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Russia Says Talks Under Way To Include Aleppo In Syria's 'Regime Of Calm'
Russia said on May 1 that talks are under way to include Syria's Aleppo province in a temporary cease-fire.
"At present, there is an active negotiation process taking place to establish a regime of calm also in Aleppo Province," said General Sergei Kuralenko, the head of Russia's cease-fire monitoring center in Syria.
His comments indicated a shift in Moscow's position a day after Russia said it would not urge Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces to halt aerial bombings on Aleppo, saying they were targeting jihadist groups not covered by the cease-fire that took effect in late February.
More than a week of fighting in Aleppo has killed several hundred civilians and darkened the prospects of a UN-backed peace process.
The Syrian army announced a "regime of calm" late on April 29 in the province of Latakia and the Damascus suburbs.
Aleppo, Syria's largest city, was excluded from the plan, and heavy fighting continued in the city.
The Syrian army confirmed a Russian announcement on May 1 that a "regime of calm" around Damascus has been extended for another 24 hours, but did not mention Aleppo, state television reported.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry was to arrive in Geneva on May 1 to discuss Syria with his counterparts from Jordan and Saudi Arabia, and with Staffan de Mistura, the UN special envoy for Syria. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was not expected to be in Geneva.
In separate April 30 calls to De Mistura and the lead Syrian opposition negotiator, Kerry voiced "deep concern" about Aleppo. He made clear that ending the violence in the war-ravaged city is a priority, State Department spokesman John Kirby said.
Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, and Interfax
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EU Widens Sanctions On Iran For Supporting Russia's War On Ukraine
The EU has widened its sanctions against Iran over the country's support of the Kremlin in its war against Ukraine, the European Commission said on November 18, targeting firms, ports, and individuals involved in the transfer of ballistic missiles and drones to Russia for use on the battlefield.
Included in the new sanctions are the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) -- which will see its assets frozen -- and measures targeting the activities of Iranian ports on the Caspian Sea linked to listed entities and individuals.
The EU said it decided to "widen the scope of the EU framework for restrictive measures in view of Iran's military support to Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and to armed groups and entities in the Middle East and the Red Sea region."
It said the new measures target "the use of vessels and ports for the transfer of Iranian-made unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), missiles, and related technologies and components."
The United States, Britain, France, and Germany have accused Iran of sending ballistic missiles and related technology to Russia for use against Ukraine, sparking consultations among European allies on the matter.
Ali Safaei, chief of Iran's Ports and Maritime Organization, rejected the "European accusations," calling them "baseless," according to the state-run IRNA news agency.
"It is regrettable that some delegations, including the U.S., have once again disseminated false and misleading information to advance their political agendas," Safaei said.
The IRISL headlined the list of the newly sanctioned entities.
"IRISL is Iran's national maritime carrier, and for years its ships have been involved in shipping drones on behalf of the EU-listed Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy," the EU said.
IRISL director Mohammad Reza Khiabani is also targeted in the sanctions.
The measures include "access to facilities of the ports and locks, such as Amirabad and Anzali, and the provision of any services to vessels," it said, adding that exceptions will be made for vessels in need of assistance for safety for humanitarian purposes.
The EU also listed three Russian shipping companies -- MG Flot, VTS Broker, and Arapax -- whose vessels are involved in transporting Iranian-made weapons and ammunition, including UAV components, across the Caspian Sea to resupply Russian troops fighting in Ukraine.
The November 18 announcement is a continuing of a wide-ranging strategy by the West of targeting Iranian entities and individuals over rights abuses, aid to extremist allies and proxies in the region, and weapons transfer.
EU foreign ministers on October 14 approved new sanctions against seven individuals and seven entities linked to Iran after Kyiv's Western allies accused Tehran of sending ballistic missiles to Russia to aid in its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Those sanctions, first reported in an exclusive by Radio Farda, targeted companies and individuals accused of being involved in the transfer of the weapons to Russia, including the country's flagship carrier Iran Air, as well as airlines Saha Airlines and Mahan Air.
Those targeted are subject to an asset freeze and travel ban to the European Union. Additionally, the provision of funds or economic resources, directly or indirectly, with those listed is prohibited.
Iran Air has direct flights to several cities in Europe, including Frankfurt, Hamburg, Cologne, Paris, and Milan.
Overall, the EU said sanctions have been imposed on 227 individuals and 42 entities in Iran in response to "human rights abuses, nuclear proliferation activities, and military support for Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine."
- By Current Time
Two Russians Jailed For Damaging Memorial To Ukraine War Dead
A Moscow court on November 18 sentenced Daniil Golikov, 28, and Andrei Kozlovsky, 26, to 2 1/2 and three years in a "colony settlement" for vandalizing an informal memorial to participants in the war in Ukraine.
A colony settlement is a less restrictive form of imprisonment near an industrial facility, where convicts work alongside other convicts and regular employees.
The Tver district court found the men guilty of vandalism and destroying memorial structures commemorating those killed in Ukraine.
The charges stemmed from an incident on March 11, when Golikov and Kozlovsky scattered flowers and damaged items at a makeshift memorial in Moscow dedicated to "all those who died during the Russian Spring and Special Military Operation"-- the Kremlin's official term for its invasion of Ukraine.
According to investigators, the men caused damage worth 55,730 rubles ($557), including the destruction of wreaths, flower vases, and artificial carnations. The memorial honored members of the Wagner mercenary group killed in Ukraine.
A 40-second video, shared on pro-war Telegram channels and used as evidence in court, showed one of the men kicking a flower vase. The prosecution presented expert studies claiming the memorial had cultural and historical significance.
Golikov and Kozlovsky pleaded guilty, apologized, and paid restitution. They claimed to have been drunk and unable to recall the events.
The case highlights Russia's growing trend of memorializing soldiers killed in Ukraine through plaques, the renaming of streets, and other dedications.
Historian Maksim Kuzakhmetov noted this is unprecedented, even compared to Stalin-era practices, arguing that the government uses "fallen heroes" to justify the full-scale invasion of Ukraine launched in February 2022.
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Kosovo Coach Backs Players After Walkout In Romania
The coach of the Kosovo men’s national soccer team has given his backing to his players after they left the field during a recent game in Bucharest against Romania.
The players walked off the field in extra time on November 15 amid chants from home fans of "Serbia," from which Kosovo seceded back in 2008.
The Kosovo team walked off for the same reason during a match between the two teams in September 2023 but eventually returned.
UEFA, European soccer's governing body, is due to issue a ruling on the matter. Romania could be declared 3-0 winners of the Nations League match. It was 0-0 at the time the match was abandoned.
Franco Foda, Kosovo's manager, said in comments published on November 18 that any UEFA ruling was secondary to backing his players.
"It's all about our message that this kind of thing has no place in the stadium. It's about respectful cooperation, that's more important than the result," Foda told the German soccer magazine Kicker.
He said Romanian players tried to calm down the fans but that the atmosphere did not change and there were also no official announcements in the stadium.
"As a German, I am the coach in Kosovo and I accept the culture. I understand them and my players, so I am 100 percent behind this decision," Foda said.
"The most important thing is to treat each other with respect. And that respect was no longer there after, what I was told, was chanted there."
The Kosovar players headed for the dressing room in the 92nd minute with the game heading for a goalless draw after some spectators chanted, "Serbia! Serbia!" during a scuffle between Kosovo captain Amir Rrahmani and Romanian striker Denis Alibec.
The Football Federation of Kosovo on November 16 warned that it will submit a complaint to UEFA for what it said were "provocations and racist behavior" of Romanian fans during the match.
Rrahmani said that Romanian fans chanted, "Serbia, Serbia," and, "Kosovo is Serbia," and that he had informed Danish referee Morten Krogh "at least three times" that his team would leave the field.
The Romanian team remained on the pitch for about an hour before the referee decided to abandon the match after the Kosovar players refused to return.
Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008 and has been recognized by more than 100 countries, but not Romania and other four EU states -- Spain, Cyprus, Greece, and Slovakia.
The Romanian Gendarmerie said 13 spectators were fined after the game and another nine were banned from entering a sports competition for a period of up to one year.
The game is not the first one between the two teams to be marred by incidents.
During a previous game in Bucharest in September 2023, Romanian fans shouted chants at Kosovo players and unfurled a huge banner with the inscription "Kosovo is Serbia" in Romanian and Serbian.
The game was interrupted for 50 minutes, the Romanian Football Federation was fined by UEFA, and Romania played the next match with only children under 14 allowed in the stands.
Kosovar fans responded in kind during the first leg of the League of Nations played in Pristina this fall, which was won by Romania 3-0. They whistled during the Romanian anthem, chanted racist slogans, and even invaded the pitch. The incidents led to the Kosovar Federation also being fined by UEFA.
UEFA said it would communicate "further information in due course."
with reporting by dpa
Protesters Set Up Camp In Georgian Capital, Demand New Elections
Demonstrators have set up tents in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, vowing not to budge until new parliamentary elections are held.
Students, opposition groups, and Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili claim the parliamentary elections on October 26 were rigged. Official results showed the Russian-friendly Georgian Dream party won a majority and a fourth term.
Tbilisi has been rocked by protests since the elections, including on November 17, when demonstrators marched through the center of Tbilisi, blocking one of the main avenues.
Student groups also issued a manifesto condemning the disputed October 26 elections.
The November 17 manifesto stated that the government's "systematic rigging of elections reveals a gross attempt by the Georgian Dream party to seize control of the state."
The manifesto also cited what it said were attacks on the educational system through "discriminatory and selective decisions in the process of granting" entry to educational institutions and "the imposition of censorship on the part of the teaching."
It was signed by 13 groups, including students from at least 13 Georgian universities.
Georgia's Central Election Commission (CEC) on November 16 validated the results of last month's disputed elections, despite weeks of protests by the opposition and accusations of widespread fraud and Russian interference.
The ruling Georgian Dream party won 53.93 percent of the vote against 37.79 percent garnered by an opposition alliance, the CEC announced during an unruly session that was briefly interrupted after opposition representative Davit Kirtadze splashed a black liquid on CEC chief Giorgi Kalandarishvili and called him a "dark spot."
Kirtadze's protest was intended to refer to the ink from voters' pens that was visible through the thin paper on the other side of some ballots. The opposition says this compromised secrecy in the disputed voting on October 26.
Georgian Dream, in power since 2012, is the only party that recognized the election results, with pro-European President Zurabishvili still refusing to acknowledge the outcome, which she said was heavily influenced by Russia.
Georgia's pro-European opposition has boycotted the new parliament, renouncing its mandates from the October 26 vote, alleging widespread fraud and Russian interference.
EU and other Western officials have expressed serious doubts about the elections and perceived irregularities.
Georgia has been a candidate for EU membership since last year, but the "foreign influence" law and anti-LGBT measures have stalled that effort.
The United States in July announced that it would pause more than $95 million in assistance to the Georgian government, warning it that it was backsliding on democracy.
With reporting by AP
At Least 21 Dead In Russian Missile Strikes In Ukraine's Odesa, Sumy
Russian missile strikes on November 18 left at least 21 people dead and over 100 injured in Ukraine, as strikes targeted the cities of Odesa and Sumy, according to Ukrainian officials.
In Odesa, a midday strike left 10 people dead and 39 injured, including a child, with four in critical condition, Oleh Kiper, the head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration, wrote on Telegram.
The strike damaged residential buildings and civilian infrastructure, with the city's center among the hardest-hit areas.
Hours earlier, a late-night missile strike devastated a residential building in Sumy, a city 40 kilometers from the Russian border, leaving 11 dead, including two children, and 89 wounded, according to Ukraine's Emergencies Ministry.
Rescuers evacuated over 400 residents and continue to search for survivors. The attack also left Sumy’s administrative center without power, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said. More than 400 people were evacuated from the building.
The rescuers were checking every apartment looking for people who might be still in the damaged building.
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"Every life destroyed by Russia is a big tragedy," Klymenko said.
The late-night attack on Sumy followed what Kyiv said was a "massive" attack on Ukraine's power grid with 120 missiles and 90 drones that killed at least seven people.
Moscow routinely denies targeting civilian infrastructure. Such strikes are widely considered a war crime.
Russian strikes have hammered Ukraine's power infrastructure since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of its neighbor in February 2022, prompting repeated emergency power shutdowns and nationwide rolling blackouts.
The massive Russian attack also came as U.S. President Joe Biden had reportedly authorized the use of U.S.-supplied long-range missiles by Ukraine to strike inside Russia, after lobbying by Ukrainian officials.
The weapons are likely to be used in response to North Korea's decision to send thousands of troops to support Russia in the Kursk region where Ukraine mounted a military incursion over the summer.
"Today, much is being said in the media about us receiving permission for the relevant actions. But strikes are not made with words. Such things are not announced. The missiles will speak for themselves," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address.
In the overnight attack on Sumy, the Ukrainian Air Force said the Russian military used two Iskander-M ballistic missiles and a Kh-59 guided missile.
Photographs posted on Telegram by the Ukrainian State Emergency Service showed firefighters battling a blaze consuming cars with rescuers carrying people out of a building. One image showed a building with nearly all windows blown out and its facade damaged.
Sumy regional prosecutors said the attack damaged 90 apartments, 28 cars, two educational institutions, and 13 buildings.
With reporting by AP, AFP, and Reuters
- By RFE/RL
Kremlin Says Washington Adding 'Fuel To Fire' As Biden Presses G20 To Support Ukraine
The Kremlin has accused U.S. President Joe Biden of seeking to escalate the conflict in Ukraine by lifting restrictions on long-range weapons, while the U.S. leader urged G20 states to support Ukraine's sovereignty.
The remarks on November 18 come a day after multiple media reports said Biden had granted Ukraine permission to use U.S. weapons to strike deeper into Russia. The White House has not commented officially on the reports.
Biden, while not mentioning the reported missile agreement, urged leaders at the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro -- which is being attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov -- to step up support for Kyiv.
"The United States strongly supports Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Everyone around this table in my view should as well," Biden said.
The developments come after months of lobbying by Ukrainian officials, including President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, for Western states to give Kyiv the green light to use donated weapons to their full potential to hit targets currently out of range.
The United States, along with other NATO states, has to this point imposed a limit on the distance U.S. missiles could strike into Russian territory.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said a move to alter that limit would usher in a new round of tensions and deepen U.S. involvement in Russia's war on Ukraine.
"It's obvious that the outgoing administration in Washington intends to take steps in order to continue fueling the fire and provoking further escalation of tensions," Peskov said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin in September warned the West that Russia could respond with nuclear weapons if it was struck with conventional missiles, and that Moscow would consider any assault supported by a nuclear power to be a joint attack.
Russian lawmaker Leonid Slutsky said such a move would lead to escalation.
"U.S. missile strikes deep into Russian territory will inevitably lead to a major escalation that threatens to have far more serious consequences," said Slutsky, the chairman of the State Duma's Foreign Affairs Committee, in an interview with the state-run news agency TASS.
The weapons are likely to be used in response to North Korea's decision to send thousands of troops to support Russia in the Kursk region, where Ukraine mounted a military incursion over the summer. Reports have suggested that Ukraine would still be limited to striking that southwestern Russian region.
The move also opens the door for the United Kingdom and France to follow suit, potentially enabling Ukraine to deal Russia a blow at a critical moment in the war. Ukraine is seeking to hold onto territorial gains in Russia's Kursk region that could be crucial to any future negotiation.
However, Zelenskiy's reaction to the news was somewhat reserved.
"Today, much is being said in the media about us receiving permission for the relevant actions. But strikes are not made with words. Such things are not announced. The missiles will speak for themselves," Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address.
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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.
Meanwhile, Kyiv’s European allies have been upbeat in their reaction to the news.
Polish President Andrzej Duda said Biden's action could be a decisive moment in the war.
"This decision was very necessary.... Russia sees that Ukraine enjoys strong support and that the West's position is unyielding and determined. It's a very important, potentially decisive moment in this war," Duda told journalists.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Washington's move was important in terms of military support for Ukraine, but stressed it did not signal a shift in strategy by the West.
"The decision from the American side, and I would like to emphasize that this is not a rethink but an intensification of what has already been delivered by other partners, is so important at this moment," Baerbock said in Brussels ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers.
Germany's top diplomat also issued a warning to supporters of Russian President Putin, and said the European Union was preparing new sanctions against Iran as well as looking at the issue of Chinese drone support.
Also speaking in Brussels, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell expressed hope that the bloc's members would follow Washington's lead.
"I've been saying once and again that Ukraine should be able to use the arms we provided to them, in order to not only stop the arrows but also to be able to hit the archers," Borrell said.
Also speaking ahead of the meeting, Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp said he thought Biden's decision was an "adequate response" to Russia deploying North Korean troops.
However, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico -- who has criticized Western policies on Ukraine and has opposed EU sanctions on Russia – denounced the reported U.S. decision, saying it would endanger any potential talks.
"This is an unprecedented escalation of tensions, a decision that thwarts hopes for the start of any peace talks and an end to the mutual killing of Slavs in Ukraine," Fico said.
With reporting by Reuters and AFP
Attack From Afghanistan Kills Chinese National In Tajikistan, Sources Say
One Chinese national was killed and five others, four of them Chinese, were injured in a cross-border attack in Tajikistan's Zarbuzi Gorge, two sources close to a Tajik investigation told RFE/RL's Tajik Service on November 18.
The incident, which occurred in the southeastern Shamsiddin Shohin district, bordering Afghanistan, has not yet been officially addressed by the Tajik authorities.
According to the sources, the attack was carried out by armed individuals who crossed the border from Afghanistan. It remains unclear whether the attackers were criminals possibly involved in drug trafficking, a crime that is common in the area, or members of a militant group.
"Among the five injured, four are Chinese nationals and one is a local resident. All have been hospitalized in Shamsiddin Shohin district," one of the sources said.
The Chinese nationals were reportedly working at a gold mine in the Zarbuzi Gorge. The attack marks the first known incident resulting in the death of a Chinese national in the volatile region.
The Shamsiddin Shohin district shares a porous border with Afghanistan that is often crossed by smugglers and militant groups.
Although the Taliban has assured neighboring countries that Afghan territory will not serve as a base for terrorist activities, Tajik authorities have been on high alert in recent years.
The deadly attack underscores persistent security concerns along Tajikistan’s southern frontier.
In August 2023, Tajikistan’s State Committee for National Security reported killing three members of the banned Ansarullah militant group and seizing weapons in a separate cross-border operation.
These incidents highlight the ongoing threats posed by instability in Afghanistan, despite regional efforts to secure the border.
Russia Jails Former Sakharov Center Director In Absentia For Anti-War Posts
A Russian court on November 18 sentenced Sergei Lukashevsky, the former director of the Sakharov Center in Moscow, to eight years in prison. The conviction, handed down in absentia, accuses Lukashevsky of spreading "fake news" about the Russian military. The Sakharov Center was a museum and cultural center opened in 1996 to preserve the legacy of prominent Russian physicist and Nobel Prize-winning human rights defender Andrei Sakharov. In August 2023, a Moscow court liquidated the museum, which also focused on human rights in Russia. Lukashevsky, who left Russia following the Kremlin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, faced charges over five Facebook posts condemning war crimes allegedly committed by Russian troops in Ukraine. The charges emerged in March 2023, while Lukashevsky still led the Sakharov Center. The case highlights Russia’s crackdown on dissent, where accusations of "fake news" often target criticism of the war in Ukraine. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here.
- By RFE/RL
U.S. Reportedly Allows Ukraine To Strike Russia With Long-Range Weapons
U.S. media are reporting that President Joe Biden's administration has lifted restrictions that have prevented Ukraine from using American-provided weapons to strike deeper inside Russian territory.
Reports on November 17 by The New York Times, The Washington Post, AP, Reuters, and others cited sources familiar with the matter.
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The White House has not commented on the reports and did not immediately respond to requests for comment from RFE/RL. The National Security Council (NSC) also declined to comment.
It was not immediately clear how far-reaching such permission would be. Biden, in remarks made during a trip to the Amazon rainforest in Brazil, did not respond to shouted questions about the matter from journalists.
If confirmed, it would represent a major shift in U.S. policy amid long-standing pleas by Kyiv to allow such actions.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy did not directly confirm the reports but said that one of the main points of his "victory plan" presented to allies included the use of long-range weapons by his military.
"Today, many people in the media are saying that we have received permission for appropriate actions. But [militaries] do not strike with words. Such things are not announced. Rockets will speak for themselves," he said on Telegram.
Reuters, citing its sources, reported that Kyiv plans to conduct the first of such long-range attacks in the next few days, but it did not disclose specifics.
Ukraine would likely utilize ATACMS rockets -- which have a range of up to 300 kilometers -- Reuters said, citing three sources familiar with the issue.
The U.S. administration has been seeking ways to shore up support for Ukraine ahead of Biden’s departure on January 20, when President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House.
Trump has criticized the strong support Biden has given to Kyiv and has said he will seek an end to the war as quickly as possible, but with terms that would likely be unacceptable to Ukraine.
There was no immediate comment from the Trump transition team, but a key adviser attacked the move in a post on X.
"Escalating the wars before he leaves office," Richard Grenell wrote.
However, Ben Hodges, a retired U.S. lieutenant general and former commander of U.S. Army forces in Europe, told RFE/RL that such a move would send “a message to the Kremlin that the [the United States] is not just folding up our tents and waiting for Trump.”
Hodges said it would be a “good thing because this policy would be in effect as the Trump administration takes over and, frankly, it’s a good thing for Donald Trump.”
He said the priority for Ukraine in the use of the weapons will likely be in Russia’s Kursk region, using them to strike command-and-control sites, arms depots, and artillery batteries.
The next priority would likely be to target airfields that Russia uses to launch strikes against Ukrainian cities.
Phillips O'Brien, a professor of strategic studies at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, said he believes the move was long overdue, but that the concern now was whether Trump would reverse the move once he takes office.
He and other observers said the U.S. move would likely lead other allies -- including Britain and France -- to make similar moves.
Ukraine’s use of Western-supplied long-range weapons has dividend many of Kyiv’s allies, with some fearing it could provoke Russian counter-responses and lead to a wider European war.
Biden himself had been reluctant to allow such actions, although the White House in May granted permission for the use of ATACMS for limited hits just across the Russian border to deter imminent strikes against Ukraine.
AP and other outlets cited sources as saying the latest decision by Biden is likely in response to North Korea sending thousands of troops to Russia amid reports that some have already engaged in fighting in Russia’s Kursk region.
The Kremlin has warned that the allowance by the United States or other Western allies to use long-range weapons targeting Russia would be seen as a major escalation.
Since its February 2022 full-scale invasion, Russia has used its long-range weapons and warplanes to attack deep inside Ukraine, hitting civilian and infrastructure sites along with military targets.
After Russia launched one of its largest air strikes on the country’s energy infrastructure on November 17, Ukraine’s energy authority said all Ukrainian regions will experience temporary restrictions on power consumption on November 18.
The latest Russian attacks were condemned by the European Union, NATO, and other Western allies.
"NATO strongly condemns Russia's large-scale attack against Ukraine that has killed and terrorized civilians and targeted critical energy infrastructure," a spokeswoman said.
"We stand by Ukraine and allies continue to make unprecedented contributions to Ukraine's defenses," she said.
With reporting by RFE/RL's Todd Prince in Washington.
Georgian Students Denounce Elections As Opposition Vows 'Disobedience' Campaign
TBILISI – Student groups in the Caucasus nation of Georgia united in a manifesto condemning the disputed October 26 parliamentary elections – which gave the Russia-friendly Georgian Dream party the victory – as anti-government groups vowed a "disobedience campaign" in central Tbilisi for the next 24 hours.
The November 17 manifesto stated that the government's “systematic rigging of elections reveals a gross attempt by the Georgian Dream party to seize control of the state."
"We are not going to give up the freedom of our country. As citizens of Georgia, we remain committed to democratic values and state interests,” it read. “We do not recognize the elections and the parliament seated according to the results of these elections…and are ready to fight for the freedom of ourselves and our country!”
The manifesto also cited what it said were attacks on the educational system through “discriminatory and selective decisions in the process of granting” entry to educational institutions and “the imposition of censorship on the part of the teaching.”
It was signed by 13 groups, including students from at least 13 Georgian universities.
Georgia's Central Election Commission (CEC) on November 16 validated the results of last month's disputed elections, despite weeks of protests by the opposition and accusations of widespread fraud and Russian interference.
The Moscow-friendly ruling Georgian Dream party won 53.93 percent of the vote against 37.79 percent garnered by an opposition alliance, the CEC announced during an unruly session that was briefly interrupted after opposition representative Davit Kirtadze splashed a black liquid on CEC chief Giorgi Kalandarishvili and called him a "dark spot."
Kirtadze's protest was intended to refer to the ink from voters' pens that was visible through the thin paper on the other side of some ballots. The opposition says this compromised secrecy in the disputed voting on October 26.
Georgian Dream, in power since 2012, is the only party that recognized the election results, with pro-European President Salome Zurabishvili still refusing to acknowledge the outcome, which she said was heavily influenced by Russia.
Georgia's pro-European opposition has boycotted the new parliament, renouncing its mandates from the October 26 vote, alleging widespread fraud and Russian interference.
On November 15, student-led protests were held, with police cordoning off Tbilisi State University's main building as protesters gathered.
EU and other Western officials have expressed serious doubts about the elections and perceived irregularities.
Georgia has been a candidate for EU membership since last year, but the "foreign influence" law and anti-LGBT measures have stalled that effort.
The United States in July announced that it would pause more than $95 million in assistance to the Georgian government, warning it that it was backsliding on democracy.
- By RFE/RL
Lahore Residents Get Air-Quality Breather, But Only Slightly
For the first time in two weeks, the air quality in Pakistan’s second-largest city, Lahore, was no longer at the level considered “hazardous” for humans, but it still remained at the “very unhealthy” threshold on November 17, according to the Swiss-based firm IQAir. An unprecedented level of air pollution in Lahore – a city of more than 14 million people – on November 3 forced authorities to take emergency measures, including the closing of primary schools and the issuance of work-from-home orders. School closures were extended to November 24. The AQI index was listed at 243, rated "very unhealthy" but below the previous 300 level, which is considered "hazardous." Local officials described the continuing air-quality crisis as a “calamity.
- By RFE/RL
EU Council To Discuss Russian War In Ukraine, Political Situation In Georgia
The European Union’s Foreign Affairs Council is set to meet on November 18 to discuss Russian aggression against Ukraine and the tense situation in Georgia following disputed parliamentary elections in the Caucasus nation on October 26. In a statement, the EU said the meeting -- chaired by foreign policy chief Josep Borrell -- will begin at 9:30 a.m. in Brussels. The council “will discuss the Russian aggression against Ukraine, after an informal exchange of views with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andriy Sybiha, via videoconference,” it said. It will also “exchange views on the situation in Georgia, in light of the parliamentary elections held on 26 October.” To read the original story by RFE/RL's Georgian Service, click here.
- By Current Time
Putin Opponents March To Russian Embassy In Berlin, Condemn War
BERLIN – Nearly 2,000 exiled Russians and other opponents of President Vladimir Putin and his war against Ukraine marched to the Russian Embassy in Berlin on November 17, with leading activist Yulia Navalnaya declaring that “Putin is a murderer” and others holding signs stating, “No War, No Putin.”
Standing on a table used as a speakers’ platform, Navalnaya told supporters that “if I have to climb up a table and say that Putin is a murderer, then I'll climb up a table and say that Putin is a murderer."
Participants shouted, "Russia without Putin" and "No to war" as Navalnaya and fellow opposition leaders Vladimir Kara-Murza and Ilya Yashin led the procession to the embassy.
The action comes as the opposition is struggling to maintain an influential voice after the unexplained jailhouse death of its most prominent leader, Aleksei Navalny, in February, and a decades-long clampdown that has escalated since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine and driven many of Putin’s critics out of Russia.
German media cited Berlin police as estimating the crowd at 1,800 people at the beginning of the march, which ran from Potsdamer Platz to the Brandenburg Gate. The event appeared to end peacefully late on November 17 without incident.
The rally was co-organized by Kremlin critics Navalnaya – who is Navalny’s widow -- and Yashin and Kara-Murza, both of whom were released from Russian custody in a prisoner exchange in August.
"The march aims to unite everyone who stands against Vladimir Putin's aggressive war in Ukraine and political repressions in Russia," the organizers said in a statement prior to the march.
At the event, Yashin told the crowd, "Putin is not Russia. Russia is us. And we are against the war," while march participants chanted, “Russia will be free,” and “Freedom for political prisoners.”
The opposition says it has three main demands: the "immediate withdrawal" of troops from Ukraine, the trial of Putin as a "war criminal," and the liberation of all political prisoners in Russia.
Ahead of the protest, a dispute over whether the Russian flag should be unfurled at the protest erupted on social media.
The protest announcement featured images from a 2014 rally in Moscow against Russia's seizure of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula. However, critics say Russia's colors have been discredited by the country's brutal war.
As the controversy emerged late last month, Yashin said that “the discussion of flags clearly obscures the essence of the action that we want to hold in Berlin.”
Ukrainian officials and others expressed skepticism ahead of the planned march.
The Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany Oleksiy Makeev criticized the event as a "walk without dignity and without consequences," adding that it illustrated the opposition's "weakness."
Writing in the Zeit newspaper, Makeev argued that the three opposition figures were not doing enough to support Kyiv and call on their fellow citizens to protest in Russia.
Likewise Vitsche, the association of Ukrainian exiles in Germany, said that the event "failed to deliver a clear message" of support.
- By Reuters
Scholz Defends Call With Putin, Says Kremlin's Views On Ukraine Haven't Changed
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said his conversation with Vladimir Putin on November 15 had given no indication of a shift in the Russian President's thinking on the war in Ukraine but defended his much-criticized decision to phone the Kremlin. Speaking from Berlin airport on November 17, immediately before his departure for the G20 summit in Brazil, Scholz said it had been worth talking to Putin to dispel any illusions he might harbor that the West was about to abandon its support for Ukraine. He added, with reference to Donald Trump's imminent return to the U.S. presidency, that it would also not be good if Washington were in regular contact with Putin while no European leader was.
- By RFE/RL
Controversial Gymnastics Coach Bela Karolyi, Who Discovered Nadia Comaneci, Dies At 82
Bela Karolyi, the controversial gymnastics coach who is perhaps best remembered for having trained Nadia Comaneci, the first person to score a perfect 10 at the Olympics, has died at the age of 82.
USA Gymnastics said Karolyi died on November 15. No cause of death was given.
Karolyi and his wife, Martha, trained several Olympic gold medalists and world champions in the United States and Romania, including Comaneci and Mary Lou Retton.
“A big impact and influence on my life,” Comaneci, who was just 14 when Karolyi coached her to gold for Romania at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, posted on X.
Karolyi was a polarizing and controversial figure, largely due to his strident training methods that came under scrutiny during the height of the Larry Nassar scandal.
The disgraced former USA Gymnastics team doctor was effectively given a life sentence after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting gymnasts and other athletes. More than a dozen former gymnasts said the Karolyis were part of a system that created an oppressive culture that allowed Nassar’s behavior to run unchecked for years.
The Karolyis denied responsibility, telling CNN in 2018 that they were unaware of Nassar's behavior. But the revelations led to them receding from the spotlight.
The Karolyis defected from Romania to the United States in 1981, five years after his first big, and arguably, greatest success in 1976 at the Summer Olympics in Montreal. It was there that Comaneci mesmerized the world, scoring a perfect 10 not once but seven times, with Karolyi wrapping her in his trademark bear hugs.
Romania, which had won only three bronzes in Olympic gymnastics before 1976, left Montreal with seven medals, including Comaneci’s golds in the all-around, balance beam, and uneven bars, and the team silver. Comaneci became an international sensation, the first person to appear on the covers of Sports Illustrated, Time, and Newsweek magazines in the same week.
With reporting by AFP and AP
Separatist Leader Says No Compromise Reached With Abkhaz Protesters
The situation remained tense on November 17 in Georgia’s Russia-backed breakaway region of Abkhazia, with the self-styled president saying no compromise had been reached with the opposition.
Protesters were still reported to be inside the parliament compound in the capital, Sukhumi, which they stormed on November 15 in protest over an investment deal with Moscow.
The region’s de facto leader, Aslan Bzhania, had said on November 16 that he would resign once protesters left the compound. However, later that day, Bzhania met with his cabinet in his hometown of Tamysh to discuss "ways to stabilize the situation that arose."
There were fears of escalating violence amid the storming of the parliament, which followed weeks of tensions in a region whose independence Moscow has backed since a five-day war against Georgian forces in 2008 over another breakaway Georgian province, South Ossetia.
Opposition leaders have demanded not only the permanent abandonment of a proposed deal with Russia that opponents say would unfairly open the property market to wealthy Russians, but also Bzhania's resignation and those of his vice president and the breakaway leadership's prime minister.
"The situation will be stabilized. We will return everything to the legal framework,” Bzhania's press service quoted him as saying on November 16.
He reportedly added that "the entire country" -- which is overwhelmingly regarded as Georgian territory internationally -- "is controlled by the legitimate authorities, with the exception of the complex of buildings they have occupied."
Tamysh is about 40 kilometers from the region's capital.
Bzhania, a former chief of Abkhazia's state security service, told his supporters on November 16 that "enormous pressure is being exerted on members of parliament so that the parliament makes an unlawful decision to dismiss the president." But he warned that the "2014 scenario will not be repeated," a reference to one of two instances when Abkhaz leaders resigned due to opposition protests.
Abkhazia's Interior Ministry and security service issued statements saying they would obey orders from the president.
Protesters said in a statement that the occupation was not aimed at Abkhazia's close ties with Russia but against Bzhania, who they accused of "trying to use these relations for his own selfish interests [and] manipulating them for the sake of strengthening his regime."
Russia's state-run TASS news agency quoted a representative of the protesters, Adgur Ardzinba, as saying they would remain in place until the president resigned.
Moscow said on November 15 that it was following the "crisis situation" with concern and urged Russian citizens to avoid travel to Abkhazia.
With reporting by Reuters
Ukraine Sets Emergency Power Cuts As Russia Hits Energy Sites, Blasts Sumy
KYIV – Ukraine’s energy authority said that all Ukrainian regions will experience temporary restrictions on power consumption on November 18 after Russia launched one of its largest air strikes on the country’s energy infrastructure.
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Ukrenergo on November 17 said the power cuts would run from 6 a.m. until 10 p.m. as crews worked to repair damage from the attacks “as quickly as possible.”
"All regions will be required to apply consumption-restriction measures. The temporary restrictions are due to the damage to power facilities during today's massive missile and drone attack," the Energy Ministry said.
Ukrenergo also said that two employees of a substation it operates were killed as a result of the Russian attacks early on November 17.
Separately, in one of the bloodiest attacks of recent months, at least eight people, including two children, were killed and some 20 injured in a Russian missile strike on a residential building in the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy late on November 17, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said.
Overnight, Russia launched massive aerial attacks on Ukraine, Kyiv’s foreign minister said on November 17, with drones and missiles targeting energy infrastructure and other civilian sites in cities across the country, prompting neighboring Poland to scramble fighter jets.
“Russia launched one of the largest air attacks: drones and missiles against peaceful cities, sleeping civilians, critical infrastructure. This is war criminal [President Vladimir] Putin’s true response to all those who called and visited him recently. We need peace through strength, not appeasement,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha wrote on X.
Later, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russia had launched around 120 missiles and 90 drones in what he described as a "massive" combined air strike on Ukraine's energy infrastructure.
"The enemy's target was our energy infrastructure throughout Ukraine. Unfortunately, there is damage to objects from strikes and falling debris," he said in a statement on social media.
Explosions were reported early on November 17 in the capital, Kyiv, as well as other cities across the country, including Odesa on the Black Sea coast and the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhya. Russia's missile attack targeted power infrastructure across Ukraine, forcing the launch of preventive outages, Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko said.
The massive attack comes as Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine grinds toward its 1,000th day. Russia is expending huge amounts of weaponry and human life to make small but steady territorial gains to the nearly one-fifth of Ukraine it already controls.
Ukraine, meanwhile, is struggling to minimize losses, maintain morale, and convince allies that, with more military aid, it can turn the tide. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has said he could quickly end the war, though it is unclear how.
On November 16, the Group of Seven (G7) leading industrialized countries reiterated its members' "unwavering support for Ukraine for as long as it takes" in its struggle against invading Russian forces.
WATCH: A barrage of Russian missiles and drones struck across Ukraine on the night of November 16-17. Standing amid destroyed and heavily damaged houses, a man in Mykolayiv told RFE/RL how he was helping to save a neighbor and her child from burning debris. The woman was eventually pronounced dead.
Russia's attack on Ukraine on November 17 prompted neighboring Poland to scramble jets.
"Due to the massive attack by the Russian Federation using cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles on objects located, among others, in western Ukraine, Polish and allied aircraft have started operating in our airspace," the operational command of NATO member Poland's armed forces posted on X.
It said it had "activated all available forces and resources at his disposal, the on-duty fighter pairs were scrambled, and the ground-based air defense and radar reconnaissance systems reached the highest state of readiness.”
The Polish prime minster, Donald Tusk, wrote on X that the Kremlin’s war against Ukraine won't be stopped through phone calls -- remarks coming days after German Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke by phone with Putin.
"No one will stop Putin with phone calls. The attack last night -- one of the biggest in this war -- has proved that telephone diplomacy cannot replace real support from the whole West for Ukraine," Tusk wrote.
In his social media post, Zelenskiy said Russia deployed various types of drones, including Shaheds, as well as cruise, ballistic, and aircraft-launched ballistic missiles. Ukrainian defense forces shot down 140 air targets, he said.
The missile attack followed an overnight drone strike on Ukraine's capital. The roof of a residential building caught fire in Kyiv due to falling debris and at least one person was injured, city officials said on the Telegram messaging app.
"Emergency services were dispatched to the scene," Kyiv's Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
The combined drone and missile attack was the most powerful in three months, according to the head of Kyiv’s military administration, Serhiy Popko.
Host Georgia, Ukraine Draw Under Downpour In Nations League Match
Georgia and Ukraine drew 1-1 in their fifth-round meeting of the UEFA Nations League group stage. The match was played in pouring rain at Adjarabet Arena in the Georgian Black Sea coast city of Batumi. Ukraine opened a 1-0 advantage when Georgia's Saba Kvirkvelia scored an own-goal in the seventh minute of the match. But the hosts equalized when Georgiy Mikautadze netted in the 76th minute of the match. Final group-stage matches are scheduled for November 19, when the Czech Republic hosts Georgia and Albania hosts Ukraine. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Georgian Service, click here.
- By AP
In Final Meeting, Xi Tells Biden China Is Ready To Work With New Administration
In their final meeting, China’s leader Xi Jinping told U.S. President Joe Biden that his nation was "ready to work with a new administration,” as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take over.
The two leaders met on November 16 on the sidelines of the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. Biden was expected to urge Xi to dissuade North Korea from further deepening its support for Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Without mentioning Trump’s name, Xi appeared to signal his concern that the incoming president’s protectionist rhetoric on the campaign trail could send the U.S.-China relationship into another valley.
Biden, meanwhile, said that "over the past four years, China-U.S. relations have experienced ups and downs, but with the two of us at the helm, we have also engaged in fruitful dialogues and cooperation, and generally achieved stability."
- By RFE/RL
Hungary Coach's Medical Emergency Pauses Nations League Match Against Netherlands
A UEFA Nations League match between hosts Netherlands and Hungary at the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam was interrupted for about 10 minutes when assistant trainer and former Hungarian national team player Adam Szalai required medical attention on the bench. The Spanish referee stopped the match while medical staff attended to Szalai behind a sheet and with concerned team members and other staff gathered nearby. Play eventually resumed after Szalai was stretchered away to applause from players and the crowd. The Hungarian Football Federation (MLSZ) tweeted that Szalai had fallen ill and had been taken to an Amsterdam hospital for examination. It said "his condition was stable and he is conscious." The Dutch beat Hungary 4-0.
- By RFE/RL
Iranian Foreign Minister Says There's A 'Limited' Chance For Nuclear Talks With West
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on November 16 that there remains a "limited opportunity" for nuclear negotiations with the West, according to Iranian state media.
Relations between Tehran and the United States have been especially tense since then-President Donald Trump withdrew unilaterally from a 2015 nuclear deal with Iran and global powers and reimposed tough U.S. sanctions on Iran.
"There is still an opportunity for diplomacy, although this opportunity is not much. It is a limited opportunity," Araqchi was quoted as telling state television.
Western concerns at Iranian actions have soared amid the yearlong war in the Gaza Strip after U.S.- and EU-designated terrorist organization Hamas carried out a brutal attack in Israel in October 2023, with Iranian allies including Huthis in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon attacking Israel in support of Hamas.
With Trump poised to return to the White House in January following his election victory earlier this month, reports circulated of possible informal contacts, including claims that Trump ally Elon Musk met last week in New York with Iran's envoy to the United Nations.
After days of silence, Tehran on November 16 "categorically denied" that any such meeting took place.
This week, Rafael Grossi, head of the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), urged Iran and its global partners to achieve "concrete, tangible, and visible results" in talks over Tehran's nuclear program as the return of Trump could mean the window for diplomacy is closing.
The 2015 deal, known officially as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), had given Iran some limited relief from international sanctions in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program designed to prevent it from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
After Washington's withdrawal from the JCPOA, Iran expanded its nuclear program and restricted IAEA inspections of its nuclear sites.
U.S. President Joe Biden entered the White House in 2017 pledging to try to revive the deal but made no breakthroughs.
Trump's announced pick for secretary of state, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, is generally regarded as an advocate of tough action to counter Iranian influence through a return to a "maximum pressure" policy.
With additional reporting by AFP
Demolition Begins Of Belgrade Landmark That Hosted Queens And Presidents
BELGRADE -- Demolition crews have begun tearing down one of the Balkans' most storied luxury hotels, using excavators to tear away the walls of the Hotel Jugoslavija in Belgrade to make way for a residential and business complex. The eight-story hotel's construction on the plans of Zagreb architect Lavoslav Horvat was monitored by Josip Broz Tito as a prestige project before it opened in 1969. It hosted celebrities, luminaries, and visiting dignitaries from around the world, including Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, U.S. Presidents Richard Nixon and Jimmy Carter, former UN Secretary-General U Thant, and a laundry list of luminaries before falling into disrepair and eventually suffering damage during NATO bombing in 1999. Construction of the 500 million euro project is slated to end in 2027. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Balkan Service, click here.
12 Ukrainians Held By Belarus On 'Extremism' Charges
At least 12 Ukrainian citizens have been detained in Belarus on "extremism" charges, Kyiv's former ambassador to Minsk and current ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary, Ihor Kyzym, told the independent Russian media outlet Mediazona. Kyzym said the Belarusian side rarely informs Ukraine of such detentions. Ukraine and Belarus's rift widened considerably when Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka allowed Russia to stage part of its February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine from Belarusian territory. Kyzym said some of the detained Ukrainians have met with the Ukrainian consul. But he stressed that many Ukrainians have lived in Belarus a long time and can only be included on embassy lists if they or relatives inform Kyiv, or if human rights groups provide the necessary information. Lukashenka has maintained a brutal crackdown since claiming victory in a disputed presidential election in 2020.
- By RFE/RL
G7 Vows 'Unwavering Support' For Ukraine As Invasion Nears 1,000th Day
The Group of Seven (G7) leading industrialized countries reiterated its members' "unwavering support for Ukraine for as long as it takes" as that country battles for its survival against invading Russian forces. The current Italian G7 Presidency issued the statement in conjunction with the approach of the 1,000th day of the full-scale invasion, which followed eight years of lower-grade fighting against Russian-backed separatists and Russia's occupation and annexation of Crimea in 2014. November 19 will be the 1,000th day of the full-scale fighting, which has elicited considerable international support and sweeping Western sanctions against Russia. The G7 noted the "immense suffering" of Ukrainians. "We stand in solidarity contributing to its fight for sovereignty, freedom, independence, territorial integrity and its reconstruction," the statement said. "We recognize, too, the impact of Russia’s aggression on vulnerable people across the world."
- By AP
Russia's Gazprom Stops Flow Of Natural Gas To Austria, OMV Utility Says
Russia’s state-owned natural gas company Gazprom stopped supplies to Austria early on November 16, according to the Vienna-based utility OMV, after OMV said it would stop payments for the gas following an arbitration award. The official cutoff of supplies before dawn came after Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer held a hastily called news conference a day earlier to emphasize his country has a secure supply of alternative fuel for this winter. OMV said it would stop paying for Gazprom gas to its Austrian arm to offset a 230 million euro ($242 million) arbitration award it won from the International Chamber of Commerce over an earlier cutoff of gas to its German subsidiary.
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