With reporting by Reuters
- By RFE/RL
Upcoming Belarus Election Cannot Be Credible In Current 'Repressive Environment,' Says Blinken
The presidential election in Belarus later this month cannot be free or fair because of a "repressive environment" in the country, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on January 17 in a statement.
"The United States joins many of our European allies in assessing that elections cannot be credible in an environment where censorship is ubiquitous and independent media outlets no longer exist," Blinken said.
The presidential election is scheduled to take place on January 26, and authoritarian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka, who has run the country since 1994, is expected to win.
The election will take place in an environment in which only regime-approved candidates can appear on the ballot and members of the opposition are either imprisoned or in exile, Blinken said.
The United States condemns the regime’s attempts to "legitimize an election that cannot be free or fair,” he added.
The State Department issued the statement after Belarusian state broadcaster ONT aired the fourth part in a series of a propaganda films called Svaboda Slova (Freedom of Speech), which featured interviews with jailed RFE/RL's journalists.
The statement did not mention the film series but quoted Blinken as saying the regime’s “systematic efforts to silence any dissent have determined the outcome of the election long before any ballots are cast, depriving the Belarusian people of the opportunity to choose their own leaders and determine their own future.”
The outgoing top U.S. diplomat also noted the regime’s failure to issue a timely invitation to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to observe the election “underscores its disregard for a transparent electoral process, as well as for its obligations as an OSCE participating state.”
The regime’s tactics to stifle the opposition “make it clear that the Lukashenka regime fears its own people,” showing that the bravery of Belarusians inside and outside the country is “having an effect,” Blinken added.
The United States recognizes the “extraordinary perseverance” of Belarusian individuals and civil society organizations working to hold the regime accountable, he said.
Washington also continues to advocate for the nearly 1,300 political prisoners who remain behind bars in Belarus and says it stands with the Belarusian people as they demand transparency, democracy, and freedom.
2 Iranian Supreme Court Judges Killed In Tehran
Two prominent Iranian Supreme Court judges have been killed in an attack at the court's headquarters in Tehran, according to Iran's judiciary.
The victims were identified as Ali Razini and Mohammad Moghiseh. A third judge was also wounded in the attack, which took place at Tehran's Palace of Justice.
The press service of Iran's judiciary reported that an armed individual had "infiltrated the Supreme Court in a planned act to assassinate two judges."
Initial investigations found that the attacker did not have a case before the court, nor any other connections, the judiciary's press service reported.
The Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority in Iran, with its head appointed by the supreme leader. Headquartered in Tehran, it has branches throughout the country.
Details of the incident or the attacker's motive remain unclear. The judiciary's press service reported that the attacker "quickly committed suicide" after the shooting, although this has not been confirmed.
Other Iranian media reports stated that the perpetrator was a member of an "infiltrating security force" who first wounded a bodyguard with a knife, seized their weapon, and then carried out the assassinations.
Iran's semiofficial Mehr News Agency, citing an informed source, reported that the judges were shot with live rounds before the attacker committed suicide.
Both victims held significant positions in Iran's powerful judicial system. Judge Mohammad Moghiseh had presided over numerous political trials, including cases involving supporters of the 2009 opposition Green Movement. He was under sanctions from both the European Union and the United States for human rights violations.
Razini had served in many high-profile positions in the judiciary and had been accused by Iran's opposition of being involved in a series of extrajudicial killings of political prisoners in 1988.
In 1998, when he was serving as chief justice of Tehran, Razini was wounded in a bomb attack while leaving his workplace.
In its statement on the judges' deaths, the judiciary's press service said that in recent years "extensive measures have been taken by the judiciary to identify, prosecute, arrest, and prosecute agents and elements affiliated" with Israel and "American agents, spies, and terrorist groups."
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, and the identity of the attacker is not known.
At Least 3 Killed In Russian Strikes On Kyiv And Zaporizhzhya
The Russian military has launched a deadly strike on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, and also hit the city of Zaporizhzhya, local authorities reported.
In Kyiv, the area of the Lukyanivska subway station was hit by ballistic missiles at around 6 a.m. local time on January 18, killing at least three people and injuring three more, according to the head of the capital’s military administration, Tymur Tkachenko.
It had earlier been reported that four people had died in the attack, but this death toll has since been amended.
“Fire in the Shevchenkivskiy district. A non-residential building. All units are heading to the scene,” said Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko on the Telegram messenger app, adding that “windows have been blown out, and there is smoke in the entrance of a residential building.”
Klitschko also said the Lukyanivska subway station had been damaged and that it was “currently closed for entry and exit,” although trains were still “passing through without stopping at the station.”
Images from the scene of the incident show a large crater in the road outside a business center, which also appears to have been badly hit. The building had reportedly been empty after being damaged in previous attacks.
Ukraine Invasion: News & Analysis
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The Kyiv mayor said a water mains had also been affected and that repair crews were heading to the area.
Elsewhere, authorities reported several injuries in the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhya after an infrastructure facility was hit by Russian shelling.
Ten people were injured in the incident, while residential buildings, an administrative building, and private vehicles have been damaged, said the head of the regional military administration, Ivan Federov.
“One woman is in serious condition. Two more women and three men are in moderate condition,” he said, adding that all the injured were in the hospital and “medics are providing the necessary assistance” with five ambulance crews working at the scene.
Russia has systematically targeted Ukraine's civilian and energy infrastructure since the start of its full-scale invasion in February 2022. It has also been accused by Kyiv of targeting residential buildings, which Moscow denies despite mounting evidence to the contrary.
Drones Strike On Industrial Site In Russia's Kaluga Region Sparks Fire
A fire broke out late on January 17 at an industrial site in Russia's Kaluga region south of Moscow after it was hit by drones.
Unverified videos posted on social media showed firefighting vehicles speeding off in the direction of a large blaze at what they said was an oil storage depot in Lyudinovo.
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Kaluga Governor Vladislav Shapsha said on Telegram that the fire had broken out at an industrial site after a drone strike.
Shapsha said seven drones had been downed and one landed in a "nonresidential area." The fire has been brought under control and no casualties were reported, he said.
Ukraine's military said on January 16 that at least three drones had hit an oil depot in Russia's southern Voronezh region, setting that facility ablaze.
Russian officials reported other drone attacks on January 17. The Defense Ministry and the governor of the border region of Bryansk reported that air defense units had destroyed nine Ukrainian drones over the region.
The governor of the Smolensk region, which borders Belarus, said air defenses had downed five Ukrainian drones. No casualties were reported in either strike.
The Ukrainian military said its air defenses had downed 33 of 50 drones launched by Russia on January 17. The worst attack was a missile strike on the central city of Kryviy Rih, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's hometown.
Four people were killed and 14 others were wounded in the strike, which partially destroyed an educational facility.
Serhiy Lysak, head of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Military Administration, said that of those injured on January 17, four were hospitalized and in a serious condition.
Witnesses said explosions from the attack could be heard throughout the city, while Lysak said two multistory buildings, one of which caught fire, were damaged.
Zelenskiy said in his evening address that the deaths and injuries would not have happened if Ukraine had received the air defense systems it has "long been discussing" with its partners.
The attack appears to have again targeted civilian infrastructure. Russia has denied intentionally hitting civilian sites despite numerous attacks on such installations.
The strike on Kryviy Rih came a day after Moscow said Kyiv launched six U.S.-made ATACMS missiles at Russia's Belgorod region. Officials had pledged to retaliate for that attack and any others that involve longer-range Western-supplied missiles.
Belarusian State TV Shows Fourth Part Of Propaganda Film Targeting RFE/RL Journalists, Activists
Belarusian state broadcaster ONT on January 17 aired the fourth part of a propaganda film called Svaboda Slova (Freedom of Speech), which accuses RFE/RL's journalists of trying to "set Belarus on fire."
The fourth installment focused on Yuras Zyankovich, a dual U.S.-Belarusian citizen and lawyer who is serving 11 years in a maximum-security penal colony.
Unlike RFE/RL journalists Andrey Kuznechyk and Ihar Losik and former RFE/RL reporter Ihar Karney, who appeared in previous episodes dressed in prison uniforms, Zyankovich was shown in the 20-minute film in a suit and pressed shirt. The background showed traffic moving outside a window as he sat in a comfortable room with coffee on the table.
The broadcast didn't explain his current legal or detention status despite the apparent staging of the interview.
Zyankovich was introduced in the film as an "American lawyer, political scientist, and expert" and interviewed by propagandist Andrey Alyaksandrau (aka Kozel), known to accompany security forces during arrests of political opponents of the country's authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka.
RFE/RL has a long-standing policy of not quoting statements made by imprisoned people under duress.
The four-part series aired just ahead of the January 26 presidential election, which Lukashenka, who has run the country since 1994, is expected to win.
Zyankovich was arrested in April 2021 as part of the so-called "conspirators case," a term that has been widely criticized because of a lack of evidence to back it up. He was the only one among five defendants in the case who cooperated with investigators, a decision made under extreme duress. His guilty plea and subsequent apology to his alleged co-conspirators came amid threats against him.
He was found guilty of conspiring to violently seize power unconstitutionally, creating and leading an extremist organization, and fomenting social hatred.
In December 2022, Zyankovich was handed another six-month sentence for insulting a government official over remarks in a Telegram channel that were labeled "extremist."
Losik was detained on June 25, 2020, and sentenced to 15 years in a high-security prison. He was accused of organizing mass unrest, preparing to participate in riots, and inciting social hatred. More unspecified charges were added later. After new charges were brought against him, Losik went on a 41-day hunger strike and even harmed himself in protest.
His wife, Darya Losik, was arrested in October 2022 for "aiding extremist activities." She was released in July 2024. Ihar Losik has remained in Navapolatsk Penal Colony No. 1, where he has endured harsh conditions, with months spent in solitary confinement and in a punitive isolation cell.
Kuznechyk was detained on November 25, 2021, and sentenced to six years in a high-security colony for allegedly setting up an extremist group. His trial was held behind closed doors. In September 2022, the Interior Ministry included him in a list of people involved in extremist activities. He has denied all charges.
Kuznechyk has been recognized as a political prisoner by human rights organizations.
Karney was arrested in July 2023 and sentenced in March 2024 to three years in prison and ordered to pay a fine for participation in an "extremist group." While in prison, his term was extended by 10 months for "violating the internal order of the penitentiary." Human rights groups have also recognized him as a political prisoner.
Since the 2020 presidential election, Belarus has ramped up its repression of independent media. In August 2020, the authorities blocked access to RFE/RL's website and those of more than 40 other outlets. In July 2021, security forces raided RFE/RL's Minsk office, seizing equipment and designating its Telegram channel and social media accounts as "extremist."
Later that year the Interior Ministry declared RFE/RL an extremist organization, effectively criminalizing all its activities and forcing its journalists either into exile or underground.
The arrests of Kuznechyk, Losik, Karney, and Zyankovich came after the mass protests of 2020 when tens of thousands took to the streets to challenge the result of a presidential election widely regarded as rigged. The response of the security forces was a violent crackdown; more than 30,000 people were arrested, many of whom reported torture and other ill-treatment while in custody.
The clampdown has forced most opposition politicians to flee the country for safety.
Most Western governments don't accept the results of the 2020 election or recognize Lukashenka as Belarus's president.
The number of arrests of independent media representatives in Belarus has reached 42, and the country is placed 167 among 180 by the World Press Freedom Index compiled by Reporters Without Borders.
The persecution of RFE/RL journalists and other media employees and rights activists has been loudly condemned.
The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has concluded that Belarus has violated human rights law and obligations in detaining people such as Losik.
The U.S. government and human rights organizations continue to call for the release of all Belarus political prisoners, stressing the vital role that freedom of the press plays in a democratic state.
Trial Of Former Nagorno-Karabakh Leaders Begins In Baku
The trial of 16 people, including former leaders of the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, has begun in Baku, Azerbaijan, after the defendants spent more than a year in pretrial detention.
The defendants are being tried on charges of terrorism, crimes against humanity, and crimes against the state of Azerbaijan, some of which can carry terms of life imprisonment.
Azerbaijan retook control of the Nagorno-Karabakh region from Armenian separatists in September 2023 following a lightning offensive. Since then, Azerbaijan and Armenia have held negotiations on a peace treaty.
Among the defendants on trial is Ruben Vardanyan, a former Russian businessman of Armenian descent who was a leader of Nagorno-Karabakh's separatist government.
Also on trial are former de facto presidents of Karabakh, Arayik Harutyunian, Arkadi Ghukasian, Bako Sahakian, former de facto Foreign Minister David Babayan, and de facto parliamentary speaker David Ishkhanian.
Three judges from the Baku Military Court conducted the hearing, which is being held in a purpose-built courtroom. Though the authorities announced the trial was open, only state media was permitted to attend the January 17 hearing.
Fifteen of the defendants are being tried together, while Vardanyan is being tried separately.
'I Reiterate My Complete Innocence'
Vardanyan is specifically accused of financing terrorism, forced deportations, torture, and illegal border crossings, as well as other crimes -- charges which he and his family deny.
"I reiterate my complete innocence and the innocence of my compatriots and demand the immediate cessation of this politicized case against us, " he said in a statement issued on the eve of the trial.
In the statement, Vardanyan said he had not been granted the opportunity to fully review the official indictment. He has also asked for an open trial and the combination of his case with that of 15 other defendants.
Prosecutors said Vardanyan had received full access to the case materials and had been granted rights to a legal defense, the use of his preferred language, and other procedural rights during the investigation.
At the first hearing on January 17, the court assigned the defendants state-appointed lawyers and translators fluent in Azerbaijani and Armenian.
The trial also features testimonies from hundreds of alleged victims, including relatives of those who died in the Nagorno-Karabakh fighting.
Baku and Yerevan were locked in conflict over Azerbaijan's breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh for years. Armenian-backed separatists seized the mainly Armenian-populated region from Azerbaijan during a war in the early 1990s that killed some 30,000 people.
Diplomatic efforts to settle the conflict brought little progress and the two sides fought another war in 2020 that lasted six weeks before a Russia-brokered cease-fire, resulting in Armenia losing control over parts of the region and seven adjacent districts.
The separatist regime in Karabakh declared its dissolution in 2023 but later renounced this decision after moving to Armenia.
The trial will resume on January 21.
Russian Missile Strikes Kill 4 In Ukraine's Kryviy Rih
Four people were killed and seven others were wounded in a Russian missile strike deep in the heart of Ukraine, partially destroying an educational facility in the central city of Kryviy Rih, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's hometown.
Serhiy Lysak, head of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Military Administration, said that of those injured in the January 17, four were hospitalized and in a serious condition.
Witnesses said explosions from the attack could be heard throughout the city, while Lysak said two multistory buildings, one of which caught fire, were damaged.
One resident, Ihor Stepanenko, who had already lost his wife and been displaced in an attack in the Russia-occupied part of Kherson region, told RFE/RL his new partner was killed in the Kryviy Rih attack.
"We have been living here since 2023. My apartment in Kherson was blown up. There, I've buried my father; I've buried my wife.... Nothing else was left," he said.
"Here, I met a woman who worked at the 114th lyceum. She didn't survive [today's attack]. After two pieces of shrapnel hit her, she died," he added.
The Russian attack came a day after Moscow said Kyiv launched six U.S.-made ATACMS missiles at Russia's Belgorod region. Officials had pledged to retaliate for that attack and any others that involve longer-range Western-supplied missiles.
The January 17 attack on Kryviy Rih appears to have again targeted civilian infrastructure, which Russia had denied doing despite mounting attacks on such installations.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the attack was conducted using ballistic missiles, underlining the continued threat posed by Russia's weaponry.
"Every terrorist strike speaks loudly about the enemy we are fighting. Russia will not stop itself -- it can be stopped only through joint global pressure by all those who cherish life," Zelenskiy said.
Russian officials have not publicly commented on the Kryviy Rih attack.
Supporters Chant 'Heroes!' As Russian Court Jails Navalny's Lawyers
A Russian court sentenced three lawyers of Aleksei Navalny to lengthy prison sentences for carrying correspondence from the late anti-corruption crusader out of prison, prompting his supporters at the hearing to erupt into chants of "heroes."
The court in the Vladimir region, just east of Moscow, convicted Vadim Kobzev, Igor Sergunin, and Aleksei Liptser on January 17 of belonging to an "extremist group" for helping transport writings from Navalny that became the basis for his memoir, Patriot, which chronicled his life as President Vladimir Putin's most-vocal critic and as the country's most recognized political prisoner.
Kobzev received a prison sentence of 5 1/2 years, while Lipster was sentenced to 5 years and Sergunin, the only one to have admitted his guilt, to 3 1/2 years. All three have been in pretrial detention since October 2023.
"This is illegal political persecution," Pervy Odtel (First Department), a legal association in Russia that represents people accused of major crimes, said on Telegram.
"Defense is not complicity!" it said. "Lawyers are not partners or accomplices of their clients, they provide them with defense, the right to which is enshrined in the Constitution of Russia.... This is a gross violation of the very principles of law."
Those who managed to cram into the courtroom to hear the verdict -- the trial was held behind closed doors -- began chanting "Guys, you are heroes! We are proud of you!" as the three lawyers stood in a cage reserved for defendants.
Mediazona, meanwhile, reported that several journalists who had arrived to cover the hearing had been detained by police.
Arrest warrants have been issued to two other Navalny lawyers, Olga Mikhailova and Aleksandr Fedulov, on the same charges but they fled the country before they could be detained.
The verdicts highlight the Kremlin's crackdown on civil society and any dissent inside the country -- a situation that has become even more brutal since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Navalny's groups and his organization were labeled as extremist and banned in Russia in June 2021.
Two months later, Navalny, who was already in prison on charges he and his supporters called political motivated, was found guilty of creating an extremist organization, with the Moscow City Court more than doubling his prison sentence to 19 years.
The charges against Navalny were widely seen as retribution for his efforts to expose what he called the pervasive lawlessness, corruption, and repression within Putin's political system.
Navalny was Russia's loudest opposition voice and galvanized huge anti-government rallies before he was jailed.
He died in prison in February 2024 under mysterious circumstances.
The official autopsy report said that hypertension and other diseases caused a heartbeat disorder which led to Navalny's demise.
After Navalny's death, however, officials refused to hand the body over to his mother for more than a week, prompting accusations from his supporters that officials were trying to hide evidence of his murder.
In 2020, Navalny was poisoned with a Novichok-like nerve agent but survived after he was airlifted to Germany and treated there. Navalny accused Putin of ordering his poisoning then, which was denied by the Kremlin.
Ex-Pakistani PM Khan Sentenced To 14 Years In New Graft Case
A court in Pakistan has convicted the country’s already imprisoned former prime minister, Imran Khan, and his wife Bushra Bibi in a new corruption case that he has disputed as politically motivated.
"The prosecution has proven its case. Khan is convicted," Judge Nasir Javed Rana said in announcing a 14-year prison sentence on January 17 for Khan and a seven-year prison term for his wife.
The couple were convicted of accepting a gift in the form of land from business tycoon Malik Riaz in exchange for laundered money when Khan was in power.
Prosecutors alleged the amount in the case totaled some 190 million British pounds ($240 million) -- the largest case of alleged financial wrongdoing against Khan.
The 72-year-old former cricket superstar-turned-politician, who served as prime minister from 2018 to 2022, has been in jail since August 2023 and faces more than 150 criminal cases.
"I will never accept this dictatorship and I will stay in the prison cell for as long as I have to in the struggle against this dictatorship, but I will not compromise on my principles and the struggle for the true freedom of the nation," Khan said in a post on X.
"Our resolve is true freedom, democracy and the rule of law, which we will continue to fight for until the last ball. I will not make any deals and will face all false cases."
Khan and his Pakistan Tehrik-e Insaf (PTI) political party have said the cases are politically motivated to prevent him from returning to office.
Khan -- who was ousted in a no-confidence vote in parliament in April 2022 -- enjoys huge popularity among Pakistanis.
The ruling was delivered by an anti-graft court in a prison in Rawalpindi, where the former premier has been jailed.
Local media reported that Bushra Bibi was taken into custody shortly after the verdict, having been out on bail.
Khan’s defense lawyer Faisal Chaudhry said the verdict will be challenged in higher courts, as lawmakers from PTI rallied outside the parliament, saying the former premier had been wrongly punished.
The PTI said in a statement that the case against Khan and his spouse “lacks any solid foundation and is bound to collapse."
“This is a bogus case, and we will approach an appeals court against this decision,” said Omar Ayub Khan, a senior PTI leader who is not related to the former premier.
Some of Khan’s supporters gathered outside the Adiala prison in Rawalpindi, and chanted slogans against the government, demanding Khan’s release.
Khan had previously been convicted in three separate cases on charges of corruption, revealing official secrets, and violating marriage laws, and sentenced to 10, 14, and seven years, respectively.
According to Pakistani law, he is to serve the terms concurrently: meaning, the length of the longest of the sentences.
Trial For Former Leader Of Nagorno-Karabakh Set To Open In Azerbaijan
The trial of Ruben Vardanian, the former de facto prime minister of Nagorno-Karabakh, on charges of terrorism, crimes against humanity, and crimes against the state of Azerbaijan is set to begin on January 17 in Baku.
Vardanian, a former banker who made a fortune in Russia, rejects all the charges against him and in a statement issued by his family on Telegram complained that he had not been given enough time to prepare his defense.
"I reiterate my complete innocence and the innocence of my compatriots and demand the immediate cessation of this politicized case against us, " he said in the statement issued on the eve of the trail.
Prosecutors said Vardanian had received full access to the case materials and had been granted rights to legal defense, the use of his preferred language, and other procedural rights during the investigation.
Vardanian disputed that, saying in the statement that he had been informed that he faces 42 charges, including some carrying sentences of life imprisonment, but he said he had not been granted the opportunity to fully review the official indictment.
He said the 422 volumes of the criminal case against him had been presented to him and his lawyer on December 9 in Azerbaijani, a language he does not speak.
He appealed for support from the public to have numerous demands met, including more time to study the indictment, an open trial, and the combination of his case with that of 15 other defendants.
Vardanian also said that, despite being detained for more than 470 days, including 340 in solitary confinement and 23 in a punishment cell, he had neither “malice nor hatred” and wanted "true peace" between Armenians and Azerbaijanis.
According to prosecutors, the accusations against him include torture, gun-running, forcibly deporting people, seizing power by force, and planning and conducting a war of aggression.
Vardanian, who was born in Yerevan, moved to Nagorno-Karabakh in 2022, serving as de facto state minister, the equivalent of prime minister, from late 2022 until February 2023. His Russian citizenship was revoked in December 2022.
He is the former chief executive officer and shareholder of the Troika Dialog investment bank that was bought by Sberbank in 2011. Forbes estimated his wealth at $1 billion in 2021.
In September 2023, Azerbaijan recaptured Nagorno-Karabakh, known as Artsakh to Armenians, ending three decades of de facto independence since it broke away from Baku's control in a war that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Vardanian was arrested when he fled as part of a mass exodus of some 100,000 Armenians from the mountainous territory.
The 15 other people who have been charged, including several former politicians in Nagorno-Karabakh, such as Arayik (Ara) Harutyunian, who served as the region’s de facto president, also face trial.
The charges against them include genocide and war crimes, according to Azerbaijani prosecutors.
With reporting by Reuters and dpa
Amid Biting Sanctions, Russia And Iran Sign Pact To Deepen Ties
Iran and Russia, two of the most-sanctioned nations in the world, have signed a "comprehensive strategic partnership" treaty as Moscow and Tehran deepen cooperation that has steadily increased since the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine three years ago.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian, on his first visit to the Kremlin since he won a presidential election last July, signed the pact in Moscow on January 17 after meeting for talks that both leaders said would strengthen relations in a broad spectrum of areas.
The new treaty, which runs for 20 years, aims to strengthen Tehran and Moscow's "military-political and trade-economic" relations, the Kremlin said.
While details of the agreement are scarce, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a news conference on January 15 that the treaty “is constructive in nature and is aimed at strengthening the capabilities of Russia, Iran, and our friends in various parts of the world."
The agreement reportedly does not include a mutual defense clause.
Russia and Iran are both under severe Western sanctions, including restrictions on their energy industries.
Pezeshkian’s visit and the signing of the treaty are further signs of the deepening relationship between Tehran and Moscow. The two countries have also expanded their military cooperation despite warnings from Western countries over the supply of Iranian-made Shahed drones to Russia.
Europe and the United States have imposed several rounds of sanctions on Iranian entities and individuals for providing various types of support to Russia, including the Shaheds. Iran claims to be "neutral" in the Ukraine war.
Pezeshkian's visit to Russia comes just days before President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House. Trump, who withdrew the United States from an international deal designed to curb Iran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief and ordered the killing of one of Iran's top generals in 2020, was the target of an alleged Iranian plot to kill him last year.
Britain To Initiate Talks With Poland On Pact To Protect Against ‘Russian Aggression’
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was due in Warsaw on January 17 for talks with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk after making his first visit to Ukraine since becoming prime minister and signing a 100-year partnership agreement.
Britain and Poland are expected to start work on a new defense and security agreement during Starmer’s visit, Starmer's office said in a statement.
"The treaty will support our militaries to work more closely together to protect Europe from Russian aggression and do more to tackle disinformation and hybrid threats. It will also see the two nations work together to smash the people smuggling gangs, secure our energy supplies, and protect our infrastructure," the statement said.
Starmer said it’s time to “take our partnership to the next level” in light of “ever-increasing threats to Europe’s security” from Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aggression to “vile people smuggling gangs.”
Starmer said in Kyiv on January 16 that any deal to end the war in Ukraine must "guarantee" Ukraine's security and independence.
The visit was the latest meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and top officials of Ukraine's allies before U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration on January 20.
Zelenskiy met later on January 16 with Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto and Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp. The Ukrainian president expressed gratitude to the two countries for their support.
Ukraine and other European countries have been unsettled by Trump’s claim that he could end the war swiftly after his inauguration. They are concerned that a hastily drafted deal could force Ukraine to give up territory to Russia in exchange for peace.
Trump’s position on Ukraine has also stoked fears in Kyiv and Europe that his administration will cut vital U.S. military aid.
Starmer said he would "work with all of our allies" to ensure any settlement would be "robust enough to guarantee Ukraine's security, guarantee any possible peace, and deter any future aggression."
Britain has been one of Ukraine's biggest military backers, pledging £12.8 billion ($15.6 billion) in military and civilian aid since Russia launched its full-scale invasion.
Under the 100-year partnership agreement, London and Kyiv pledged to "deepen defense cooperation" and boost Ukraine's defense industry, recognizing it as a "future NATO ally.”
Starmer hailed it as a “a new partnership between the U.K. and Ukraine that reflects the huge affection that exists between our two nations."
After signing the agreement, Starmer said Britain would also discuss with allies deploying peacekeeping troops to Ukraine to help guarantee security following any cease-fire with Russia. The proposal has been put forward by French President Emmanuel Macron, who has discussed it with Zelenskiy.
"We will be discussing this with a number of allies, including of course President Macron, including President Zelenskiy here today, and we will play our full part," he said.
Zelenskiy hailed the 100-year accord, saying he hoped for similar agreements with other allies.
"Relations between Ukraine and the U.K. are now closer than ever," he said in his evening address.
With reporting by AFP and Reuters
Thousands Rally In Montenegro Demanding Stronger Government Response To Mass Shooting
Thousands of people rallied on January 16 in the streets of the Montenegrin capital to protest what they call an inadequate government response to a mass shooting that killed 13 people in the city of Cetinje on January 1.
The protesters in Podgorica demanded the resignation of top security officials, saying the mass shooting was a consequence of a broken system and irresponsible actions by authorities.
"No one has taken responsibility, and so we ask: Where are those responsible? Why have they remained silent for days?" said a protester, who did not provide her name.
Participants carried posters saying the resignation of government officials would be the minimum step toward taking responsibility.
They called for Interior Minister Danilo Saranovic and the deputy prime minister in charge of security, Aleksa Becic, to step down.
The participants, who observed 13 minutes of silence to honor the victims, also called for the confiscation of firearms, stricter regulations for obtaining gun licenses, and the reintroduction of civic education as a mandatory subject in schools.
The New Year's Day shooting killed 13 people, including two children, in Cetinje, a city in southern Montenegro with a population of about 13,000 located about 34 kilometers west of Podgorica. Relatives and friends of the suspected shooter, Aco Martinovic, were among the victims.
Martinovic died on the way to the hospital after attempting suicide. The motive for the shooting is unclear. Authorities in 2022 confiscated illegal weapons from Martinovic, and he received a three-month prison sentence in late 2024, which he had appealed.
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.
The proposals include the reverification of existing weapons licenses and severe penalties for those who fail to surrender illegal weapons within a two-month period.
A protest led by students on January 5 filled the streets of Podgorica and also called for more of a response from the government. The students declined an invitation from Prime Minister Milojko Spajic to meet and discuss their demands.
They said their demands were clear and asked the government to publicly announce whether they would be adopted.
Belarusian State TV Airs Third Propaganda Film Targeting RFE/RL Journalists
MINSK -- Belarusian state broadcaster ONT has aired the third part of its propaganda series, Svaboda Slova (Freedom of Speech), about RFE/RL journalists who are accused by authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka's regime of trying to "set Belarus on fire."
The 20-minute program on January 16 spotlighted Ihar Karney, a former journalist with RFE/RL's Belarusian Service, known locally as Radio Svaboda, who was arrested in 2023 and sentenced to three years in prison on "extremism" charges.
It showed Karney, thin, stooping, and obviously exhausted, being led to an interview in handcuffs, which were taken off as he was pressed against a wall. He was filmed in the courtyard of a KGB detention facility wearing a black prison jacket and knitted cap, his breath visible in the freezing air.
The interview was conducted by propagandist Andrey Alyaksandrau (aka Kozel), who has become notorious for accompanying security forces during politically motivated arrests.
RFE/RL has a long-standing policy of not quoting statements made by imprisoned people under duress.
The program concluded with a trailer for the upcoming episode featuring opposition activist and lawyer Yuras Zyankovich, a dual Belarusian-American citizen who is jailed in the so-called "conspirators' case."
Belarus is holding a presidential election on January 26. Lukashenka, who has been in power since 1994, is expected to win a seventh term.
ONT started the Freedom of Speech series on January 14 with an episode showing RFE/RL journalist Andrey Kuznechyk. The next day it featured another RFE/RL journalist, Ihar Losik, illustrating the regime's continued persecution of independent media and the opposition.
Karney was convicted in March 2024 for alleged participation in an "extremist group" and sentenced to three years in prison. While in prison, his term was extended by 10 months for "violating internal order of the penitentiary."
Losik was arrested in June 2020 and sentenced in December 2021 to 15 years imprisonment for "organizing mass riots, participating in mass disorders, inciting social hatred," and other less clearly specified counts. Losik has been held repeatedly in solitary confinement, staged a hunger strike, and engaged in self-mutilation to protest his imprisonment.
Kuznechyk was detained in November 2021 and sentenced in June 2022 to six years for allegedly forming an "extremist formation." He denies all the charges.
The arrests came after the mass protests of 2020 when tens of thousands took to the streets to challenge the result of a presidential election widely regarded as rigged. The response of the security forces was a violent crackdown; more than 30,000 people were arrested, many of whom reported torture and ill-treatment while in custody.
The clampdown has compelled most opposition politicians to flee the country for their own safety.
Many Western governments still refuse to recognize the outcome of the 2020 election or Lukashenka as president of Belarus.
Since August 2020, the Belarusian authorities have been methodically dismantling independent media. Radio Svaboda's website was blocked, its Minsk office was raided, and its journalists were stripped of their accreditations. In December 2021, the regime labeled Radio Svoboda's content "extremist" and criminalized its operations.
Currently, 42 representatives of independent media are imprisoned in Belarus, which ranks 167th out of 180 in the Reporters Without Borders' World Press Freedom Index.
NOTE: This article has been updated to clarify the duration of the extension to Ihar Karney's sentence.
Woman Severely Injured After Car Plows Through Protest In Belgrade
BELGRADE -- A 20-year-old student has been seriously injured during a rally to honor the victims of a deadly roof collapse last year when a car plowed through the crowd in central Belgrade.
Protesters were blocking an intersection in the Serbian capital on January 16 to demand justice for the victims and accountability for the collapse of a reconstructed concrete canopy at the Novi Sad central railway station that killed 15 people.
According to witnesses, the female student was standing on the sidewalk when a car veered onto the curb, striking her.
Video widely circulated on social media show the car hitting the woman, who then flies up over the top of the vehicle before tumbling down the back of it.
The driver sped away but was later arrested by police. The suspect is under arrest for attempted aggravated murder.
The injured student was taken to hospital. Doctors said she was conscious and in stable condition.
Thousands of protesters, mainly students, have protested against the collapse of the train station roof on November 1, saying it was due to corruption and poor government oversight of construction projects.
They have also called for the release of activists detained during earlier protests and an end to legal proceedings against them.
RFE/RL journalists at the protest said that, after the incident, the students were chanting "You will not trample us" as they marched toward the Prosecutor's Office.
Thirteen people, including a former government minister, have been indicted by the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Novi Sad over the deadly collapse.
Opposition Accuses Georgian Ruling Party Of Cover Up Over Beating Of Former PM
Officials from one of Georgia's main opposition groups have demanded a hotel in the Black Sea coastal city of Batumi release security footage that shows the party's leader being beaten in the hotel's lobby by members of the ruling Georgian Dream party.
Berdia Sichinava, a senior member of the For Georgia party, said on January 16 that the Sheraton Hotel, where former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia was beaten, should make security footage public after government-aligned media broadcast edited video he says alters the real events of a day earlier.
The ruling Georgian Dream party is "trying to portray the attackers as victims and victims in society through propaganda tools," he said.
Gakharia said on Facebook that he was "doing OK" after the attack and thanked supporters. His health was stable after sustaining injuries to his face and head.
For Georgia officials told a press conference in Tbilisi that the ex-premier was attacked on the morning of January 15 while alone in the hotel lobby, and not the other way around as video shown on the pro-government Imedi television claims.
"The risks regarding the possible destruction of video evidence are increasing every minute, especially in conditions where the [current] prime minister and other officials are already openly and publicly dictating to the judiciary what direction and version they should take," Sichinava said.
"Therefore, we are officially requesting the Sheraton Hotel to provide us with the video footage of the attack on Giorgi Gakharia," he added.
Sichinava has accused billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, Georgia's most powerful man and the founder of Georgian Dream, of "orchestrating" the attack.
Georgian Dream has in turn accused Gakharia of touching off the incident by throwing a drink at Georgian Dream parliamentary deputy Dimitri Samkharadze.
"Let's establish who attacked whom. There was a verbal argument, and there is footage of Gakharia hitting Dimitri Samkharadze in the face with a glass," said Mamuka Mdinaradze, the leader of the Georgian Dream parliamentary faction.
“The physical violence was initially on [Gakharia’s] part. Now the only thing that needs to be investigated is whether it was politically motivated or not,” he said.
He said Samkharadze was completely justified in his response and noted that Gakharia could face charges for assaulting a state political official.
The Georgian Interior Ministry said it was investigating, but no charges have been filed.
Gakharia was diagnosed with a broken nose and a concussion. Samkharadze has not reported any health consequences as result of the incident.
The Sheraton Hotel, where the incident occurred, has said it would hand over all video recordings to the investigation, though it was unclear when it would do so.
Only one short video has been made public so far, and the hotel said it was not from its cameras.
The unverified video, which has been broadcast by Imedi, shows Gakharia throwing a plastic cup and then being beaten.
Georgians have been protesting the country's October parliamentary elections, which the opposition says were stolen by Georgian Dream. Georgian Dream denies any wrongdoing.
The protests escalated in November when Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced that Georgia would suspend European Union accession talks until 2028.
The pro-EU protests have been met with a crackdown by police, with rights groups pointing to hundreds of arrests and beatings.
On January 15,the British and U.S. embassies in Tbilisi condemned what they said was a resurgence in violence against opposition leaders, journalists, and protesters.
Such actions "appear intended to intimidate Georgians from exercising their fundamental freedoms, do nothing to return Georgia to the Euro-Atlantic path the majority of Georgians want. Georgia deserves better," the U.S. Embassy said without referring directly to the attack on Gakharia.
British Ambassador Gareth Ward called the situation "deeply disturbing."
Protesters on January 15 staged a wide-ranging strike to demand new elections by temporarily leaving their workplaces.
- By RFE/RL
U.S. Representative Who Backed Aid To Ukraine Removed From Committee Chairmanship
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson has removed the chairman of the powerful House Intelligence Committee who has been an outspoken supporter of assistance for Ukraine.
Johnson (Republican-Louisiana) told reporters on January 15 that Representative Mike Turner (Republican-Ohio) would no longer lead the committee, which oversees the nation's intelligence agencies.
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Johnson said he made the decision because the “intelligence community and everything related to [the committee] needs a fresh start.”
He said it was not connected to President-elect Donald Trump, who is set to be inaugurated on January 20.
"This is a House decision, and this is no slight whatsoever to our outgoing chairman. He did a great job,” Johnson said.
Turner, who served as chairman of the committee since 2023, contradicted Johnson’s explanation, telling U.S. broadcaster CBS that Johnson cited "concerns from Mar-a-Lago" -- Trump's Florida estate.
He said on X he was honored to have served on the committee, saying that under his leadership the integrity of the committee had been restored and its mission returned to its core focus of national security.
Beyond his vocal support for aid to Ukraine, Turner held other views that were at odds with Trump and pushed back when Trump made false claims last year during the presidential election campaign about Haitian migrants in his district eating pets.
Johnson, who has aligned himself closely with Trump, said Turner would play an important role in working with NATO. He said Turner's successor would be announced on January 16.
The chairman of the committee is among eight congressional leaders who are briefed on classified intelligence matters.
With reporting by AP and Reuters
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