News
Obama Visits Relatives Of Colorado Massacre Victims
U.S. President Barack Obama said after visiting a hospital in Aurora that he hugged and "shed tears" with survivors and relatives of the 12 people who were killed.
Obama says he told them the entire country is "thinking about them."
The suspect in the shootings, 24-year-old James Holmes, is due in court on July 23 to be formally charged in the case.
After defusing explosives at Holmes' apartment, police on July 22 recovered a computer belonging to Holmes that could provide clues about how he planned the massacre.
Police said there is no evidence Holmes had any accomplices.
Holmes was arrested after the rampage during the screening of a new Batman film, The Dark Knight Rises," shortly after midnight on July 20.
Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP
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Iran's Cyberspace Council Votes To Lift Ban On WhatsApp, Google Play
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.
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
Russian Cargo Ship Under U.S. And EU Sanctions Sinks In Mediterranean Sea
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.
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
- By Current Time
YouTube Practically ‘Blocked’ In Russia, Expert Says, As Traffic Plummets
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.”
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.
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.
Deadly Fire In Russia's Tatarstan Highlights Conditions For Migrant Workers
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.
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.
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.”
Russia Sentences U.S. Citizen After Closed-Door Spy Trial
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.
“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.
Rights Watchdog Calls For Accountability For 'Brutal' Violence Against Georgian Protesters
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.
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.
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.
Moldova's Pro-Western President Sworn In For Second Term
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.
"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.
Russian Attack On Kryviy Rih Kills 1 Amid Intense Clashes And Russian Push Toward Pokrovsk
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.
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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.
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.
Fear And Hope As Battle For Ukraine’s Pokrovsk Looms
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."
- By RFE/RL
Ukraine Supports Stabilizing Syria, Zelenskiy Says As He Again Warns Of Russia-North Korea Cooperation
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukraine is interested in stabilizing the situation in Syria and believes it is essential for the country's security to remove any Russian presence from the country.
“We are grateful to every country and every leader who is now ready to help Syrian society restore normal life and build effective state institutions,” Zelenskiy said on X on December 23, pledging to "support Syria in ensuring food security."
"We are ready to work with representatives of the Syrian people to correct the mistakes of the Assad regime, in particular, regarding Ukraine and all of Europe,” he said.
Russia granted former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his family asylum earlier this month after rebels took control of Damascus.
Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said on December 23 that said it was in contact with Syria's new administration at both a diplomatic and military level. Moscow is concern in particular about the fate of a naval facility and an air base it operates in Syria.
Zelenskiy in his message on X also renewed his warnings about Russia's cooperation with North Korea.
Russia earlier this month began deploying North Korean troops to reinforce its military, including to the Kursk border region, where Ukrainian forces seized territory earlier this year.
Kyiv continues to press allies for a tougher response to the development, which it says is a global threat because it involves a transfer of Russian warfare experience and military technologies to Pyongyang.
"For the world, the cost of restoring stability is always much higher than the cost of effectively pressuring those who destabilize the situation and destroy lives," Zelenskiy said.
He warned of "risks of North Korea sending additional troops and military equipment” and said Kyiv will have a “tangible responses to this."
He added that according to preliminary data supplied by General Oleksandr Syrskiy, Ukraine's top commander, the number of North Korean soldiers killed and wounded in the Kursk region has exceeded 3,000.
Syrskiy said last week that Russian forces backed by North Korean troops had intensified their offensive against Ukrainian troops in the Kursk region.
South Korea's assessed the number of killed and wounded troops was closer to 1,000. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said on December 23 that based on "various sources of information and intelligence," the North Korea has suffered around 1,100 casualties since joining combat operations against Ukraine.
The JCS agreed that Pyongyang is reportedly "preparing for the rotation or additional deployment of soldiers" to aid Russia's war effort.
JCS added that it has detected signs of Pyongyang planning to produce suicide drones to be shipped to Russia in addition to the 240mm multiple rocket launchers and 170mm self-propelled howitzers it already is supplying.
The Kremlin has neither denied nor directly confirmed the presence of North Korean troops on its soil. NATO, however, confirmed in October that North Korean troops had been deployed in the Kursk region.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said the deployment marked a sign of Russian President Vladimir Putin's "growing desperation."
With reporting by Reuters
Kosovo Election Authority Bans Ethnic Serbian Party From Elections
Kosovo’s Central Election Commission (CEC) has decided not to certify the main ethnic Serbian party, effectively barring it from competing in the February 9 parliamentary elections.
The CEC said its main reason for declining to certify Serbian List was its nationalist 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.
There was no immediate reaction from Serbian List.
The move may further aggravate the already tense ties between Kosovo and Serbia despite international efforts to normalize them.
The parliamentary elections on February 9, 2025, are expected to be a key test for Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti, whose party came to power in 2021 in a landslide.
Vucic claimed on December 23 that Kurti is trying to "eliminate the only opponent" in the elections. He also accused Kurti and his allies of attempting to expel the Serbian people from the southern areas of Kosovo.
Vucic said that he had also spoken with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov about what he considered to be violations of international law by Pristina.
Only the chairman of the CEC, Kreshnik Radoniqi, voted for the certification of Serbian List. Two members of the ruling Self-Determination party voted against, while the others abstained.
Political analyst Albert Krasniqi of the Demokraci+ NGO told RFE/RL that the decision is part of the preelection campaign being conducted by Kurti’s Self-Determination party.
He said Serbian List will appeal the decision to the Electoral Complaints and Appeals Panel (ECAP) and predicted that it will reverse the decision.
“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.
Eugen Cakolli of the Democratic Institute of Kosovo told RFE/RL that the CEC has once again become “part of [the] political rhetoric, making a decision in violation of the law and other regulations in force.”
He also said Serbian List will appeal and the ECAP will overturn the decision.
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.
With reporting by AP
Zelenskiy Accuses Slovak PM Of Wanting To 'Help Putin' Through Gas Payments
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy accused Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico of wanting to "help" President Vladimir Putin earn money to fund Russia’s war in Ukraine after Fico paid a visit to Putin in Moscow.
Zelenskiy said on X on December 23 that EU leaders had previously observed that Fico opposes reducing energy dependence on Russia, "implying that he wants to help Putin earn money to fund the war and weaken Europe."
Ukraine is “losing people as a result of the war that Putin started, and we believe that such assistance to Putin is immoral,” Zelenskiy said.
Fico said his trip to Moscow and meeting with Putin on December 22 was in response to Zelenskiy opposing any "transit of gas through Ukraine to our territory."
Ukraine has said it will not renew a contract for gas transit through pipelines in Ukraine that expires on December 31. Slovakia has raised concerns about the prospect of losing supplies of natural gas as a result.
The flow of gas through the pipeline accounts for around half of Russia's total exports to Europe, and Slovakia, Italy, Austria, and the Czech Republic are set to be most affected if it ends.
The European Commission has said it is ready for the current contract to expire, and all countries receiving Russian fuel via the Ukraine route have access to alternative supplies.
Fico is one of the few European leaders Putin has stayed friendly with since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, but Zelenskiy questioned his motivation.
"Why is this leader so dependent on Moscow? What is being paid to him, and what does he pay with?" Zelenskiy asked rhetorically.
The visit by Fico, whose country is a NATO and European Union member, had not been previously announced, but Fico said he had informed EU leaders about it ahead of time.
Fico said on Facebook after his meeting with Putin that the Russian president had confirmed Russia's “readiness to continue supplying gas to the West and to Slovakia in view of the Ukrainian president's stance after January 1, 2025."
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on December 23 said he could not give more details about the talks between Putin and Fico but said the situation regarding the flow of gas is “very difficult” and “requires increased attention."
Fico’s visit with Putin drew strong reactions from other European leaders.
Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky denounced it, saying on X that the Czech government “has been working to achieve independence from Russian energy supplies so that we don't have to grovel to a mass murderer."
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda reacted sarcastically, saying that any dealings with Russia involve a price.
“How cheap is your love,” he said on X. “There are those who come to Russia with love and feel gassed to meet a war criminal. This is not Lithuania's way. We choose energy independence and real market prices -- with no political strings attached!
With reporting by Reuters and AFP
Uzbek Authorities Keeping Tabs On Family Of Suspect In Russian General's Killing
Uzbek authorities are keeping a close eye on the family of the suspect in the high-profile assassination of a Russian general in Moscow last week, neighbors and activists say.
Uzbek national Ahmadjon Qurbonov, 29, has been charged by a Moscow court with terrorism and other offenses in the December 17 killing of Igor Kirillov, who headed Russia's Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Defense Forces.
Qurbonov, who grew up in the Uchteppa district of the Uzbek capital, Tashkent, has been accused of remotely detonating a homemade bomb hidden on a scooter parked outside a residential building. The blast killed Kirillov and his assistant.
Qurbonov's neighbors in Tashkent told RFE/RL that his family are refraining from speaking to media and are being monitored by Uzbek authorities since the news of Qurbonov’s arrest broke.
Uzbek law-enforcement agencies have since been in regular contact with the family, according to Abdurahmon Tashanov, head of the Ezgulik human rights group in Uzbekistan.
Tashanov told RFE/RL that he had spoken with the family and quoted them as saying the relatives first found about Qurbonov's alleged involvement in the attack from the anti-terrorism unit of the Uchteppa police department.
They learned other details from media reports, Tashanov added.
Uzbek authorities did not respond to RFE/RL's request for comment.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, one of the neighbors said Qurbonov's mother had last spoken with her son two days before the attack, when he called from Russia and had assured her he was healthy and had found good work as a cook.
According to the neighbors, Qurbonov left Tashkent in 2021, saying he was going to Turkey as a migrant worker. They claimed the family didn't know when Qurbonov moved from Turkey to Russia.
Both Russia and Turkey host thousands of migrant workers from Uzbekistan.
The residents in Uchteppa's Pakhtakor neighborhood described the Qurbonovs as a regular, middle-class family with a comfortable life.
Qurbonov’s late father, Alijon, made a living as a cook, and one of his siblings works at a bakery, they said.
Tashanov raised concern about a video released by Russian authorities that purportedly shows Qurbonov "confessing" to having committed the deadly attack on Kirillov. It is not known whether the "confession" was obtained under duress.
Tashanov said releasing such footage violates the presumption of innocence in Qurbonov's case.
During a hearing at Moscow's Basman district court on December 19, Qurbonov requested a translator due to his limited knowledge of the Russian language.
Russian investigators claimed Qurbonov was recruited and trained by Ukrainian intelligence services to carry out the attack.
There has been no official claim of responsibility, but Ukraine's security service SBU has said it was behind the killing.
Kyiv had accused Kirillov of being responsible for Russia's use of banned chemical weapons against Ukrainian troops, a claim Moscow denies.
The Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Uzbek counterpart, Shavkat Mirziyoev, discussed cooperation in the fight against terrorism in a phone call on December 19.
5 Candidates Approved For Belarus Vote Lukashenka Seen Winning Easily
Belarus's Central Election Commission (CEC) said five candidates, including Alyaksandr Lukashenka, have been registered for a presidential election next month, the first since balloting in 2020 triggered mass unrest amid claims of victory by the 70-year-old authoritarian ruler, who has since wiped out almost all traces of opposition and dissent in the country.
Lukashenka, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, is expected to easily cruise to a seventh consecutive term in office as the other four candidates announced by CEC on December 23 are seen as being pro-government.
"Lukashenka has announced the date of his 'reelection' -- January 26. It’s a sham with no real electoral process, conducted in an atmosphere of terror," exiled opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who ran against Lukashenka in the August 2020 election after her husband, Syarhey Tsikhanouski, was arrested and jailed during the campaign, said on X when the January vote was first announced.
"No alternative candidates or observers will be allowed. We call on Belarusians and the international community to reject this farce," she added.
Along with Lukashenka, the CEC said Oleh Gaidukevich, Serhey Syrankov, Anna Konapatskaya, and Alyaksandr Khizhnyak were approved to run in the vote.
Massive street protests followed the disputed 2020 presidential election that extended Lukashenka's long-standing rule for another term.
The election was widely condemned as fraudulent by the United States, the European Union, and other international actors.
The protests, which demanded Lukashenka's resignation, were met with mass arrests, alleged torture, and violent crackdowns that left several people dead.
Tsikhanouski, as well as other opposition politicians and activists, were arrested and many were sentenced to lengthy prison terms.
Many opposition leaders remain imprisoned or in exile, while Lukashenka refuses dialogue with his critics.
Tsikhanouskaya was forced into exile in 2020. Her husband was later convicted of organizing riots among other charges following a trial condemned as a sham and sentenced to 18 years in prison.
'People Expect Solutions,' President Tells New Romanian Government
The Romanian parliament has sworn in a new pro-European coalition government led by leftist Social Democrat Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu.
The new government took the oath of office and held a ceremonial first cabinet meeting after parliament approved the new administration in a 240-143 vote on December 23.
President Klaus Iohannis had earlier appointed Ciolacu as prime minister to form a new government after three pro-Western parties agreed on a coalition aimed at preventing far-right groups from joining the government.
"You are entering a difficult period in your new responsibilities," Iohannis told the government in a congratulatory message. "I wish you to succeed in everything you set out to do, but, first of all, I wish you to succeed for Romania and Romanians. People expect solutions, stability, and a government that firmly maintains Romania's trajectory."
Iohannis said the situation is like no other the country has experienced, adding that all those he spoke to asked for the continuation of the pro-European path.
The government, which includes five new ministers, took shape amid political turmoil prompted by revelations about Russia's malign influence that led to the annulment of a presidential election after a Moscow-friendly outsider won the first round.
"It will not be an easy mandate for the future government," Ciolacu said in a statement.
"We are aware that we are in the midst of a deep political crisis. It is also a crisis of trust, and this coalition aims to regain the trust of citizens, the trust of the people."
The coalition government includes Emil Hurezeanu, a former journalist for RFE/RL, who will serve as foreign minister.
The parties that together won just over half the seats in parliamentary elections on December 1 -- the leftist Social Democratic Party (PSD), center-right National Liberal Party (PNL), and the ethnic Hungarian UDMR -- reached an agreement to band together late on December 10 in Bucharest.
That deal came after they threw their support behind presidential candidate Elena Lasconi ahead of a December 8 scheduled runoff against the pro-Russian independent candidate Calin Georgescu, who had won a shock victory in the first round on November 24.
However, Romania's Constitutional Court on December 6 canceled the results of the first round and ordered a rerun of the presidential polls after the EU and NATO member's Supreme Defense Council declassified documents allegedly proving Georgescu's presidential bid had been aided by a campaign led by an unnamed "state actor" with the help of Chinese-owned TikTok social media platform.
The PSD and the PNL, the two parties that have dominated Romania's politics since the fall of communism, formed an unlikely left-right alliance in 2021.
The alliance became increasingly unpopular while also eroding both parties' support among voters, and allowed the shock rise of pro-Russian, far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians, which finished a close second in parliamentary elections with more than 18 percent to PSD's 23 percent.
Adding to the current instability, no presidential polls are likely until sometime early next year while it remains unclear if parties would have to propose new candidates or if Georgescu will be allowed to run again.
One of the government's first tasks will be to set a date for the new presidential election.
Last week, Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan, an independent, said he will be a candidate in the presidential election when it is re-run.
Georgian President Calls For New Election Date By December 29
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has called on the ruling Moscow-friendly Georgian Dream party to set a date for new parliamentary elections by December 29 amid unrest over the last vote and the party's unilateral decision to postpone negotiations with the European Union.
Zurabishvili has been locked in a standoff with the party since it won October parliamentary elections plagued by allegations of electoral fraud. The opposition has refused to recognize the vote, accusing Georgian Dream of rigging the vote to cling to power.
In a speech late on December 22, she invited Russia-friendly billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, a former prime minister and the founder of Georgian Dream, to the presidential palace for talks on setting an election date.
Georgian Dream has denied any election wrongdoing and has refused to consider new elections despite almost daily protests over its victory and its subsequent decision to halt talks with the 27-member bloc until 2028.
"Ivanishvili should come to the palace, and I am ready to sit down and think about how the elections should be scheduled. The date of the elections should be agreed upon by the 29th," Zurabishvili told a rally on Tbilisi's Rustaveli Avenue, the site of countless Georgian protests.
Due to technical issues during the speech, Zurabishvili said she would release a new video recorded message of the address on December 23.
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.
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.
After the ruling Georgian Dream party declared victory in an election on October 26, protests restarted and intensified after the government said it was suspending talks with Brussels on Tbilisi's bid to join the EU, Georgia’s biggest donor, biggest economic market, and home to the South Caucasus country's biggest diaspora.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said in its final report on the elections -- which it issued on December 20 -- that numerous issues "negatively impacted" the elections and eroded public trust.
The report refers to the passage of the "foreign agent" law, modeled on a similar Russian law, saying the election took place amid “serious concerns about the impact of recently adopted legislation on fundamental freedoms and civil society.”
The 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.
Kremlin Says No Plans Yet For Talks With Trump
The Kremlin said there are currently no plans for President Vladimir Putin to meet with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump amid a rise in talk of finding a peace deal to end Russia's war against Ukraine.
Trump told a conservative convention on December 22 that Putin said he "wants to meet with me as soon as possible.”
In response, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told TASS on December 23 that "so far, there have been no real impulses" for a meeting with Trump before his inauguration in January.
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.
Last week Putin dangled the prospect of Russian concessions before audiences in Washington and the West, saying more than once during his annual question-and-answer conference that Russia 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.
Trump 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."
Analysts say that behind closed doors in Moscow, Kyiv, Brussels, Washington, and other capitals diplomats, elected leaders, and military officers are gearing up for what will likely be a full-court press to find a resolution to Europe's largest land war since World War II.
In Western negotiating rooms, sentiment has shifted decisively toward a push to resolve a conflict that has killed or wounded more than 1 million men on both sides over 34 months and counting.
In a rare meeting with a European Union leader, Putin met with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico on December 22.
While the main topic was a soon-to-expire contract allowing for Russian natural gas to transit through Ukraine, the two leaders also talked about the military situation in Ukraine and the possibility of a peaceful settlement to the war.
Fico is one of the few European leaders with whom Putin has maintained ties since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine nearly three years ago.
Kyiv said it will not extend the gas transit deal beyond January 1 as payments Russia receives for gas have helped fund Moscow's war.
Fico, whose views on Russia's war on Ukraine differ sharply from those of most European leaders, returned to power last year after his leftist party Smer (Direction) won parliamentary elections on a pro-Russia and anti-American platform.
Since then, he has ended his country's military aid for Ukraine, hit out at EU sanctions on Russia, and vowed to block Ukraine from joining NATO.
Zelenskiy warned on December 23 that Fico's stance on Russian gas was a "big security issue" for Europe.
"His key goal is to deal with Russia, and this is what benefits him. This is indeed a big security issue -- both for Slovakia and the entire Europe," Zelenskiy said on X.
"Why is this leader so dependent on Moscow? What is being paid to him, and what does he pay with?" he added.
Protest In Belgrade Turns Up Heat On Government Over Railway Canopy Collapse
Students who have been blocking academic faculties at the University of Belgrade for weeks staged a protest on December 22 to demand accountability for the collapse of a canopy at the train station in Novi Sad that killed 15 people.
Streets near Slavija Square in central Belgrade were closed to traffic as thousands gathered for the protest, filling the square and beyond as farmers, actors, and educators joined the student-led protest.
The demonstration began at 4:30 p.m. local time with 15 minutes of silence for the victims of the collapse on November 1, which seriously injured two people in addition to killing 15. Many of the participants turned their mobile phone lights on and held them high.
The 15 minutes of silence was followed by 30 minutes of participants blowing whistles and vuvuzelas.
Student Teodora Topalovic told RFE/RL at the protest that the support of citizens means a lot to the gathered students.
"Every time something like this starts at the beginning, I'm first on the verge of tears, and then I pull myself together and continue," Topalovic said. "This means a lot to all the students."
Nikola Peric of Belgrade said his motive for coming to this protest is to say "no" to the entire situation and the authorities in Serbia.
"To support the students, to honor the people who died innocently, and to try to change the situation in the country, which is not good," he told RFE/RL.
Pensioner Tatjana Spolja Miletic told RFE/RL that "new, young forces" have arrived and that the older ones are have joined in the protest to support them.
"I can't be silent and sit at home," she said.
The organizers demanded the government identify and prosecute the people who allegedly attacked demonstrators during protests that swept across Serbia in the days following the collapse of the canopy. The organizers also called for the release of activists detained during earlier protests and an end to legal proceedings against them.
Serbians have protested regularly over the accident to demand accountability. Some of the protests turned violent, but there was no violence reported during the demonstration in Belgrade on December 22.
The collapse of the canopy has turned into a political headache for President Aleksandar Vucic as more than 50 academic faculties at four state universities, the offices of several university rectors, and dozens of high schools remain blocked in solidarity with the protests. Students also have taken part in daily protests in which traffic stops for 15 minutes in cities across Serbia.
The accident occurred after the railway station had been renovated twice in recent years by a Chinese-led consortium of four companies. Serbian Railways insisted that the renovation didn’t include the concrete overhang, but some experts disputed that.
The Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Novi Sad announced on November 21 that 11 people had been arrested after being found responsible for the collapse.
Among them were former Construction, Transport, and Infrastructure Minister Goran Vesic and the ex-director of railway infrastructure Jelena Tanaskovic.
They face up to 12 years in prison if they are found guilty of charges of committing criminal acts against public security, endangering the public, and irregular construction work.
Putin Meets Slovak PM In Moscow For Talks About Natural Gas Deliveries
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico met in the Kremlin on December 22 to discuss a soon-to-expire contract allowing for Russian natural gas to transit through Ukraine.
Fico said the meeting with Putin came in reaction to Ukraine saying it would not renew the contract, which is set to run out on December 31.
"Putin confirmed [Russia's] readiness to continue supplying gas to the West and to Slovakia in view of the Ukrainian president's stance after January 1, 2025," Fico said on Facebook.
He said he and Putin also exchanged views on the military situation in Ukraine, the possibility of a peaceful settlement to the war, and mutual relations between Slovakia and Russia.
Fico is one of the few European leaders with whom Putin has maintained ties since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine nearly three years ago.
Fico arrived in Russia on a "working visit" and met with Putin one-on-one, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying earlier on December 22.
According to Russian media reports, Peskov said the meeting was to focus on "the international situation" and was likely to also touch on Russian natural gas deliveries.
Slovakia and Hungary, which rely on Russian gas, raised concerns about the prospect of losing supplies after Ukraine said it would not renew the contract.
Fico, whose views on Russia's war on Ukraine differ sharply from those of most European leaders, returned to power last year after his leftist party Smer (Direction) won parliamentary elections on a pro-Russia and anti-American platform.
Since then, he has ended his country's military aid for Ukraine, hit out at EU sanctions on Russia, and vowed to block Ukraine from joining NATO.
The visit by the leader of the NATO- and EU-member country had not been previously announced, but Fico said top EU officials had been informed about his journey and its purpose on December 20.
Michal Simecka, leader of the opposition Progressive Slovakia, described Fico's trip to meet Putin as a "shame for Slovakia and a betrayal of national interests."
"If the prime minister actually cared about gas transit, he should have negotiated with Ukraine rather than turning Slovakia into a tool of Putin's propaganda," Simecka said on X.
Fico also complained that in addition to allowing the natural gas transit contract to expire, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is also in favor of sanctions against the Russian nuclear program.
He called this "unacceptable," saying it would financially damage and endanger the production of electricity in nuclear power plants in Slovakia.
Zelenskiy said on December 19 during a European Union summit in Brussels that Kyiv could consider continued transit of Russian gas on the condition that Moscow does not receive payment for the fuel until after the war.
"We will not give the possibility of additional billions to be earned on our blood, on the lives of our citizens," Zelenskiy said.
Zelenskiy also lambasted Fico, who has claimed that his country will face an economic hit if it loses cheap gas from Russia.
"To be honest, during war, it's a bit shameful to talk about money, because we are losing people," Zelenskiy said.
Zelenskiy said he told Fico that Ukraine would be open to carrying another country's gas through its pipeline infrastructure to reach Europe, but it would need assurances that the gas was not merely relabeled Russian fuel.
"We have to know that we will only transit gas if it's not coming from Russia," Zelenskiy said.
The European Commission has said it is ready for the current contract to expire, and all countries receiving Russian fuel via the Ukraine route have access to alternative supplies.
With reporting by AP, Reuters, and AFP
Ukraine's Human Rights Ombudsman Accuses Russian Forces Of Executing 5 POWs
Russian forces executed five Ukrainian prisoners of war according to the latest war crime allegation against Russian troops raised by Ukraine's ombudsman for human rights.
Dmytro Lubinets said on December 22 that Russian troops shot the five unarmed soldiers at point-blank range after they had surrendered. He gave no details but said on Telegram that a Ukrainian military unit had released a video showing the alleged shooting.
"I will report this fact to the UN and the ICRC," he said.
"Russian war criminals who shoot Ukrainian prisoners of war should be brought before an international tribunal and punished with the most severe punishment provided for by law," Lubinets added.
Russia did not immediately comment on the accusation but has previous denied committing war crimes.
Lubinets said earlier this month that there had been 177 confirmed cases of executions of Ukrainian prisoners of war by the Russian military since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Ukrainian Prosecutor-General Andriy Kostin in October called the execution of Ukrainian prisoners of war by Russian soldiers a deliberate policy of the Russian Federation.
Kostin said in a statement on October 15 that torture and executions without trial and investigation are used as weapons of war, intimidation, and destruction.
"We can prove that these cases are not isolated incidents but an organized and targeted policy," Kostin said.
The Institute for the Study of War reported in October it had observed an increase in Russian forces executing Ukrainian POWs, adding that "Russian commanders are likely writ large condoning, encouraging, or directly ordering the execution of Ukrainian POWs."
A Ukrainian open-source intelligence project reported on October 13 that Russian forces executed nine Ukrainian POWs near the village of Zeleny Shlyakh in the Kursk region on October 10.
Lubinets condemned those executions as a serious violation of the Geneva Convention on the Treatment of POWs and stated that he sent letters to the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross regarding the case.
Iran's Supreme Leader Calls On Syrians To Resist Rebel Government
The supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has called on Syrians to resist the emerging rebel-led government after the ouster of former President Bashar al-Assad, saying the uprising was orchestrated by the West.
Speaking in an address on December 22, Khamenei said Syrians, especially the country's youth, "should stand with strong will against those who designed and those who implemented the insecurity."
Assad left the country in the late hours of December 8 after the U.S.-designated terrorist organization Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its allies -- some of whom are linked with Turkey -- overran government forces in a blitz offensive.
While Assad was granted political asylum in Russia by President Vladimir Putin after more than five decades of iron-fisted rule by his family, the HTS has since moved quickly to establish an interim government, and its leader, Riad al-Asaad, has said he is confident the factions that helped topple Assad will unite as one force.
HTS and the transitional government have insisted the rights of all Syrians will be protected, but Khamenei said he believes a group aligned with the Islamic republic's government would end up prevailing in Syria.
However, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus on December 22.
Details of the meeting were not immediately released, but Turkey has long been seen as a backer of HTS as it looked to remove Assad.
The toppling of Assad was seen by many as another blow to Tehran, which has seen regional groups aligned with it -- parts of the so-called axis of resistance -- suffer major setbacks in the past 14 months.
Hamas, designated a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union, has been decimated by Israel, which launched a war against the group in the Gaza Strip and Hamas fighters in October 2023 crossed into Israel and killed 1,200 people while taking another 250 hostage.
That conflict spread to Lebanon, home of the Tehran-backed Hezbollah, a militant group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, while the EU blacklists its armed wing but not its political party. Hezbollah’s political party has seats in the Lebanese parliament.
Israel has severely weakened Hezbollah -- killing its longtime leader and many of its top officials -- after the group launched attacks on Israel that it said was in support of Hamas.
A U.S.-brokered deal to end hostilities in Lebanon took effect last month.
Khamenei downplayed the links to Iran, saying they have fought against Israel on their own beliefs.
"They keep saying that the Islamic republic lost its proxy forces in the region. This is another mistake. The Islamic republic does not have a proxy forces," he said.
“If one day we plan to take action, we do not need proxy force,” he added.
Russia Launches Massive Drone Attack As Putin Vows Revenge For Kyiv's Attack On Kazan
Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed revenge over Kyiv's attack a day earlier on high-rise buildings in Kazan, the capital of Russia's oil-rich republic of Tatarstan, as Russia launched a massive drone attack at Ukraine on December 22.
More than the 100 drones that Russia launched in the December 22 attack were shot down, according to Ukraine's military. Businesses and apartment buildings were damaged in the Russian attacks, though at this point, the military said, "without casualties."
The regions of Kherson, Mykolayiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Poltava, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhya, Zhytomyr, and Kyiv all saw drones fired in their direction, with 52 of the total 103 shot down, the Ukrainian Air Force reported.
Russia has stepped up its air attacks on Ukraine in recent weeks, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy saying on December 21 that Moscow has launched more than 550 guided bombs, almost 550 drones, and 20 missiles over the past week.
Russia has systematically targeted Ukraine's civilian and energy infrastructure since the start of the war, stepping up attacks especially at the onset of the cold season, causing maximum difficulties and lengthy power cuts for Ukrainians for the third winter in a row. It has also been accused by Kyiv of targeting residential buildings, which Moscow denies.
Russia's massive attack comes a day after Ukraine struck high-rise buildings in Kazan, the capital of Russia's oil-rich republic of Tatarstan.
Putin vowed to bring more "destruction" to Ukraine in retaliation for the drone attack on Kazan.
"Whoever tries to destroy something here will face many times more destruction on their own territory and will regret what they are trying to do in our country," Putin said during a televised meeting.
On December 22, Ukraine appeared to again strike inside Russian territory.
Andrey Klychkov, the head of Oryol region near the border with Ukraine, said a fire broke out at a fuel infrastructure facility in the village of Stalnoy Kon after the area came under a drone attack, the second in a week.
Kyiv has not commented on the accusation, but footage on social media showed what appeared to be explosions in the area.
Ukraine has been investing heavily in drone production in part to compensate for its shortage in manpower on the battlefield.
Ukraine's Defense Ministry said earlier this month that it had transferred 1.2 million drones to the armed forces through the first 11 months of 2024, including more than 6,000 deep strike drones. Ukraine's drone production is now close to parity with Russia, experts have said.
Kyiv has used its long-range drone capacity to hit objects crucial to Russia's war effort, such as weapons and energy facilities. It has tried to avoid civilian targets in part amid concern about backlash from its Western backers.
Kazan, one of the wealthiest cities in Russia, is approximately 800 kilometers east of Moscow.
With reporting by AFP and dpa
Russian Pensioners, Tricked by Scammers, Carry Out Risky Stunts
Several Russian pensioners were allegedly tricked by scammers into carrying out risky stunts in crowded places in Moscow and St. Petersburg on December 21, police said.
A number of the pensioners have been detained, the police said. Law enforcement is still searching for at least one of the suspects. It is unclear who is behind the scam.
One incident took place at the Fort shopping center in northeastern Moscow. The building was evacuated following a small explosion in the public services center located there. One woman was treated for injuries after she fell amid the rush for the doors.
Meanwhile, a shopping center and a post office in the suburban Moscow towns of Korolev and Khimki, respectively, were evacuated the same day on similar grounds.
In Korolev, the explosion blew out several windows and triggered a fire that damaged the shopping center’s ceiling.
In the Fort incident, police detained a pensioner who allegedly detonated a firecracker on the instructions of unknown individuals who had extorted 120,000 rubles ($1,200) from her.
The 64-year-old suspect in the Korolev incident allegedly tried to detonate pyrotechnics at the police station as well. A 70-year-old woman was detained in connection with the explosion at the post office in Khimki.
The same day, two retired women in St. Petersburg allegedly tried to set fire to a police car at the direction of telephone scammers. They have been detained and a case has been opened against them on terrorist charges.
Also in St. Petersburg, an explosion occurred at an ATM location belonging to Sberbank, Russia’s largest lender. No injuries were reported. Local media reported that an elderly woman poured a flammable liquid inside the ATM before the explosion.
A similar incident at an ATM occurred the night before in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, RFE/RL’s Siberia.Realities reported. This time the suspect was a teenager. Police said the 19-year old girl was duped into carrying out the attack by scammers. She received second-degree burns and is being treated at a hospital.
Pakistani Militants Kill 16 Near Afghan Border As Violence Grows
Pakistani militants carried out a daring early-morning raid near the northwestern border with Afghanistan, killing over a dozen officers in the latest attack of 2024 -- a year already marked as one of the deadliest in the region.
Laddha Police Deputy Superintendent Hidayat Ullah told RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal that 16 security officers were killed when militants opened fire at a security checkpoint in South Waziristan at 2 am on December 21. He said eight more officers were wounded.
Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which claimed responsibility for the attack, said it killed 35 Pakistani security officers. Radio Mashaal could not independently confirm the number of officers killed.
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 regained control of Kabul in August 2021. The TTP seeks to impose Shari'a law in Pakistan.
The latest attack came as the elders of Dre Maseed in the Sur Rogha area of South Waziristan held a meeting on December 20 to demand that the security forces change tactics.
Sherpao Maseed, a leader of the assembly, told Radio Mashaal that Pakistani defense forces are targeting militants with artillery and mortar shells, putting civilians in danger.
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.
Orban Says Higher NATO Defense Targets Would Cripple The Hungarian Economy
BUDAPEST -- Hungary's right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's recent reported proposal for NATO members states to increase their defense spending would cripple the Hungarian economy.
According to recent reports in Britain's Financial Times and The Telegraph, Trump's team informed European officials that the president-elect was expecting the United States' NATO allies to raise their defense expenditure to 5 percent of national gross domestic product (GDP).
Speaking at his year-end press briefing on December 21, Orban said that Hungary has already sweated blood to reach the current 2 percent target, and "if the 2 percent has to be increased, that would shoot the Hungarian economy in the lungs."
"We would prefer to not spend even 2 percent of GDP on weaponry...but the world is going in the opposite direction," he said.
Orban, who has been accused at home and abroad of democratic backsliding, also said he had not discussed this with Trump, adding that, if the increase is inevitable, then he believes it should be gradual. Hungary budgeted to spend 2.1 percent of GDP in 2024 on defense.
Orban is one of Trump's main allies in Europe and, on December 9, he met with the president-elect at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida. Throughout the Ukraine war, Orban has maintained friendly ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin, has been critical of EU aid for Ukraine, and has obstructed the bloc's sanctions regime against Moscow.
NATO Spending Targets
During his time as president between 2016 and 2020, Trump regularly called for NATO members to meet the required 2 percent level of defense spending, goals that most have since met.
NATO leadership has also called for member nations to boost spending following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which has triggered the largest war in Europe since World War II.
Before leaving office, former Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that the alliance's members would "have to be willing to pay the price for peace" and said that the current 2 percent target was "no longer enough to keep us safe."
And in Budapest in November, the current NATO secretary-general, Mark Rutte, said at the European Political Community summit that member states would have to pay more. "It will surpass the 2 percent greatly more. I am quite clear about that," Rutte said.
The United States contributes around 16 percent to NATO's common-funded budget, which is the joint largest share alongside Germany.
The United States will also spend roughly $967 billion on defense in 2024. While that accounts for around two-thirds of what all NATO members will spend on defense combined this year, it represents about 3 percent of GDP.
The United States last spent 5 percent of GDP on defense in the late 2000s and early 2010s amid the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. During the Cold War, the United States spent between 5 and 11 percent of GDP on defense.
Experts said that Trump's proposal is likely a starting point for negotiations with NATO members.
Spat With Poland
The Hungarian prime minister also defended Budapest's decision to grant political asylum to Marcin Romanowski, a Polish lawmaker from the right-wing Law and Justice party, who is wanted for alleged corruption during his tenure in Poland's previous government.
Orban said he didn't think the case involving a Polish politician would be the last.
He added, however, that he wanted to keep "conflicts with Poland at a manageable level," and would refrain from commenting on the country's rule-of-law situation.
The Hungarian prime minister's office made the announcement on December 19, arguing that the Polish government was persecuting its political rivals.
Warsaw has called the move a "hostile act" and has summoned Hungary's ambassador to Poland.
Pakistani Military Courts Sentence 25 People For 2023 Unrest
KARACHI, Pakistan -- Pakistani military courts have sentenced 25 people for their part in attacks on military facilities in May 2023.
Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of Pakistan's armed forces, said in a statement on December 21 that 25 defendants were given sentences ranging from two to 10 years.
On May 9, 2023, following the arrest of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan in a fraud case, supporters of Khan's party, Pakistan Tehrik-e Insaf (PTI), attacked and damaged military installations, mosques, and government buildings in cities across Pakistan. Several people were killed and dozens injured in the unrest.
In its statement, the military's media wing described the sentences as an "important milestone in dispensation of justice to the nation."
It added that May 9, 2023 was a sad day for the country, and it would be officially commemorated every year.
In response to the verdicts, PTI wrote on the X social network that the military courts have violated the defendants' constitutional and human rights.
Khan's party has said the judicial process is not transparent and about 80 people have been in military custody since the unrest, their fundamental rights violated.
Supporters of the imprisoned former prime minister, who is accused of inciting attacks against the armed forces, have expressed concerns that military rather than civilian courts are trying some of the cases. They have staged months of protests to demand Khan's release.
PTI says its members and supporters did not attack military or government buildings on May 9, 2023.
Last year, Pakistan's Supreme Court ruled that civilians should be tried in civilian courts, not military courts. However, on December 13, the Supreme Court suspended the decision and allowed military courts to hear civilian cases.
Others charged over the violence are being tried in anti-terrorism courts.
PTI regularly campaigns against corruption and nepotism in Pakistan but has been accused of populism and authoritarian tendencies centered around its charismatic leader Khan.
With reporting by Reuters
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