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COVID-19: Russia Closes Borders; Serbia Plans $5.5 Billion Aid Package
The global death toll has surpassed 34,000 with over 725,000 infections confirmed, causing mass disruptions as governments continue to try to slow the spread of the new respiratory illness.
Here's a roundup of developments in RFE/RL's broadcast countries.
Russia
Russia is considering extending a nationwide lockdown after Moscow all but confined its 12 million residents to their homes and the head of the Russian Orthodox Church called on worshipers to avoid churches and pray at home instead to stem the coronavirus outbreak.
Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin asked regional governors during an emergency meeting on March 30 to mirror Moscow's move and consider introducing a partial lockdown in their areas, after Russia recorded its biggest one-day rise in coronavirus cases for a sixth day running.
The government also closed all of the country's borders as of March 30, allowing only Russian diplomats, freight, and other necessary vehicles and people to enter.
"This may now seem to some of you like some kind of game, a kind of Hollywood thriller. This is no game...," Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of the Security Council, said in a video address on March 30.
"Unfortunately, what is happening now is a real threat to all of us and to all of human civilization," he said.
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Russia has exceeded 1,800, according to a global database maintained by Johns Hopkins University on March 30, with nine fatalities.
Russian officials initially touted quick measures taken, such at strict quarantines for people entering the country and the closure of its border with China, as having blunted a rapid outbreak of the virus.
Indeed, the country appears so far to be less affected than many European countries, but critics and even ordinary Russians have voiced skepticism about the accuracy of official figures and raised questions about the state's testing for the virus.
According to a survey by the Levada Center, only 16 percent of Russians fully trust official information about the coronavirus, while 24 percent said they did not trust it at all.
In a sign of public indifference to the situation, Moscow authorities issued rules on March 30 that state residents will only be allowed to go out to buy food or medicines at their nearest shop, get urgent medical treatment, walk their dogs, or take out the trash. Those needing to go to work will also be allowed to leave their homes, and authorities will introduce a system of passes in the coming days.
Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on March 30 that city control measures had revealed that some 20 percent of Moscow residents had failed to follow previous quarantine regulations, requiring the tighter restrictions.
According to Sobyanin, a special information system will be developed soon to increase control over the movement of the Russian capital's residents.
"It will enable us to practically fully control citizens' movements and prevent violations that may occur," Sobyanin said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on March 30 hailed Moscow's lockdown as "necessary and justified."
St. Petersburg, Russia's second-largest city, and more than a dozen other regions from the westernmost exclave of Kaliningrad to the Arctic region of Murmansk and Tatarstan on the Volga River have followed Moscow's example and introduced compulsory self-isolation regimes.
Russia's coronavirus crisis center said on March 30 that the latest fatality from the coronavirus was confirmmed in the western region of Pskov. According to the center, the coronavirus cases were registered in 71 of the country's regions.
The virus has also touched the country's power center.
The Kremlin said that a member of President Vladimir Putin's administration has been infected with the coronavirus, but the person had not been in direct contact with Russia's leader.
Putin also called for the week between March 28 to April 5 to be a non-working week -- essentially a weeklong holiday for the country to "prevent the threat of the quick spread of the illness."
The government also ordered all vacation and health resorts closed until June.
Other restrictions ordered by the government included the cancelation of all international flights.
Iran
Iran's death toll from the coronavirus has reached 2,757 with 117 new fatalities over the past 24 hours, Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur told state TV on March 30, adding that the official number of confirmed cases has climbed to 41,495.
"In the past 24 hours, we had 117 new deaths and 3,186 new confirmed cases of people infected with the coronavirus," Jahanpur said, calling on Iranians to stay at home.
Iran is one of the countries worst hit by the virus, and experts have been skeptical about the veracity of official figures released by the Islamic regime that keeps a tight lid on local and foreign media.
State media reported on March 30 that inmates in southern Iran broke cameras and caused other damage during a riot, the latest in a series of violent prison disturbances in the country.
Enayatollah Rahimi, the governor of the southern Fars Province, was quoted by the state-run IRNA news agency as saying a riot broke out at Adel Abad Prison in the city of Shiraz. Rahimi said no one was wounded and no one escaped.
Iran had temporarily released around 100,000 prisoners as part of measures taken to contain the pandemic, leaving an estimated 50,000 people behind bars, including violent offenders and what authorities call "security cases" -- often people with dual citizenship and Western ties.
On March 29, the government announced the extension of the temporary releases of thousands of prisoners, after several prison riots in recent days and mass escapes from prisons.
Serbia
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic says his government plans to give about 5 billion euros ($5.54 billion) in loans and subsidies to businesses to help them deal with the economic pressure of the coronavirus pandemic.
The government will also make a one-off payment of 100 euros ($111) to every Serbian citizen older than 18, or around 5 million people, Vucic said on March 29.
So far, 13 people in Serbia, a Balkan country of 7 million, have died from the coronavirus and 741 have been infected.
Serbia has introduced a state of emergency and an overnight lockdown for all.
Vucic said the economic plan would prompt an increase in the deficit this year that would be covered from financial reserves and borrowing. The deficit was originally forecast at 0.3 percent of economic output.
Under the plan, agreed with the International Monetary Fund, Serbia's public debt should not exceed 60 percent of GDP, from 52.4 percent at the end of last year, Vucic said.
Serbia last month had 13.4 billion euros ($14.9 billion) in currency reserves, down from 13.7 billion euros ($15.2 billion) in January.
Vucic said the state would use 700 million euros ($780 million) to pay minimum wages of 30,367 dinars ($288.58) and allow tax delays for micro and small enterprises for the three months after the end of the state of emergency to avoid job losses.
Romania
Romania has reported six more coronavirus deaths, bringing the total inside the country to 46, as the number of confirmed infections reached 1,952, with 192 more cases registered over the past 24 hours.
A total of 16 Romanians have died from the coronavirus abroad, most of of them in Italy. An estimated 4 million Romanians work in Italy and Spain, two of the world's worst-affected countries.
Romania's government crisis group dealing with the pandemic also said 180 people had recovered from the COVID-19 illness caused by the coronavirus.
As of March 30, a total of 23,103 Romanians have been tested for COVID-19.
Romania, a country of 19.5 million, has been under a state of emergency since March 16. On March 22, authorities imposed a "total quarantine," stepping up restrictions.
Armenia
Armenia's parliament has passed in the first reading a government-drafted bill allowing the remote monitoring of coronavirus patients placed in self-isolation, a move that has been criticized by the opposition as a violation of privacy.
Armenia has been under a one-month state of emergency since March 16.
The 132-member National Assembly dominated by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian's My Step alliance on March 30 voted 57-24 to approve the bill. There was one abstention.
The text is expected to pass in its second and last reading with minor changes on March 31.
The Ministry of Health said the number of coronavirus cases in Armenia had increased by 58 over the past 24 hours, raising the total figure to 482.
Three people are reported to have died of the disease in the South Caucasus country of around 3 million.
Under the bill, the authorities will be allowed to use telecommunication technologies to monitor the location of coronavirus patients placed in mandatory self-isolation.
The patients' phone records and other personal data could also be used to identify their possible contacts.
Justice Minister Rustam Badasian, who presented the bill in parliament, said the measure would apply only to periods of national emergencies caused by epidemics and would not include snooping into telephone conversations.
The measure would help authorities enforce the self-isolation regime for coronavirus patients, including through a smartphone application, and help locate their contacts with the use of personal data provided by telecom companies, according to Badasian.
The minister said that metadata for all customers would be made available in one database, but authorities would focus only on confirmed coronavirus patients and their contacts.
Opposition factions that voted against the bill said the measure was a threat to the protection of personal data. "We are against yielding our freedom and we will vote against it," Edmon Marukian, the leader of the opposition Bright Armenia faction, said before the vote.
Naira Zohrabian, a representative of the opposition Prosperous Armenia party, described the proposed measure as a waste of money.
"Use the tremendous resources that you are going to waste on trying to [geo]locate us on purchasing [coronavirus] testing kits in order to test people entering the country," she said before the vote.
According to legal amendments passed on March 23, violators of self-isolation orders can face fines of up to $2,000. Up to five years' imprisonment is envisaged for cases where a breach of quarantine or self-isolation leads to fatal infections of other individuals.
Georgia
The Georgian government has decided to impose a night curfew, as part of new quarantine rules aimed at slowing the spread of coronavirus in the South Caucasus country.
Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia announced the new measures at a news conference on March 30, saying that "the dynamics of the growth in new cases [of coronavirus] is alarming."
The country of some 3.7 million people has so far reported 100 cases, with no fatalities.
Gakharia said that starting on March 31, a curfew will be imposed nationwide from 9 p.m. until 6 a.m., during which pharmacies will be the only shops allowed to open.
The government is also declaring a "general quarantine," during which people will only be permitted to leave homes for essential shopping.
Other new measures include a ban on public gatherings of more than three people and a suspension of public transport, except for taxis, the prime minister said.
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan has suspended operations of all airports in Central Asia’s most-populous nation of 32 million to try to help slow the spread of the coronavirus outbreak.
The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that all airports were to cease operations on March 30 and remain closed until April 20.
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A special government commission had already restricted all vehicle traffic between Uzbekistan's towns and cities to those with a special permit. The restriction runs for the same period as the airport closure.
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Uzbekistan reached 145 as of March 30, including two deaths, according to local health officials.
Kyrgyzstan
In Kyrgyzstan, the Interior Ministry said on March 30 that police detained 1,087 individuals across the country for violating a curfew that was introduced five days earlier over the coronavirus pandemic.
According to the curfew, the movement of individuals or vehicles is banned between 8 p.m. and 7 a.m. each day.
Kyrgyz Deputy Prime Minister Kubatbek Boronov said on March 30 that the total number of registered coronavirus cases in the country had reached 94 after 10 more people tested positive in the southern Jalal-Abad region.
Kazakhstan
In Kazakhstan, more than 70 women rallied in the southern city of Shymkent to demand the distribution of free food promised by the local government last week as part of the assistance being given to low-income families amid the outbreak restrictions.
A representative of the Shymkent city administration, Sundet Seitov, told RFE/RL that city authorities have been unable to provide all of the food assistance due to financial shortages.
Last week, a similar rally took place in another southern city, Qyzylorda, where more than 100 people rallied in front of the city food depot demanding food distribution.
The Health Ministry said that as of March 30, the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Kazakhstan was 294, including one death.
With reporting by RFE/RL's Georgian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Romanian, Russian, Tatar-Bashkir, and Uzbek services, Reuters, AP, TASS, Interfax, dpa, AFP, Digi24.ro, Hotnews.ro, and Prva TV
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German Prosecutors Drop Probe Against Russian-Uzbek Billionaire Usmanov
German prosecutors have dropped a money-laundering investigation into Uzbek-born Russian tycoon Alisher Usmanov, but he will be required to pay a fine of 4 million euros ($4.36 million), the prosecutor’s office said on November 4.
Usmanov, 71, will be required to split the payment between charities and the state in an outcome that does not imply any guilt, the prosecutor’s office in Frankfurt said.
"The accused's alleged offenses did not result in any financial damage to the Federal Republic of Germany, the state of Hesse, or any natural or legal person in Germany," said a spokesman for the prosecutors.
He added that "the alleged offenses occurred some time ago."
The proceedings had been provisionally suspended on October 11 with Usmanov’s consent, chief prosecutor Georg Ungefuk told RFE/RL.
The 4 million-euro fine will be split between several charitable organizations and the state treasury, with the charities receiving 1.5 million and the state treasury receiving the rest.
Usmanov's lawyers said that after more than 2 1/2 years, the investigation had failed to prove the main accusations against him, including that of money laundering.
"We have always insisted on the innocence of our client," Wannemacher & Partner lawyers Uwe Lehmbruck and Markus Gotzens said in a statement, calling it an important step toward protecting the reputation of Usmanov.
A Berlin expert on criminal law told RFE/RL that it would have been practically impossible to prosecute the case. If the case had gone to court, it might have been dismissed due to insufficient evidence. The Frankfurt prosecutor's office likely decided to impose the highest possible monetary penalty and close the investigation.
German investigations of Usmanov, who according to the Bloomberg Billionaire's Index has a total net worth of $14.4 billion, came to light in January 2023. His superyacht worth an estimated $600 million was seized in March 2022.
The billionaire who made his fortune in mining, industry, telecoms, and media was added to the EU and the U.S. sanctions lists shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The EU described him as having "particularly close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin" and having been "referred to as one of Vladimir Putin’s favorite oligarchs" in announcing the sanctions against him.
Usmanov has rejected having any ties to Putin.
The European Court of Justice on February 7 rejected appeals filed by Usmanov and former Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov against European sanctions imposed on them for having close ties to the Kremlin and supporting Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Usmanov in June filed a lawsuit against the bank UBS Europe SE in Frankfurt over what his lawyers said were unsubstantiated reports made about his transactions that triggered an investigation of him.
With reporting by dpa and Reuters
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Kazakhstan, China Strengthen Economic Ties With $2.5 Billion In New Investments
Kazakhstan has signed eight commercial agreements worth $2.5 billion with Chinese companies, significantly enhancing bilateral economic relations between the two countries. The agreements were signed on November 4 during Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov's visit to Shanghai. The agreements support a broader strategy by Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev and Chinese President Xi Jinping to double trade turnover, which reached a record $41 billion last year, the Kazakh prime minister's press service said. Bektenov's visit highlights China’s growing influence in Central Asia in light of Russia's traditional dominance. As China invests heavily in infrastructure and energy projects, Central Asian states are diversifying their foreign relations to reduce reliance on Moscow. At an investment roundtable, Bektenov emphasized the potential for joint projects and industrial cooperation. Major Chinese firms outlined plans to enhance operations in Kazakhstan, including energy initiatives and localized automotive production. There are already around 5,000 joint ventures between the two countries.
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EU, Seoul Condemn North Korean Involvement In Russia's War In Ukraine
The European Union and South Korea condemned "in the strongest possible terms" North Korea's transfer of weapons to Russia and the deployment of special forces to help the Kremlin with its "unlawful war of aggression" against Ukraine.
The statement came after the bloc's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, and his South Korean counterpart, Cho Tae-yul, met in Seoul on November 4 as fears grow over Pyongyang's role in the war triggered by Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
"This constitutes a serious breach of international law, including the most fundamental principles of the UN Charter," the statement said.
"Such cooperation between the DPRK (North Korea) and Russia is not only in flagrant violation of multiple UNSC resolutions, but it also prolongs the suffering of the Ukrainian people and threatens the security of the world, including that of the Republic of Korea and Europe."
After weeks of intelligence reports warning that thousands of North Korean troops were heading to Russia, confirmation from the NATO military alliance came late last month that Pyongyang's soldiers are not only on Russian soil but have already been deployed in a western region bordering Ukraine.
The Kremlin has neither denied nor directly confirmed the presence of North Korean troops on its soil.
The deployment not only raised fears of a potential escalation of the war in Ukraine, but sent shock waves through the Indo-Pacific region over what the Kremlin may be supplying Pyongyang in return.
"We are closely monitoring what Russia provides to the DPRK in return for its provision of arms and military personnel, including Russia's possible provision of materials and technology to the DPRK in support of Pyongyang's military objectives," the joint EU-South Korean statement said.
"We are also deeply concerned about the possibility for any transfer of nuclear or ballistic-missile-related technology to the DPRK, which would jeopardize the international nonproliferation efforts and threaten peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and across the globe," it added.
Kyrgyz Opposition Politician Beknazarov Released Pending Embezzlement Trial
Kyrgyz opposition politician Azimbek Beknazarov, who has been accused of embezzlement in 2010 while he was a member of the interim government, was released from detention on November 4 but ordered not to leave Bishkek while the investigation continues. Beknazarov, in custody since September 12, has consistently claimed his detention is politically motivated, citing a prior investigation by a parliamentary commission and the Prosecutor-General's Office that found no wrongdoing on his part. At 68, Beknazarov has a long political history, having served as a lawmaker, prosecutor-general, and deputy chairman of the interim government after the 2010 crisis that followed deadly protests toppling then-President Kurmanbek Bakiev. Beknazarov was among 27 activists acquitted in June of charges of "calling for mass unrest" and "plotting to seize power" in a high-profile case related to a deal that saw Kyrgyzstan hand over a disputed reservoir to Uzbekistan last year. To read the original story by RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service, click here.
Russia Grants Citizenship To 3,344 Foreigners Under Ukraine Service Decree
Russia has granted citizenship to 3,344 foreigners since the start of the year under a decree by President Vladimir Putin that allows passports to be issued to participants in the invasion of Ukraine and their family members.
Irina Volk, the official representative of the Russian Interior Ministry, announced the figures on November 4, although it remains unclear whether they only included passports issued to military personnel or also their relatives.
The decree permits citizenship for military personnel who sign a one-year contract with the Russian Army or pro-Russian military formations fighting in Ukraine, following a similar law enacted in 2022.
In parallel, Russia has implemented laws allowing for the revocation of citizenship from naturalized citizens who refuse military service registration.
Volk said earlier that 1,117 such naturalized Russians lost their citizenship in the first eight months of 2024.
Last month, the Interior Ministry began enforcing the law, significantly expanding the grounds for citizenship revocation.
To read the original story by RFE/RL’s Russian Service, click here.
Jewish Man Executed In Iran For Murder He Said Was In Self-Defense
Iran, at a time of rising tensions with Israel, has executed a Jewish man who was convicted of murder, a charge his family rejected saying he acted in self- defense after being attacked.
The Mizan news agency, which is affiliated with Iran's judiciary, quoted Hamidreza Karimi, the prosecutor of the western Iranian city of Kermanshah, as saying Arvin Ghahremani, 23, was executed on November 4.
Ghahremani, 18 at the time, was found guilty of stabbing another man to death in 2022 outside a gym in Kermanshah. The victim had owed money to Ghahremani and, according to his family, an altercation broke out over the dispute.
The victim was armed and Ghahremani acted in self-defense, they said, saying he even tried to help keep the victim alive after the altercation.
After being sentenced to death, Ghahrmani's lawyers failed to get the family of the Muslim victim, whose identity was not revealed, to pardon him and spare his life.
Islamic legislation provides for qisas, or equivalent punishment, in murder cases.
However, rights groups have long said that the law discriminates against non-Muslims, who often receive harsher punishments than Muslims convicted of similar offenses.
Ghahremani's lawyers had requested a retrial three different times, but each motion was rejected by Iranian courts.
The Norway-based Iran Human Rights group condemned the execution of Ghahremani, who the group said was 20 years old, not 23.
The group also disputed Ghahremani's guilt, saying he had been attacked with a knife by the victim. It also said that the victim's family initially agreed to spare Ghahremani but changed their mind after finding out he was Jewish.
"Arvin was a Jew, and the institutionalized anti-Semitism in the Islamic republic undoubtedly played a crucial role in the implementation of his sentence," IHR Director Mahmood Amiri-Moghadam said in a statement, adding that the case had "significant flaws."
Jews are a small minority estimated at some 20,000 in Iran, a mainly Shi'ite Muslim nation of nearly 92 million people. Many Jews fled Iran in the aftermath of Iran's Islamic Revolution in 1979 as the new regime adopted a sharp anti-Israel stance, including not recognizing Israel's right to exist.
Israel and Iran's proxies in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip have been fighting a war over the past year since one of the groups, Hamas, invaded Israel and killed some 1,200 people in an unprovoked attack.
The group, which has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union, also took around 240 hostages back to the Gaza Strip.
Russian Crackdown On Military Corruption Continues With New Arrest
A top official from Russia's National Guard was sent to pretrial detention on November 4 on corruption charges amid a crackdown on military graft. Major General Mirza Mirzayev, the deputy head of logistics for the National Guard, was charged with extortion. Media reports say the court denied Mirzayev's request for house arrest, mandating pretrial detention until January 2, 2025. Mirzayev allegedly demanded a bribe of 140 million rubles (more than $1.4 million) from a supplier of modular buildings. The funds were reportedly funneled to him through an intermediary, who has been detained. Mirzayev's arrest follows other corruption cases involving high-ranking National Guard officials, including Colonel Oleg Gamayunov, who was detained in September for alleged fraud exceeding 80 million rubles ($815,000). To read the original story by RFE/RL's North Realities, click here.
Germany's Baerbock In Kyiv As Russia Pounds Ukraine's Infrastructure
KYIV -- German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock met with Ukrainian officials on November 4 in Kyiv where she arrived in a show of support for Ukraine as Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine nears the 1,000-day mark amid daily strikes on the war-wracked country's infrastructure and heavy fighting in the east.
"Germany, together with many partners around the world, stands firmly by Ukraine's side," Baerbock said upon arrival on her eighth visit since the start of the war.
"We will support the Ukrainians for as long as they need us so that they can follow their path to a just peace," she said after arriving in Kyiv by train.
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.
Baerbock's visit comes as Ukrainians face the prospect of a third winter of war amid energy shortages and the reported arrival of North Korean troops to fight on Russia's side.
"Almost 1,000 days of rocket attacks, wailing sirens and the noise of tanks. Almost 1,000 days of power cuts, collapse of heating systems, and countless missed lessons," Baerbock said in a separate statement.
"For almost 1,000 days now, Putin’s war has been shaking the everyday life of Ukrainians to the core – yet not their courage and their hope of a life in safety in a free Ukraine," she said.
"We are countering this brutality with our humanity and support -- not only so that the Ukrainian people can survive the winter but also so that their country can continue to exist."
Russia on November 4 launched 80 drones and several missiles and guided aerial bombs in another massive attack on 11 Ukrainian regions, Ukraine's air force reported, adding that its air-defense systems shot down 50 over the Kyiv, Sumy, Odesa, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Zhytomyr, Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, and Kirovohrad regions.
It said that another 27 drones were lost in various parts of Ukraine.
Separately, Andriy Yermak, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's chief of staff, warned North Korea in a message on Telegram.
"North Korean military will die in Kursk region, because they, like the Russian army, pose a threat to Ukraine. They are present there and, of course, they will die,” Yermak said on November 4.
Zelenskiy has criticized Ukraine's Western allies for their muted response to the reported deployment of thousands of North Korean soldiers to the eastern Russian region of Kursk, where Ukrainian troops in August launched a surprise offensive.
However, on November 4, Zelenskiy sounded some optimism about weapons and ammunition deliveries from Ukraine's allies after a meeting with General Oleksandr Syrskiy, the commander in chief of Ukraine's forces, and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.
"There have been significant improvements in partner supplies to the front line, with an increase in deliveries under support packages. Artillery supplies have also seen marked improvements," Zelenskiy wrote on X.
Pro-EU Sandu's Reelection Proof Of Russia's 'Failure,' Biden Says
CHISINAU -- Final preliminary results show Moldova's pro-Western president, Maia Sandu, has won a second term, a critical milestone for the integration of one of Europe's poorest countries into the European Union that U.S. President Joe Biden said was proof that Russian interference "failed."
With all ballots counted, the Central Election Commission (CEC) said Sandu received 55.33 percent while her Russian-friendly opponent, Alexandr Stoianoglo, mustered 44.67 percent -- a lead of just over 179,000 votes.
Sandu's victory -- coming just one week after another former Soviet republic, Georgia, suffered a setback on its EU path when elections were won by Moscow-friendly incumbents -- came as a relief for Moldova's Western partners, who immediately hailed it as proof that democracy can win over Russian meddling.
"For months, Russia sought to undermine Moldova’s democratic institutions and election processes. But Russia failed," Biden said in a statement.
"The Moldovan people have exercised their democratic right to choose their own future, and they have chosen to pursue a path aligned with Europe and democracies everywhere," Biden added.
During Sandu's first term, Moldova secured EU candidate status in 2022 and opened accession talks earlier this year after firmly aligning itself with its eastern neighbor, Ukraine, after Russia's unprovoked invasion in 2022, and joining the EU sanctions regime against Russia.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen hailed the result in a message on X, noting that it will help cement Moldova's path toward Euro-Atlantic integration.
"Congratulations, dear Maia Sandu, on your victory tonight. It takes a rare kind of strength to overcome the challenges you've faced in this election," von der Leyen wrote. "I'm glad to continue working with you towards a European future for Moldova and its people."
"Moldovans have shown once again their determination to build a European future despite hybrid attempts to undermine democracy," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on X.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy welcomed Sandu's victory in a message on X, saying that Moldovans had made "a clear choice" toward Western integration.
"Congratulations to Maia Sandu on winning the presidential election in Moldova. Ukraine supports the European choice of the Moldovan people and stands ready to work together to strengthen our partnership," Zelenskiy wrote.
"Moldovans have made a clear choice -- they chose a path toward economic growth and social stability," he wrote.
French President Emmanuel Macron, a staunch supporter of Moldova's EU path, hailed Sandu's victory, saying on X that "democracy has triumphed over all interference and maneuvers."
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, a former European Council president, and Marcel Ciolacu, the prime minister of Moldova's western neighbor, EU and NATO member Romania, were also among the first to congratulate Sandu.
"Moldovans from all over the world wrote history today. They reconfirmed in front of the whole world not only their courage, but also their full confidence in their European future!" Ciolacu wrote on Facebook.
Most of Moldova was part of Romania until the end of World War II and many Moldovans also hold Romanian citizenship, which allows them to travel and work in the West.
Shortly after midnight on November 4, when it became clear that her lead, boosted by votes from the Western diaspora, was irreversible, a jubilant Sandu told her supporters, "Moldova, you are victorious!"
"Today, dear Moldovans, you have given a lesson in democracy, worthy of being written in history books. Today, you have saved Moldova! In our choice for a dignified future, no one lost," she added.
Stoianoglo, a former prosecutor-general backed by the pro-Russian Socialist Party, called on his supporters to keep calm after his initial lead narrowed as votes were being counted from the large cities and from Moldova's Western diaspora.
"Democracy means, above all, maturity in facing the result," he said.
But the Socialists later issued a statement saying that they did not recognize Sandu's victory because it was based on the votes from abroad.
"Maia Sandu is an illegitimate president, recognized only by her sponsors and supporters abroad. The people of Moldova feel betrayed and robbed," the party said in a statement.
In Georgia, President Salome Zurabishvili applauded Sandu's victory, voicing her admiration for the decisive role played by the diaspora votes.
"Moldovan elections are the best 'evidence' of stolen Georgia's elections: despite similar Russian interference and massive rigging, Moldova was saved by 300,000 diaspora voters...our 1 million strong diaspora was barred. Only 34 000 were 'allowed' to vote," Zurabishvili, who has been in opposition to the Moscow-friendly Georgian Dream party, wrote on X.
The CEC reported that turnout surpassed 54 percent, stronger than in the first round and also higher than in the 2020 presidential runoff.
According to the CEC, foreign voting went to Sandu by a large margin, with the incumbent winning 81 percent to 19 percent over the challenger. Votes in Chisinau also went to Sandu by a 57-43 margin.
Moldova has just over 3 million registered voters, including those in the diaspora. It also has a sizable Russian minority and a Moscow-backed separatist region, Transdniester, located on the left bank of the Dniester River.
The vote in the Western diaspora was also credited with helping the "yes" side eke out a razor-thin victory in an EU referendum held simultaneously with the first round on October 20.
A U.S.-educated, ex-World Bank official, Sandu, 52, became Moldova's first female president with a landslide victory in 2020, running on a strong pro-EU message and vowing to fight corruption.
Stoianoglo, 57, from Gagauzia -- a Turkic-speaking autonomous region of Moldova with pro-Russian sentiment -- campaigned on a law-and-order theme, although critics slammed him for what they say was a failure to address high-level corruption during his time in office.
Amnesty Calls For Release Of Iranian Woman Who Removed Clothes In Protest
Amnesty International has called for the immediate release of a young woman who took most of her clothes off during an apparent protest against harassment outside her Tehran university on November 2.
Iranian authorities arrested the female student -- who has not been identified -- after she stripped to her underwear on the street outside the university.
Video footage was first posted by an Iranian student channel, the Amir Kabir newsletter, and then later by the Hengaw rights group, Amnesty International, and others.
“Pending her release, authorities must protect her from torture & other ill-treatment & ensure access to family & lawyer." Amnesty said.
"Allegations of beatings & sexual violence against her during arrest need independent & impartial investigations," it added. "Those responsible must held to account.”
To read the original story by RFE/RL's Radio Farda, click here.
U.S. Says It's Gathering Information On Imprisoned Ex-RFE/RL Journalist In Iran
The United States says it is gathering information about the case of former Radio Farda journalist Reza Valizadeh, a dual citizen, who has been in prison in Iran for the past weeks.
Valizadeh was arrested in late September in Tehran, a source close to the family told RFE/RL’s Radio Farda last month. Valizadeh left his job as a staff member at Radio Farda in November 2022.
In his last post on X on August 13, Valizadeh said he had traveled to Tehran on March 16. He also said he had “unfinished negotiations” with the intelligence branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). It is not clear under what circumstances he wrote this post.
“We are working with our Swiss partners who serve as the protecting power for the United States in Iran to gather more information about this case,” the State Department told AP. “Iran routinely imprisons U.S. citizens and other countries’ citizens unjustly for political purposes. This practice is cruel and contrary to international law.”
RFE/RL said in a statement that it was aware of Valizadeh’s detention in Iran. “We have had no official confirmation of the charges against him, “the statement said, adding: “We are profoundly concerned about the continued arrest, harassment and threats against media professionals by the Iranian regime.”
Iranian officials have not publicly commented on Valizadeh’s arrest.
Iran is routinely accused of arresting dual nationals and Western citizens on false charges to use them to pressure Western countries. In September 2023, Iran released five Americans jailed in Iran in a prisoner swap.
Valizadeh is the first U.S. citizen known to have been arrested since that deal.
Iran is also among the most repressive countries in terms of freedom of press. Reporters Without Borders ranked Iran 176 out of 180 countries in its 2024 World Press Freedom index. The Paris-based media watchdog says Iran is now also one of the world’s biggest jailers of journalists.
- By RFE/RL
Iranian President Says Cease-Fire Could Affect Tehran's Response To Israeli Strike
Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian said that if a cease-fire were reached by Israel and Tehran-allied groups in the region, the action "could affect the intensity" of any retaliatory strike by Iran’s military, the state-run IRNA news agency reported.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu maintained his tough stance during a visit to the Lebanese border on November 3, saying the Hezbollah extremist group must be pushed back beyond the Litani River and be prevented from rearming.
Israel for the past several months has been striking suspected sites of Hezbollah -- which has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States while the European Union blacklists its armed wing but not its political party.
Much of Hezbollah’s leadership has been killed in Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon and around the capital, Beirut.
The attacks on Hezbollah have intensified since the Israeli Army invaded the Gaza Strip following the October 7, 2023, terrorist attack by its Hamas rulers that killed around than 1,200 Israelis and took some 250 hostages. Hamas has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States and the EU.
Hezbollah has fired hundreds of rockets and drones into Israel, saying it will continue its attacks until a cease-fire is reached in Gaza. Meanwhile, Israeli attacks inside Lebanon have killed nearly 3,000 people, according to officials there, and have destroyed much of Gaza, with a reported death toll of 43,341.
Many leaders in the West and elsewhere have feared a wider war erupting in the Middle East, especially with Israel and Iran trading tit-for-tat air strikes against each other. Many are awaiting Tehran’s next move following Israel’s October 26 strike against military sites inside Iran.
"If they [the Israelis] reconsider their behavior, accept a cease-fire, and stop massacring the oppressed and innocent people of the region, it could affect the intensity and type of our response," Pezeshkian was quoted as saying by the IRNA state news agency.
But he added that Tehran "will not leave unanswered any aggression against its sovereignty and security."
Pezeshkian, who took office in late July, has been labeled a moderate by some Western observers of the Iranian political situation.
A day earlier, Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, threatened Israel and the United States with “a teeth-shattering response” to recent Israeli attacks on Iran and its proxy groups – which it referred to as its “resistance front” -- in the Middle East.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu said that "I want to be clear: With or without [a cease-fire] agreement, the key to restoring peace and security in the north, the key to bringing our northern residents back home safely, is first and foremost to push Hezbollah back beyond the Litani River, secondly to target any attempt to rearm, and thirdly to respond firmly to any action taken against us."
Israel "will definitely do everything that should be done…whether in terms of military, weapons, or political work," he said.
The Litani River is some 30 kilometers inside Lebanon from the border and would create a buffer zone between Hezbollah forces and Israeli territory, which Netanyahu has insisted upon.
In a report by Axios on November 2, a U.S. official and a former Israeli official said the U.S. administration had warned Tehran in recent days that it won’t be able to restrain Israel should Iran launch another attack against the U.S. ally.
With reporting by AP, Reuters, and AFP
- By RFE/RL
Led By Russia, Saudi Arabia, OPEC+ To Extend Output Cuts To Help Bolster Oil Prices
OPEC+ members led by Saudi Arabia and Russia have agreed to extend voluntary oil output cuts through the end of the year, the group said on its website on November 3. It said the "eight OPEC+ countries Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria, and Oman, which previously announced additional voluntary adjustments in April and November 2023, have agreed to extend the…voluntary production adjustments of 2.2 million barrels per day for one month until the end of December 2024." OPEC+ nations have sought to bolster the price of oil amid slowing global demand by reducing the supply of crude in world markets.
- By RFE/RL
Lahore -- World's Most Polluted City -- Sets Emergency Shutdown Measures
An unprecedented level of air pollution in Lahore, Pakistan's second-largest city, has forced authorities to take emergency measures, including the closing of primary schools and the issuance of work-from-home orders.
The air-quality index on November 3 in the city of more than 14 million people near the Indian border rose above 1,000 -- far exceeding the 300 level that is considered "dangerous," according to the Swiss-based firm IQAir.
The Punjab regional government called the pollution "unprecedented” – blaming pollutants caused by diesel fumes, smoke from agricultural burning, and heating processes.
IQAir said the level of Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5) -- which causes the most damage to residents’ health -- in Lahore is currently 44.4 times the WHO annual air-quality guideline value.
Pollution and related health risks have long been an issue for Lahore and other cities in the region. The latest numbers qualified Lahore to move to the top of the unenviable list of the world’s most polluted cities.
Lahore authorities closed down primary schools for one week and urged parents to ensure that their children wear masks.
"Weather forecasts for the next six days show that wind patterns will remain the same. Therefore, we are closing all government and private primary schools in Lahore for a week," Jahangir Anwar, a senior environmental protection official in Lahore, told the AFP news agency.
Marriyum Aurangzeb, the senior minister of Punjab Province, urged all residents to remain indoors and keep doors and windows closed.
She added that 50 percent of staff at government and private offices would be mandated to work from home as of November 4.
Officials said conditions will be reexamined on November 10.
Aurangzeb attributed the dangerous situation to winds carrying pollutants from neighboring India, along with the local factors.
"This cannot be solved without talks with India," she said.
In a 2019 report, the University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute wrote that “inhabitants of cities throughout Asia pay the steepest price” from pollution.
“If current air-pollution concentrations are sustained, the average person in major Asian cities like Beijing, Lahore, and Delhi will live more than five years less than if their air met guidelines established by the World Health Organization.”
With reporting by AFP, Dawn, and Reuters
Protesters Target Serbian Government Over Railway Station Accident That Killed 14
BELGRADE -- Hundreds of protesters railed against the government, demanding resignations and accusing ministers of culpability in the collapse of a concrete canopy at a railway station that killed at least 14 people.
The November 1 disaster in Serbia's second-largest city, Novi Sad, has sparked widespread anger.
Protesters, some with their hands painted red to symbolize blood, rallied in capital Belgrade November 3, calling for the resignation of the government’s construction minister.
Others carried signs and banners reading: "A crime, not a tragedy," and “Corruption kills."
Investigators said they had questioned more than two dozen people, trying to pinpoint the causes of the canopy's collapse.
The station recently underwent a major renovation, but railway officials said the work did not include the concrete overhang that fell.
Gas Fire Kills At Least 6 In Afghan Capital
A fire erupted at a gas distribution company in Kabul, killing at least six people, officials said. Noorullah Ansar, a Taliban-appointed official with the Afghan capital’s Disaster Management and Fire Department, said the blaze, which erupted in the Paghman district on the evening of November 2, also injured at least nine others. Other reports said the casualty toll could reach into the dozens.
- By RFE/RL
Ukraine Reports 'Hottest Situation' In East As Russia Claims It's Taken Key Village
The Ukrainian military reported fierce battles near the industrial town of Kurakhove and acknowledged that Russian forces carried out over 100 assaults around a key Donbas village, though it did not comment on Moscow's claim to have captured it.
The comments on November 3 follow a night in which Russia and Ukraine again launched drone attacks against each other, with Russian drones damaging buildings and power lines in Kyiv in the early morning hours.
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Russia’s Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said Ukraine launched nearly 20 drones at targets in southern Russia, but it claimed all were intercepted.
The overnight mutual barrage comes as Russian forces accelerate their battlefield advances, pushing back Ukraine’s exhausted and outmanned defenses in the eastern Donbas region.
On November 3, Russian troops claimed to have captured a Donbas village located less than 6 kilometers from Pokrovsk, a major logistics hub.
Russian forces "liberated the settlement of Vyshneve following offensive operations,” the Russian Defense Ministry said.
Kyiv did not immediately comment on the claim, but Ukraine's General Staff in its daily update acknowledged that Russian forces had launched 19 attacks on the Pokrovsk region.
"In containing the pressure, defense forces repelled enemy attacks. The occupiers are focusing their main efforts near [the villages] of Promin and Vyshneve."
It added that the “hottest situation” was near the industrial town of Kurakhove.
A day earlier, Russian troops claimed to have taken Kurakhivka, another, larger village that is close Kurakhove, on a major reservoir.
"Currently, the enemy has attacked the positions of the defense forces 110 times. It is most active in the Kurakhove and Pokrovsk directions, where it carried out more than half of all attacks," it said.
Capturing Pokrovsk, a key transit and supply point for Ukraine that connects several major outposts in the Donbas, is one of Russia's main objectives in the region. It is also home to a major coke mine that is crucial to Ukraine's steel production.
Ukraine has struggled with manpower as well as an equipment and weapons shortage, hindering its ability to withstand the Russian advances.
The U.S. Defense Department announced a new $425 million package of weapons and other equipment for Kyiv, though it’s unclear how soon the materiel will arrive or if it will make a difference on the battlefield.
The November 1 announcement was likely the last before U.S. Election Day, on November 5, which will prove pivotal to future Western support for Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has spent months urging Western suppliers to allow Kyiv to use their advanced weaponry to strike deeper inside Russia, and last week he accused them of inaction in response to Russia's alleged plan to deploy thousands of North Korean troops to Ukraine.
The United States and allies have ruled out the use of Western weapons to strike deep in Russia over fears that it could result in a nuclear retaliation from Moscow.
Meanwhile, a report in The Washington Post said EU leaders were "bracing for a possible rupture of transatlantic relations in the event former President Donald Trump prevails" in the November 5 presidential election.
"What will happen if a president is elected for a second time in America who declares NATO obsolete and is no longer willing to keep security promises?” Friedrich Merz, leader of Germany’s conservative Christian Democrats, was quoted by the Post as having told supporters.
“Then we will be on our own. And by that, I don’t just mean us Germans, but we Europeans."
Trump, who is in a tight battle with Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, has expressed doubts about NATO's viability and has favored what his critics say are pro-Russia policies. Harris has strongly supported continued assistance to Ukraine.
With reporting by RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service and AFP
Pro-Western Sandu Wins Second Term As Moldovan President
CHISINAU – Moldova's pro-Western incumbent President Maia Sandu has defeated Russia-friendly challenger Alexandr Stoianoglo in balloting marred by accusations of Russian interference and voter fraud.
With 99.7 percent of ballots counted in the November 3 runoff vote, the Central Election Commission said Sandu had 55.35 percent of the vote to Stoianoglo’s 44.65 percent, a lead of almost 165,000 votes in preliminary results.
"Moldova, you are victorious!" a jubilant Sandu, who was boosted by votes in the capital, Chisinau, and from diaspora votes, said shortly after midnight.
"Today, dear Moldovans, you have given a lesson in democracy, worthy of being written in history books. Today, you have saved Moldova! In our choice for a dignified future, no one lost," she added.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen hailed the result in a message on X.
"Congratulations, dear Maia Sandu, on your victory tonight. It takes a rare kind of strength to overcome the challenges you’ve faced in this election," von der Leyen wrote. "I’m glad to continue working with you towards a European future for Moldova and its people."
Stoianoglo, who has not conceded, called on his supporters to keep calm.
"Democracy means, above all, maturity in facing the result," he said.
Stoianoglo had held the early lead, but it continued to narrow as votes were being counted from the large cities, and from Moldova's Western diaspora.
The Central Election Commission reported that turnout surpassed 54 percent, stronger than in the first round and also higher than in the 2020 presidential runoff.
Sandu won the first round on October 20 with 42 percent of the vote compared to 26 percent for Stoianoglo, a former prosecutor-general who received backing from the pro-Russia Socialist Party of Moldova.
In comments to reporters after casting her ballot at a Chisinau polling station, Sandu said she voted "with Moldova."
"Thieves want to buy our vote, they want to buy our country, but the power of the people is infinitely greater than any of their malice," she said. "The power of Moldova is in each of you, go out to vote with faith and hope. Heads up, Moldovans!"
As Sandu was declaring victory, Stoianoglo called for calm, saying "democracy means, first of all, maturity in the face of the result."
The vote came amid accusations of Russian meddling in both the presidential race and a referendum on Moldova’s potential further integration with the European Union -- a direction Sandu and her supporters strongly back.
The pro-EU side scored a razor-thin victory in the referendum -- the "yes" vote getting 50.38 percent – but Sandu quickly alleged that “criminal groups together with foreign forces" tried to "buy 300,000 votes,” making the final result significantly closer than pre-vote polls had indicated.
Surveys also indicated that Sandu would take an easy victory in the first round of the presidential election, but Stoianoglo surprised with a better-than-expected total, forcing the runoff vote.
Sandu's national-security adviser posted a statement to X, claiming "massive interference" by Russia in the runoff vote.
"An effort with high potential to distort the outcome," Stanislav Secrieru said in his post. He gave no details.
Moldova has 3.02 million registered voters, including those in the diaspora. Voters in the West were credited with helping the "yes" side eke out the narrow victory in the EU referendum and helped Sandu in the runoff election.
According to the CEC, foreign voting went to Sandu by a large margin, with the incumbent winning 81 percent to 19 percent over the challenger.
Votes in Chisinau also went to Sandu by a 57-43 percent margin.
While the position of president is technically a ceremonial position in Moldova, holders of the office often wield considerable political influence. A president may serve for two consecutive four-year terms.
During Sandu's first term, Moldova firmly aligned with Ukraine after Russia's unprovoked invasion in 2022, and joined the EU sanctions regime.
Moldova secured EU candidate status in 2022 and opened accession talks earlier this year.
Scattered irregularities were reported during the early voting hours on November 3, including incidents of purported photographing of ballots -- which voters in the past have used to prove their choice in potential vote-buying cases.
Angelica Caraman, head of the election commission, said that as of 4 p.m., 18 cases of alleged electoral corruption had been officially reported, while police authorities said they had registered at least 126 complaints of electoral violations.
Authorities reported that outside the country, voters were being transported in large groups to two polling stations in Moscow as well as polling stations in the Belarusian capital, Minsk; Baku, Azerbaijan; and Istanbul, Turkey, including by airplane. Moldovan voters in those countries are known to typically support pro-Russian groups.
Election officials called on citizens to report any attempts to transport voters to polling stations in an organized manner. Similar violations were flagged by independent observers from Promo-Lex, a democracy watchdog.
There were also reports of apparently fake bomb threats called into polling stations in Moldova and in several countries, including in Britain, Germany, and Romania.
Sandu, 52, is a Harvard graduate and former employee at the World Bank. She became Moldova's first female president with a landslide victory in 2020, running on a strong pro-EU message and vows to fight corruption.
But her support may have slipped during her first term amid an economy that was ravaged by the coronavirus pandemic and rising tensions with Russia.
Throughout her presidency, Sandu has been criticized by pro-Kremlin political parties who have accused her of stoking conflict with Moscow.
Stoianoglo, 57, from Gagauzia -- a Turkic-speaking autonomous region of Moldova with pro-Russia sentiment -- was Moldova's prosecutor-general between 2019 and 2021. He campaigned on a law-and-order theme, although critics have slammed him for what they say was a failure to address high-level corruption during his time in office.
Stoianoglo has claimed he holds no political affiliation and has rejected accusations that he is "Moscow's man."
His reaction to the war in Ukraine has been ambiguous -- expressing a "negative attitude" toward the conflict but not directly condemning Russia for the invasion.
Although he has often taken anti-EU stances, he is also a Romanian -- and thus EU -- citizen, and his daughter reportedly works at the European Central Bank.
After media reports revealed that he possessed a Romanian passport, he argued that he obtained it in 2019 in an "apolitical context," without elaborating.
Most of Moldova was part of Romania until the end of World War II and many Moldovans also hold Romanian citizenship, which gives them the opportunity to travel freely to the EU and work there.
Moldova is one of Europe's poorest countries with a sizable Russian minority and a Moscow-backed separatist region, Transdniester, located on the left bank of the Dniester River.
- By RFE/RL
U.S. Warns Iran It Can't 'Hold Israel Back' If New Attack Launched, Axios Reports
The U.S. administration has warned Tehran in recent days that it won’t be able to restrain Israel should Iran launch another attack against the U.S. ally, Axios reported on November 2, citing a U.S. official and a former Israeli official briefed on the matter. After Iran attacked Israel on October 1, in response to a string of Israeli assassinations of Iran-linked figures in the Middle East, the Israelis responded by striking military targets in Iran, although they did not hit nuclear or oil production sites as some people had feared. “We told the Iranians: We won't be able to hold Israel back, and we won't be able to make sure that the next attack will be calibrated and targeted as the previous one," the unidentified U.S. official said, according to Axios.
U.S. Slams Prison Sentence Against Ex-Consulate Worker In Vladivostok
The United States has blasted a decision by Russian authorities to sentence a former employee of the U.S. Consulate in Vladivostok to a lengthy prison term on charges Washington has called baseless.
“The United States strongly condemns Russia’s conviction and sentencing of Robert Shonov, a former employee of U.S. Mission Russia,” the State Department said in a statement on November 2.
“The allegations against Mr. Shonov are entirely without merit, and his conviction is an egregious injustice.”
The statement said Shonov’s “targeting under the ‘confidential cooperation’ statute highlights the Kremlin’s blatant use of increasingly repressive laws against its own citizens.”
The Primorye regional court in Russia's Far East on November 1 sentenced Shonov to four years and 10 months in prison and ordered him to pay a fine of 1 million rubles ($10,280) on charges of “confidential collaboration with a foreign state."
After completing his prison sentence, Shonov will have to spend an additional year and four months under parole-like restrictions.
Shonov, 62, had previously worked for 25 years at the U.S. Consulate in Vladivostok, which closed in 2020.
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) alleges that from September 2022 until his arrest in spring 2023, Shonov served as an "informant for the U.S. Embassy in Moscow."
His purported activities included collecting information on Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine and mobilization efforts, as well as analyzing their potential impact on public protest activities in the lead-up to the 2024 presidential election.
The charges against him stem from a law enacted in July 2022 that criminalizes "confidential collaboration" with foreign entities.
This legislation carries penalties ranging from three to eight years in prison, and its broad language often encompasses interactions with foreigners perceived as undermining Russian national security, with accusations frequently linked to connections with Ukraine.
This case occurs against a backdrop of deteriorating relations between Moscow and Washington, which are at their lowest point since the end of the Cold War.
The Kremlin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has prompted waves of severe sanctions against Russia and much of its leadership, further straining diplomatic ties.
Shonov's conviction underscores the heightened scrutiny faced by former diplomatic staff and the increasingly hostile environment for foreign nationals operating in Russia.
The detention of foreigners is increasingly being seen as politically motivated, with the potential for these individuals to become bargaining chips in future prisoner swaps.
Freed Belarusian Activist Thanks Tsikhanouskaya For Aiding Release
Belarusian activist and journalist Andrey Hnyot -- recently freed from house arrest in Serbia -- said talks involving the offices of Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic played a vital role in securing his freedom and ability to travel to Germany.
The Crisis In Belarus
Read our coverage as Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka continues his brutal crackdown on NGOs, activists, and independent media following the August 2020 presidential election.
"A significant event occurred during the UN session [last month] in New York when a team from Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s office spoke with the administration of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic," Hnyot, also known as Andrew Gnyot, told a news conference in Berlin on November 2.
He said the response from the Serbian authorities after that conversation was a positive one.
"The fact that I am here today [in Berlin] and not in a Belarusian prison is a consequence of that communication and negotiation," he told reporters.
Hnyot also thanked the German government for helping to secure his release from house arrest and noted that EU diplomats and international organizations had consistently requested his release from the Balkan nation.
Earlier, in comments to RFE/RL, Hnyot said he was “immensely grateful” to his lawyers and the rest of his legal team and to Tsikhanouskaya and her international team.
During the news conference, Hnyot did not speak about his legal status in Germany and declined to say whether he would seek asylum there, saying it was too soon to make such decisions.
"I am a man without a country, unable to renew my passport, and I need international protection because the Belarusian regime will continue to pursue me," he added.
Hnyot’s release on October 31 brought an end to an ordeal that began when he was arrested at Belgrade's airport in late October 2023 on an Interpol warrant issued by Belarus. The arrest warrant accused Hnyot of tax evasion, a charge he denies.
He was transferred from a Belgrade prison to house arrest in June.
Since September, when the Belgrade Court of Appeals overturned the decision to extradite him to Belarus, he had been awaiting Serbia's final decision on his extradition.
The European Parliament had passed a resolution on political prisoners in Belarus that called on Serbia not to extradite Hnyot, who feared being tortured in a Belarusian prison if he had been returned to his native country.
Hnyot said then that the accusations against him were part of the Belarusian regime’s “horrific repression against political dissidents, journalists, and activists.”
Although he is currently in Germany, Hnyot and his supporters said the process surrounding the Belarus extradition request has not yet been fully concluded.
"The focus of our efforts as his defenders is to reject the extradition request from Belarus and to demonstrate its unfounded nature," said Vladimir Hrle, a member of the legal team in Serbia.
"Belarus will certainly try to misuse Interpol, as it has done in this and other cases, which could restrict Andrey's right to free movement. We must also fight in that area, even though the initial Interpol request has been deleted," Hrle added.
Serbia's Vucic has attempted to balance relations between Russia and Belarus with the country's ties to the European Union, which he has expressed hopes of joining.
Hnyot is one of hundreds of thousands of Belarusian citizens who took part in mass demonstrations in 2020 challenging the victory claimed by authoritarian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka that gave him a sixth consecutive term.
Human Rights Watch says there are almost 1,500 political prisoners in Belarusian prisons. Among them are journalists, human rights activists, and politicians.
Western countries do not recognize the results of the 2020 election, and the EU imposed sanctions on Minsk over the repression of participants in the demonstrations.
Iran's Khamenei Threatens Israel, U.S. With 'Teeth-Shattering' Response
Iran's supreme leader has threatened Israel and the United States with “a teeth-shattering response” to recent Israeli attacks on Iran and its proxy groups – which it referred to as its “resistance front” -- in the Middle East. In a speech on November 2 to mark the 45th anniversary of the attack on the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said: "We will definitely do everything that should be done…whether in terms of military, weapons, or political work," adding that "the authorities are already doing it." An Israeli air attack on October 26, which targeted military bases and other sites, killed at least five people, according to Iranian officials. Israel said the attacks were in response to a massive Iranian missile and drone attack against Israel on October 1. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Radio Farda, click here.
Moldova Observes Day Of Silence Ahead Of Tense Presidential Runoff
Moldova has been observing a mandated day of silence ahead of a presidential runoff vote on November 3 between pro-EU incumbent Maia Sandu and the Russia-friendly former Prosecutor-General Alexandr Stoianoglo. Sandu won the first round with 42 percent of the vote to 26 percent for Stoianoglo, who received backing from the pro-Russia Socialist Party of Moldova (PSRM). While the position of president is technically a ceremonial post in Moldova, holders of the office often wield considerable political influence. The vote is being held amid reports of Russian interference, which the Kremlin denies. President Sandu has repeatedly accused Russia of interference in Moldova's electoral process. To read the original story by RFE/RL’s Moldovan Service, click here. To read an analysis of the two candidates, click here.
Pakistan Reports New Polio Cases, Raising Number To 45 So Far This Year
Pakistan reported two cases of wild poliovirus infection on November 1 in the northwestern Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province, raising the national count for the year to 45, according to the Pakistan Polio Eradication Program.
“The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health has confirmed the detection of two more wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) cases in Pakistan,” the statement said.
It said cases were confirmed in one girl in the Lakki Marwat district and a boy in the Dara Ismail Khan district.
So far, 22 polio cases have been reported from Balochistan Province, 12 from Sindh Province, nine from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, and one each from Punjab Province and Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad.
Seventy-six districts were affected in all, the program said.
Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only countries where polio remains endemic.
On October 28, Pakistan launched a weeklong nationwide vaccination campaign with the aim of immunizing more than 45 million children under the age of 5 against the paralytic disease.
Health workers distributing the polio vaccine and the security forces assigned to protect them have been targeted in the past by Islamist extremists who falsely assert that immunization campaigns are Western plots to sterilize Muslim children.
Russia Shows Off Purported U.S. National Snatched From Ukraine Spy Work
Russian media said on November 2 that Russia removed a U.S. citizen "from territory controlled by the Ukrainian armed forces" who it alleged had been aiding Russian forces by transmitting coordinates of Ukrainian military facilities for two years, although it provided no evidence of such activities. A man who appeared on RIA Novosti the same day identifying himself as Daniel Martindale and displaying a U.S. passport said he was in Moscow of his own will and wanted to obtain Russian citizenship. He was quoted as saying he had "done everything I could to save the lives of Russian soldiers" and wanted to continue. The U.S. Embassy in Moscow has not commented on the case, according to Reuters. A VKontakte page purporting to belong to a Daniel Martindale, which was last updated in February 2022, listed residency in Poland. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here.
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