U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered the deployment of additional ballistic missile defense destroyers, fighter squadron and tanker aircraft, and several B-52 long-range strike bombers to the Middle East, a Pentagon statement said on November 1.

The forces will begin to arrive in the region in the coming months to replace the departing USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, Pentagon spokesman Major General Pat Ryder said in the statement.

The announcement comes three weeks after U.S. President Joe Biden said he had ordered the Pentagon to send a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery and troops to Israel as part of U.S. efforts to defend its ally and build up positions in the Eastern Mediterranean.

“These movements demonstrate the flexible nature of U.S. global defense posture and U.S. capability to deploy worldwide on short notice to meet evolving national security threats,” Ryder said in the statement.

It added that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin “continues to make clear that should Iran, its partners, or its proxies use this moment to target American personnel or interests in the region, the United States will take every measure necessary to defend our people.”

The long-range nuclear-capable B-52 bomber has been repeatedly deployed to the Middle East in pointed warnings to Iran. The action announced on November 1 is the second time this month that strategic U.S. bombers will be used to bolster U.S. defenses in the region.

Ryder did not provide the specific number of aircraft and ships that will be moved.

He said the movements were in keeping with U.S. commitments to the protection of U.S. citizens and U.S. forces in the Middle East, the defense of Israel, and de-escalation through deterrence and diplomacy.

The moves come as Israel’s war in Gaza against Hamas and the war in Lebanon against Hezbollah rage. Hamas is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States and the EU. Hezbollah is considered a terrorist group by the United States, although the EU has only blacklisted its armed wing, and not the political party.

The United States is pressing for cease-fires, while repeatedly saying it will defend Israel and continue to protect the American and allied presence in the region.

With reporting by AP

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on November 1 criticized Kyiv’s partners for a lack of action in response to Russia's deployment of North Korean troops.

Ukraine knows where Russia is building up soldiers from North Korea on its territory, and it would be possible to strike preemptively if Kyiv were not restricted, Zelenskiy said.

The United States said on October 31 that it has information that some 8,000 North Korean soldiers are now in Russia’s Kursk region near the border with Ukraine, and Russia "fully intends" to deploy them in combat against Ukrainian troops.

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U.S. Says 8,000 North Korean Troops Ready For Combat In Kursk Region

Zelenskiy complained on Telegram that instead of granting Ukraine permission to use U.S.-supplied long-range weapons to hit military targets inside Russia, the United States and other allies are simply watching.

“Everyone is just waiting for the North Korean military to start attacking Ukrainians as well,” he said.

He added that all countries who want the war not to expand and not spread to other regions of the world “need to act."

Zelenskiy for months has called on Ukraine's allies to allow its forces to use advanced Western weapons to hit deeper inside Russia. He reiterated the plea in the aftermath of a Russian strike on Kharkiv on October 31 that left three people dead and at least 36 wounded.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in September that the use of donated U.S. weapons for long-range strikes into Russia would not turn the tide of the war in Ukraine's favor. The United States and its allies previously ruled out their use to strike deep in Russia over fears that it could result in retaliation with nuclear weapons.

Austin and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken held talks with their South Korean counterparts on October 31 in Washington to discuss the deployment and Pyongyang's test-firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) early on October 31.

“We strongly urge [North Korea] to immediately cease its series of provocative and destabilizing actions that threaten peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and beyond,” they said in a joint statement that did not mention Ukraine.

The Pentagon previously expressed concern over Russia's involvement of North Korean troops in the war and said they would become "legitimate military targets" if they are deployed to the battlefield.

CHISINAU -- Authorities in Moldova are urging people to ignore a "massive attack of fake messages and calls" telling them they will receive payments in exchange for voting for President Maia Sandu in the November 3 presidential runoff.

The authorities said on November 1 that citizens are receiving massive numbers of e-mails urging them to vote for Sandu, the pro-European Union candidate, and will be financially compensated later.

Parallel to these messages, citizens are receiving calls saying those who vote for Sandu will receive 1,500 lei ($84). Thousands of cases were registered in just one hour on November 1, the law enforcement officers said.

The General Police Inspectorate said it had already uncovered the number and the country from which the calls originated, and officers were establishing the addresses from which the e-mails were sent.

The messages were also denounced by representatives of Sandu’s Party of Action and Solidarity, which notified the authorities about them.

Police said they were carrying out searches in 13 districts of the country on suspicion of illegal financing and electoral corruption.

SEE ALSO:

Moldovan Police Accuse Pro-Russian Oligarch Of $39M Vote-Buying Scheme

Sandu is running for a second term against Moscow-friendly Alexandr Stoianoglo amid reports of Russian interference, which the Kremlin denies. The incumbent has repeatedly accused Russia of interference in Moldova's electoral process.

She said the first round of balloting on October 20 came under an "unprecedented" assault from "criminal groups" that tried to buy as many as 300,000 votes with tens of millions of euros in an attempt to "undermine a democratic process."

Moldovan law calls for fines of up to 37,500 lei ($2,100) for vote-selling, but people who cooperate with the investigation can escape penalty. Authorities said that fines levied for electoral corruption in the last two weeks amount to approximately 3.5 million lei ($197,000).

The head of Moldova's Election Commission announced on November 1 that several officials overseeing the first round of the country's presidential election had been accused of corruption and would be replaced for the runoff.

"Some members of election commissions, including chairpersons, secretaries, and clerks are included in documents put together by police and prosecutors," commission head Angela Caraman said in a statement. "Some of them have already been removed from electoral bodies."

The Kremlin said earlier on November 1 that Russia was monitoring the Moldovan presidential election but was not interfering.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Moscow strongly denied allegations it had been trying to meddle in the vote and questioned the way in which the authorities in Moldova had been overseeing the campaign.

With reporting by Reuters

A 22-year-old Russian man who had been sentenced to 12 years in prison on espionage and "facilitating extremist activities" charges has died in a Belarusian penal colony, the human rights center Vyasna said on November 1. Preliminary information indicates that Dmitriy Schletgauer died on October 11, less than a month after his transfer to Mogilev Colony No. 15. The cause of death was not disclosed. Schletgauer was tried earlier this year under two articles of the Criminal Code after being arrested in the crackdown on dissent that followed the disputed 2020 presidential election that handed authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka a sixth term. Schletgauer’s death is the seventh of a political prisoner behind bars in Belarus since the crackdown. Schletgauer was born in Slavgorod, Russia, and acquired Belarusian residency in 2018.

U.S. intelligence on November 1 accused "Russian influence actors" of making a video purportedly showing a Haitian immigrant claiming to have voted multiple times in the U.S. state of Georgia.

Three intelligence agencies -- the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) -- issued a joint statement about the video.

The video shows someone claiming to be a Haitian immigrant talking about how he’s intending to vote multiple times in two Georgia counties for Vice President Kamala Harris.

Georgia is one of seven battleground states in the November 5 presidential election between Harris and former President Donald Trump.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said on October 31 that the video is “obviously fake” and was likely produced by "Russian troll farms…attempting to sow discord and chaos on the eve of the election."

He said his office became aware of the video purporting to show a Haitian immigrant with multiple Georgia IDs claiming to have voted multiple times on October 31.

"This is false and is an example of targeted disinformation we've seen this election. It is likely foreign interference attempting to sow discord and chaos on the eve of the election," he said in a statement.

Intelligence officials echoed that in their joint statement, saying the video was manufactured by “Russian influence actors” and was part of “Moscow’s broader effort to raise unfounded questions about the integrity of the U.S. election and stoke divisions among Americans.”

Russian influence actors also manufactured a video falsely accusing an individual associated with the Democratic presidential ticket of taking a bribe from a U.S. entertainer, the statement said.

The statement said its conclusion was based on information available to the intelligence community "and prior activities of other Russian influence actors, including videos and other disinformation activities."

The U.S. intelligence community for months has assessed that Russia's influence operations are aimed at fanning divisive narratives and promoting support for Trump, an accusation that Russia has denied.

The U.S. Defense Department on November 1 announced additional security assistance for Ukraine worth an estimated $425 million. The Pentagon said in a statement that the aid is meant to meet Ukraine's most urgent security and defense needs. This includes air-defense interceptors, munitions for rocket systems and artillery, armored vehicles, and anti-tank weapons, the statement said. It is the 69th tranche of equipment to be provided from the Defense Department since August 2021 under a program known as the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) that allows stockpiled U.S. military equipment to be transferred to Ukraine.

NOVI SAD, Serbia -- At least 14 people were killed on November 1 when part of an outdoor concrete roof above the entrance of a railway station collapsed in Novi Sad, the interior minister said.

Ivica Dadic said that rescuers were at the scene trying to free people. Cranes and excavators worked alongside emergency responders digging through the rubble.

Ambulances and some 80 members of rescue teams responded to the emergency and were at the site of the accident, authorities said.

At Least 13 Killed After Railway Station Roof Collapses In Serbia

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The Serbian government said a day of mourning would be held on November 2, a statement published by the country's state broadcaster said.

The building has recently been renovated, according to reports.

Serbia Railways said in a statement that the part of the roof that collapsed had not been part of the renovations.

"Serbia Railways regrets the accident that occurred, and the causes and any new details from the investigation will be promptly announced," the company said.

Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic vowed that authorities would investigate the cause of the accident.

"We will insist on finding those responsible, those who should have ensured the structure's safety,” he said, adding that he was “deeply shaken by the tragedy.”

Statements of condolence also came from other ministers in the Serbian government and from Montenegrin President Jakov Milatovic.

Milatovic said Montenegro “is with the citizens of Novi Sad and the whole of Serbia, and shares the pain of this tragedy."

The president of the Montenegrin parliament, Andrija Mandic, also sent condolences to Vucevic and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

"There are no words of comfort that we can offer to the families of the victims in this disaster," Mandic said.

With reporting by AFP

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said Bratislava is ready to join a proposal promoted by Brazil and China to resolve the war in Ukraine.

Fico met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on November 1 in Beijing and said afterward that China’s position on the war in Ukraine “is fair, objective, and constructive."

China and Brazil in August jointly published a "six-point consensus" meant to bring about a lasting political solution to the war that Russia launched in February 2022. The plan calls for cooling down the fighting and a recognition that dialogue and negotiations are the only way to end the war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has called the proposal "destructive" and "mostly pro-Russian" as it calls for a compromise from Ukraine and was created without input from Kyiv.

He rejected it in an interview in September with Brazilian media, saying it has nothing to do with justice or with values and fails to take into account Ukraine’s position and the issue of territorial integrity.

Despite Zelenskiy's rejection of the plan, Fico said Slovakia is willing to join other countries that China says have positively received it “and work with China to contribute to promoting a political solution to the crisis,” according to a Chinese government statement.

Fico, who has criticized EU policies on Ukraine and has opposed sanctions on Russia, said Slovakia is “very keen on China’s diplomatic efforts dedicated to regulating the conflict in Ukraine and have exchanged our attitudes on this fundamental issue.”

China could play a "decisive role" regarding the Ukraine conflict, he added on Facebook.

China has been criticized by Western countries for maintaining friendly ties with Russia and for providing dual-use equipment such as electronics needed for weapons production.

Beijing has said that the plan it developed with Brazil, which it calls Friends Of Peace, has received a "positive response" from more than 110 countries.

Fico landed in Beijing on October 31 for a state visit set to end on November 5.

Slovakia and China announced on November 1 that the two countries had signed a strategic partnership agreement and granted Slovak citizens 15-day visa-free entry to China.

Xi said China would strengthen bilateral cooperation with Slovakia in areas such as new energy, transport and logistics, and infrastructure construction, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

A Kazakh court has extended the detention of Russian entrepreneur Yevgeny Nakaznenko until September 2025, his lawyer, Dias Akhmetov, told RFE/RL on November 1. Nakaznenko, who has lived in Kazakhstan since 2007, was arrested in September while attempting to fly to Istanbul. Moscow accuses him of spreading "false information" about the Russian military and "encouraging terrorism." The charges stem from Nakaznenko’s online condemnation of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. Following Russia’s invasion, President Vladimir Putin enacted strict laws against dissent. Nakaznenko was placed on Russia's list of "terrorists and extremists" on August 8, just before authorities opened their case. Many Russians have sought refuge in Kazakhstan to escape military mobilization. The Kazakh government aims to maintain a careful diplomatic balance amid ongoing tensions between Russia and the West. To read the original story by RFE/RL’s Kazakh Service, click here.

The Tbilisi City Court in Georgia extended the detention of Afqan Sadiqov, an Azerbaijani journalist critical of President Ilham Aliyev who is charged with extortion and threats, for an additional three months. Judge Arsen Kalatozishvili announced the decision on November 1 despite Sadiqov’s request to be released on bail or under supervision, which was denied. Sadiqov, who has been on hunger strike for 42 days, appeared in court in a wheelchair due to health concerns. "I have never committed a crime; I simply criticized Aliyev and exposed his wrongdoings," Sadiqov said at the hearing. Sadiqov was detained on August 3 while attempting to leave Georgia, where he had sought refuge since December 2023. Sadiqov and his supporters claim the charges are politically motivated. His wife, Sevinc, and rights groups fear for his safety if he's extradited to Azerbaijan, where he has been arrested multiple times due to his journalistic work. To read the original story by RFE/RL’s Georgian Service, click here.

French President Emmanuel Macron has encouraged Moldovans to continue on the path of integration into the European Union ahead of a decisive presidential runoff vote pitting pro-EU incumbent Maia Sandu against Moscow-friendly Alexandr Stoianoglo amid reports of Russian interference that the Kremlin denies.

The November 3 vote comes after Sandu won the first round two weeks earlier with a little more than 42 percent of the vote, not enough to avoid a runoff after Stoianoglo garnered a larger-than-expected 26 percent, followed by business figure Renato Usatii with nearly 14 percent.

Usatii has refused to throw his support behind either candidate, telling his followers to vote as they want.

A simultaneous referendum on Moldova's future integration into the EU held together with the first round passed by a wafer-thin margin of less than 1 percent, raising concerns of outside interference and vote buying by actors associated with Russia, whose decades-long influence in the ex-Soviet republic's politics and economy has been all-but-curbed by the U.S.-educated Sandu.

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The Moldovan Town Where 95 Percent Said 'No' To The EU (Video)

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As some critics also pointed to the Moldovan voters' less-than-enthusiastic stance toward the EU despite the country gaining much-coveted candidate status and already opening accession talks, Macron, a staunch supporter of Chisinau, urged Moldovans to choose a democratic future.

"At this decisive moment for Moldova and, together with it, for our Europe, I want to convey to the Moldovan citizens a message of courage and hope," Macron wrote on X.

His message appeared to underline the importance of the Moldovan vote for Europe's unity following a harsh defeat of the pro-Western opposition in another ex-soviet republic, Georgia, at the hands of the long-standing Moscow-friendly ruling party amid accusations of Russian interference.

"The European way is that of freedom and democracy, the foundation of a common future," Macron continued, adding, "United we are stronger."

Sandu has repeatedly accused Russia of interference in Moldova's electoral process, claiming that as many as 300,000 votes, or more than 10 percent of the country's population, had been bought by "criminal" groups associated with Ilan Shor, a fugitive Moldovan oligarch who was found guilty of involvement in the disappearance of $1 billion from the banking system of Europe's poorest country in 2014-15.

Shor, sentenced to seven years in 2017, has fled Moldova and is currently said to be living either in Russia or in Israel, whose citizenship he also possesses.

Russia, which still maintains some 1,500 troops in Moldova's separatist Transdniester region, said on November 1 that it was monitoring the runoff, but denied any interference despite accusations to the contrary by Sandu and the West.

"We strongly reject any accusations that we are somehow interfering in this [Moldovan election], we do not do this," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow, in turn accusing Moldova of stifling pro-Russian voices.

Separately, Moldova's National Anti-Corruption Center (CNA) announced on November 1 that police and prosecutors raided several locations in the country as part of six criminal investigations into electoral corruption.

The CNA said at a news conference in Chisinau that 12 members of Victorie, a political bloc controlled by Shor, are being interrogated for allegedly having bribed people to vote for an unspecified candidate in the second round on November 3.

An administrative court in Germany has ordered the deportation of Dilmurod Ergashev, a Tajik opposition activist, despite significant concerns about the risk of his detention and torture upon return to Tajikistan.

The ruling, issued on October 28, mandates that Ergashev be deported in early November.

The 40-year-old is a prominent member of Group 24, an opposition movement that is banned in Tajikistan, and part of the Reforms and Development of Tajikistan movement established by exiled dissidents.

His activism has included participating in demonstrations in Berlin, notably during a protest against Tajik President Emomali Rahmon's visit to Germany in September 2023.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) in a statement on October 31 condemned the court decision, saying that returning Ergashev to Tajikistan would violate international law prohibiting "refoulement" -- the practice of returning individuals to countries where they face the risk of torture or cruel, inhumane treatment.

This principle is enshrined in various international treaties to which Germany is a signatory, it said.

Germany has faced criticism for similar actions in the past. In 2023, two Tajik dissidents, Abdullohi Shamsiddin and Bilol Qurbonaliev, were deported to Tajikistan, where they were immediately detained and later sentenced to lengthy prison terms on dubious charges related to attempts to overthrow the constitutional order.

Reports indicate that Shamsiddin has faced mistreatment while incarcerated.

Ergashev has been in Germany since February 2011 and first applied for asylum on political grounds that same year.

Despite several applications, his asylum requests have been consistently rejected.

According to his lawyer, German immigration authorities have expressed doubts about the sincerity of Ergashev's commitment to opposition causes.

The Tajik government is known for its systematic persecution of opposition members, especially those affiliated with banned groups like Group 24.

A recent report by HRW highlighted Tajikistan as a country of major concern regarding transnational repression, noting that the government actively targets critics abroad on charges of extremism and terrorism, leading to severe penalties and mistreatment upon forced return.

Given Ergashev's documented activism and participation in protests, he is seen as a clear target for persecution by the Tajik authorities.

HRW urged the German authorities to immediately suspend Ergashev's deportation and conduct a thorough review of his protection needs, emphasizing that he should not be sent back to a country where he faces a serious risk of torture.

North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui said Pyongyang will stand by Russia until "victory" in Ukraine as Washington predicted North Korean troops in Russia's Kursk region will enter the fight against Kyiv in the coming days.

At a meeting with Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov after arriving in Moscow on November 1, Choe hailed the "very close ties" between the armed and special services of the two countries, and "we will always stand firmly by our Russian comrades until victory day."

After weeks of intelligence reports warning that thousands of North Korean troops were heading to Russia, confirmation that Pyongyang's soldiers are not only on Russian soil but have already been deployed in a western region bordering Ukraine have raised fears of a potential escalation in the war, triggered by Moscow's full-scale invasion of its neighbor in February 2022.

Moscow and Pyongyang have trumpeted their increased defense cooperation since the launch of the invasion, but the Kremlin has neither denied nor directly confirmed the presence of North Korean troops on its soil.

NATO, however, confirmed on October 28 that North Korean troops had been deployed in the country's western Kursk region, where Russian forces are trying to beat back a Ukrainian incursion.

The military alliance's chief, Mark Rutte, said the deployment marked "a significant escalation" of North Korea's involvement in Russia's war against Ukraine, a threat to global security, a violation of international law, and a sign of Russian President Vladimir Putin's "growing desperation."

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on October 31 that while Washington believes North Korean troops have yet deploy into combat against Ukrainian forces, "we would expect that to happen in the coming days."

Blinken reiterated that the troops -- some 8,000 North Korean soldiers are believed to now be in the Kursk region -- would become "legitimate military targets" if they are deployed.

Blinken's comments came the same day that the United States, South Korea, and Japan released a joint statement condemning an ICBM test-launch by Pyongyang as a “flagrant violation” of numerous UN Security Council resolutions.

The timing of the case coincides with a period of strained U.S.-Russia relations, exacerbated by Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine and Western sanctions aimed at weakening Moscow's position.

Prior to his meeting with Choe, Lavrov told the Turkish daily newspaper Hurriyet that "Russophobia" from the U.S. administration had brought Russia and the United States to "the brink of direct military conflict."

Choe said in Moscow that the situation on the Korean Peninsula could become "explosive" at any moment and therefore North Korea needed to strengthen its nuclear arsenal and readiness to deliver a retaliatory nuclear strike if necessary.

The Primorye regional court in Russia's Far East on November 1 sentenced Robert Shonov, a former employee of the U.S. Consulate in Vladivostok, to a lengthy prison sentence on charges of "confidential collaboration with a foreign state," which Washington has called baseless.

The court handed Shonov a sentence of four years and 10 months in prison and ordered him to pay a fine of 1 million rubles ($10,280).

After completing his prison sentence, Shonov will have to spend an additional year and four months under parole-like restrictions.

The Federal Security Service (FSB) alleges that from September 2022 until his arrest in spring 2023, Shonov served as an "informant for the U.S. Embassy in Moscow."

His purported activities included collecting information on Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine and mobilization efforts, as well as analyzing their potential impact on public protest activities in the lead-up to the 2024 presidential election.

The U.S. State Department has condemned Shonov's arrest, calling the charges baseless.

Officials emphasize that his post-consulate work was fully compliant with Russian regulations and focused solely on public media sources.

In connection with the case, authorities seized over 400,000 rubles ($4,115) from Shonov, along with an electronic device he allegedly used in the commission of his activities.

Shonov, 62, had previously worked for 25 years at the U.S. Consulate in Vladivostok, which closed in 2020.

Following the closure, he found employment with a company that provided services to the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, operating within the bounds of Russian law.

The charges against him stem from a law enacted in July 2022 that criminalizes "confidential collaboration" with foreign entities.

This legislation carries penalties ranging from three to eight years in prison, and its broad language often encompasses interactions with foreigners perceived as undermining Russian national security, with accusations frequently linked to connections with Ukraine.

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

The Kremlin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has prompted waves of severe sanctions against Russia and much of its leadership, further straining diplomatic ties.

Shonov's conviction underscores the heightened scrutiny faced by former diplomatic staff and the increasingly hostile environment for foreign nationals operating in Russia.

The detention of foreigners is increasingly being seen as politically motivated, with the potential for these individuals to become bargaining chips in future prisoner swaps.

In August, three U.S. citizens were released as part of a major prisoner swap that included RFE/RL journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, Wall Street Journal Evan Gershkovich, and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, in exchange for Russian prisoners serving sentences in the United States and Europe.

All three Americans were held on charges Washington had rejected.

A roadside bomb targeting a van that was transporting the police guarding polio vaccination teams killed four children and a police officer in Pakistan's restive Balochistan Province.

Police official Miadad Omrani, told RFE/RL that the explosion occurred near a girls' school in the city of Mastung as a motorized rickshaw that transports children to school was passing by.

Omrani said three police officers were wounded in the blast, which appears to have been triggered by remote control.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Balochistan's chief minister, Sarfraz Bugti, both condemned the attack and vowed to rid the country of militants.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. The mineral-rich southern province has been marred by a spate of deadly attacks on security forces and civilians in recent months.

Baluch separatist groups, such as the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), designated as a global terrorist organization by the United States, are engaged in fighting against the Pakistani government.

On October 29, armed men attacked a construction site in Balochistan's Panjgur area, killing five builders who were working on a dam near the border with Iran. The BLA claimed responsibility for the attack.

On October 24, four people were wounded in a blast in the region's Kala Saifullah area.

On October 11, 20 coal miners were killed in the Duki district in an attack that also went unclaimed by any group.

Baluch separatists have been active in Pakistan's Balochistan for years and they demand the province's independence and what they say would be a fair share of the region's mineral revenues.

Pakistani Army and paramilitary forces have been stationed in Balochistan for almost two decades and have continued to carry out operations against armed groups there.

The separatists have claimed responsibility for attacks on Pakistani security forces, government officials, and on Chinese workers who are in Pakistan working on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects.

China is conducting numerous projects in Pakistan under the umbrella of the CPEC.

The $60 billion initiative encompasses a wide range of development and infrastructure projects.

A Russian attack on the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv hit a police station, killing a policeman and wounding more than two dozen other people, the head of Ukraine's National Police said on November 1.

"Today, the Russian enemy targeted a police station in the center of Kharkiv with 2 missiles, killing a police officer and wounding 26 other police officers and 4 civilians," Ivan Vygivskiy, the head of Ukraine's National Police, wrote on Facebook.

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Dmytro Chubenko, spokesman of the Kharkiv regional prosecutor's office, said Russian troops attacked earlier on November 1 with two ballistic missiles, badly damaging two private houses and injuring two people.

The prosecutor's office said the strike was carried out from the territory of a settlement in the Belgorod region of Russia.

Kharkiv regional Governor Oleh Synyehubov said earlier that a 75-year-old man was killed and three people were wounded by Russian shelling in the town of Derhachi, just north of Kharkiv city.

Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, located only about 35 kilometers from the Russian border, has been struck regularly by Russian drones and missiles recently.

Russian shelling and drone strikes also killed one person and wounded 13 others, and several houses and a school were destroyed in the southern region of Kherson, where Russian forces shelled 19 settlements, towns, and cities over the past 24 hours, regional Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported on November 1.

Russian forces have been regularly attacking the part of the Kherson region that was recaptured by Ukrainian forces, bombarding it from across the Dnieper River, where they retreated in November 2022 in the face of the Ukrainian advance.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on November 1 took to social media to thank Ukrainians and especially emergency workers and first responders for their unity and spirit of sacrifice.

"After Russian strikes and shelling, and amid the emergency and critical situations the enemy creates against our country, our people can always count on help, no matter the circumstances," Zelenskiy wrote on X.

"I am grateful to each and every one of you who arrive at the scene after Russian attacks in all our regions, clear the rubble, extinguish fires, provide first aid, and -- above all -- ensure the rescue of our people.

"The State Emergency Service, police, medical professionals, volunteers, and everyone involved in saving lives -- Ukraine is proud of you," Zelenskiy wrote.

In the Black Sea port of Odesa, a Russian missile struck a fire station, wounding two firefighters, regional Governor Oleh Kiper reported.

Meanwhile, Ukraine's air force said its defenses shot down 31 Russian drones and one missile over nine regions -- Kirovohrad, Kyiv, Cherkasy, Vinnytsya, Zhytomyr, Khmelnytskiy, Sumy, Chernihiv and Poltava.

In Russia, the Defense Ministry said its defenses shot down 83 Ukrainian drones over six regions early on November 1.

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"36 drones were shot down over the Kursk region, 20 over the Bryansk region, 12 over Crimea, eight over the Voronezh region, four over the Oryol region, and three over the Belgorod region," the ministry said in a statement on its Telegram channel.

Separately, Aleksandr Bogomaz, the governor of Bryansk, said one person was wounded when a Ukrainian drone crashed into an apartment building in the city of Bryansk.

In the Stavropol region, a drone fell on an oil depot in the city of Svetlograd, regional Governor Vladimir Vladimirov said on Telegram.

After suffering numerous attacks on its civilian and energy infrastructure, Ukraine has in recent months started striking Russian targets -- mainly fuel and oil depots used by the military -- with its own drones.

With reporting by AFP

Germany will shut all three Iranian consulates in Germany in reaction to the execution of dual German-Iranian citizen Jamshid Sharmahd, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on October 31.

"We have repeatedly made it clear that the execution of a German citizen will have serious consequences," Baerbock said in New York. "I have therefore decided to close the three Iranian consulates-general in Frankfurt am Main, Munich, and Hamburg."

Baerbock added that relations with Iran have reached “more than a low point” following the execution of Sharmahd, which was announced by Tehran on October 28.

Germany had already recalled its ambassador for consultations and summoned the Iranian charge d'affaires to voice Berlin's protest.

SEE ALSO:

Germany Recalls Iran Envoy After Execution Of German-Iranian

Baerbock said the execution of Sharmahd shows the Iranian "regime of injustice" continues to act brutally.

The 32 employees at the three consulates must leave the country unless they have German citizenship. The embassy in Berlin is not affected by the order.

Iran summoned Germany's charge d'affaires in Tehran to protest Germany's "unjust" decision, state media reported on October 31.

Iranian state media said Sharmahd was put to death after he was convicted of carrying out terrorist attacks.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said that having a German passport does not give anyone immunity.

German Chancellor Olaf Schultz joined Baerbock in strongly condemning the execution of Sharmahd, calling it a "scandal" for the Iranian government.

Deputy Special Envoy Abram Paley of the U.S. Office of the Special Envoy for Iran welcomed Germany’s decision to close the three Iranian consulates.

“We stand united with the international community in holding the regime accountable,” he said on X, calling the execution of Sharmahd “unjust.”

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell also strongly condemned the execution of Sharmahd and said the European Union is considering taking measures in response.

Sharmahd, 69, was accused by Iran of heading a pro-monarchist group that Tehran believes was behind a deadly 2008 bombing and of planning other attacks in the country.

Fourteen Iranians were killed and 210 others wounded in the attack at the Sayyid al-Shuhada Husseiniya mosque in Shiraz during a ceremony to mourn the death of Imam Hussein, the third imam of Shi'a Muslims.

Iran's Intelligence Ministry accused Sharmahd of planning the bombing, a charge his family dismissed as "ridiculous."

With reporting by dpa and Reuters

Belarusian activist and journalist Andrey Hnyot (aka Andrew Gnyot) has been freed from house arrest in Serbia and allowed to leave for an unspecified European country, his lawyers told RFE/RL on October 31.

"Today, after one year of desperate struggle -- seven months and six days in prison and five months under house arrest -- Belarusian journalist, director, and political activist Andrey Hnyot was evacuated from Serbia to the European Union," Maryya Kolesava-Hudzilina told RFE/RL.

The Crisis In Belarus

Read our coverage as Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka continues his brutal crackdown on NGOs, activists, and independent media following the August 2020 presidential election.

Hnyot’s Belgrade-based lawyer, Filip Sofijanic, confirmed to RFE/RL that the Higher Court in Belgrade lifted Hnyot’s detention on October 31 after the one-year legal deadline expired.

"They could have imposed another measure, for instance, requiring him to report to the police, but they did not do so," said Sofijanic said.

Hnyot told RFE/RL he was “immensely grateful” to his lawyers and the rest of his legal team and to Belarusian opposition politician Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya and her international team.

He also thanked self-exiled Belarusian opposition politician Paval Latushka for helping to monitor and publicize his case. In addition he expressed gratitude to civic and human rights organizations, media outlets, journalists, friends, loved ones, athletes, colleagues in the film industry, and “the thousands upon thousands of caring people who fought for my life."

"My story is like a Hollywood movie,” he told RFE/RL. “I have so much to tell! I just need a little time to get used to the freedom and safety I have been without for so long. In the coming days, I’ll be inviting everyone to a press conference. Long live Belarus!"

Hnyot’s release brings an end to an ordeal that began when he was arrested at Belgrade's airport in late October 2023 on an Interpol warrant issued by Belarus. The arrest warrant accused Hnyot of tax evasion, a charge he denies. He was transferred from a Belgrade prison to house arrest in June.

Since last month, when the Belgrade Court of Appeals overturned the decision to extradite him to Belarus, he had been awaiting Serbia's final decision on his extradition.

The European Parliament last month passed a resolution on political prisoners in Belarus that called on Serbia not to extradite Hnyot, who feared being tortured in a Belarusian prison if he had been returned to his native country.

Hnyot said then that the accusations against him were part of the Belarusian regime’s “horrific repression against political dissidents, journalists, and activists.”

He is one of hundreds of thousands of Belarusian citizens who took part in mass demonstrations in 2020 challenging the victory claimed by authoritarian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka that gave him a sixth consecutive term.

There are more than 1,500 political prisoners in Belarusian prisons. Among them are journalists, human rights activists, and politicians.

Western countries do not recognize the results of those elections, and the European Union imposed sanctions on Minsk over the repression of participants in the demonstrations

The United States said on October 31 that it has information that some 8,000 North Korean soldiers are now in Russia’s Kursk region near the border with Ukraine, and Russia "fully intends" to deploy them in combat against Ukrainian troops.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told a briefing at the State Department that the United State expects the troops to be sent to the front in the coming days. Blinken reiterated that they would become "legitimate military targets" if they are deployed.

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North Korean Troops Are 'Fair Game' In Russia's War Against Ukraine

The deployment was at the top of the agenda as Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin hosted talks with South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun.

Russia has been training the North Korean troops on artillery, drones, and basic infantry operation, including trench-clearing, "indicating they fully intend to use these forces in frontline operations," Blinken said at the briefing.

"One of the reasons that Russia is turning to these North Korean troops is that it's desperate. [Russian President Vladimir] Putin has been throwing more and more Russians into a meat grinder of his own making in Ukraine," Blinken said.

Now, Blinken said, Putin is turning to North Korean troops, "and that is a clear sign of weakness."

He added that Russia has been suffering some 1,200 casualties a day in eastern Ukraine, more than at any other time during the war.

The meeting that he and Austin held with their South Korean counterparts showed that the United States is focusing increasingly "on the indivisibility of the security" that exists between the United States and its allies in the Indo-Pacific, Blinken said.

Austin called the deployment of North Korean troops and Pyongyang's test-firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) early on October 31 "reckless developments." North Korea announced early in the day that it had test-fired one of its newest and most powerful missiles to boost its nuclear deterrent.

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What North Korean Troops In Russia Mean For Beijing

The United States, South Korea, and Japan earlier on October 31 released a joint statement condemning the ICBM test-launch as a “flagrant violation” of numerous UN Security Council resolutions.

“We strongly urge [North Korea] to immediately cease its series of provocative and destabilizing actions that threaten peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and beyond,” they said.

In response to the test-launch, the United States will work to increase the interoperability of U.S. and South Korean forces, strengthen deterrence, and deepen nuclear and strategic planning efforts through the Nuclear Consultative Group, Austin said. The United States also will increase its regular deployment of U.S. strategic assets on the Korean Peninsula, he added.

The deployment of the North Korean troops to Russia has fueled concerns that it will further destabilize the Asia-Pacific region and broaden Moscow's war on Ukraine. South Korea has raised questions about what new military technologies North Korea might get from Russia in exchange for supplying troops.

There is a “high possibility” that North Korea will ask for advanced technologies from Russia in exchange for its troops, Kim said.

Russia has had to shift some resources to the Kursk border region to respond to a Ukrainian incursion launched in August, and its forces have struggled to push back the Ukrainian troops.

The United States has estimated there are about 10,000 North Korean troops in Russia now. Seoul and its allies assess that the number has increased to 11,000, while Ukraine has put the figure higher, at up to 12,000. Neither Moscow nor Pyongyang have directly acknowledged the deployment.

The United States challenged Russia at the United Nations on October 31 on the developments, with Deputy U.S. Ambassador Robert Wood demanding an explanation from Russian Ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzya about the presence of the 8,000 troops in Kursk.

"I have a very respectful question for my Russian colleague: Does Russia still maintain that there are no [North Korean] troops in Russia?" Wood asked.

Nebenzya had no response, but at a Security Council meeting on October 30 he brushed off the reports about North Korean troops as "mere assertions" and questioned why Russia's allies like North Korea could not help Moscow in its war against Ukraine when Western countries claim the right to help Kyiv.

Nebenzya also said that any Russian interaction with North Korea would be "in line with international law."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he believes if there is no reaction to the deployment of North Korean troops, Russia will bring more of them into the conflict.

"When the West and various partners did not react to Putin's occupation of our Crimean Peninsula 10 years ago, there were no loud steps, [only] very quiet statements," Zelenskiy said.

Putin followed by launching the full-scale invasion. It is the same pattern with the North Korean troops, Zelenskiy said.

"Putin is checking the reaction of the West," he said.

The Finnish Prosecutor-General's Office has charged Voislav Torden, also known as Yan Petrovsky, a Russian ultranationalist and former commander of the Rusich sabotage group, with war crimes committed in Ukraine in 2014.

According to Finnish broadcaster Yle, Torden faces five counts stemming from his involvement with Rusich, which fought against Ukrainian forces in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

Deputy Prosecutor-General Jukka Rappe said Torden and his group are linked to the deaths of 22 Ukrainian soldiers and the injury of four others. He is accused of violating the laws of war and committing acts of cruelty against both injured and deceased enemy combatants, according to the indictment as cited by Yle.

Born Yan Petrovsky in 1987 in St. Petersburg, Torden relocated to Oslo in 2004 with his mother. He then regularly visited Russia, where he met former paratrooper and nationalist Aleksandr Milchakov. In 2014, they traveled to Ukraine’s Donbas region to support Russia-backed separatists in their fight against Ukrainian forces.

In September 2014, Rusich ambushed a column of the Ukrainian battalion Aidar near Shchastya, with Milchakov later boasting about photographing himself with the bodies of slain Ukrainian soldiers, while members of Rusich reportedly mutilated some remains.

In 2016, Torden was deported from Norway to Russia, where he changed his name from Yan Petrovsky to Voislav Torden. He entered Finland in 2023 as a family member of his wife, who received a study permit. Torden was detained on July 20, 2023, at Helsinki Airport while attempting to board a flight to Nice, France.

Following his arrest, Ukrainian authorities sought his extradition, but Finland's Supreme Court denied the request, citing concerns over conditions in Ukrainian prisons and the potential for Torden to face humiliation in custody. Ukraine has charged him with war crimes from the 2014-15 conflict, and he was sanctioned by the United States in 2022 for extreme cruelty during combat in the Kharkiv region.

The specifics of his activities in Ukraine during that time remain unclear.

With reporting by Yle

During a security forum in Minsk, Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto sharply criticized EU sanctions against Belarus and Russia, advocating for dialogue over isolation. The October 31 visit represents a rare engagement with Belarus under the authoritarian rule of Alyaksandr Lukashenka, particularly following the regime's harsh crackdown on dissent after the disputed 2020 presidential election. Szijjarto firmly opposed the sanctions targeting Russia for its ongoing invasion of Ukraine and sanctions against Belarus for its repression of opposition and support for Moscow. "We do not accept any restrictions on whom we cooperate with. We dislike sanctions politics," he said. Opening his address in Russian, Szijjarto signaled his intent to engage directly with the local audience, stating, "It is a great honor for me to be back in Minsk" and expressing hope that discussions during his visit would avoid a backlash from Brussels. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Belarus Service, click here.

CHISINAU -- Moldova's Constitutional Court on October 31 validated the result of the country's October 26 referendum on integration into the European Union.

The court affirmed previously announced results that the referendum passed with 50.38 percent of the vote in favor of Moldova pursuing EU membership, a wafer-thin margin of less than 1 percent.

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What Moldova And Georgia Showed Us About Pushback Against Russian Influence

While the referendum has no legal impact on Moldova's negotiations with Brussels, the very narrow approval margin came as a surprise to many observers who had expected a more decisive vote in favor of the former Soviet republic's path toward Euro-Atlantic integration.

Pro-EU President Maia Sandu said that the balloting came under an "unprecedented" assault from "criminal groups" that she said tried to buy as many as 300,000 votes with tens of millions of euros in an attempt to "undermine the democratic process."

Sandu, who during her first four-year term steered Moldova away from Russia's long-standing influence, won the first round of her reelection vote held on the same day as the referendum with a little over 42 percent, not enough to avoid a runoff vote scheduled for November 3.

Under Sandu's government, Moldova secured EU candidate status in 2022 and opened accession talks with the bloc earlier this year after siding with Ukraine following Russia's unprovoked invasion, in a radical U-turn toward the West and away from Moscow's decades-long influence.

She will face Moscow-backed former Prosecutor-General Alexandr Stoianoglo, who has been facing accusations of corruption and garnered a little more than 26 percent in the first round.

Russia, which was accused by Western officials of election interference ahead of the vote, has rejected the accusations, with Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova claiming that the final results of both the presidential election and the referendum were "rigged" in Sandu's favor.

The United States slapped sanctions on Serbian company Ventrade and the Montenegro-based International Business Corporation Bar (IBC) for exporting to Russia dual-use goods that can be used in the defense industry. The U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said in a statement that Ventrade sold military-grade radios to Russia while IBC transferred machining equipment and ball bearings to Russian companies including one that is under U.S. sanctions. Trading data shows Ventrade, established in April 2022, shortly after the start of Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, exported $570,000 worth of radios to Russia from September 2020 to June 2023 through Germany, Malaysia, Austria, China, and Mexico. IBC has been owned by Montenegro-based Russian national Sergei Kokorev since 2021 and has seen its profits skyrocket to some $1 million in 2023. Five other Serbian firms -- MCI Trading, Kominvex, Goodforwarding, Soha Info, and TR Industries -- have already been placed under sanctions by OFAC for doing business with Russia. To read the original stories by RFE/RL's Balkan Service, click here and here.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy officially dismissed Prosecutor-General Andriy Kostin following investigations revealing numerous government officials allegedly evaded military service by falsely claiming disability benefits.

Zelenskiy signed the decree on October 31 after the Verkhovna Rada voted overwhelmingly in favor of Kostin’s dismissal two days earlier.

Kostin had previously said he would step down to take political responsibility amid the ongoing investigations into corruption and systemic loopholes exploited to obtain draft deferrals.

Recent investigations showed several public prosecutors in Ukraine's western Khmelnytskiy region had improperly obtained disability permits, allowing them to receive special benefits while avoiding military service.

The scandal has sparked a public outcry and triggered a broader, countrywide inquiry as Ukraine struggles to repel Russian forces that began pouring across the border in February 2022 in a full-scale invasion.

In the wake of Kostin's resignation, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced the dismissal of several other senior officials linked to the scandal, including those overseeing the central commission responsible for assessing fitness for service and Health Ministry officials involved in coordinating local commissions.

As Ukraine continues to face a challenging military situation, with troop numbers significantly reduced by the fighting, the issue of mobilization has become an extremely sensitive topic.

Military recruiters have increasingly appeared at public events to ensure compliance with controversial mobilization laws adopted earlier this year.

• Andriy Dubchak
• RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service

Facing acute manpower shortages on the battlefield, Ukraine is recruiting from its prison population for the first time.

Zelenskiy has repeatedly acknowledged the "very, very difficult" circumstances facing the military, while attempting to maintain national unity amid the war that has disproportionately affected different regions of the country.

Georgian authorities say they have opened 47 cases of alleged election fraud and arrested two people accused of stuffing ballot boxes during the October 26 election as part of an investigation into accusations of widespread irregularities during the vote that prompted criticism from Georgia's Western partners that the Caucasus country was backsliding on democracy.

The Prosecutor's Office said the cases were opened in connection with "falsifying the election, influencing voters' will, violating ballot secrecy, obstructing of journalistic activities, violence and threats, damage and destruction of property."

The Interior Ministry said one of those arrested was Rovshan Iskandarov, 40, the deputy chairman of the city council of Marneuli, a city in southern Georgia where irregularities were reported at a polling station during the vote, prompting the suspension of the vote and the invalidation of all the ballots cast.

The other person's complete identity was not revealed, authorities naming him just as E.I., born in 1990.

During the vote, an RFE/RL correspondent reported an incident at a voting station in Marneuli where a member of an opposition party was allegedly beaten up by a representative of the ruling Georgian Dream party amid reports of ballot-stuffing.

Russian-friendly Georgian Dream, which has been in power since 2012, claimed victory, with preliminary official results showing that it garnered nearly 54 percent of the vote.

The opposition and pro-European president, Salome Zurabishvili, refused to recognize the validity of the results, alleging massive fraud and Russian interference.

SEE ALSO:

In RFE/RL Interview, Zurabishvili Calls For Western Pressure To Keep Georgia On European Path

The European Union, NATO, and the United States have demanded a full investigation into reports of vote-buying, voter intimidation, and ballot stuffing raised by monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and other election monitors.

Zurabishvili has called on the West to pressure the ruling Georgian Dream party to reexamine the results of the election, which was seen as a crucial test of Georgia's democratic credentials.

The Prosecutor-General's Office summoned Zurabishvili before prosecutors on October 31 as part of the investigation.

"President Salome Zurabishvili must have evidence of possible falsification of the 2024 parliamentary elections, in connection with which, in accordance with the procedure established by law, [she] was invited for questioning on October 31," the prosecution said in a statement.

Zurabishvili refused to comply with the summons, saying at a news conference on October 30 that prosecutors should focus on their duties rather than engaging in a political vendetta.

"I would advise the prosecutor's office to start its work and avoid political retribution against the president. Moreover, our partners are watching whether the prosecutor's office can be independent and impartial," Zurabishvili said.

The U.S. State Department on October 30 reiterated President Joe Biden's call for a thorough investigation of the alleged irregularities and warned that Washington's relationship with the current government of Georgia was being reconsidered.

"We have already suspended $95 million in assistance to the government of Georgia and other assistance that we provide remains under review," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told a news briefing in Washington.