Russia's State Duma, the lower house of parliament, has approved a strategic partnership treaty with North Korea that allows for "military and other assistance" from one country to the other.

The treaty, approved on October 24 after originally being agreed to by President Vladimir Putin and North Korea leader Kim Jong Un in Pyonyang in June, brings cooperation between the two countries to a higher level, including a line stating that if one side is attacked and finds itself in a state of war, the other must "immediately provide military and other assistance with all means at its disposal."

It's not clear how that clause is to be interpreted, but both South Korea and the United States have recently said they have evidence that North Korean troops are in Russia and appear to be holding training exercises.

Such a deployment raises the possibility that North Korean soldiers could join Russian troops fighting in Ukraine as the war there, triggered by Moscow's full-scale invasion of its neighbor in February 2022, grinds on.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said on October 23 that the evidence of North Korea sending troops to Russia was the "next step" after Pyongyang provided Moscow with arms.

Analysts are still assessing the situation, Austin said, but Pyongyang, which has denied the accusations, could face consequences for aiding Russia directly.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the White House believes that at least 3,000 North Korean soldiers traveled by ship to Vladivostok in Russia's Far East in early to mid-October.

"If they're co-belligerents, their intention is to participate in this war on Russia's behalf, that is a very, very serious issue, and it will have impacts not only in Europe, it will also impact things in the Indo-Pacific," he said.

NATO spokeswoman Farah Dakhlallah said the allies are discussing the matter, noting that if true, "it would mark a significant escalation in North Korea's support for Russia's illegal war and yet another sign of Russia's significant losses on the front lines."

Last week, South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) said it had tracked the movements of North Korea's military from October 8 to October 13 and had captured images of it transporting special forces to Russian territory via a Russian transport ship, the first time a Russian Navy vessel had been detected entering North Korean waters since 1990, "confirming the start of the North Korean military's participation in the war."

Speculation over North Korea's role in the conflict has grown amid signs of tightening relations between Moscow and countries such as North Korea and Iran almost 32 months after Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine was launched.

The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based U.S. military think tank, also recently reported that several thousand North Korean troops had arrived in Russia and were being prepared for deployment in Ukraine.

The Kremlin has previously dismissed claims by South Korea that Pyongyang has supplied artillery shells and short-range missiles to Moscow, but has not commented on the latest assertions by either Seoul or Ukrainian President Volodymyr 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."

Alexandr Stoianoglo, who faces pro-European incumbent Maia Sandu in the runoff of Moldova's presidential election early next month, has defended acquiring Romanian citizenship and lashed out at media revelations that his daughters have been working in Western Europe.

The U.S.-educated Sandu won the first round on October 20 with 42.49 percent of the vote, while Socialist Stoianoglo, a former prosecutor-general facing accusations of corruption, garnered 25.9 percent, final results showed, after a campaign marred by allegations of vote-buying as well as manipulation and disinformation campaigns allegedly orchestrated by Russia.

The runoff is scheduled for November 3.

Most of Moldova was part of Romania until the end of World War II and many Moldovans also hold Romanian citizenship, which gives them the opportunity to travel freely to the European Union and work there.

Stoianoglo boycotted a referendum for Moldova's integration into the EU held simultaneously with the presidential vote, which passed by a wafer-thin margin at 50.38 percent.

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 and departure from decades of Russian influence.

After media reports revealed that Stoianoglo possesses a Romanian passport, he argued that he obtained it in 2019 in an "apolitical context," without elaborating.

Stoianoglo also lashed out at the media for revealing that both his daughters are working in the West.

According to public data on social media, his older daughter, Cristina, acquired a master's degree in economics and business in Vienna and works for a Switzerland-based company, while the younger one, Corina, studied at Maastricht University in the Netherlands and works for the European Central Bank (ECB) in Frankfurt, Germany.

She appears in a photo on LinkedIn in the company of ECB President Christine Lagarde.

In a reaction on social media on October 23, Stoianoglo claimed incorrectly that his daughters studied and were working in Europe because "this is a right that every Moldovan youth has."

Moldova is one of Europe's poorest countries with a sizeable Russian minority and a Moscow-backed separatist region, Transdniester, located on the left bank of the Dniester River.

EU envoy Miroslav Lajcak is meeting in Brussels with representatives from Kosovo and Serbia in an attempt to organize a new round of high-level talks as part of international mediation on implementing past commitments aimed at normalizing relations between the Balkan neighbors. According to the meeting agendas, Lajcak will meet individually with Serbia's Petar Petkovic and Kosovo's Besnik Bislimi, but it's not clear whether the two Balkan representatives will meet together. A day earlier, EU spokesman Peter Stano stated a day earlier that the discussions to move the process forward "largely depend on the readiness of both parties to meet." Petkovic and Bislimi met last month to try and arrange a similar high-level meeting, but those talks collapsed with both sides blaming each other for the lack of progress. Kosovo and Serbia have been negotiating normalization since 2011 through the Brussels dialogue, supervised by the EU. They reached an agreement on normalization steps in early 2023, but key elements of the deal remain unfulfilled. Kosovo insists that this agreement must be signed first, although the EU says it is binding on the parties regardless of signature. To read the original stories by the Balkan and Kosovo services, click here and here.

Ukrainian air defenses shot down 40 of the 50 drones launched by Russia at 11 of its regions early on October 24, while another seven lost their way due to electronic jamming of their navigation systems, Ukraine's air force said in a statement. The drones were shot down in the Odesa, Mykolayiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Vinnytsya, Zhytomyr, Khmelnytskiy, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Kyiv, Poltava, and Chernihiv regions, it said, adding that one drone was still in Ukrainian airspace while two more returned in the direction of Russia and Belarus. Russia also launched two guided missiles and two cruise missiles, which missed their targets, the military said. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, click here.

Serbia's Interior Ministry has reversed an earlier decision to expel Russian anti-war activist Anton Bobryshev, the Russian Democratic Society, an anti-war organization of Russia's Serbian diaspora, has announced.

Bobryshev, who moved to Serbia eight years ago with his wife, participated in anti-war rallies in Belgrade and organized a rally in June last year in Pancevo, a city northeast of Belgrade where he lives, in support of opposition politician and Kremlin critic Aleksei Navalny, who died in prison in Russia in February.

On September 16, the Interior Ministry had rejected Bobryshev's request for a temporary residency permit based on ownership of real estate and ordered him to leave the country.

Three days later, the ministry gave Bobryshev 30 days to leave Serbia, while last week it rejected his request to have his residence permit extended, arguing that the activist "threatens Serbia's security."

However, following appeals by Bobryshev and his lawyer, the ministry on October 23 rescinded its own expulsion order pending the assessment of his appeals, the Russian Democratic Society said on Telegram.

"This means that Anton will remain in Serbia legally until a decision is made on his main complaint regarding the denial of residence on the grounds of him being a 'threat to the security of the country.' If this decision is confirmed, a lawsuit will be filed in the administrative court," the anti-war organization said in its statement.

Serbian authorities began to cancel the temporary residency permits of certain members of the Russian diaspora who participated in anti-war protests in the summer of last year.

SEE ALSO:

'Sad, Shameful, And Terrifying': Anti-War Russians Fear Expulsion From Serbia

The move came after the United States imposed sanctions on the then-director of Serbia's Security Agency (BIA), Aleksandar Vulin, due to his ties to Russia and other things.

Serbia has refused to join Western sanctions against its traditional ally Russia for 2 1/2 years, and Serbian officials are among the few in Europe who meet with Kremlin officials.

In July 2023, a temporary residency permit was denied to anti-war activist Vladimir Volokhonsky, and then a month later to Yevgeny Irzansky. Both had publicly come out against Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In both cases, the ministry said that there were "security obstacles" to extending their stay.

In March, a request for a permanent residency permit by the three members of the Russian family Tereh was rejected, also on security grounds.

In August, Russian citizen Yelena Koposova's application for permanent residence was rejected for a second time. Authorities said Serbian security services had data "that is an obstacle to the approval of its request."

Koposova, a literary translator from St. Petersburg, moved to Serbia with her husband and two children in 2019 and purchased a house.

At least two people were killed and several wounded on October 23 in Kabul in a blast near a government office where ID cards are issued, a Taliban source told RFE/RL.

The source, who requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the matter, said the blast occurred when a man holding a plastic bag wanted to go to the ID office and the bag exploded. The man, who was injured, has been detained, said the source.

“Two people were martyred, and several others were injured," the source said. "It appears that someone was carrying explosive materials with him and it exploded against him.”

A video that was posted on the X account of Afghanistan International showed that the explosion took place near street vendors in the area where the ID office is located.

A statement issued by Kabul’s Emergency Surgical Center said 11 people were injured in the explosion, but did not mention any fatalities. The emergency hospital has not returned a call from RFE/RL to request more information, including whether there were any deaths.

The statement said the explosion occurred at around 2 p.m. local time in the Pamir Cinema district.

Stefano Gennaro Smirnov, deputy director at the Emergency Surgical Center said the injured included a 3-year-old girl, a 4-year-old boy, and a 16-year-old boy. One of the injured is in critical condition, Smirnov said in a statement.

He said the explosion occurred at a secondhand clothing market as customers crowded to enter when it opened.

“This is the Pamir Cinema neighborhood, one of the most densely populated in Kabul. Many of those affected by this attack will be living in conditions of severe poverty,” he said in the statement.

No one has yet claimed responsibility for the incident. But the Khorasan branch of Islamic State (IS-K) claimed responsibility for similar attacks in Kabul and elsewhere since the Taliban seized power in August 2021.

The Group of Seven (G7) leading industrialized nations are moving ahead with a $50 billion loan package for Ukraine, and the U.S. contribution of $20 billion will be split between economic and military support, a White House official said on October 23.

G7 leaders agreed earlier this year to engineer the loan using profits from the interest on Russian frozen assets.

“To be clear, nothing like this has ever been done before,” said Daleep Singh, White House deputy national-security adviser for international economics. “Never before has a multilateral coalition frozen the assets of an aggressor country and then harnessed the value of those assets to fund the defense of the aggrieved party all while respecting the rule of law and maintaining solidarity.”

"The United States will provide at least $10 billion of our loans via economic support," Singh said, adding that this could involve projects on energy assistance or infrastructure.

The other $10 billion is expected to be in the form of military support, although Singh noted that this will require approval from Congress.

Either way, the United States will provide $20 billion in support to Ukraine through this effort, Singh told reporters.

The remaining $30 billion in loans are set to come from other G7 partners -- Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan.

The expectation is for the funds to start heading to Ukraine by the end of this year.

The G7 announced in June that most of the loan would be backed by profits being earned on roughly $260 billion in immobilized Russian assets. The vast majority of that money is held in European Union nations.

The decision came after months of debate on the legality of confiscating the money and sending it to Ukraine.

SEE ALSO:

EU Summit Eyes Frozen Russian Assets, Migration, And Moldova

Russia has protested the use of its frozen assets, calling it illegal and threatening retaliation.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen announced on October 22 that the United States planned to contribute $20 billion to the G7 loan package but didn’t describe the breakdown on how the funds would be split.

Yellen, who is taking part this week in annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank in Washington, is set to host a bilateral meeting with Ukrainian Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko.

With reporting by AFP and Reuter

Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said suspected Kurdish militants set off explosives and opened fire on October 23 in a deadly "terrorist attack" on the facilities of the Turkish state-run aerospace and defense company TUSAS near Ankara.

Yerlikaya said both attackers were "neutralized" in the attack on TUSAS Ankara Kahramankazan, which killed five other people and wounded 22. Three of the injured have been discharged from hospital, and 19 remain under treatment, he said.

Yerlikaya said the militant Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) is suspected of being behind the incident.

"The style of the act shows that it's highly likely the PKK that carried out the attack. Once identification is completed and other evidence becomes clearer, we'll share more concrete information with you," he said.

An investigation has been launched, state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

Defense Minister Yasar Guler also pointed the finger at the PKK, saying its militants receive "the punishment they deserve every time, but they never come to their senses.” He added that Turkey "will pursue them until the last terrorist is eliminated.”

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the "vile terrorist attack.”

"Our nation should know that the dirty hands reaching out to Turkey will definitely be broken; no structure, no terrorist organization, no evil center targeting our security will be able to achieve their goals," he said on X.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also condemned the attack on X.

"The United States stands with our Ally Türkiye and strongly condemns today’s terrorist attack," he said.

TUSAS designs, manufactures, and assembles civilian and military aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, and other defense industry and space systems.

Video on social media showed what appears to be a large explosion in the area of the company. Security camera video, which was later broadcast on television, showed a man in plainclothes carrying a backpack and holding an assault rifle.

Local media also reported that gunshots could be heard after security forces entered the site. Helicopters were seen flying above the premises. But news media coverage of the attack was temporarily blacked out and authorities also took steps to block access to social media websites.

Kurdish militants, Islamic State, and leftist extremists have carried out attacks in the country in the past.

With reporting by AP and Reuters

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said on October 23 that there is evidence North Korea has sent troops to Russia, calling it a “next step” after Pyongyang provided Moscow with arms.

“We are seeing evidence that there are North Korean troops” that have gone to Russia, Austin told reporters during a visit to Rome. “What exactly they’re doing? Left to be seen.”

Analysts are still assessing the situation, Austin said, but Pyongyang could face consequences for aiding Russia directly.

“If they’re co-belligerents, their intention is to participate in this war on Russia’s behalf, that is a very, very serious issue, and it will have impacts not only in Europe, it will also impact things in the Indo-Pacific,” he said.

NATO spokeswoman Farah Dakhlallah said allies are discussing the matter.

"If these troops are destined to fight in Ukraine, it would mark a significant escalation in North Korea's support for Russia's illegal war and yet another sign of Russia's significant losses on the front lines," Dakhlallah said in a statement.

"We are actively consulting within the Alliance on this matter, and the North Atlantic Council will receive a briefing from [South Korea] and further discuss this matter soon," Dakhlallah said.

At the White House later on October 23, national-security spokesman John Kirby said the U.S. believes that at least 3,000 North Korean soldiers traveled by ship to Vladivostok in Russia's Far East in early to mid-October.

“These soldiers then traveled onward to multiple Russian military training sites in eastern Russia, where they are currently undergoing training,” Kirby said. “We do not yet know whether these soldiers will enter into combat alongside the Russian military, but this is certainly a highly concerning probability.”

Kirby said the North Korean troops could go to western Russia and then engage in combat against Ukraine's forces. He added that if the North Korean troops are deployed against Ukraine, "they will become legitimate targets."

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said on October 22 that North Korea sending troops to Ukraine would mark a “significant escalation.” He added that he had asked South Korea's president to send experts to Brussels next week to brief the military alliance.

In Seoul, National Intelligence Service Director Cho Tae-yong told South Korean lawmakers on October 23 that 3,000 North Korean troops are now in Russia receiving training on drones and other equipment before being deployed to battlefields in Ukraine. Cho said his agency assessed that North Korea aims to deploy a total of 10,000 troops to Russia by December.

Russia and North Korea have denied the troop movements. But the two countries have sharply boosted their cooperation in the past two years and signed a defense pact in June.

With reporting by AP and Reuters

Nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban warned Hungarians on October 23 that they must "resist" the European Union, saying Brussels is trying to topple his government.

Speaking on a holiday marking the 1956 uprising against Soviet repression that was brutally crushed by the Red Army, Orban, seen as Moscow's closest ally in the European Union, said the bloc wants to install a "puppet government" because "independent Hungarian politics are unacceptable to Brussels."

He provided no evidence to support his claims during the holiday speech, which in the past Orban has used to compare the EU with the Soviet Union, to thousands of his supporters. In this year's speech he said the lessons of 1956 "tell us that we can only fight for one thing: Hungary and Hungarian freedom."

He also said that the "entire European economy has been drawn into" the war in Ukraine and its "getting bloodier and more desperate" with no sign of when it will end, while European leaders "are indulging in the illusion" of winning.

"We know they want to force us into the war, that they want to impose their migrants upon us...and hand over our children to gender activists," he said in a speech from a stage set up in Budapest's Millenaris Park.

The nationalist leader claimed there is a plan that once "victory is achieved on the eastern front," Ukraine with its reinforced military will replace the Americans to guarantee the safety of Europe.

"It means that we, Hungarians, could wake up one morning and see Slavic soldiers once again coming from the east and being deployed in Hungary," he said. "We don't want that."

The EU has withheld billions of euros in financial aid to Hungary amid clashes over Orban's policies, which have widely been criticized for eroding the rule of law in the Central European nation. The two sides also have sparred for months over aid to Ukraine, migration, allegations of the misuse of bloc funds, and breaches of its laws.

Later on October 23, opposition politician Peter Magyar spoke at length to thousands of supporters at a separate commemoration of the 1956 uprising, saying Hungarians had been "tricked and deceived" by Orban's Fidesz party.

Orban had "no authority to betray the heritage of 1956, has no authority to serve Russian interests," Magyar, the president of the pro-European Union Tisza party, told the rally.

With reporting by Reuters and RFE/RL audiovisual news producer Petr Kubalek

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has called on Israel and the Iran-backed groups it is fighting in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon to call a truce after the Israeli military said it had killed a top official for Hezbollah, a militant group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon, who had been widely expected to be the group’s next leader.

"Now is the time to turn those successes into an enduring strategic success," Blinken told reporters as he prepared to leave Jordan on October 23 for Saudi Arabia on a tour of the region for talks on how to bring the current fighting to an end.

Late on October 22, Israel said Hashem Safieddine, a senior figure inside Hezbollah, was killed in an air strike on the Lebanese capital on October 3, ending weeks of speculation as to whether the man expected to take over the group was alive. The previous Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in Israeli air strikes in Beirut on September 27.

Safieddine headed Hezbollah's executive branch, which oversees the group's political affairs. He was also a member of the decision-making Shura Council as well as the Jihad Council, which runs the group's military operations.

The United States designated Safieddine a terrorist in 2017. Hezbollah is considered a terrorist organization by Washington, although the European Union has only blacklisted its armed wing. Hezbollah’s political party has seats in the Lebanese parliament.

The current war between Israel and the Iran-backed groups Hezbollah and Hamas -- which has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union -- was triggered after Hamas militants made an incursion into Israel on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people. They also took some 240 people back to Gaza as hostages.

Israel has since launched a withering offensive that, according to the Hamas-led Heath Ministry in Gaza, has seen almost 43,000 people killed while displacing virtually all of Gaza's 2.3 million people.

Israeli forces have killed many senior figures from Hezbollah and Hamas, including the Palestinian militant group's leader, Yahya Sinwar, who was suspected of being the mastermind behind the October 7 attacks.

Sinwar was killed last week by the Israeli Defense Forces, prompting senior officials from the United States and other Israeli allies to seize on what they see as an opportunity for a new scenario for the region.

Israel has also been under pressure from many allies, including the United States, for the rising number of civilian casualties in Gaza as a result of the war, and accusations that it has been hindering aid supplies to the territory, where hundreds of thousands are living in a growing humanitarian crisis.

SEE ALSO:

Palestinians Count The Toll Of Israel's Devastating War In Gaza

"The focus needs to be on getting the hostages home, ending this war and having a clear plan for what follows," Blinken said on October 23.

Neither side, however, appears prepared, at least publicly, to seize on the so-called opportunity Blinken and others say is there for the taking.

Just hours before Blinken spoke, the Israeli military leveled a suburban Beirut building that it said housed Hezbollah facilities.

The strikes and a later one that sent thick columns of flames shooting into the night sky came shortly after an Israeli military spokesman issued evacuation warnings for the neighborhood.

Another strike came with no warning hitting the nearby office of a pro-Iran broadcaster, the station said. It said the office had been empty since the conflict began. Lebanon's Health Ministry said one person was killed and five others, including a child, were wounded.

Iran-backed Hezbollah said in a statement late on October 23 that it had escalated its attacks on Israel, using "precision missiles" for the first time, and launched new types of drones on Israeli targets.

It later said it had targeted an Israeli military factory on the outskirts of Tel Aviv.

The Israeli military said four projectiles were identified as having been fired from Lebanon. Two were intercepted and one fell in an open area. There was no immediate indication of any defense facility around Tel Aviv having been hit.

Meanwhile, Hamas continues to refuse to release the remaining hostages it holds unless Israel stops its attacks in Gaza.

With reporting by Reuters

Belarusian lawmakers have set a presidential election for January 26, the first presidential vote since balloting in 2020 triggered mass unrest after authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka was declared the winner despite claims by the opposition and many Western governments that the vote was rigged. The decision setting the date for the election, which is also the first presidential vote since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine that Lukashenka has supported, was approved on October 23. At Lukashenka's direction, security officials cracked down hard on those demonstrating against the election results, arresting thousands and pushing most leading opposition figures out of the country. Several protesters were killed in the violence, and rights organizations say there is credible evidence of torture being used against some of those detained. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Belarus Service, click here.

Incumbent Moldovan President Maia Sandu and Russian-backed candidate Alexandr Stoianoglo have agreed to hold a public election debate on October 27 ahead of a tense November 3 presidential runoff amid warnings of continued Russian interference.

The televised debate will take place after the pro-European Sandu won the first round on October 20 with 42.49 percent of the vote, while Socialist Stoianoglo, a former prosecutor-general facing accusations of corruption, garnered 25.9 percent, final results showed, after a campaign marred by allegations of vote-buying as well as manipulation and disinformation campaigns orchestrated by Russia.

In third place was businessman Renato Usatii, a former mayor of Moldova's second-largest city, Balti, with 13.79 percent of the votes.

A referendum for Moldova's integration into the European Union held simultaneously with the presidential vote passed by a wafer-thin margin -- 50.38 percent -- despite the "no" camp being ahead until the early hours of October 21, apparently due to decisive pro-EU votes cast by Moldova's staunchly pro-EU diaspora.

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.

Many observers billed Moldova's dual elections as crucial to helping decide the country's future direction -- whether it will feature closer ties to Europe and the West or continue in Russia's shadow.

Some analysts saw the result as a setback for Sandu, who had bet on a strong pro-European showing to cement her chances at a second four-year mandate after Moldova, one of Europe's poorest countries, secured EU candidate status in 2022 and opened membership negotiations with the bloc earlier this year.

The United States, in a message commending Moldovans for a high turnout and the pro-Western choice, acknowledged Moscow's interference in the electoral process.

"Russia did everything in its power to disrupt the election and referendum to undermine Moldova's democracy, including through illicit financing and vote buying, disinformation, and malicious cyber-activities," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

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" and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov calling on Sandu to present evidence to back up her accusations of vote-buying.

The debate, to take place at the Palace of the Republic in the capital, Chisinau, will give the U.S.-educated Sandu an opportunity to reinforce her pro-Western message with Moldovan voters as she locks horns with Stoianoglo.

The debate will also likely give her an occasion to elaborate on her statement on election night that the balloting came under an "unprecedented" assault from "criminal groups," which tried to buy as many as 300,000 votes with tens of millions of euros in an attempt to "undermine the democratic process."

Ahead of a tense runoff that could decisively set Moldova's course for the years to come, Blinken voiced Washington's backing for a vote without outside interference.

"The United States will continue to support Moldova’s efforts to ensure a credible, transparent, and democratic process on November 3," he said.

"Alongside our allies and partners, the United States stands with the Moldovan people in their desire for a secure, prosperous, and democratic future."

Russia on October 23 launched another series of intense drone and missile strikes on Ukraine, even as Britain announced that it had completed the training of 200 Ukrainian pilots who will fly F-16 fighter jets provided by Kyiv's Western allies in order to beef up the protection of the embattled country's skies.

Ukraine's air defenses shot down 57 of the 81 drones launched by Russia at targets in 12 Ukrainian regions, the country's air force announced early on October 23. Another 15 drones were lost above Ukrainian territory, it said.

The Russian drones were downed over the Odesa, Mykolayiv, Vinnytsya, Sumy, Cherkasy, Khmelnytskiy, Ternopil, Kirovohrad, Kyiv, Poltava, Chernihiv, and Kharkiv regions, the air force said on Telegram, adding that Odesa was also targeted by a Russian guided missile launched from the Black Sea. It did not say whether the missile was downed.

Since the start of its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, Russia has been regularly bombarding civilian and energy infrastructure all over Ukraine, causing numerous civilian casualties and substantial damage.

Kyiv has been desperately appealing to its Western allies for more modern air-defense systems and U.S.-made F-16s to strengthen the protection of its skies.

After a slow start, some Western countries agreed to provide a number of such warplanes to Ukraine while also training pilots to fly them. U.S. President Joe Biden green-lighted the deals last summer, although Washington will not provide any aircraft of its own.

British Deputy Defense Secretary Luke Pollard has announced that 200 Ukrainian pilots completed the training on October 22.

"Today I attended the graduation of the latest pilots from the RAF’s training program. These pilots will soon be flying Ukrainian F-16s. Britain will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes," Pollard wrote on X.

Belgium, Denmark, and the Netherlands have committed to providing Kyiv with more than 60 aircraft, and confirmation of the arrival of the first F-16s came in August from Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, after Bloomberg reported in July that Kyiv was to get six planes over the summer and up to 20 by the end of the year.

Faced with the daily Russian onslaught, Ukraine over the past several months has begun striking military targets inside Russia with its own homemade drones.

On October 23, Russian air defenses downed 14 Ukrainian drones early on October 23, 10 of them over the occupied Crimea region, according to the Russian Defense Ministry, which added that four unmanned Ukrainian boats were also destroyed off the Crimean coast.

"The aviation of the Black Sea Fleet has eliminated four Ukrainian unmanned motorboats heading toward the Crimean Peninsula in the waters of the Black Sea," the ministry said on Telegram.

Separately, Rostov region Governor Vasily Golubev said air defenses in his region shot down four Ukrainian drones.

On October 22, three Russian alcohol distilleries were struck by Ukrainian drones, Ukraine's air force reported.

Ukrainian Prosecutor-General Andriy Kostin has resigned amid investigations that found dozens of government officials had dodged military service by claiming disability benefits.

Mobilization is a very sensitive issue in Ukraine, whose troop numbers have been depleted after more than 2 1/2 years of fighting Russia's invasion.

Kostin announced his resignation on October 22 on Telegram after a meeting of Ukraine's National Security Council attended by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who said Kostin "should take political responsibility" for corruption and n loopholes being used to get draft deferrals.

"The problem is not just that officials use their connections to get disabled status. It is also the fact that people who are really disabled, especially in combat, often do not get the appropriate status and fair payment," Zelenskiy said.

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Earlier this month, investigators found that a number of public prosecutors in the western Khmelnytskiy region had falsely obtained disability permits and were receiving special benefits. Investigations into the issue are ongoing in other parts of Ukraine.

Kostin's resignation still needs parliamentary approval, but that is expected to move through the legislature with little resistance, as Zelenskiy's party holds a majority of the seats.

"I consider the position of President Zelenskiy to be absolutely correct.... I [also] think it is correct to announce my resignation as prosecutor-general," Kostin said on Telegram.

Soon after Kostin's resignation, Prime Minister Denis Shmyhal announced the dismissal of several other senior officials, the management of the central commission overseeing fitness for service, and officials in the Health Ministry who coordinate the activities of local commissions.

In a sign of the precarious situation Ukraine faces as it tries to hold off Russia's massive troop advantage, military recruiters in recent weeks have shown up at conspicuous events like concerts and weddings looking for men who had not registered for service under a long-debated and highly controversial military mobilization law that was adopted last spring.

Zelenskiy has acknowledged several times the "very, very difficult” situation the military is facing, while he also tries to keep the country unified during the war, which has had drastically differing impacts on various population groups, with its burden falling most heavily on Ukrainians from the south and east of the country.

Highlighting the growing unrest over the issue of mobilization, protesters in August tried to force their way into a military recruitment center in Ukraine to demand the release of four young men who they claimed were illegally detained amid the country's increased mobilization efforts.

Days earlier, Zelenskiy endorsed bills extending martial law and a general military mobilization for 90 days, the 11th time he had done so since the war broke out.

The Taliban conducted house-to-house searches in at least two districts of Kabul on October 22, local sources quoted by RFE/RL said.

A resident of the Khair Khana district in Kabul, who requested anonymity for security reasons, told RFE/RL that the Taliban carried out the searches in Khair Khana and another district of the capital known as 315.

Other media outlets have also reported on the searches, but the Taliban has not commented yet.

This searches come after at least two rockets were fired at Kabul Airport on October 19.

The Afghanistan Freedom Front, an anti-Taliban group, claimed responsibility for firing the rockets and said the Taliban had suffered "severe casualties and financial losses."

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The Afghanistan Freedom Front claimed the attack on the military section of Kabul airport began with the launch of several rockets and was followed by an assault by its soldiers.

While a Taliban source confirmed the rocket attack on Kabul airport to RFE/RL, no comment was made regarding the claim of responsibility by the Afghanistan Freedom Front.

The Afghanistan Freedom Front linked the house-to-house searches in Kabul to its recent attack and said two Taliban members were killed in a fresh attack by its forces on a Taliban intelligence vehicle in the Qalacha district of Kabul on October 22.

Radio Azadi could not independently verify the claim.

U.S. intelligence officials warned on October 22 that "foreign actors" from Russia, China, and Iran are intent on fanning narratives to divide Americans ahead of the November 5 U.S. presidential election and beyond.

The officials briefed reporters in a conference call, saying that influence actors from the three countries have learned from previous U.S. elections and are better prepared to exploit opportunities to stoke unrest.

The officials said foreign actors could consider physical threats and violence and are highly likely to conduct disinformation operations to create uncertainty and undermine the election process.

The foreign actors "remain intent on fanning divisive narratives to divide Americans and undermine Americans' confidence in the U.S. democratic system," said an official from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), who briefed reporters on the call on condition of anonymity.

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These foreign actors could rely on already deployed disinformation and cyberoperations but might also consider physical threats and violence, the ODNI official added.

"Some foreign actors also have the capacity to stoke protests and take violent actions during [the post-election] period. In particular, Iran and Russia are probably willing to at least consider tactics that would contribute to such violence," the official said.

The officials on the call said that while Russia, China, and Iran pose the main threats in foreign election influence activities, they have seen no collaboration between them.

They added that while foreign actors might seek to disrupt voting on election day through already established disinformation campaigns, the voting system is secure enough that they could not alter the outcome, and there is no indication that Russia, China, or Iran is plotting significant attacks on election infrastructure.

The three countries have all rejected claims they are seeking to meddle with the U.S. election.

According to the ODNI official, such actors are using social media to influence presidential and congressional races, and some social media posts are likely to be generated by artificial intelligence.

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As an example, the ODNI official pointed to a post on X this month generated by what he called Russian influence actors that made a false allegation against Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, the Democratic Party's vice presidential candidate.

Intelligence agencies assessed that Russian influence actors created the content, the ODNI official said. A review by U.S. intelligence agencies showed "several indicators of manipulation" consistent with the actions of Russian actors, the official said.

The content includes baseless accusations about Walz’s time as a teacher. Digital researchers, including analysts at Microsoft, previously linked the video to Russia, but federal authorities had not confirmed the connection.

U.S. intelligence agencies have been assessing for months that Russia would prefer that former President Donald Trump, the Republican candidate, return to the White House over Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democrat.

The intelligence officials said they expected more Russian amplification of protests if Harris wins the election.

"Russia would prefer the former president to win and they would seek to more aggressively undermine the presidency of the then-president-elect (Harris)," the ODNI official said.

With reporting by Reuters and AP

The United States is set to announce new sanctions as early as next week aimed at curbing Russia's Ukraine war efforts, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on October 22.

The sanctions will target secondary entities in countries that are supplying Russia with critical items used by its military, Yellen told world financial leaders gathered in Washington for annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank.

"We will unveil strong new sanctions targeting those facilitating the Kremlin's war machine, including intermediaries in third countries that are supplying Russia with critical inputs for its military," she said in opening remarks to a press conference.

The IMF and World Bank meetings mark the last major international finance gathering to be held during President Joe Biden's administration and come as the state of the economy and inflation are top concerns for American voters.

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The presidential election between the Republican party nominee, former President Donald Trump, and Democratic party nominee Vice President Kamala Harris is slated to be decided on November 5, with the outcome expected to have an enormous impact on global finance and the world's economy.

Yellen touched on the use of the proceeds from frozen Russian sovereign assets to provide loans for Ukraine. As she spoke the European Parliament approved a loan of up to 35 billion euros ($38 billion) for Ukraine's defense and reconstruction that will be repaid using future revenues from Russian central bank assets frozen abroad.

Yellen referred to the overall $50 billion loan package being negotiated by the Group of Seven and EU allies, saying the United States expects to be able to contribute $20 billion.

The U.S. Treasury Department is "working tirelessly to unlock the economic value of frozen Russian sovereign assets to aid Ukraine," Yellen said.

Earlier on October 22, Britain announced its readiness to provide Ukraine with a loan of 2.26 billion pounds sterling ($2.93 billion), which also would be repaid from the proceeds of frozen Russian assets.

On the question of the U.S. dollar remaining the main currency used in international trading, Yellen said she sees no other currency as a candidate to replace it.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly criticized the dominance of the U.S. dollar in international transactions and had discussed seeking a replacement for it.

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Why The BRICS Summit In Russia Could Be The Most Important One Yet

Russia is currently hosting a BRICS summit bringing together top leaders of the original five members -- Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa -- and several others, including new members the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Iran.

Putin said ahead of the summit that one of his aims was to discuss an alternative to the SWIFT network, used to route international payments. Many Russian banks were banned from using SWIFT after the country's invasion of Ukraine.

In comments about the U.S. economy, Yellen appeared to take aim at Trump's economic approach, including broad tariffs and isolationism. Without mentioning Trump by name, she said the Biden administration had ended a period of international isolationism that "made America and the world worse off."

Yellen stressed that under the current administration's policies Washington has "pursued global economic leadership that supports economies around the world and brings significant benefits to the American people and the U.S. economy."

She noted that U.S. economic growth has been "almost twice as fast as most other advanced economies this year and last, even as inflation came down sooner."

The IMF released its international outlook on the global economy on October 22, upgrading its economic outlook for the United States this year while lowering its expectations for growth in Europe and China.

The IMF expects the U.S. economy to expand 2.8 percent this year, down slightly from 2.9 percent in 2023. Growth in the United States has been led by strong consumer spending, fueled by healthy gains in inflation-adjusted wages.

With reporting by AP, AFP, and Reuters

Uzbek authorities have opened a criminal investigation into the death of 47-year-old Russian journalist Inessa Papernaya and two others at a hotel in Tashkent. According to Hayot Shamsutdinov, spokesman for the Uzbek Prosecutor-General's Office, forensic examinations have been ordered to determine the cause of death. Papernaya, who worked for Lenta.ru and Profil magazine, was found dead on October 20 alongside her companion at the Karaman Palace hotel. Preliminary reports suggest the cause was gas poisoning from the hotel's ventilation system, possibly linked to pool maintenance. The body of an Uzbek citizen was discovered in a nearby room. The hotel has been sealed as authorities continue their investigation. Papernaya's body is expected to be repatriated to Moscow within two days. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Uzbek Service, click here.

A Ukrainian citizen arrested in Poland on suspicion of preparing sabotage planned to set fire to a factory in the city of Wroclaw, the Polish Foreign Ministry has announced. The suspect was identified by Polish publication Gazeta Wyborcza as 51-year-old Serhiy S., who moved to Germany from Odesa in January. Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski told Polish television on October 21 that the suspect admitted he had acted on the instructions of Russian intelligence services and that his statements indicate the Kremlin has been planning similar actions in other European countries. Polish security service ABW said the man, arrested in February, was the 17th person found to have been recruited by Russian services through the Telegram messaging app in order to carry out espionage and sabotage operations abroad. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, click here.

Zarema Musayeva, a political prisoner in Russia's Chechnya region and the mother of three outspoken opposition activists, has been hospitalized after her health declined seriously, according to her lawyer, Aleksandr Savin.

Musayeva, who suffers from Type 2 diabetes and other complications, was admitted to the Chechen endocrinology dispensary after Savin spent over a month requesting his client receive medical treatment due to her worsening condition.

Musayeva's hospitalization has delayed an appeal hearing for her parole denial, which was scheduled for October 21, but has now been postponed to November 12.

Musayeva is serving a five-year sentence in a colony settlement, a less restrictive form of imprisonment near an industrial facility, where she works alongside other convicts and regular employees.

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Musayeva is the mother of Ibragim, Abubakar, and Baisangur Yangulbayev, all of whom fled Russia due to harassment from Chechen authorities over their vocal criticism of Kremlin-backed Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov.

The Yangulbayev family has been targeted for years, with the brothers using social media and online platforms to expose human rights abuses in Chechnya, including allegations of extrajudicial killings, torture, and persecution by Kadyrov's regime.

Abubakar Yangulbayev, a former lawyer with the Committee Against Torture, has openly accused Chechen law enforcement of daily violations of human rights, calling the case against his mother an act of retaliation by Kadyrov for his activism.

Ibragim and Abubakar have detailed the intense pressure they and their family have faced, including threats to their lives, leading them to seek asylum abroad.

Kadyrov and other Chechen officials have publicly vowed to kill all members of the Yangulbayev family, labeling them terrorists.

Musayeva was forcibly taken from her apartment in Nizhny Novgorod, more than 1,800 kilometers from Grozny, by Chechen police in January 2022. She was returned to Chechnya and later sentenced to 5 1/2 years in prison on charges of fraud and attacking a police officer -- charges she and her family deny as politically motivated.

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In September that year, the Chechen Supreme Court reduced her sentence by six months and transferred her to a colony settlement instead of a correctional colony.

The threats against the Yangulbayev family extend beyond Musayeva and her sons. Their father, retired federal judge Saidi Yangulbayev, and sister fled Russia in January 2022 after receiving death threats from Kadyrov's allies.

The family has faced ongoing harassment, with many of their relatives in Chechnya subjected to intimidation, forced eviction from their homes, and physical threats.

Musayeva's deteriorating health has raised concerns among human rights groups, who argue she requires specialized medical care due to her acute diabetes, cataracts, and severe knee pain.

Her initial hospitalization in March came after a rapid decline in her vision and the appearance of lumps on her body.

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Despite her medical issues, a state medical commission in Chechnya downgraded her diagnosis in April, claiming she had diabetes without complications, a move rights groups have condemned as part of the systemic abuse she faces in detention.

Human rights organizations, including Russia's Team Against Torture, have repeatedly called for Musayeva's release and proper medical treatment, citing her detention as part of a broader pattern of repression in Chechnya.

International organizations and Kremlin critics have long accused Kadyrov of ruling Chechnya through fear and brutal suppression, while President Vladimir Putin has turned a blind eye to the abuses, relying on Kadyrov to maintain control over the region.

Despite the ongoing threats and persecution, Musayeva's sons continue their efforts to draw attention to the human rights crisis in Chechnya, though they remain in exile for their safety.

Belarusian journalist and political commentator Ihar Ilyash has been detained, according to the Vyasna human rights group. Ilyash's arrest was publicized through pro-government Telegram channels, which shared a photo of him in handcuffs on October 22, although no further details about his detention were provided. Known for his commentary on Belarusian-Russian relations, Ilyash recently spoke to Dozhd television about the growing pressure on Belarus to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He suggested that Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka is resisting direct involvement in the war in Ukraine but is facing mounting Kremlin demands. Ilyash’s wife, journalist Katsyaryna Andreyeva, has been imprisoned since 2020 for covering protests in Belarus. Initially sentenced to two years, she was later given an additional eight-year sentence on treason charges. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Belarus Service, click here.

The death of Anton Selivanets, a Russian aircraft engineer, has been confirmed following the downing of a cargo plane in war-torn Sudan.

Selivanets was on board the Il-76 transport plane, which was shot down by participants in the civil conflict, his family confirmed on October 22.

The cargo plane owned by a Kyrgyzstan-registered company, New Way Cargo Airlines, was shot down in Sudan a day earlier.

Bishkek's Manas Airport stated on October 22 that the aircraft, tail number EX 76 011, had been sold to the airline earlier in 2024.

Kyrgyzstan's Civil Aviation Agency stated that the plane had been removed from the registry of Kyrgyzstan on January 12 of this year and registered in Sudan.

Russian media reports indicate that the plane was downed in the west of Sudan, where conflict between government forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has escalated.

Selivanets’ family confirmed that he had sent a video from the plane before the crash.

The RSF militia claimed responsibility for shooting down the aircraft, although the exact circumstances remain unclear.

Another Russian, Viktor Granov, is believed to have been on board. His documents were found at the crash site. According to the discovered ID card, Granov was the chief engineer of the United Arab Emirates-registered Airline Transport Incorporation FZC.

Manas Airport confirmed on October 22 that Granov worked for Airline Transport Incorporation FZC, stressing that the man was not the airport's employee.

Mash Telegram channel claims that the Russians were flying to Sudan from the United Arab Emirates to repair the plane.

Numerous sources indicate that the RSF group is supported by the United Arab Emirates, which the kingdom denies.

Sudan has been gripped by a civil war for more than a year, displacing millions of people and causing widespread hunger.

The conflict’s chaos complicates efforts to verify the number of casualties or the flight’s purpose, though reports suggest the plane may have been carrying cargo for the very militia that shot it down.

With reporting RT, Kaktus Media, Mash, and TASS

In a landmark ruling, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) said Russia’s “foreign agent” law violates the European Convention on Human Rights, saying it is "arbitrary" and used in an "overly broad and unpredictable way."

The case was brought to the court by 107 plaintiffs, including major media outlets and human rights organizations such as RFE/RL’s Russian Service (Radio Svoboda) and the Memorial human rights group.

The court ruled on October 22 that the foreign agent law imposed "severe restrictions" on the plaintiffs’ activities and found that their designation as “foreign agents” amounted to "intimidation."

"The Court found that the currently applicable legislation was stigmatizing, misleading and used in an overly broad and unpredictable way. This led the Court to conclude that the legislation’s purpose was to punish and intimidate rather than to address any alleged need for transparency or legitimate concerns over national security," the ruling said.

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Russia's 'Foreign Agent' Law: A Blunt Instrument To Silence Dissent

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The Russian law, introduced in 2012 and expanded in 2022, requires organizations receiving foreign funding to register as “foreign agents,” subjecting them to burdensome reporting, auditing, and labeling requirements.

The plaintiffs argued that the legislation formed part of a systematic campaign to stifle criticism of the government and curtail the work of rights defenders and independent media.

The ECHR noted that public opinion in Russia associated the term “foreign agent” with “traitors” and “spies,” stigmatizing those labeled as such. The court also found that publishing plaintiffs’ personal data and requiring detailed financial disclosures violated their right to privacy.

Among the penalties, RFE/RL’s Russian Service had been fined over 16 million euros ($17.3 million) for failing to comply with the labelling requirements, the most out of any of the plaintiffs.

The Russian authorities escalated enforcement, eventually seizing the outlet’s bank accounts and blocking its websites following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The ECHR ordered Russia to pay RFE/RL’s Russian Service 60,000 euros ($65,000) in compensation for costs and 950,000 euros ($1.03 million) in damages.

RFE/RL President and CEO Stephen Capus welcomed the ruling.

"Journalism is not a crime, and it's gratifying to see the European Court of Human Rights acknowledge that as a matter of international law," he said in a statement. "As the European Court held in its judgment today, Moscow's 'foreign agent' laws were brazenly designed by the government to criminalize free speech and prevent independent journalists from doing their job."

Russians "deserve access to truthful information about their country," Capus added.

The court also criticized the dissolution of prominent organizations like Memorial and the Movement for Human Rights under the pretext of violating “foreign agent” regulations. The laws restricted not only their public activities but also their participation in the electoral process and access to state support.

Despite being excluded from the Council of Europe in 2022 following the start of Moscow's ongoing invasion of Ukraine, Russia is still bound by the ECHR’s rulings for cases predating its removal.

However, Moscow has passed legislation preventing the enforcement of ECHR decisions issued since its expulsion, further complicating the impact of the ruling.

RFE/RL has vowed to continue its work despite Russian repression. Its Moscow bureau was forced to close in 2022, and many of its journalists have been designated as “foreign agents.”

In 2023, a Moscow court declared RFE/RL’s Russian Service bankrupt, yet the organization continues to provide news to millions of Russian citizens from outside the country, maintaining its editorial independence under U.S. congressional funding.

Russian Ambassador to Belarus Boris Gryzlov said Moscow will provide assistance to Minsk -- which could include Russian boots on the ground -- if it is asked to help counter attempts to “destabilize” 2025 presidential elections. Speaking in an interview with Russian news agency RIA Novosti, Gryzlov said there was "no reason to believe that Belarusian law enforcement officers and special services will need additional help... 'on the ground.' But, if necessary, within the framework of its obligations, Russia will certainly provide assistance and support, if our closest ally and strategic partner asks for it." Gryzlov added that Russia and Belarus were already sharing intelligence on what they call "potential threats" leading up to this year's vote. The last Belarusian presidential election five years ago triggered mass protests when authoritarian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka was declared the victor despite opposition claims the balloting was rigged. Lukashenka quashed the protests and subsequently launched a harsh crackdown on dissent, democratic institutions, journalists, and opposition activists in Belarus. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Belarus Service, click here.