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Medvedev Orders More Weapons To Kurile Islands
Medvedev told Russia's ministers of defense and regional development that the weapons "must be sufficient and modern to ensure the security of these islands which are an inseparable part of the Russian Federation."
Medvedev said Russia's strategy was to make "every effort" to increase its presence on the islands.
"Everyone must understand that [the islands] are part of the Russian Federation and our sovereignty fully extends over them, and we will make every effort to strengthen our presence on the Kurile Islands," he said. "This is our strategic policy."
His comments mark a steep sharpening of Moscow's rhetoric in the dispute with Tokyo after Japan's Prime Minister Naoto Kan called Medvedev's unprecedented visit to the islands in November an "unforgivable outrage."
The Kuriles have been controlled by Moscow since they were seized by Soviet troops in 1945, but their status is a major problem in Moscow-Tokyo relations.
compiled from agency reports
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- By Kian Sharifi
Israel, Hezbollah Appear To Pull Back After Missile Exchange
Israel and Hezbollah, which has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States, engaged in a massive exchange of missile fire on August 25, but signaled they were not looking to escalate the conflict amid fears of all-out war in the region.
Tensions also remained high near the Gaza Strip after Hamas – an Iran-backed group also designated a terrorist organization by the United States and EU – apparently fired an "M90" rocket toward Tel Aviv late on August 25, although Israeli officials said it fell harmlessly into an empty field.
"Following the siren that sounded in Rishon LeTsiyon, one projectile was identified crossing from the southern Gaza Strip and falling in an open area in the area of Rishon LeTsiyon," the Israeli military said.
In one of the biggest clashes to rock the Middle East since war broke out in the Gaza Strip last October, Israel said it launched preemptive air strikes on targets of Iran-backed Hezbollah in southern Lebanon after Israeli intelligence detected that Hezbollah was planning to attack in the morning.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said in a speech later in the day that the attacks, which did not include using precision or strategic missiles, targeted "the Glilot base -- the main Israeli military intelligence base," near Tel Aviv, about 100 kilometers across the southern Lebanese border with Israel.
Nasrallah added in the televised speech that Israel began striking Hezbollah targets about 30 minutes before the group launched its attack, which was in response to the killing of one of its commanders.
Addressing Nasrallah and Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel's preemptive operation was "another step toward changing the situation in the north and returning our residents safely to their homes."
Thousands have been displaced in northern Israel as Hezbollah and Israel continue to trade cross-border attacks, which have intensified since war broke out in Gaza following an October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas that left some 1,200 people dead and scores more taken hostage.
The August 25 exchange of hundreds of missiles and drones sparked fears that the war may escalate and engulf the entire region, but a Hezbollah official said in a written statement to media outlets that the group had "worked" to ensure its attack would not trigger a full-scale war.
Reuters quoted its diplomatic sources as saying Israel and Hezbollah exchanged messages following the exchange saying neither wanted to escalate the conflict further.
Randa Slim, a senior fellow at the Washington, D.C.-based Middle East Institute, said that at least for now, the scope of the strikes from both sides may be enough to avoid a major war between Israel and Hezbollah "because both sides do not want it."
Earlier in the day, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said around 100 fighter jets "eliminated thousands of Hezbollah rocket-launcher barrels" that had been "aimed for immediate fire" toward northern and central Israel.
Hezbollah said the attack was "phase one" of its retaliation for the killing of its top commander Fuad Shukr in an Israeli strike on July 30 in Beirut. It insisted the operation had been "completed successfully."
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant declared a 48-hour state of emergency across Israel.
The IDF said Hezbollah had fired 150 projectiles, but Hezbollah claimed to have launched more than 320 Katyusha rockets.
Israeli fighter jets continued to strike Hezbollah rocket launchers after the group's attack to "remove threats."
Three people were killed in areas in southern Lebanon, according to the country's Health Ministry.
The extent of damage caused by Hezbollah's attack is unclear. Video footage on social media showed some rockets being intercepted and the aftermath of several rockets making impact.
The Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon called the developments "worrying" and called "on all to cease fire and refrain from further escalatory action."
"We will continue our contacts to strongly urge for de-escalation," it said.
Hezbollah and Israel have inched even closer to a full-blown war for weeks, especially after the death of 12 people in an apparent Hezbollah rocket attack in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on July 27.
Three days later, Israel struck a target in Beirut, killing Shukr, who was widely believed to be the second-most powerful person in Hezbollah's hierarchy behind Nasrallah.
Diplomats, meanwhile, huddled in Egypt on August 25 for high-level talks aimed at brokering a cease-fire in the 10-month-old war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas.
Later, a Hamas representative said the group's delegation left Cairo after meeting with Egyptian and Qatari mediators “who briefed them on the results of the latest negotiations" and said it had rejected Israel's latest terms for a cease-fire.
Israel's attack on Gaza has killed more than 40,000 people, according to the local Hamas-run health authorities.
With reporting by Reuters
- By RFE/RL
Iran Says Israel 'Lost Deterrent Power' After Hezbollah Attack
Israel has reportedly launched new strikes at Hezbollah, which has been designated at terrorist organization by the United States, just inside Lebanon a day after a heavy exchange of missile and drone attacks between the two foes that Iran claimed showed a shift in the balance of power.
State media reported on August 26 that Israel targeted the border village of Tair Harfa and an area near Sidon in Lebanon a day after Hezbollah launched scores of rockets and drones against targets in northern and central Israel in the early hours of August 25. The attack came shortly after Israel carried out what it described as preemptive strikes targeting Hezbollah’s rocket launchers.
There were no immediate reports of casualties from Israel's strikes on August 26.
Iran said on August 26 that the exchange of fire, which marked one of the largest clashes to hit the Middle East since war broke out in the Gaza Strip last October, showed Israel has lost not only its ability to anticipate small-scale attacks but also its deterrent power.
“Despite the full backing of its supporters, including the United States, Israel has lost its deterrent power and ability to predict the time and place of even a limited and calibrated attack,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani wrote on X, referring to the large-scale attack on Israel by Iran’s Lebanese ally Hezbollah a day earlier.
“The occupying regime has always sought territorial expansion, but now has to defend itself within the occupied territories,” Kanani added. “Fear has been embedded in the homes of the residents of the occupied lands.”
Israeli officials said the preemptive attack prevented the launch of “thousands” of rockets. Hezbollah claimed to have launched more than 320 rockets and drones but Israel put the figure at around 150.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah alleged that the group’s operation was calibrated to ensure it did not trigger a full-scale conflict.
Addressing Nasrallah and Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel's preemptive operation was "another step toward changing the situation in the north and returning our residents safely to their homes."
Hezbollah said its operation was “phase one” of its retaliation for the killing of Fuad Shukr, widely believe to be Hezbollah’s second-most powerful person. Shukr was killed in an Israeli strike in Beirut on July 30.
Hours after Shukr’s assassination, the political leader of the EU- and U.S.-designated Palestinian terrorist group Hamas was killed in Tehran. Iran vowed to avenge Ismail Haniyeh and accused Israel of killing him. Israel has neither denied nor claimed responsibility.
In his speech, Nasrallah said one reason why Hezbollah took nearly a month to hit Israel was because it was discussing with Iran and other allies about whether to carry out a coordinated attack on Israel or attack separately.
Pressure has been growing on Iran to deliver on its promised attack against Israel to avenge Haniyeh.
During a phone call on August 25 with Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, Iran’s top diplomat Abbas Araqchi insisted that a “measured and well-calculated” response will come.
“We do not fear escalation, yet do not seek it -- unlike Israel,” Araqchi told his Italian counterpart.
Did A Budapest-Based Company Make Pagers Used In Attack On Hezbollah In Lebanon?
BUDAPEST -- A Budapest-based company alleged to have made the pagers used in the deadly attack on Hezbollah in Lebanon appears to have only one employee working from an empty office that offers a range of services but not pager manufacturing.
At least 12 people were killed and nearly 3,000 wounded when pagers used by members of Hezbollah, which has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, detonated simultaneously across Lebanon on September 17.
One official from Hezbollah, Iran's most powerful proxy in the Middle East, called the attack the group's "biggest security breach" in its history.
In a second wave of attacks, walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah detonated on September 18 across Lebanon's south. The country's Health Ministry said at least 20 people were killed and more than 450 injured.
Images of pagers destroyed in the September 17 simultaneous detonations indicated they were consistent with pagers made by Gold Apollo, a Taiwan-based company.
Gold Apollo founder Hsu Ching-Kuang said the pagers used in the explosion were made by a company in Europe that Gold Apollo named in a statement as BAC Consulting KFT.
The statement added that according to a cooperation agreement, BAC is authorized to "use our brand trademark for product sales in designated regions, but the design and manufacturing of the products are solely the responsibility of BAC."
"The product was not ours. It was only that it had our brand on it," Hsu told reporters at the company's offices in the northern Taiwanese city of New Taipei on September 18.
However, the head of the Budapest-based company BAC Consulting KFT later told NBC News that her company did not make the pagers.
"I don't make the pagers. I am just the intermediate. I think you got it wrong," a person who identified themselves as Cristiana Barsony-Arcidiacono told the U.S. broadcaster.
According to RFE/RL's Hungarian Service, Barsony-Arcidacono, 49, has an apartment in Ujpest, a central district of Budapest, and had been engaged in business activities there since 2021.
Efforts to contact Barsony-Arcidiancono by RFE/RL were unsuccessful. The Hungarian Interior Ministry did not response to queries from RFE/RL on whether authorities planned to open a probe on the matter.
The stated address for BAC Consulting in Budapest is a peach-colored building on a mostly residential street in an outer suburb.
A person at the building who asked not to be named told RFE/RL's Hungarian Service he had never met any employees from BAC Consulting and only mail was forwarded to that address once a month.
The official register described the company as a "leadership consulting" business that was established in 2022.
The company's LinkedIn page boasts of having "over a decade of consulting experience."
"With over a decade of consulting experience, we are on an exciting and rewarding journey with our network of passionate experts with a hunger for innovation and discovery for the Environment, Innovation & Development, and International Affairs. We work internationally as agents of change with a network of consultants who put their knowledge, experience, and humanity into our projects in a connecting and authentic journey," it reads.
Besides consulting, its registered business activities also included everything from broadcast equipment production to hairdressing and even oil extraction. The company's website makes no reference to pager manufacturing. Revenue for 2022 was the equivalent of $700,000, with that figure dipping to a reported $565,000.
Barsony-Arcidiacono is listed as the CEO and sole employee of BAC Consulting KFT. On her LinkedIn page profile, she claims to have worked as an adviser for several organizations, including the European Commission, the EU’s top executive body, and UNESCO, the UN’s cultural organization.
Under education, she lists the London School of Economics and the SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies) University in London.
- By RFE/RL
Second Wave Of Remote Detonations Kills At Least 20 People In Lebanon
A second wave of device explosions killed at least 20 people and wounded hundreds more in Lebanon, officials said on September 18, stoking fears of an all-out war in the region.
A security source and a witness said Hezbollah, which has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, said walkie-talkies used by its members blew up in its Beirut stronghold. State media reported similar blasts in southern and eastern Lebanon.
At least one of the blasts took place near a funeral for people killed the previous day when thousands of pagers used by the group exploded. The number of dead in those attacks was 12, with more than 2,700 people wounded, including many Hezbollah fighters.
The Lebanese Health Ministry described the devices targeted in the September 18 attack as walkie-talkies. Late on September 18, it revised the number of dead from 14 to 20 in a statement that also said more than 450 were wounded.
Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States and the EU, accused Israel of being behind the latest blasts, saying the action threatened stability in the region.
Hezbollah and the Lebanese government also blamed Israel for what appeared to be a sophisticated remote attack. Israel, which has not commented, announced prior to the September 17 attack that it was broadening the aims of its war in Gaza against Hamas to include Hezbollah, Hamas’s ally in Lebanon.
Speaking to Israeli troops on September 18, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said: “We are at the start of a new phase in the war -- it requires courage, determination and perseverance.” He made no mention of the exploding devices but praised the work of Israel’s army and security agencies, saying “the results are very impressive.”
Hezbollah said on September 18 that it attacked Israeli artillery positions with rockets in the first strike since the pager blasts.
The White House warned all sides against escalation.
"We don't believe that the way to solve where we're at in this crisis is by additional military operations at all," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters.
"We still believe that the best way to prevent escalation, to prevent another front from opening up in Lebanon, is through diplomacy," Kirby said.
Human Rights Watch's former executive director, Kenneth Roth, commented on the attacks on X, saying that international humanitarian law prohibits the use of booby traps -- objects that civilians are likely to use -- "precisely to avoid putting civilians at grave risk."
The Iranian envoy to the United Nations said in a letter that Tehran will follow up on the pager detonation attack in which its ambassador to Lebanon was injured. It added that it "reserves its rights under international law to take required measures deemed necessary to respond."
The pagers were reportedly ordered from Taiwanese manufacturer Gold Apollo, which said they had been produced by BAC Consulting in Hungary and had no parts that could be related to Gold Apollo.
“According to the cooperation agreement, we authorize BAC to use our brand trademark for product sales in designated regions, but the design and manufacturing of the products are solely the responsibility of BAC,” the statement said.
The Taiwanese company also described BAC Consulting's payment method from a Middle Eastern bank account as strange.
A Hungarian government spokesman said the company was "a trading intermediary, with no manufacturing or operational site in Hungary."
BAC Consulting was registered as a limited liability company in May 2022, the Associated Press reported. It is a one-person business registered to its owner, Cristiana Barsony-Arcidiacono, who describes herself on the social media platform LinkedIn as a strategic adviser and business developer.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated that the United States knew nothing about the attacks.
"We’re still gathering the information and gathering the facts," Blinken said at a news conference in Cairo. "Broadly speaking, we’ve been very clear and we remain very clear about the importance of all parties avoiding any steps that could further escalate the conflict that we’re trying to resolve in Gaza to see it spread to other fronts."
The UN Security Council will meet on September 20 to discuss the pager blasts, said Slovenia's UN Ambassador Samuel Zbogar, president of the 15-member council for September.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned earlier on September 18 that the pager blasts indicate "a serious risk of a dramatic escalation in Lebanon and everything must be done to avoid that escalation."
"Obviously the logic of making all these devices explode is to do it as a preemptive strike before a major military operation," he told reporters in New York.
He also said that it was very important not to weaponize civilian objects.
Guterres "urges all concerned actors to exercise maximum restraint to avert any further escalation," said Guterres spokesman Stephane Dujarric in a statement.
With reporting by AP and AFP
9 Killed, Thousands Wounded In Simultaneous Explosion Of Pagers In Lebanon, Minister Says
At least nine people were killed and 2,750 were wounded when pagers exploded simultaneously in Lebanon, the health minister said on September 17 after the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group said two of its members and a girl were among those killed in the "mysterious" explosions.
Health Minister Firass Abiad said 200 of the injuries were critical, and Iran's ambassador in Beirut was among those injured, Iranian media reported.
Lebanese Information Minister Ziad Makary condemned the detonation of the pagers as an "Israeli aggression," while Hezbollah said Israel would receive "its fair punishment" for the blasts.
Mojtaba Amani, Iran's ambassador in Beirut, was injured, Iranian media reported. The Fars news agency, which is close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, quoted an unidentified informed source as saying that Amani suffered a "superficial injury" as a result of a pager explosion.
The news channel of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Mehr news agency also reported that Amani was injured.
The pagers that exploded were the latest models of the devices that Hezbollah imported into the country in recent month, Reuters reported, citing three unidentified sources.
Reports from Lebanon indicate that "hundreds" of members of the Lebanese Hezbollah group, including fighters and aid workers, were injured in the explosion of the pagers in southern Lebanon and its suburbs.
The Lebanese Foreign Ministry called it an "Israeli cyberattack," adding that some of the pagers that exploded were in Syria. The ministry also said in a statement that it was preparing to submit a complaint to the UN Security Council.
"This dangerous and deliberate Israeli escalation is accompanied by Israeli threats to expand the scope of the war against Lebanon on a large scale, and by the intransigence of Israeli's positions calling for more bloodshed, destruction, and devastation," it said.
Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, the UN special coordinator for Lebanon, said in a statement that she deplored the attack, warning that it "marked an extremely concerning escalation."
Without commenting directly on the explosions, an Israeli military spokesman said the chief of staff, Major General Herzi Halevi, had met with senior officers to assess the situation. No policy change was announced but "vigilance must continue to be maintained," he said, according to Reuters.
The United States was not aware in advance and had no involvement in the explosions, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.
The blasts came after weeks of private diplomacy by the United States to discourage Iran from retaliating against Israel for the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas political chief, in Tehran.
Amos Yadlin, the former head of Israeli military intelligence, told RFE/RL that whoever carried out the pager-explosion operation intended to send a "clear message" to Hezbollah.
Yadlin said it could be a response to a plot to assassinate a senior Israeli security official that the Israeli security apparatus announced. He also noted that Hezbollah continues its attacks on Israel as it tries to link itself to the Gaza conflict, and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah does not want to stop these attacks.
The Israeli government decided on September 16 to add the safe return of its citizens to the north as a goal in the war. This was part of an Israeli cabinet announcement that was expanding its war objectives and the focus of its almost yearlong campaign against the extremist group Hamas, which has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States and European Union, in Gaza to confront Hezbollah on its northern border with Lebanon.
Nasrallah must understand that his actions will lead to a shift in Israeli policy, Yadlin told RFE/RL.
"However, whether this policy shift will result in a full-scale war or a limited military operation will become clear in the coming days. In any case, we are now in a new phase," he said
The events coincide with the return of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to the region to try to revive cease-fire talks on the Israeli-Hamas war.
While the focus of the war has been on Gaza, exchanges of fire between Israeli forces and Hezbollah, Hamas's ally in Lebanon, have killed hundreds of people, mostly militants in Lebanon and dozens of civilians and soldiers in Israel, and caused tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border to flee.
Israel's announcement on expanding its objectives came a day after Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that "military action" was the only way left for Israel's northern communities to return to their homes.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin discussed Middle East tensions with Gallant on September 17, the Pentagon announced.
"Secretary Austin spoke by phone today with his Israeli counterpart to touch base regarding ongoing tensions in the Middle East and the threats facing Israel," Pentagon spokesman Major General Pat Ryder told journalists.
Ryder declined to say whether the explosions were discussed.
With reporting by Reuters, AFP, and AP
30 Held Over Deadly Shooting Outside Moscow Office Of Online Retailer
The Basmanny district court in Moscow has sent 30 people to pretrial detention over a shoot-out earlier this week in central Moscow at the offices of Wildberries, the country's largest online retailer, that left two people dead.
The group includes a Chechen mixed martial arts fighter, according to TASS and RIA Novosti, but the husband of Wildberries CEO Tatyana Bakalchuk said he was not among those detained.
Vladislav Bakalchuk said on Telegram on September 20 that he was the victim of a “cynical provocation and attack by unknown armed men” when he and others went to the office of Wildberries on the day of the shooting “with peaceful intentions to resolve issues related to payments to employees and contractors” and other business matters.
Tatyana Bakalchuk -- Russia's richest woman -- described the events as an armed takeover attempt by her estranged husband and two disgruntled former executives.
She released a tearful video message on September 18 accusing her husband of organizing the attack.
Vladislav Bakalchuk's lawyers said the following day that their client had been charged with murder, attempted murder, and other charges as a result of the violence.
But on September 20, Vladislav Bakalchuk said in his Telegram post that he was home after his attempt to "peacefully resolve" the situation had turned into a tragedy.
“I am sure that the authorities will sort out what happened, and all those responsible will be punished. I am ready to provide assistance and support to all victims. I am glad to be back home and continue fighting for justice,” Vladislav Bakalchuk said.
Responding to his wife's video, he said, “Tatyana, did you really not know about the armed provocation being prepared against me?”
The shoot-out came just over six weeks after Wildberries finalized its merger agreement with Russ Group, a Russian advertising firm. Vladislav Bakalchuk denounced the deal as a huge mistake and a hostile takeover.
Tatyana Bakalchuk filed for divorce in July after her husband asked the authoritarian ruler of the North Caucasus region of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, for help in a conflict with his wife.
Among the men remanded into custody was Umar Chichaev, a mixed martial arts fighter and deputy commander of a national guard unit linked to Kadyrov, according to Russian news agencies.
"The court granted the petition of law enforcement agencies and remanded Chichaev in custody for one month and 30 days," the Basmanny district court ruled, according to TASS.
Media reports identified the two men killed in the incident as Islambek Elmurziyev, 28, and Adam Almazov, 41. Both were from the North Caucasus region of Ingushetia.
Tatyana Bakalchuk, 48, was born to an ethnic Korean family in October 1975 in Grozny, then the capital of the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. Forbes estimates her worth at more than $4 billion.
Wildberries has benefited from sanctions imposed following Russia's invasion of Ukraine as Western e-commerce firms pulled out of the country.
Company revenue jumped 70 percent last year to 539 billion rubles ($5.8 billion) while its net profit rose to 19 billion rubles ($205 million).
Tatyana Bakalchuk was the sole owner of her empire until December 2019, when she transferred 1 percent of her business to her husband.
With reporting by AFP
2 Dead From Russian Mortar Shelling In Kharkiv Region
Russian shelling in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region on September 20 killed two people and injured five, while a missile strike in Dnipro caused at least one injury, Ukrainian officials said.
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Russian forces used mortars to shell villages in the Kharkiv region, taking the lives of a 43-year-old man and a 53-year-old woman, said Kharkiv Governor Oleh Synyehubov. Two other women were injured. An earlier attack on other villages left two woman and a man injured, he said.
In Dnipro, one person was injured and a building was partially destroyed in an attack that occurred in the evening of September 20 after the air force warned of the threat of a strike with a ballistic weapon, the head of the regional military administration said.
"The building of an educational center was partially destroyed,” said Dnipropetrovsk regional military administration head Serhiy Lysak. He identified the injured person as a 19-year-old boy who suffered multiple wounds and a fracture.
Russian forces who occupy the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant accused Ukrainian forces on September 20 of launching a drone attack on a nearby electricity substation and posing a threat to the facility.
"A drone strike by the Ukrainian armed forces damaged a transformer at the Zarya substation located right next to the perimeter of the Zaporizhzhya station," the Russian management of the plant said on Telegram.
"This substation contributes to power supplies for the station's infrastructure. Attacking it creates a potential threat to the nuclear power station's safety," the message said.
Ukraine's Defense Ministry did not respond to a request for comment from Reuters.
Russian forces seized the nuclear power plant in the early days of Moscow's full-scale invasion, and the two sides have regularly accused the other of staging attacks that endanger safety.
The UN nuclear watchdog has stationed monitors permanently at the plant and urged both sides to refrain from all attacks on it.
Meanwhile, a project to record the number of Russian servicemen killed in the war said on September 20 that the estimate now exceeds 70,000.
Mediazona and the Russian service of the BBC have been tallying the number of Russian military deaths by conducting a name-by-name count of losses. Those counted are only the ones whose names could be established from open sources. The real number of Russian battlefield deaths is likely much higher.
According to the data, the average Russian fighter has recently changed. A typical serviceman whose death was confirmed in 2022 was about 21 years old, and he served in elite units such as special forces, airborne forces, or marines.
“Today men are increasingly going to the front aged 40, 50, and even 60 years, most often without combat experience and special training," according to the data.
Danube River Regions Cope With Flooding Aftermath
Water levels on the Danube River are expected to slowly rise 50 centimeters by the evening of September 21 as Hungary and other Central European countries deal with the aftermath of a heavy rain storm that has drenched the region.
Istvan Lang, the director-general of water management in Hungary, announced on September 20 that the burden on flood protections already put in place will be very significant.
“This is a very big flood, it will cause a lot stress,” he said on Hungarian television.
Ferry services on the Danube in Hungary have been halted, and water has spilled over the city’s lower quays in Budapest, threatening to reach tram and metro lines.
Lang said the worst of the flooding from the heavy rain will last longer than expected. The Danube is receding slower than anticipated due to the significant amount of rain that fell in Germany after the outbreak of Cyclone Boris, he added.
Danube Breaches Banks As Flood Tide Hits Budapest
Lang said the area south of Budapest will largely be safe from flooding thanks to major infrastructure improvements made in the region over time following a catastrophic flood in 1956, and the country's dams are in very good condition. The embankments south of Budapest are stronger and higher following improvements and will be able to better protect against the flood waters, he said.
Zoltan Gora, Hungary's national director-general of disaster prevention, confirmed that Budapest is protected up to a 9-meter water level. Forecasts indicate that the water will reach 8.5 meters or lower.
The capital’s water authorities have also assured residents that the drinking water supply will be safe. The government water-management body has closed drinking water reservoirs that were flooded by the Danube and added extra protection to those that have not yet been flooded.
Budapest Mayor Gergely Karacsony added that the sewerage system is especially vulnerable, warning citizens of possible pipe breaks and inconveniences.
Flood protection has also been introduced along parts of the Danube in Serbia, the water-management authority in the Vojvodina region in the north of the country announced on September 20.
Regular flood defense measures have been implemented over 253 kilometers of the river, including on sections of the Danube embankment, from the state border with Hungary to the Kovilj area east of Novi Sad, as well as on structures of a hydroelectric power system and in rural parts.
The water-management authority in Vojvodina said that forecasts by the Hydrometeorological Institute of Serbia indicate that the Danube's water levels will rise in the coming days.
"The peak of the waves near Bezdan is expected on September 25, and near Novi Sad between September 27 and 28. Forecasts say the water level of the Danube near Novi Sad will be below the limits of emergency flood protection," the company points out.
In Romania, where the floodwaters have already wreaked havoc and dissipated, authorities said the latest tally shows six people died because of the flooding. In over 24 communities in the eastern region of Romania more than 20,000 inhabitants were affected by the floodwaters.
Residents in the worst-hit areas on the Danube in that country, Galati and Vaslui, have been cleaning up their mud-inundated homes.
With reporting by AP
- By RFE/RL
2 Russians Set Record For Longest Single Stay On International Space Station
Two Russians on September 20 set a record for the longest continuous stay on the International Space Station (ISS), according to Russian space agency Roskosmos.
Roskosmos said Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub broke the old record of 370 days, 21 hours and 22 minutes, which was set in September 2023 by Russians Sergei Prokopiev and Dmitry Petelin and American Francisco Rubio.
Chub and Kononenko will add several days to their total before their scheduled return to Earth on September 23.
Kononenko, 59, holds other space duration records, including the most cumulative time in space -- 1,110 days over the course of five missions by the time he lands later this month in Kazakhstan.
In comparison, the NASA astronaut with the longest cumulative days in space, Peggy Whitson, ranks eighth internationally. Whitson has been in space for a total of 675 days cumulatively in three long missions and one short term mission.
Two American astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who are currently on the ISS, have inadvertently been aboard the space station for much of the Russians' record-setting stay.
After NASA and Boeing identified helium leaks and issues with the reaction control thrusters in the astronauts’ Starliner space capsule, a decision was made to send the capsule back without Wilmore and Williams and keep them at the ISS for their own safety.
NASA said the return of the Starliner without a crew allowed it and its manufacturer, Boeing, to continue gathering testing data while at the same time not creating risk for its crew.
NASA has considered that the astronauts' extended stay means they will not be on Earth for the U.S. presidential election in November. The pair of astronauts told reporters during a press conference on September 13 that they will still have a chance to vote in the election and will use satellites to beam their votes down to Earth.
The two U.S. astronauts are set to return to Earth in February.
With reporting by AP
Lithuanian Lawyer Imprisoned For Spying For Belarus
The Vilnius regional court has found Lithuanian lawyer Mantas Danielius guilty of spying for Belarus and sentenced him to nine years in prison.
Investigators say Danielius collected information on Belarusian opposition politicians, activists, and refugees residing in Lithuania and passed it to the Belarusian KGB via Belarusian propagandist Ksenia Lebedzeva.
The court ruling on September 20 also found Danielius guilty of attempting to intimidate a witness in his case. After he was released from pretrial detention and before his trial, Danielius sent a written message to the unspecified witness saying that he would "sharpen an ax." This court considered the message threatening to the witness and ordered his rearrest.
Danielius was initially arrested in September last year after Belarusian organizations operating in Lithuania informed law enforcement officials about his suspicious activities.
The case was jointly investigated by Lithuania’s State Security Department, Criminal Police Bureau, and the Vilnius District Prosecutor’s Office.
Prosecutors concluded that Lebedzeva had instructed Danielius on what information to collect, focusing on Belarusian organizations in Lithuania, activists who had fled Belarus to escape persecution, their evacuation routes, as well as the training and supply chains of the Kastus Kalinouski Regiment, a group of Belarusian volunteers who are fighting against invading Russian troops in Ukraine.
Investigators also say Belarusian intelligence was interested in information about top Belarusian opposition figures residing in Lithuania, including Vilnius-based opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya.
Danielius rejected all the charges, claiming that none of them had been proven during the trial and that there were no clear evidence proving that Lebedzeva was a KGB officer.
Danielius has several previous convictions for document forgery and fraud.
Tens of thousands of Belarusians have left Belarus, mostly to Lithuania and Poland, since Lukashenka claimed a sixth presidential mandate after a flawed presidential election in 2020 and unleashed a brutal crackdown on unprecedented pro-democracy demonstrations and on opposition leaders.
With reporting by DElfi and LRT
EU Envoy Says Visa-Free Travel For Georgians May Depend On 'Free And Fair' Elections
The European Union may consider the temporary cancellation of its visa-free regime with Georgia if upcoming parliamentary elections in the country are "not free and fair," the bloc's ambassador to Tbilisi said on September 20. Georgia's relations with the West have soured in recent months, with the United States and European countries accusing the government of authoritarian and pro-Russian tendencies. "If it is deemed that the elections were not free and fair, unfortunately, we will have to use the measures that we have in our toolbox," Pawel Herczynski told reporters, adding that one of those instruments is the "cancellation of the visa-free regime with the European Union." Georgian citizens have been able to visit Europe's Schengen zone of countries without a visa for up to 90 days since 2017. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Georgian Service, click here.
- By Current Time
Ukraine Bans Telegram Use For State, Military Officials
Ukraine's National Coordination Center for Cybersecurity on September 20 banned the use of the Telegram messenger app for state officials, military personnel, and employees of key infrastructure, citing security issues. The center quoted intelligence chief Kirill Budanov as saying that there was "grounded information" about Russian intelligence's ability to access correspondence by Telegram users and their personal data. Those who use Telegram as "part of their job duties" will not be affected by the move. Last month, Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov, a native of Russia, was detained in Paris and later released on bail for alleged "complicity in the administration of an online platform to allow an illicit transaction, in an organized gang." To read the original story by Current Time, click here.
Russia Rejects Crimean Tatars' Appeals Against Sentences
Russia's Supreme Court rejected appeals filed by four Crimean Tatars against the lengthy prison terms they were handed on extremism charges they have rejected, lawyer Emil Kurbedinov said on September 20. Seitumer Seitumerov, Osman Seitumerov, Amet Suleimanov, and Rustem Seitmemetov -- all residents of Ukraine's Russian-occupied Crimea region -- were sentenced to 17, 14, 12, and 13 years in prison respectively in October 2021 for being members of Hizb ut-Tahrir, an Islamic group that is banned in Russia and listed as an extremist organization but is allowed in Ukraine. The Memorial rights group has declared the four men political prisoners. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Crimea.Realities, click here.
Bashkir Activist Who Fled Russia Allowed To Stay In U.S.
Bashkir activist Zagir Mukhamedyarov, who fled Russia fearing arrest, has been allowed to stay in the United States. The 27-year-old activist told RFE/RL on September 20 that a court in the town of Jena, Louisiana, officially granted him the status of withholding of removal, which allows him to legally stay and work in the country. Mukhamedyarov told RFE/RL earlier that he had to leave Russia amid a wave of arrests of Bashkir campaigners who had taken part in mass rallies protesting the imprisonment of activist Fail Alsynov in mid-January. Mukhamedyarov was among the protesters. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Idel.Realities, click here.
U.S. Condemns Belarusian TV For Airing 'Repentance' By Jailed American
The U.S. charge d'affaires at the embassy in Minsk on September 20 condemned a video broadcast on Belarusian state television that showed imprisoned U.S.-Belarusian citizen Yuras Zyankovich begging, likely under duress, for help from U.S. presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.
"I resolutely condemn the Belarusian regime's reprehensible depiction of a detained U.S. citizen on state media for propaganda purposes and refute the baseless claims made in the program," Peter Kaufman said in a statement.
"The regime's history of using coercive tactics to produce content like this strongly calls into question the voluntary nature of the U.S. citizen's participation," he said, adding that U.S. citizens "should not travel to Belarus and those in Belarus should depart immediately."
Zyankovich was arrested in April 2021 and sentenced to 11 years in prison in September 2022 on charges of allegedly planning to assassinate authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka and his family and seize power in the country.
In January 2022, an additional six months were added to his sentence on a charge of insulting an official.
Late on September 19, Zyankovich, who looked to have lost a significant amount of weight, appeared in a propaganda film aired by state-run Belarus-1 TV where he "repents."
Under apparent duress, Zyankovich gave details of the alleged plan to overthrow Lukashenka's government.
At the end of the film, Zyankovich makes an appeal to U.S. presidential candidates Harris and Trump, asking them to help secure his release and reunite him with his family in Houston, Texas.
Analysts said that the appeal, orchestrated by Belarusian authorities amid the release of over 100 political prisoners in recent months, appears to be part of Minsk's attempt to engage in dialogue with the West.
Zyankovich is serving his term in a prison in the eastern region of Mahilyou, notorious for its harsh treatment of political detainees.
Rights defenders said earlier this year that Zyankovich was charged with violation of the penitentiary's internal regulations and may face an additional year in prison if tried and convicted on that charge.
Human rights organizations have declared Zyankovich a political prisoner.
At Least 6 Pakistani Soldiers Killed In Overnight Attack
At least six Pakistani soldiers were killed and 10 others wounded in the restive South Waziristan area when a group of heavily armed militants attacked an army checkpoint overnight, officials said on September 20. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the assault. The South Waziristan district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province near the Afghan border is one of Pakistan's most volatile regions. The area was once controlled by Islamist militants linked to Al-Qaeda and the Afghan Taliban before they were pushed across the border in an offensive in 2014.
- By Reuters
Poland Reportedly Arrests Ex-Lawyer Of Late Russian Oligarch
Polish authorities have arrested the former lawyer of late Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky in an investigation related to attacks on Russian opposition figures, Polish radio reported on September 20. The arrest of the lawyer, identified by prosecutors only as Anatoly B, had earlier been reported by independent Russian media, Polish private radio channel RMF FM said. A spokesperson for the National Prosecutors' Office confirmed the arrest but declined to give a reason. NATO member Poland has arrested several people in recent months in connection with acts of sabotage on its territory that it says were committed on Russian orders.
Elderly Tajik Oppositionist Moved Back To Prison Despite Ill-Health, Family Says
Zubaidulloh Roziq, an 80-year-old former member of Tajikistan's banned Islamic Renaissance Party (IRPT), has been moved from a prison hospital back to jail despite his ill-health and advanced age, relatives say. Roziq's son, Hisomiddin, said on September 20 that his father, who suffers from a heart condition, was hospitalized in August. Roziq was arrested in a government clampdown on the IRPT in 2015, when the main opposition party was banned and branded a "terrorist organization." Roziq was sentenced to 25 years in prison for his alleged connection to a failed anti-government coup attempt, a charge he denies. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Tajik Service, click here.
- By Current Time
Russian Gets 6 Years In Prison Over Anti-War Posts Online
A court in Russia's western exclave of Kaliningrad sentenced a resident of the town of Svetlogorsk to six years in prison on September 19 for online posts criticizing Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The court found Andrei Lugovoi guilty of spreading false information about the Russian armed forces based on politically motivated hatred. He was also banned from administering websites for four years.
The charge stemmed from several posts by Lugovoi in 2022 on an online messenger about Russia's missile attacks on Ukrainian towns and cities that killed many civilians and alleged atrocities committed by occupying Russian soldiers against Ukrainian citizens.
Russia has denied targeting civilians in its attacks on Ukrainian cities and has repeatedly denied its forces have committed any war crimes even with mounting evidence that it has targeted hospitals, residential areas, cultural centers, and other nonmilitary installations.
Lugovoi was arrested in December 2023 after police searched his grandmother's apartment, where he was officially registered, and confiscated a laptop, two mobile phones and routers.
Lugovoi has maintained his innocence.
Dozens of Russian journalists, bloggers, and Internet users have been handed prison terms on the charge of distributing false information about Russian armed forces since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
In the weeks following the invasion, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law bills criminalizing any criticism of the Russian armed forces and the war in Ukraine.
In February, Putin signed a bill allowing for the confiscation of property and assets of individuals convicted of distributing "false" information about Russia's armed forces, calls to violate Russia's territorial integrity, calls for sanctions against Russia and its citizens, collaborating to implement decisions by international organizations Russia does not take part in, rehabilitating Nazism, and other charges related to laws adopted after Moscow launched its full-scale aggression against its neighbor.
- By Current Time
Russian Soldiers Charged With Involvement In American's Death
Russell Bentley, a Texas man who as the "Donbas Cowboy" gained notoriety for joining Russian-backed forces in eastern Ukraine, was tortured before being killed in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Donetsk, Russian authorities said.
They also said that his alleged abductors tried to cover up the death by detonating a car containing his body.
In a statement released on September 20, the Investigative Committee said four members of the Russian armed forces -- Vitaly Vansyatsky, Vladislav Agaltsev, Vladimir Bazhin, and Andrei Iordanov -- had been charged in connection with Bentley’s death in April.
Bentley, 64, was a fixture in the low-level Russian incursion in Ukraine dating back to 2014. Calling himself the Donbas Cowboy, Bentley became a popular figure on Russian propaganda networks for his criticism of the U.S. government.
Bentley, whose military call sign was Texas, went missing in Donetsk in April.
Margarita Simonyan, Russia's leading pro-Kremlin journalist and editor in chief of the state-controlled broadcaster RT, wrote on X at the time that Bentley died for "our people" in Donetsk.
The commander of the Russia-backed separatists' Vostok Battalion, Aleksandr Khodakovsky, said on Telegram then that "those who killed Russell Bentley" will face "punishment." But the message was removed from Telegram shortly after it was posted.
Bentley’s wife, Lyudmila, then claimed that Russian soldiers from a tank battalion abducted him.
According to the Investigative Committee, Vansyatsky, Agaltsev, and Iordanov tortured Bentley on April 8, and he died shortly afterward.
Vansyatsky and Agaltsev are suspected of blowing up a car with Bentley’s body in it and ordering Bazhin to get rid of what was left of his remains.
The four men have been charged with abuse of power, torture that led to a death, desecration of a body, and conspiracy to hide a body.
The Investigative Committee did not specify why the four men tortured Bentley to death, but many of his friends in Donetsk have suggested that the Texan may have been mistaken for a spy.
Bentley fought for the Vostok battalion between 2014 and 2017 and obtained Russian citizenship in 2021.
EU Chief Announces $39 Billion Loan For Ukraine Recovery
The European Commission will provide Ukraine with a new loan of up to $39 billion, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced in Kyiv on September 20, calling it "another major EU contribution to Ukraine's recovery."
"Relentless Russian attacks means Ukraine needs continued EU support," von der Leyen said in a post on X.
Speaking in a joint press conference with von der Leyen, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said his country's "victory plan" in the war against Russia depended on quick decisions being made by allies this year.
Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine
RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's full-scale invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war in Ukraine, click here.
Zelenskiy said Ukraine plans to use the funds for air defense, energy, and domestic weapons purchases.
The loan is part of a wider plan among the Group of Seven (G7) countries to raise funds to support Kyiv using proceeds from some $300 billion in Russian financial assets frozen as part of sanctions against Moscow for invading Ukraine.
After months of discussions, the European Union in May struck a deal among its member states under which 90 percent of the proceeds would go into an EU-run fund for military aid for Ukraine, with the other 10 percent going to support Kyiv in other ways.
Von der Leyen's visit to the Ukrainian capital comes a day after she announced the EU will provide an additional $178 million to help Ukraine repair damaged energy infrastructure, expand renewable energy, and finance shelters.
Ahead of the meeting with Zelenskiy, the EU chief said she was in Kyiv to discuss Europe's support to Ukraine "from winter preparedness to defense, to accession and progress on the G7 loans."
"My 8th visit to Kyiv comes as the heating season starts soon, and Russia keeps targeting energy infrastructure," von der Leyen said in a post on X early on September 20.
Zelenskiy met with top military leaders later on September 20 to discuss the deployment of Patriot missile systems to protect Ukraine's energy infrastructure in the winter.
He said the meeting covered the level of protection for energy infrastructure, the schedule for the completion of fortifications, and the placement of air defense systems, including U.S.-made Patriot systems, which are expected to be delivered "in the near future."
Earlier this week, the Paris-based International Energy Agency (IEA) warned that the coming winter could be the hardest yet for Ukraine, as the country's energy infrastructure is under significant pressure amid Russian strikes on its power plants, heating plants, and transmission networks.
"Strains that are bearable in the summer months may become unbearable when temperatures start to fall and supplies of heat and water falter, triggering further displacement of affected populations across the country and abroad," the IEA said.
Ukraine's air force said on September 20 that air defenses destroyed 61 out of 70 Russian drones and one out of four missiles launched overnight.
"The air defense system operated in Dnipropetrovsk, Kyiv, Vinnytsya, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Sumy, Poltava, Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, Khmelnytskiy, Mykolayiv, Odesa, and Kherson regions," the air force said on Telegram.
There were no immediate reports of any casualties in the latest nighttime attacks.
Officials in the Lviv region reported that falling debris caused a fire in a village and also damaged three vehicles and shattered windows in residential buildings.
"The premises of the former collective farm caught fire, which firefighters promptly extinguished," the head of the regional military administration Maksym Kozytskiy wrote on Telegram.
With reporting by dpa, AFP, and Reuters
RFE/RL's Kurmasheva Honored With Press Freedom Award
Alsu Kurmasheva, an RFE/RL journalist who was released in August in a major prisoner swap between Russia and the West, is among four reporters to be honored with the prestigious 2024 International Press Freedom Award, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has announced.
"CPJ's International Press Freedom Awardees symbolize the vital work carried out by reporters everywhere to report facts in the face of fierce attempts to suppress truth," CPJ chief executive Jodie Ginsberg said in a statement on September 19.
"In what has been a devastating year for journalists and for press freedom, it is an honor to stand with them," Ginsberg said.
Kurmasheva, 47, will receive the award in November along with the other three honorees -- Palestinian journalist Shrouq al-Aila, Guatemalan reporter Quimy de Leon, and Samira Sabou from Niger, the CPJ statement said.
Shortly after the CPJ announcement, Kurmasheva said the recognition from the media watchdog “is deeply meaningful” to her.
“CPJ played a pivotal role in advocating for my release, and for that, I am eternally grateful. I’m honored to stand alongside three remarkable journalists whose stories of courage and resilience continue to inspire me,” Kurmasheva said on September 20.
Kurmasheva, a dual Russian-U.S. citizen, was detained in June 2023 while waiting for her return flight to Prague from Kazan. Authorities confiscated both of her passports and her phone. She was released but barred from leaving the country.
After five months of waiting for a decision in her case, Kurmasheva was fined 10,000 rubles ($109) for failing to register her U.S. passport with Russian authorities.
Unable to leave Russia without her travel documents, Kurmasheva in October was arrested, jailed, and charged with being an undeclared "foreign agent."
Two months later, she was charged with spreading falsehoods about the Russian military.
In July, a court in Tatarstan's capital, Kazan, sentenced Kurmasheva to 6 1/2 years in prison.
On August 1, she was released along with two other U.S. citizens -- Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan.
Armenian Activists Want COP29 To Serve As Stage For Airing Alleged Rights Abuses In Karabakh
WASHINGTON -- Armenian activists urged members of the U.S. Congress to use the upcoming COP29 climate change conference in Baku to draw attention to alleged human rights abuses in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Six Armenian activists testified on September 19 before a congressional human rights commission, outlining numerous alleged human rights abuses by Azerbaijan, as well as steps the United States can take to further support Armenia and its people.
The hearing before the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission aimed to explore “how the United States, Congress and the Executive Branch can do more to protect Armenia,” according to Representative Chris Smith (Republican-New Jersey), co-chairman of the commission, previously known as the Congressional Human Rights Caucus.
COP29, the annual United Nations Climate Change Conference, is set to be held in the capital of Azerbaijan in November. The event, which draws national leaders from across the globe, has garnered criticism for being held in an oil-rich nation with an ever-growing list of alleged human rights violations.
During the hearing, Gegham Stepanian, a human rights defender from Nagorno-Karabakh, said Azerbaijan "is not being held accountable,” complaining that the United Nations is allowing Baku to host COP29 even with what he called “ethnic cleansing through forced displacement.”
Smith reiterated that message, expressing frustration and disappointment that the United States didn’t object to Azerbaijan hosting COP29. He said far more needs to be done regarding “clear and unmistakable human rights abuses.”
The hearing came as Armenia marked the one-year anniversary of Azerbaijan’s lightning military offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh, which led to the displacement of over 100,000 ethnic Armenians. At the time, Azerbaijan pledged equal treatment for those who fled. It has also denied accusations of ethnic cleansing.
Since then, Azerbaijan and Armenia have held negotiations on a peace treaty that the two sides earlier this month said was 80 percent complete.
Adam Smith, co-director of the Caucasus Heritage Watch, told the commission that other alleged abuses have taken place in Nagorno-Karabakh, accusing Azerbaijan of undertaking “one of the most expansive and intense examples of cultural erasures.”
According to Adam Smith, in the past year alone 14 culturally significant sites including cemeteries and churches have been destroyed, with 12 others having suffered significant damage.
Alleged human rights abuses in Nagorno-Karabakh make up only some of the violations that have led to condemnation of COP29 being held in Baku. According to Kate Watters, co-founder and executive director of Crude Accountability, an environmental and social justice organization, there are 303 political prisoners currently being held in Azerbaijan, many of whom are journalists.
Watters called on Congress to “demand the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners” in Azerbaijan.
With COP29 looming, Van Krikorian, co-chair of the Armenian Assembly of America, called on the United States to use the platform and location to highlight points that the Armenian activists have raised. He asked that the name of every political prisoner in Azerbaijan be read aloud when the U.S. delegate takes the floor at the climate conference. He also implored delegates not to stay in any hotel or other accommodation on land that had previously belonged to ethnic Armenians.
In his closing remarks to the commission, Chris Smith promised he would do everything in his power to bolster support for Armenia. He added that the international community should “pursue a war crimes tribunal” to pursue the alleged actions taken by top Azerbaijan officials in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
European Parliament Urges Serbia Not To Extradite Belarusian Activist Hnyot
The European Parliament on September 19 passed a resolution on political prisoners in Belarus that called on Serbia not to extradite Belarusian activist and journalist Andrey Hnyot (aka Andrew Gnyot).
The resolution, which was adopted 565-8 with 43 abstentions, also called on political prisoners in Belarus to be released, for the regime in Minsk to be held accountable, and for an end to the persecution of Belarusian citizens in exile.
The resolution noted the "abuse of Interpol arrest warrants to achieve extradition of political opponents from non-EU countries."
Hnyot was arrested at Belgrade's airport in late October 2023 on an Interpol warrant issued by Belarus, which has since been revoked. The arrest warrant accused Hnyot of tax evasion, a charge he denies. He has been under house arrest while awaiting Serbia's final decision on his extradition.
The European Parliament’s resolution calls on Serbia to refrain from extraditing Hnyot and for the EU and member states to monitor his case.
Hnyot says all accusations against him are false and part of the Belarusian regime’s “horrific repression against political dissidents, journalists, and activists.” He says he would be tortured if he were returned to Belarus.
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.
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.
There are more than 1,500 political prisoners in Belarusian prisons. Among them are journalists, human rights activists, and politicians.
The European Parliament resolution urged the Belarusian authorities to supply information about their situation and allow them access to lawyers, family members, and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
"The Belarusian authorities should immediately and unconditionally release all of them," members of the parliament added.
The resolution also expressed concern over the estimated 300,000 Belarusians who have been forced to leave Belarus since 2020 and now face political persecution abroad.
The resolution called on the EU and its member states to strengthen sanctions against the individuals and entities responsible for repression in Belarus and work toward holding the Lukashenka regime accountable for its crimes.
- By RFE/RL
Biden, Harris To Meet Zelenskiy At White House Next Week
U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic party's presidential nominee, will hold separate meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on September 26, the White House said in a statement on September 19. "The leaders will discuss the state of the war between Russia and Ukraine, including Ukraine's strategic planning and U.S. support for Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression," White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said in the statement. "The president and vice president will emphasize their unshakeable commitment to stand with Ukraine until it prevails in this war," she added. The Ukrainian presidency announced separately that Zelenskiy also will meet former U.S. President Donald Trump, the Republican party's presidential nominee.
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