A former journalist for RFE/RL who returned to Iran after many years abroad has been arrested in Tehran, a source told RFE/RL on October 15.

Reza Valizadeh, a dual Iranian-U.S. national, was arrested about three weeks ago and is facing charges, including cooperation with Farsi-language media abroad, one of his relatives told RFE/RL.

Iranian officials have not yet commented on Valizadeh's arrest.

Valizadeh left his job as a staff member at RFE/RL’s Radio Farda in November 2022 and stayed abroad for some time.

In his last post on X on August 13, Valizadeh said he had traveled to Tehran on March 16.

The post says that he had "half-finished" negotiations with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps’ intelligence organization, but in the end he returned to Iran after 14 years on his own responsibility and "without a letter of trust, even verbally."

It is not clear under what circumstances he wrote this post.

A large number of Iranians with dual citizenships have been arrested by the security agencies and charged with committing various crimes. Many of their properties have been seized or blocked, and in some cases their family members inside Iran have been pressured to force these people to return to the country.

Iran is accused of putting pressure on foreign governments to implement its demands by illegally arresting or "taking hostage" foreign nationals, including dual citizens.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry on October 15 summoned the ambassador of Hungary over EU sanctions against seven individuals and seven entities linked to Iran. Iran summoned the ambassador to condemn the sanctions, which were announced on October 14. Hungary currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Union. The ministry announced in a statement Iran's "strong objection" and said "resorting to illegal and coercive methods such as sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran is not acceptable in any way and will lead nowhere." EU foreign ministers approved the new sanctions after Kyiv's Western allies accused Tehran of sending ballistic missiles to Russia to aid in its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The sanctions, reported in an exclusive by RFE/RL's Radio Farda last week, target 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.

Kazakh national soccer team coach Stanislav Cherchesov sparked controversy by making a joke about the Kazakh language during a press conference following a game against Slovenia. When a journalist asked him a question in Kazakh on October 13, Cherchesov responded, “Are you now speaking French to me?” The comment drew backlash from people who accused him of disrespecting the state language. Adilet Barmenqulov, the president of the Football Federation of Kazakhstan, defended Cherchesov, explaining that the coach's joke was tied to the journalist’s French football jersey. However, sports commentator Bekasyl Seiitkhan, who asked the question, called the joke inappropriate. This is not the first time Cherchesov, a Russian national, has faced criticism over language issues. Despite enrolling in a Kazakh-language course, his remarks have fueled tensions in Kazakhstan, where language remains a sensitive topic amid broader geopolitical concerns, especially following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Kazakh Service, click here.

A Russian man sentenced to prison on a charge of discrediting Russia's armed forces after an anti-war drawing by his teenage daughter drew attention to him was released on October 15, saying conditions inside the institution were horrible and that he fears he may not be free for long.

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Aleksei Moskalyov was embraced by his daughter, Masha, as he left the IK-6 prison in the Tula region after serving 19 months in detention in a case that attracted global attention. Masha was placed in the custody of her estranged mother during her father's imprisonment.

Moskalyov told reporters upon his release that security officers questioned people from his unit in the penal colony, raising fears the authorities were preparing new charges against him.

Moskalyov was sentenced to two years in prison, following his outspoken online posts against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which came to light after his daughter’s drawing was reported to authorities.

Her drawing, made in April 2022, depicted a Ukrainian woman shielding a child from Russian missiles, with inscriptions such as “Glory to Ukraine!” and “No to war!”

The artwork prompted school authorities to file a police report, leading to the investigation of Moskalyov’s social media activity.

Initially fined 32,000 rubles ($335) under an administrative charge of “discrediting” the Russian Army, Moskalyov later faced criminal charges for additional posts on social media.

He was convicted in March 2023 and sentenced to two years in prison, though his term was eventually reduced to one year and 10 months.

During his trial, Moskalyov fled house arrest but was later apprehended in Belarus and returned to Russia.

Moskalyov said he had been placed in punitive solitary confinement several times for what his lawyers described as minor "violations" such as "failure to get up quickly" or "not having his hands behind his back."

He described the punitive cell as a "torture chamber" and said the 2-meter by 1-meter cell was rat-infested and so cold "it was impossible to sit on a metal bench inside."

About 2,000 people turned out on October 15 for the burial of 19 villagers who died when flash floods and landslides swept through Bosnia-Herzegovina earlier this month.

The burials took place at a cemetery in the town of Jablanica in southern Bosnia. Mourners stood behind a row of imams and other religious leaders who faced 19 coffins draped in green cloth, in keeping with Islamic tradition.

The coffins were then lowered into the ground and dirt was shoveled on top of them.

Funeral Service For Flood Victims in Southern Bosnia

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The 19 victims were from Donja Jablanica, a village outside Jablanica where the Bosnian Islamic Community's grand mufti, Husein Kavazovic, led a prayer service before the burial.

“No words are necessary,” said Kavazovic, addressing the mourners outside Jablanica Mosque. “Although the grief is deep and unbearable, we are aware that God decides about our lives. We are mortals.”

All the victims died on the night of October 4 when heavy rains caused torrential flooding and landslides. The storm sent piles of rocks, mud, and water into the village, demolishing many houses.

In the wider area of northern Herzegovina and central Bosnia, the amount of rain caught people by surprise, and entire areas were cut off as flash floods swept away roads and bridges.

In addition to the 19 people killed in Donja Jablanica, four people died in Konjice and three died in the area of Fojnica. One person is still missing.

• RFE/RL's Balkan Service

Bosnia-Herzegovina is attempting to recover from deadly flooding that has claimed the lives of at least 22 people and left several missing in the biggest floods the Western Balkan country has seen in decades. Road and rail traffic continues to be disrupted in parts of central Bosnia. Jablanica in the south of Bosnia suffered the most damage in the floods and landslides that hit the country. RFE/RL documented the extent of the devastation and ongoing rescue works.

Semir Jahic, a Muslim cleric from Jablanica, said 18 members of his congregation had died in the floods.

"This is a difficult and moving situation," he was quoted by the AP as saying. "We are too small a community to lose so many people in one day."

Bosnian government officials said the collapse of a quarry was the cause of the large number of victims in Donja Jablanica.

Rescue teams from Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, and Montenegro assisted in the search for missing persons in the flooded areas during the past week, while engineering units helped in other recovery efforts.

Aid was also delivered through the Civil Protection Mechanism of the European Union for housing, electricity generators, water pumps, and other equipment needed by displaced persons, the Bosnian Security Ministry said on October 14.

Floods and landslides destroyed at least 230 buildings in Jablanica, and the estimated damage is around 25.6 million euros ($28 million).

With reporting by AP and Reuters

Moldova has signed a memorandum of understanding with a group of Western countries to counter Russia's hybrid attacks just days ahead of crucial elections that could cement Chisinau's path toward Euro-Atlantic integration and untether the former Soviet republic from decades of Moscow's influence.

The deal was signed in Chisinau on October 15 by Moldovan Foreign Minister Mihai Popsoi and the foreign ministers of the eight members of the Nordic-Baltic format -- Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, and Sweden.

The visit comes just days after EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen traveled to Chisinau to voice her support for Moldova's European path.

Popsoi, who is also deputy prime minister, said the memorandum would strengthen Moldova's institutional capabilities in the face of an increasingly aggressive Russian disinformation campaign.

Pro-Western President Maia Sandu runs for a second term on October 20 in an an election that takes place simultaneously with a referendum to decide whether Moldovans want their country to pursue integration into the European Union.

Under the U.S.-educated Sandu, who defeated a Russian-backed incumbent in 2020, Moldova -- a country of 2.5 million wedged between Ukraine and EU and NATO member Romania -- made a radical U-turn toward the West despite Russia's ceaseless attempts to destabilize Sandu's government.

Despite still having Russian troops on the territory of its breakaway Transdniester region, Moldova sided with Ukraine after Russia's unprovoked invasion and opened its border to tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugees.

One of the poorest European countries, Moldova secured EU candidate status in 2022 and opened accession talks with the bloc earlier this year.

Popsoi told the visiting diplomats that their presence in Chisinau sent a "political message" and represented a "clear sign of support for the European aspirations" of Moldova.

The Nordic Eight ministers' trip comes after von der Leyen on October 10 unveiled an economic support plan for Moldova in Chisinau that provides for 1.8 billion euros ($2 billion) worth of investment in Moldova over the next three years.

A strong signal of support also came from the United States, where Senator Ben Cardin, (Democrat-Maryland), chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on October 11 urged tech giants Meta and Alphabet to do more on their social media platforms to fight Russia's "malign" involvement in the Moldovan elections.

Following Cardin's open letters, Meta, the owner of Faceboook, said on October 11 that it had removed a network of group accounts targeting Russian-speakers in Moldova ahead of the election and referendum.

On October 15, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said a 40-member-strong delegation of observers from the OSCE and the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) observers are going to monitor the dual vote in Moldova.

Senior officials from around Eurasia have begun meeting at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit under tight security in Islamabad amid a surge in violence by various separatist groups in Pakistan.

Thousands of security officers had the capital locked down on October 15 as seven prime minsters -- including from longtime ally China and the foreign minister of archrival India -- began to discuss security issues, regional cooperation, trade, and financial integrity among the 10 member states.

Early on October 11, unidentified gunmen shot and killed 21 coal miners in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan Province, which has been rocked by a series of militant attacks since the start of the year.

Baluch separatist groups, such as the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), designated as a global terrorist organization by the United States, are engaged in fighting against the Pakistani government.

Pakistan's northwest has also recently experienced a surge in militant violence.

On October 10, militants opened fire on a police vehicle in the city of Tank, killing two officers. Within hours the military said it had killed four militants in North Waziristan, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province.

In other recent violence in the country, two Chinese citizens were killed in a large blast near the airport of Karachi that the Chinese Embassy called a "terrorist attack." The blast was claimed by the BLA.

The attack took place late on October 6 and it targeted a convoy of Chinese employees of the Port Qasim Electric Power Company Limited that was traveling from the airport, the embassy said. The Chinese citizens were working on the construction of two coal-fired power plants in Pakistan.

Member countries of the SCO, formed in 2001 by Moscow and Beijing, include China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, Pakistan, and Iran.

India and Pakistan became full members in 2017, while Iran became a member in 2023 and Belarus in July 2024.

Leaders from India and Pakistan are not expected to meet during the SCO summit.

A Russian man was found alive in a catamaran two months after it went missing off the Russian Pacific region of Khabarovsk and drifted about 1,000 kilometers across the Sea of Okhotsk.

Mikhail Pichugin, 49, along with his brother and teenage nephew set sail on August 9 on a whale-watching excursion around the Shantar Islands but lost contact soon afterward.

The regional emergency office said in a statement on October 15 that Pichugin -- who had lost 50 kilograms during the ordeal -- was the sole survivor when fishermen found the vessel a day earlier.

According to a report by Russia's Far Eastern Transport Prosecutor’s Office, Pichugin is under investigation as authorities try to determine what happened and whether there were violations of water-transport safety rules resulting in multiple deaths.

To read the original story by RFE/RL's Siberia.Realities, click here.

Russian forces struck the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolayiv with S-300 missiles early on October 15, killing a woman and wounding 16 other people, regional Governor Vitaliy Kim reported on Telegram. Kim said the attack damaged civilian infrastructure, including a shopping center, residential buildings, and cars. Separately, Ukraine's air force said its defenses shot down 12 out of 17 Russian drones over 12 the Mykolaiv, Kyiv, Odesa, Poltava, Chernihiv, Kirovohrad, and Cherkasy regions. Meanwhile, heavy fighting was under way in Ukraine's northeast in the direction of Kharkiv, the General Staff of the Ukrainian military reported early on October 15. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, click here.

Israeli forces launched fresh strikes on Hezbollah in eastern Lebanon on October 15 after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed no mercy for the Iran-backed militant group.

Multiple Israeli strikes targeted Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, taking a hospital in the city of Baalbek out of service, according to Lebanon's official National News Agency.

The strikes came as Netanyahu vowed a ruthless response to a Hezbollah drone strike that killed four Israeli soldiers in central Israel on October 13.

Netanyahu, speaking during a visit to the military base where the four soldiers were killed, said Israel would continue to strike the group "without mercy, everywhere in Lebanon -- including Beirut."

Hezbollah -- which is considered a terrorist group by the United States, although the EU has only blacklisted its armed wing, and not the political party -- controls much of southern Lebanon.

The Hezbollah attack on the Israeli army base in the town of Binyamina was one of the bloodiest since October last year and employed a "swarm" of drones that were difficult to locate and destroy by the Israeli air defenses.

Israel's sophisticated air defenses have usually shot down Hezbollah's rockets without problems.

Following the deadly Hezbollah strike, Israeli strikes killed 41 people and injured 124 in Lebanon on October 14, the Health Ministry said. More than half of the victims were killed in the northern village of Aito, which lies outside Hezbollah's traditional strongholds.

Israel said it “struck a target belonging to the Hezbollah terrorist organization,” but the UN's human rights office in Geneva called for an independent investigation.

“We have real concerns with respect to…the laws of war,” said Jeremy Laurence, a spokesperson for the human rights office. Laurence said the UN had received credible reports that a dozen women and children were among the dead.

In a televised speech on October 15, Hezbollah’s acting leader declared that the group is focused on “hurting the enemy” by targeting Haifa and other parts of Israel, including Tel Aviv. Sheikh Naim Kassem, Hezbollah’s deputy chief, vowed to “defeat our enemies and drive them out of our lands.”

Separately, Netanyahu's office said in a statement on October 15 that he will take into account the position of the United States -- Israel's main ally -- but will have his country's own "national interests" as a top priority as it ponders a response to a massive Iranian attack earlier this month.

"We listen to the opinions of the United States, but we will make our final decisions based on our national interest," his office said in a statement.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warned Israel that it must increase the amount of humanitarian aid it is allowing into Gaza within the next 30 days or it could risk losing access to U.S. weapons funding.

The warning came in a letter to their Israeli counterparts dated October 13 that restates U.S. policy toward humanitarian aid and arms transfers.

A senior U.S. defense official said on October 15 that Blinken and Austin sent the letter as they saw a recent decrease in assistance reaching Gaza. The official said a similar letter sent by Blinken in April triggered “concrete measures from the Israelis.”

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the latest letter was a way to similarly address the problem.

Fears of an all-out regional war grew as signs indicated Israel could be preparing to launch a direct strike on Iran in retaliation for Tehran's strike on October 1.

U.S. President Joe Biden has warned Netanyahu against striking Iran's nuclear or oil facilities to avoid a further escalation of the conflict.

On October 13, Biden announced that he had ordered the Pentagon to send a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery and troops to Israel as part of U.S. efforts to defend its ally.

With reporting by AFP, AP, and Reuters

A large number of state institutions in Ukraine on October 14 were evacuated after hundreds of schools, businesses, embassies, and media outlets received e-mails threatening a terrorist attack.

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Authorities inspected schools, businesses, hotels, embassies, and media organizations -- including RFE/RL -- that received the threatening e-mail looking for explosive devices that the message said had been planted at those locations.

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said 60 of its missions abroad had received the threatening e-mail, some of them suspending consular services.

The threatening e-mail mentions the names of RFE/RL journalists Iryna Sysak and Valeria Yehoshyna, as well as freelancer Yulia Khymeryk, whose activities the senders appear to blame for prompting them to plan the alleged bombings, although they did not mention any specific activity.

It follows an investigation published by the three journalists in the Skhemy (Schemes) investigative unit of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service showing how Russian intelligence services recruit Ukrainians, including minors, to set fire to the cars of the Ukrainian military personnel and representatives of conscription centers.

Representatives of Ukraine's National Police who checked the locations -- including the office of RFE/RL in Kyiv -- said late on October 14 that they had not found any explosive device after searching some 60 percent of the threatened locations, but searches continued.

The message was sent by a person who identified himself as a representative of a "terrorist group" whose name matches that of an anti-Ukrainian Telegram channel, which has spread calls to burn cars belonging to Ukrainian military personnel and representatives of conscription centers. RFE/RL is not disclosing the name of the sender or the group for security and ethical reasons.

After receiving the threatening e-mail, Schemes also found out that a person with the same name as the sender of the threatening e-mail lives in Russian-occupied Crimea and has a Russian passport.

RFE/RL President Stephen Capus said RFE/RL was aware that its journalists had been named in the threatening e-mails.

"We will not be intimidated and stand behind our reporters who will continue to bring news to Ukrainian audiences without fear or favor," Capus said, pledging to fully cooperate with authorities in their investigations.

According to Schemes, the group that claimed responsibility for the alleged planting of explosives is actively spreading messages on social media calling for the burning of Ukrainian military vehicles and demonstrating the results of previous arson attacks. The recruiting effort offers $100 to those who agree to take part.

Artem Dekhtyarenko, spokesman for the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said Russia was trying to make it look like arson attacks are being carried out by ordinary Ukrainians when in fact the attacks are instigated by Russian security services.

The group's Telegram channel also shares videos of officers at conscription centers detaining Ukrainian citizens for mobilization and calls for persecution of these soldiers in exchange for a promised payment of $1,000.

Schemes also reported that in early October representatives of the same group sent messages to several Ukrainian government agencies offering to "kill for a fee" top security officials and public figures. They introduced themselves as an organization that "has long been engaged in the execution of orders for violent actions and the resolution of issues through physical elimination."

The group's website says that it provides "services" such as "racketeering, contract killings, car theft, bodily harm, arson."

The SBU's press service told Schemes that the mass mailing of threatening e-mails should be viewed as an operation aimed at spreading panic among the Ukrainian public.

Another Chinese Communist party official is visiting Serbia in the latest sign of close cooperation between the two countries.

Li Xiaoxin, a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CCPC) and director of the State Commission for Public Sector Reform, arrived in Belgrade on October 14, a month after the visit of Lin Wu, the party secretary of Shandong Province.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, who met with Li, said Serbia is extremely proud of its “excellent relations, ironclad friendship, and overall cooperation with China.” Vucic posted a photo of the meeting on Instagram, saying that he and Li discussed economic cooperation between Serbia and China.

This cooperation is “dynamically developing” through numerous infrastructure and energy projects and “increasingly intense” investment cooperation, especially in mining and the automobile industry, Vucic said.

Serbia is one of the countries in China’s Belt and Road initiative to fund infrastructure projects with Chinese loans.

In addition to meetings with officials in Belgrade, members of the Chinese delegation are meeting with the leadership of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS).

The SNS said on October 14 that the visit comes after the establishment of cooperation between Serbia and China and after close party cooperation between SNS and the CCPC "paved by presidents Aleksandar Vucic and Xi Jinping."

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Marina Ragus, a member of the SNS presidency and the vice president of the Serbian parliament, said the two countries are in a new phase of developing bilateral relations and have continued to support each other since Xi's visit to Serbia in May. She did not respond to RFE/RL’s inquiry about the frequent visits by Chinese party delegations.

Vuk Vuksanovic, a senior researcher at the Belgrade Center for Security Policy (BCSP), told RFE/RL that the intensified dialogue between the two parties and political elites is an integral part of the Serbian-Chinese partnership.

"The frequency of these visits speaks to the intensity of that partnership and shows a reality that has existed for at least six years, which is that China has replaced Russia as Serbia’s primary partner outside the Western world," says Vuksanovic.

Meanwhile, a delegation of the government of the northern Serbian province of Vojvodina led by provincial President Maja Gojkovic is visiting China’s Shandong Province.

The government of Vojvodina announced on October 13 that officials discussed cooperation and project implementation by Chinese companies in Vojvodina.

Jailed Belarusian political activist Palina Sharenda-Panasyuk is again facing accusations of showing "disobedience" to the administration of the prison where she is incarcerated.

The latest charge is the subject of a new trial that began on October 14 in the Rechytsa district court in southeastern Belarus.

Sharendra-Panasyuk, a mother of two, has already served nearly four years in prison and could face an additional year if convicted again.

Her continued imprisonment is widely seen as a politically motivated act of repression by the Belarusian authorities.

The activist's husband, Andrey Sharenda, said his wife is now accused of “malicious disobedience to the requirements of the administration of the correctional facility.”

Before her trial, Sharenda-Panasyuk was transferred from a pretrial detention center in the regional capital, Homel, to a detention center in Rechytsa, a nearby town.

Sharenda expressed concern over her transfer to this facility, where conditions are reportedly harsh.

According to him, inmates are forced to sleep on metal slabs without mattresses or bed linen, which exacerbates his wife’s back problems.

Despite her medical condition, Sharenda claims that the authorities have subjected his wife to inhumane treatment. He also noted that her latest trial began on October 14, the same date on which Belarus celebrates Mother’s Day. Sharenda-Panasyuk has not seen her children for four years.

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Sharenda-Panasyuk was initially sentenced to two and a half years in prison for insulting authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka and allegedly assaulting a police officer. Her term was extended by two years in successive trials for allegedly disobeying prison guards' commands.

Sharenda-Panasyuk was due to be released in May but has remained in custody pending investigation into the new criminal case.

Her health has been a significant concern throughout her imprisonment. In July 2024, her family learned that she had been diagnosed with moderate chronic pancreatitis. Sharenda has reported that his wife's health has deteriorated sharply in recent months, including constant stomach and back pain.

While the prison administration claims that “necessary treatment is being provided,” her husband remains skeptical about the quality of care she is receiving.

Belarusian human rights organizations have recognized Sharenda-Panasyuk as a political prisoner.

Her continued imprisonment has drawn attention both within Belarus and internationally and highlights the ongoing repression of opposition activists and dissidents in Belarus, where the government has been cracking down on any form of dissent, particularly since the disputed 2020 presidential election.

Less than a week after European parliamentarians blasted Russia for its "provocations and attempts to destabilize" Moldova ahead of a crucial presidential election and referendum on European Union membership, the bloc has sanctioned five people and one legal entity for similar actions.

Foreign ministers from the EU's 27 members on October 14 approved restrictive measures on the six culprits it identified, including Evghenia Gutul, the Russian-backed leader of Moldova's autonomous region of Gagauzia.

Evrazia, a Russian-based NGO that promotes Russian interests, and its founder, Nelli Parutenco, were also sanctioned.

"Moldova faces massive direct attempts from Russia to destabilize the country, as well as challenges arising from Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine," Josep Borrell, the EU's top diplomat, said in a statement.

"This is a direct threat to a sovereign country, to its democratic life, to its path toward the European Union. The EU will continue providing all its support to the legitimate aspirations of the Moldovan people. Today's listings are yet another contribution to the resilience of Moldova."

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The new sanctions, which come before an October 20 presidential election that has been twinned with a referendum on joining the EU, include asset freezes and travel bans.

Last week, members of the European Parliament adopted a resolution condemning "Russia’s escalating malicious activities, interference and hybrid operations" ahead of the balloting.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on October 14 rejected the allegations of meddling in the campaigns.

The two polls are seen as a make-or-break moment for the future of one of Europe's poorest countries, where Russia still wields massive influence and maintains more than 1,000 troops in the separatist Transdniester region, 33 years after Chisinau declared independence from the Soviet Union.

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Under the U.S.-educated Sandu, who came to power after defeating Russian-backed incumbent Igor Dodon in 2020, Moldova took an about-turn toward the West, condemning Moscow's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and joining the EU sanctions regime against the Kremlin.

Moldova secured EU candidate status in June 2022 and opened membership negotiations with the bloc earlier this year, steps that prompted Russia to step up attempts to undermine the credibility of Moldova's government and portray Moscow as a better alternative for Chisinau's future.

The National Democratic Institute, a U.S. pro-democracy NGO, recently warned that foreign malign influence from Russia on social media platforms "is the greatest threat to electoral integrity" and recommended that social media companies move to prevent advertising from "sanctioned individuals or their proxies."

U.S. tech giant Meta recently blocked Gutul's social media accounts after qualifying them as “dangerous.”

Umed Bobozoda, Tajikistan's human rights commissioner, voiced serious concerns over the mistreatment of Tajik migrants in Russia. In a letter to his Russian counterpart, Tatyana Moskalkova, Bobozoda accused Russian law enforcement of using illegal methods, including physical abuse and unjustified detentions, particularly since a deadly terrorist attack at the Crocus City Hall near Moscow in March. Since the attack, in which several Tajik nationals were implicated, around 20,000 Tajiks have been deported, and many others have faced harsh treatment in Russia. Bobozoda highlighted that detained Tajik citizens, including women and children, are often denied basic necessities. Tajik officials, including Prime Minister Qohir Rasulzoda, have raised these issues with Russian officials in recent meetings, but the response from Moscow remains uncertain. The ongoing crackdown threatens to strain relations between the two countries, the leaders of which have called each other key strategic partners. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Tajik Service, click here.

Razif Abdullin, the chief editor of the online independent media outlet Aspekty, resigned from his position last week amid pressure from the authorities in the Russian region of Bashkortostan, according to a statement by Aspekty's founder, Ruslan Valiyev. Valiyev, the former editor of the now defunct Ekho Moskvy radio affiliate in Bashkortostan, made the announcement via YouTube on October 14, emphasizing that the publication's team was evicted from its studio in Bashkortostan's capital, Ufa. Valiyev, who currently lives abroad, said that despite the setback, Aspekty would continue its work, noting that the publication plans to report more freely as its ties to the region diminish. Aspekty has been active in covering protests and criminal cases against activists in Bashkortostan, particularly since January. In March, Russian media regulator Roskomnadzor blocked Aspekty’s website, but the publication has persisted through its Telegram and YouTube channels after emerging shortly after Russia started its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Idel.Realities, click here.

A Moscow court sentenced French researcher Laurent Vinatier on October 14 to three years in prison on a charge of violating "foreign agent" laws, Russia's Investigative Committee said. Vinatier, 48, was arrested in June, allegedly for spying and for failing to register as a foreign agent. Russian investigators claimed he pleaded guilty to illegally obtaining information about the Russian military. Prosecutors sought three years and three months in prison for Vinatier. His defense team had asked the court to fine him instead of sentencing him to prison, calling the prosecutor's request "too harsh." Vinatier is an adviser for the Geneva-based Center for Humanitarian Dialogue, a nonprofit conflict-resolution organization, and "travels regularly for his work," according to his employer. France denounced the "extreme severity" of the sentence and called for his immediate release. French Foreign Ministry spokesman Christophe Lemoine said Russia's "foreign agent" law "contributes to a systematic violation of fundamental freedoms in Russia."

At least four Pakistani police officers and five insurgents were killed on October 14 when militants stormed a police headquarters in the volatile Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region in the country’s northwest, a police officer speaking on condition of anonymity told RFE/RL. The officer in the Bannu police unit said armed men crossed the police line and engaged in battles with security forces. According to the official, the gunmen have entered the police building and the clash is ongoing. The security forces have closed nearby roads amid sounds of gunfire, and military helicopters can be seen flying over the area. The Islamist militant group Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan has claimed responsibility for the attack. To read the original story by RFE/RL’s Radio Mashaal, click here.

Maryya Kalesnikava, a key figure in the Belarusian opposition and a symbol of defiant protests against the country's authoritarian regime, has been held incommunicado in prison for 18 months amid fears over her reportedly declining state of health.

Kalesnikava was an opposition activist who in 2020 became a prominent leader of protests demanding the resignation of strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka following a disputed presidential election. She was sentenced to 11 years in prison in September 2021.

There has been no information on Kalesnikava for well over a year. Sources earlier this year told RFE/RL that she was placed in solitary confinement more than a year ago a violation of Belarusian law, which says the maximum period in solitary confinement is six months.

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Read our coverage as Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka continues his brutal crackdown on NGOs, activists, and independent media following the August 2020 presidential election.

“I can only pray to God that she is alive. The authorities ignore my requests for meetings and letters. It's a terrible feeling of helplessness for a father,” her father, Alyaksandr Kalesnikau, was quoted by AP as saying on October 14 by phone.

Kalesnikava’s unwavering resistance to authoritarian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka has not only led to her imprisonment but has also raised international concern about the conditions under which political prisoners are held in Belarus.

Kalesnikava and fellow opposition figure Maksim Znak were sentenced to 11 years and 10 years in prison, respectively, in September 2021 on charges that included extremism, conspiracy to seize power, and calls for actions damaging national security.

Both opposition figures rejected these charges, viewing them as politically motivated in the wake of the 2020 Belarusian presidential election, where mass protests erupted after Lukashenka’s widely disputed victory.

Kalesnikava gained prominence as a coordinator for would-be presidential candidate Viktar Babaryka, and later as an ally of Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the opposition candidate who is believed by many Belarusians to have won the election.

Following her abduction on September 7, 2020, Kalesnikava’s defiance at the border -- ripping up her passport to prevent forced exile -- led to her detention, symbolizing her resolute opposition to the regime.

Since her imprisonment, Kalesnikava’s family has had no contact with her for the past 18 months. The last known communication from her came in February 2023, when she managed to send a letter.

Her father said he has made several attempts to visit his daughter at the Homel women’s colony where she is incarcerated, but he said all efforts have been met with indifference from prison authorities.

Guards have responded that if she does not call or write, it is because “she does not want to,” he said.

Former inmates from the same prison colony have reported alarming details about Kalesnikava’s deteriorating health.

According to one former prisoner, Kalesnikava was hospitalized around May or June 2023, although specifics surrounding her condition remain unknown.

The information, relayed by a woman who identified herself as Natallya, sheds light on the inhumane treatment Kalesnikava endures in custody, with reports suggesting that she is suffering from malnutrition, weighing only 45 kilograms.

Tatsyana Khomich, Kalesnikava's sister who resides outside Belarus, voiced fears that Kalesnikava’s life is in grave danger.

“They are slowly killing Maryya,” Khomich said.

According to Khomich, Kalesnikava’s letters are torn up by prison staff and the mental toll of isolation is exacerbated by physical neglect.

Kalesnikava’s case is emblematic of the brutal suppression of dissent in Belarus.

The mass protests following the 2020 election were met with violent crackdowns by security forces, and many opposition leaders, activists, and ordinary citizens have since been imprisoned or forced into exile.

While international human rights organizations have condemned these actions, the regime has persisted in silencing its critics, often employing draconian measures like incommunicado detention to stifle opposition voices.

With reporting by the Associated Press

Foreign ministers from the European Union have 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.

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The sanctions, reported in an exclusive by Radio Farda last week, target 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.

Individuals sanctioned include the deputy defense minister of Iran, Seyed Hamzeh Ghalandari; prominent officials of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps's Quds Force (IRGC-QF); IRGC Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters; and IRGC Aerospace Force Space Division, as well as the managing directors of the EU-listed companies Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industries (HESA) and Aerospace Industries Organization (AIO).

The United States, Britain, France, and Germany accused Iran of sending ballistic missiles and related technology to Russia for use against Ukraine more than a month ago, sparking consultations among European allies on the matter.

"Today’s designation includes individuals and entities responsible for the development and transfer of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), missiles, and related technology to Russia in support of its war of aggression against Ukraine, and to armed groups and entities undermining peace and security in the Middle East and the Red Sea region," the council said in a statement on October 14 .

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.

The new EU sanctions come just a few days after Peter Stano, the EU's chief foreign policy spokesman, told RFE/RL that he was "optimistic" about the EU's relationship with Iran.

Stano stressed that EU relations with Iran "have been at an all-time low for a long time" and noted that the most recent reason is Iran's support for Russia in its illegal invasion of Ukraine by supplying drones and more recently missiles.

Domestic repression in Iran, arbitrary detention of EU citizens, and uranium enrichment are other factors that have caused the Islamic republic's relations with the EU to become "complicated" and "sensitive," according to Stano.

Afghanistan's Taliban morality ministry pledged on October 14 to implement a law banning news media from publishing images of all living things, with journalists told the rule will be gradually enforced. "The law applies to all Afghanistan...and it will be implemented gradually" by persuading people images of living things are against Islamic law, a spokesman for the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, Saiful Islam Khyber, told the AFP news agency. The Taliban government's judiciary recently announced legislation formalizing its strict interpretations of Islamic law. Aspects of the new law have not yet been strictly enforced, however, and Taliban officials continue to regularly post photos of people on social media.

Human Rights Watch has condemned Iran’s controversial new law that increases prison terms and fines for women and girls who breach the country's strict dress code in the wake of the mass Women, Life, Freedom protests that followed the death of a young woman while in police custody for an alleged head-scarf violation.

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The Hijab and Chastity law mandates sentences of up to 10 years in prison for those who are deemed to be dressed “inappropriately” in public.

The law, which was approved by parliament in September 2023, came into force after its approval by the Guardians Council, a conservative legal body.

“Rather than responding to the Woman, Life, Freedom movement with fundamental reforms, the autocratic government is trying to silence women with even more repressive dress laws,” said Nahid Naghshandi, acting Iran researcher at Human Rights Watch.

The hijab became compulsory for women and girls over the age of 9 in 1981, two years after the Islamic Revolution in Iran.

For women, unacceptable coverings are defined as “revealing or tight clothing, or clothing that shows parts of the body lower than the neck or above the ankles or above the forearms,” according to the new law.

For men, it has been defined as “revealing clothing that shows parts of the body lower than the chest or above the ankles, or shoulders.”

Naghshandi warned that the new law “will only breed fierce resistance and defiance among women in and outside Iran.”

The renewed focus on the mandatory hijab came after Iran was swept by monthslong mass protests triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini while in the custody of the morality police in 2022 for an alleged hijab violation.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says he had been briefed by Ukrainian intelligence services about what he described as North Korea's effective involvement in Russia's war in his country.

He provided no further details in his nightly address on October 14. Zelenskiy claimed on October 13 that North Korea has sent soldiers and weapons to Russia to support the war in a sign of the increasing alliance between the Kremlin and Pyongyang.

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine

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The reports could not be independently verified, but in his regular nightly address on October 13, Zelenskiy for the first time reiterated the claims.

"This is no longer just about transferring weapons. It is actually about transferring people from North Korea to the occupying military forces,” he said.

Zelenskiy did not provide evidence to back up his claim, but speculation over North Korea's role in the conflict has grown amid signs of tightening relations between Moscow and countries such as North Korea and Iran almost 32 months after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine was launched.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a Washington-based U.S. military think tank, recently reported that several thousand North Korean troops had arrived in Russia and were being prepared for deployment in Ukraine.

North Korea has reportedly been providing Moscow with weapons and ammunition to support its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022.

The South Korean intelligence service has claimed that Pyongyang supplies artillery shells and short-range missiles to Moscow. The Kremlin has dismissed those claims, but has not commented on Zelenskiy's assertions.

Zelenskiy said the development highlights Ukraine’s need for “more support” from its Western partners to “increase the pressure” on Russia and prevent “a bigger war.”

“When we talk about more long-range capability for Ukraine and more decisive supplies for our forces, it is not just a list of military equipment. It is about increasing the pressure on the aggressor," Zelenskiy said.

In his nightly address on October 14, Zelenskiy said that Ukraine had already procured and supplied 1 million drones to the front. Additional supplies have been sent by volunteers, he added.

Zelenskiy will present Ukraine's "victory plan" during a speech in the Verkhovna Rada, the country's parliament, on October 16, Serhiy Leshchenko, an adviser to the head of the president's office, said on Telegram on October 14.

Mykhaylo Podolyak, a senior adviser to Zelenskiy, said on October 12 that the plan had already been presented to the United States and several European countries and would be presented to the Ukrainian people "in the coming days."

Later this week, the situation in Ukraine and the Middle East is expected to be high on the agenda of a meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and German leaders when Biden visits Germany.

According to a government source in Berlin, Biden is set to visit Germany on October 18 after a previously planned trip was canceled due to Hurricane Milton.

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Biden's original visit was to have taken place between October 10-12, during which he had planned to hold a meeting of more than 50 of Ukraine's allies -- known as the the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, or the Ramstein group -- to discuss further support for Kyiv.

In frontline news, Ukrainian authorities said on October 14 that five people were killed and eight were wounded in Russian attacks during the past day. The casualties were reported by local officials in the Donetsk, Kharkiv, and Kherson regions, which were hit by Russian shelling.

Russia claimed on October 13 that it had captured the town of Mykhaylivka, at the gates of the town of Selydove, and south of Pokrovsk, where its forces have been advancing for weeks.

Russian troops have been trying to capture Pokrovsk, a mining city that was home to around 60,000 people before Moscow launched its offensive.

Zelenkskiy said on October 14 that fighting was taking place along the entire length of the front but was particularly fierce in the Pokrovsk and Kharkiv areas. He also noted that Russian forces have been trying to break through Ukrainian defenses in the Kursk region for five days and Ukrainian forces "are holding on and counterattacking."

Russia also said it has evacuated some 30,415 people, including nearly 8,000 children, from areas bordering Ukraine due to shelling and attacks.

Tatyana Moskalkova, Russia’s human rights commissioner, told Russian media in an interview published on October 14 that the evacuees have been placed in nearly 1,000 temporary accommodations across Russia.

With reporting by AFP, dpa, and Reuters

French President Emmanuel Macron told Iranian counterpart Masud Pezeshkian that it was Tehran's "responsibility" to help ease tensions in the Middle East, where the Iran-allied Hezbollah and Hamas militant groups are engaged in fighting Israeli forces. Macron underlined "the responsibility of Iran to support a general de-escalation and to use its influence in this direction with the destabilizing actors that enjoy its support." Hezbollah is an armed group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon and has been targeted with a massive Israeli air and ground campaign over recent weeks. It is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, while the EU blacklists its armed wing but not its political party. Hamas is deemed a terror organization by the United States and the EU. The Iranian presidency also reported on the call, mentioning efforts to reach a cease-fire but using belligerent language toward Israel.

Amirhossein Maghsoudloo, a popular and controversial Iranian rapper known by his stage name Tataloo, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison on a variety of charges, a judiciary spokesman said on October 13.

Court spokesman Asghar Jahangir told a news conference that the performer had been sentenced to five years on charges of insulting sanctities and 10 years for encouraging corruption and prostitution.

It was not immediately clear if the sentences would run concurrently or consecutively. Jahangir said he would be required to begin his sentence immediately.

Tataloo's works -- considered provocative and Western in style -- are not officially permitted in the country, with authorities saying he lacks pertinent certificates from the Culture Ministry.

Hard-liners in Iran often condemn performers who they accuse of offending the conservative Islamic nation's moral standards and corrupting the youth.

Tataloo, 36, who at times has used his music to criticize Iran's human rights record, had lived in Istanbul since 2018 but was extradited to Iran by Turkish authorities in December 2023. He has been detained in Iran since his extradition.

Tataloo's trial began in March on charges of promoting obscenity, publishing propaganda against the Islamic Republic of Iran, and disseminating obscene content.

In a statement last month, the case investigator cited Tataloo's expression of regret, stating the rapper had written a repentance letter while also expressing his desire to marry, start a family, and pursue music in a more accepted manner.

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The information could not be verified, but the admission, if true, likely saved the performer from a much harsher potential sentence.

The rapper, known for blending rap, pop, and R&B and for his distinctive tattoos, has been a polarizing figure in Iran.

He previously released a song in support of Iran's nuclear rights, which coincided with the breakdown of a nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers.

In 2020, Instagram shut down the rapper's account after activists and Instagram users reported him for inappropriate posts asking underage girls to join his "team" for sex.

Tataloo had been briefly jailed in 2013 for distribution of his banned music to foreign-based satellite channels and for two months in 2016 for insulting a judge during a court hearing.

Iranian media reported in December 2023 that Turkish police had arrested Tataloo on charges of insulting members and staff of the consulate in Istanbul over a complaint by the Iranian consulate.

Fars News Agency reported that Tatlou was charged with setting up a gambling house; encouraging, enticing or threatening people to obtain or facilitate pornographic content; inciting and persuading people, especially the younger generation, to commit crimes against chastity and sexual deviance; and encouraging people to commit corruption and prostitution.

With reporting from ISNA and dpa