Meanwhile...
And here's another item from our news desk that will be of interest to Ukraine-watchers:
U.S. Energy Department Rejects Call For Secretary Perry To Testify In Impeachment Inquiry
U.S. House Of Representatives investigators have called Energy Secretary Rick Perry to testify in the impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump, but his agency quickly said that Perry would not appear.
"The secretary will not partake in a secret star chamber inquisition where agency counsel is forbidden to be present," spokeswoman Shaylyn Hynes said in a statement on November 1.
An official working on the inquiry earlier told U.S. media that Perry had been asked to appear on November 6.
The White House has ordered current officials not to appear before the Democratic-led investigators, calling the probe illegitimate, although some have done so after receiving congressional subpoenas.
Trump on October 17 said Perry -- a key player in the controversy over Trump's dealings with Ukraine -- would soon step down from his position, and he has named a potential replacement.
Investigators have asked Perry to provide documents related to a Ukrainian state-owned oil and gas conglomerate, Naftogaz, as well as his involvement in a July 25 call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that has become the center of the inquiry.
House Democrats are holding hearings that could lead to the impeachment of Trump over his action to withhold military aid to Ukraine at the same time that he pressed Kyiv to conduct investigations of Democrats and potential 2020 rival Joe Biden, the former U.S. vice president.
Democrats accuse the president of abusing his power to ask another country to interfere in the U.S. political process. Trump denies he did anything wrong.
Based on reporting by Reuters, The Wall Street Journal, and AP
Good morning. We'll get the live blog started this weekend with an item posted overnight by our news desk in Washington.
HRW Says Russia Conscripting Men In Crimea In 'Grave Breach' Of International Law
Human Rights Watch (HRW) says Russian authorities are continuing to conscript men in occupied Crimea to serve in the Russian armed forces in violation of international law.
"As an occupying power, Russia not only has no right to conscript people in Crimea, but its draft is blatantly violating international law," Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement on November 1.
"Doubling down on this violation, Russian authorities are also pressing criminal charges against people who refuse to serve in its armed forces."
"Under the Fourth Geneva Convention, to which Russia is a party, an occupying power may not compel residents of the occupied territory to serve in its armed or auxiliary forces. It also explicitly prohibits any 'pressure or propaganda which aims at securing voluntary enlistment,'" the New York-based rights watchdog said.
"These prohibitions are absolute, and their violation is a grave breach of the conventions."
Russia seized control of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and quickly annexed the region in a move not recognized by the international community. Moscow has also backed separatist fighters in eastern Ukraine in a war that has killed more than 13,000 people since April 2014.
HRW said occupation authorities have imposed criminal penalties against those who refuse to comply with the draft, with the numbers of men being punished increasing over the years.
"Russia should immediately cease these practices, release Crimeans who have been forced to serve in the Russian forces, and abide by its obligations as an occupying power," it said.
The rights watchdog said it reviewed dozens of judgments from courts in Crimea relating to alleged criminal draft-evasion cases and identified 63 guilty verdicts since 2017.
"The true number of such cases is most likely higher,” it said, “as not all cases and judgments have been made public."
It said that in most cases, men were fined between 5,000 and 60,000 rubles ($77 to $1,000).
Overall, since Russia occupied Crimea, authorities have conscripted 18,000-18,900 men there, HRW said, citing estimates based on data provided by Russia's Defense Ministry.
For the fall 2019 campaign, Russian authorities plan to enlist a total of 135,000 men, including about 2,600 from Crimea, HRW said.
The rights group said that, since 2016, Russian authorities have been sending conscripts from Crimea to serve at military bases throughout Russia.
The Ukrainian government has repeatedly protested Russia’s conscription actions in Crimea.
We are now closing the live blog for today, but we'll be back again tomorrow morning to follow all the latest developments. Until then, you can keep up with all our other Ukraine coverage here.
Before we go, however, we'll leave you with this photo story written by RFE/RL's Amos Chapple, which is bound to be of interest to regular Ukraine-watchers:
