The New York-based Human Rights Foundation (HRF) said on August 22 that it had filed a submission with the Special Procedures division of the UN Human Rights Council on behalf of Marat Zhylanbaev, the imprisoned leader of the unregistered Algha Qazaqstan (Forward Kazakhstan) political party.

Zhylanbaev, a noted human rights activist and athlete, was arrested in May 2023 and initially sentenced to 20 days in jail for holding a picket two months earlier to demand the release of political prisoners and to ask Western nations to impose sanctions on Kazakh officials for "helping" Russia evade sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine.

Zhylanbaev was later remanded in custody on charges of taking part in a banned group's activities and financing an extremist organization.

In late November 2023, a court in Astana found Zhylanbaev guilty and sentenced him to seven years in prison while also banning him from engaging in social and political activities.

In June 2024, the Supreme Court of Kazakhstan rejected Zhylanbaev's appeal against his incarceration.

Investigators say the activities of Zhylanbaev and his followers were coordinated by the fugitive critic of the Kazakh government, Mukhtar Ablyazov, whose Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan (DVK) movement was labeled as extremist and banned in the country in March 2018. Zhylanbaev is also accused of transferring money to supporters of DVK twice.

Zhylanbaev rejects the charges against him, calling them politically motivated.

"Kazakhstan failed to release Mr. Zhylanbaev when his pretrial detention was set to end in July 2023 and held him in a cell with a convicted individual while awaiting trial. His closed trial took place before a tightly controlled judiciary, and all but one of his requests to call witnesses was denied. His detention cannot be justified under these circumstances," HRF International Legal Associate Kaitie Holland said.

"The Kazakh regime has demonstrated a pattern of suppressing dissent by consistently classifying the opposition as 'extremist.'"

HRF asked UN Special Procedures to investigate Zhylanbaev's case and called on Kazakhstan to release him immediately.

CIA director William Burns held talks on August 23 in Pristina with Prime Minister Albin Kurti before concluding his two-day visit in Kosovo, the Kosovar government said in a statement.

Kurti thanked Burns for Washington's continuous support for Kosovo and voiced Pristina's dedication to deepening bilateral cooperation while reaffirming his country's unwavering commitment to democracy, rule-of-law, and Euro-Atlantic integration, the statement said, calling Burns' visit "historic."

On August 22, Burns met with Kosovar President Vjosa Osmani and the head of Kosovo's Intelligence Agency (KIA), Petrit Ajeti, according to a Facebook post by Osmani, who wrote on August 23 that her country's alliance with the United States was "a guarantee of security, peace and success.”

Burns, who arrived in Kosovo after reported stops earlier this week in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Bulgaria, and North Macedonia during an unannounced tour amid concerns about U.S. relations with Kosovo and Russian influence in the Balkans, did not make any comment at the end of his visit.

According to the flight-tracking website Flightradar24, a U.S. military plane believed to be used to fly the CIA chief made stops in those countries although his tour was not confirmed officially by U.S. authorities.

Burns' visit to Kosovo follows concerns about the partnership between the United States and Kosovo, especially regarding the government's handling of issues related to the country's Serb minority.

Jeffrey Hovenier Speaks To RFE/RL

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In an interview last week with RFE/RL's Kosovo Service, U.S. Ambassador to Kosovo Jeffrey Hovenier said the U.S. administration had been "challenged" by Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti and his government and the “quality of our partnership is not what we would hope it would be on some of these issues."

The U.S. State Department has urged Kurti to return to "constructive and close engagement" with Washington, the European Union, and NATO.

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Due to security concerns, the United States is also urging Kosovo not to reopen a bridge in Mitrovica which divides the northern city into an Albanian-majority southern side and a Serb-majority northern side,.

Sanctions-hit Belarus has announced that it will sign a free trade deal with China for services and investment, as well as agreements to strengthen cooperation in security, energy, and finance.

The new pact was announced in a joint statement released on August 23, a day after a visit by Chinese Premier Li Qiang to Minsk where he met with Belarusian Prime Minister Raman Halouchanka and authoritarian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka, and promised to deepen cooperation to improve industrial supply chains and reduce costs.

“One of them can definitely be called historic -- an agreement on the creation of a free trade zone for services and investment,” the statement quoted Lukashenka as saying about the agreements.

Belarus said that the trade deal would create “transparent and predictable rules,” which would help the country’s economy by increasing its exports to China by at least 12 percent and boosting Chinese investment into Belarus by 30 percent in the next five years.

Speaking with Li, who arrived in Minsk after a multiday visit to Moscow, Lukashenka said he wanted to see a “large influx of Chinese technology” into Belarus over the coming years -- a move that could signal an increasing reliance on Beijing for trade and economic growth moving forward.

China is already Belarus’s second-largest trading partner after Russia, with the state-run China Daily saying that bilateral trade surpassed $8.4 billion in 2023.

Belarus has been one of Russia's closest allies following its 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, providing logistical support and air bases for the war and recently deployed Russian tactical nuclear weapons on its territory.

But while Minsk still relies heavily on Moscow for political and financial support, it has also looked to balance that dependence with closer ties with Beijing.

SEE ALSO:

Belarusian Ruler Lukashenka Goes To China As Ukraine War Tensions Rise

That need for diversification has grown in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine with Moscow directing its political and economic resources toward the war.

Cut off from Brussels in 2020 following a crackdown triggered by his disputed reelection that the opposition and the West denounced as rigged, Lukashenka has courted China for loans, investment, and, increasingly, military and political support.

In July, Belarus became the 10th member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and also hosted Chinese troops for joint military exercises in the western part of the country, some 5 kilometers from the Polish border.

Once an active investor in Belarus for infrastructure, manufacturing, and technology ventures, China had not offered a new project or loan to Minsk since 2019 and seemed to have stepped back from the country amid its domestic crisis, which cut Lukashenka off politically from the European Union and made him a less appealing economic partner for Beijing.

But despite the years of limited economic engagement, Beijing and Minsk have maintained close political ties, which have now led to Lukashenka securing fresh Chinese investment.

SEE ALSO:

Beijing Sends Message To NATO With Chinese-Belarusian Military Drills On Alliance's Eastern Flank

Among the various agreements included in the series of deals, five industrial projects totaling $1 billion are set to be launched and 12 more industrial projects worth $2 billion are under approval, according to the joint statement.

Theagreements signed also plan to set up closer cooperation between Belarus and Chinese provincial governments in Chongqing and Shaanxi.

Russia's Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) said on August 23 that a group of inmates in a prison in the southwestern region of Volgograd has taken a number of staff members hostage. Media reports said several people died when the hostage-taking took place while a disciplinary commission was in penal colony of maximum-security No. 19 in the town of Surovikino. Telegram channels close to the penitentiary service issued a video showing four inmates, who call themselves "Islamic State fighters," holding knives and standing next to three corpses in FSIN uniforms and another uniformed person who was injured. Some reports say the prison warden was hospitalized with wounds. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here.

Germany’s decision to select Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof’s latest movie to represent the country in the 2025 Oscars in the international feature category shows that Iranian independent cinema is making strides, the director has told RFE/RL's Radio Farda.

Rasoulof’s The Seed Of The Sacred Fig was selected by an independent jury of experts from among 13 submissions, according to German Films, which represents German cinema interests abroad.

In a brief message to Radio Farda on August 22, the Golden Bear-winning director said he was “happy” for various reasons.

“First of all, the voice of Iranian independent cinema appears to be on a new path,” said Rasoulof, who fled Iran earlier this year.

“Secondly, the movie offers a picture close to the reality about the women's protests in Iran,” he added, referring to the ‘Women, Life, Freedom’ protests in 2022.

The protests were sparked by the death in morality-police custody of Mahsa Amini, a young Kurdish-Iranian woman who was detained for allegedly flaunting the country’s strict dress code for women.

The unrest lasted for months, with rights groups estimating that more than 500 protesters were killed as security forces clamped down on the demonstrations.

Rasoulof said he was also happy because the movie’s submission as Germany’s hope for the Oscars was a recognition of the efforts and hardships endured by the cast and crew of the film in Iran.

“This highlights the efforts of a group that tried to be an honest narrator of the truth despite the restrictions,” he said.

Rasoulof revealed in May that he had fled Iran after being informed that he had been sentenced to eight years in prison and flogging on security-related charges.

An outspoken critic of the Iranian establishment’s crackdown on protests, Rasoulof was convicted of “collusion to act against national security.”

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The cast and crew of The Seed Of The Sacred Fig had been under pressure by the Iranian authorities to pull the movie from the Cannes Film Festival.

Rasoulof attended the festival after leaving Iran, receiving a 12-minute standing ovation after the screening of his film. The movie won multiple awards at Cannes, including the Competition's Special Jury Prize and the Prix Francois Chalais for Best Film.

The film tells the story of an Iranian judge struggling with paranoia. His mistrust intensifies after his gun goes missing amid growing nationwide protests. He suspects his wife and daughters of stealing his weapon and imposes heavy restrictions at home.

Rasoulof won the Golden Bear -- the Berlin Film Festival’s top prize -- in 2020 for his film There Is No Evil, which tells four stories loosely connected to the themes of the death penalty in Iran and personal freedoms under oppression. He was barred by Tehran from travelling to Germany to receive his award.

An oil depot in Russia's Rostov region, which has been on fire for several days following a Ukrainian drone strike, was hit again on August 23, Russian telegram channels report. There was no immediate confirmation from Russian or Ukrainian authorities about the alleged second strike on Proletarsk. A Ukrainian drone attack on August 18 set fire to some 20 diesel fuel tanks with an estimated volume of 5,000 cubic meters of fuel each. The reported targets of the August 23 strike were kerosene tanks, which had escaped the first strike undamaged. It was not immediately clear if the strike was successful. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, click here.

Large portraits of Yevgeny Prigozhin and Dmitry Utkin, the deceased founders of Russia's Wagner mercenary group, appeared in Narym park in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk on August 23, the first anniversary of their deaths in a suspicious plane crash. A makeshift memorial erected near the portraits includes two flags with Wagner symbols. Prigozhin's forces launched a rebellion in June 2023 and briefly took control of the city of Rostov-on-Don. Many believe the plane crash two months later was orchestrated by the Kremlin in retaliation. The Kremlin has denied the assertion and no evidence to back up the claim has been found. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Siberia.Realities, click here.

A Moscow court on August 23 issued an arrest warrant for Nina Volokhonskaya, a producer at the Navalny LIVE YouTube channel who is currently outside of Russia. In mid-August, Volokhonskaya was added to Russia's wanted list for allegedly taking part in the activities of an extremist group. Late Russian opposition politician Aleksei Navalny's organizations and projects were labeled as extremist and banned in Russia in June 2021. If arrested and convicted, Volokhonskaya faces up to six years in prison. Outspoken Kremlin critic Navalny died in February in an Arctic prison. His associates and supporters blame President Vladimir Putin for his death. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here.

Iran’s Intelligence Ministry said in a statement on August 23 that its agents had arrested 14 members of Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K), which is a branch of the IS militant group based in Afghanistan, the semiofficial ISNA news agency reported. It did not specify when the arrests occurred but said all 14 had entered Iran illegally and “planned to carry out terrorist operations.” Seven suspects were arrested in the southern Fars Province while the rest were apprehended in the northern provinces of Tehran and Alborz, and Khuzestan Province in the southwest. In January, IS-K claimed a deadly twin bombing in southern Iran that killed 95 people.

Six people, including four children aged 2 and 7, died in a fire overnight in Novi Sad, Serbia's second-largest city, Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said on August 23. The fire, which broke out in the Salajka neighborhood of Novi Sad, appears to have been caused by a scooter, which had been left connected to the electricity grid, Dacic said. "We assume the victims are members of the family that lived at that address," said Dacic. Police and prosecutors opened an investigation after the fire was put out by the city's fire brigade.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived in Kyiv on a historic visit for talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on ways to find a peaceful resolution to the war triggered by Russia's unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine two and a half years ago.

"Reached Kyiv earlier this morning. The Indian community accorded a very warm welcome," Modi wrote in a message on X accompanied by several pictures of him meeting with members of the Indian community in Ukraine.

Earlier, Ukraine's state railway company, Ukrzaliznycja, posted a video of Modi's arrival by train from Poland on Telegram. "For the first time in the history of bilateral relations between our countries, the prime minister of India is personally visiting Ukraine," the message accompanying the video said.

Speaking in Poland during a trip on August 22 ahead of his arrival in Ukraine, Modi urged Moscow and Kyiv to find a path to peace "as soon as possible."

"I look forward to the opportunity to...share perspectives on peaceful resolution of the ongoing Ukraine conflict," Modi said in Warsaw. "As a friend and partner, we hope for an early return of peace and stability in the region."

Modi's trip is the first by an Indian leader to Kyiv since the countries established bilateral relations more than 30 years ago. He has said he plans to also discuss "deepening the India-Ukraine friendship."

"It is India's strong belief that no problem can be resolved on a battlefield," Modi said, adding that his country supported "dialogue and diplomacy for restoration of peace and stability as soon as possible."

SEE ALSO:

Modi's Balancing Act Continues With Ukraine Visit

India came under fire from some Western countries after he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow last month, which coincided with a deadly Russian missile attack on a children's hospital in Kyiv that elicited harsh international condemnation.

The United States was particularly concerned with Modi’s two-day visit to Russia as it sees New Delhi as an important pillar in its strategy to contain an ascendant China.

Zelenskiy at the time had harsh words for Modi's trip, too, saying it was a "huge disappointment and a devastating blow to peace efforts to see the leader of the world's largest democracy hug the world's most bloody criminal in Moscow on such a day."

In comments to Reuters, Zelenskiy's presidential aide Mykhaylo Podolyak said Modi's visit to Kyiv was significant because New Delhi "really has a certain influence" over Moscow.

"It's extremely important for us to effectively build relations with such countries, to explain to them what the correct end to the war is -- and that it is also in their interests," Podolyak said.

Ukrainian air defense systems shot down 14 out of 16 attack drones that Russia launched overnight at four of its regions, Ukraine's air force said early on August 23. "Antiaircraft systems operated in the Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Poltava, and Sumy regions," it said on Telegram, adding that two Russian drones were "lost on location" and it was not clear whether they were destroyed. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damages. Russia's Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said its air defenses downed four Ukrainian drones over the Kursk region and three over the Belgorod region. It did not mention any casualties or damage.

As many as 11 policemen have been killed and 10 others injured in an August 22 ambush by robbers in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab Province, one of the deadliest attacks against law enforcement in the restive region in recent times.

The robbers, armed with rocket-propelled grenades and guns, attacked the officers while the two vehicles they were traveling in stopped along the road after one experienced mechanical problems, the police said.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack and ordered "immediate and effective action" against the bandits. Maryam Nawaz, the Punjab Chief Minister, said in a statement that the attack “will not go unavenged.”

The ambush comes three weeks after six police officers from Punjab and Sindh provinces were killed by robbers in two separate attacks in the region on July 31.

The riverine region along the border of Punjab and southeastern Sindh Province is considered a no-go zone for citizens, and law enforcement agencies do not have much control of it.

The area, a combination of forests and uncultivated land owned by the state, is spread out over hundreds of square kilometers on both sides of the Indus river.

Armed bandits have been present there for many years, engaging in kidnapping for ransom, extortion, and murder. Police and other law enforcement agencies began operations to combat their activities in 2021.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, a non-governmental, independent body, said in its fact-finding report last year that at least "300 cases of kidnapping for ransom were registered" in 2022. The robbers make an estimated 1 billion Pakistani rupees ($3,580,400) a year from their illegal activities.

Experts believe that local influential politicians and landlords are behind the gangs as they seek to profit from the land.

WASHINGTON – In a historic speech at the Democratic National Convention, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris promised to continue military support for Ukraine and strengthen NATO as she accepted the party’s nomination for the 2024 presidential race.

The 59-year-old Harris, the first woman of color to top the presidential ticket of a major U.S. party, sharply criticized her Republican challenger Donald Trump for cozying up to authoritarian leaders.

Speaking to thousands of cheering supporters on the fourth and last day of the convention inside the United Center in Chicago, Harris, just a month after President Joe Biden ended his reelection bid and endorsed her to replace him atop the Democratic ticket, accused Trump of disowning Ukraine and allies and of denigrating the United States.

“As President, I will stand strong with Ukraine and our NATO allies,” Harris, said on August 22 during the 40-minute speech.

"I will never waver in defense of America's security and ideals, because in the enduring struggle between democracy and tyranny, I know where I stand," she added, contrasting her position with Trump and running mate JD Vance, who have repeatedly questioned U.S. backing for Ukraine.

Harris, the first Black woman and first person of South Asian descent to accept a major party's presidential nomination, delivered an upbeat view of the United States and its standing in the world, a sharp contrast to the doom-and-gloom picture Trump painted at the Republican convention last month.

“I see a nation that is ready to move forward, ready for the next step in the incredible journey that is America,” she said.

Craig Allen, a communications professor and political commentator at Arizona State University, told RFE/RL after the speech that while Harris was “inspiring,” especially when she spoke about family and her personal journey, her comments on Ukraine weren’t anything “that Biden hadn't already said.”

“She did not elaborate on what she was going to do for Ukraine,” he added.

Turning to the war between Israel and Hamas, which has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union, Harris vowed to work toward ending the conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people in the Gaza Strip.

The vice president said that as president she would "always stand up for Israel" and would "never hesitate to take whatever action is necessary to defend our forces and our interests against Iran and Iran-backed terrorists."

The address, watched by millions of Americans around the country, is the first time many voters have gotten to see the new Democratic candidate up close.

Harris emerged as the party’s frontrunner on July 21 when Biden took the unprecedented step of bowing out of the race after winning the primaries.

The 81-year-old president faced intense pressure from senior party officials to withdraw after he appeared frail and confused during a June 27 debate against Trump, deepening widespread concern he was too old to serve another four years.

While Harris oversaw key issues such as illegal immigration and abortion rights, like most vice presidents, she had been largely out of the public eye during her more than three years in office.

In a recent poll, more than a third of Americans said they don't know Harris or her positions well.

Wearing a blue suit, Harris talked about growing up in a middle class family of immigrants and going on to become a prosecutor to protect people.

She laid out some of her priorities as president, including increasing the supply of affordable housing and protecting abortion rights.

“They are out of their mind,” Harris said about the Trump's campaign stance on abortion.

The former president took to social media and then called into Fox News to comment further, to criticize the speech for not talking about China, oil fracking, or crime, issues that Trump has pushed consistently.

“It was a lot of complaining," he said.

“Why didn’t she do the things that she’s complaining about?”

Independent polls taken days before the August 19-22 Democratic National Convention showed Harris, who if elected would become the first female president in the history of the United States, slightly edging out Trump in a hypothetical national vote.

Analysts say even 100,000 votes across a few swing states could determine the outcome of the November 5 election.

Harris' campaign has enjoyed a momentum not seen by a Democratic candidate since former President Barack Obama’s first bid in 2008, party members say.

Even though Trump and Biden easily won their respective primaries earlier this year, a significant number of American voters said they wanted new candidates on the ballot. The two men faced off in 2020.

Harris's entry into the race has energized some voters – especially younger women – who had shown little enthusiasm for either Biden or Trump, experts said.

Russia's secret service agency, the FSB, said it has opened a criminal case against CNN journalist Nick Paton Walsh and two Ukrainian correspondents saying they illegally crossed into the country to film reports on Ukraine's incursion into Russian territory.

The journalists -- which include Paton Walsh, a British national, and Ukrainian journalists Diana Butsko and Olesya Borovik -- reported from the Sudzha area of the Kursk region, where Ukraine has surprisingly taken a foothold inside of Russia in recent weeks.

The incursion is the biggest into Russia by a foreign power since World War II.

"In the near future, they will be put on the international wanted list," the FSB said in a statement on August 22, adding all three face up to five years in prison.

The journalists entered Russia embedded with a Ukrainian military convoy and travelled to the town of Sudzha in a reporting mission CNN said was a legitimate reporting trip.

"Our team was invited by the Ukrainian government, along with other international journalists, and escorted by the Ukrainian military to view territory it had recently occupied," CNN said in a statement.

"This is protected activity in accordance with the rights afforded to journalists under the Geneva Convention and international law," it added.

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RFE/RL Meets Shocked Russian Civilians In Town Captured By Ukrainian Forces

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The FSB move comes on the heels of a similar case launched last weekend against two Italian journalists who reported on Ukraine's offensive in the Kursk region.

Simone Traini and Stefania Battistini were also accused of illegally crossing the border.

Moscow subsequently summoned Italy's ambassador to Moscow, Cecilia Piccioni, who informed Russia's Foreign Ministry that Italian state broadcaster RAI, "and in particular the editorial teams, plan their activities in a totally free and independent way."

The Russian Foreign Ministry earlier this week also summoned the U.S. Embassy's Deputy Chief of Mission Stephanie Holmes to protest what it called "provocative" reports by U.S. journalists from the Kyiv-controlled part of Russia's Kursk region who "illegally" crossed the Russian border.

A court in Romania has placed divisive Internet influencer Andrew Tate under house arrest and his brother Tristan under judicial control for 30 days after they were interrogated by Romanian anti-corruption prosecutors as part of an investigation into new allegations against them. The court's decision came after Romania's anti-organized crime agency DIICOT asked that Tate and his brother Tristan be remanded in custody for 30 days. The brothers' spokeswoman said the judge cited the brothers' “exemplary behavior" while under previous court orders in deciding not to keep them in custody. "The Tate brothers welcome the decision and strongly deny all the allegations brought against them," Mateea Petrescu said in a statement. The new allegations include forming an organized criminal group and child trafficking. To read the original story on RFE/RL's Romanian Service, click here.

The Seed Of The Sacred Fig, a film by exiled Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof, has been chosen to represent Germany in the competition for Best International Feature Film at the 2025 Academy Awards, German Films announced on August 22. German Films, which represents German cinema interests abroad, said that an independent jury of experts chose Rasoulof's film from among 13 submissions. The Seed Of The Sacred Fig is "a psychological portrait of Iran's theocracy which is built on violence and paranoia," according to the jury statement. Rasoulof told RFE/RL’s Radio Farda from Berlin where he now lives that “the movie offers a picture close to the reality about the women's protests in Iran." To read the original story on RFE/RL's Radio Farda, click here.

Ukrainian forces sank a Russian ferry carrying fuel tanks in a missile strike on a port in Russia's southern Krasnodar region on August 22, Russian officials said.

"As a result of the damage, the ferry sank in the waters of the Kavkaz port," the Krasnodar region's operational headquarters said on Telegram.

The headquarters reported earlier that "a railroad ferry with fuel tanks in the Kavkaz port was attacked" and that emergency services had been dispatched. Images circulating on social media showed a plume of dark smoke rising in the area of the ferry crossing.

The port sits in the Kerch Strait separating Russia from Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula that Moscow illegally annexed in 2014. Ukraine has issued no official comment on the incident, but Darya Zarivna, a communications adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, posted a photo on Telegram showing a large fire at the port and the word "Beautiful."

Fyodor Babenkov, the district head of the Russian town of Temryuk, was quoted by Reuters as saying the ferry was carrying 30 fuel tanks. The vessel sustained significant damage as a result of the attack, which caused a fire, Babenkov said.

The Russian state-run news agency RIA Novosti said five people were on the vessel at the time of the attack and were unaccounted for. The Russian online news channel Baza reported that the number of people on board was 15 and all were missing.

All port employees were evacuated, TASS reported citing the Transport Ministry.

SEE ALSO:

Spinning Ukraine's Kursk Incursion, Kremlin Says Russia Is Conducting A 'Counterterrorism Operation'

Ukraine in recent weeks has taken bold steps, including a surprise incursion into Russia's Kursk region and attacks on fuel storage facilities and airfields inside Russia used to conduct attacks on Ukraine's civilian infrastructure, in an effort to turn the tide of the war.

A drone strike earlier on August 22 on an airfield hundreds of kilometers inside Russia was the work of Ukraine's military intelligence, security sources told RFE/RL.

Zelenskiy, meanwhile, traveled to Ukraine's Sumy region that borders Kursk for the first time since the start of Ukraine's invasion there on August 6.

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RFE/RL Meets Shocked Russian Civilians In Town Captured By Ukrainian Forces

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The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) together with the Special Operations Forces early on August 22 struck the Marinovka airfield in Russia's Volgograd region, located 275 kilometers east of the Ukrainian border, SBU sources told RFE/RL on the condition of anonymity.

After the impact, "plumes of black smoke and a powerful detonation" occurred on the airfield surface, the SBU source said.

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine

RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's full-scale invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war in Ukraine, click here.

The strike targeted a storage site for fuel, antitank missiles, and glide bombs, the security source said.

Earlier, Russian Telegram channels, citing eyewitnesses, reported a series of explosions at Marinovka, and the Astra channel on Telegram posted a video showing what appeared to be a large explosion and plumes of black smoke rising above the airfield.

Volgograd Governor Andrei Bocharov said drone strikes ignited a fire at a military facility in the region but claimed the attack had been repelled.

"As a result of the UAV crash, a fire broke out on the territory of a ministry facility. Fire and rescue services quickly began extinguishing the fire," Bocharov said on Telegram, adding that there were no casualties.

Meanwhile, the airport of regional capital Volgograd, a city of some 1 million people 55 kilometers east of Marinovka, restricted the arrivals and departures of commercial aircraft.

Volgograd is the current name of Tsaritsyn, which from 1925 to 1961 bore the name Stalingrad, after Soviet dictator Josef Stalin. Stalingrad became famous for its repelling a monthslong Nazi siege in 1942-1943 during World War II.

The General Staff of the Ukrainian military said late on August 22 that 135 combat clashes had taken place at the front during the day, and that Russia continues to concentrate its main efforts in the Pokrovsk area, where it attacked Ukrainian positions 53 times.

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'I Cry Every Day': Ukrainians Scramble To Evacuate Areas Near Pokrovsk As Russians Advance

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A Russian military strike killed a 56-year-old man and injured eight others in the Kharkiv region of northeastern Ukraine, the Ukrainian Prosecutor-General's Office said .The injured included a 15-year-old boy, while residential buildings were also damaged.

After Zelenskiy met with Ukraine's top military commander, Oleksandr Syrskiy, in Sumy, a Russian drone attack killed two civilians and wounded a third.

During his visit to Sumy, Zelenskiy was briefed by Syrskiy on the operational situation in the area controlled by Ukrainian forces in Russia's Kursk, Ukraine's presidential administration said in a statement.

Sumy Governor Volodymyr Artyukh told Zelenskiy that following the start of Ukraine's operation in Kursk, the number of cross-border shellings and the casualties among civilians had dropped drastically, also allowing the start of infrastructure repairs badly needed after months of incessant Russian bombardments, the statement said.

Ukraine's leadership has repeatedly stated that its bold move into Kursk aims to establish a buffer zone inside Russia meant to protect Ukrainian civilians from cross-border Russian shelling.

Ukraine has also said it is not pursuing territorial gains from Russia.

ALMATY, Kazakhstan -- Prosecutors on August 22 asked the Specialized Inter-District Court in Kazakhstan's largest city, Almaty, to sentence the imprisoned former wife of a convicted nephew of the Central Asian nation's former authoritarian president, Nursultan Nazarbaev, to 12 years in prison on charges that include the illegal deprivation of liberty and extortion.

Investigators say Gulmira Satybaldy, with the assistance of her driver, forcibly held her former business partner and relative Abai Zhunusov in isolation against his will for 165 days in 2019 to force him to give up his stakes in several businesses.

Satybaldy is concurrently serving two sentences -- eight years for embezzlement and the illegal appropriation of shares and assets of several enterprises, and seven years for abduction and actions aiding the commission of a crime.

The sentences were handed down by a court in May and June last year.

Prosecutors are now asking the court to rule that the new 12-year sentence they are seeking for the defendant be served partially concurrently, meaning that the total time to be spent in prison by Satybaldy would be 13 years.

Gulmira Satybaldy was arrested along with her ex-husband Qairat Satybaldy in March 2022. He was tried separately in September 2023 and sentenced to six years in prison after being found guilty of fraud and embezzlement.

Last week, a court in Kazakhstan's eastern city of Oskemen replaced Qairat Satybaldy's six-year prison sentence with a suspended sentence.

Court No. 2 in the capital of the East Kazakhstan region ruled on August 16 that Qairat Satybaldy must be released with a suspended 40-month sentence, stressing that the once extremely powerful businessman and politician had returned all the money he was accused of embezzling to the State Treasury.

The probes launched against the couple were part of a series of investigations targeting relatives and allies of Nazarbaev following unprecedented anti-government protests that turned into deadly mass disorders in early January 2022.

After the deadly events, the Kazakh regime began to quietly target Nazarbaev, his family, and other allies -- many of whom held powerful or influential posts in government, security agencies, and profitable energy companies.

A court in Russia on August 22 annulled a contract between the Defense Ministry and a Danish citizen, who claims he was duped into joining Russian troops invading Ukraine. The man, whose lawyer asked RFE/RL not to disclose his identity, moved to Russia in the summer of 2023 and joined the Russian armed forces on condition that he would serve in a non-combatant unit, hoping it would help expedite his efforts to obtain Russian citizenship. However, the Dane says, because he could not speak Russian, he was tricked and sent to Ukraine against his will. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Idel.Realities, click here.

CIA director William Burns has arrived in Kosovo after stops earlier this week in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia on an unannounced trip amid concerns about U.S. relations with Kosovo and Russian influence in the Balkans.

Burns was seen on August 22 entering the building of Kosovo’s presidency.

A U.S. government official confirmed to RFE/RL earlier this week that Burns arrived in Sarajevo and met with his Bosnian counterparts, members of the presidency, and the foreign minister.

Burns is believed to have traveled from Sarajevo to Belgrade, Bulgaria, and North Macedonia before arriving in Kosovo. According to the flight-tracking website Flightradar24, a U.S. military plane believed to be used to fly the CIA chief made stops in those countries. On August 22, it was seen parked at the VIP gate at Pristina's international airport, according to an RFE/RL photographer.

But there has been no confirmation of Burns’ visit to Kosovo from the U.S. Embassy in Pristina, the Kosovar presidency, or the Interior Ministry.

The U.S. government official who confirmed Burns’ visit to Sarajevo said the CIA chief was in the Bosnian capital to discuss the “worrying secessionist rhetoric and actions” of the pro-Russian president and government of Bosnia-Herzegovina’s Serb entity.

Burns' visit to Kosovo follows concerns about the partnership between the United States and Kosovo, especially regarding the government's handling of issues related to the country's Serb minority.

Jeffrey Hovenier Speaks To RFE/RL

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In an interview last week with RFE/RL's Kosovo Service, U.S. Ambassador to Kosovo Jeffrey Hovenier said the U.S. administration had been "challenged" by Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti and his government and the “quality of our partnership is not what we would hope it would be on some of these issues."

The U.S. State Department has urged Kurti to return to "constructive and close engagement" with Washington, the European Union, and NATO, while the United States is also urging Kosovo not to reopen a bridge in Mitrovica because of security concerns.

Burns did not meet with Kurti because the prime minister is in Chicago attending the Democratic National Convention at the invitation of the National Democratic Institute.

Former Kosovar security forces commander Kadri Kastrati said Burns’ visit may be linked to Russia’s activities in the western Balkans, where he said Moscow is waging a “hybrid war."

Kastrati said the greatest risk of conflict is in Bosnia through Republika Srpska and in northern Kosovo.

Burns’ visit shows that the CIA has “enough information about Russian efforts -- through its satellite, Serbia --- that this part of Europe is at risk of a potential conflict,” Kastrati said. "They came here to give their recommendations."

When Iran’s reformist President Masud Pezeshkian submitted nominees for his 19-member Cabinet, many expected the hard-line parliament to reject at least some of his picks.

But in a rare move, lawmakers accepted the entire slate of ministers without a change, the first time a president has managed the feat in over two decades.

Pezeshkian hailed the move as a win for consensus in the divided country. But critics said the unanimous approval of his cabinet showed the limits of the president’s powers in Iran’s clerically dominated political system.

That is because Pezeshkian, addressing parliament before they voted on his nominees, said that the names were selected in “coordination” with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and preapproved by him.

Some Iranians saw Pezeshkian’s comments as an admission that the government is controlled by the supreme leader, who has the final say on all important matters of the state.

SEE ALSO:

'Reformist Loyalist' Masud Pezeshkian Is Iran's New President. Here's What To Expect.

Hamid Aboutalebi, a former Iranian ambassador to Australia, said Pezeshkian may have “won the battle in parliament” but had “lost [Iran’s] century-long war for constitutionalism and republicanism.”

Some Iranian social media users said the presidency had lost all legitimacy and Pezeshkian was effectively a prime minister reporting to Khamenei.

“Get rid of this meaningless position of president and appoint a prime minister,” said political activist Hossein Razzaq.

Razzaq added that Khamenei should pick the head of government so that public funds are not spent on holding “ridiculous elections for show" in Iran, where votes are tightly controlled.

In many countries, including Iran, a president is elected by the people. A prime minister, a role that does not exist in Iran, is typically chosen by parliament or the head of state.

Some Iranians argued that Khamenei had finally realized what they said was his yearslong goal of abolishing the presidency and installing a prime minister, arguing that in Pezeshkian, he had accomplished it without the need to change the constitution.

In 2011, Khamenei said there would be “nothing wrong in changing” the system of government if “one day in the distant future it is felt that a parliamentary system is better than a presidential system for appointing officials.”

Getting rid of the presidency would further widen Khamenei’s powers.

Iran abolished the position of prime minister in 1989, a decade after the Islamic Revolution. The prime minister’s duties were divided between the president and the newly established position of first vice-president.

Under the Islamic republic, the prime minister was nominated by the president and approved by parliament. He served as the head of the government.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged Russia and Ukraine to find a path to peace "as soon as possible" ahead of his historic visit to Kyiv.

Modi was in Warsaw on August 22 to meet with Polish officials before heading to Ukraine, the first trip by an Indian leader to Kyiv since the countries established bilateral relations more than 30 years ago. His visit also marks the first trip by an Indian prime minister to Warsaw in 45 years.

"It is India's strong belief that no problem can be resolved on a battlefield," Modi said while in the Polish capital, adding that his country supported "dialogue and diplomacy for restoration of peace and stability as soon as possible."

India came under fire from some Western countries after he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow last month, which coincided with a deadly Russian missile attack on a children's hospital in Kyiv that elicited harsh international condemnation.

The United States was particularly concerned with Modi’s two-day visit to Russia as it sees New Delhi as an important pillar in its strategy to contain an ascending China.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said as he welcomed Modi that "history has taught our nations the importance of respecting the rules, respecting borders, [and] territorial integrity."

Modi said in a statement published before he left for Poland that "as a friend and partner, we hope for an early return of peace and stability in the region."

The statement added that Modi will hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and "share perspectives on peaceful resolution of the ongoing Ukraine conflict."

A court of appeals in Astana on August 21 rejected an appeal by former Kazakh Culture and Sports Minister Arystanbek Mukhamediuly against his imprisonment after being convicted of corruption. Mukhamediuly was initially sentenced last year to eight years in prison on embezzlement charges. In February, he was handed an additional three years on bribery charges, while his wife was handed six months in prison for mediating an attempted bribe, and his lawyer was sentenced to six years and eight months for his alleged role in mediating the bribe. Mukhamediuly’s arrest in 2022 came amid President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev's campaign to remove his predecessor, Nursultan Nazarbaev and his associates, from the political scene. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Kazakh Service, click here.

ASTANA -- Kazakhstan summoned Paval Utsyupin, Belarus's ambassador in Astana, to "objectively assess" the Central Asian nation's stance on key international issues in an unbiased manner amid rising tensions between the two countries.

The ministry did not say specifically why it summoned Utsyupin, but it comes after Alyaksandr Lukashenka, the authoritarian ruler of Belarus, made several controversial statements in an interview with Russian state television.

Kazakh Foreign Minister Murat Nurtileu said at the August 21 meeting with Utsyupin that Astana is "confident that all differences between any nations must be solved solely via political and diplomatic means."

In the televised interview on August 20, Lukashenka accused some post-Soviet states of what he called "unfair relations with Russia," specifically mentioning antigovernment protests in Kazakhstan in January 2022 that turned deadly after Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev invited troops of the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) to help him restore order.

SEE ALSO:

Belarusian Embassy In Yerevan Pelted With Eggs And Tomatoes After Lukashenka Statements

"We have to be together. The time will come soon to ask Russia for help. Nobody else is there to ask for help.... When the situation occurred in Kazakhstan, whom did it refer to for help? China, India, Pakistan? No. It turned to Putin for help. And we sent [CSTO] troops there. In just half of one day our planes landed there, and order was restored," Lukashenka said in the interview.

The interview caused a sharp reaction in Kazakhstan and other countries such as Armenia, where protesters pelted the Belarusian Embassy in Yerevan with eggs and other produce and demanded diplomatic ties with Minsk be cut over Lukashenka's interview, in which he also criticized Armenia's shift westward.

"Who needs Armenians? Nobody. Let them develop their economy and rely on their own resources. What is France? Who is [French President Emmanuel] Macron? Tomorrow, when Macron is gone, everybody will forget about the Armenians," Lukashenka said in the interview.

The rally in front of the Belarusian Embassy was organized by the pro-Western For the Republic Party. The party's leader, Arman Babajanian, was among the protesters.

Lukashenka's interview came amid Ukrainian armed forces' incursion into Russia's Kursk region, which led to speculations in many post-Soviet countries that Russia could now call on the CSTO member states -- Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan -- to help it repel Ukrainian troops. Armenia suspended its membership in the CSTO in February.