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A Confident Putin Reports To Russian Duma On Crisis Measures
In an hour-long report to lawmakers -- his first appearance before the Duma since he was confirmed as prime minister last May -- Putin said the crisis must not divert the government from its previously stated long-term goals. He said that government measures to shore up the banking system had protected the savings of citizens and prompted banks to begin lending again.
Putin tried to maintain an optimistic tone, projecting confidence that the government, the Central Bank, and all levels of executive-branch authority in the country were monitoring events closely and were capable of responding effectively.
"What have been the main results of our immediate anticrisis measures? We have managed to avoid the worst possible development scenarios," Putin said. "As much as possible, the blows of the crisis have been softened. The economy has demonstrated its ability not simply to survive, but to develop in these new, less favorable circumstances."
Not everyone was convinced. Following Putin's speech, Communist Party faction leader Gennady Zyuganov called for the resignations of several cabinet members, particularly that of Finance Minister Aleksei Kudrin.
Building 'A More Effective Economy'
But Putin betrayed no lack of faith in his cabinet, and remained focused both on overcoming the crisis and strengthening the economy. While admitting that "2009 will be very hard for us," he said the recently issued budget and anticrisis program "reflect our position, our understanding of a responsible and deeply realistic socioeconomic policy.
"What is the heart of it? Securing the optimal combination of anticrisis measures and long-term projects," he added. "The goal is not only to defend ourselves, but to attack, to build a new, more effective economy."
Putin said that he is frequently asked whether Russia could have avoided the crisis, and responded that such thinking is "an illusion."
"The problems did not arise here and were not our fault -- that is obvious. No one will dispute that," he added. "But they have affected almost everyone, including Russia."
The prime minister spent the early part of his presentation lauding the economic results of the early part of 2008 and said the crisis would have been much worse if not for the policies pursued during his presidency, including paying down foreign debt and building up hard-currency reserves.
President Dmitry Medvedev, during a major address last November, proposed that the prime minister appear annually before the Duma and answer lawmakers' questions. Since then, the constitution has been amended to mandate such a report.
Putin conceded that accounting before lawmakers during the crisis was inconvenient, but said he welcomed the innovation as a step in the country's political development.
"I am sincerely glad that we are meeting today and not only because we will be able to discuss the country's problems and how to resolve questions of its development in an absolutely open and constructive atmosphere, but also because today we, together, are beginning a new tradition -- the report of the government before the parliament of Russia," Putin said. "This is yet another step forward in the development of our political system."
However, the Duma is dominated by the Unified Russia party that Putin heads, so the encounter was cordial and relaxed. The four factions represented in the Duma -- Unified Russia, A Just Russia, the Communist Party, and the Liberal Democratic Party -- were each allowed to submit three written questions in advance. Putin said that he addressed all of them during the course of his speech.
In addition, each faction was allowed to ask three oral questions following the prime minister's presentation. But even there, the questions were notably timid.
The special legislative session was attended by the entire cabinet and many regional executive-branch heads.
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Zelenskiy Signs Law Banning Russian Orthodox Church In Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has signed into law legislation banning religious organizations linked to the Russian Orthodox Church from operating in Ukraine.
The move was announced on the parliament’s website on August 24 as Ukraine celebrated its Independence Day.
Zelenskiy commented on his signing the law, one of several pieces of legislation targeting Russia that he signed on August 24, during a recorded video address to the nation.
The Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) is "today taking a step toward liberation from Moscow's devils," Zelenskiy said.
The OCU, which is aligned with Kyiv, was granted independence from the Moscow Patriarchate by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople in 2019, the leading voice in the Orthodox world.
The OCU officially severed all ties with the Moscow Patriarchate in 2023 due to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The Russian-linked Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) saw its standing diminish and role questioned by the Ukrainian authorities following the split and invasion.
Adoption of the law, which was passed by parliament earlier this month, is considered a watershed moment in Ukraine, where Orthodox Christianity has been riven for decades in large part over the influence of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, is a vocal supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin and of the war against Ukraine.
Since the start of the full-scale invasion, the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) has searched key churches and monasteries and opened dozens of criminal investigations into UOC clerics. Some senior UOC figures have been sanctioned by presidential decrees, including the abbot of Kyiv's ancient Monastery of the Caves, Metropolitan Pavlo.
In June, Ukraine handed over Metropolitan Ionafan -- a UOC diocese head who was sentenced to five years in prison after being convicted of supporting the Russian invasion -- to Russia in a prisoner swap. He was received with honors by Patriarch Kirill.
A May 2024 survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology found that about 82 percent of respondents said they do not trust the UOC, and 63 percent said it should be banned entirely.
The law signed by Zelenskiy on August 24 is to go into effect 30 days after its publication. Among other things it stipulates that the Russian Orthodox Church cannot be the owner or participant of legal entities registered in Russia. Religious communities in Ukraine will have nine months to break ties with Russian-linked entities.
The UOC has said it has no administrative ties with foreign religious organizations.
Patriarch Kirill on August 24 responded to the law by calling on other Christian religious leaders and international organizations to “raise their voices in defense of persecuted believers.”
Also on August 24, Ukraine ratified a statute that paves the way for Ukraine to join the International Criminal Court, which has issued arrest warrants for several Russian officials including President Vladimir Putin over war crimes against Ukrainian civilians.
Zelenskiy also signed a law that allows foreigner who fight in the Ukrainian Army against Russia the right to gain Ukrainian citizenship.
3 Killed, Including 2 Children, 18 Wounded In Bomb Blast In Pakistan's Southwest
Three people, including two children, were killed and 17 others, including two police officers, were wounded in a bomb blast in Pishin, a district in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, a police official told RFE/RL’s Radio Mashaal.
"An improvised explosive device (IED) was fitted onto a motorcycle in Pishin city on the morning of August 24 where two children were killed and 12 people sustained injuries," Muhibullah Kakar, the head of district police station told Radio Mashaal immediately after the incident.
Pishin is locate some 55 kilometers north of Quetta, the capital city of restive Balochistan Province.
The medical superintendent of the District Headquarter Hospital in Pishin, Wakeel Sherani, told Radio Mashaal that his hospital received two dead bodies and 18 wounded people, including three women.
"Seventeen of those wounded were referred to Quetta Civil Hospital for further treatment," Sherani added. Two of the wounded people are in critical condition, medical officials said.
They added later that one of the three women succumbed to her injuries.
No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack. Police have begun an investigation into the incident but have not arrested any suspects so far.
Militant attacks have recently increased in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and southwestern Balochistan provinces.
Balochistan is a mineral-rich province that borders both Afghanistan and Iran and is regularly targeted by Islamist militants, sectarian groups, and Baluch separatists fighting for independence.
The Baluch Liberation Army, a Baluch militant group, and its "special force" Majid Brigade have recently intensified attacks on Pakistani military bases and Chinese nationals in Balochistan.
Pakistan's National Counterterrorism Authority (NACTA) on July 31 added Hafiz Gul Bahadur and the Majid Brigade to its list of terrorist organizations, raising the number of Pakistani groups on the list to 81.
The Hafiz Gul Bahadur militant group is active in the tribal areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Bulgarian Teachers Say They Face Threats For Opposing Anti-LGBT 'Propaganda In School' Law
VARNA, Bulgaria -- Teachers in Bulgaria say they are facing threats for signing a petition opposing recently passed legislation banning “LGBT propaganda” in schools and point the finger of blame at the far-right Revival party, initiator of the widely criticized controversial law.
The leader of Revival, Kostadin Kostadinov, said on August 22 that he would file a report with the Prosecutor’s Office about educators who have voiced opposition to the law.
The law, passed on August 7 in parliament with the backing of pro-European parties, sparked protests in Sofia and elsewhere in the largely conservative Balkan country of some 6.5 million people.
The amendment to the country's education code prohibits the "propaganda, promotion, or incitement" of LGBT "ideas and views" in schools, without specifying further details.
The pro-Western reformist We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria (PP-DB) coalition is still hoping to gather support in the National Assembly, Bulgaria's unicameral parliament, to repeal the legislation.
Critics said the law is nearly identical to the Russian anti-LGBT propaganda law adopted in 2012 and the Hungarian anti-LGBT propaganda law adopted in 2021, both of which have been deemed by various international stakeholders and institutions as incompatible with international and European human rights standards.
Bulgaria is one of the few countries in the European Union that does not give equal civil rights to people of differing sexual orientations. Last year, the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg obliged Bulgaria to create a legal framework to recognize same-sex relationships, an obligation with which Sofia has not yet complied.
The LGBT community and supporters in Bulgaria often face verbal as well as physical threats and attack, including the 2021 targeting of an LGBT center in Sofia.
Some 460 teachers and other specialists in the educational field signed a petition to demand the amended law to be scrapped. About 20 from the Black Sea resort of Varna said they were targeted by the local branch of the Revival party, including on Facebook.
Martin Stoyanov, a school psychologist in Varna, said a teacher in the Black Sea town had contacted him late one night recently on Viber, expressing fears over the recent threats.
"At some point we're becoming a country where it's dangerous to express your opinion," Stoyanov told RFE/RL’s Bulgarian Service.
The Facebook post on August 21 on the account linked to the Varna branch of the Revival party included what it termed a "black list" of local educators who had signed the petition -- including Stoyanov -- against the newly amended law, referring to them as "parasites."
A day later, Kostadinov, long a controversial figure and spreader of pro-Kremlin disinformation, said he would hand over to the Prosecutor's Office the names of some 800 teachers he claimed were "criminals" who "want to push homosexual propaganda."
The threatened teachers in Varna have received much support.
The mayor of Varna, Blagomir Kotsev, voiced his support in a Facebook post on August 22, urging them to be brave and to personally contact him if they are threatened.
Pavel Popov, Varna’s deputy mayor who is also in charge of educational matters, told RFE/RL that Revival was calling for "repressive actions against Bulgarian teachers."
"Bulgarian teachers cannot be talked about in this way," said Stella Nikolova, a member of the National Assembly from Varna and a member of the PP-DB bloc in a Facebook post on August 22.
"We demand that all institutions take action to protect citizens' rights and to be held accountable for the fascist methods by which a political power operates," Nikolova wrote.
The Revival party did not respond to request by RFE/RL’s Bulgarian Service for comment.
Several petitions have been launched condemning the vaguely worded changes to education code. One that garnered the signatures of nearly 460 teachers and educators was spearheaded by Boris Iliev, a teacher of Bulgarian literature and language at the National Science and Mathematics High School in Sofia.
"We have authentic arguments against the changes because our work depends on this law," Iliev told RFE/RL.
"When I saw the threats made against colleagues, I was extremely worried," Iliev added.
Denislava Nikolaeva said she was shocked when the name of her son’s teacher appeared on the Revival posting.
"We are collapsing as a society," Denislava told RFE/RL.
Kyiv, Moscow Swap Prisoners As Ukraine Marks Independence Day
As Ukraine marks 33 years of independence on August 24, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has announced that 115 Ukrainian prisoners were released in a swap with Russia.
"Another 115 of our defenders have returned home today. They are warriors from the National Guard, the Armed Forces, the Navy, and the State Border Guard Service," Zelenskiy said in a message on X.
"We remember everyone. We are searching for them and making every effort to bring them all back," he said.
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.
Some of the released Ukrainian prisoners spoke to RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service from a location Ukrainian authorities requested not be disclosed.
Ihor, who provided only his first name, said he was captured while serving as a conscript in National Guard Unit 3057, part of the Ukrainian forces that defended the city of Mariupol and surrendered to Russia in May 2022.
According to a Ukrainian governmental body that oversees the treatment of prisoners of war, 82 of the freed Ukrainian soldiers had fought in Mariupol.
"They led us out of the prison cell at 5 a.m. There were no words, no explanation. They took us to the office and gave us our uniforms to put them on. Then they took us somewhere in cars," Ihor said. "No one told us whether that was a simple transfer to another prison or a prisoner swap. We arrived at an air base and were put on a plane. The plane arrived at another air base. More than 100 of us gathered there. Only then we understood that this was a prisoner swap."
Andriy, another freed soldier who gave only his first name, said he served in the same National Guard unit.
"I kept dreaming about it all the time in captivity -- that I'll be back on August 24," said Andriy, who struggled to answer in Ukrainian because he had become accustomed to speaking Russian while in captivity. "It's a feeling beyond description."
Zelenskiy, referring to Russian troops who have been taken prisoner during Ukraine's ongoing incursion into Russia's Kursk region that started on August 6, said in his post on X that "I am grateful to each unit that replenishes our exchange fund.”
Ukraine previously said that Russian soldiers taken prisoner in Kursk would be used as an "exchange fund" to release Ukrainian troops from Russian captivity.
Separately, Russia's Defense Ministry said it received 115 of its own troops, who had been captured in the Kursk region, in exchange for the same number of Ukrainian war prisoners.
It said the prisoner exchange was mediated by the United Arab Emirates.
Zelenskiy also highlighted the heroic resistance of his people in the face of Russia's unprovoked invasion in remarks dedicated to Ukraine's Independence Day on August 24 -- a day that also marked the somber milestone of 30 months of war.
"Independence is in every one of us. And united, we can win.... We withstood, restrained, and repulsed the enemy, and now we are pushing it in its swamps. We know what independence is, how difficult it is to revive it, how difficult it is to protect. But we also know that everything depends on us," he said.
No festivities or parades are scheduled, with many Ukrainians preferring to mark 33 years of independence by honoring those killed in the war.
Ukraine says its incursion in Russia's border region of Kursk -- which took Moscow by surprise, shocked Russia's ruling elites, and brought more than 1,260 square kilometers and 92 settlements under its control -- is meant to establish a buffer zone that will put an end to Moscow's incessant shelling of Ukrainian civilian areas and infrastructure from across the border.
Ukraine's leadership has repeatedly clarified the move is not aimed at gaining territory, unlike Russia's full-scale invasion that started on February 24, 2022, exactly 2 1/2 years ago.
"There must be a strong border between us and the enemy, and no walls between Ukrainians, because Ukraine is in each and every one of us," Zelenskiy said in his message recorded symbolically in the northeastern border town of Sumy, close to where Ukrainian forces crossed into Russia on August 6.
"Those who sought to turn our lands into a buffer zone should now worry that their own country doesn't become a buffer federation," he said. "This is how independence responds."
Zelenskiy also indirectly warned Russian President Vladimir Putin that his war was doomed to fail, saying that "the sick grandfather from the Red Square...will not dictate his red lines to us."
"How we live, what path we follow, and what choices we make -- only Ukraine and Ukrainians will determine those for themselves. Because that's how independence works," he added.
As Ukraine's incursion into Kursk continues, Russia is pressing an offensive in Ukraine's eastern region of Donetsk aimed at capturing the regional hub of Pokrovsk.
Ukrainian soldiers fighting in the east celebrated Independence Day with guns in their hands. Some of them shared their thoughts about the meaning of independence with RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service.
Denys, an officer with the 93rd Mechanized Brigade, said his generation bears a responsibility to preserve Ukraine's independence for their children's future.
"The cowardice of parents leads to their children's slavery. We are fighting so our children do not turn into slaves," Denys said.
"Freedom is when you can breathe freely without a whip above you," Vitaliy, a soldier with the 93rd Mechanized Brigade, told RFE/RL.
"Right now, independence means freedom from [Russians], ending this war, peaceful skies above us, and saving children from dying," Vitaliy added.
"For me, independence is about saving our country and not letting the war pass on to our children," said Roman, an officer from the 100th Mechanized Brigade.
General Oleksandr Syrskiy, who was promoted from colonel general to general on August 24, highlighted the sacrifices of Ukrainian soldiers in defending the country's independence in a post on Telegram.
"We defended our independence from the first days of war -- when we burned enemy columns, defended Kyiv, liberated Kharkiv region, and raised our flag over Kherson and Snake Island. The fight for our independence continues -- in Pokrovsk, Toretsk, Kharkiv, and other directions where our soldiers stop and destroy the enemy's overwhelming force," said Syrskiy.
Russian shelling killed five people and wounded five others on August 24 in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kostyantynivka, Ukraine's prosecutor general said.
"As a result of this enemy attack five residents -- three men and two women -- suffered fatal injuries," the prosecutor said in a statement.
Ukraine, whose civilian and energy infrastructure has been battered by Russian drone strikes for years, has in turn been targeting in recent months oil and fuel facilities inside Russia that work for the military.
In the most recent strike, Ukrainian drones early on August 24 set an ammunition depot on fire in the Ostrogozhsk district of Russia's Voronezh region.
Regional Governor Aleksandr Gusev said on Telegram that the fire was started by falling drone debris and caused ammunition to explode. He said there were no casualties.
Ostrogozhsk also houses a training center for armored vehicle operators.
The Belgorod region was also attacked by drones at night, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov reported, adding that two people were wounded.
Russia's Defense Ministry said five drones were downed over Voronezh and one each over the Belgorod and Bryansk regions.
RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service correspondent Roman Pahulych contributed to this report.
- By AFP
Meta Blocks Iran-Linked Hackers On WhatsApp, Warns U.S. Campaigns
Meta says it has warned U.S. presidential campaigns to be wary after it discovered an Iran-linked hacking attempt using the WhatsApp messaging service. The announcement is the latest from a tech giant of hacking threats ahead of the November election between Vice President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump, after Google and Microsoft earlier uncovered similar attempts attributed to Iran.WhatsApp accounts linked to an Iranian "threat actor" sent messages pretending to be technical support for AOL, Google, Yahoo, or Microsoft, according to a Meta blog post. Accounts involved in what appeared to be "social engineering" were blocked, Meta said.
- By Current Time
After Public Outcry, Russia Launches Probe Into Suicide Of Bullied Teen Athlete
Russia's Investigative Committee said on August 23 that it launched an investigation into the death by suicide of teen athlete Ksenia Cheponova, which she apparently carried out as a result of a bullying over her ethnicity. The noted 17-year-old sambo wrestler's body was found on August 17 in Novosibirsk, where she studied at a sports college. Before her death, Cheponova left a message on Telegram saying she was tired of being humiliated for her ethnicity. Amid the public outcry that followed, the acting governor of the Altai region, Andrei Turchak, asked Investigative Committee chief Aleksandr Bastrykin to investigate Cheponova's death. Altais are Turkic-speaking indigenous people of Siberia. To read the original story by Current Time, click here.
Baku Court Sends Political Analyst Bahruz Samadov To Pretrial Detention
A Baku court on August 23 sent Azerbaijani political analyst Bahruz Samadov to pretrial detention for at least four months on a high treason charge, which he rejects. Samadov, a doctoral student at Charles University in Prague, was detained a day earlier. Police told Samadov's grandmother her grandson was suspected of illegal drugs-related activities. Later, a lawyer called and told her Samadov "is being accused of treason." Samadov has been critical of Baku's military offensives in 2020 and 2024 that ended with Azerbaijan regaining control over the then mostly ethnic Armenian-populated breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service, click here.
- By RFE/RL
Biden Voices 'Unwavering' Support For Ukraine With New U.S. Aid Package
U.S. President Joe Biden reiterated America’s "unwavering support for the people of Ukraine" in a phone call with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on August 23, the eve of Ukraine's Independence Day.
Biden made the comments in a statement that also announced a new package of military aid for Ukraine that includes air-defense missiles, equipment to counter drones, anti-armor missiles, and ammunition.
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.
News reports quoting an unidentified U.S. official said the package is worth $125 million, although the White House statement didn't provide a figure.
Earlier on August 23, the United States announced new sanctions on nearly 400 entities and individuals who Washington says are enabling Russia's illegal war and supploying Russian military industries.
"These actions build on a series of historic steps we have taken with our Allies and partners over the last few months to support Ukraine -- from transferring F-16 fighter jets, to committing to deliver hundreds of air defense interceptors over the next year, to quickly surging security assistance to the frontlines following the passing of our National Security Bill," Biden said in the statement.
Zelenskiy said Ukraine is in critical need of the new U.S. military aid, especially air defense, Zelenskiy's office said.
Zelenskiy earlier on August 23 urged his country's Western partners to deliver promised military support, saying in his evening address that on the front lines "we fight with shells and equipment, not with words like 'tomorrow' or 'soon.'"
Ukraine is waiting for packages with weapons or equipment "that have been announced and decided upon but not yet delivered," he said.
Biden praised Ukraine for repelling "Russia's vicious onslaught" and remaining "unbowed in the face of Russia's heinous war crimes and atrocities." Day after day, he said, Ukrainians "have defended the values that unite people across both of our nations and around the world -- including independence."
Biden also reiterated that the United States and its allies and partners "will continue to stand with [Ukraine] every step of the way." He said that "when the war began, Ukraine was a free country. It still is today and will be when the war ends."
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the estimated amount of the U.S. aid package.
- By Reuters
U.S. Sanctions Hundreds Of Targets In Effort To Cripple Kremlin's Military Production
The United States on August 23 added nearly 400 individuals and entities in and outside of Russia to its sanctions list as part of the U.S. effort to disrupt Russia's international supply chains, metal procurement, and financial services that support its war effort in Ukraine.
The U.S. Treasury Department said the move was building on sanctions already imposed on Russia in response to its full-scale war in Ukraine and were aimed at distinct networks, individuals, and entities whose products and services enable Russia to sustain the war and evade sanctions.
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.
"Russia has turned its economy into a tool in service of the Kremlin’s military industrial complex," Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo said in a news release. The treasury's "actions today continue to implement the commitments made by President [Joe] Biden and his G7 counterparts to disrupt Russia's military-industrial base supply chains and payment channels."
The sanctions target numerous transnational networks, the department said. Among them are those allegedly involved in procuring ammunition and military materiel for Russia, facilitating sanctions evasion for Russian oligarchs through offshore trust and corporate formation services, laundering gold for a sanctioned Russian gold company, and supporting Russia's military-industrial base by procuring sensitive and critical items such as advanced machinery tools and electronic components.
The list of companies designated for new sanctions includes 60 Russian-based defense and technology firms "critical for the sustainment and development of Russia's defense industry," it added.
Adeyemo added that companies, financial institutions, and governments around the world "need to ensure they are not supporting Russia’s military-industrial supply chains."
The department warned that foreign regulators and financial institutions "should be cautious" about any dealings with overseas branches or subsidiaries of Russian financial institutions and noted it is is aware of Russian efforts "to facilitate sanctions evasion by opening new overseas branches and subsidiaries of Russian financial institutions."
The sweeping action targets networks, individuals, and entities across 16 jurisdictions, including in China, Switzerland, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates.
The measures against companies in China alone are aimed at 190 targets, according to a State Department fact sheet outlining its sanctions.
Washington has repeatedly warned Beijing over its support for Russia's defense industrial base and has already issued hundreds of sanctions aimed at restricting Moscow's ability to exploit certain technologies for military purposes.
The sanctions, which freeze any assets held by those targeted in U.S. jurisdiction and bar them from dealings with people in the United States, were announced parallel to an announcement by the U.S. Commerce Department saying it was taking "aggressive action" to further restrict the supply of items made in the United States to both Russia and Belarus, due to "the Kremlin's illegal war on Ukraine."
In addition, the U.S. State Department said it was targeting entities and individuals involved in Russia’s future energy, metals, and mining production as well as sanctions evasion and Russia’s military-industrial base. It also is targeting subsidiaries of Russia's state atomic energy corporation Rosatom and "malign actors involved in the attempted, forcible 're-education' of Ukraine's children."
The U.S. government also added 123 entities to its U.S. export control list known as the Entity List that forces suppliers to obtain licenses before shipping to targeted companies. The companies -- 63 Russian and 42 Chinese as well as 18 from other countries -- were targeted for a host of reasons from sending U.S. electronics to Russian military-related parties to producing thousands of Shahed-136 drones for Russia to use in Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy thanked the United States for the "additional strong sanctions" saying on X they would further weaken Russia's ability to "wage an aggressive war against Ukraine."
"Pressure on the aggressor must be maintained and increased constantly as long as Russia continues its aggression," Zelenskiy added.
11 Confirmed Dead In Migrant Boat Accident In River Between Serbia And Bosnia
The number of dead in the sinking of a migrant boat on the Drina River on the border between Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia has risen to 11, including a 9-month-old baby.
The search for more bodies continued on August 23 after the 11th body was pulled from the river. Rescuers found 18 people alive, including three children, who managed to reach the riverbank, Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said on August 22.
Boris Trninic, director of Republika Srpska's Civil Protection Service, confirmed to RFE/RL that the migrant boat capsized near the town of Tegara in the municipality of Bratunac during an illegal crossing from Serbia to Bosnia.
Witness Milica Avdalovic told RFE/RL she was awakened between 4 and 5 a.m. local time on August 22 by the sound of a barking dog.
"Screams were coming from the Drina. We thought at first it was some young people there, but the dog continued to bark uncontrollably. I went out the window and noticed people trying to swim toward the shore," she said.
Then she saw a man asking for help. He indicated there were women and children in danger and said they were on a boat that sank with 25 people on board.
Zlatan Simic, commander of the local fire and rescue unit, said the search was still ongoing on August 23.
"We are on the water, starting the search from the point where the accident occurred, and the riverbed is being searched again in the hope that we will find the rest [of the victims]," he said, adding that rescuers do not know the number of people who were on the boat.
The survivors have been receiving humanitarian aid, said Nihad Suljic, a volunteer with the NGO SOS Balkan Route. Some will be admitted to a reception center in Sarajevo and then returned to Serbia.
Suljic said children whose parents drowned were sent to a center in Belgrade.
Bosnian police said efforts are under way to identify and apprehend the smugglers responsible for the tragedy.
Serbia lies on the so-called Balkan migration route to Western Europe. Migrants fleeing wars and poverty in Africa and the Middle East often fall prey to people smugglers who promise to illegally take them across borders in their quest to reach Western Europe.
Moscow Orthodox Priest Defrocked Over Prayers For Reconciliation With Ukraine
Russian Patriarch Kirill on August 23 enforced the decision to defrock Orthodox priest Andrei Kudrin over his prayers for reconciliation between Russians and Ukrainians. Orthodox priests across Russia have been under orders since late 2022 to pray for "Holy Russia's victory." Kudrin served as a clergyman at the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God in Moscow's Bibirevo district. In April, Patriarch Kirill issued a decree banning Kudrin from service. On July 12, the Moscow Diocesan Court ruled to defrock him for "perjury," saying Kudrin failed to comply with the instructions of the hierarchy. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here.
Hostage-Taking Crisis In Russian Prison Ends With 8 Dead
The Russian National Guard said its snipers killed four hostage-takers when security forces stormed a prison in the southwestern region of Volgograd after knife-wielding prisoners reportedly launched a deadly attack on guards and held some staff hostage.
The Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) said in a statement that four prison guards died on August 23 after four inmates took eight guards and four other inmates hostage at the correctional colony No. 19 in the town of Surovikino in the Volgograd region.
"The perpetrators inflicted stabbing wounds of various types on four prison employees, three of whom died. The other four, who resisted, were hospitalized, and one of them died in hospital," the FSIN's statement said, adding that four other inmates also were wounded in the hostage-taking crisis.
Media reports as the incident began said several people died when the hostage-taking took place while a disciplinary commission was in the penitentiary.
Telegram channels close to the penitentiary service issued a video showing four inmates who called themselves "Islamic State fighters" wielding knives and standing next to three bodies in FSIN uniforms and another uniformed person who was injured.
One Telegram channel identified the four inmates as two men from Uzbekistan and two from Tajikistan, three of whom are serving terms for illegal drugs and one for inflicting serious damage to a person’s health. That information has not been confirmed officially.
In another video, an inmate states that prison guards "had violated Muslims' rights."
"We killed those who humiliated and tortured Muslims. They took away books from some of us, prayer rugs from some of us. So, we did the same to them. No mercy," the man in the video says.
The reports are likely to further exacerbate the xenophobic aftermath of the worst attack inside Russia since 2004, which left 145 people dead after gunmen stormed the Crocus City Hall concert venue outside Moscow on March 22. Ten Tajiks have thus far been arrested in Russia in connection with the attack claimed by the Islamic State group, including four accused of being the gunmen.
The Baza Telegram channel, which is close to law enforcement structures, reported that the prison’s warden Andrei Devyatov was hospitalized with wounds after he and four other hostages, including an inmate, managed to escape.
In another video, an inmate urges Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet the hostage-takers' demands and says he needs a doctor. Putin said in televised remarks that he had been briefed on the situation by the head of the FSIN.
One video shows four inmates standing next to a black banner with an Arabic inscription on it, chanting "Allahu Akbar!" ("God is great!"), while one of them holds a uniformed man.
Media reports say riot police units are deployed near the prison and the imam of the Volgograd region had arrived at the site to hold talks with the hostage-takers.
This is the second hostage-taking event in a Russian penitentiary this summer.
In June, several inmates took hostages at a detention center in the city of Rostov-on-Don. Russian officials said at the time that the hostage-takers were members of Islamic State. Five hostage-takers were killed and two hostages wounded during that crisis.
Another incident occurred in the mainly Muslim region of Daghestan, where at least 20 people were killed in shootings in two cities in the southern Russian area.
Russian Court Hands Prison Terms To 5 Participants In Last Year's Anti-Jewish Unrest In Daghestan
A court in Russia's Krasnodar region said on August 23 that it had handed prison sentences to the first group of participants in anti-Jewish mob unrest in the North Caucasus region of Daghestan in October 2023.
Three men -- Anvarbek Atayev, Islam Ibragimov, and Salik Ramazanov -- were sentenced to 6 years and four months in prison each, while another defendant, Magomed Omaraskhabov, was sentenced to 6 1/2 years.
The four were found guilty of taking part in mass unrest. A fifth defendant, Rabadan Radzhabov, was also convicted of attacking a police officer and sentenced to nine years in prison.
The court concluded that the defendants’ actions at the airport in Makhachkala airport had been based on "ethnic and religious hatred," adding that their actions blocked the operations of the airport for a significant period of time.
The five men had pleaded not guilty.
The violence occurred on October 29, 2023, when hundreds of protesters, angry over the situation surrounding the ongoing war between Israel and the extremist group Hamas, which has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union, broke through doors and barriers at the airport to get access to a plane that landed from Tel Aviv.
They stopped passengers who arrived from Israel, checking their ethnicity and citizenship by demanding that they show their passports.
In all, some 1,500 people took part in the unrest, with 136 of them subsequently being charged with participating in a riot and attacking law enforcement officers.
The Daghestani Prosecutor-General's Office said at the time that some 30 police officers were attacked while trying to restore order at the airport, some of whom sustained serious injuries.
The Kremlin blamed the unrest on "outside interference" and without showing any evidence accused Ukraine of involvement, which Kyiv rejected.
The Middle East conflict broke out after Hamas militants stormed Israel on October 7, killing hundreds of people and taking more than 200 hostage. Israel retaliated with a military campaign against Gaza, leading to the deaths of thousands of people and the destruction of much of the Gaza Strip.
India's Modi Calls For Peace During Historic Visit To Ukraine
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 23 again called for peace as he met with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy during a historic first visit to Kyiv as the war triggered by Russia's unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine neared the two-and-a-half-year mark.
Modi, who arrived by train from Poland, sat down for talks with Zelenskiy after both men visited a memorial exhibition in Kyiv dedicated to the children killed during the war.
"We have stayed away from the war with great conviction. This does not mean that we were indifferent," Modi, seated alongside Zelenskiy, said in remarks to the media posted on his X account.
"From day one, we were not neutral. We have taken one side, and we stand firmly for peace."
Modi did not elaborate on his vision for a peaceful resolution of the war, which was started by Russia, traditionally India's ally.
India came under fire from some Western countries after he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow last month, which coincided with a deadly Russian missile attack on a children's hospital in Kyiv that elicited harsh international condemnation.
The United States was particularly concerned with Modi’s two-day visit to Russia as it sees New Delhi as an important pillar in its strategy to contain an ascendant China.
Zelenskiy at the time had harsh words for Modi's trip, too, saying it was a "huge disappointment and a devastating blow to peace efforts to see the leader of the world's largest democracy hug the world's most bloody criminal in Moscow on such a day."
Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine
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On August 23, Modi offered his country's humanitarian support for war-wracked Ukraine.
"Whatever help is required from a humanitarian standpoint, India will always stand with you and will go above and beyond to support you," Modi said.
Zelenskiy did not make any remarks, but posted a message on X accompanied by a video of him and Modi visiting the exhibition commemorating children who have died in the war.
"Today in Kyiv, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and I honored the memory of the children whose lives were taken by Russian aggression. Children in every country deserve to live in safety. We must make this possible,"Zelenskiy said in his message.
Modi's trip is the first by an Indian leader to Kyiv since the countries established bilateral relations more than 30 years ago. He has said he plans to also discuss "deepening the India-Ukraine friendship."
In comments to Reuters, Zelenskiy's presidential aide Mykhaylo Podolyak said Modi's visit to Kyiv was significant because New Delhi "really has a certain influence" over Moscow.
"It's extremely important for us to effectively build relations with such countries, to explain to them what the correct end to the war is -- and that it is also in their interests," Podolyak said.
Meanwhile in Washington, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin met with Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh at the Pentagon.
Austin noted the countries' increased defense cooperation, including efforts to strengthen critical supply chains and interoperability between their militaries.
"We share a vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific, and our defense cooperation continues to grow stronger and stronger," Austin said in a news release. "We're expanding our defense industrial ties and working to coproduce more capabilities and strengthen supply chain resilience."
He highlighted India's participation in the recent Rim of the Pacific military exercise led by the U.S. Navy in Hawaii that brought together 29 partner nations.
"The Indian Navy remains an important security provider in the Indian Ocean," Austin said, adding the U.S. is committed to deepening naval cooperation and "doing more together with unmanned technology, and to strengthening undersea domain awareness."
Singh said the growing U.S.-India cooperation covers "all areas of human endeavor." He noted robust ties between Indians and Americans and shared democratic values and interests on a range of issues.
Human Rights Foundation Submits Case Of Imprisoned Kazakh Activist To UN Special Procedures
The New York-based Human Rights Foundation (HRF) said on August 22 that it had filed a submission with the Special Procedures division of the UN Human Rights Council on behalf of Marat Zhylanbaev, the imprisoned leader of the unregistered Algha Qazaqstan (Forward Kazakhstan) political party.
Zhylanbaev, a noted human rights activist and athlete, was arrested in May 2023 and initially sentenced to 20 days in jail for holding a picket two months earlier to demand the release of political prisoners and to ask Western nations to impose sanctions on Kazakh officials for "helping" Russia evade sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine.
Zhylanbaev was later remanded in custody on charges of taking part in a banned group's activities and financing an extremist organization.
In late November 2023, a court in Astana found Zhylanbaev guilty and sentenced him to seven years in prison while also banning him from engaging in social and political activities.
In June 2024, the Supreme Court of Kazakhstan rejected Zhylanbaev's appeal against his incarceration.
Investigators say the activities of Zhylanbaev and his followers were coordinated by the fugitive critic of the Kazakh government, Mukhtar Ablyazov, whose Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan (DVK) movement was labeled as extremist and banned in the country in March 2018. Zhylanbaev is also accused of transferring money to supporters of DVK twice.
Zhylanbaev rejects the charges against him, calling them politically motivated.
"Kazakhstan failed to release Mr. Zhylanbaev when his pretrial detention was set to end in July 2023 and held him in a cell with a convicted individual while awaiting trial. His closed trial took place before a tightly controlled judiciary, and all but one of his requests to call witnesses was denied. His detention cannot be justified under these circumstances," HRF International Legal Associate Kaitie Holland said.
"The Kazakh regime has demonstrated a pattern of suppressing dissent by consistently classifying the opposition as 'extremist.'"
HRF asked UN Special Procedures to investigate Zhylanbaev's case and called on Kazakhstan to release him immediately.
CIA Chief Meets With Kurti At End Of Kosovo Visit
CIA Director William Burns held talks on August 23 in Pristina with Prime Minister Albin Kurti before concluding his two-day visit in Kosovo, the Kosovar government said in a statement.
Kurti thanked Burns for Washington's continuous support for Kosovo and voiced Pristina's dedication to deepening bilateral cooperation while reaffirming his country's unwavering commitment to democracy, rule-of-law, and Euro-Atlantic integration, the statement said, calling Burns' visit "historic."
On August 22, Burns met with Kosovar President Vjosa Osmani and the head of Kosovo's Intelligence Agency (KIA), Petrit Ajeti, according to a Facebook post by Osmani, who wrote on August 23 that her country's alliance with the United States was "a guarantee of security, peace and success.”
Burns, who arrived in Kosovo after reported stops earlier this week in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Bulgaria, and North Macedonia during an unannounced tour amid concerns about U.S. relations with Kosovo and Russian influence in the Balkans, did not make any comment at the end of his visit.
According to the flight-tracking website Flightradar24, a U.S. military plane believed to be used to fly the CIA chief made stops in those countries although his tour was not confirmed officially by U.S. authorities.
Burns' visit to Kosovo follows concerns about the partnership between the United States and Kosovo, especially regarding the government's handling of issues related to the country's Serb minority.
In an interview last week with RFE/RL's Kosovo Service, U.S. Ambassador to Kosovo Jeffrey Hovenier said the U.S. administration had been "challenged" by Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti and his government and the “quality of our partnership is not what we would hope it would be on some of these issues."
The U.S. State Department has urged Kurti to return to "constructive and close engagement" with Washington, the European Union, and NATO.
Due to security concerns, the United States is also urging Kosovo not to reopen a bridge in Mitrovica which divides the northern city into an Albanian-majority southern side and a Serb-majority northern side,.
China and Belarus Sign Free Trade Deal, Other Agreements On Security And Energy
Sanctions-hit Belarus has announced that it will sign a free trade deal with China for services and investment, as well as agreements to strengthen cooperation in security, energy, and finance.
The new pact was announced in a joint statement released on August 23, a day after a visit by Chinese Premier Li Qiang to Minsk where he met with Belarusian Prime Minister Raman Halouchanka and authoritarian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka, and promised to deepen cooperation to improve industrial supply chains and reduce costs.
“One of them can definitely be called historic -- an agreement on the creation of a free trade zone for services and investment,” the statement quoted Lukashenka as saying about the agreements.
Belarus said that the trade deal would create “transparent and predictable rules,” which would help the country’s economy by increasing its exports to China by at least 12 percent and boosting Chinese investment into Belarus by 30 percent in the next five years.
Speaking with Li, who arrived in Minsk after a multiday visit to Moscow, Lukashenka said he wanted to see a “large influx of Chinese technology” into Belarus over the coming years -- a move that could signal an increasing reliance on Beijing for trade and economic growth moving forward.
China is already Belarus’s second-largest trading partner after Russia, with the state-run China Daily saying that bilateral trade surpassed $8.4 billion in 2023.
Belarus has been one of Russia's closest allies following its 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, providing logistical support and air bases for the war and recently deployed Russian tactical nuclear weapons on its territory.
But while Minsk still relies heavily on Moscow for political and financial support, it has also looked to balance that dependence with closer ties with Beijing.
That need for diversification has grown in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine with Moscow directing its political and economic resources toward the war.
Cut off from Brussels in 2020 following a crackdown triggered by his disputed reelection that the opposition and the West denounced as rigged, Lukashenka has courted China for loans, investment, and, increasingly, military and political support.
In July, Belarus became the 10th member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and also hosted Chinese troops for joint military exercises in the western part of the country, some 5 kilometers from the Polish border.
Once an active investor in Belarus for infrastructure, manufacturing, and technology ventures, China had not offered a new project or loan to Minsk since 2019 and seemed to have stepped back from the country amid its domestic crisis, which cut Lukashenka off politically from the European Union and made him a less appealing economic partner for Beijing.
But despite the years of limited economic engagement, Beijing and Minsk have maintained close political ties, which have now led to Lukashenka securing fresh Chinese investment.
Among the various agreements included in the series of deals, five industrial projects totaling $1 billion are set to be launched and 12 more industrial projects worth $2 billion are under approval, according to the joint statement.
Theagreements signed also plan to set up closer cooperation between Belarus and Chinese provincial governments in Chongqing and Shaanxi.
Exiled Iranian Director 'Happy' After Germany Submits Film For International Oscar
Germany’s decision to select Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof’s latest movie to represent the country in the 2025 Oscars in the international feature category shows that Iranian independent cinema is making strides, the director has told RFE/RL's Radio Farda.
Rasoulof’s The Seed Of The Sacred Fig was selected by an independent jury of experts from among 13 submissions, according to German Films, which represents German cinema interests abroad.
In a brief message to Radio Farda on August 22, the Golden Bear-winning director said he was “happy” for various reasons.
“First of all, the voice of Iranian independent cinema appears to be on a new path,” said Rasoulof, who fled Iran earlier this year.
“Secondly, the movie offers a picture close to the reality about the women's protests in Iran,” he added, referring to the ‘Women, Life, Freedom’ protests in 2022.
The protests were sparked by the death in morality-police custody of Mahsa Amini, a young Kurdish-Iranian woman who was detained for allegedly flaunting the country’s strict dress code for women.
The unrest lasted for months, with rights groups estimating that more than 500 protesters were killed as security forces clamped down on the demonstrations.
Rasoulof said he was also happy because the movie’s submission as Germany’s hope for the Oscars was a recognition of the efforts and hardships endured by the cast and crew of the film in Iran.
“This highlights the efforts of a group that tried to be an honest narrator of the truth despite the restrictions,” he said.
Rasoulof revealed in May that he had fled Iran after being informed that he had been sentenced to eight years in prison and flogging on security-related charges.
An outspoken critic of the Iranian establishment’s crackdown on protests, Rasoulof was convicted of “collusion to act against national security.”
The cast and crew of The Seed Of The Sacred Fig had been under pressure by the Iranian authorities to pull the movie from the Cannes Film Festival.
Rasoulof attended the festival after leaving Iran, receiving a 12-minute standing ovation after the screening of his film. The movie won multiple awards at Cannes, including the Competition's Special Jury Prize and the Prix Francois Chalais for Best Film.
The film tells the story of an Iranian judge struggling with paranoia. His mistrust intensifies after his gun goes missing amid growing nationwide protests. He suspects his wife and daughters of stealing his weapon and imposes heavy restrictions at home.
Rasoulof won the Golden Bear -- the Berlin Film Festival’s top prize -- in 2020 for his film There Is No Evil, which tells four stories loosely connected to the themes of the death penalty in Iran and personal freedoms under oppression. He was barred by Tehran from travelling to Germany to receive his award.
Burning Oil Depot In Russia's Rostov Region Struck Again, Reports Say
An oil depot in Russia's Rostov region, which has been on fire for several days following a Ukrainian drone strike, was hit again on August 23, Russian telegram channels report. There was no immediate confirmation from Russian or Ukrainian authorities about the alleged second strike on Proletarsk. A Ukrainian drone attack on August 18 set fire to some 20 diesel fuel tanks with an estimated volume of 5,000 cubic meters of fuel each. The reported targets of the August 23 strike were kerosene tanks, which had escaped the first strike undamaged. It was not immediately clear if the strike was successful. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, click here.
Memorial To Founders Of Wagner Mercenary Group Appears In Siberia On Anniversary Of Their Deaths
Large portraits of Yevgeny Prigozhin and Dmitry Utkin, the deceased founders of Russia's Wagner mercenary group, appeared in Narym park in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk on August 23, the first anniversary of their deaths in a suspicious plane crash. A makeshift memorial erected near the portraits includes two flags with Wagner symbols. Prigozhin's forces launched a rebellion in June 2023 and briefly took control of the city of Rostov-on-Don. Many believe the plane crash two months later was orchestrated by the Kremlin in retaliation. The Kremlin has denied the assertion and no evidence to back up the claim has been found. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Siberia.Realities, click here.
Arrest Warrant Issued For Navalny LIVE YouTube Channel Producer
A Moscow court on August 23 issued an arrest warrant for Nina Volokhonskaya, a producer at the Navalny LIVE YouTube channel who is currently outside of Russia. In mid-August, Volokhonskaya was added to Russia's wanted list for allegedly taking part in the activities of an extremist group. Late Russian opposition politician Aleksei Navalny's organizations and projects were labeled as extremist and banned in Russia in June 2021. If arrested and convicted, Volokhonskaya faces up to six years in prison. Outspoken Kremlin critic Navalny died in February in an Arctic prison. His associates and supporters blame President Vladimir Putin for his death. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here.
- By RFE/RL
Iran Claims To Have Arrested 14 Members of Islamic State-Khorasan
Iran’s Intelligence Ministry said in a statement on August 23 that its agents had arrested 14 members of Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K), which is a branch of the IS militant group based in Afghanistan, the semiofficial ISNA news agency reported. It did not specify when the arrests occurred but said all 14 had entered Iran illegally and “planned to carry out terrorist operations.” Seven suspects were arrested in the southern Fars Province while the rest were apprehended in the northern provinces of Tehran and Alborz, and Khuzestan Province in the southwest. In January, IS-K claimed a deadly twin bombing in southern Iran that killed 95 people.
4 Children Among 6 Dead In Fire In Serbia's Novi Sad
Six people, including four children aged 2 and 7, died in a fire overnight in Novi Sad, Serbia's second-largest city, Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said on August 23. The fire, which broke out in the Salajka neighborhood of Novi Sad, appears to have been caused by a scooter, which had been left connected to the electricity grid, Dacic said. "We assume the victims are members of the family that lived at that address," said Dacic. Police and prosecutors opened an investigation after the fire was put out by the city's fire brigade.
- By RFE/RL
Ukraine Repels Fresh Wave Of Russian Drone Strikes, Air Force Says
Ukrainian air defense systems shot down 14 out of 16 attack drones that Russia launched overnight at four of its regions, Ukraine's air force said early on August 23. "Antiaircraft systems operated in the Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Poltava, and Sumy regions," it said on Telegram, adding that two Russian drones were "lost on location" and it was not clear whether they were destroyed. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damages. Russia's Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said its air defenses downed four Ukrainian drones over the Kursk region and three over the Belgorod region. It did not mention any casualties or damage.
- By Pamir Sahill
Gang Kills 11 Police Officers In Restive Pakistani Region
As many as 11 policemen have been killed and 10 others injured in an August 22 ambush by robbers in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab Province, one of the deadliest attacks against law enforcement in the restive region in recent times.
The robbers, armed with rocket-propelled grenades and guns, attacked the officers while the two vehicles they were traveling in stopped along the road after one experienced mechanical problems, the police said.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack and ordered "immediate and effective action" against the bandits. Maryam Nawaz, the Punjab Chief Minister, said in a statement that the attack “will not go unavenged.”
The ambush comes three weeks after six police officers from Punjab and Sindh provinces were killed by robbers in two separate attacks in the region on July 31.
The riverine region along the border of Punjab and southeastern Sindh Province is considered a no-go zone for citizens, and law enforcement agencies do not have much control of it.
The area, a combination of forests and uncultivated land owned by the state, is spread out over hundreds of square kilometers on both sides of the Indus river.
Armed bandits have been present there for many years, engaging in kidnapping for ransom, extortion, and murder. Police and other law enforcement agencies began operations to combat their activities in 2021.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, a non-governmental, independent body, said in its fact-finding report last year that at least "300 cases of kidnapping for ransom were registered" in 2022. The robbers make an estimated 1 billion Pakistani rupees ($3,580,400) a year from their illegal activities.
Experts believe that local influential politicians and landlords are behind the gangs as they seek to profit from the land.
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