More than 50 members of Congress have signed a letter calling on the U.S. government to toughen sanctions on Russian oil and questioning an exception granted to U.S.-based oil-services company Schlumberger (SLB) that has allowed it to continue operating in the country.

Representatives Lloyd Doggett (Democrat-Texas) and Jake Auchincloss (Democrat-Massachusetts) said they and 50 other members of Congress sent the letter on October 21, saying the exemption permits Schlumberger "to serve as an accomplice to Vladimir Putin," a news release issued by Doggett's office said.

The letter, signed by 52 lawmakers and addressed to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, says that since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, SLB has signed new contracts, recruited hundreds of staff, and imported nearly $18 million in equipment into Russia.

"This U.S.-based company is keeping...Putin's war machine well-oiled with financing for the barbaric invasion of Ukraine. We urge you to continue supporting our Ukrainian allies by pursuing more rigorous oil sanctions to effectively restrict Putin’s profits," the letter said.

Auchincloss said oil is the lifeblood of the Russian war economy, which is why the West must tighten oil sanctions.

"That begins by holding SLB and its collaborators accountable for evading allied sanctions, profiteering from pain, and fueling Putin's ability to wage war," Auchincloss said in the news release.

Since the start of the war, the United States and Europe have used sanctions to cut Moscow's energy revenue, prompting several oil-field-service companies to leave Russia, but SLB has remained operating.

The lawmakers said they were aware that Russian oil provides a critical segment of the global oil supply, but allowing Russia to benefit from Western technology and expertise "only increases the resiliency of their oil and gas sector against Western sanctions and prolongs its ability to finance its illegal offensive."

The U.S. Treasury Department responded to the letter by saying it was "committed to using all our tools to reduce the Kremlin’s revenues and make it harder for Russia’s war machine to operate."

A department spokesperson quoted by Reuters said "U.S firms are prevented from making any new investments in Russia and we plan to enforce all our sanctions against companies within our jurisdiction."

SLB did not immediately respond to RFE/RL's request for comment.

With reporting by Reuters

Russian President Vladimir Putin intends to hold a meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov announced on October 21.

The October 22-24 summit, which brings together leaders from Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, and several other countries, is seen by Moscow as an opportunity to demonstrate that efforts by the West to isolate Russia over its military offensive in Ukraine have failed.

Despite the Putin-Guterres meeting, scheduled to take place on October 24, there is no indication that either Kyiv or Moscow is ready for broader peace talks to end the conflict.

Guterres has consistently criticized Russia's actions, stating that Moscow’s ongoing military operation in Ukraine sets a “dangerous precedent” for the world. The UN chief has repeatedly called for a "just peace" that respects international law and Ukraine’s "territorial integrity."

During a meeting with Putin in April 2022, just two months after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine, Guterres reiterated the UN’s stance and discussed proposals for humanitarian assistance and the evacuation of civilians from conflict zones.

Putin has maintained that Ukraine must cede more territory in its south and east as a precondition for any cease-fire, a demand that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has categorically rejected.

Zelenskiy, addressing the UN Security Council last month, argued that Moscow could only be forced into peace through international pressure.

Alongside the meeting with Guterres, Ushakov confirmed that Putin plans to hold bilateral discussions with several key leaders, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian, and Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas.

These meetings underscore Russia’s efforts to maintain and strengthen ties with influential countries and leaders outside the Western sphere, using the BRICS summit as a strategic platform to push back against diplomatic isolation.

With reporting by TASS and Interfax

Moscow's Basmanny district court on October 21 sentenced Oscar-nominated film producer Oleksandr Rodnyanskiy to 8 1/2 years jail in absentia for spreading "fake" information about the Russian military. Rodnyanskiy, 63, was accused of publishing reports about the shelling of a maternity hospital in Mariupol by Russian troops in 2022, attacks on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, and other events during the war. Rodnyanskiy said the case was related to his "anti-war posts on Instagram" and that he strongly disagreed with the verdict. "No Basmanny court can stop me from speaking loudly and doing what I have been doing all my life, making films," he said on Telegram. Rodnyanskiy was born in Kyiv but spent most of his career in Russia, producing dozens of TV series and films, including the Oscar-nominated crime drama Leviathan. He left the country shortly after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. To read the full story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here.

Roman Shklover, a 34-year-old activist from the Russian Diaspora of Armenia (RDA), was detained in Yerevan on the central Republic Square on October 21, the RDA said in a statement. Armenian authorities arrested him based on an international warrant from Russia, where he is wanted for "public justification of terrorism using the Internet." Shklover, whose name has been added to Russia's list of "terrorists and extremists," has been detained for three days and may be extradited to Russia, the group said. The arrest is part of a trend of apprehensions in Armenia of Russian nationals wanted by Moscow. In December 2023, Russian security forces detained Dmitry Setrakov in Armenia, and in April this year, Anatoly Shchetinin was detained in the city of Gyumri. Both were transferred to Russia. Activists and human rights organizations have raised concerns over these arrests and the involvement of Russian security forces in Armenia. To read the original story by Current Time, click here.

Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the UN agency giving aid to Palestinians, accused Israel on October 21 of denying aid to northern parts of the Gaza Strip and called for a cease-fire as a step "to putting an end to this endless nightmare." "The Israeli Authorities continue to deny humanitarian missions to reach the north with critical supplies including medicine and food for people under siege," he wrote in a post on X. Lazzarini called for aid organizations to be allowed access to the northern Gaza Strip, including the group he heads, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). Gaza has been ravaged by a war triggered by the Iran-backed Hamas's October 7, 2023 incursion into Israel, which saw the militant group that has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union kill some 1,200 people and take around 240 hostages. Israel has since launched a withering war against Hamas, vowing to cripple it.

Albanian police detained former President Ilir Meta on October 21 on corruption charges lodged by the Special Prosecutor's Office against Corruption (SPAK).

Meta, who served as president of from 2017 to 2022, was arrested in Tirana on suspicion of corruption, money laundering, and nondisclosure and concealment of property.

Meta's former spouse, Monika Kryemadhi, a lawmaker and former leader of the Freedom Party, was also accused of the same crimes and ordered to report to police. Prosecutors have not yet filed formal criminal charges against them or two other people also accused of money laundering and corruption.

Meta's lawyer, Genc Gjokutaj, was quoted by the Associated Press as saying the case against the former president was politically motivated. Meta spokesman Tedi Blushi told a press conference the arrest was an "irresponsible act" and that SPAK was trying to "eliminate the opposition" with its actions.

"Putting two opposition leaders under political arrest" is "nothing but a declaration of war," Blushi said.

Kryemadhi in a statement dismissed the accusations against her and her ex-husband as "political."

Meta, 55, has accused the current government of running a "kleptocratic regime" and concentrating all legislative, administrative, and judiciary powers in Prime Minister Edi Rama's hands.

Meta, a veteran of Albanian politics who has held high positions since the fall of communism in 1991, was detained by masked, plainclothes police officers who took him from his vehicle after he returned from Kosovo ahead of a news conference.

Police said that the "use of force" was applied after Meta refused to follow an order to leave his car and used offensive words against officers and justice officials.

Albanian State Police said the arrest was done at the request of SPAK and was carried out according to regulations. The SPAK said in a statement that Meta’s arrest followed a five-year investigation.

Meta failed to account for some $460,000 he used for lobbying in the United States, prosecutors said. Both Meta and Kryemadhi also are accused of buying property with money they received illegally.

Albanian institutions created with the support of the European Union and the United States have launched several investigations into former senior government officials allegedly involved in corruption.

Former EU Ambassador to Albania Romana Vlahutin welcomed the arrest as a sign that nobody in Albania is above the law.

With reporting by AP and AFP

Nata Talikishvili, a transgender activist in Georgia, was attacked in Tbilisi on October 20, just a month after the killing of another transgender woman, Kesaria Abramidze, reflecting the worsening climate for LGBT rights in the South Caucasus country.

The Interior Ministry told RFE/RL a suspect was arrested for allegedly insulting Talikishvili and hitting her with a brick, leaving her with a concussion.

The attacks of Abramidze and Talikishvili, a recipient of the Kato Mikeladze Prize in 2018 for her work defending women's rights, came after Georgian lawmakers approved legislation restricting LGBT rights.

The new laws allow for the prohibition of cultural events, including Pride marches, effectively limiting public expression for the LGBT community.

Human rights advocates have criticized the measures as fostering an environment of intolerance and emboldening violent attacks.

A 26-year-old suspect has since been detained in the Abramidze killing, with investigators blaming gender-based violence.

Abramidze represented Georgia at the Miss Trans Star International beauty pageant in Barcelona in 2018 and regularly appeared in media and television.

The attacks underscore the LGBT community's long-standing struggle in Georgia, where conservative social attitudes and political rhetoric have often marginalized sexual and gender minorities. Despite the growing visibility of LGBT activists and events, backlash has been common.

Violent disruptions of Pride marches and homophobic rhetoric from conservative groups and some politicians have cultivated an increasingly hostile environment for LGBT Georgians.

Human rights organizations are calling for stronger protections and a crackdown on hate crimes. Amid the restrictive new laws, many fear a continuing escalation of violence against LGBT individuals in Georgia.

Russia has not returned the body of Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Roshchyna to her homeland, despite promising to do so, according to a rights group.

Roshchyna died while in Russian captivity.

Petro Yatsenko from Ukraine’s Center for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said Roshchyna’s body was to be repatriated on October 18 as part of a broader exchange of bodies, according to a letter from the Russian Defense Ministry that was received by Roshchyna’s father.

It remains unclear why Roshchyna’s body was not included in the October 18 exchange.

Yatsenko noted that “everything, unfortunately, depends on the opposite side,” emphasizing that efforts to repatriate the journalist began immediately after her death on September 19 was confirmed earlier this month.

Ukrainian authorities and Roshchyna’s family say they are awaiting further developments.

Roshchyna, 27, was a former freelance correspondent for RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service. She had been covering Russia's full-scale invasion since its onset in February 2022.

In August 2023, she was detained by Russian troops in the occupied part of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhya region.

In early October, reports surfaced that Roshchyna had died while being transferred from a detention center in Taganrog, a Russian city near the Ukrainian border, to Moscow.

The journalist's death was officially confirmed on October 10.

Andriy Yusov of Ukraine's Military Intelligence confirmed at the time that Roshchyna had been slated for a prisoner exchange. Recent updates of the plan showed she was being transferred from Taganrog to Moscow's Lefortovo detention center in preparation for her release.

Human rights organizations have criticized Russia’s treatment of detainees, particularly during the process of transferring them from one penitentiary to another, which is known as “etap.” Prisoners are transported in caged train compartments with minimal access to food, hygiene, and ventilation. Reports from former detainees have highlighted widespread mistreatment and abuse during these transfers.

The Prosecutor-General’s Office of Ukraine has launched a criminal investigation into Roshchyna’s death, examining it as a potential violation of war laws and intentional murder.

Human rights advocates reported that Roshchyna had been held in solitary confinement in the Taganrog Pretrial Detention Center from May to September 2024, where Ukrainian detainees were reportedly tortured.

Around 25 Ukrainian journalists remain in Russian captivity, including RFE/RL freelancer Vladyslav Yesypenko, who was sentenced to five years in prison on contested espionage charges in 2022.

With reporting by Suspilne

Ukraine’s Military Intelligence (HUR) announced on October 21 the "elimination" of Russian military pilot Dmitry Golenkov, a chief of staff in Russia’s 52nd heavy bomber aviation regiment who was involved in a deadly missile attack on a shopping center in Ukraine's Kremenchuk in June 2022. The attack, carried out using Tu-22M3 bombers, resulted in 22 deaths and dozens of injuries among the nearly 1,000 civilians present at the Amstor shopping center at the time. HUR also linked Golenkov to the January 2023 missile attack on a residential building in the city of Dnipro, which killed 46 people, including six children. The intelligence agency reported that Golenkov’s body was found with head injuries, possibly inflicted with a hammer, emphasizing “fair retribution for every war crime.” Russia had claimed the June 2022 attack targeted military storage facilities near Kremenchuk, not the civilian center. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Crimea.Realities, click here.

President Maia Sandu said a knife-edge vote in favor of Moldova's European integration has proven that Moldovans have chosen the European Union even while being bombarded with disinformation and manipulation.

With more than 99.68 percent of the vote counted, 50.45 percent of Moldovans voted "yes" for the EU, according to the Central Election Commission (CEC), which said on October 21 that the referendum a day earlier had been validated since it fulfilled the minimum accepted threshold of 33 percent turnout.

"The commission will present a report on the results of the referendum to the Constitutional Court, which, in turn, within 10 days, will confirm or deny, through a decision, the results of the plebiscite," the CEC said.

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The final outcome of the referendum, which for most of the night was tilted in favor of those who rejected closer integration with the 27-member bloc, appears to have been influenced by votes from Moldova's strong Western diaspora.

"Despite all the problems, the manipulation, and disinformation, the majority of Moldovans showed us they know what is good for Moldova," Sandu told a news conference in Chisinau.

"Citizens decided by a majority vote that Moldova will continue ahead on the path of European integration, Sandu said, adding that alleged attempts to buy votes were an "attack on Moldovan sovereignty."

White House national-security spokesman John Kirby said the results showed that the country's democracy remains strong despite an attempt by Russia to undermine it.

Kirby also hailed Moldova's vote on the referendum as a step forward in Moldova's European integration and said Russia did not succeed in undermining the country's presidential election.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Moldova chose "a European future" despite "Russia's hybrid tactics."

A monitoring mission from the Organization for Security and Cooperation said that the elections were "well-managed" although they were marred by foreign interference and active disinformation efforts.

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There was "intensive Kremlin-backed interference in the electoral process," Petra Bayr, from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe's observer mission told a news conference.

In an earlier statement, Sandu said that the balloting came under an "unprecedented" assault from "criminal groups," which tried to buy off as many as 300,000 votes with tens of millions of euros in an attempt to "undermine a democratic process."

"Moldova faced today and in recent months an unprecedented assault on freedom and democracy," Sandu said.

Sandu -- in her reelection bid -- came out on top of 11 candidates vying for the presidency, solidifying her initially slim lead as more results came in early on October 21, but falling short of the 50 percent margin needed to avoid a runoff.

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With virtually all votes counted, Sandu was ahead with 42.31 percent and would face second-placed pro-Russian Socialist Alexandr Stoianoglo, who garnered 26.09 percent, in a runoff vote on November 3.

In third place was businessman Renato Usatii, a former mayor of Moldova's second-largest city, Balti, with 13.72 percent of the votes.

Many observers billed Moldova's dual elections as crucial to helping decide the nation's future direction -- whether it will feature closer ties to Europe and the West or turn more toward Russia.

The European Union also pointed to Moscow as being behind attempts to derail the elections.

"This vote took place under unprecedented interference and intimidation by Russia and its proxies, aiming to destabilize the democratic processes in the Republic of Moldova," EU spokesman Peter Stano told journalists.

U.S. State Department spokesman Vedant Patel noted reports of "malicious cyber-activity, disinformation, and other things that are consistent with what we’ve seen the Kremlin do elsewhere and what the Kremlin has supported in its intent to undermine Moldova’s sovereignty."

He said the State Department otherwise commended the Moldovan people for their participation in the election and referendum and will continue to support Moldova's "commitment to ensuring a credible and democratic process." The U.S. view continues to be that "Moldova's future is in Europe," he added.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, a former president of the European Council, hailed Moldova as a "brave nation" and Sandu as a "great leader."

"Infuriate Moscow, impress Europe, save her country once again -- that's who Maia Sandu is," Tusk said on X.

Russia, which maintains some 1,500 troops in Moldova's heavily Russian-speaking breakaway region of Transdniester, has denied the allegations of meddling, with the Kremlin claiming the vote was "unfree" and calling on Sandu to provide proof that votes had been bought.

"If she is saying that she did not receive votes because of certain criminal groups, she must present evidence," spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

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Chisinau's Western backers have repeatedly expressed concerns about Russian influence in Moldova more than three decades after it gained independence from the Soviet Union.

Peskov also said the results showed a "hard-to-explain" increase in Sandu's and the EU's favor.

"What we see is a mechanically hard-to-explain rate of increase in votes in favor of Sandu and in favor of those referendum participants who favored an EU orientation," Peskov said.

The amendments at issue in the constitutional referendum include confirmation in the preamble of Moldovans' "European identity," the "irreversibility of the European course" of the country, and integration as a national "strategic objective."

A "no" vote in the referendum would not have precluded future EU membership, but it would have dealt a serious blow to Sandu and her pro-European allies and hampered accession efforts for years to come.

Turnout in the presidential vote was over 51.6 percent, or more than 1.56 million votes, as long lines were reported at some polling stations in Moldova and at sites outside the country, including France, Romania, Russia, and Greece.

The twin votes provide valuable lessons for Sandu's allies and the opposition ahead of parliamentary elections next summer that will be a referendum on four years of rule by the Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS), which she founded eight years ago.

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Moldova’s presidency holds limited direct power, but Sandu has parlayed her pro-Western message and leverage with the liberal PAS into limited reforms and formal EU candidacy for her fractured former Soviet republic.

Aside from stark warnings by local officials, including Moldova's foreign minister, U.S. and other Western officials have pointed fingers at Russia, citing "very clear action by the Russians to undermine this upcoming election and referendum."

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How Is The Kremlin Meddling In 2024 Elections? Here Are 5 Tactics.

Since his party was banned by the government and then the Moldovan Constitutional Court last year for allegedly fomenting a coup, convicted oligarch Ilan Shor has been accused of a multimillion-dollar scheme to pay anti-EU voters and influencers and has been linked to other schemes from his Russian exile to promote Russia among Moldovans and foment dissatisfaction with their government.

Days before the voting, authorities said they arrested four people and warned that dozens more had been trained in Russia and the Balkans to “destabilize” the country after the vote.

U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, once an ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan but later accused of masterminding a failed coup attempt in 2016, has died at the age of 83.

Multiple sources including the Herkul website that publishes Gulen's sermons, the Turkish government, CNN Turk, and the Foundation for Dialogue and Education, an organization affiliated with the Gulen movement in Germany, confirmed on October 21 that Gulen had died a day earlier.

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Turkey Proves No Safe Haven For Central Asian Activists

"Our teacher passed away on October 20, 2024 at 21:20 in the hospital where he had been receiving treatment for a while," the website said in a post on X on October 21, adding that his doctors will make a statement about the situation "in the coming hours."

It did not say what ailment Gulen was being treated for. He had lived in exile in the United States since 1999 and was stripped of his Turkish citizenship in 2017.

CNN Turk quoted a nephew of Gulen's as confirming the Herkul announcement, while Ercan Karakoyun, the chairman of the the Foundation for Dialogue and Education, also said Gulen died a day earlier.

The 2016 coup attempt against Erdogan and the government was a turning point in the country. Some 250 people were killed when rogue soldiers hijacked warplanes, tanks, and other heavy military equipment as they tried to push the president out of power.

That event led Turkey’s government to declare an all-out war on Gulen's network -- known as Hizmet, which means "service" in Turkish -- saying he was responsible for the coup, charges that Gulen fiercely denied.

Turkey considers Hizmet to be a terrorist organization. It is an opaque but influential group mainly involved in educational activities and promoting civil society.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, in confirming Turkish intelligence reports saying Gulen had died, described Gulen as the leader of a "dark organization."

Tens of thousands of dismissals and jailings followed the coup attempt in Turkey, as well as increasingly tense relations between Ankara and any country where Gulen had connections -- mostly through the network of his private schools.

The campaign against Gulen spread into regional allies of Turkey. Some Central Asian governments intensified a crackdown on institutions linked to the cleric that had started before the coup attempt.

In recent years, there have been reports of Turkish citizens accused of having links to Gulen being arrested and forcibly taken to Turkey.

In one such incident, Turkish-Kyrgyz educator Orhan Inandi was abducted by Turkish agents in 2021 in Kyrgyzstan and brought to Turkey against his will. In June of this year, Inandi, who is a dual Kyrgyz-Turkish citizen, was handed 21 years in prison on a charge of "establishing an armed terrorist group."

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told Ukrainian officials that the United States will send Kyiv "what it needs" for its fight against Russian forces after he arrived in Kyiv on October 21 as Moscow launched a fresh round of attacks on Ukraine's battered cities and infrastructure, injuring more civilians and destroying critical infrastructure.

Austin outlined a $400 million aid package that he said would provide Ukrainian forces with additional munitions, armored vehicles, and anti-tank weapons drawn from stocks of U.S. military reserves. It is part of support previously announced by the White House.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the United States is committed to supporting Ukraine with the equipment it needs to strengthen its position on the battlefield, defend against the Kremlin’s brutal aggression, and secure a just and lasting peace.

WATCH: "Providing Ukraine with the support that it needs to prevail is a top priority for the United States," U.S. Undersecretary of State Uzra Zeya told RFE/RL.

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"The United States is providing another significant package of urgently needed weapons and equipment to our Ukrainian partners as they defend against Russia’s ongoing attacks," Blinken said in a statement.

Speaking later at the Diplomatic Academy of Ukraine, Austin noted that the United States had delivered more than $58 billion in security assistance for Ukraine since Russia's February 2022 full-scale invasion, making it Kyiv's main backer.

"We face a hinge in history," Austin said. "We can continue to stand firm against [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's aggression. Or we can let Putin have his way, and we can condemn our children and grandchildren to live in a far bloodier and more dangerous world."

But he did not address Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's call for an invitation to join NATO or provide any hit that the United States might endorse other key planks of Zelenskiy's so-called victory plan.

Zelenskiy said in his evening address that the United States was planning a separate aid package for the production of drones in Ukraine.

Commenting on the $400 million defense package, he said the other package would be $800 million and would provide "financing for the production of Ukrainian drones."

Ukraine has been grappling with an increasingly strong Russian advance in the east, where its outmanned, exhausted, and outgunned troops have been forced to gradually cede more ground to Moscow's forces, while its cities have been subjected to virtually daily waves of Russian drone and missile strikes.

On October 21, Dnipropetrovsk Governor Serhiy Lysak said 14 people, including a 12-year-old girl, were wounded in an overnight missile attack on the city of Kryviy Rih.

In Kyiv, a man was wounded by falling debris following a Russian drone strike early on October 21, Serhiy Popko, the head of the Ukrainian capital's military administration, said on Telegram.

In the southern region of Zaporizhzhya, six people were wounded -- two of them seriously -- by Russian shelling, regional Governor Ivan Fedorov said.

In a video published in Telegram, Fedorov added that several public facilities were damaged, including kindergartens, school dormitories, and residential apartment blocks.

Separately, the Ukrainian Air Force said that its air defenses shot down 59 out of the 116 drones launched by Russia at 12 of its regions -- Odesa, Mykolayiv, Kherson, Vinnytsya, Khmelnytskiy, Zhytomyr, Kyiv, Sumy, Kirovohrad, Cherkasy, Chernihiv, and Poltava.

During a visit to Turkey, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha called on October 21 for more Western support to curb Russian strikes on Ukrainian Black Sea port infrastructure, which have recently grown in intensity, causing substantial damage to port infrastructure and Ukrainian transport vessels.

Three people were killed in Afghanistan's central Ghor Province in clashes between Taliban fighters and extremists affiliated with the Khorasan branch of the Islamic State (IS-K), a Taliban source told RFE/RL. The source said the clashes occurred when the Taliban conducted an operation to arrest an IS-K commander near the provincial capital, Firozkoh. During the operation, the commander, a civilian, and a Taliban member were killed, added the source, who said the operation was in response to IS-K fighters killing three Taliban fighters two weeks ago. Since the hard-line Taliban’s seized power in August 2021, deadly rival IS-K has carried out attacks throughout Afghanistan. The Taliban rulers have themselves been accused by watchdog groups of multiple human rights violations in Afghanistan. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Radio Azadi, click here.

TBILISI -- Tens of thousands of pro-Europe Georgians took to the streets on October 20 to rally against the ruling Georgian Dream party ahead of the parliamentary elections that will likely decide the direction of the South Caucasus nation’s future.

Opposition groups have warned that a victory in the October 26 vote for Georgian Dream, which has been accused of being Russia-friendly, could derail democracy and hopes for eventual European Union membership in the country, concerns echoed in many Western capitals.

Pro-Western President Salome Zurabishvili, who has split with the Georgian Dream-led government and has backed the opposition, told a news conference early on October 20 that the rallies would help to "demonstrate the people's will for freedom, independence, and a European future."

Tens Of Thousands Of Pro-Europe Georgians Rally Ahead Of Crucial Parliamentary Vote

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Later, at the rally, she told the crowd that "today is one of those evenings in the history of Georgia that will be memorable for our children and grandchildren."

Zurabishvili stressed that both the younger generations and the older ones were gathered to press for a European future, with all ages to benefit from Georgia's development in the Western world.

The opposition marches began at 5 p.m. local time from five sites in the capital, including the Heroes and Republic squares. Participants then assembled on Freedom Square in the evening for a concert, with the event later concluding without apparent incident.

Some ruling party members attempted to dissuade people from attending the rally, claiming it was not a pro-Europe event but rather one organized by LGBT activists.

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In a recent interview with RFE/RL, the imprisoned former Georgian president, Mikheil Saakashvili, warned of dire consequences if the Georgian Dream party wins the parliamentary elections.

"I do expect provocations in the coming days, including during the elections and the days after it," Saakashvili said from prison in written answers to questions sent by RFE/RL's Georgian Service.

Georgian Dream has passed laws restricting the activity of NGOs and media that receive foreign funding and against what it calls "LGBT propaganda." It has promised to ban all the major opposition parties if it wins.

Georgian Dream has cast the upcoming elections as an existential choice: between war and peace. Part of its campaign includes posters, juxtaposing black-and-white images of war-torn Ukraine with color images of prospering, peaceful Georgia.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has praised Georgia's government for precisely the moves that have troubled Tbilisi's Western partners, such as adopting laws on "foreign agents" and combating "LGBT propaganda."

Those moves and others have prompted Brussels and Washington to take punitive measures.

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The EU has frozen Georgia's accession to the bloc, while Washington has placed sanctions on some of the country's top officials and prepared a separate package of financial sanctions against the founder and still de facto leader of Georgian Dream, Bidzina Ivanishvili.

Ivanishvili has also suggested Georgia should apologize for the 2008 war with Russia.

White House officials refused to meet the Georgian delegation to the most recent UN General Assembly and rescinded an invitation to Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze to a September 25 reception hosted by President Joe Biden.

The actions represented a new low point in relations between the United States and what until recently was probably its most loyal and favored ally in the post-Soviet space.

The United States will soon begin a probe of the leak of highly classified intelligence documents describing Israel's preparations for a retaliatory strike on Iran, the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives said on October 20.

The documents, dated October 15 and 16, were initially posted on the Telegram messaging app on October 19.

They carry "top secret" labels and have markings indicating they were to be seen only by the United States and other members of the so-called Five Eyes allied nations of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Britain, according to CNN.

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The documents describe apparent Israeli military preparations for a strike against Iran.

One of the documents state the material was produced by the U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA).

House Speaker Mike Johnson (Republican-Louisiana) confirmed in an interview with CNN that an investigation is "under way and I'll get a briefing on that in a couple of hours."

The Pentagon said it was looking into the reports. The NGA did not immediately comment.

The New York Times (NYT) reported that U.S. officials "are trying to determine the source of the leak, which describes military drills and weapons placement, and how damaging it might be."

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As Middle East Crisis Escalates, Hopes For Diplomatic Solution Dim

"The documents, which offer interpretations of satellite imagery, provide insight into a potential strike by Israel on Iran in the coming days," the NYT report said.

Many government officials and observers around the globe have said they expect Israel to strike Iran in retaliation for an Iranian rocket attack earlier this month -- which Tehran said was in itself retaliation for an earlier attack by Israel.

Officials told the NYT that the documents are not a comprehensive assessment of what Washington knows about Israeli plans and that they only represent what analysts looking at satellite imagery could determine.

With reporting by CNN, Reuters, and The New York Times

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin on October 20, the first such conversation between the two in 2 1/2 years, according to the Serbian leader. Serbia, which is a candidate to join the EU, has condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine but refused to impose sanctions on Moscow. Vucic said he had thanked Putin for Russian energy deliveries and reiterated that Serbia will not change its stance on sanctions. The call comes as Russia awaits an official response to Putin's September invitation for Vucic to attend the BRICS summit in Kazan, scheduled from October 22 to 24. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Balkan Service, click here.

The possible deployment of North Korean soldiers to fight with invading Russian forces in Ukraine "demonstrates a certain weakness of Russia," says Gerry Connolly, a U.S. congressman (Democrat-Virginia) and acting president of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.

"Do you need North Korean troops to be deployed in Europe for combat operations in Ukraine? Really? And why does Russia need it? Maybe because, to be honest, the Russian potential is exhausted?" Connelly said to RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service in an interview on October 19.

"According to estimates, Russian losses amount to 600,000 killed, wounded, and missing. These numbers are already approaching World War II levels in the initial stages of Operation Barbarossa after 1941," he added, referring to the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union in World War II.

Connelly's comments come after South Korea's intelligence agency said on October 18 that North Korea has shipped 1,500 special forces troops to Russia's Far East for training and acclimatizing at local military bases and will likely be deployed for combat in the war in Ukraine.

Ukrainian officials have released video purporting to show dozens of North Korean recruits lining up to collect Russian military fatigues. The head of Ukrainian military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, has also claimed in local media that about 11,000 North Korean infantrymen were currently training in eastern Russia.

The presence of North Korean soldiers in Ukraine, if true, would be further proof of intensified military ties between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Last summer, they signed a strategic partnership treaty that commits both countries to providing military assistance. North Korean weapons have already been used in the Ukraine war.

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U.S. Undersecretary Of State: Ukraine Support Remains 'Top Priority'

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Speaking from RFE/RL's headquarters in Prague, Connolly also spoke about NATO membership for Ukraine. This week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy pitched his "victory plan" to the EU and NATO, which includes Ukraine being given immediate membership. G7 defense ministers, meeting in Italy on October 19, backed Ukraine's "irreversible" path to NATO membership but avoided any timeline.

Connolly suggested Ukraine should get NATO membership once Russia's war is finished.

"Well, there's a war going on. I think we have to resolve this, we have to restore Ukraine's sovereignty over its territories, and then make sure that the path to NATO is open," Connolly told RFE/RL.

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"I understand a certain haste and impatience on the part of Ukrainians [who say] 'I would have liked to become a member of NATO yesterday.' But we have, of course, a difficult and tragic situation on the territory of Ukraine. And this is the presence of Russian troops there and the Russian occupation. This should be resolved," Connolly added.

Connolly also commented on Zelenskiy's proposal, also included in his victory plan, to eventually replace U.S. troops with battle-hardened Ukrainian troops at outposts throughout Europe.

The United States has more than 100,000 troops stationed across Europe on a permanent and rotational basis, largely concentrated in Germany. Washington deployed more than 20,000 forces to the continent in response to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

"This is a generous offer from President Zelenskiy, whom I have met many times, including in a small circle at various conferences and events. But I think that this is an inappropriate proposal now. It looks like a political pass for Donald Trump in case he wins the election. And for those of us who are fighting for Ukraine in the U.S. Congress, we don't need to hear that. The U.S. should be in Europe," Connolly explained.

A potential Trump victory in next month's presidential election could threaten future aid to Ukraine, analysts have said. The former president declined last month to say whether he wants Ukraine to win the war, and has described Zelenskiy as a "salesman" who "should never have let that war start."

Trump has long avoided criticism of Russia's invasion and questioned the value of the NATO alliance. His political allies have expressed skepticism about the large U.S. military aid packages provided to Ukraine.

Russia’s military launched another wave of missiles and drones across Ukraine, Ukrainian officials said on October 20, with an energy installation hit and multiple injuries reported in another strike.

The Russian attack came as officials in Russia reported a large Ukrainian drone strike that appeared to target an industrial park where a key defense contractor plant is located.

Seventeen people, including a rescue worker, were reported injured after Russia’s military fired ballistic missiles on Kryviy Rih in the southern region of Dnipropetrovsk. Eight of the injured were hospitalized, according to Oleksandr Vilkul, chairman of the Kryviy Rih defense council.

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Fifteen residential buildings, as well as several educational institutions and administrative buildings, were damaged in the city some 400 kilometers southeast of Kyiv.

In the eastern city of Kharkiv, a district was hit by a Grom-EI missile, RBK-Ukraine writes, quoting the regional prosecutor's office. The Grom-EI is a hybrid of a missile and a gliding aviation bomb. Based on the Soviet-era Kh-38 air-to-surface missile, it reportedly has a range up to 120 kilometers.

Russia also attacked an energy facility in the northeastern Sumy region, the regional power operator Sumyoblenerho said on Telegram.

"As a result, more than 37,000 consumers in the Romny region (104 settlements) are temporarily without electricity supply," it said.

Kyiv is bracing for its toughest winter of the war yet, with Moscow having destroyed much of its generating capacity and continuing to strike energy sites. Such strikes on civilian infrastructure are considered war crimes.

According to the Energy Ministry, Russia has carried out more than 1,000 strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure facilities since October 2022.

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About 10 drones were destroyed near Kyiv, the city's military administration said on the Telegram messaging app. There were no reports of destruction or injuries, it said.

Air alerts were declared twice in the capital during the night, lasting about three hours in total. The Lviv region near the Polish border was also the target of a drone attack, with no damage reported by early on October 20, Reuters reported.

Ukrainian air defenses destroyed 31 out of 49 drones launched by Russian forces in their latest overnight strike across various parts of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Air Force said on October 20.

It added that 13 drones had been "locationally lost" and that two had flown into neighboring Belarus.

With reporting by Reuters

Ukraine is reported to have launched numerous drones at Moscow and western regions of Russia with a strike reported on an industrial zone where a key arms manufacturer is located, a day after Ukrainian drones reportedly targeted a microelectronic plant that is crucial to Russia’s military.

The reported Ukrainian drone strike comes after defense ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) wealthy democracies on October 19 backed Ukraine's "irreversible" path to NATO membership. This week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy pitched his "victory plan" to the EU and NATO but failed to get the immediate membership invitation he was seeking.

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Russian Telegram channel Astra posted a video purporting to show the moment of the strike on the industrial zone in the city of Dzerzhinsk in Russia's Nizhny Novgorod region.

Located in the zone is the Sverdlov Defense Plant, a state-owned enterprise that produces explosives, industrial chemicals, detonators, and ammunition. It was unclear whether the plant, which has been sanctioned by the United States, was damaged in the strike.

Nizhny Novgorod Region Governor Gleb Nikitin wrote in a post on Telegram that the attack was repelled by air-defense systems and four firefighters were injured by shrapnel.

The Russian Defense Ministry said 110 drones had been shot down overnight, including 43 over the Kursk region, 27 over the Lipetsk region, 18 over the Oryol region, eight over the Nizhny Novgorod region, six over the Bryansk region, and one over the Moscow region.

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Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin also confirmed that a drone flying toward the capital had been destroyed over the capital’s Ramenskoye district.

Ukrainian officials have not commented on the reported drone attack, which comes a day after reports that Ukrainian drones had struck the Kremniy El microelectronic plant in Bryansk city overnight on October 18-19.

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Russian opposition outlet Astra reported on October 19 that Ukrainian drones struck the plant and noted it is one of Russia's largest microelectronic manufacturers and that the Russian Defense Ministry is one of its biggest customers.

Head of the Ukrainian Center for Countering Disinformation Lieutenant Andriy Kovalenko acknowledged the report of the strike and stated that the plant manufactures microelectronics for Russian Pantsir air-defense systems, Iskander missiles, radars, electronic warfare (EW) systems, and drones.

Ukrainian outlet RBC Ukraine published photos showing what it said was the aftermath of the strike and damage to a building at the plant.

Aleksandr Bogomaz, regional governor of the Bryansk region, claimed on October 19 that debris from a downed Ukrainian drone struck and caused a fire at a "nonresidential building" in the Bryansk region.

Early results in one of two votes that will help decide Moldova's future give pro-Europe incumbent President Maia Sandu a lead over pro-Russia Socialist Alexandr Stoianoglo in a battle of 11 candidates likely to lead to a runoff election next month.

Preliminary results after counting 35 percent of the vote on October 20 put Sandu at nearly 35 percent, with Stoianoglo at 29 percent, while Renato Usatii, the populist former mayor of Moldova's second-largest city of Balti, had 15 percent, according to the Central Election Commission.

If no candidate receives over 50 percent of the vote, a runoff will be staged between the two leading vote-getters on November 3.

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Observers cautioned that the early results are likely from diaspora sites in Russia and elsewhere in the former Soviet Union, meaning Sandu's lead could increase as votes from Moldova itself are counted.

Also being voted on is a referendum, proposed by Sandu, asking the 3.3 million Moldovan voters at home and abroad whether they "support the amendment of the constitution with a view to the accession of the Republic of Moldova to the European Union."

Early results after counting 46 percent of the vote gave the "no" vote the lead with 56 percent, but incoming ballots could also reverse that situation, observers said.

Polls closed at 9 p.m. local time and election officials began announcing preliminary results about an hour later.

Moldova's crucial dual election will help decide whether the nation's future will feature closer ties to Europe and the West or turn more toward Russia following a campaign marred by allegations of Kremlin meddling to get its desired result.

Election officials said turnout in the EU referendum passed the required 33 percent level, reaching nearing 50 percent, or more than 1.48 million votes.

In the presidential election, turnout surpassed 51.4 percent, or more than 1.56 million votes, as long lines were reported at some polling stations in Moldova and at sites outside the country, including France, Romania, Russia, and Greece.

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'To Live Like In Europe': Moldovans Vote In Constitutional Referendum

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Because of the lines, voting time was extended in parts of the diaspora. In Bucharest, polls were to remain open until 11 p.m., officials there said.

A delegation of electoral observers from more than a dozen countries helped to monitor the two polls in Moldova.

Moldovan and foreign warnings of alleged Russian meddling ranging from disinformation to vote-buying, co-opting sympathetic Moldovans, and channeling money to encourage unrest after the election have underscored the value that Chisinau and the international community place on the importance of free and fair -- and peaceful -- voting.

Front-running incumbent Sandu faced 10 presidential challengers led by Stoianoglo and populist Usatii in the poor former Soviet republic's third direct presidential election, as it navigates polarization at home and war to its east in Ukraine.

After casting her ballot, Sandu said by voting today Moldovans "can preserve peace and stability" in the tiny country, adding, "Moldovans must determine their own destiny" without "lies and dirty money."

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The votes could provide valuable lessons for Sandu's allies and the opposition ahead of parliamentary elections next summer that will be a referendum on four years of rule by the Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) that she founded eight years ago.

Moldova’s presidency holds limited direct power but Sandu has parlayed her pro-Western message and leverage with the liberal PAS into limited reforms and formal EU candidacy for her fractured former Soviet republic.

One of her most ambitious moves has been eliminating landlocked Moldova's reliance on Russian natural gas since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, but that has contributed to inflation and other economic hardship for many of Moldova's 2.4 million residents.

Recent polling showed Sandu at 30-35 percent support, well ahead of Stoianoglo, whom she dismissed last year, at 9 percent and ex-Mayor Usatii, who says he wants greater balance between East and West in foreign policy, at 6 percent.

Many voters interviewed by RFE/RL outside polling stations in the capital, Chisinau, appeared to favor pro-Europe policies.

"I voted for a prosperous future for our country, for a better path, for a European path, for the development of our country. We've been stagnating for so many years," one man told RFE/RL.

Another male voter said he was casting his ballot "for the future of our children, for the young people, for a better life, and for a European future."

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Residents Of Breakaway Transdniester Region Vote In Moldova's Elections

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A woman told RFE/RL said she voted "for the country's well-being, so that our children don't have to wander from one country to another. So that we can live like [we are] in Europe."

Aside from stark warnings by local officials, including Moldova's foreign minister, U.S. and other Western officials have pointed fingers at Russia, in July citing "very clear action by the Russians to undermine this upcoming election and referendum."

Russia, which maintains hundreds of troops at a former Soviet base in Moldova's heavily Russian-speaking breakaway region of Transdniester, denies intruding on the Moldovan vote.

Since his party was banned by the government and then the Moldovan Constitutional Court last year for allegedly fomenting a coup, convicted oligarch Ilan Shor has been accused of a multimillion-dollar scheme to pay anti-EU voters and influencers and been linked to other schemes from his Russian exile to promote Russia among Moldovans and foment dissatisfaction with their government.

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Days before the voting, authorities said they arrested four people and warned that dozens more had been trained in Russia and the Balkans to “destabilize” the country after the vote.

Recent weeks have seen a flurry of conspicuous diplomatic support for the pro-EU cause in Moldova, highlighted by visiting European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's announcement of nearly $2 billion of EU investment to help "double the size of your economy in a decade."

"It is your sovereign choice what to do with your country, and no one can interfere," von der Leyen said in Chisinau on October 10. "Of course, speaking as president of the European Commission, I believe that Moldova's place is in our European Union."

Denis Cenusa, an analyst with the Expert-Grup at the University of Giessen, suggested at a Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) event last week that the referendum was an effort to make up for years spent “oscillating between two vectors,” one toward EU membership and the other envisaging a more balanced international engagement that would almost certainly lead to closer relations with Moscow.

The amendments at issue in the constitutional referendum would include confirmation in the preamble of Moldovans' "European identity," the "irreversibility of the European courts" of the country, and integration as a national "strategic objective."

It would also add a section allowing for accession on the basis of a majority vote in Moldova's 101-member parliament.

At least 1.1 million voters must participate in the referendum to make it valid, a figure surpassed by early evening.

A "no" vote in the referendum would not preclude future membership, but it would deal a serious blow to Sandu and her pro-EU allies and almost certainly forestall accession efforts for years to come.

The discovery of a highly pathogenic strain of bird flu has forced the closing of North Macedonia’s main zoo in Skopje, the Food and Veterinary Agency said on October 19, raising concerns of poultry industries throughout the Balkan region. "Following testing after the death of a goose in the pond of the Skopje Zoo…the presence of a pathogenic strain of the H5N1 bird influenza virus was determined,” the agency said. The zoo is to be closed for 21 days while experts disinfect the site and conduct inspections. The report comes a day after the virus was discovered in a flock of poultry in Bulgaria and in other regional countries in recent months. The spread of H5N1 has wreaked havoc on poultry flocks globally in recent years, also raising the risk of human transmission. To read the original story by RFE/RL's North Macedonia Service, click here.

Defense chiefs from the Group of Seven (G7) developed economies vowed to support Ukraine's "irreversible path" to eventual NATO membership and pledged continued military support in the "short and long term" as Kyiv battles against Russia's full-scale invasion.

The leaders on October 19 also condemned Moscow for its military aggression along with its deployment of "hybrid warfare" and the "irresponsible use of nuclear rhetoric."

"We underscore our intent to continue to provide assistance to Ukraine, including military assistance in the short and long term," the G7 said in a joint statement following its summit in Naples.

“We support Ukraine on its irreversible path to full Euro-Atlantic integration, including NATO membership,” it added.

Italy, which holds the 2024 rotating chair of the group, hosted the event that also included the United States, Canada, France, Britain, Germany, and Japan and representatives of the European Union and NATO.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, who attended the event, "expressed gratitude for the constant support in the fight against Russian aggression," his office said.

The G7 defense chiefs said in their statement that they "consider it imperative to continue supporting the education and training needs of the Ukrainian defense and security forces...given the need for force regeneration and reconstitution."

It noted the G7 decision to make available an estimated $50 billion by using revenue derived from frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine, including military, budgetary, and reconstruction assistance.

"We consider it a priority to work now to find solutions to create a Ukrainian military interoperable with supporting member states and NATO, capable of defending Ukraine now, and deterring further attacks in the future," it said.

"This process must be based on coordinated and sustained actions across relevant state and international actors."

It said that Ukraine had "for nearly three years defended itself against Russia's brutal and full-scale illegal war of aggression."

"We condemn Russia, which has put in place a posture of confrontation and destabilization on a global scale, also resorting to hybrid warfare and the irresponsible use of nuclear rhetoric."

Since February 2022, when he sent tens of thousands of troops across the border to invade Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly hinted and threatened that Russia was ready to tap into its nuclear arsenal -- the world's largest -- to defend itself.

Washington is "highly concerned" about reports that North Korean soldiers have been deployed alongside Russian troops in Ukraine, although it has so far been unable to verify the claims made by South Korea and Ukraine, a U.S. spokesman said.

"We are highly concerned by reports of [North Korean] soldiers fighting on behalf of Russia," National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said on October 19.

"We are unable to confirm whether these reports are accurate, but if true, this would mark a dangerous development in Russia’s war against Ukraine," he added.

Savett said that such a move would "indicate Russia's growing desperation" as it suffers "extraordinary casualties on the battlefield in its brutal war against Ukraine."

"If Russia is indeed forced to turn to [North Korea] for manpower, this would be a sign of desperation, not strength, on the part of the Kremlin," Savett said.

Russia has suffered massive losses since its February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine -- which many in the Kremlin reportedly expected to last just a few days. U.S. government sources say that Russia has been suffering more than 1,200 casualties a day in recent months.

South Korea on October 18 claimed that Pyongyang began moving special forces to Russia earlier this month, days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy made a similar accusation that North Korea had sent soldiers and weapons to help support the Kremlin in its war against Ukraine.

"The North Korean soldiers dispatched to Russia are currently stationed at Russian military bases in the Far East, including Vladivostok, Ussuriisk, Khabarovsk, and Blagoveshchensk, and are expected to be deployed to the front lines as soon as they complete their adaptation training," South Korea's National Intelligence Service said.

Ukraine's Center For Strategic Communications on October 18 posted a video of what it said were North Korean troops being outfitted at Russia's Sergiyevsky training ground in preparation for deployment to Ukraine.

The video could not immediately be independently verified.

The Kremlin has previously dismissed claims by South Korea that Pyongyang has supplied artillery shells and short-range missiles to Moscow.

But it has not commented on the latest assertions by either Seoul or Zelenskiy, who on October 14 said that "this is no longer just about transferring weapons. It is actually about transferring people from North Korea to the occupying military forces."

NATO chief Mark Rutte, speaking in Brussels on October 18, said the military alliance could not confirm the reports that North Korean troops were "actively engaged" in the conflict in Ukraine.

With reporting by RFE/RL's Russian Service

GORNJE NEDELJICE, Serbia – A few hundred Serbian environmental activists and local residents blocked roads near the western city of Gornje Nedeljice and a major highway near Cacak in central Serbia, part of continuing protests against the proposed opening of a lithium mine.

The October 19 protests, organized by the Alliance of Environmental Organizations of Serbia (SEOS), concluded without incident after about an hour.

The SEOS said similar actions are set to take place across the Balkan country.

"This is just the prelude to the blockades that will happen throughout Serbia," Zlatko Kokanovic, one of the organizers of the protest, told RFE/RL.

Kokanovic said residents of Gornje Nedeljice and surrounding villages would not give up their fight to prevent lithium mining in Serbia.

Locals told RFE/RL that the issue they are facing is "a problem for all of Serbia," not just their region.

"There will be no mine, and I am certain there won’t be," said Svetlana Milutinovic of the village of Korenita, site of a planned tailings dam, where byproducts of mining operations are stored.

She added that the support from citizens across Serbia means a lot to them.

"They are all in the same position. It all starts here, but everyone will eventually be affected," she said.

Protests across Serbia erupted after the Constitutional Court nullified a previous government's rejection of some initial permits, clearing the path for fulfillment of Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic's pledge to ensure the mine complex's completion in western Serbia's Jadar Valley.

British-Australian mining company Rio Tinto plans to create Europe's biggest lithium mine in the region.

Rio Tinto has said the project could provide nearly 60,000 tons of lithium annually and meet about one-fifth of the needs for Europe's electric-vehicle production.

In a statement to RFE/RL, Rio Tinto said that "domestic and international experts have confirmed that the Jadar project can be implemented safely and following the highest environmental protection standards."

Vucic and the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS)-led government previously stated that the lithium mine could open by 2028, provided that environmental regulations are met and necessary permits are obtained.

Rio Tinto discovered the mineral jadarite, a combination of lithium and boron, in the Loznica region in 2004, and officials have estimated that the Jadar Valley contains 158 million tons of the ore.

However, many domestic and international experts say that lithium extraction inevitably leads to environmental consequences, particularly the pollution of water basins and soil.

A U.S. diplomat said on October 11 that a decision on lithium mining is up to Serbia's people, but he said the proposed project is expected to bring economic benefits.

Jose Fernandez, undersecretary for economic growth, energy, and environment, told a news conference in Belgrade that he supports the debate over the project but added he believes the mine project will create jobs and bring Serbia closer to the European Union.

KYIV -- U.S. Undersecretary of State Uzra Zeya, during a visit to Kyiv, underscored "unwavering U.S. solidarity" with Ukraine against Moscow's aggression and vowed continued support for Kyiv's efforts to battle corruption at home.

"Our message, building on the visit of Administrator Power, and Secretary Blinken in recent weeks is a straightforward one: U.S. support is steadfast in the face of Russia's illegal war against Ukraine," she said in an interview with RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service on October 18, referring to USAID chief Samantha Power and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Zeya, the U.S. a secretary of state for public security, democracy, and human rights, said that "providing Ukraine with the support that it needs to prevail is a top priority for the United States."

She said that among the key points she stressed during her meetings with leaders in Kyiv was U.S. backing to help "Ukraine win the war, win the peace, and win the future by strengthening its democratic resilience. "

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Prior to her visit, the State Department said Zeya would emphasize "continued partnership on anti-corruption and rule-of-law reforms, a strong civil society and independent media, and advancing victim- and survivor-centered justice and accountability for Ukrainians."

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and other leaders have pressed Ukraine's allies for additional military aid and also permission to use Western-supplied weapons to attack bases deep inside Russia, something Washington and other countries have been reluctant to grant over fears of igniting a wider conflict.

While providing aid to Ukraine, Western partners have also pressed Kyiv to make gains against widespread corruption in the country to -- as Zeya said during the visit -- help "secure a fully integrated Ukraine with Europe."

"The United States is proudly supporting Ukraine's tremendous anti-corruption gains, from reforming oversight of financial crimes and increasing the number of anti-corruption judges to doubling the number of indictments and convictions in the last 16 months," she said.

Zeya said the United States "will do its utmost to rally its partners to help Ukraine, hold Russia accountable for its atrocities, and advance comprehensive justice for its people."

During her visit Zeya, announced a $5 million partnership with the Institute for War and Peace Reporting to "enhance collaboration between civil society and Ukrainian anti-corruption institutions toward even greater government transparency and accountability."

"I think the fact that Ukraine is consistently rising in Transparency International's annual rankings over recent years as it is repelling this brutal full-scale invasion really speaks to the tenacity, resourcefulness, and determination of Ukraine's anti-corruption efforts," she said.

Transparency International has ranked Ukraine 104th out of 180 countries in its most recent index.

The watchdog said in its report for 2023 that "across the region, many governments control the judiciary and law enforcement institutions to maintain impunity for corruption for those in their privileged circles."

For "countries in the Western Balkans, these persistent practices stand in the way of European Union membership. This is also the case for Moldova and Ukraine, although these countries are making substantial reforms to their justice systems," Transparency International said.

Zeya also vowed that Washington would continue its support for "millions of displaced Ukrainians, including those in Ukraine and around the region" who have had their lives thrown into turmoil by the Russian invasion.

The U.S. diplomat is scheduled to travel to Poland and Britain following her visit to Ukraine.