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Azerbaijani Journalist Sentenced To 9 Years In Prison On Charges He Rejects
A court in Baku on February 27 sentenced independent Azerbaijani journalist Avaz Zeynalli to nine years in prison on corruption charges that he and his supporters have rejected as motivated by his journalistic work.
Zeynalli, the editor in chief of Khural (Parliament) TV, a leading independent Azerbaijani Internet TV station, has been in pretrial detention since September 2022, when he was arrested together with human rights lawyer Elchin Sadygov.
The two were arrested after a pro-government news organization claimed that they had extorted 20 thousand manats ($10,845) from the wife of imprisoned businessman Rasim Mamedov in exchange for favorable coverage of his case.
Mammadov is the former head of the steelmaking plant Baku Steel Company LLC. In February 2021 he was detained on charges that included the embezzlement of some 55 million manat (more than $32 million). He was defended by Sadygov.
Later in September 2022, the Baku Court of Appeal transferred Sadygov to house arrest, separating his case into a different proceeding.
Zeynalli has rejected the charges, saying that the state prosecution did not provide any reliable evidence confirming his guilt. In his final address to the court on February 26, he said that he was a prisoner of conscience, and the case against him was prompted by his journalistic work.
Zeynalli also told the court that he did not know 31 of the 38 witnesses produced by the prosecution in his case.
The court also ruled to confiscate 16,000 manat seized during the search of Zeynalli's house on the day of his detention in September 2022.
It was the second time that Zeynalli was sentenced on bribery-related charges.
In 2011, he was detained on allegations of extorting and accepting a bribe from former parliament deputy Gulyar Ahmadova.
Zeynalli pleaded not guilty at his subsequent trial in 2013, saying the case against him was connected with his work as a journalist.
He was sentenced to nine years in prison but was released a year later in 2014.
The Committee to Protect Journalists has urged Azerbaijani authorities to release Zeynalli and Sadygov and drop all charges against them.
“Bribery charges against Avaz Zeynalli, a critical journalist whom authorities have previously jailed for his work, and Elchin Sadygov, a lawyer who regularly defends journalists against state repression, are concerning, especially as pro-government media made the accusations,” said CPJ's Gulnoza Said in September 2022.
“Azerbaijani authorities should free Zeynalli and Sadygov, drop the charges against them, and refrain from jailing members of the press and their advocates in retaliation for their work.”
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- By RFE/RL
Moscow's Ambassador To U.S. Concludes Term, Returning Home
Russian state-run news agencies TASS and Interfax on October 5 reported that Anatoly Antonov “is concluding” his stint as Russia’s ambassador to the United States and returning to his home country, citing the Foreign Ministry in Moscow. No mention was made of a successor, with the move coming at a time of high tensions between the two nations. In July, Russia’s Kommersant newspaper reported that Antonov had at that time suggested his term was reaching its conclusion, quoting him as saying: “My assignment is coming to an end. I hope together we will continue to defend the interests of our Fatherland!" Antonov, 69, was appointed as the Kremlin’s envoy in Washington by President Vladimir Putin in August 2017.
Magyar-Led Protests Demand Media Freedom In Hungary, End To State 'Propaganda Factory'
BUDAPEST -- Thousands of Hungarians gathered in Budapest on October 5 to protest against what they called the “propaganda factory” run by authoritarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s state television operation and to demand a free media in the Central European nation.
Peter Magyar, the leader of the center-right Tisza opposition party, had called for protesters to gather at the headquarters of state broadcaster MTVA in the Hungarian capital.
Demonstrators demanded the dismantling of the "propaganda factory" and the restoration of genuine public media, along with the immediate firing of MTVA chief Daniel Papp, among other actions.
"We have had enough of the malice, the lies, the propaganda, our patience has run out," Magyar told the crowd.
"The public service media in Hungary today is an international scandal. We have had enough," the 43-year-old opposition leader said.
Independent parliamentary deputy Akos Hadhazy said the MTVA headquarters is the strongest bastion of power in the country. He called for news directors who falsify news to resign and for government propaganda to be prohibited by law.
Orban's cozy relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, his refusal to condemn Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, as well as his attacks on the rule of law and accusations of corruption, have turned Hungary into the European Union's black sheep.
Since taking power in 2010, the increasingly authoritarian prime minister has clamped down on civil rights and taken much of the media under his control.
Over the past months, Magyar has gone from being the unknown husband of the former justice minister to becoming the great new hope for Hungary's opposition. He is also possibly the most dangerous challenger that Orban has faced since taking power.
Human Rights Watch has said that media freedom has “been under attack in Hungary” since Orban took the reins in the country.
“The Hungarian government’s interference with media freedom and pluralism, part of its systematic attack on the rule of law, obstructs the work of independent journalists in holding the authorities to account and prevents the public from accessing information."
- By Reuters
India Rules Out Bilateral Talks At Regional Summit In Pakistan
Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar will not discuss bilateral relations when he visits Pakistan this month, the first such visit in nearly a decade, for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit on October 15-16. "I expect there would be a lot of media interest because of the very nature of the relationship," Jaishankar said in response to a query at an event in New Delhi. "But I do want to say it will be for a multilateral event. I am not going there to discuss India-Pakistan relations," he added. Relations between the two countries have gone through periods of thaw from time to time but have been largely frozen since they downgraded diplomatic ties in tit-for-tat moves in 2019.
Pakistani Police Lock Down Islamabad As Ex-PM's Supporters Gather For Protest
Islamabad appeared to be in lockdown mode on October 5 as supporters of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan sought to bypass police barricades and enter the Pakistani capital to demand his release.
Local media reported that police had arrested Ali Amin Gandapur -- the chief minister of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province and a top Kahn ally -- who was leading a convoy of supporters into the capital on October 4 amid clashes with security forces.
The Interior Ministry has said the deployment of army troops into Islamabad is designed to ensure security ahead of the 17th Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, which is slated to begin on October 15 in the capital.
“I appeal to every member of my nation…to reach Islamabad and be a part of Ali Amin's convoy,” a message posted on Khan’s X account read.
“I am so proud of all our people. Thank you for keeping the faith.”
A spokesman for Khan’s opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party on October 5 said in a video message that the protests were continuing and added that the demonstrations would be taken to all parts of the Punjab region.
PTI’s official X page, which featured videos of what it said were marching supporters, said large numbers of security forces were attempting to block the protesters’ progress.
Islamabad police chief Ali Nasir Rizvi told reporters he had arrested dozens of PTI supporters. Mobile phone services have been suspended in most parts of the Pakistani capital.
Video showed containers that had been installed on various routes inside Islamabad, impeding motorcycle riders and PTI supporters.
Khan, 71, a retired cricket superstar who was prime minister from 2018 to 2022, was ousted in a no-confidence vote that he says was orchestrated by the powerful military and arrested last year after a judge sentenced him to a three-year jail sentence in a corruption case.
Amnesty International last month called on Pakistani authorities to "immediately release" Khan from "arbitrary detention."
"A year on from Imran Khan’s conviction and sentencing, Amnesty International has found several fair trial violations under international human rights standards which have resulted in his arbitrary detention, denying his right to liberty," it said in a September 21 statement.
The government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Khan's main political adversary, previously deployed paramilitary rangers and extra police forces and closed schools in Islamabad and the nearby city of Rawalpindi after the PTI refused to withdraw its call for the protest.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi told the media late on October 3 that authorities will not let Khan's supporters "storm Islamabad."
Naqvi urged the PTI to postpone the protest in order to allow the government to continue with preparations for the summit of the SCO, a regional intergovernmental organization that also includes China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, India, and Iran.
Pakistan has been struggling with a severe economic crisis and a deteriorating security situation amid an increase in attacks by the Pakistani Taliban.
The nuclear-armed country has recently received a $7 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund to prop up its faltering economy.
With reporting by Reuters and AFP
Rescue Teams Search For Missing After Deadly Floods In Bosnia-Herzegovina
Rescue teams are searching for up to 40 people still missing following deadly flash-flooding in Bosnia-Herzegovina that has left some villages completely cut off and prompted officials to declare a state of disaster.
At least 18 people were killed after heavy rainstorms early on October 4 triggered floods and landslides in central and southern areas of the Balkan country.
RFE/RL's Balkan Service is covering developments on its live blog.
Fifteen of the deaths were in Herzegovina and three in Bosnia, and bridges and roads were destroyed in both entities, hampering rescue workers.
On October 5, Bosnian authorities said the two latest fatalities were discovered in the area of Donja Jablanica, a village of some 450 people near the hard-hit municipality Jablanica.
The Civil Protection Service has estimated that between 20 and 40 people are missing.
Cleanup efforts began on October 5 in Jablanica, where 12 deaths were reported, and neighboring Konjic, where one person died.
The two municipalities are located halfway between the southern city of Mostar and the capital, Sarajevo.
The sudden rains hit as many residents were sleeping, and water rose over the roofs of houses and left entire villages buried in mud. Crews in Jablanica were working to remove piles of rocks and debris as the floodwaters subsided.
The municipality, a major tourist destination situated along the Neretva River and Jablanica Lake in the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton, was devastated by flooding. Roads and railway links have been destroyed, cutting off the area. In the village of Donja Jablanica, rocks from a nearby quarry reportedly buried homes.
Six people have been reported missing in the Jablanica area and four in Konjic.
The three remaining deaths were recorded in Fojnica in central Bosnia, the Civil Protection Service told RFE/RL.
Early reports had put the death toll at 19, but this was reduced after authorities in Herzegovina clarified that some victims had been counted twice.
Darko Jukan, spokesman for the authorities in Herzegovina-Neretva Canton, said on October 4 that "in some cases only parts of roofs can be seen.”
“I cannot remember a crisis of such a magnitude since the [1992-95] war," he said.
Emir Begovic, a resident of Donja Jablanica, told RFE/RL that "when we saw the storm coming we expected this…Water came through the front door, the door immediately broke and [water] "pushed" us into one of the bedrooms."
"My wife, child, and I -- we had our granddaughter [with us] -- we were waiting, wondering if we should we escape [from the house]. Water flowed like two rivers above the house."
Anel Steta, a volunteer worker from Mostar, said the situation in the Jablanica region was "catastrophic."
"The mud does not allow us to work," he told RFE/RL.
"The conditions are difficult. One lifeless body was found. Unknown person, unknown identity...it is disastrous," he added.
Bosnian media footage taken from drones showed villages and towns completely covered by water, while videos on social networks showed muddy torrents and damaged roads. On October 5, locals and emergency workers attempted to divert flood waters that had blocked access to villages.
Flash floods caused by heavy rains were also reported in Montenegro, south of Bosnia, while in Croatia strong winds and torrential rains closed several roads.
With reporting by Reuters and AP
Zelenskiy Prepares To Present 'Victory Plan' To Allies
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will present Kyiv’s “victory plan” during an upcoming meeting of Western allies in Germany.
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.
"We will present the victory plan, clear, specific steps for a just end to the war," Zelenskiy wrote on October 5, referring to the all-out war with Russia that began when Ukraine was invaded in February 2022.
The 25th meeting of more than 50 allies and partners, collectively known as the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, will take place at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany on October 12.
Referring to the strategy as “peace through strength,” Zelenskiy said that the “victory plan provides for the necessary strengthening of Ukraine.”
Zelenskiy added that Kyiv had already begun discussions with the United States, Ukraine’s leading supporter during the war with Russia, and that “we are involving all partners."
Zelenskiy began teasing Ukraine’s “victory plan” in August, and later announced that it was nearly complete and consists of “four main points and one that must be implemented after the war.”
During his visit to Washington last month, he presented the plan to U.S. President Joe Biden as well as to both candidates in the November 5 presidential election -- current Vice President Kamala Harris (Democrat) and former President Donald Trump (Republican).
A spokesman for the U.S. State Department said at the time that the plan contained "a number of productive steps."
Little else is known about the plan, although The Wall Street Journal has cited anonymous U.S. officials as saying it was essentially a renewed request for more weapons and for countries that donate long-range missiles to lift restrictions on using them to strike deeper into Russian territory.
In late September, Zelenskiy said that Ukraine and its partners should “determine joint steps and a common vision of how to increase pressure on Russia" during the Ramstein meeting.
Zelenskiy also said that Ukraine’s military faced a “very, very difficult” situation as it continues to fend off invading Russian forces that have made significant gains in Ukraine’s east in recent weeks.
However, Zelenskiy stressed the importance of Ukraine’s military making gains itself ahead of the Ramstein meeting to assure allies of its capabilities.
Zelenskiy is scheduled to meet again with U.S. President Biden during the gathering.
Meanwhile, the Russian military claimed on October 5 to have taken another village near the strategically important eastern town of Kurakhove, one of the focal points of Russia's slow advance through the industrial Donetsk region.
Russia's Defense Ministry identified the settlement taken as Zhelanne Druhe, which had a prewar population of about 200 people located along the Vovcha River.
Meanwhile, a Russian warplane crashed near the Ukrainian city of Kostyantynivka, with a source within Ukraine’s military claiming that Russian air defenses mistakenly shot it down.
Video footage showed a downed Russian fighter jet, but details of the incident were not immediately available and there was no acknowledgment from the Russian side of what happened.
The Ukrayinska Pravda news website, citing an air force source in Kyiv, said the jet was over occupied territory and was preparing to release glide bombs when it was hit by Russian missiles.
The battlefield reports could not immediately be verified.
6 Pakistani Soldiers Killed In Attack By Islamist Militants
Pakistan’s military has said that six of its soldiers, including a high-ranking officer, were killed on the evening of October 4 when a military convoy was attacked by Islamist militants in the country’s restive northwest.
The military identified the slain officer in an October 5 statement as Lieutenant-Colonel Muhammad Ali Shoukat. Six militants, whose affiliation was not named, were also killed in the clash that took place in North Waziristan, a tribal district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province near the Afghan border.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Search and rescue operations continue, according to the statement. A source within the district’s intelligence agency told RFE/RL’s Radio Mashaal on condition of anonymity that 24 soldiers were injured in "an intense exchange of fire."
North Waziristan has long been a hotbed of militants operating on both sides of the border. In recent years, civilians and security forces have been killed in targeted killings, and Pakistani officials say attacks have risen in recent months. Many have been claimed by the Pakistani Taliban (TTP).
After the Afghan Taliban returned to power following the withdrawal of U.S.-led forces from the country, many TTP members have reportedly found sanctuary in Afghanistan, using it to launch more frequent attacks on Pakistani troops and civilians.
The unrest in North Waziristan and other districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province has led to mass protests by civilians who have called for greater security but also expressed concerns that civilians could be harassed or arrested during a military offensive.
The central government and the Pakistani military have said they are committed to ending terrorism in the region and will continue to target militants.
In 2014, the Pakistan military launched a two-year military operation in North Waziristan that it claimed resulted in militants being cleared from the region.
The offensive significantly disrupted the lives of civilians, millions of whom were left homeless. Many returned to the area in 2016, but the peace was broken when militant attacks resumed in 2018.
- By RFE/RL
Israel Hits Hamas Leaders In Lebanon As World Awaits Potential 'Significant' Strike On Iran
As the world awaits a potentially “significant” Israeli strike against Iran, fighting continued in and around Beirut and throughout Lebanon, with Tehran-backed militant groups acknowledging the deaths of additional leaders from the latest attacks.
An Israeli official told the French news agency AFP on October 5 that the military was "preparing a response" to the massive Iranian missile barrage that struck Israel earlier this week, although most projectiles were shot down and caused few injuries and little property damage.
"The IDF is preparing a response to the unprecedented and unlawful Iranian attack on Israeli civilians and Israel," the military official told AFP, referring to the Israeli Defense Forces.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the official did not elaborate on the specifics or timing of any potential action.
The Israeli Haaretz newspaper, citing unnamed military officials, said the response would be "significant."
Meanwhile, Israeli forces targeted several sites late on October 5/early October 6 in the suburbs of Beirut after warning people to evacuate five specific buildings.
"For your safety and that of your family members, you must immediately evacuate the designated buildings and those adjacent to them and move away from them at least 500 meters," spokesman Avichay Adraee said.
Earlier, Hamas, the Gaza-based militant group that has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States and the EU, said an Israeli strike killed one of its commanders in a refugee camp in northern Lebanon on October 5.
"Commander" Saeed Attallah Ali, his wife, and two daughters were killed in a "Zionist bombardment of his house in the Beddawi camp" near the northern city of Tripoli, Hamas said.
It is the first reported occasion that the area has been hit as part of the latest military activity, which began with the militant group’s mass assault into Israel on October 7, 2023. More than 1,200 people were killed and some 250 taken hostage in Hamas's rampage, prompting Israel’s brutal retaliation against the militants in Gaza.
The Israeli military reported on October 5 that Muhammad Hussein Ali al-Mahmoud, who it said was Hamas’s executive authority in Lebanon, was also killed in an air strike.
Over the past several days, Israeli forces have pounded areas near Beirut and southern Lebanon as they targeted Hezbollah strongholds, killing dozens of the militant group’s leaders, including chief Hassan Nasrallah on September 27.
Hezbollah has also been designated by the United States as a terror group, while the European Union has blacklisted its armed wing but not its political unit, which holds seats in the Lebanese parliament. Both Hezbollah and Hamas are considered to be Iranian proxies in the region.
The whereabouts of Nasrallah's likely successor, Hashem Safieddine, who is a cousin of the slain leader, remained unknown on October 5 following the latest Israeli air strike that targeted a meeting of Hezbollah leaders on October 4.
As fears of an all-our war in the Middle East grow, French President Emmanuel Macron on October 5 urged a halt of arms deliveries to Israel, which has faced criticism and street protests abroad over the magnitude of its retaliatory actions in Gaza, which reportedly have killed more than 42,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands.
"I think that today, the priority is that we return to a political solution, that we stop delivering weapons to fight in Gaza," Macron told French TV. He added that France was not sending weapons to Israel at this time.
He also assailed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his decision to launch the ground operations inside Lebanon despite pleas from Washington and Paris to avoid doing so.
"I regret that Prime Minister Netanyahu has made another choice," Macron said.
Netanyahu lambasted the French leader for urging a halt to arms supplies to Israel.
"As Israel fights the forces of barbarism led by Iran, all civilized countries should be standing firmly by Israel's side. Yet, President Macron and other Western leaders are now calling for arms embargoes against Israel. Shame on them," Netanyahu said.
Israel has claimed the operation in Gaza was necessary to wipe out Hamas militants and to protect its security following the October 7 terror attacks.
On October 4, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei used a rare public sermon to defend his country’s October 1 missile attack against Israel, saying it was "legitimate and legal" and that "if needed," Tehran will do it again, prompting fears of further Israeli retaliation.
U.S. President Joe Biden on October 4 said there had been no decision yet on what type of response Israel should mount against Iran but advised against striking Iran's oil facilities.
"If I were in their shoes, I'd be thinking about other alternatives than striking oil fields," Biden said in the White House briefing room a day after saying such strikes were being discussed.
Biden also told reporters that Netanyahu should remember U.S. support for Israel when deciding on next steps. He added that he had been trying to rally the world to avoid all-out war in the Middle East.
With reporting by Reuters and AFP
Kyiv Says Russia Has Executed 93 Ukrainian POWs Since Start Of War
Ukraine has documented evidence related to the execution of 93 Ukrainian prisoners of war, according to a law enforcement official tasked with investigating war crimes related to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine
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Yuriy Belousov, who heads the Prosecutor-General's Office’s department in charge of investigating crimes committed in armed conflict, provided the latest figure during a live television appearance on October 4.
"Now we have information about the death of 93 of our soldiers who were executed on the battlefield," Belousov told Yedyniy Novyny, a broadcast that unites multiple Ukrainian television channels.
Belousov said that about 80 percent of the executions were recorded this year, but that the number of executions began rising in November “when there were changes for the worse in the attitude of Russian servicemen toward our prisoners of war."
On October 1, the Prosecutor-General’s Office announced it had opened an investigation into what it described as the "largest mass execution" of Ukrainian prisoners of war by Russian troops since the start of Moscow's full-scale invasion in February 2022.
According to an official statement published on the office’s Telegram channel, Russian forces recently killed 16 Ukrainian "prisoners of war" near the villages of Mykolayivka and Sukhiy Yar in the Pokrovsk district of the Donetsk region.
Videos circulated on various Telegram channels appear to show Ukrainian soldiers, freshly captured by Russian troops, emerging from a forested area.
After the prisoners have lined up, Russian forces appear to open fire. The videos then appear to show Russian soldiers approaching those who were only wounded and shooting them again at close range with machine guns.
The videos have not been independently verified.
Under international humanitarian law, executing soldiers who have surrendered is considered a war crime.
Ukraine's Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets said he had contacted both the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross over the deaths, citing violations of the Geneva Conventions, which govern the treatment of prisoners of war.
In March, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine published a report that recorded the execution of at least 32 Ukrainian prisoners of war in 12 separate cases from December 2023 to February 2024.
Activists Sentenced For Drone Attack On Russian Military Plane In Belarus
Twelve people were sentenced in Minsk to prison terms of between two and 25 years on October 4 for "acts of terrorism" and "treason against the state" in connection with an attack in February 2023 that damaged a Russian plane. The defendants, most of whom were sentenced in absentia, although it's unclear how many, were accused of using a drone to damage a Russian A-50, an aircraft used for military reconnaissance. The main defendant, Nikolai Shvets, was released to Ukraine in a prisoner exchange in June but was still handed the longest sentence in absentia of 25 years. The leader of the Belarusian anti-government group ByPol said last year that the attack at the Machulishchy Air Base was a joint operation by ByPol and Ukraine's Security Service. Russia has used the air base in its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Belarus Service, click here.
- By Reuters
Azerbaijan Rejects 'Disgusting' U.S. Human Rights Criticism Before COP29
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on October 4 rejected what he called a "disgusting" letter from U.S. lawmakers who criticized his country's human rights record and urged it to free political prisoners before it hosts next month's COP29 climate conference. The letter, signed by nearly 60 lawmakers, urged Secretary of State Antony Blinken to "press for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners, hostages, and POWs, including ethnic Armenians, to enable a more conducive environment for successful diplomacy at COP29." It said that "provocative" Azerbaijani statements toward Armenia risked undermining peace negotiations between the two countries, which have fought two wars since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Speaking in Cabrayil, a town recaptured from Armenian forces in the 2020 war, Aliyev called the letter "a disgusting appeal that cannot influence our will" and said it had been drawn up "to threaten and accuse us."
EU Court Hands Down Landmark Victory For Transgender Rights
The European Union's top court has ruled that member states must accept changes of first name and gender obtained in other countries in the bloc, a landmark ruling brought about by a case involving Arian Mirzarafie-Ahi, a transgender man with dual citizenship in Romania and Great Britain.
The decision, which establishes a significant legal precedent, will affect millions of transgender people across the bloc, ensuring their identities are respected and recognized, regardless of where they live or travel within the EU.
"Gender, like a first name, is a fundamental element of personal identity. A divergence between identities resulting from such a refusal of recognition creates difficulties for a person in proving his or her identity in daily life as well as serious professional, administrative and private inconvenience," the court said in its decision.
After undergoing gender transition in the U.K. in 2020 while the country was still part of the EU, Mirzarafie-Ahi's name and gender marker were changed in their British documents.
However, Romanian authorities refused to issue a new birth certificate reflecting the transition, citing national law.
The European Court of Justice in Luxembourg ruled that this refusal was illegal under EU law, as all members must recognize legal gender transitions made in any other member state.
"I cried, really. It was indeed a victory that we have been waiting for for many years," Arian Mirzarafie-Ahi said via video from Britain on October 4 as his supporters held a press conference in Bucharest.
The decision is seen by rights groups as a victory for transgender rights across the entire European Union.
They said it sets a new standard for the legal recognition of transgender individuals and has far-reaching implications for their ability to live without discrimination or unnecessary bureaucratic obstacles.
The ruling is crucial for transgender people who move between countries for work, education, or personal reasons.
Previously, they faced challenges when their identity documents were not recognized in different member states, leading to difficulties in accessing services, traveling, or even basic tasks like opening a bank account or enrolling in school.
The court decision also carries deep symbolic significance by affirming that transgender rights are fundamental human rights.
This aligns with the EU's broader commitment to equality and nondiscrimination, as outlined in its Charter of Fundamental Rights.
However, challenges remain in ensuring that it is implemented effectively across the EU.
While all member states are now legally required to recognize name and gender changes made in other EU countries, this does not automatically reform national laws regarding how individuals can change their gender markers within each country.
Governments, rights activists say, may attempt to delay or complicate the process of recognition, even though they are legally bound to comply with the decision.
At Least 16 Dead In Bosnian Floods Following Heavy Rain
At least 16 people were killed in flooding and landslides triggered by heavy rainstorms in central and southern Bosnia-Herzegovina on October 4, authorities said.
Early reports had put the death toll at 19, but this was reduced after authorities in Herzegovina clarified that 13 people had been killed in the flooding there.
It had previously been reported that 16 people had perished in the floods in that region, but it was later discovered that three of the bodies had been reported twice.
Out of the 13 who died, 12 people were killed in Donja Jablanica and one in Konjic. With rescue searches ongoing, six more people continue to be missing in Jablanica and four in Konjic.
Three more people died in Fojnica in central Bosnia, the Civil Protection Service told RFE/RL.
Darko Jukan, spokesman for the authorities in Neretva Canton, said that in addition to the 16 confirmed dead, many others were missing and "a lot" of people had been injured.
"In some cases only parts of roofs can be seen. I cannot remember the crisis of such a magnitude since the [1992-95] war," he said.
The U.S. Embassy in Sarajevo offered its sympathies, saying on X that it "extends its sincere condolences to all people in the communities affected by this devastating disaster."
The U.S. Agency for Investment and Development is closely coordinating with partner relief agencies in affected areas to assess damage and determine needs, the embassy said.
The heavy rainfall and landslides prompted authorities to declare a state of natural disaster in the Jablanica and Konjic areas, located halfway between the southern city of Mostar and the capital, Sarajevo, with the water in some villages rising over the roofs of houses.
Jukan said road access to the region was completely cut off, while telephone services had been partially interrupted.
Bosnian Defense Minister Zukan Helez told local TV that the army has been called in to help as the number of casualties mounted.
"Hour after hour we are receiving news about new victims…. We sent everyone we could," he said. "Our first priority is to save the people who are alive and buried in houses where the landslides are."
Bosnian media footage taken from drones showed villages and towns completely covered by water, while videos on social networks showed muddy torrents and damaged roads.
Landslides and overflowing rivers also destroyed bridges over the southern Drezanjka River while the road connecting the southern towns of Jablanica and Prozor-Rama collapsed and was swept into the water together with a railway line by a landslide, authorities said.
The road connects Sarajevo with the Adriatic coast and is one of Bosnia's busiest.
In the town of Komadonovo Vrelo, 10 kilometers south of Jablanica, a 50-meter stretch of the town's main road collapsed into the Neretva River.
Train services south of Sarajevo toward Mostar and the southern city of Capljina have been suspended, Bosnia's railways told RFE/RL.
Flash floods caused by heavy rains were also reported in Montenegro, south of Bosnia, while in Croatia strong winds and torrential rains closed several roads. Croatia's capital, Zagreb, was taking emergency measures in expectation of the Sava River overflowing its banks, local authorities reported.
With reporting by Reuters
- By RFE/RL
Moscow Pushes For Lifting Sanctions On Taliban-Led Afghanistan, U.S. Remains Cautious
Russia has urged the West to lift sanctions on Taliban-led Afghanistan and called for the inclusion of its government in discussions about the country's future in direct opposition to the U.S. position of keeping sanctions against the regime in place. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said during a session of the "Moscow Format" consultations on October 4 that it's necessary to engage with the Taliban administration despite its lack of formal recognition by Moscow. Despite the Taliban being unrecognized internationally, the Taliban administration's Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi participated in the forum, highlighting Russia's ongoing engagement with the Taliban. The U.S. envoy to Afghanistan, Karen Decker, said a day earlier that Washington remained opposed to easing sanctions or recognizing the Taliban, stressing that progress on human rights, particularly women's rights, was necessary before any steps toward legitimacy or economic engagement could occur.
Kazakhstan Detains Activists Ahead of Nuclear Referendum
ALMATY, Kazakhstan -- Two days before Kazakhstan holds a referendum on the construction of a nuclear power plant, authorities detained at least 26 activists, Almaty-based human rights activist Bakhytzhan Toreghozhina said on October 4.
The detentions come amid heightened tensions as authorities crack down on dissent leading up to the vote.
Some of the detained activists were handed jail terms ranging from 10 to 20 days on administrative charges, which they strongly reject.
Others were fined or instructed not to leave their towns and cities while investigations against them continue, particularly over allegations of planning mass unrest.
Five prominent activists -- Nurlan Zhaulybaev, Nurlan Temirghaliev, Zhanat Qazaqbay, Fazylzhan Sydyqov, and Aidar Mubarakov -- were placed in a pretrial detention center in Almaty and accused of attempting to organize mass riots.
This wave of arrests has drawn attention to the increasing restrictions on public dissent surrounding the controversial nuclear-power project.
Security measures in the country's largest city, Almaty, have been heightened to prevent what authorities describe as "illegal activities" during the referendum period.
In a related move, a court in western Kazakhstan fined the Uralskaya nedelya newspaper 110,760 tenges ($230) on October 3 for conducting a survey of residents of the city of Oral about the construction of the nuclear plant.
Deputy Prosecutor-General Zhandos Omiraliev said on October 4 that 24 cases of "illegal polls" related to the nuclear-power issue had been officially registered, with all individuals involved facing administrative punishment.
The referendum, scheduled for October 6, will determine whether Kazakhstan proceeds with the construction of a nuclear power plant in the village of Ulken in the Almaty region on the shores of Lake Balkhash.
Proponents of the project argue that the new facility would provide clean and affordable electricity, enabling the country to maintain low energy tariffs.
However, the project has faced significant opposition from environmental groups and concerned citizens, who argue that the plant poses risks to both the environment and national security.
Critics fear that the plant could be built by Russia's state-owned nuclear agency, Rosatom, making Kazakhstan more dependent on Russia and potentially turning it into a strategic target in the event of a future conflict.
Many Kazakhs are also wary of the involvement of Rosatom due to the legacy of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster and Russia's recent actions at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant in Ukraine.
While Kazakh officials have refrained from commenting directly on which foreign company might lead the project, Rosatom, along with China's CNNC, South Korea's KHNP, and France's EDF, have been named as a potential partner.
Despite widespread opposition, many expect the referendum to pass, given Kazakhstan's tightly controlled political environment.
- By RFE/RL
Dutch Citizen Reportedly Detained In Moscow For Assaulting Police
A Dutch citizen has been detained in Moscow after striking a police officer in the face following a disagreement over a knocked-down road sign, Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported on October 4, citing a law enforcement source in the Russian capital. The alleged altercation took place near the Smolenskaya metro station, leading to the immediate detainment of the man, the source said. Law enforcement agencies have opened a criminal case under Article 318 of the Russian Criminal Code, which addresses the "use of violence against a government official," which is punishable by up to five years in prison. A day earlier, Mash Telegram channel identified the Dutch citizen as Harry Johannes van Wurden, 64.
Nuclear Security Chief in Ukraine's Russian-Occupied Zaporizhzhya Killed In Car Bombing
The head of security at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant in Ukraine was killed in a car bombing on October 4, according to Ukrainian and Russian authorities. Andrei Korotky (Andriy Korotkiy) died after a homemade explosive device was planted under his car and detonated when the vehicle began moving, authorities said. Korotky was also the former head of the Moscow-installed local council of deputies in the city of Enerhodar, where the blast occurred. Ukrainian intelligence accused him of war crimes and organizing pro-Russian events during the occupation. Russia’s Investigative Committee has opened a probe into the deadly bombing. The incident highlights ongoing tensions and resistance efforts in occupied Ukraine, where local officials cooperating with Russian authorities are increasingly being targeted. To read the original story by RFE/RL’s Russian Service, click here.
Government Orders Army To Deploy In Islamabad Amid Standoff With Ex-PM Khan's Supporters
The Pakistani government has ordered the deployment of army troops in Islamabad beginning on October 5 amid a tense standoff as Pakistani security forces blocked the main access roads and cut off the mobile phone signal in order to prevent thousands of supporters of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan from entering the city and rallying for his release.
The Interior Ministry order said the army deployment was meant to ensure security ahead of the 17th Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, which is slated to begin on October 15 in the capital.
Khan, who was jailed on numerous charges of corruption that he and his supporters say are politically motivated, asked activists from his Pakistan Tehrik-e Insaf (PTI) party to stage a protest on October 4 in the high-security zone of Islamabad.
Several protests were held in and around Islamabad, and police reportedly arrested several PTI activists.
Roads and bridges leading into the city were blocked with large shipping containers as Khan's supporters have been planning to descend upon the capital from the country's ethnic Pashtun-majority Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province bordering Afghanistan, where his PTI party rules.
Khan, 71, a retired cricket superstar who was prime minister in from 2018 to 2022, was ousted in a no-confidence vote that he says was orchestrated by the powerful military and arrested last year after a judge sentenced him to a three-year jail sentence in a corruption case.
The government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Khan's main political adversary, previously deployed paramilitary rangers and extra police forces and closed schools in Islamabad and the nearby city of Rawalpindi after the PTI refused to withdraw its call for the protest.
Outside of Islamabad, Khan's supporters on October 4 massed in Swabi, a city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, to begin a march toward Islamabad to be reportedly led by the province's PTI head, Ali Amin Gundapur.
According to provincial officials, the marchers have acquired heavy technical equipment to dispose of the containers blocking the access roads into the capital.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi told the media late on October 3 that authorities will not let Khan's supporters "storm Islamabad."
Naqvi urged the PTI to postpone the protest in order to allow the government to continue with the preparations SCO summit.
Pakistan has been struggling with a severe economic crisis and a deteriorating security situation amid an increase in attacks by the Pakistani Taliban. The nuclear-armed country has recently received a $7 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund to prop up its faltering economy.
- By RFE/RL
U.S. Seizes Web Domain Names From Hacking Group Linked To Russian Intelligence
U.S. authorities said they have seized dozens of website domain names that hackers linked to Russian intelligence allegedly used to try and break into U.S. government computer systems.
The October 4 announcement was the latest in a string of moves by United States and other Western governments seeking to choke out what they say is a wide-ranging cyber campaign by Russian hackers, many of whom are state-sponsored.
More than 100 website domain names associated with the hackеrs, known as the Callisto Group, were seized, the Justice Department said in a statement, an action that was coordinated with tech giant Microsoft. A domain name is roughly the series of numbers on a website that allows the website to communicate with servers and send and receive information.
U.S. officials said the group sent e-mails that that appeared to come from a trusted source to scores of people, including former U.S. military and intelligence employees, as well as NGOs, U.S. companies, and others.
"This seizure is part of a coordinated response with our private sector partners to dismantle the infrastructure that cyberespionage actors use to attack U.S. and international targets," said U.S. Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey for the Northern District of California.
Known as spear phishing, the tactic involves sending e-mails with links or attachments that contain malicious computer code. The recipients are tricked into opening the attachments or clicking on the links, launching code that allows hackers to burrow into the computer systems either to steal information or simply observe communications.
Callisto Group is the name given by Western officials and tech researchers to the Russian Federal Security Service's Center for Information Security, or Center 18. The center is one of at least two that conduct cyberoperations for the service, known as the FSB.
Other Russian security agencies, including the main military intelligence agency known as the GRU, or the Foreign Intelligence Service, known as the SVR, also run similar operations.
In its statement announcing the seizure of 66 domain names, Microsoft said the group, which it called Star Blizzard, said detailed research on targets was carried out before sending spear phishing e-mails. Among the U.S. government agencies Star Blizzard targeted was the U.S. Department of Energy, which oversees many nuclear programs.
Last December, U.S. prosecutors charged an FSB officer and another Russian man of being part of Callisto Group's spear phishing campaign.
The FSB's Center 18 was roiled by a major treason scandal in 2019, when two of its top officers were convicted of state treason for passing classified intelligence to Western authorities. The center had previously cooperated regularly with the U.S. Justice Department on joint efforts to investigate cybercrimes.
The FSB’s other main cyber unit, Center 16, or the Center for Radio-Electronic Intelligence by Means of Communication, oversees the FSB's signals intelligence capabilities: intercepting communications, decryption, and data processing.
Last year, Western authorities announced they had effectively unplugged a powerful surveillance tool the center had used for more than a decade to burrow into computer servers in more than 50 countries.
Zelenskiy Visits Ukrainian Troops In Region Bordering Russia's Kursk
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on October 4 visited the northeastern Sumy region and spoke with military commanders and soldiers who have fought along Ukraine's border with Russia and in Russia's Kursk region.
Sumy is where Ukraine launched its surprise incursion into the Kursk region nearly two months ago, and Zelenskiy stressed that the operation was "strategic" to motivate Kyiv's partners to "be more decisive and put pressure on Russia."
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.
Ukrainian forces reportedly captured around 1,300 square kilometers of Russian territory in the Kursk region. Though the pace of the incursion has slowed, Zelenskiy said it had "greatly helped" Kyiv to secure the latest military support packages from the West.
"We need to motivate the whole world and convince them that Ukrainians can be stronger than the enemy," he told soldiers with the the 82nd Air Assault Brigade
Zelenskiy also stressed the importance of protecting Ukraine's energy infrastructure and said there would be separate meetings on the Sumy region's energy infrastructure and that of other border regions.
Military and regional officials reported earlier on October 4 that Russian shelling killed at least three civilians in four Ukrainian regions.
In Ukraine's eastern region of Donetsk, two residents were killed and two others were wounded during Russia's bombardment of Stara Mykolayivka and Kreminnaya Balka, regional Governor Vadym Filashkin said on Telegram.
In the southern region of Kherson, one person was killed and four others were wounded as the Russian military shelled 14 settlements over the past 24 hours, regional Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported.
"The Russian military targeted critical infrastructure as well as residential and communal communications; residential areas sustained damage; 35 private homes were destroyed," Prokudin wrote on Telegram, adding that farm buildings, warehouses, buses, agricultural machinery, and vehicles were also damaged.
Ukraine's air force, meanwhile, reported that Russia launched 19 drones at targets in Ukraine, with nine of them being shot down by Ukrainian air-defense systems over four regions -- Kyiv, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, and Kherson.
The General Staff of the Ukrainian military reported 79 combat clashes at the front and said the most intense were in the Kharkiv region. Two clashes were ongoing, the General Staff said in its evening assessment on October 4.
Meanwhile, a Ukrainian drone strike set a large oil depot on fire in Russia's southwestern Voronezh region early on October 4, regional Governor Aleksandr Gusev reported on Telegram.
Gusev said the fire was ignited by the debris of a falling drone that had been downed by Russian air-defense systems above the depot located in the region's Anninsky district.
"An empty tank caught fire. According to preliminary information, there are no casualties. Fire crews are working on the scene," Gusev wrote.
Russian Telegram channels published videos purporting to show a fire at the site of the drone crash. Telegram channel Astra, citing local residents, said that the Annanefteprodukt oil depot had been hit.
Separately, Ukraine's military confirmed the strike in a statement.
"An attack was launched on the Annanefteprodukt storage base for fuel and lubricants located near the settlement of Anna in Voronezh region," the military said, adding that Russian antiaircraft opened fire on the incoming drones.
At least one of the storage tanks was hit and set on fire, the military said.
With reporting by Reuters
U.S. Advises Israel Against Hitting Iranian Oil Fields
U.S. President Joe Biden said on October 4 there had been no decision yet on what type of response Israel should mount against Iran but advised against striking Iran's oil facilities.
"If I were in their shoes, I'd be thinking about other alternatives than striking oil fields," Biden said in a rare appearance in the White House briefing room a day after saying such strikes were being discussed.
Biden added that the Israelis "have not concluded how they're -- what they're going to do" in retaliation for a massive ballistic-missile attack by Iran on Israel on October 1.
Biden also told reporters that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should remember U.S. support for Israel when deciding on next steps. He added that he had been trying to rally the world to avoid all-out war in the Middle East.
Earlier on October 4, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei used a rare public sermon to defend Iran's missile attack against Israel earlier this week, saying it was "legitimate and legal" and that "if needed," Tehran will do it again.
Speaking in both Persian and Arabic during Friday Prayers in central Tehran, Khamenei said Iran and the regional proxies it supports won't back down from Israel as fears of a wider regional conflict grow amid a wave of multiple massive air strikes and a land incursion by Israel into Lebanon.
Iran will not "procrastinate nor act hastily to carry out its duty" in confronting Israel, Khamenei said.
Khamenei's address came hours after huge explosions shot balls of flame high into the sky as Israeli air strikes rocked the suburbs of Beirut, with large blasts just outside Beirut's international airport, which borders Dahieh -- a stronghold in the capital of Hezbollah, a militant group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon.
The Israeli military did not comment on the target of the strikes, but some media and analysts speculated that the location, size, and scope indicated that it could be Hashem Safieddine, who is widely considered the front-runner to take over the leadership of Hezbollah. It was not immediately clear whether Safieddine was killed in the strikes.
The group's previous leader, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed last week in Israeli air strikes on a command center for Hezbollah, which is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, while the European Union blacklists its armed wing but not its political party, which has seats in the Lebanese parliament.
Iran's massive ballistic-missile attack was the largest so far against Israel and came in retaliation for the campaign started by the Jewish state in southern Lebanon against Iran-backed Hezbollah, prompting the U.S. and Israeli warnings of countermeasures.
Khamenei's October 4 appearance was the first time in almost five years that he had delivered a public sermon. The last time he led Friday Prayers was in January 2020 following an Iranian missile attack on a U.S. military base in Iraq in response to the killing of Revolutionary Guards commander Qassem Soleimani in a U.S. strike in Baghdad.
Mojata Najafi, a Paris-based analyst of Iranian affairs, told RFE/RL's Radio Farda by phone that Khamenei's speech "didn't say anything new" and appeared to be "aimed at lifting the morale of his followers" and "to dispel the fear about a potential act of terror by Israel."
"Even his comments about the Islamic republic not hesitating [to retaliate] while also not rushing is not new. This has been the policy of the Islamic republic in this current crisis from the start, [Tehran] has attempted to avoid falling into an all-out war."
The latest Israeli strike early on October 4 cut off a road near the Masnaa border crossing between Lebanon and Syria that has been the escape route for hundreds of thousands of Lebanese civilians fleeing the conflict in recent days, according to Lebanese Transport Minister Ali Hamieh.
An Israeli strike on an apartment building in downtown Beirut on October 3 killed nine people in what was the first attack on the center of the Lebanese capital since 2006.
Israel said its air strike on Beirut was a precise operation, while a security source said that the target was an apartment building in the capital's central district of Bachoura, near the Lebanese parliament.
A Hezbollah-linked civil-defense group said seven of its members, including two medics, had been killed in the Beirut attack.
In a separate development, the Palestinian Health Ministry said that at least 18 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli strike on the Tulkarm refugee camp in the occupied West Bank on October 3.
The Israeli military said in a statement that the strike killed the head of Hamas's network in Tulkarm, identifying him as Zahi Yaser Abd al-Razeq Oufi, who it accused of participating in numerous attacks.
Hamas's armed wing late on October 4 confirmed the death of the commander in an Israeli strike.
Hamas has been designated a terrorist group by the United States and the European Union.
It's attack on Israel on October 7 last year sparked the current wave of fighting. Hamas fighters crossed into Israel and killed some 1,200 people. They also took some 240 people hostage with them as they returned to Gaza.
Strain In U.S.-Georgian Relations 'Deeply Disappointing,' U.S. Envoy Says
TBILISI -- The United States has been the strongest supporter of the Georgian people in a relationship that is now strained, the U.S. Ambassador to Georgia Robin Dunnigan said in an interview with RFE/RL, calling the situation “extremely unfortunate and deeply disappointing.”
Dunnigan, who spoke with RFE/RL on October 3 just ahead of her one-year anniversary as ambassador, said she arrived in Tbilisi with ambitious plans to strengthen economic and military ties between the United States and Georgia and to increase people-to-people exchanges.
"Unfortunately, some of that had to be put on hold because of specific actions that the [Georgian] government has taken,” she said.
Dunnigan said relations started to sour in January when the government in Tbilisi started a series of anti-democratic actions, including a foreign influence law and other legislation that Washington views as “being in contrast to the values of the United States and the EU and not in line with EU norms.”
In addition, there has been increasing “negative rhetoric and disinformation about the United States, including about our actions in this country and our intentions in this country,” she said.
The ruling Georgian Dream party has been under fire from Georgia’s Western allies since it introduced a "foreign agent" law that is modeled on a similar measure in Russia, where it has been gradually expanded to encompass civil society groups, human rights activists, media organizations, and others.
The result has been the closure of dozens of organizations, the stifling of media and independent voices, and an exodus of activists and journalists from the country.
Many fear the same fate awaits Georgia following the passage of its own law in May, a move that prompted U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to announce a comprehensive review of U.S.-Georgian relations.
“We did implement some consequences with the hope that the government would reverse course and go back to a path that gives the Georgian people what they have so clearly said they want, which is a future integrated with the West, a close relationship with the United States, and EU membership," Dunnigan noted.
The ruling Georgian Dream party insists that the new law was needed to ensure transparency in the country's political scene and to protect its sovereignty. At the same time, the government denied heavy-handed tactics were used against demonstrators who held days of demonstrations against the legislation.
Dunnigan said that, while Washington remains committed to helping the Georgian people achieve their dream of being part of the European Union, the actions of the government have taken it off that path.
Her wish is that the government will reverse course.
“We would like nothing more than to work with any democratically elected government in this country that reflects what the people of Georgia have overwhelmingly said they want,” she said.
Dunnigan said sanctions that were announced on September 16 were “extremely targeted” on two Georgian government officials and two Georgian leaders of a violent extremist group who the United States believes have engaged in anti-democratic actions or disinformation.
The State Department said when announcing the sanctions on the four individuals that more than 60 others will face new sanctions, including steps to impose visa restrictions on them and family members "responsible for, or complicit in, undermining democracy in Georgia."
Dunnigan would not confirm or deny that that the United States is considering more sanctions but said it was possible that some further sanctions could be imposed before national elections on October 26. She also reiterated Blinken's comment that none of the foreign policy tools available are ruled out and “those tools include sanctions.”
Georgian Dream, which opinion polls show is the country’s single most popular party, “absolutely” still has some chances to improve relations with the United States, Dunnigan said.
After emphasizing that the United States wants to work with whatever government is democratically elected, she said Georgian Dream currently is the democratically elected government and might be after the election.
“We want to have open communication with this government,” she said. “We don’t choose who wins or loses.”
But she also expressed some frustration over the government saying that things will be better after the election, asking, “Why not now?”
She noted that the United States has been very clear that the steps that would improve relations include ceasing disinformation and negative rhetoric about the United States and the West, making progress on the steps to keep the EU accession process moving, and bringing legislation that has been implemented into line with European norms.
This might require withdrawing the legislation altogether, she said, adding, “That would also help.”
Zelenskiy Says Withdrawal From Vuhledar Necessary To Save Lives
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in his first comments since the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the city of Vuhledar in the Donetsk region that it was an "absolutely correct" step necessary to save lives.
Russian forces were destroying the positions of Ukrainian fighters in and around Vuhledar, Zelenskiy said on October 3 at a press conference with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte in Kyiv. The withdrawal was necessary because lives "are much more important than any buildings."
The Ukrainian military confirmed on October 2 that it was pulling out of Vuhledar after Russian forces used repeated attacks on the flanks of the city to exhaust the Ukrainian defenders while threatening to surround the hilltop town.
Rutte's unscheduled visit came just two days after he took office, and he used it to repeat NATO's vow to maintain Western support for Ukraine as it fights to repel Russia's full-scale invasion.
Rutte said he chose Kyiv as his first trip "to make crystal clear to you, to the people of Ukraine and to everyone watching, that NATO stands with Ukraine."
"It is my priority and my privilege to take this support forward...working with you to ensure that Ukraine prevails."
Zelenskiy told the news conference that there have been delays in shipments of Western military equipment and he criticized restrictions that limit Kyiv's ability to hit back.
"We need sufficient quantity and quality of weapons, including long-range weapons, that, in my opinion, our partners are already dragging out," Zelenskiy 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 Ukrainian leader also called on NATO members to take a more active role in helping his country to fend off Russian aerial attacks.
"We will continue to convince our partners of the need to shoot down Russian missiles and drones," Zelenskiy said. "We realise that this is a difficult decision.... They are not ready yet," he said.
Kyiv has been desperately urging its Western allies to supply more modern weapons and air-defense systems that would help it on the one hand to protect its skies and on the other hand allow it to strike military targets deeper inside Russia to prevent Moscow's forces from launching attacks on Ukraine from a safe distance.
Russian drones and missiles rained down on Kyiv and other Ukrainian regions in the early hours of October 3, and Russian drones again struck the critically important Ukrainian port of Izmayil just across the Danube, prompting Bucharest to scramble F-16 fighter jets to monitor the situation.
Ukraine and Romainia announced earlier that a Patriot missile-defense system donated by Romania has arrived in Ukraine.
"We confirm that the Patriot system has arrived in Ukraine," Constantin Spinu, a spokesman for Romania's Defense Ministry, told RFE/RL on October 3, after the government in Bucharest last month passed a bill needed for the transfer of the system to Kyiv.
Under the bill, Romania grants Ukraine the right to make free use of the system.
Russian shelling of the Chernihiv region on October 3 killed three people, Ukraine's National Police reported, saying children were among the victims.
"The enemy attacked with drones a gas truck that delivered domestic gas to people. The truck exploded and residential buildings caught fire," the report said.
Russian troops also shelled several settlements in the Kharkiv region, the regional prosecutor's office said. A drone was used against the city of Kupyansk, injuring two people -- a 44-year-old man and a 16-year-old girl. They were admitted to a hospital for treatment, the prosecutor's office said.
Early on October 3, Ukrainian air defenses shot down 78 Russian drones over 15 regions -- Kyiv, Cherkasy, Vinnytsya, Khmelnytskiy, Kirovohrad, Zhytomyr, Poltava, Chernihiv, Kherson, Odesa, Kharkiv, Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, Rivne, and Ivano-Frankivsk -- the air force reported.
The head of the Ukrainian capital's military administration said on Telegram that 15 drones were downed over Kyiv. Drone debris fell on Kyiv's Desnyanskiy district without causing injuries or damage during the attack, which lasted for more than five hours, Serhiy Popko said.
With reporting by AFP
Media Watchdog Warns EU About Russian Outlet Operating In Serbia
Reporters Without Borders has asked the European Union to hold Serbia accountable for hosting Russian state media network RT, which RSF calls "Vladimir Putin's factory of lies."
Reporters Without Borders, which goes by its French acronym RSF, says that the EU should take these steps because RT Balkan uses its office in Belgrade to "adapt the Kremlin's narratives" and broadcast propaganda throughout southeastern Europe.
RT and other Kremlin-controlled media have been under sanctions imposed by the EU since Russian launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. But in Serbia, which did not join the sanctions even though it is a candidate for EU membership, these Russian media outlets work without hindrance, RSF said.
Pavol Szalai, head of the RSF office for the EU and the Balkans, told RFE/RL in an interview on October 2 that RSF is calling on the EU and member states to address this problem in its negotiations with Serbia on EU membership.
"And we will, through our communication channels with the European Commission and the member states, raise this issue," Szalai said.
"The fact that a sovereign and proud country like Serbia hosts Putin's factory of lies and is used by Russia to spread Russian propaganda is not tolerable for Serbia, or for the European Union," the RSF official added.
The Paris-based organization launched an initiative called the Propaganda Monitor on September 30 to inform the public about the mechanisms behind propaganda and disinformation. It dedicated its first report to Russian propaganda spreading in the Balkans with a particular focus on RT.
RSF researchers looked into RT’s operation in Serbia and said that thanks to RT Balkan, the Kremlin's war propaganda is "blooming within the borders of the EU."
Russian narratives are adapted to the local audience in Serbia before being distributed throughout the region, RSF said.
Szalai stressed in the interview with RFE/RL that Serbia’s actions ran contrary to its wish to become an EU member state.
“Entering into the EU means respecting some rules, and these include aligning with EU's security and foreign policy,” Szalai told RFE/RL. “And now here the situation is clear. Serbia is not respecting this rule. And this is why we said that it should be held accountable by the EU institutions, by the member states in the negotiations.”
Serbia was awarded EU candidate status along with other hopefuls in 2012.
RSF said there are several reasons why RT chose Serbia as its Balkan office, including long-standing relations between Russia and Serbia and a common culture of Slavic heritage and Orthodox Christianity.
RT Balkan has "adapted the Kremlin's narrative to a highly receptive local audience, allowing it to spread more easily across the region," RSF said.
"Perhaps nowhere in the world were we more eagerly awaited than here," said RT editor in chief Margarita Simonyan in a news release issued when RT Balkan launched in November 2022.
The research done by RSF says that, while RT Balkan does not have a television channel, its website remains the main platform for video content.
RSF said that the editors and columnists of RT Balkan "act more like influencers than journalists" and they are frequent guests on other media outlets to ensure visibility.
"Presented as journalists or analysts associated with RT Balkan, they get a wide platform for legitimizing and spreading the Kremlin's propaganda," according to RSF.
RT Balkan promotes itself as an online broadcast service and multimedia website in the Serbian language whose goal is to provide an "alternative perspective on regional and world events."
Since its founding in Moscow in 2005, RT has developed a network of television channels, websites and social media accounts that publish content in English, Spanish, French, Arabic, German, and Russian.
- By RFE/RL
U.S. Says It Disrupted Russian Hacking Group
A hacking group tied to Russian intelligence has been disrupted, Microsoft and U.S. authorities said on October 3.
American officials say the group tried to break into the computer systems of former U.S. military and intelligence staff as well as NGOs, U.S. companies, and others.
A U.S. court unsealed documents authorizing Microsoft and the Department of Justice to seize more than 100 website domain names associated with the hacking group, known as the Callisto Group of Star Blizzard.
“This seizure is part of a coordinated response with our private sector partners to dismantle the infrastructure that cyberespionage actors use to attack U.S. and international targets,” said U.S. Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey for the Northern District of California.
The group targeted individuals with e-mails that appeared to come from a trusted source, a tactic known as spear phishing, the U.S. Justice Department said in a news release. Once links inside these e-mails were opened, the hackers would attempt to access the victims’ internal systems as a way of stealing information and disrupting their activities.
Star Blizzard's actions were persistent and sophisticated, according to Microsoft, and the group often did detailed research on its targets before launching an attack. Star Blizzard also went after civil society groups, U.S. companies, American military contractors, and the Department of Energy, which oversees many nuclear programs, the company said.
Authorities haven't provided details about Star Blizzard's effectiveness but said they expect Russia to keep deploying hacking and cyberattacks against Washington and its allies, and the United States pledged to continue its vigilance.
"With the continued support of our private sector partners, we will be relentless in exposing Russian actors and cybercriminals and depriving them of the tools of their illicit trade,” Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said in the Justice Department statement.
U.S. authorities charged two Russian men last year in connection with Star Blizzard's past actions. Both are believed to be in Russia.
Along with American targets, Star Blizzard went after people and groups throughout Europe and in other NATO countries, the Justice Department said. Many had supported Ukraine following Russia's invasion.
With reporting by AP
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