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HRW Claims Syria's Use Of Cluster Bombs Growing
The report, citing field investigations and amateur videos, says Syrian forces in the past six months have dropped at least 156 cluster bombs in more than 100 locations across the country.
Cluster bombs, which open in flight, scattering smaller explosive devices, are seen as posing a long-term threat to civilians because many do not explode immediately.
Most countries have banned their use.
The report comes a day after Syrian rebels marked the second anniversary of their uprising against President Bashar al-Assad.
The United Nations says 70,000 people have been killed and 4 million displaced by the fighting.
Based on reporting by AP and AFP
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Explosion At Luxury Moscow Residence Kills Founder Of Battalion Fighting in Ukraine
A bomb exploded at a Moscow apartment complex, authorities said, killing and wounding several people, including the founder of a battalion fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine.
The February 3 incident was the latest in a string of unusual explosions and shootings, which have raised fears of a return to the gangland violence that plagued the Russian capital in the 1990s.
Russian authorities were quoted by the state news agency TASS as saying that the device detonated around 9:45 a.m. local time, and may have been delivered to the Alye Parusa complex by courier.
Among the casualties was Armen Sarkisian, the founder of an ethnic Armenian military unit that has been fighting in Ukraine alongside Russian troops. The Interfax and TASS news agencies quoted unnamed officials as saying he died after being hospitalized in critical condition.
Eyewitnesses said that at the time of the explosion, Sarkisian was seen walking down a hall in the building toward a parking lot just prior to the blast.
TASS quoted unnamed law enforcement official saying it was likely an assassination attempt. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
The newspaper Kommersant said his bodyguard, Oleg Kasperovich, was killed and another bodyguard seriously injured.
The unit Sarkisian is credited with founding is called ArBat, now formally a part of Redut, a Russian military intelligence-backed mercenary network.
Ukrainian authorities have accused him of involvement in the violence during the 2014 Maidan street protests in Kyiv.
According to Ukrainian media, he is also close acquaintance of former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, who fled to Russia following the Maidan protests in 2014.
In April 2018, Sarkisian was detained in France, where he was awaiting extradition to Ukraine. However, he was released after two days "on personal recognizance."
The bombing is the second in recent months in the Russian capital to have rattled residents and raised fears of a return to street violence that Moscow saw in the 1990s.
In December, a top general in Russia's chemical and biological weapons protection forces was killed when an electric scooter detonated on the sidewalk outside his building.
- By RFE/RL
Ukraine Rejects U.S. Peace Push As Putin Refuses To talk To Zelenskyy
Kyiv called Washington's proposal for peace so far a "failed plan," saying that Washington's push for a cease-fire and elections in Ukraine isn't enough to "intimidate" Russian President Vladimir Putin.
U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, on February 2 warned that both sides will have to make concessions if they hope to negotiate a settlement to the war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy "has already indicated he will soften his position on land," Kellogg said. "And [Russian President Vladimir] Putin is going to have to soften his positions as well."
"We're going to have discussions with everybody over time, and probably in the near term," he added. "And it's good for both sides."
Kellogg told Reuters in an interview that Washington wants Ukraine to hold elections, potentially by the end of this year, especially if a truce is reached to stop the fighting.
Dmytro Lytvyn, an aide to Zelenskyy, on February 2 said that "we haven't seen Mr. Kellogg's full interview, only a few quotes about the elections, so it's hard to fully assess his position."
"But if his plan is just a cease-fire and elections, it is a failed plan -- Putin won't be intimidated by just those two things," he told Reuters.
Ukraine remains under martial law and has not held elections since Russia's invasion -- something Kellogg said was permitted under the Ukrainian Constitution.
Putin has called Zelenskyy "illegitimate" because his presidential term has officially expired.
Late on February 2, following Kellogg's comments, Trump said talks with Ukraine and Russia were going "pretty well."
"We have meetings and talks scheduled with various parties, including Ukraine and Russia. And I think those discussions are actually going pretty well," he added without being specific.
Zelenskyy has rejected any deal that would require him to make territorial concessions to Russia, which controls large portions of southeastern Ukraine and the Crimean Peninsula.
Some of the territory was taken during a previous invasion in 2014, while the rest was captured following Russia's full-scale invasion of February 2022.
However, Ukraine -- outgunned and outmanned by Russian forces -- has suffered increasing battlefield losses in recent months, leading to pressure on Zelenskyy to ease his opposition to the loss of land, even temporarily.
The future of U.S. military aid is also unclear. During his presidency, Trump criticized the amount of assistance, which Kellogg said was worth $174 billion, provided to Kyiv by the previous administration.
Russia has also suffered massive casualties on the battlefield and its economy has been left in ruins through military spending and Western-imposed sanctions.
Trump has vowed to quickly end the war but has not provided details of any potential plans to bring the sides together.
Kellogg on January 31 said Trump has a "solid" strategy to end the war in Ukraine within months, also without providing details.
Kellogg's assertion came amid behind-the-scenes talks and back-channel negotiations to find a way to bring the nearly 3-year-old Russian invasion to an end.
Putin for his part has complimented Trump and signaled a willingness to meet. But he's also ruled out holding talks with Zelenskyy, which would potentially complicate any upcoming negotiations.
Ukraine has sought long-term security guarantees, including the potential for Western peacekeeping forces, to prevent Russia from rebuilding its forces and attacking again following a cease-fire.
On the battlefield, Ukraine continued to target fuel and energy facilities inside Russia. Drones ignited a fire in the Astrakhan region and forced the suspension of flights at several airports, Russian officials and media said early on February 3.
"Ukrainian armed forces attempted a drone attack on objects located in the region, including fuel and energy facilities," Astrakhan Governor Igor Babushkin said on Telegram.
"The attack was successfully repelled. Falling drone sparked a fire. There were no casualties," he wrote from the southern Russian region near the Kazakh border.
He did not specify what was on fire, but the Baza Telegram channel said it was a gas-processing plant near Astrakhan city.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities on February 2 said the toll of the Russian missile strike the day before in Poltava reached 14 dead, including three children, with at least 20 injured.
With reporting by Reuters
- By RFE/RL
Trump Warns Americans Of Tariff 'Pain,' Threatens Wider Trade War With EU, U.K.
U.S. President Donald Trump warned Americans they may face economic “pain” because of his newly imposed trade tariffs on the top three U.S. trading partners and he threatened a wider trade war to include the European Union and perhaps Britain.
"Will there be some pain? Yes, maybe (and maybe not!)" Trump wrote on February 2 on his social media platform in regard to the effect tariffs could have on U.S. consumers.
"But...it will all be worth the price that must be paid," he added.
Trump told reporters he plans to hold talks with the leaders of Canada and Mexico early on February 3 regarding the levies -- which experts say could roil the world economy -- although he did not indicate he was rethinking his actions.
"I don't expect anything very dramatic," he said.
Trump said tariffs on goods from the EU would “definitely happen" and that it would be "pretty soon." He also suggested the United Kingdom could be the target of tariffs.
The EU on February 2 said it would "firmly" retaliate if Trump imposes tariffs, although it said it hopes to avoid a trade war through talks.
"The European Union regrets the U.S. decision to impose tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China," a spokesman for the European Commission said.
Trump's latest remarks come as the countries targeted -- Canada, Mexico, and China -- all threatened retaliatory measures while also urging trade talks instead of tariffs, which could lead to higher costs for consumers and hit the economies of all involved.
Trump said he was imposing them on the U.S. neighbors until the flow of migrants and illegal fentanyl into the United States was stopped, although the cause of those issues is widely debated and involves a number of complex factors.
He has also said they will help reduce trade deficits with leading partners and spur industrial output in the United States.
He announced the long-promised economic policy on February 1, saying Washington would hit Canada and Mexico with tariffs of 25 percent on all goods, although Canadian energy products will face a 10 percent tariff. The new tariffs also include a 10 percent levy on goods from China, on top of those previously set.
Trump said the taxes on goods from all three countries will start to come into effect on February 4.
Trump shrugged off announced retaliatory measures from Canada, saying, “If they want to play the game, I don’t mind. We can play the game all they want."
Without U.S. trade, Trump wrote on social media, “Canada ceases to exist as a viable Country. Harsh but true! Therefore, Canada should become our Cherished 51st State. Much lower taxes, and far better military protection for the people of Canada — AND NO TARIFFS!”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said retaliatory tariffs on imports of goods from the United States would also likely take effect on February 4.
Trudeau has announced intentions to step down as prime minister, and his Liberal Party will announce a new leader on March 9. Elections are likely in the spring.
Canada planned tariffs of 25 percent on U.S. imports, including beverages, cosmetics, and paper products.
A second list of goods is expected to be published soon and will include passenger vehicles, trucks, steel and aluminum products, certain fruits and vegetables, beef, pork, dairy products, aerospace products, among other items, according to AP.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said she will set out details of the country's response on February 3
China also said it would take "counter measures."
With reporting by AFP, AP, and Reuters
- By RFE/RL
Panama Plans To Leave China's Belt And Road After Rubio's Canal Visit
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited the Panama Canal on February 2, warning the host country that Washington will "take measures necessary" if it doesn’t curb Chinese involvement in the crucial waterway.
Following the threats, Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino seemed to take that to heart as he said he addressed Washington's concerns over Beijing's purported influence by not renewing Panama's deal to join China's flagship Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
Mulino also announced further steps to cooperate on immigration, a major policy matter with the U.S. administration.
The decision to not renew the 2017 memorandum of understanding to join the BRI marks an early move to calm Washington's concerns over Chinese influence in Panama. The BRI is Chinese leader Xi Jinping's signature foreign policy initiative, and the globe-spanning infrastructure project has led to hundreds of billions of dollars worth of Chinese investment around the world.
State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said Rubio delivered a message from President Donald Trump stating that China's presence was a threat to the waterway and a violation of the U.S.-Panama treaty.
"Secretary Rubio made clear that this status quo is unacceptable and that absent immediate changes, it would require the United States to take measures necessary to protect its rights under the treaty," Bruce said.
Rubio did not specify the steps Panama needed to take or suggest what moves the United States might take in retaliation if measures were not taken.
Mulino told reporters that Panama will seek to work with the United States on new investments, including infrastructure projects.
"I think this visit opens the door to build new relations…and try to increase as much as possible U.S. investments in Panama," he said.
Trump has said he does not rule out military force over Panama -- remarks that irked many U.S. allies in Latin America and elsewhere.
In comments on February 2, Trump claimed that "China's running the Panama Canal."
"That was not given to China, that was given to Panama -- foolishly -- but they violated the agreement, and we're going to take it back, or something very powerful is going to happen," Trump told reporters.
Trump has also made remarks about the United States potentially purchasing the island of Greenland from Denmark -- which says it's not for sale -- and suggested Canada should annex itself to the United States, although the seriousness of those comments was not clear.
China's business with the canal is mainly carried out through Hong-Kong based Hutchison Holdings, which operates two ports near the entrances to the waterway under a 25-year concession renewed in 2021.
Rubio last week said that under the current status, China could theoretically use the ports to shut down the canal should a conflict break out between the United States and the Asian giant.
The Panamanian president said his meeting with Rubio was cordial and respectful. He indicated it was possible to review some Chinese businesses in Panama, including the port concession.
China has denied it plays any role in the operation of the canal and that it respects Panama's control over the waterway.
"Never ever has China interfered," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said last month and added that Beijing recognizes the canal as "a permanently neutral international waterway.”
The Panama Canal was built in a U.S.-led project, and Washington maintained control when it began operation in 1914, also holding the surrounding Canal Zone.
In 1964, it began to negotiate the situation following deadly riots by Panamanians angered over foreign control of the waterway.
After long, contentious negotiations, President Jimmy Carter signed the deal that gave the canal to Panama at the end of 1999.
With reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP
'Brutal Crackdown' Continues In Georgia As Protesters Rally In Tbilisi
TBILISI -- Georgian authorities arrested several opposition figures during anti-government protests on the streets of Tbilisi on February 2, prompting the European Union to again condemn what it termed the "brutal crackdown" on dissent.
At least one of the detained protesters -- Nika Melia, a leader of the Coalition for Change -- was later released but said he was subject to physical violence while being held by the police.
The Interior Ministry did not immediately respond to RFE/RL's request for comment on the reported arrests from the protest -- held on and around the Tbilisi Mall -- as anti-government demonstrators rallied for the 67th consecutive night.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas condemned the latest action against demonstrators, journalists, and opposition politicians.
"The brutal crackdown on peaceful protesters, journalists, and politicians tonight in Tbilisi is unacceptable," she wrote on X.
"Georgia falls short of any expectation from a candidate country. The EU stands with the people of Georgia in their fight for freedom and democracy."
Video from the February 2 protest shows Melia being held and forcibly led away by black-clad security personnel.
Melia later told opposition TV Pirveli that at least 25 others were arrested during the day and that some were also subject to physical violence while being held.
Former Tbilisi Mayor Gigi Ugulava, another opposition figure, was also arrested, an AFP journalist on the scene reported.
Also held was Tamar Tevzadze, a student activist from Tbilisi's Ilia State University. Video from her arrest appears to show her screaming as multiple security personnel hold her on the ground.
Claims of violence carried out by police cannot immediately be verified, but many protesters detained over recent months have reported being physically beaten while under detention and during the demonstrations themselves, often by masked men wielding baseball bats.
The government has denied any wrongdoing during the protests.
Georgia received EU candidate status in December 2023, but ties with Brussels first became tense following the adoption in May 2024 of a controversial Russian-style "foreign agent" law pushed through parliament by the Georgian Dream party, which has been in power since 2012.
Relations with the West deteriorated further amid the government's violent crackdown on protesters angered by Georgian Dream’s distancing itself from the EU, its perceived tilt toward Russia, and in reaction to last year's disputed election in the Caucasus nation.
Georgian Dream claimed victory in the October parliamentary vote, which the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said was marred by instances of vote-buying, double-voting, physical violence, and intimidation.
The authorities responded violently to the anti-government demonstrations, arresting hundreds of people and surveilling participants with Chinese-made cameras with facial-recognition capabilities.
Former President Salome Zurabishvili -- who broke with the government during her term and sided with protesters -- on January 18 told Fox News that the United States and Europe have a "stake" in defending Georgian democracy against both an "unconstitutional" government in Tbilisi and potential Russian interference.
On December 29, Georgian Dream pushed through its candidate, Mikheil Kavelashvili, a former soccer player and right-wing populist, as the country's new president.
However, Zurabishvili, his predecessor, continues to call herself Georgia's "only legitimate president" and is recognized as president by Georgia’s opposition amid widespread claims the country’s parliamentary elections were not free and fair.
With reporting by AFP
Death Toll In Poltava Strike Rises To 14 As More Bodies Pulled From Rubble
The death toll from a Russian missile strike on a residential building in the central Ukrainian city of Poltava has risen to 14, including two children, according to the State Emergency Service.
The Ukrainian government agency also said on Telegram on February 2 that "17 people were injured, including four children. 22 were rescued," adding that 194 people, including 11 children, were being helped by psychologists and that "emergency and rescue operations are ongoing."
According to local authorities, Russian forces launched a missile strike on Poltava on February 1, hitting a high-rise apartment block in the city.
A section of the building from the first to fifth floor was destroyed in the strike, reducing much it to rubble and causing a fire to break out. Eighteen apartment buildings and a kindergarten located nearby were also damaged.
The Prosecutor-General's Office reported that, according to preliminary data, the strike was carried out by a Kh-22 supersonic cruise missile.
The Russian military regularly attacks Ukrainian regions with various types of weapons, causing widespread destruction of Ukrainian civilian sites with drones, rockets, artillery, and various types of bombs.
The Kremlin has denied it targets civilian areas despite evidence of such attacks.
- By RFE/RL
Trump Orders First Military Action Of New Term, Targets IS Affiliates In Somalia
U.S. President Donald Trump said he ordered military strikes on a senior “attack planner” of the Islamic State (IS) extremist group in Somalia who had been hiding with other members in the impoverished East African nation.
The action on February 1 marked the first military action carried out by Trump since he took office for his second term on January 20.
“These killers, who we found hiding in caves, threatened the United States and our Allies,” Trump said in a statement.
“The strikes destroyed the caves they live in, and killed many terrorists without, in any way, harming civilians.”
Trump added that the U.S. military had targeted the attack planner for years but that it was not able to take the person out until his term. The target was not identified by name.
Defense chief Pete Hegseth said an initial assessment indicated "multiple" militants were killed in the attacks. No civilians were hurt, he added.
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said he was informed of the air strike and that he extended his “deepest gratitude for the unwavering support of the United States in our shared fight against terrorism.”
Mohamud said U.S. counterterrorism efforts are “highly valued and welcomed in Somalia” and he praised what he called Trump’s “bold and decisive leadership.”
The Puntland state information minister, Mohamud Aidid Dirir, told Reuters that the strike took place in the Cal Miskaad Mountains within the Golis range.
"The number of casualties is still unknown as it was dark. But our forces on the front line could hear the sound of explosions,” he said.
The IS affiliate in Somalia has faced counterterrorism actions in the form of U.S. air strikes and attacks by Somali security forces, but it still remains active, mainly in the Puntland region.
The U.S. military -- under both Republican and Democratic administrations -- has carried out air strikes in Somalia in the past, targeting terrorist hideouts.
U.S. action in Somalia is perhaps best known from the 2001 movie “Black Hawk Down,” the story about a U.S. helicopter shot down in Mogadishu during the country's civil war in 1993.
Some of the U.S. counterterrorism efforts in Africa have suffered as Chad and Niger -- two former partners -- demanded that U.S. forces exit their countries. Russia has in recent years moved to increase its influence in the region.
With reporting by Reuters and AP
Serbian Protesters Mark Tragedy, Vow 24-Hour Blockade In Novi Sad
NOVI SAD, Serbia -- Thousands of student protesters and others marked three months since the fatal November 1 collapse of a concrete roof at a rail station in Novi Sad, blocking three bridges in Serbia’s second-largest city as pressure mounted on President Aleksandar Vucic’s government.
The action -- labeled "Three Months, Three Bridges" -- on February 1 caused a kilometer-long line of cars attempting to enter the city as students from Novi Sad University and their supporters announced a 24-hour blockade on the city’s Freedom Bridge, due to last until 3 p.m. on February 2.
Hundreds of the participating students had arrived after a two-day protest march of some 80 kilometers from Belgrade to Novi Sad. The demonstrations come amid months of anti-government protests following the deadly infrastructure collapse in Novi Sad that killed 15 people.
Protesters have demanded accountability for those responsible for the roof collapse -- which many blame on government corruption and incompetence.
Serbian farmers on tractors joined students on the main thoroughfares of the capital, Belgrade, on January 27 for a similar 24-hour protest blockade against Vucic’s handling of the aftermath of a deadly railway station disaster.
Although rallies initially focused on the Novi Sad tragedy, the mounting anger could also pose a longer-term threat to Vucic's government, which has attempted to maintain close ties to traditional ally Russia while also promoting the country's European Union membership hopes.
On January 28, Prime Minister Milos Vucevic resigned following weeks of mass protests demanding accountability for the deadly accident. Vucic said he accepted the resignation reluctantly because, he insisted, Vucevic “did nothing wrong.”
During the February 1 rally, thousands of people marched through Novi Sad – a city of some 380,000 people -- waving flags and signs as they occupied the three main bridges before converging on Freedom Bridge, the largest.
Farmers on tractors once again joined the rallies.
"I don't think anything like this has ever happened in Novi Sad before. And I am certain that Gen Z will bring change because I believe in all these young people," law student Nedeljka Mijanovic told AFP.
Local resident Slavica Nikolic told AP, “After long time, we can feel positive energy in the air, on the streets, among the people."
“When I talk to people, it feels like hope has woken up. We remember well some uglier times. This is finally some sort of new hope, that something good is going to happen in this country.”
Student Vasilije Pantic told RFE/RL that "I have mixed emotions: People are here for the tragedy in which 15 people lost their lives. I feel said for them."
"But I'm also proud of myself and my colleagues for the journey that we've made here," referring to the march from the capital.
With reporting by AP and AFP
Trump Able To End Ukraine War In 'Months, Not Years,' Aide Keith Kellogg Says
U.S. President Donald Trump has a “solid” strategy to end the war in Ukraine within months, the president’s special representative for Ukraine and Russia has said.
Keith Kellogg's assertion comes amid behind-the-scenes talks and back-channel negotiations to find a way to bring the nearly 3-year-old Russian invasion to an end.
Trump has insisted he wants to end the war quickly, and said he wants to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin as soon possible.
Putin for his part has complimented Trump and signaled a willingness to meet. But he's also ruled out holding talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which would potentially complicate any upcoming negotiations.
In an interview published on February 1 by AP, Zelenskyy said that direct talks between Washington and Moscow without including Ukraine could be "very dangerous."
Trump and Putin "may have their own relations, but talking about Ukraine without us — it is dangerous for everyone,” Zelenskyy said.
Zelenskyy also said his team has been in contact with the Trump administration at a “general level,” but he said he believes face-to-face meetings will take place soon.
Kellogg told Fox News on January 31 that "I would say it's months [for a deal]. It's not years we are talking about. We have a solid action plan,”
Calling Trump a “great dealmaker,” Kellogg said the U.S. president is "creating leverage for both Kyiv and Moscow" because he "knows where to apply pressure, and where not to apply pressure."
Ukraine Invasion: News & Analysis
RFE/RL's Ukraine Live Briefing gives you the latest developments on Russia's invasion, Western military aid, the plight of civilians, and territorial control maps. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.
Kellogg, a retired lieutenant-general tasked with leading negotiations to end the war, emphasized that "resolving the Russia-Ukraine war is in the national-security interests of the United States."
Trump said on January 31 that he and Putin could soon talk and announce something significant toward ending the conflict in Ukraine.
“We will be speaking, and I think will perhaps do something that will be significant,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “We want to end that war.”
He added that his administration has already had “very serious discussions about that war” in an attempt to end it. “It’s just a senseless situation and it’s got to stop.”
Trump did not say who from his administration had been in contact with the Russians but insisted the two sides were “already talking." He declined to say whether he had been involved in those conversations.
Trump said last week that he would like to meet with Putin immediately to secure an end to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Based on what he has heard, Putin would like to see him, he said.
"Every day we don't meet, soldiers are being killed in the battlefield," he said on January 23.
Trump said during last year’s election campaign he could end the conflict in Ukraine within 24 hours of taking office. He now says he hopes to end the fighting within six months.
He also claimed during the campaign that Russia never would have invaded Ukraine if he had been president and repeated that claim in his remarks on January 31.
Trump has been highly critical of the aid Washington has disbursed to Kyiv and has said Ukraine should have made concessions to Putin in the months before Russia launched the invasion nearly three years ago.
In a recent interview with Russian state television, Putin praised Trump as a “clever and pragmatic man” who is focused on U.S. interests.
“We always had a businesslike, pragmatic but also trusting relationship with the current U.S. president,” Putin said.
Putin on January 29 ruled out direct peace talks with Zelenskyy, saying he does not consider the Ukrainian president to be the legitimate leader of Ukraine.
An election was to have taken place on March 31, 2024, but was postponed because the country is still under martial law due to the war.
In his AP interview, Zelenskyy said the U.S. leader could bring Putin to the table through the threat of further sanctions on Russia’s energy and banking sectors, along with continuing U.S. aid to Ukraine's military.
- By RFE/RL
Thousands Of Supporters And Opponents Of Far-Right Figure Tommy Robinson Protest In London
Thousands of supporters of jailed British far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson marched through central London on February 1, with anti-racism demonstrators staging a counterprotest nearby.
Robinson supporters chanted “We Want Tommy Out” and “We Want Our Country Back,” as they crossed London’s Westminster Bridge during what the organizers call a "Uniting the Kingdom" demonstration.
Some protesters were wearing “MEGA -- Make England Great Again” hats, while others carried a “Stop the Boats” sign, a reference to illegal migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats to enter Britain.
Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, is one of the most influential far-right figures in Britain. He has co-founded the now-defunct nationalist and anti-Islamist English Defense League.
Robinson, 42, was jailed for 18 months in October after breaching a court order imposed over his repeated libeling of a Syrian teenage refugee. Robinson has in the past also been convicted of several other crimes, including assault and mortgage fraud.
Robinson was also blamed for stirring up riots across Britain in July last year after social media users falsely identified the suspect in a stabbing rampage as a Muslim immigrant. A British national, Axel Rudakubana, 18, was convicted of carrying out that attack, which killed three young girls in the seaside town of Southport.
The Uniting the Kingdom demonstration on February 1 was countered by a rally organized by the Stand Up to Racism movement.
“We stopped the far right from attacking communities in the summer and we stand in a powerful tradition of challenging the far right and fascism,” the movement’s joint secretary Sabby Dhalu told the rally, adding: “Now we have a big job to do.”
Supported By Elon Musk
Robinson’s representatives claimed in January that Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, has agreed to pay some of the legal fees racked up by their client.
There was no comment from Musk on the claim. But Musk, the Tesla CEO and close ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, has regularly used his social media platform X to call for Robinson's release from prison, claiming that he was jailed for telling the "truth."
In a post on X, Musk has demanded the ouster of Reform UK leader Nigel Farage after the populist politician distanced his right-wing challenger party from Robinson and said he would refuse to admit him as a member. Farage had been widely known as a Musk ally.
Musk has used X to unleash a barrage of attacks on the U.K. government and Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Robinson was banned from Twitter in 2018 for violating the platform's rules regarding "hateful conduct," but his account was reinstated after Musk bought the social network and renamed it X.
Pakistan Says 18 Paramilitary Soldiers Killed In Fighting Overnight
Pakistani military and police authorities say 18 paramilitary troops and two dozen militants were killed overnight in fighting in the restive Balochistan Province in the country’s southwest.
Militants blocked a highway near the town of Mangochar and attacked a vehicle "carrying unarmed Frontier Corps paramilitaries,” according to local police officials. A police official said, the attack was carried out by up 80 “armed assailants.”
The military said in a statement on February 1 that three paramilitaries sustained serious injuries in the attack.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif issued a statement condemning the attack, which was claimed by the Baloch National Army separatist group.
The military vowed that “the perpetrators, facilitators, and abettors of this heinous and cowardly act, will be brought to justice."
Mineral-rich but impoverished Balochistan, which borders Afghanistan and Iran, has been the scene of ethnic, sectarian, and separatist violence for decades, with Baloch separatist groups and an array of Islamist militants operating in the region.
Members of the province’s ethnic Baluch minority say they face discrimination and exploitation by the central government.
Six people were killed in a bombing in January, claimed by the separatist Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) as authorities reported an uptick in violence in recent months.
The BLA often targets Pakistani security forces, civilians, and foreigners, most notably Chinese working on multibillion dollar projects in Pakistan. The group accuses outsiders of exploiting the province’s resources while excluding the local people.
In November 2024, the militant group claimed responsibility for a bombing at the main railway station in the provincial capital, Quetta that killed 26 people, including 14 soldiers.
The group has also claimed it was behind coordinated attacks by dozens of assailants in August that killed at least 39 people, one of the deadliest assaults in the region. The attacks prompted retaliatory operations by security forces.
With reporting by AFP and Reuters
Russia Accused Of Killing Own Citizens In Bombing Of Boarding School In Kursk
The Ukrainian military and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian forces had struck a boarding school in the Ukrainian-occupied Russian region of Kursk, killing at least four of “their own citizens” and injuring dozens as the civilian death toll continues to mount in the war.
The attack late on February 1 came hours after Kyiv reported that at least 10 people had been killed in a Russian attack on a residential area in the central Ukrainian city of Poltava.
"Russian aviation struck a boarding school in the town of Sudzha, Kursk region, with a guided aerial bomb. The strike was carried out on purpose," the Ukrainian General Staff said.
Unconfirmed reports indicated many of the victims were elderly people being temporarily housed in the building.
"At the time of the attack, dozens of local residents were inside the building preparing to evacuate. Everything possible is being done to rescue the survivors," the General Staff said, adding that at least 84 civilians “were rescued and provided with medical aid."
Zelenskyy wrote on X that "this is how Russia wages war -- Sudzha, Kursk region, Russian territory, a boarding school with civilians preparing to evacuate."
"A Russian aerial bomb. They destroyed the building even though dozens of civilians were there...Russian bombs destroy Ukrainian homes the same way. And even against their own civilians, the Russian army uses similar tactics.”
Russia's Defense Ministry later claimed that Ukrainian forces had carried out the attack.
"On February 1, the Ukrainian Armed Forces committed another war crime by launching a targeted missile strike on a boarding school in the city of Sudzha," a ministry statement said.
The claims could not independently be verified.
Ukraine in August seized a chunk of Russian territory in Kursk region as part of a successful surprise attack. After giving up nearly half those gains since then, Ukraine has recently launched a small-scale offensive in the region to take back territory.
Ukraine Invasion: News & Analysis
RFE/RL's Ukraine Live Briefing gives you the latest developments on Russia's invasion, Western military aid, the plight of civilians, and territorial control maps. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.
Russian forces have utilized many of the estimated 11,000 North Korean troops deployed by Pyongyang to fight alongside the Kremlin’s forces in the Kursk region, although they have sufferied heavy losses, according to Western and Ukrainian officials.
Earlier, Ukrainian authorities said at least 10 people had been killed on a Russian attack on a residential building in the central Ukrainian city of Poltava
Images from AFP showed firefighters searching through the ruins of a building at the site.
"God saved us," Olena Svyryd, a resident of a neighboring building, told AFP.
"Opposite us on the fifth floor, a woman, my friend, was taken out. No, she's not alive. She was crushed by the wall. There were a lot of casualties," she said.
The United Nations on February 1 condemned a Russian air strike on the historic center of the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa. Buildings on the UNESCO World Heritage list were damaged and at least seven people were injured.
Deadly Russian air strikes were also reported in the large Ukrainian cities of Kharkiv and Sumy.
Also on February 1, the General Staff of Ukraine's armed forces reported 134 combat encounters over the previous 24 hours.
According to Ukraine's Energy Ministry, Russia has launched more than 1,000 strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure facilities since October 2022. In 2024 alone, nine gigawatts of generating capacity were reportedly lost due to the strikes, amounting to roughly half of Ukraine's peak winter demand.
With reporting by AFP
Russian Missile Attack Injures 7 In Odesa, Causes Serious Damage To Historic City Center
Russian troops on January 31 attacked the historical center of the Ukrainian Black Sea port city of Odesa, damaging buildings on the UNESCO World Heritage list and injuring seven people, local officials said.
Regional Governor Oleh Kiper said three large explosions were heard in the early evening at intervals, which he described as a "well-established practice" by the Russian military of repeated attacks on the same target.
"However, in this case a missile capable of penetrating concrete was used," he said on national television while standing in a street near emergency crews engaged in a rescue operation.
"This means it was deliberately aimed at a civilian hotel to destroy the floors and structures inside, causing destruction and, of course killing civilians staying there at the time."
The Prosecutor-General's Office said Russian armed forces used ballistic missiles in the attack.
“In the central part of the city, a hotel building was destroyed, windows were broken, and facades in nearby buildings and premises were damaged," the Prosecutor-General’s Office said. Law enforcement officers have opened criminal proceedings, it added.
Kiper also posted photos on social media showing rescuers wheeling an injured woman on a gurney outside the Hotel Bristol, a luxury hotel built at the end of the 19th century, and debris on the street in front of the nearby opulent opera house built in the same era.
The photos also show damage to the building's ornate facade and interior, including a grand staircase.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the attack underscored the importance of improving Ukraine’s air defenses.
"Strikes directly on the city, on ordinary civilian buildings," Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address. "Again and again, air defense is the top priority. We are working with all our partners to provide more protection for our country."
Zelenskyy said a meeting of Ukraine's command had focused on improving weapons systems and speeding up deliveries.
"We need faster deliveries and greater numbers of systems and weapons which will enable us to save the lives of more of our soldiers, our people," he said.
"More orders for drones. More investments for the development of robotic systems. And more orders for basic weapons."
Zelenskyy called the attack "a completely deliberate strike by Russian terrorists" in a post on X. He added that among those caught in the epicenter of the attack were Norwegian diplomatic representatives.
Mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov said there was a lot of damage and destruction in the UNESCO-protected area, including a building that is under enhanced protection.
Odesa has been regularly targeted by strikes, including many on its port area.
The Russian leadership denies that the Russian army has launched targeted strikes on the civilian infrastructure in Ukrainian cities and villages. The Ukrainian authorities and international organizations have gathered evidence to the contrary.
With reporting by Reuters and AFP
Russian Missile Attack Hits Historic Center Of Odesa
Russian troops on January 31 attacked the historical center of the Ukrainian Black Sea port city of Odesa, damaging buildings and injuring two people, local officials said.
Regional Governor Oleh Kiper said two large explosions were heard in the early evening, and the historical city center, a UNESCO World Heritage site, was hit.
An air raid alert was announced in the Odesa region at about 7:20 p.m. local time. The Ukrainian Air Force warned of the threat of the use of ballistic weapons from the south.
The two injured people were women, who have been hospitalized in moderate condition, Kiper said. Kiper also posted photos on social media showing rescuers wheeling a woman on a gurney outside the Hotel Bristol, a luxury hotel built at the end of the 19th century, and debris on the street near the opulent opera house built in the same era.
The photos also show damage to the building's ornate facade and interior, including a grand staircase.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the attack underscored the importance of improving Ukraine’s air defenses.
"Strikes directly on the city, on ordinary civilian buildings," Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address. "Again and again, air defense is the top priority. We are working with all our partners to provide more protection for our country."
Zelenskyy said a meeting of Ukraine's command had focused on improving weapons systems and speeding up deliveries.
"We need faster deliveries and greater numbers of systems and weapons which will enable us to save the lives of more of our soldiers, our people," he said.
"More orders for drones. More investments for the development of robotic systems. And more orders for basic weapons."
Zelenskyy called the attack "a completely deliberate strike by Russian terrorists" in a post on X. He added that among those caught in the epicenter of the attack were Norwegian diplomatic representatives.
Mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov said there was a lot of damage and destruction in the UNESCO-protected area, including a building that is under enhanced protection.
Odesa has been regularly targeted by strikes, including many on its port area.
The Russian leadership denies that the Russian army has launched targeted strikes on the civilian infrastructure in Ukrainian cities and villages. The Ukrainian authorities and international organizations have gathered evidence to the contrary.
With reporting by Reuters and AFP
Russia Designates 2 RFE/RL Journalists And 5 Others As ‘Foreign Agents’
Russia has added seven people including two Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalists to its long and growing list of “foreign agents,” a move RFE/RL’s president said was part of a “brutal assault on independent media.”
The Russian Justice Ministry said on January 31 that the seven were designated for participating in foreign media platforms and in some cases for what it claimed was the dissemination of "false information" about Russia's electoral system. It did not provide evidence.
The broader accusation tying all seven together was what the ministry said was their opposition to Russia's war against Ukraine, which is raging nearly three years after President Vladimir Putin ordered the full-scale invasion in February 2022. His government tolerates no criticism of the war and has used its increasingly restrictive “foreign agent” legislation as one of many instruments to suppress dissent.
The new designees include Dmitry Sukharev, a journalist with Systema, RFE/RL’s Russian investigative unit; and Andrei Novashov, a contributor to RFE/RL’s Russian Service and North Caucasus Service. Both live outside Russia. The others are Elizaveta Fokht and Ilya Abishev of the BBC Russian Service; Meduza contributor Vladimir Rayevsky; educator, writer, and blogger Dima Zitser; and Anton Suvorkin, a video blogger covering Russian show business.
Russia introduced the "foreign agent" label in 2012 and has expanded legislation pertaining to the designation since then. Kremlin critics, rights defenders, and Western governments say the Russian state uses it as a tool to persecute independent journalists, media outlets, activists, and civil society groups.
"The designation of RFE/RL journalists as foreign agents is the latest evidence of Russia's brutal assault on independent media,” RFE/RL President and CEO Stephen Capus said in a statement on January 31. “Despite the Kremlin's attempts to criminalize freedom of speech at home and abroad, our brave journalists will not be intimidated."
Three correspondents for Current Time, the Russian-language TV and digital network run by RFE/RL -- Iryna Romaliyska, Oleksiy Prodayvoda, and Oryna Fedorovykh -- were labeled foreign agents earlier in January. Current Time, RFE/RL’s Russian Service, and several other RFE/RL Russian-language news services were designated in 2017.
- By RFE/RL
Norway Seizes Ship Suspected In Baltic Cable Damage
Norwegian police said they have seized a locally owned ship with an all-Russian crew that is suspected of being involved in sabotaging an underwater telecoms cable in the Baltic Sea linking Sweden and Latvia.
Police in the city of Tromso said on January 31 that the Norwegian-registered and Norwegian-owned ship Silver Dania was detained based on a legal request from Latvian authorities and an order from the Nord-Troms and Senja District Court in Norway.
The ship is the second to be seized in the past week in connection with the damaging of the cable. Swedish police detained the Maltese-flagged cargo ship Vezhen on suspicion it caused the damage.
"There is suspicion that the ship has been involved in serious damage to a fiber cable in the Baltic Sea between Latvia and Sweden," the police said in a statement.
"The police are conducting an operation on the ship to search, conduct interviews, and secure evidence."
Several undersea telecommunications and power cables have been damaged in the Baltic Sea since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Experts and politicians have blamed vessels in Russia's so-called shadow fleet of aging oil tankers. The Kremlin denies any involvement.
With the recent spate of sabotage events in the region, NATO and EU leaders agreed to launch a monitoring mission of the Baltic Sea.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has said that "such hostile actions" will not go unanswered, promising to strengthen NATO's military presence in the region.
The first major incidence of sabotage of infrastructure occurred in September 2022 when a series of underwater blasts ruptured the Nord Stream pipelines built to carry Russian gas to Europe. The cause has yet to be determined.
An undersea gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia was shut down in October 2023 after it was damaged by the anchor of a Chinese cargo ship.
The most recent incident occurred January 26 with the severing of the cable linking telecommunications between Sweden and Lativa.
A month earlier, in another incident, the Estlink 2 electricity cable and four telecom cables linking Finland and Estonia were damaged.
That came just weeks after two telecom cables in Swedish waters were severed on November 17-18.
Suspicion over the December 25 incident has fallen on the Eagle S, a Cook Island-flagged oil tanker believed to be part of Russia’s "shadow fleet." Investigators suspect the cables were damaged when the tanker dragged its anchor over them.
Ukraine Says It Hit Russian Refinery In Volograd
Ukraine says it struck a major oil refinery in the Volograd region as part of its drive to target Russian infrastructure tied to Moscow's war effort.
Ukraine's armed forces said in a statement on January 31 that the strikes targeted Lukoil-Volgogradneftoperobka, one of the 10 largest oil refineries in Russia in terms of capacity and a major supplier of oil products to the Russian Army.
"Combat work on strategic infrastructure, which directly affects the ability of the Russian Armed Forces to continue fighting against Ukraine, will continue," the General Staff of the Armed Forces said in a social media post.
Video and photographs posted on social media that have been verified by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty showed explosions and a large fire in the area of the refinery, which processes around 14 million tons of oil annually to produce gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel.
Volograd regional Governor Andrei Bocharov confirmed the refinery was hit by a Ukrainian drone attack, saying the fire was caused by falling debris from defense systems knocking the drones out of the sky.
The refinery has been the site of previous attacks, including one in May last year.
Ukraine has increased the intensity of its drone attacks at Russian refineries in recent months. Earlier this week, Ukrainian drones struck an oil refinery in the Nizhny Novgorod region.
Analysts say the move hits Moscow's ability to supply troops with fuel to fight its almost three-year-long war against Ukraine, as well as cutting into its use of oil and fuel exports that are used to help fund the war effort.
Ukraine also claimed to have destroyed a Russian Army command post in the Kursk region overnight in the drone attacks.
Russia has not commented on the claim.
Serbian Student March Reaches Novi Sad As Pressure On Vucic Builds
Hundreds of Serbian students arrived on January 31 in Novi Sad at the end of a two-day march from Belgrade to protest against the deadly collapse of a train station roof they say was the result of deep-seated corruption.
They were greeted by tens of thousands of people who lined the streets cheering and applauding as they walked by. Fellow students laid down a red carpet to welcome them at the Duga Bridge, where they exchanged the flags of their universities before walking together toward the train station.
Novi Sad is the Serbian city where the train station roof collapsed on November 1, 2024, killing 15 people and seriously injuring two others.
The marchers set out from Belgrade on January 30 and stopped for the night in the town of Indija after covering just over half of the roughly 75-kilometer trek on the first day.
Along the way, supporters set up food stations and erected banners and signs with slogans urging the demonstrators in their "Steps Toward Justice."
The mood along the route was dampened by reports that in Belgrade on January 31 a car rammed into a silent protest being held in support of the Novi Sad victims. Local media said two women were injured in the third such incident over the past week.
When the students arrived in Novi Sad, they were met by applause, cheers, hugs, and tears from locals, who handed them flowers and placed medals around their necks.
Posters with slogans such as "You are not alone," and "You are love, faith, and hope" welcomed them.
A group of students who cycled from Belgrade had previously arrived in Novi Sad, where they were met by local cyclists in front of the railway station.
The students plan to blockade three bridges in Novi Sad on February 1 to mark exactly three months city since the fatal collapse.
Anger over the collapse has swept across the country, with tens of thousands taking to the streets as part of a movement calling for greater accountability and justice.
The Novi Sad railway station has been renovated twice in recent years by a Chinese-led consortium of four companies. Serbian Railways insisted the renovation didn’t include the concrete overhang that collapsed, but some experts have disputed that, while many people blame corruption and poor construction oversight for the tragedy.
Their main demands are that authorities take more action to determine criminal and political responsibility for the collapse and conduct a thorough investigation into an attack on students who were severely beaten while protesting.
One of the victims, a female student, sustained serious injuries and is recovering in the hospital following head surgery. The attackers have not yet been identified.
The wave of protests that have taken place since the accident has piled pressure on populist Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, who faces his biggest challenge since taking office a decade ago.
Vucic said on January 29 that his ruling party will decide in the next 10 days whether it will put forward a new government or call snap parliamentary elections.
Earlier this week Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic and Novi Sad Mayor Milan Djuric resigned under pressure from the protests.
Vucic, whose government has attempted to maintain close ties to traditional ally Russia while also promoting the country's European Union membership hopes, said he was ready to provide an amnesty for all students and professors facing criminal charges following their arrests during the recent protests.
The government claims that the students' demands have been met, but the students don’t agree.
"On a basic level, yes, some demands have been met," said Dimitrije, a student at the University of Belgrade.
"But I don't think they understand the essence of these demands," he told RFE/RL. "The essence is systemic change, not just resignations. So, no, our demands have not yet been met."
At Least 9 Killed In Russian Drone Strike On Ukraine's Sumy
A Russian drone attack that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called "a horrible tragedy" struck a residential building in the Ukrainian regional capital Sumy, officials said, killing at least nine and injuring 13 others, including a child.
Ukraine Invasion: News & Analysis
RFE/RL's Ukraine Live Briefing gives you the latest developments on Russia's invasion, Western military aid, the plight of civilians, and territorial control maps. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.
According to the Ukrainian prosecutor's office, those killed in the attack on January 30 were three couples who ranged in age between 61 and 74 years old. Ukraine's State Emergencies Service reports that rescue operations are still underway.
Russia launched more than 80 drones at Ukraine overnight, according to the Ukrainian Air Force, in what have become nightly waves of attacks across the country. Most of the drones were shot down by defense missiles or driven off track by electronic jamming.
"A terrible tragedy, a terrible Russian crime," Zelenskyy said of the strike.
"It is important that the world does not pause the pressure on Russia for the terror," he added.
Officials said that five apartments across four floors and 12 balconies were destroyed. More than 80 windows and balconies were damaged, and over 20 cars were impacted.
The strike also caused power, water, and heating outages in the affected building, with one entrance losing its gas supply
Russian forces have frequently targeted Ukrainian cities using drones, missiles, guided bombs, and multiple-launch rocket systems.
Despite overwhelming evidence, Russia denies deliberately attacking civilian infrastructure during its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
However, Ukrainian officials and international organizations classify such strikes as war crimes, emphasizing that they are deliberate attacks on civilians, hospitals, schools, and critical infrastructure.
Serbian Students March From Belgrade To Novi Sad
BELGRADE -- Hundreds of Serbian students have begun a march from Belgrade to the city of Novi Sad in the latest protest to shake the country over the deadly collapse of a train station roof they say was the result of deep-seated corruption.
Residents in the capital cheered from apartment windows as the students, some holding signs with the message "One step closer to justice," embarked on the 80-kilometer walk that will culminate with a rally in Novi Sad organized by students there.
"Traffic on the route will be suspended and redirected. Members of the traffic police and public order department, as well as ambulances and water tankers, will be deployed in front of and behind the convoy," Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said.
Anger over the November collapse of the roof, which left 15 people dead, has swept across the country, with tens of thousands taking to the streets as part of a movement calling for greater accountability and justice.
In response, Prime Minister Milos Vucevic and Novi Sad Mayor Milan Duric stepped down this week, saying they considered themselves "objectively responsible" for what happened.
The protests have piled pressure on populist Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, who faces his biggest challenge since taking office a decade ago.
Vucic said on January 29 that his ruling party will decide in the next 10 days whether it will put forward a new government, which has attempted to maintain close ties to traditional ally Russia while also promoting the country's European Union membership hopes, or call snap parliamentary elections.
The canopy collapse occurred after the Novi Sad railway station had been renovated twice in recent years by a Chinese-led consortium of four companies. Serbian Railways insisted the renovation didn’t include the concrete overhang, but some experts disputed that, while many people blame corruption and poor construction oversight for the tragedy.
Participants in recent demonstrations called for accountability for those deemed responsible for the Novi Sad tragedy. They have also demanded officials be investigated for the beating of students during the protests.
Vucic also said he was ready to provide an amnesty for all students and professors facing criminal charges following their arrests during the recent protests.
Students have also been holding more than 60 state universities in lockdown for the past two months. Their primary demand is that authorities release complete documentation on the railway station reconstruction projects.
The authorities claim all their demands have been met and urge students to open the faculties.
Academics, on the other hand, say the requirements have been only partially met and the suspension of work at the faculties will continue until further notice.
They insist the documentation on the reconstruction of the train station published on the website of the government of Serbia and on the website of the prosecutor-general's office in Novi Sad is incomplete.
- By RFE/RL
Investigation Begins Into Plane Crash That Killed Russian-Born Skaters
U.S. investigators looking into the collision of an American Airlines passenger jet and an Army helicopter, which killed 67 people, including at least four Russian-born figure skating coaches, have found the data recorders from the passenger jet.
The cockpit voice and flight data recorders -- so-called black boxes -- have been recovered from the Bombardier CRJ700 airplane involved in the midair collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and taken to labs for evaluation, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) spokesman Peter Knudson said.
The NTSB said later on January 31 that the black box had also been recovered from the wreckage of the helicopter. Both aircraft fell into the Potomac River after the collision. An official with the investigative team told a briefing there was a "high-level of confidence" that data would be recovered from the devices despite their time in the water.
NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy told a news conference that it would take time to complete the investigation.
"We have substantial amounts of information. We need to verify information. We need to take our time to ensure it's accurate,'" Homendy.
A preliminary report is expected within 30 days from the date of the accident, the NTSB said in a statement on its website. A probable cause of the crash and any contributing factors will come in the final report, which is expected in 12 to 24 months, the statement said.
Former Russian World Champion figure skaters Vadim Naumov and his wife, Evgenia Shishkova, were among those killed when the passenger jet collided with a U.S. Army Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter carrying three soldiers on a training flight.
The collision occurred just before 9 p.m. local time on January 29 as the passenger jet approached the airport to land. Both aircraft fell into the Potomac River.
U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters that several Russian nationals were among the victims and said he had been in contact with Russian officials to offer condolences.
“Our hearts are shattered alongside yours," Trump told the families of the people who died after opening a news conference at the White House with a moment of silence for the dead.
The American Airlines flight was arriving from Wichita, Kansas, where the U.S. Figure Skating Championships had been held from January 20-26. The competition was followed by a development camp for promising junior skaters.
The Skating Club of Boston, where Naumov and Shishkova had been coaching since 2017, said in a statement that the two Russian coaches, who won the pairs gold medal at the 1994 World Figure Skating Championships, were among six members of the club who died in the crash.
"Our sport and our club have suffered a horrible loss with this tragedy," Skating Club of Boston Executive Director and CEO Doug Zeghibe said in a statement.
The pair, who also won the 1995-96 Champions Series final and competed in two Olympics, moved to the United States after they ended their skating careers, and became coaches.
Their 23-year-old son, Maxim Naumov, is a U.S. citizen who competes for the United States in international competitions. He placed fourth in the U.S. men's nationals, held last week in Wichita, and was said to have flown to their home in the Boston area two days before the ill-fated flight his parents took.
In addition to Naumov and Shishkova, a least two other Russian-born coaches were on the flight.
Inna Volyanskaya, a skating coach in the Washington area, was on board the plane, U.S. Representative Suhas Subramanyam (Democrat-Virginia) said on X, adding that it had been confirmed that none of the 67 people on the passenger jet survived.
Volyanskaya competed as a pairs skater for the Soviet Union in the 1980s. She coached young skaters at the Washington Figure Skating Club, according to the club's website.
Another Russian coach, Alexandr Kirsanov, was on the plane, according to his wife, Natalya Gudin.
"I lost everything. I lost my husband. I lost my students. I lost my friends," Gudin told ABC News.
Russia's Foreign Ministry on January 31 confirmed the deaths of Naumov, Shishkova, and Volyanskaya, while adding that a fourth person, thought to be Kirsanov, "may have a Russian passport."
"Our embassy is in contact with the U.S. Department of State on these issues," ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told journalists in Moscow, adding that while the Russian Rmbassy in Washington has made inquiries, "we have not received any detailed answers so far."
There also were two Chinese nationals on board the flight, the Chinese Embassy in Washington said without providing further information on the victims.
“The Chinese Embassy extends deepest condolences to all the victims and sympathies to the bereaved families,” an embassy statement said.
About 40 bodies have been recovered from the icy waters of the Potomac River so far, including the body of one of the three U.S. Army soldiers on board the helicopter.
Experts said it appeared the plane was only 300 feet (91 meters) above ground and ready to land when it collided with the helicopter.
Prague-based Israeli pilot and flight instructor Michael Parkanski said it appeared that all correct procedures were being followed, which suggested the incident might have been caused by human error.
"To me, it seems like a pure human factor error," he told RFE/RL. "It was a split second.... They lost their concentration, same as can happen to us on the road, when we lose our concentration for a split second, and then an accident happens. It's a [great] pity, but in my opinion this is a pure human factor here."
There were 60 passengers and four crew on board the Canadian-made twin-engine jet, which was found upside-down in three sections in the river at a relatively shallow depth. The helicopter wreckage was also found in the river.
Federal investigators will try to piece together the moments before the collision, including any communication between the two aircraft and air traffic controllers, as well as other pilot actions and the altitude of both aircraft.
With reporting by Reuters, AP, ABC News, and TASS
- By Kyrylo Ovsyaniy,
- Anna Myroniuk,
- Schemes and
- Carl Schreck
China Supplying Key Chemicals For Russian Missiles, RFE/RL Investigation Finds
KYIV -- Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine nearly three years ago, Western nations have accused China of supplying Moscow with microchips and other critical dual-use technologies that are “powering Russia’s brutal war of aggression.”
In response, Washington and Brussels have hit hundreds of Chinese companies and individuals with sanctions in a pressure campaign to stem the technology flow to the Kremlin’s war machine.
But left untouched by these Western sanctions are some two dozen Chinese companies supplying Russia with gallium, germanium, and antimony -- key elements found in the drones and missiles that Moscow is using to pummel Ukraine.
An investigation by Schemes, the investigative unit of RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service, has found that these Chinese companies are feeding these critical minerals to Russia’s military-industrial complex, including the state-owned conglomerate Rostec, which says it provides nearly 80 percent of the weapons the Kremlin is deploying in Ukraine.
According to records obtained by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and reviewed by Schemes, at least a third of these suppliers are partially owned by the Chinese government, which publicly denies having “fanned fire or fueled the flames” of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
The Chinese Sellers
These Chinese suppliers of critical minerals to Russia identified by Schemes include Yunnan Lincang Xinyuan Germanium Industry, whose largest stakeholder is Chinese Communist Party (CCP) member Bao Wendong. Its minority shareholders are two firms with state capital.
Another Chinese company supplying germanium, gallium, and antimony to Russia is VITAL Technology Group, a group of Chinese companies with around 25-percent ownership by Chinese state structures.
A third is Hynhe Technology, which is 10-percent owned by Zhejiang Jingsheng Mechanical & Electrical, a leading Chinese state-owned company in the northwestern city of Hangzhou.
Among the recipients of these Chinese metals is a Japanese-owned Russian firm that has sold silicon wafers to Russian manufacturers of microelectronics for weapons, customs and tax records reviewed by Schemes show. Japan has coordinated with Washington and Brussels on its own sanctions targeting Russian aggression.
Following Russia’s February 2022 invasion, the United States and the EU imposed restrictions on exports of gallium, germanium, and antimony to Russia. But China is not a party to Western sanctions targeting Moscow, meaning their effectiveness is limited.
“If there is direct cooperation between a Chinese and a Russian company, then the sanctions of Western partners do not directly affect this. They can continue to do what they do among themselves,” Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy's sanctions policy commissioner, Vladyslav Vlasiuk, told Schemes.
Vlasiuk added, however, that sanctions nonetheless play an important role in complicating the Russian military’s supply chain.
Conventional And Nuclear Weapons
Many countries across the world -- including the United States and EU member nations -- maintain reserves of gallium, germanium, and antimony due to their importance in microelectronics and military applications.
“These are all elements that are parts of any electronic systems…and even more so in a war zone, in military facilities, in any kind of defense system,” Tetyana Solomakha, a senior avionics lecturer at the Kyiv Aviation Institute, told Schemes.
Among the many military applications of these minerals are nuclear weapons, night-vision goggles, laser-guidance systems, drones, and infrared sensors for warships, aircraft, missiles, and tanks.
“These metals are used in microprocessors. A drone without a flight controller and without this microprocessor simply will not fly,” Anton Pobuta, founder of the Ukrainian company Lab 418, which manufactures drones, told Schemes.
When China, the world’s largest producer of gallium, germanium, and antimony, banned its companies last month from supplying the three minerals to the United States in response to new U.S. export controls targeting Beijing, Chinese officials specifically cited their military applications.
But Beijing has secured a firm hold on the market for these minerals in Russia, where buyers include multiple companies already subjected to U.S. sanctions.
Amid the Western sanctions regime, China became the only foreign supplier of gallium and germanium to Russia in 2023 and remains Russia’s largest supplier of antimony, according to Russian customs data obtained by Schemes.
The Rostec-linked companies through which Chinese rare minerals end up in the Russian defense sector include Germanium JSC, a direct Rostec subsidiary, and a private company called Germanium and Applications, which actively does business with Rostec.
Records reviewed by Schemes show that Germanium and Applications in turn supplies Chinese rare metals to companies that include the Urals Optical and Mechanical Plant, a manufacturer of optical equipment for Russian military jets and helicopters.
The Urals Optical and Mechanical Plant, which is under both U.S. and EU sanctions, describes itself as the “main suppliers of optical systems” for the Russian military.
Other Russian importers of Chinese rare minerals include the U.S.-sanctioned Enkor Grupp, an electronics manufacturer whose plant received a visit from Russian President Vladimir Putin last year, and Cryotrade Engineering, a company that has also been sanctioned by Washington and which works with Rostec and other firms in the Russian military industry.
Public procurement records show that Cryotrade Engineering, an importer of Chinese gallium, does business with multiple Russian research institutes under U.S. sanctions, including the Kurchatov Institute, a nuclear-weapons developer headed by a close associate of Putin. Gallium is used to stabilize the plutonium in atomic bombs.
Both gallium and germanium are used in technology critical for Russian weapons, including laser guidance systems like those used in the Orlan-30 unmanned reconnaissance drone, which Moscow has deployed in Ukraine.
The Russian Defense Ministry boasted in November that the Orlan-30’s laser designator rangefinder “makes it possible to accurately aim a guided munition, whether it is an adjusted aerial bomb or an adjusted artillery shell, at a target.”
Japan's Supply-Chain Link
Records reviewed by Schemes also show that a Russian subsidiary of the Japanese company Ferrotec, which produces silicon parts for microchips, has both imported antimony from China and sold silicon wafers to Russian manufacturers of microelectronics for the military.
Ukraine Invasion: News & Analysis
RFE/RL's Ukraine Live Briefing gives you the latest developments on Russia's invasion, Western military aid, the plight of civilians, and territorial control maps. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.
The subsidiary, Moscow-based Ferrotec Nord, has imported antimony over the past four years from companies within VITAL Technology Group, a Chinese conglomerate with around 25-percent ownership by Chinese state entities.
The most recent of these listed shipments in customs records obtained by Schemes came in February 2024, nearly two years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion.
As recently as last year, Ferrotec Nord sold silicon wafers to a plant outside Moscow called Epiel, according to tax records obtained by Schemes.
Epiel is among the main suppliers of microchip components to the Rostec-owned firm Angstrem, which openly states that it works with Russian arms manufacturers.
In Russian civil litigation in November 2023, Angstrem stated that it supplies microchips and semiconductor devices to the Russian Defense Ministry, state space agency Roskosmos, and sanctioned Russian arms manufacturer Uralvagonzavod, among other weapons producers.
The company added that its volume of orders had quadrupled due to Russia’s “special military operation” -- the official Kremlin description of its war on Ukraine.
Schemes sought comment from the Japanese holding Ferrotec on its rare-mineral imports from China and work with suppliers to Russia’s military-industrial complex.
The company did not respond in time for publication.
Pro-Russian Party In Georgia Cuts Ties With European Body - What’s At Stake?
The Georgian Dream party ceased its work in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), the head of the Georgian delegation said after the Strasbourg-based legislative body overwhelmingly passed a resolution calling on Georgia to set a date for new parliamentary elections.
Tea Tsulukiani announced the move on January 29, saying that conditions of the resolution, which passed 114-13, were "unacceptable, unfair, and unfounded."
The resolution calls on Georgian authorities to set a date for new parliamentary elections before April, release all political prisoners, and review controversial laws. Its demands echo those of protesters who continue to hold pro-European rallies in Tbilisi and elsewhere in the country.
Tsulukiani said the resolution’s demand for new elections “violates Georgia’s sovereignty and ignores the will of more than 1,120,000 voters who voted for Georgian Dream and is categorically unacceptable,” according to the Novosti-Gruzia.
“To accept this reservation on our part would be tantamount to betraying our electorate and, consequently, the overwhelming majority of our society,” Tsulukiani said. “Based on the above, we, members of the Georgian parliamentary delegation in Strasbourg, are ceasing our work in PACE from today.”
Georgian Dream was harshly criticized by members of the PACE during its plenary session on January 29. Among them was Latvian MP Zanda Kalniņa-Lukasevica, who said there had been a rollback of democracy in the country.
Georgian Dream last month pushed through its candidate, Mikheil Kavelashvili, a former soccer player and right-wing populist, as the country's new president despite widespread claims that the country’s parliamentary elections in October were not free and fair.
Georgian Dream claimed victory in the elections, which the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said were marred by instances of vote-buying, double-voting, physical violence, and intimidation.
Anti-government protests broke out in response to Georgian Dream’s claim and intensified in November after a government decision to delay negotiations on Georgia joining the European Union.
The authorities responded violently to the demonstrations, arresting hundreds of people and surveilling participants with Chinese-made cameras with facial-recognition capabilities.
The PACE’s resolution also calls for “an inclusive process involving all stakeholders and social actors” in Georgia to address “the shortcomings and problems revealed by the recent parliamentary elections.”
The process should strive for “an electoral environment conducive to the holding of genuinely democratic new parliamentary elections, which should be called in the coming months,” the resolution said.
Putin Says Ready For Peace Talks, But Not With 'Illegitimate' Zelenskyy
Russian President Vladimir Putin has again ruled out direct peace talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whom he called "illegitimate," prompting the Ukrainian leader to accuse Putin of being "afraid" of negotiating a settlement to the almost 3-year-old war.
"You can negotiate with anyone, but because of his illegitimacy, he [Zelenskyy] has no right to sign anything," Putin told state Rossiya 1 TV late on January 28.
He added that he would "allocate people to take part" in negotiations if Zelenskyy would be present instead of holding direct talks face-to-face.
Putin has said several times he does not consider Zelenskyy a legitimate leader since Zelenskyy's five-year term in office was supposed to end last year on May 20.
An election was to have taken place on March 31, 2024, but was postponed because the country is still under martial law due to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Zelenskyy, who under the constitution must continue to perform his duties until a new head of state is elected, responded to Putin's claim saying it is the Russian leader who is the obstacle to talks to end the fighting.
"Today, Putin once again confirmed that he is afraid of negotiations, afraid of strong leaders, and does everything possible to prolong the war," Zelenskyy wrote in a post on social media.
"Now we see that there is a possibility of achieving real peace, but it is Putin who is doing everything to either continue killing on a full scale instead of peace, or to get a pause in order to prepare a new full-scale invasion in the future, delivering hybrid strikes."
Ukraine has been under martial law since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022 and would have to amend the law in order to hold elections during a state of war.
Zelenskyy has been looking to the United States to put pressure on Moscow to end Russia’s all-out war on Ukraine amid reports that behind-the-scenes negotiations to resolve the conflict have been ramping up following the January 20 inauguration of President Donald Trump.
Since taking office, Trump has threatened to impose heavy taxes, tariffs, and sanctions on all goods coming from Russia to the United States and other countries if Moscow doesn't come to the negotiating table.
"If we don't make a 'deal,' and soon, I have no other choice but to put high levels of Taxes, Tariffs, and Sanctions on anything being sold by Russia to the United States, and various other participating countries," Trump wrote in a post on his social media website Truth Social on January 22.
Those threats appear to conflict with Trump's past praise for Putin, his criticism of U.S. aid to Ukraine, and his apparent eagerness for a quick end to the fighting, which led to concerns among Ukraine's supporters that he might sacrifice Kyiv's interests in the name of a deal, ultimately strengthening Russia.
The Kremlin has shrugged off Trump's hard-line comments, saying it doesn't see "any particularly new elements" in them.
Ukraine has been steadily losing ground on the battlefield for nearly a year now, as Russia’s bigger and better-armed military has been grinding down Ukrainian defenses and inflicting massive casualties.
One of Kyiv's biggest problems has been recruiting enough men to replenish depleted units. The government last year overhauled its system for mobilizing men, but Ukraine's frontline forces are still badly outnumbered.
Zelenskyy has also resisted lowering the draft age to 18, saying it would decimate the country’s demographics.
Ukraine Strikes Russian Oil Refinery In Major Attack On Energy Infrastructure
Ukraine's military said its drones struck a Russian oil refinery in the Nizhny Novgorod region as part of a massive attack targeting energy infrastructure, including a nuclear power site.
Ukraine's Defense Ministry said in a statement on January 29 that the refinery was "involved in providing support to the Russian occupation army."
"Combat work on strategic facilities involved in providing support for the Russian armed aggression against Ukraine will continue," it added.
Geolocation data from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty confirmed social media posts showing a major fire at the Sibur-Kstovo oil refinery near Nizhny Novgorod.
Russian government officials in Russia's Smolensk, Belgorod, Nizhny Novgorod, Tver, Kursk, Leningrad, and Bryansk regions said their areas had been hit by Ukrainian drones overnight, though they did not comment on the refinery strike.
Officials in the capital of Russia's Republic of Tatarstan, Kazan, and the country's second largest city, St. Petersburg, temporarily suspended traffic, citing safety concerns.
"In various areas of the Smolensk region, civilian objects are being subjected to a massive attack" by drones, Governor Vasily Anokhin wrote on Telegram.
No additional information was provided, but the Smolensk Nuclear Power Plant is a major power-generating facility some 100 kilometers from Smolensk city.
Belgorod regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov, wrote on Telegram that a drone attack hit a private house in the town of Razumnoye, killing a woman and her two-year-old child. According to Gladkov, the woman's husband and another child of the couple' were injured in the attack, which partially destroyed the house.
Gladkov also said that several Ukrainian drones hit infrastructure and buildings in and near the villages of Dvuluchnoye and Bezlyudovka. No casualties were reported.
The Russian Defense Ministry said its defenses shot down 104 Ukrainian drones over multiple regions overnight, but it was not possible to independently confirm the claims.
Both sides in the war have stepped up the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones in recent months, often targeting the enemy's energy infrastructure.
Russia has also caused widespread destruction of Ukrainian civilian sites with drones, rockets, artillery, and various types of bombs. The Kremlin has denied it targets civilian areas despite evidence of such attacks.
Inside Ukraine, regional Governor Vitaliy Kim said two women were killed due to a Russian missile attack on the city of Mykolayiv.
Off the battlefield, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian President Vladimir Putin was "afraid" to enter into negotiations on ending the war after the Kremlin leader ruled out direct talks with his Ukrainian counterpart.
"Today, Putin once again confirmed that he is afraid of negotiations, afraid of strong leaders, and does everything possible to prolong the war," Zelenskyy wrote on X.
“Every move he makes and all his cynical tricks are aimed at making the war endless,” he added.
Earlier, Putin told Russian state TV thattalks with Ukraine were possible but not with Zelenskyy, whom he deemed as "illegitimate" because his presidential term expired while the country was under martial law.
"But essentially, if they want to proceed, there is a legal way to do it. Let the chairman of the [Ukrainian parliament] handle it in accordance with the constitution," Putin said.
"However, so far, we simply do not see such a desire," he added.
Meanwhile, Axios reported the U.S. military transferred some 90 Patriot air-defense missiles from storage in Israel to Poland this week with an aim to deliver them to Ukraine.
The report, citing three people with knowledge of the operation, said the Israeli Air Force decommissioned the Patriot air-defense system more than 30 years after it was given to Israel during the first Gulf War.
After the Israelis announced the decommissioning, Kyiv suggested to U.S. and Israeli officials that Israel return the missiles to the U.S. military to be refurbished and then sent to Ukraine.
With reporting by Axios
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