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International Court Of Justice Rules On Kosovo Independence
Today's ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the legality of Kosovo's 2008 unilateral declaration of independence is a nonbinding, advisory opinion. Nevertheless, the case sets the stage for how the ongoing dispute over control of Kosovo is played out between Belgrade and Pristina.
Legal experts say the ruling also could have powerful implications in other regions with separatist movements.
Serbs consider Kosovo to be the birthplace of their national identity. But Belgrade lost control over the administration of the territory in 1999 when a NATO bombing campaign brought an end to a war between Serbian forces and ethnic Albanian separatists in Kosovo.
Nevertheless, when UN Security Council Resolution 1244 established an interim UN administration in Kosovo it stressed the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia while calling for eventual autonomy and self-administration for Kosovo.
Today's ruling determines the merits of Serbia's claim, filed with the ICJ in 2009, that a declaration by Kosovo's provisional ethnic Albanian leadership the previous year was a "flagrant violation" of Serbia's territorial integrity.
"First, it can decline to give the opinion, arguing that it is not appropriate to offer an answer. But I think that's unlikely," Weller says.
"Secondly, the court can define the question in a very narrow sense, in which it strictly looks at the lawfulness otherwise of the unilateral declaration of independence. There I think it would be unlikely that the court finds that these [acts] were overwhelmingly unlawful.
"Thirdly, the court could make broader pronouncements on the rights to independence and self-determination more generally. That would be the opportunity for the court to respond and clarify international law on that issue.
"However, the court as a whole is, perhaps, unlikely to make such broad statements -- although some individual judges might."
Recognizing A Quandary
Kosovo's independence already has been recognized by about 70 countries -- including the United States and many European Union member states.
But a diplomatic campaign by Serbia -- supported by Russia and China -- has led other countries to hold off recognition. Some EU members are waiting for the ICJ's ruling for guidance.
The UN court already has heard arguments from nearly 30 countries. China, Russia, and Spain -- which face separatist movements within their own territory -- argued against Kosovo's independence. The United States led those in support of independence.
James Ker-Lindsay, a professor at the London School of Economics, says that a ruling in favor of Serbia would create a difficult situation for EU countries that have already recognized Kosovo's independence.
"Although everyone says it is an advisory opinion, you can't just say that it doesn't matter. It has tremendous significance. This is a principle organ of the United Nations," Ker-Lindsay says.
"Countries such as Britain, France, Germany, and the members of the European Union have based the European Union's whole ethos on respect for international law.
Waiting To Ignore Ruling
Serbian President Boris Tadic said on July 21 that he expected the ICJ to "respect international law" and uphold the territorial integrity of Serbia. But he also indicated that a ruling against Serbia would not change Belgrade's position.
"It, first of all, implies that Albanian institutions in Kosovo wouldn't have a right to the ethnically motivated secession from Serbia. We will, of course, talk to the EU as a partner and as a country that seeks to become a an EU member," Tadic said.
"However, in conversation with our Europeans friends in last few days, I've emphasized that Serbia has its own interests that it's not going to give up, Serbia has its 'red lines.' They are very well-known: it's the territorial integrity of Serbia over Kosovo. From those principles Serbia, will never back down -- whatever the price."
Meanwhile, in Washington this week, Kosovar Prime Minister Hashim Thaci indicated that a ruling against Kosovo's declaration of independence by the UN court would not alter Pristina's position.
"I am very optimistic that the ICJ opinion will be in compliance with the reality in Kosovo and it will not be directed against anyone," Thaci said. "But regardless of the opinion of the ICJ, the independence of Kosovo remains irreversible and the freedom of my people remains eternal."
Speaking on July 20 at the Washington-based U.S. Institute for Peace, Thaci also said there was no ruling by the UN court that would bring his administration to the negotiating table with Belgrade over the status of Kosovo.
Still, Thaci maintained that Belgrade's reaction to the ICJ ruling could have destabilizing effects on the Balkans.
"I know that interesting but also dangerous ideas will come from Belgrade, not only for Kosovo but for the region in general," Thaci said. "And also for the policies of the European Union and of the United States for peace and stability in the region."
But Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic said hours before the decision was announced that a ruling in favor of Kosovo's independence would put all borders at risk because it would encourage other secessionist movements in region and around the world.
Jeremic said Belgrade remained ready for negotiations on Kosovo's final status -- insisting that Belgrade's policy is "set on a peaceful, diplomatic and political struggle to maintain the sovereignty and territorial integrity" of Serbia.
written by Ron Synovitz in Prague, with contributions from RFE/RL's Balkan Service
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Navalnaya Says She And Ukraine Have 'One Enemy' After Activists Disrupt Her Speech
Ukrainian activists on November 12 disrupted a speech by Yulia Navalnaya at an IT summit in Lisbon by setting off air-raid sirens and shouting "Stop the war" before Navalnaya said she opposes the war and told them their enemy was the same as hers.
Navalnaya was delivering her speech on Dictators and Digital Dissent at the Web Summit when several people in the audience set off the air-raid sirens in an attempt to drown out her words. They then began chanting "Stop Russia!" and "Stop the war!" in English.
The organizers of the action said its purpose was to remind the participants of the conference about the war in Ukraine and the inadmissibility of inviting citizens of the aggressor country to an international conference.
Navalnaya responded to the disruption by inviting a representative of the Ukrainian activists to come up on stage and ask a question. The activist who went to the stage asked whether she supports the war against Ukraine.
Navalnaya said she opposes the war and the regime of Russian President Vladimir Putin, telling the activists, "We have one enemy. And Ukrainians do not need to invent an enemy for themselves in the person of the Russian opposition."
Navalnaya, the wife of the late Russian corruption fighter Aleksei Navalny, said later on Telegram that she thought it was wrong to be asked if she supports Russia's war against Ukraine.
"I am fighting against Putin's regime and against the war. And I think that these are interconnected things,” she said on Telegram. “My husband, Aleksei Navalny, fought against Putin and against the war, and was killed in prison for it. He used every court hearing against him, including the one on February 24, 2022, as a platform for an anti-war speech.”
Navalnaya ally Leonid Volkov, who was also at the conference, said Navalnaya managed to finish her speech and confirmed that she invited the protesters to the stage and answered them in detail.
"After the applause, she returned to the podium and finished her speech," Volkov said on Telegram.
While in Lisbon, Navalnaya also took part in the opening of a ceremony to dedicate a plaque in memory of her husband opposite the Russian Embassy. The plaque is engraved with the words "Don't give up" -- the opposition leader's call to his comrades in case of his death.
Georgian Envoy Summoned Over PM's Comment On Moldovan Election
The charge d'affaires of the Georgian Embassy in Chisinau, David Bochorisvili, was summoned to the Moldovan Foreign Ministry on November 12 over statements made last week by Georgia’s prime minister at the summit of the European Political Community in Budapest. Moldovan authorities conveyed to Bochorisvili their "deep dissatisfaction" regarding the manner with which Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze addressed the European integration of Moldova and the electoral process in the country. The Moldovan Foreign Ministry noted in a news release “the cooperative relations and the traditional friendship” between Moldova and Georgia and said the objectives that each country has in the European integration process “must prevail." The statement did not quote the remarks that caused the government’s displeasure, but Georgian media reported that Kobakhidze referred to the votes of the Moldovan diaspora making the difference in the October 20 reelection of President Maia Sandu and the referendum on EU membership.
- By AP
U.S. Air National Guardsman Who Leaked Secrets On War In Ukraine Sentenced To 15 Years
A federal judge on November 12 sentenced a member of the U.S. Massachusetts Air National Guard to 15 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to leaking highly classified military documents about the war in Ukraine. Jack Teixeira pleaded guilty earlier this year to six counts of willful retention and transmission of national defense information under the Espionage Act. The 22-year-old showed no visible reaction as he was sentenced. Earlier in the hearing he apologized, telling the judge he was "sorry for all the harm that I brought and caused." Prosecutors had originally requested a 17-year sentence, saying Teixeira "perpetrated one of the most significant and consequential violations of the Espionage Act in American history." Defense attorneys had sought an 11-year sentence. They acknowledged that their client "made a terrible decision which he repeated over 14 months," but said Teixeira's actions were never meant to "harm the United States."
Opposition Rally Calls Georgian Election 'Artfully Faked' At Rally In Batumi
Two opposition coalitions organized a rally in the southwestern Georgian city of Batumi on November 12 to demand new elections. The coalitions Strong Georgia and the United National Movement said the rally’s slogan was "Artfully faked.” Participants held posters with phrases such as "Give me back my vote." The rally gathered near the building of the 79th District Election Commission and participants marched to the building of the Higher Election Commission. Police blocked a street along the way. Georgians have held several protests to voice their anger over the October 26 elections and call for a new vote amid allegations that Russia helped the ruling party, Georgian Dream, rig the vote.
Top UN Court Rules It Has Jurisdiction To Consider Armenia, Azerbaijan Cases
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) said on November 12 that it had jurisdiction to consider rival cases by Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.
"The Court finds that it has jurisdiction" to consider the cases filed in September 2021, a statement issued by the court said. The decision of the 17-judge panel was unanimous.
The Hague-based ICJ, the UN's top court, also ruled in favor of Armenia on two of its objections but rejected a third.
Armenia contends in its case that Azerbaijan violated the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD) and engaged in "ethnic cleansing" in the region.
Azerbaijan has denied the allegations and filed a countersuit. Baku also accused Yerevan of hate speech and "racist" propaganda.
The cases concern actions taken in Nagorno-Karabakh, a mountainous region within Azerbaijan populated mostly by ethnic Armenians. Armenia and Azerbaijan fought wars in the early 1990s and in 2020 for control of the enclave.
Baku took over the territory in September 2023 in a lightning one-day offensive that prompted nearly all of the local ethnic Armenian population of around 100,000 to flee for Armenia.
The ICJ, which rules in disputes between states, issued emergency orders in December 2021 calling on both sides to prevent the incitement and promotion of racial hatred.
It has since considered various motions filed by both countries against each other's cases. Armenia returned to the UN court in 2023 in the weeks after Nagorno-Karabakh was seized by Azerbaijan.
The court did not say when the next hearings in the rival cases would take place. A ruling on the merits of the cases is expected to take years. While the ICJ's orders are binding, the court has no mechanism for enforcing them.
Jailed Belarusian Opposition Figure Kalesnikava Reportedly Meets With Father
Belarusian opposition figure Maryya Kalesnikava briefly met her father, Alyaksandr Kalesnikau, for the first time since December 2022, former opposition blogger Raman Pratasevich announced on November 12 on Telegram.
Belarusian online outlet Nasha Niva also reported on the brief reunion, citing former political prisoners who said the location in the photo appeared to be a prison hospital. The report said it was not known whether Kalesnikava was undergoing treatment at the hospital or whether she was brought from her jail cell.
Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikahnouskaya wrote on X that she is "deeply relieved" that Kalesnikava has been allowed to meet with her father.
"She has been kept incommunicado for more than 600 days, starved & isolated from her family. Now, we must keep up the pressure to break the isolation of other political prisoners & free them all!" Tsikhanouskaya wrote.
Kalesnikava, a prominent critic of Belarusian authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka, has been in prison since September 2020. Following her kidnapping by security forces in Minsk, she was taken to the Ukrainian border, where officials attempted to expel her. Kalesnikava resisted by tearing up her passport and demanding to remain in her home country. She was subsequently detained again.
In September 2021, a Minsk court sentenced her to 11 years in prison on charges including conspiracy to seize power, calling for actions harmful to national security, and creating or managing an extremist organization. Her trial, held behind closed doors, included fellow opposition figure Maksim Znak, who was also convicted and handed a 10-year prison term.
Lukashenka said last month he might consider pardoning Kalesnikava if she requested it.
Pratasevich, once a vocal opposition blogger, was detained in May 2021 after Belarus forced a Ryanair flight carrying him to land in Minsk. He was sentenced to prison but later pardoned after cooperating with authorities.
His ties to opposition media outlet Nexta Live and the 2020 anti-Lukashenka protests brought him into conflict with the regime.
After his arrest he changed his stance, stopped criticizing Lukashenka and his government, and stated he was ready to serve as a mediator between the government officials and self-exiled Belarusians who want to return to their homeland.
School Director In Russia's Bashkortostan Fined In Feud Over Ethnic History Books
A court in Russia's Bashkortostan fined school director Svetlana Khakimova 2,000 rubles (about $20) for keeping the book Hidden History of Tatars in her school's library. The book, written by Tatar historian Vakhit Imamov and published in 1994, was banned in 2019 after a local man complained that it incited "religious and ethnic hatred" and advocated Tatarstan's independence from Russia. The court deemed Khakimova guilty of distributing extremist materials, a charge that reflects increasing scrutiny of materials on Russia's non-Russian ethnic histories. This move is part of a broader trend in Russia where authorities are closely monitoring narratives around the country's diverse ethnic groups, especially those with histories of conquest and resistance. To read the original story by RFE/RL’s Idel.Realities, click here.
- By Current Time
Bill Banning 'Childfree Propaganda' Gets Final Approval From Russian Lawmakers
Russia's State Duma passed a bill on November 12 in its second and third readings that would ban "childfree propaganda," marking the government's latest move to regulate social discourse while pushing President Vladimir Putin's "family values" agenda.
The bill now awaits approval from the Federation Council, the upper house of parliament, before Putin can sign it into law.
The legislation imposes fines for promoting the choice not to have children, with penalties reaching up to 5 million rubles ($51,150) for organizations and 400,000 rubles ($4,090) for individuals.
Russia faces a significant population decline, an issue Putin has frequently highlighted as urgent.
The government has introduced various measures to boost population growth, including financial support for families, restrictions on abortions, and tightened controls on content deemed contrary to family values, such as LGBT-related materials.
Putin has framed these efforts as essential for boosting Russia's birth rate and securing its future. Critics, however, contend that the ban reflects a broader state agenda aimed at ensuring a steady supply of "future soldiers for the Kremlin," suggesting demographic policies are aligned with military needs.
Overall, Russian casualties -- killed or wounded in action -- are believed to exceed 500,000 according to Western estimates, with more men killed over the past 32 months than in an entire decade of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in the 1980s.
The drive to outlaw the childfree movement has gained traction in recent months, with Russian officials, including Federation Council Chairwoman Valentina Matviyenko, linking the trend to "radical feminism" from the West.
Matviyenko and others argue that promoting voluntary childlessness undermines family values and worsens Russia's demographic challenges.
Meanwhile, a recent study by Russia's Higher School of Economics underscores the complexities of the demographic crisis.
Polls indicate that many Russians are delaying or opting out of having children due to factors like the war in Ukraine, political uncertainty, economic strain, and rising social anxiety.
Polish President Refuses Group Photo At COP29 Summit Due To 'Lukashenka's Presence'
Polish President Andrzej Duda has skipped the official group photo at the COP29 climate summit in Baku, with Polish broadcaster Polsat saying the decision was driven by the presence of the authoritarian ruler of Belarus, Alyaksandr Lukashenka.
Lukashenka has been condemned by many Western leaders for his repressive domestic policies and alignment with Russia.
"This is a symbolic moment of the so-called family photo, when the leaders of the countries participating in the summit stand shoulder to shoulder and pose for a joint photo. The president boycotted this moment due to the fact that the leader of Belarus, Alyaksandr Lukashenka, was also there," a source close to Duda's delegation told Polsat.
"This is a symbolic disassociation, due to, among other things, Belarus's involvement in the developments in Ukraine."
At a previous summit in Dubai, leaders from Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia similarly chose to opt out of being in a photo that included Lukashenka.
The incident underscores Poland’s position as a staunch critic of Belarus's policies and as a frontline state supporting Ukraine amid Russia's ongoing full-scale invasion.
The COP29 summit, which kicked off in the Azerbaijani capital on November 11, is a critical gathering for addressing climate change, but the event also reflects broader geopolitical divides.
Lukashenka's presence contrasts with the notable absence of major Western leaders, including U.S. President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, as well as Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
With reporting by Polsat
- By Current Time
Russian Pediatrician Gets 5 Years For Anti-War Comments To Patients
A 68-year-old Russian pediatrician has been sentenced to five years in prison on charges related to the dissemination of so-called fake news about the Russian military after a patient's mother accused her of making anti-war comments.
After the judge at the Tushino district court in Moscow on November 12 sentenced Nadezhda Buyanova, who has denied making the alleged comments, dozens of people in the courtroom shouted "Shame!" and expressed solidarity with the doctor.
The case highlights the growing trend of Russians turning in other Russians for making anti-war statements as the Kremlin's full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine nears its 33rd month.
According to OVD-Info, at least 1,057 people have faced criminal prosecution for making comments deemed to be against the war while at least 20,061 have been detained for anti-war protests.
The case against Buyanova was initiated after a complaint from Anastasia Akinshina, a Moscow mother who brought her 7-year-old son in for a checkup.
During the appointment, Buyanova allegedly noticed that the child was acting nervous.
When Akinshina explained that her son was struggling with the trauma of losing his father, a Russian soldier killed in the war in Ukraine, Buyanova is said to have referred to the deceased father as a "legitimate military target" in front of the child.
The remark, according to Akinshina, prompted her to file a complaint with law enforcement.
Buyanova has denied making any such statement and insisted that she did not discuss the military or the boy's father with Akinshina during the visit. The pediatrician maintains that she is the victim of a false accusation.
Buyanova was dismissed from her job following the complaint and has since been fighting for reinstatement. A court ruled in her favor in July, demanding that she be reinstated to her position at the medical clinic.
The case has drawn attention from human rights groups and the media, particularly due to the growing number of legal actions under Russia's "fake news" law, which has been increasingly used to silence critics of the government and its military actions related to the war in Ukraine.
Critics argue that the law is part of a broader pattern of repression designed to stifle dissent and control public discourse regarding Russia's actions in Ukraine.
- By Current Time
Russia Issues Warrant For International Criminal Court Judge
A Moscow court has issued an arrest warrant for International Criminal Court (ICC) Judge Haykel Ben Mahfoudh on a charge of "illegal incarceration."
The court said on November 11 that the charge stemmed from the ICC's issuance of arrest warrants for former Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and armed forces' Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov.
Mahfoudh and his ICC colleagues, Rosario Salvatore Aitala and Sergio Gerardo Ugalde Godinez, issued the arrest warrants for Shoigu and Gerasimov in late June for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Ukraine after the start of Russia's unprovoked invasion of its neighbor in 2022.
According to the ICC judges, Shoigu and Gerasimov were responsible for Russian missile strikes conducted between October 2022 and at least March 9, 2023, against Ukraine's energy infrastructure.
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The ICC statement issued at the time said that "the expected incidental civilian harm and damage would have been clearly excessive to the anticipated military advantage" for those who ordered the strikes.
Shoigu was dismissed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in May. He now heads Putin's Security Council.
Earlier last year, Russian authorities added Aitala, along with ICC Judge Tomoko Akane and Prosecutor Karim Khan to their wanted list after they issued arrest warrants in March 2023 for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia's children's commissioner, Maria Lvova-Belova, for being responsible for the deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia following the invasion -- a war crime under international legislation.
Russia retaliated by opening criminal cases against the ICC officials.
The ICC does not have the means to enforce its arrest warrants but relies instead on the judiciaries of its 124 members to fulfill them.
With reporting by Rapsinews and Meduza
North Korea Approves Deal With Moscow That Allows Troop Deployment
North Korea has ratified a "comprehensive strategic partnership" agreement with Russia, cementing a deal that has paved the way for its soldiers to fight on Russian soil against Ukraine.
North Korea's state-controlled news agency KCNA said on November 12 that the deal, which was agreed between Moscow and Pyongyang in June, will take full effect once both sides exchange ratified copies of the agreement.
According to reports from South Korea's Yonhap news agency, Russian President Vladimir Putin has already signed the documents.
The deployment of North Korean troops in Russia's Kursk region, which has been confirmed by U.S., NATO, South Korean, and Ukrainian intelligence, has raised concerns that it will further destabilize the Asia-Pacific region and broaden Moscow's war on Ukraine.
South Korea has raised questions about what new military technologies North Korea might get from Russia in exchange for supplying troops.
"Russia working together with North Korea, Iran, and China is not only threatening Europe, it's threatening peace and security, yes, here in Europe, but also in the Indo-Pacific and in North America," NATO Chief Mark Rutte said in Paris on November 12 ahead of talks later in the day with French President Emmanuel Macron.
Russia has had to shift some resources to the Kursk border region to respond to a Ukrainian incursion launched in August, and its forces have struggled to push back Ukrainian troops there.
The United States has estimated about 10,000 North Korean troops are in Russia now. Seoul and its allies assess that the number has increased to 11,000, while Ukraine has put the figure higher, at up to 12,000.
Moscow and Pyongyang have trumpeted their increased defense cooperation since the launch of the invasion, but the Kremlin has neither denied nor directly confirmed the presence of North Korean troops on its soil.
The bolstering of Russian forces comes at a time when it appears to be making advances in Ukraine despite incurring heavy casualties.
NATO's Rutte, in the face of the battlefield gains by Russia and the election in the United States of Donald Trump, who has been critical of how much aid the West has given to Kyiv, called for continued support of Ukraine from allies.
"We must recommit to stay the course of the war and we must do more than just keep Ukraine in the fight," Rutte said.
"We need to raise the cost for Putin and his enabling authoritarian threats by providing Ukraine with the support it needs to change the trajectory of the conflict."
Macron agreed, saying the "only way toward negotiations" was to make sure that nothing is decided about "Ukraine without the Ukrainians and on Europe without the Europeans."
Jailed Mother Of Chechen Bloggers Faces New Charges
Investigators in the Russian North Caucasus region of Chechnya have launched a new probe against Zarema Musayeva, the jailed mother of three Chechen opposition bloggers in exile. Musayeva's lawyer, Aleksandr Savin, said on November 11 that his client was being investigated for "attacking a guard" and "disrupting" order in the prison, and faced an additional five years if found guilty. The 55-year-old Musayeva, whom the Memorial rights group has recognized as a political prisoner, is was jailed on charges of fraud and attacking a police officer, which she and her supporters have rejected. Her prison sentence is scheduled to end in March 2025. Musayeva is the mother of Ibragim, Abubakar, and Baisangur Yangulbayev, all of whom fled Russia due to harassment by the Chechen authorities over their vocal criticism of Kremlin-backed Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Idel.Realities, click here.
Bashkir Activist Released From Russian Prison After Health Deteriorates
A Russian court granted the "immediate" release of ethnic Bashkir activist Rustem Mulyukov on November 12 due to his deteriorating health. The 47-year-old activist has been on dialysis due to failing kidneys since late 2023. Previous requests by his lawyers for a medical release were rejected. Mulyukov was sentenced to 30 months in prison in June 2023 along with the former chief of late opposition politician Aleksei Navalny's team in Bashkortostan, Lilia Chanysheva, who was handed a 7 1/2-year term. Both were found guilty of extremism, a charge they and rights organizations called politically motivated. Chanysheva was released in August as part of a major prisoner swap between Russia and the West. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Idel.Realities, click here.
Abkhazia Opposition Activists Released Amid Protests
Authorities in Georgia's Moscow-backed breakaway region of Abkhazia on November 12 released five opposition activists after protesters blocked all three access bridges into the capital, Sukhumi and a major highway.
The five -- Omar Smiri, Gari Kokaia, Almaskhan Ardzinba, Ramaz Jopua, and Aslan Gvaramia -- who were protesting the authorities' awarding major construction contracts to Russian companies, had been detained on November 11 following a skirmish with lawmaker Almas Akaba outside the regional assembly in Sukhumi.
The incident was recorded and posted on Telegram channels. General Prosecutor Adgur Agrba said the five were detained after they "committed illegal acts against a lawmaker in the backyard of the assembly building following an extraordinary session."
The five were accused of petty hooliganism, but the Sukhumi court stopped the proceedings against them due to the absence of an administrative offense, according to a report by journalist Eleonora Giloyan.
Aslan Bartsits, the leader of opposition party People's Unity Forum, said the activists were protesting the recently signed Investment Activity Agreement between Russia and Abkhazia, which gives Russian firms the right to invest in construction projects in the separatist region.
Telegram channel Baza, which has ties to Russia's security services, said the agreement regards the building of multifunctional complexes in Abkhazia.
News of the detention of the five, who were taken to the building of the local security service, spread rapidly on social media late on November 11, with protesters gathering outside the building and trying to ram the gates with a car before moving to the capital's Freedom Square.
All the three access bridges into Sukhumi -- Gumisti, Lower Gumisti, and Kodori -- and a highway were also blocked early in the morning by protesters demanding the activists' release.
It was not immediately clear if the protesters opened access to the bridges and the highway after the five were released. Kodori Bridge was temporarily reopened earlier in the day before being closed again by protesters, while protesters were allowing the access of public transport on Gumisti Bridge.
Telegram channels posted videos purporting to show scuffles between security forces and protesters on Kodori Bridge.
The region's health minister, Eduard Butba, claimed in a statement that ambulances "cannot freely travel to their destinations" and medical institutions had been switched to emergency mode.
Abkhazia's official news agency, Apsnipress, reported that the region's leader, Aslan Bzhania, whose residence was protected by the military, called a security council meeting due to the "situation caused by the illegal blocking of the republic's highway."
Abkhazia and South Ossetia broke away from Georgia's rule after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s.
Moscow recognized the independence of the two regions after Russian forces repelled a Georgian attempt to retake South Ossetia in a five-day war in the summer of 2008 that ended with Georgia's defeat.
Most countries still recognize Abkhazia as part of Georgia.
The Abkhazian opposition is against the construction agreement with Russia and is planning a protest on November 15, the day of the ratification of the agreement.
Kryviy Rih, Mykolayiv Declare Day Of Mourning After Deadly Russian Attacks
The Ukrainian cities of Kryviy Rih and Mykolayiv have announced a day of mourning in the aftermath of Russian strikes in recent days that killed at least nine civilians, including three children, as Moscow kept up its daily attacks on civilian and energy infrastructure at the onset of winter.
The day of mourning is to be observed on November 13 in the central city of Kryviy Rih, where a 32-year-old woman and her three children -- a 10-year-old, a 2-year-old, and a 2-month-old baby -- were killed in a missile strike that destroyed their five-story apartment building.
The four victims were pulled out of the rubble by rescue workers after an hourslong search, the city's governor, Oleksandr Vilkul, reported early on November 12. Another 14 people, including children, were wounded in the strike.
In the southern city of Mikolayiv, where at least five people were killed by a Russian strike on an apartment building on November 11, Mayor Oleksandr Syenkevych announced a day of mourning on November 12.
"Today in Mykolaiv, the day of mourning for our citizens, who died as a result of the attack of the Russian invaders on November 11, was declared," Syenkevych said on Telegram.
Ukraine Invasion: News & Analysis
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In a separate Russian strike on November 12, four people were wounded in the village of Bilenke in Donetsk, Ukraine's Emergency Services reported.
Ukraine's air force, meanwhile, reported that Russia attacked 10 Ukrainian regions -- Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Poltava, Sumy, Kharkiv, Cherkasy, Zaporizhya, Chernihiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Mykolayiv -- with missiles, glide bombs, and 110 drones.
Air defenses shot down 46 Russian drones, while 60 drones were lost after their navigation systems were jammed by Ukrainian electronic-warfare systems, the air force reported.
Russian officials said that Ukrainian drone strike early on November 12 set a fuel depot on fire in Stary Oskol, a city in Russia's Belgorod region some 100 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.
Regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Telegram that there were no immediate reports of casualties.
Separately, Russia's Defense Ministry said its air defenses shot down 13 Ukrainian drones, nine of them in Belgorod, two in Bryansk, and two in the Kursk region.
Belarusian Prankster Dupes Russian Teachers Into Wearing Tinfoil Hats To Ward Off 'Foreign Enemies'
A famous Belarusian prankster who has garnered a reputation for duping schools to highlight the “fascistization of Russian society” has tricked teachers in Russia's Voronezh region into wearing pro-Russia “protective” tinfoil hats.
Vladislav Bokhan, an exiled Belarusian artist and activist who lives in Poland, wrote on Telegram on November 9 that in July he sent out what appeared to be an official government directive to schools in the Voronezh region to organize events in which tinfoil hats bearing the Russian flag were made.
The hats, the order said, would “protect against foreign enemies.” The schools were also instructed to provide videos and images of the teachers wearing the hats to -- what they thought was -- the government.
In one video shared by Bokhan on Telegram, a teacher talks about the supposed benefits of the tinfoil hat, which the fake government order described as the “helmet of the fatherland.”
“Let the helmet that you make with your own hands become a means of protection against foreign enemies of our wonderful country,” the teacher says in the video.
Bokhan has staged several similar pranks aimed at opposing Russia's invasion of Ukraine and highlighting contradictions and hypocrisy in government rhetoric.
On Telegram, he said his latest prank was the continuation of “measuring the level of fascistization of Russian society” based on Italian historian and philosopher Umberto Eco’s renowned essay, Ur-Fascism.
Last year, Bokhan posed as a Russian lawmaker and tricked several schools into sending birthday messages to President Vladimir Putin bearing a photograph and quotes by Stepan Bandera, a World War II-era Ukrainian partisan leader who has been vilified by the Kremlin.
In 2022, Bokhan duped several Russian schools into holding marches to pay tribute to him, pretending to be a military hero serving in Ukraine.
Demonstrators were pictured holding signs saying, “Vladislav is our hero.”
Another action that Bokhan pulled off was tricking schoolteachers in a Moscow region town to participate in a municipal cleanup day carrying slogans used by Nazis at concentration camps.
COP29 Climate Conference Kicks Off, And So Does The Bickering
The 29th UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) kicked off in the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, on November 11 with hopes of making headway in the global battle to combat climate change. But it didn't take long for the proceedings to grind to a halt as bickering erupted over the meeting's agenda.
The talks hit a snag, according to several media outlets, when some countries wanted more focus on moving forward in the transition away from fossil fuels, while others, mainly oil and gas producing nations, wanted to limit talk on the COP28 agreement reached last year to mainly look at finance.
"Let's dispense with the idea that climate finance is charity," U.N. climate chief Simon Stiell said in a speech.
"An ambitious new climate finance goal is entirely in the self-interest of every nation, including the largest and wealthiest."
With the UN's World Meteorological Organization forecasting that 2015-2024 will be the hottest decade ever recorded, and extreme climate events popping up across the globe, the talks in Baku, which run until November 22, are seen as crucial for making progress before it's too late.
Clouding the talks further is last week's election of Donald Trump as U.S. president.
Trump campaigned on raising fossil fuel output in the United States, which is already at a record high.
Even the U.S. climate envoy John Podesta couldn't hide his concerns over how the incoming administration will address climate change given Trump's often-stated goal of removing the country from international climate cooperation agreements.
"For those of us dedicated to climate action, last week's outcome in the United States is obviously bitterly disappointing," Podesta said at the summit.
"But what I want to tell you today is that while the United States federal government, under Donald Trump, may put climate action on the back burner, the work to contain climate change is going to continue in the United States."
Even before the start of COP29, questions around the commitment to real progress were being asked given the choice of oil-rich Azerbaijan as host of the event.
Authoritarian President Ilham Aliyev has been chided for failing to devise and implement sufficient climate change plans at home, where he is also accused of human rights violations, including the detention of independent media figures, such as journalist and economist Farid Mehralizada, who is affiliated with RFE/RL and recently marked his fifth month in custody on charges that he and his supporters say are fabricated.
"Azerbaijan, using COP29 as a facade, is ramping up control under a false 'green' agenda, tightening its grip on power, and escalating regional tensions," Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg said in a post on X.
Thunberg led a protest in neighboring Georgia on November 11 after saying she wouldn't be attending COP29 over Azerbaijan’s climate and human rights record.
Azerbaijan has long regarded holding large-scale events as a path toward international prestige.
It hosted the Eurovision Song Contest in 2012. It has bid repeatedly, albeit unsuccessfully, to host the Summer Olympic Games and has hosted two Olympics-like events, the European Games in 2015 and the Islamic Solidarity Games in 2017. Since 2017, it has hosted the Formula One circuit’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix through downtown Baku.
But. on the streets of Baku, residents seemed unimpressed by their government's efforts to host another high-profile international event.
"COP 29 is being held because [the authorities] want to promote Azerbaijan, that is one thing. Secondly people will come and gather here and Azerbaijan's money will go [toward feeding them]," one female resident of the capital complained.
"The poor, the poor families, the families of veterans, the disabled will be left aside, they will not be supported, but COP 29 will be held here. They will spend millions [on the organization of COP 29]. Why do we need this?"
With reporting by Reuters
- By RFE/RL
EU On Way To Reach Million-Shell Pledge For Ukraine This Year, Borrell Says
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has said the bloc is on its way to belatedly fulfill a pledge to supply Ukraine with 1 million artillery shells. Borrell, who is in Kyiv, told the European Pravda news outlet on November 11 that so far the EU had delivered 980,000 shells to Kyiv. "I know that we made a commitment to reach this level by spring -- and we failed. But we will be able to [fulfill it] by the end of the year," Borrell said. "We almost did it. We have already delivered more than 980,000 shells." A separate Czech-led EU initiative launched in February aimed to buy up to 500,000 artillery shells for Ukraine from countries outside Europe until the end of the year. By October, just over one-third of the shells had been delivered to Ukraine. Russian forces outfire Ukrainian ones at a rate of 5-to-1 on the battlefield.
- By RFE/RL
Russian-American Loses Appeal Over $51 Ukraine Donation, Faces 12 Years
A Russian court in Yekaterinburg has upheld the 12-year prison sentence handed down in August to dual U.S.-Russian citizen Ksenia Karelina for treason after she was found guilty of transferring $51 to a Ukrainian aid charity in early 2022.
The Second Court of Appeal of General Jurisdiction confirmed the verdict in a statement on Telegram on November 11.
The 33-year-old Karelina, who is also known by her married surname Khavana, moved to the United States in 2015, married a U.S. citizen, and received U.S. citizenship in 2021.
She was arrested in Yekaterinburg in January on suspicion of petty hooliganism.
On February 7, however, treason charges were filed against her after investigators learned that on the second day of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, she had transferred $51 to Razom, a Ukrainian aid group that helps civilians affected by the war.
Karelina's lawyer, Mikhail Mushailov, has said his client admitted to making the donation, and that prosecutors found evidence of the donation on her mobile phone.
The U.S. State Department said after the verdict was handed down that it was aware of Karelina's case, with spokesman Vedant Patel adding that Russia "has a track record of...not recognizing their (dual nationals') American citizen status and frankly being uncooperative when it comes to...meeting their obligations under consular conventions."
Patel also noted that donating to a nonprofit, NGO, or supporting the Ukrainian cause and its people, especially on American soil, was not a crime. He also strongly condemned the Kremlin's "escalating domestic repression."
Pro-EU Rally Held In Tbilisi As President Says Ruling Party 'Captured' Georgia
Thousands of people rallied in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, on November 11 to demand fresh elections amid allegations that Russia helped the ruling party, Georgian Dream, to rig the October 26 vote.
A delegation of EU lawmakers, who had earlier met Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili, attended the rally in which protesters held up signs that read "We are Europe" and "Georgia votes for the EU."
Zurabishvili said after meeting the visiting EU delegation that the Russian-friendly Georgian Dream party had "virtually captured" all institutions and called for new elections to put the Caucasus country back on track toward Euro-Atlantic integration.
Zurabishvili spoke at a news conference in Tbilisi on November 11 after a meeting with the delegation of EU lawmakers following the disputed elections last month that Georgian Dream claimed to have won with some 54 percent of the vote amid allegations of widespread fraud and Russian influence.
Georgians have held several protests since the October 26 elections against the results and have called for a repeat of the vote as protracted deliberations at Georgia's Appeals Court failed to validate documented complaints by the opposition about violations of electoral confidentiality and violent incidents.
"We are entering a crisis," Zurabishvili, who has refused to recognize the election results, told journalists.
"There can be no surprises here, the crisis is obvious," Zurabishvili said, adding that the country needed "new elections so that Georgia can get a legitimate parliament, a legitimate government, and a legitimate new president when the time comes."
The EU delegation was formed from heads of the foreign relations committees from the parliaments of Germany, Finland, Sweden, France, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Poland.
Addressing the crowd of protesters outside the Georgian parliament on November 11, Michael Roth, chairman of the German parliament's foreign relations committee, urged the protesters to "not give up" and declared, "You have a place in Europe... we are with you."
Georgia last year obtained the coveted status of EU candidate country but backsliding on democracy and rule of law by Georgian Dream, which included pushing through a Russian-style "foreign agents" law and anti-LGBT measures, have prompted Brussels to warn that the country's path toward integration was in danger.
European Commission President Charles Michel on November 8 said that "there are serious suspicions of fraud, which require a serious investigation" after the October 26 vote.
Shalva Papuashvili, the speaker of the Georgian Dream-controlled parliament, refused to meet with the EU delegation on November 11, claiming on social media that the reason for his refusal was "the unfriendly attitude towards the Georgian government and the Georgian society that has been shown many times" by the visiting delegation's governments.
Several members of the EU delegation criticized Papuashvili's refusal to meet with them.
Lithuania's Zigimantas Pavillionis said Georgian Dream had "failed" the test on democracy, while French lawmaker Frederic Petit called Papuashvili's refusal "unexpected" and Germany's Michael Roth said it was "regrettable."
- By RFE/RL
Kremlin Denies Report Of Putin-Trump Call As 'Completely Untrue'
The Kremlin has denied media reports of a phone call between U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying that the reports were "completely false."
The Washington Post, citing sources close to Trump, reported on November 10 that Trump had spoken with Putin by phone on November 7 and discussed the war in Ukraine. It said Trump took the call in Florida a day after speaking with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
Unnamed sources quoted by the newspaper said Trump told Putin not to escalate the war in Ukraine and expressed an interest in further talks on "the resolution of Ukraine’s war soon."
Reuters also reported on the call.
"This is completely untrue. This is pure fiction, it's just false information," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the media on November 11. "There was no conversation."
Putin initially responded coolly to Trump's big election win before informally congratulating the president-elect on November 7. He praised Trump's "courage" in surviving an assassination attempt in July and said he was “ready” to speak to him.
"This is the clearest example of the quality of the information that is being published nowadays, sometimes even by quite reputable outlets," Peskov said.
Peskov added that there were "no concrete plans yet" for such a call.
Peskov also said that the Kremlin has noticed "a certain nervousness" in Europe following Trump's reelection.
On the campaign trail ahead of the November 5 election, Trump claimed he would end the war in Ukraine without offering details about how he planned to do so.
Trump has previously indicated Ukraine may have to agree to give up territory to strike a peace deal with Russia.
People familiar with the call told the Post that Kyiv had been informed of the Putin call and did not object.
However, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhiy Tikhiy on November 10 told Reuters that Kyiv had had no knowledge of a call between the two.
"Reports that the Ukrainian side was informed in advance about the alleged call are false. Accordingly, Ukraine could not approve or oppose the call," Tykhiy said.
Syrskiy Says Russians Pressing Kursk Advance As Borrell Makes Final Visit To Ukraine
Russia is massing tens of thousands of troops in Kursk, where it is attempting to regain control of the territory lost to Ukrainian forces following Kyiv's incursion into the Russian region this summer, Ukraine's top military commander said on November 11.
"Following the orders of their military leadership, they are trying to displace our troops and advance deep into the territory we control," Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskiy wrote on social media, adding, "Were it not for the resilience of our soldiers, these tens of thousands of enemies from the best Russian units would have stormed our positions."
Ukrainian forces in August launched an unexpected incursion into Kursk, which borders Ukraine, capturing several settlements and strengthening their positions in the first such deployment into Russian territory since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
According to Ukraine's military, its forces have seized control of some 1,000 square kilometers of Russian territory since August, with Moscow acknowledging that 28 settlements were under Ukrainian control.
Syrskiy on November 9 confirmed reports that thousands of North Korean soldiers were massing alongside Russian forces in Kursk likely in preparation for a counteroffensive.
Separately, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a post on Telegram on November 11 that Ukrainian forces in Kursk "continue to hold back the almost 50,000-strong enemy group outside of Ukraine."
"We have numerous data on the preparation of North Korean soldiers to participate in combat on the side of Russian troops," Syrskiy wrote on Facebook following a telephone conversation with General Christopher Cavoli, who heads the U.S. European Command. He said he told Cavoli that the situation "remains challenging and shows signs of escalation."
On the same day, the EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell traveled to Kyiv in what is the first visit by a senior Western official to Ukraine since Donald Trump won the U.S. presidential election last week.
Trump and his allies have suggested that Ukraine may have to cede territory to Russia to secure a peace deal and end the war.
"Certainly it would not be a victory for the American leadership if Ukraine crumbles down and Putin wins the war," Borrell told the AFP news agency on his last visit to Ukraine before leaving office. His trip appeared to be aimed at allaying concerns in Kyiv about whether it still has the EU's backing irrespective of the outcome of the U.S. election.
Ukraine's outmanned and outgunned forces in the east have been facing a grinding Russian offensive that has been making incremental progress despite huge losses on Moscow's side.
According to an estimate by Britain's Chief of the Defense Staff Tony Radakin, an average of some 1,500 Russian soldiers were killed or injured per day in October -- Russia's worst month for casualties since the beginning of the invasion.
WATCH: At least five people were killed in a Russian strike on a residential building in the southern city of Mikolayiv, while seven people, including two children, were hurt in a strike in Kriviy Rih.
Meanwhile, Russia was continuing to pound Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure at the onset of the cold season -- a third winter of war for Ukraine's civilian population that in previous years faced energy shortages.
Ukraine Invasion: News & Analysis
RFE/RL's Ukraine Live Briefing gives you the latest developments on Russia's invasion, Western military aid, the plight of civilians, and territorial control maps. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.
In the southern city of Mikolayiv, at least five people were killed In a Russian strike on a residential building early on November 11, regional Governor Vitaliy Kim said. The mayor of the city, Oleksandr Syenkevych, said Russian strikes damaged residential buildings in several areas of the city.
In another southern city, Zaporizhzhya, one person was killed and 21 others, including a 4-year-old boy and four teenagers, were wounded in three Russian strikes, regional Governor Ivan Fedorov reported, adding that a residential building and a school dormitory were damaged in the attack.
Blasts were also heard in Kyiv, and areas of the Ukrainian capital were left without power early on November 11. Ukraine's air force declared an air-raid alert for the whole territory of Ukraine early on November 11.
The air force said its air defenses shot down 39 out of 74 drones launched by Russia at nine regions -- Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Poltava, Sumy, Cherkasy, Zaporizhzhya, Chernihiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Mykolayiv.
It said that 30 Russian drones were lost after being jammed by Ukrainian electronic-warfare systems.
Moldova Blasts 'Aggressive' Russian Drone Incursion On Its Territory
Moldova's Foreign Ministry has condemnd Russia's "aggressive" actions after two Russian drones entered Moldovan airspace and crashed on its territory on November 10. One of the drones was found by police in Borosenii Noi, a village in northern Moldova some 45 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, while the other one was located in the southern village of Firladeni, 40 kilometers from the border with Ukraine. Both were "decoy" drones used to mislead Ukrainian air defenses during attacks. "We firmly condemn these aggressive incursions and reiterate our condemnation of Russia's brutal war against Ukraine," the ministry said in a statement. Russia's Foreign Ministry "categorically" rejected the accusation, saying there was no evidence to back up the Moldovan claims. At least 15 incidents involving Russian drones have been documented by Moldova since the start of Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Moldovan Service, click here.
- By RFE/RL
Report: Trump Tells Putin In Call Not To Escalate War With Ukraine
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone and discussed the war in Ukraine, the Washington Post reported on November 10, citing sources close to Trump.
The Post said Trump took the call in Florida on November 7, a day after speaking with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
Unnamed sources quoted by the Post said Trump told Putin not to escalate the war in Ukraine and expressed an interest in further talks on “the resolution of Ukraine’s war soon.”
Putin initially responded coolly to Trump’s big election win before informally congratulating the president-elect on November 7. He praised Trump’s “courage” in surviving an assassination attempt in July and said he was “ready” to speak to him.
People familiar with the call told the Post that Kyiv had been informed of the Putin call and did not object.
U.S., Russian, and Ukrainian officials have not commented on the report.
On the campaign trail ahead of the November 5 election, Trump claimed he would end the war in Ukraine without offering details about how he planned to do so.
Putin said in September he would like to see U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris beat Trump in the election, but observers argue that was likely part of the Kremlin’s efforts to avoid giving the impression that Putin was hoping Trump would win.
Trump has previously indicated Ukraine may have to agree to give up territory to strike a peace deal with Russia. In the same vein, Trump ally Bryan Lanza told the BBC on November 9 that the focus of Trump's government will be achieving peace in Ukraine and not enabling Kyiv to regain territory occupied by Russia.
The Washington Post report on the call came hours after Zelenskiy said Russia had fired 145 drones at Ukraine overnight, the most in any single nighttime attack since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Ukraine also launched dozens of drones targeting the Russian capital, Moscow, forcing the temporary closure of three airports on November 10.
Russian forces have been making advances in recent weeks, with Moscow saying on November 10 that it had captured the town of Voltchenka in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region.
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