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- By RFE/RL
COVID-19: Russian Disease Specialist May Have Spread Virus; Georgia Declares State Of Emergency
The top infectious-disease specialist in a Russian region may have coronavirus and could have spread it to students and doctors after she failed to quarantine herself following a vacation in Spain, the daily Kommersant has reported.
Stavropol Governor Vladimir Vladimirov said on March 19 in an Instagram post that the region had its first suspected case of coronavirus and that a final determination will be made following a laboratory test in Novosibirsk.
He immediately announced that all kindergartens and universities would be closed as of March 23 and that additional measures to contain its spread would be taken.
Vladimirov did not name the person that tested positive, but Kommersant said people on social media immediately identified the individual as Irina Sannikova, the region’s leading infectious-disease specialist.
Sannikova reportedly returned earlier this month from Spain, one of the hardest-hit countries by the virus, and did not quarantine herself, the paper said. She held a few lectures at the medical university for students and resident physicians, people on social media said.
The medical university was immediately put under quarantine on March 19 while students and professors who came into contact with a person "suspected of having the novel coronavirus infection" have been asked to take tests and isolate themselves in the meantime at home, Kommersant reported.
Stavropol's infectious-disease hospital, Sannikova's main workplace, has also been put under quarantine, Kommersant reported, citing social media. Kommersant said it could not confirm that because it could not get through on any of the hospital's telephone numbers.
During a press conference on March 20, Stavropol Deputy Health Minister Olga Drozdetskaya confirmed that the person that tested positive for coronavirus was a female doctor that had returned from vacation in Spain. Drozdetskaya said the doctor had taken part in a few events at the Health Ministry and that some participants had now been quarantined.
The infected doctor was in stable condition and no longer on oxygen, Drozdetskaya said.
Russia's official tally early on March 21 showed the total number of infections at 253, a day after Moscow's coronavirus crisis center announced 54 confirmed new cases across the country.
One coronavirus patient, a 79-year-old woman, has died. Russian authorities said the cause of her death was not officially registered as COVID-19 because an autopsy revealed she had died of a blood clot.
But a global resource center at Johns Hopkins University early on March 21 was listing the woman as Russia's only confirmed coronavirus death.
Russia's Federal Service for the Oversight of Consumer Protection and Welfare said on March 21 that more than 36,000 people were under medical observation in the country due to the situation with coronavirus.
Russia has temporarily barred entry into the country of foreigners because of the pandemic. Russian officials also have imposed restrictions on passenger flights and public gatherings.
Russia's national health watchdog has decreed that "all individuals arriving in Russia" must be isolated for medical observation.
Georgia
Georgia's parliament has approved a presidential decree that imposes a one-month nationwide state of emergency in an attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
President Salome Zurabishvili on March 21 sent the decree to parliament as the number of cases in the former Soviet republic rose to 49. The parliament passed it later that evening.
Zurabishvili told the parliament deputies that the monthlong measure might seem excessive with still relatively few cases, but that it's "better this way than an epidemic starting and entering an acute phase."
She warned that the measures were not meant to infringe upon freedom of expression, media freedom, or political rights and expressed hope it would not delay elections planned for October.
Under Georgia's constitution, a national election can only be held six months after the end of a state of emergency.
The president called on citizens to follow the recommendations of the World Health Organization and the Georgian Health Ministry in order to slow the spread of the virus and avoid a "new level" of restrictions.
So far, there have not been any deaths in Georgia from the virus.
Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia had earlier initiated the call for the state of emergency to battle the disease.
"Our main task today is preventing a fast spread of coronavirus among the population," Gakharia said, adding that punishments should be imposed against those who violate "quarantine and self-isolation regulations during the state of emergency."
Gahkharia said restrictions on traffic, except for the transport of cargo, also should be imposed.
He also said property rights for individuals and legal entities could be restricted during the state of emergency.
A few lawmakers expressed disappointment that the state of emergency -- as it now stands -- would extend into the Easter holiday, which will be celebrated this year in Georgia on April 19.
North Macedonia
The government of North Macedonia on March 21 said it has decided to impose a curfew from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. beginning on March 22 in the battle against the coronavirus pandemic, the first time such a step has been taken since the country’s independence in 1991.
In an emergency address, Prime Minister Oliver Spasovski said that "we have decided to introduce the most radical measures in order to protect the health of citizens.”
“Starting [March 22], we will restrict the movement of all citizens. It is forbidden for the population to move outside between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. every day. There is no compromise when it comes to the health of citizens,” Spasovski warned.
The prohibitions exclude persons who need medical assistance or whose lives are endangered. Those who need dialysis are allowed to arrive for treatment with up to two other people.
Employees in health-care facilities are also excluded from the curfew, as are members of the Ministry of Interior, the army, fire crews, and workers in municipal hygiene.
North Macedonia has registered 85 cases and no deaths.
Romania
The Romanian government on March 21 announced a curfew that will restrict the movement of people from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. and go into effect on March 23. It is expected to last through the 30-day state of emergency declared on March 16.
Those exempted include people going to work and those requiring medical assistance.
Interior Minister Marcel Vela and other officials said the measures will also prohibit gatherings of more than three persons outside the home and will mandate the closing of shopping malls and dental clinics. Restaurants and other gathering places were ordered closed earlier in the week.
During the night curfew hours, the only people allowed to move about are medical professionals, those engaging in work activities, shopping for necessary items, and caring for children or the elderly or people walking their pets.
“Everything we have decided to implement is meant to limit the risks to the population,” Vela said.
He also warned those who are price-gouging or taking other actions to profit from the crisis.
“We have taken strong actions against those who have tried to speculate on the situation in order to get rich. It's not just illegal -- it's also cynical,” he said.
Romania has registered 367 coronavirus cases with no deaths.
Serbia
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said the government will extend a curfew that is already in effect by three hours as the country attempts to curtail the spread of the COVID-19 virus, making it a 12-hour ban from 5 p.m. to 5 a.m.
He said the steps are necessary “for our survival,” and he threatened a 24-hour curfew if residents continue to ignore orders to remain indoors.
Serbia has registered 171 cases and one death related to the coronavirus.
Ukraine
Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov has called for a nationwide quarantine to slow the spread of coronavirus as its largest city, Kyiv, said it would shut down all public transportation for noncritical personnel.
Avakov, one of the most powerful officials in Ukraine, said the measures already put in place to fight the spread will be "significantly toughened" in the coming days. He said only "critical" industries should remain open and everyone else sent home.
"A total, full quarantine is my position, which I want to ask each of you. And I will insist on it, according to the power of my position," Avakov said in a Facebook post on March 21.
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on March 20 that a state of emergency had been declared in the city of Kyiv, the east-central Dnipropetrovsk region, and the western Ivano-Fankivsk region.
"No new restrictions are yet to be expected. The emergency mode is designed to mobilize efforts to combat the spread of COVID-19," he wrote on Telegram.
Earlier, states of emergency were declared in the Kyiv and Zhytomyr regions in the north-central part of the country and the southwestern region of Chernivtsi.
Under the state of emergency, the heads of the affected regions are expected to implement coordinated measures to curtail the spread of the virus and to submit daily reports to the Health Ministry.
Ukraine had reported 41 coronavirus infections and three fatalities as of the end of March 20, prompting the country to declare a state of emergency to better mobilize efforts to fight the virus.
The total represents a rise of 15 cases over the past 24 hours. However, the country has done limited testing, suggesting the number of people infected could be much greater.
The country has already ordered restaurants, bars, gyms, theaters, shopping malls, and schools to close. It has also essentially sealed its border to foreign travel and domestic long-distance travel by means of bus, rail and plane.
Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said in a March 21 video post that only people whose work was vital to the city will be allowed to use public transport. The new measure goes into effect as of March 23, he said
Kyiv shut down its subway on March 17, causing chaos as tens of thousands of people struggled to get to work via other means. Transportation by private cars will still be permitted.
Supermarkets, pharmacies, banks, gas stations, post offices, and parcel companies will remain open in Ukraine, officials said.
Armenia
The number of coronavirus cases in Armenia has risen to 160, an increase of 24 infections during the previous 24 hours, according to the country's heath authorities.
Armenian Health Minister Arsen Torosyan said in a live broadcast on Facebook on March 21 that there were 11 patients among those infected with the coronavirus who have been diagnosed with pneumonia.
Torosyan said three patients required intensive care. But he said none of the patients were in critical danger.
Details about new cases had not been released by the afternoon of March 21.
Armenia has not reported any fatalities from the disease.
Yerevan declared a national emergency on March 16 in an attempt to slow the spread of the pandemic disease.
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan's Security Council has recommended that Prime Minister Mukhammedkalyi Abylgaziev declare a national state of emergency beginning on March 22 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The recommendation, made during a Security Council meeting in Bishkek on March 21, was announced by President Sooronbai Jeenbekov's office.
Local officials in Kyrgyzstan have already declared a state of emergency in the southern district of Nookat, where three coronavirus cases were reported on March 20.
A state of emergency has also been announced by local officials in the Suzak district, where three men have tested positive for coronavirus.
All six confirmed cases in Kyrgyzstan are people who recently returned to Kyrgyzstan from Saudi Arabia.
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan's Health Ministry announced four more confirmed coronavirus infections on March 21, raising the total number in the country to 37.
The ministry said a total of 3,200 people who had contact with the infected patients have been placed in quarantine.
All kindergartens, schools, and universities in Uzbekistan have been temporarily closed and public gatherings have been prohibited.
The Transport Ministry said on March 20 that it had suspended international travel into the country for 40 days. The regulation does not affect cargo shipments, it said.
Kazakhstan
In Kazakhstan, five more coronavirus cases were reported on March 20, including the first two cases outside Nur-Sultan, the capital, and the country's largest city, Almaty.
With three more cases in Almaty and two in the central city of Qaraghandy, the total number of coronavirus infections in Kazakhstan on March 21 was 49.
Nur-Sultan and Almaty have been sealed off since March 19, with police, security forces, and military personnel blocking roads and highways within and around the two cities.
In Tajikistan, the government suspended all international flights starting on March 20. No coronavirus cases have been reported by authorities in Tajikistan so far.
In Turkmenistan, RFE/RL correspondents report that the capital, Ashgabat, has been surrounded with security checkpoints since March 19 in an attempt by authorities to regulate entries into the city.
Only residents of Ashgabat are allowed to enter the city now, and travel between cities has been restricted, RFE/RL correspondents report.
Turkmenistan also had not officially confirmed any cases of coronavirus as of March 21.
Pakistan
Pakistan says it has suspended all international flights for two weeks in an attempt to limit the spread of the coronavirus, joining dozens of other countries that have taken similar measures.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Pakistan said in a statement on March 21 that the ban would go into effect that evening and last until April 4.
The ban includes charter flights as well, officials said. Diplomats and cargo will be allowed to land in the country.
Individuals who have had their flight canceled can either get a refund or rebook for other dates without any charge, officials at Pakistan International Airlines said.
The announcement comes after Pakistan said the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the country jumped to 531 as of March 21 with three deaths.
Iran
The death toll from coronavirus outbreak is nearly 11,500 people around the world, with Europe at the center of the pandemic as the number of confirmed cases globally topped 275,000.
Iran's official death toll was the third-highest in the world on March 21 with 123 newly reported deaths raising the total across the country to 1,556.
Health Ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said on March 21 that an additional 966 infections had been confirmed during the previous 24 hours.
That raised the total number of confirmed infections in Iran to more than 20,600, according to officials in Tehran.
Many Iranians believe the government in Tehran is underreporting the extent of the outbreak there.
According to a tally by Johns Hopkins University early on March 21, the confirmed number of cases worldwide had reached 275,434 -- including 11,399 deaths.
With reporting by RFE/RL's Georgian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Russian, Tajik, Turkmen, Ukrainian, Uzbek services, AFP, Reuters, TASS, UNIAN, Interfax, Ukrayinska pravda, Financial Times, and Khaleej Times
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Blinken Says U.S. To 'Shore Up' Ukraine Support As Russia Pounds Kyiv
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has assured Ukraine that U.S. support be beefed up ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration early next year, as Russia launched its first missile and drone attack on Kyiv since August, forcing residents into bomb shelters.
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Blinken, who met with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte at the alliance's headquarters in Brussels on November 13, said the administration of President Joe Biden, who leaves office on January 20, would "continue to shore up everything we're doing for Ukraine" and "use every day" to support Ukraine and strengthen NATO.
“President Biden has committed to making sure that every dollar we have at our disposal will be pushed out the door between now and January 20,” Blinken said, adding that NATO countries must focus their efforts on “ensuring that Ukraine has the money, munitions, and mobilized forces to fight effectively in 2025, or to be able to negotiate a peace from a position of strength.”
Trump has repeatedly questioned Washington's military backing for Kyiv and vowed to rapidly end the war started by Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in 2022. But he has not said how he will put an end to the conflict, raising concern that he would try to force Ukraine to accept Moscow's terms for peace.
Blinken also said the deployment of North Korean troops to help Russia in the Ukraine war "demands and will get a firm response." More than 10,000 North Korean troops are engaged in combat in Russia's Kursk border region, according to the Pentagon.
Asked by RFE/RL if Washington intends to allow Ukraine to use U.S.-supplied long-range modern weapons to strike deeper inside Russia, as requested by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in his recently presented "victory plan," Blinken did not offer a direct answer, saying the United States will continue to "adapt and adjust" to Ukraine's needs.
"We're addressing many of the needs that are laid out in the victory plan. That's something that we discussed with allies and partners today," Blinken said.
"I am convinced that we will continue to adapt and adjust if necessary," he added.
Blinken also met in Brussels with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha, who said Kyiv had maintained contact with both U.S. political parties and had worked with both Trump's team and Biden's.
Sybiha said he would discuss protection of critical infrastructure with Blinken, according to a State Department statement.
"Ukraine's defense cannot be put on hold and wait. Every day Russia is bombing our critical infrastructure -- energy, ports, hospitals, and schools," Sybiha said. "We need better protection for our people already now, not later."
He added that he was "confident that we can count on continued U.S. support and further decisive steps."
Ukraine's whole territory was under an air-raid alert early on November 13 as Moscow launched a sophisticated combination of missiles and drones on Kyiv for the first time in 73 days.
"Putin is launching a missile attack on Kyiv right now," Andriy Yermak, Zelenskiy's chief of staff, wrote on Telegram.
Explosions shook Kyiv for hours as Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko urged the Ukrainian capital's residents to take cover.
"More drones are entering the capital. The danger of missiles also persists. Don't leave the shelters!" Klitschko wrote on Telegram.
The Ukrainian Air Force reported that its air defenses downed two cruise missiles, two ballistic missiles and 37 drones over Kyiv and seven other Ukrainian regions -- Poltava, Zhytomyr, Sumy, Cherkasy, Zaporizhzhya, Chernihiv, and Kirovohrad. It said that 47 more drones lost their way as Ukrainian electronic defenses jammed their navigation systems.
Russia has stepped up its daily attacks on Ukrainian cities in recent weeks, causing further destruction to the country's already battered civilian and energy infrastructure as the cold season settles in.
Taliban Carries Out Sixth Public Execution Since Returning To Power
The Taliban on November 13 executed a man convicted of murder in a sports stadium -- the sixth public execution since the radical Islamist group returned to power in 2022.
The execution was carried with a gun fired by a member of the victim's family in the city of Gardez, the capital of the eastern Paktia Province.
The practice of "qisas," or retributive Islamic punishments, which can include public killings at the hands of victims' families, were a trademark of the Taliban's first stint in power in Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001.
The Taliban's Supreme Court said in a statement on X that a "murderer was sentenced to retaliation punishment," naming the condemned as Muhammad Ayaz Asad.
Media reports said Ayaz Asad was executed with three bullets to his chest.
The statement said Asad, a native of Paktia's Mirzak district, had killed a man named Saif-ul-Qatal using a Kalashnikov rifle. It was not clear whether Ayaz Asad had pleaded guilty or innocent to the charges.
The death sentence was approved by the Taliban Supreme Leader Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada following "careful consideration" by three Taliban military courts, it said.
Senior members of the Taliban government, including acting Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, attended the execution.
Haqqani is the leader of the Haqqani network, a U.S.-designated terrorist group considered one of Afghanistan's most violent factions.
The Taliban has revived the practice of "qisas" since the extremist group's return to power in August 2022 following the withdrawal of U.S.-led forces from the war-wracked country after more than two decades.
In February, three men were executed publicly.
Two, Syed Jamaluddin and Gul Khan, were shot dead inside a soccer stadium in the southeastern province of Ghazni.
At a separate execution, an unidentified man shot Nazar Mohammad inside a sports stadium in the northern province of Jawzjan. The shooter was said to be avenging the death of his brother, Khal Mohammad, two years earlier.
Such practices have been condemned by Afghans and the international community, while experts have questioned their validity under Islamic law, saying they are mainly meant to instill fear.
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Iran says it has measures in place to ensure it will continue producing and exporting oil even if U.S. President-elect Donald Trump ramps up pressure on Tehran once he takes office in January.
During his first term in office in 2017-21, Trump withdrew from a landmark nuclear deal between Iran and world powers and reimposed sanctions as part of his administration’s “maximum pressure” policy against Tehran.
As a result, Iran’s oil production dropped from 3.8 million barrels per day (bpd) to 2.1 million bpd, while its exports plummeted to between 200,000 and 500,000 bpd from 2.5 million bpd.
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“We have tried-and-tested methods and don’t have serious concerns about [selling oil],” he said, according to Iranian state-aligned media.
Without offering details, the oil minister said, “necessary measures have been taken by our colleagues in the oil sector in preparation for what is to come and there is no reason to worry.”
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Iran boosted its oil sales by circumventing sanctions through a variety of means, exporting mostly to China, which does not recognize U.S. measures against Iran.
The tactic involves the ship-to-ship transfer of oil, middlemen, clandestine money transfers, and the rebranding of the oil to mask its Iranian origin.
Iranian crude makes up about 13 percent of oil imports by China, the world's biggest purchaser of the commodity. Beijing says the purchases conform to international law.
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Georgian Opposition Moves To Leave Parliament In Protest At Alleged Election Fraud
Georgia's pro-European opposition has withdrawn from the new parliament, officially renouncing its mandates obtained during the disputed October 26 elections that it refused to recognize amid accusations of widespread fraud and Russian interference.
Representatives of the two main opposition blocs -- the United National Movement (ENM) and the Coalition for Change -- filed an appeal on November 12 with the Central Election Commission (CEC) demanding the cancellation of their party lists -- a technical move that will make it impossible for the CEC to register the opposition candidates who won seats as lawmakers.
"On behalf of the United National Movement, we declare that we do not recognize the legitimacy of these elections and refuse our parliamentary mandates. Today, each of us who was on the parliamentary list officially sent a letter to the Central Election Commission so that none of the candidates would be registered," ENM head Tina Bokuchava told a joint news conference.
Nika Gvaramia, the leader of the Coalition for Change, said that all members of his bloc's list will officially sign off on their refusal for as many times as necessary if the CEC, under pressure from the authorities, tries to register them in parliament through bureaucratic procedures.
"This parliament is illegitimate, and our participation in its activities is excluded. We will not aid the authorities in legitimizing it with our presence," Gvaramia said.
In response, Georgian Dream said it would file a lawsuit with the Constitutional Court to outlaw some opposition parties, directly accusing ENM of treason.
"We do not rule out that we will take care first and foremost of the ENM, which has committed treasonous acts against the country," Georgian Dream Secretary-General Kakha Kaladze said, adding that the authorities had "plenty of evidence" to outlaw the bloc, without elaborating.
The moves come after Georgia's pro-European president, Salome Zurabishvili, refused to recognize the validity of the results and called for fresh elections.
The opposition has been holding large daily protests in Tbilisi since the Moscow-friendly Georgian Dream party, which has been in power for the past 12 years, claimed victory with 54 percent of the vote.
A group of women held the latest rally on November 13, appealing to the CEC to cancel the election results. Initially, only some of the women were able to enter the courtyard of the CEC building before police closed the iron doors of the entrance. Several journalists covering the rally were not allowed in.
"All criminals are afraid of witnesses, we are witnesses of their crimes and that's why they fight us like that. They won't succeed," Ana Natsvlishvili, one of the leaders of the Strong Georgia party, told RFE/RL.
Georgia has been a candidate for EU membership since last year, but moves by Georgian Dream to adopt legislation to curb foreign funding of NGOs mirroring Moscow's "foreign agent" law and anti-LGBT measures have sparked criticism from Brussels and Washington that the Caucasus country was backsliding on democracy.
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Navalnaya Says She And Ukraine Have 'One Enemy' After Activists Disrupt Her Speech
Ukrainian activists on November 12 disrupted a speech by Yulia Navalnaya at an IT summit in Lisbon by setting off air-raid sirens and shouting "Stop the war" before Navalnaya said she opposes the war and told them their enemy was the same as hers.
Navalnaya was delivering her speech on Dictators and Digital Dissent at the Web Summit when several people in the audience set off the air-raid sirens in an attempt to drown out her words. They then began chanting "Stop Russia!" and "Stop the war!" in English.
The organizers of the action said its purpose was to remind the participants of the conference about the war in Ukraine and the inadmissibility of inviting citizens of the aggressor country to an international conference.
Navalnaya responded to the disruption by inviting a representative of the Ukrainian activists to come up on stage and ask a question. The activist who went to the stage asked whether she supports the war against Ukraine.
Navalnaya said she opposes the war and the regime of Russian President Vladimir Putin, telling the activists, "We have one enemy. And Ukrainians do not need to invent an enemy for themselves in the person of the Russian opposition."
Navalnaya, the wife of the late Russian corruption fighter Aleksei Navalny, said later on Telegram that she thought it was wrong to be asked if she supports Russia's war against Ukraine.
"I am fighting against Putin's regime and against the war. And I think that these are interconnected things,” she said on Telegram. “My husband, Aleksei Navalny, fought against Putin and against the war, and was killed in prison for it. He used every court hearing against him, including the one on February 24, 2022, as a platform for an anti-war speech.”
Navalnaya ally Leonid Volkov, who was also at the conference, said Navalnaya managed to finish her speech and confirmed that she invited the protesters to the stage and answered them in detail.
"After the applause, she returned to the podium and finished her speech," Volkov said on Telegram.
While in Lisbon, Navalnaya also took part in the opening of a ceremony to dedicate a plaque in memory of her husband opposite the Russian Embassy. The plaque is engraved with the words "Don't give up" -- the opposition leader's call to his comrades in case of his death.
Georgian Envoy Summoned Over PM's Comment On Moldovan Election
The charge d'affaires of the Georgian Embassy in Chisinau, David Bochorisvili, was summoned to the Moldovan Foreign Ministry on November 12 over statements made last week by Georgia’s prime minister at the summit of the European Political Community in Budapest. Moldovan authorities conveyed to Bochorisvili their "deep dissatisfaction" regarding the manner with which Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze addressed the European integration of Moldova and the electoral process in the country. The Moldovan Foreign Ministry noted in a news release “the cooperative relations and the traditional friendship” between Moldova and Georgia and said the objectives that each country has in the European integration process “must prevail." The statement did not quote the remarks that caused the government’s displeasure, but Georgian media reported that Kobakhidze referred to the votes of the Moldovan diaspora making the difference in the October 20 reelection of President Maia Sandu and the referendum on EU membership.
- By AP
U.S. Air National Guardsman Who Leaked Secrets On War In Ukraine Sentenced To 15 Years
A federal judge on November 12 sentenced a member of the U.S. Massachusetts Air National Guard to 15 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to leaking highly classified military documents about the war in Ukraine. Jack Teixeira pleaded guilty earlier this year to six counts of willful retention and transmission of national defense information under the Espionage Act. The 22-year-old showed no visible reaction as he was sentenced. Earlier in the hearing he apologized, telling the judge he was "sorry for all the harm that I brought and caused." Prosecutors had originally requested a 17-year sentence, saying Teixeira "perpetrated one of the most significant and consequential violations of the Espionage Act in American history." Defense attorneys had sought an 11-year sentence. They acknowledged that their client "made a terrible decision which he repeated over 14 months," but said Teixeira's actions were never meant to "harm the United States."
Opposition Rally Calls Georgian Election 'Artfully Faked' At Rally In Batumi
Two opposition coalitions organized a rally in the southwestern Georgian city of Batumi on November 12 to demand new elections. The coalitions Strong Georgia and the United National Movement said the rally’s slogan was "Artfully faked.” Participants held posters with phrases such as "Give me back my vote." The rally gathered near the building of the 79th District Election Commission and participants marched to the building of the Higher Election Commission. Police blocked a street along the way. Georgians have held several protests to voice their anger over the October 26 elections and call for a new vote amid allegations that Russia helped the ruling party, Georgian Dream, rig the vote.
Top UN Court Rules It Has Jurisdiction To Consider Armenia, Azerbaijan Cases
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) said on November 12 that it had jurisdiction to consider rival cases by Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.
"The Court finds that it has jurisdiction" to consider the cases filed in September 2021, a statement issued by the court said. The decision of the 17-judge panel was unanimous.
The Hague-based ICJ, the UN's top court, also ruled in favor of Armenia on two of its objections but rejected a third.
Armenia contends in its case that Azerbaijan violated the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD) and engaged in "ethnic cleansing" in the region.
Azerbaijan has denied the allegations and filed a countersuit. Baku also accused Yerevan of hate speech and "racist" propaganda.
The cases concern actions taken in Nagorno-Karabakh, a mountainous region within Azerbaijan populated mostly by ethnic Armenians. Armenia and Azerbaijan fought wars in the early 1990s and in 2020 for control of the enclave.
Baku took over the territory in September 2023 in a lightning one-day offensive that prompted nearly all of the local ethnic Armenian population of around 100,000 to flee for Armenia.
The ICJ, which rules in disputes between states, issued emergency orders in December 2021 calling on both sides to prevent the incitement and promotion of racial hatred.
It has since considered various motions filed by both countries against each other's cases. Armenia returned to the UN court in 2023 in the weeks after Nagorno-Karabakh was seized by Azerbaijan.
The court did not say when the next hearings in the rival cases would take place. A ruling on the merits of the cases is expected to take years. While the ICJ's orders are binding, the court has no mechanism for enforcing them.
Jailed Belarusian Opposition Figure Kalesnikava Reportedly Meets With Father
Belarusian opposition figure Maryya Kalesnikava briefly met her father, Alyaksandr Kalesnikau, for the first time since December 2022, former opposition blogger Raman Pratasevich announced on November 12 on Telegram.
Belarusian online outlet Nasha Niva also reported on the brief reunion, citing former political prisoners who said the location in the photo appeared to be a prison hospital. The report said it was not known whether Kalesnikava was undergoing treatment at the hospital or whether she was brought from her jail cell.
Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikahnouskaya wrote on X that she is "deeply relieved" that Kalesnikava has been allowed to meet with her father.
"She has been kept incommunicado for more than 600 days, starved & isolated from her family. Now, we must keep up the pressure to break the isolation of other political prisoners & free them all!" Tsikhanouskaya wrote.
Kalesnikava, a prominent critic of Belarusian authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka, has been in prison since September 2020. Following her kidnapping by security forces in Minsk, she was taken to the Ukrainian border, where officials attempted to expel her. Kalesnikava resisted by tearing up her passport and demanding to remain in her home country. She was subsequently detained again.
In September 2021, a Minsk court sentenced her to 11 years in prison on charges including conspiracy to seize power, calling for actions harmful to national security, and creating or managing an extremist organization. Her trial, held behind closed doors, included fellow opposition figure Maksim Znak, who was also convicted and handed a 10-year prison term.
Lukashenka said last month he might consider pardoning Kalesnikava if she requested it.
Pratasevich, once a vocal opposition blogger, was detained in May 2021 after Belarus forced a Ryanair flight carrying him to land in Minsk. He was sentenced to prison but later pardoned after cooperating with authorities.
His ties to opposition media outlet Nexta Live and the 2020 anti-Lukashenka protests brought him into conflict with the regime.
After his arrest he changed his stance, stopped criticizing Lukashenka and his government, and stated he was ready to serve as a mediator between the government officials and self-exiled Belarusians who want to return to their homeland.
School Director In Russia's Bashkortostan Fined In Feud Over Ethnic History Books
A court in Russia's Bashkortostan fined school director Svetlana Khakimova 2,000 rubles (about $20) for keeping the book Hidden History of Tatars in her school's library. The book, written by Tatar historian Vakhit Imamov and published in 1994, was banned in 2019 after a local man complained that it incited "religious and ethnic hatred" and advocated Tatarstan's independence from Russia. The court deemed Khakimova guilty of distributing extremist materials, a charge that reflects increasing scrutiny of materials on Russia's non-Russian ethnic histories. This move is part of a broader trend in Russia where authorities are closely monitoring narratives around the country's diverse ethnic groups, especially those with histories of conquest and resistance. To read the original story by RFE/RL’s Idel.Realities, click here.
- By Current Time
Bill Banning 'Childfree Propaganda' Gets Final Approval From Russian Lawmakers
Russia's State Duma passed a bill on November 12 in its second and third readings that would ban "childfree propaganda," marking the government's latest move to regulate social discourse while pushing President Vladimir Putin's "family values" agenda.
The bill now awaits approval from the Federation Council, the upper house of parliament, before Putin can sign it into law.
The legislation imposes fines for promoting the choice not to have children, with penalties reaching up to 5 million rubles ($51,150) for organizations and 400,000 rubles ($4,090) for individuals.
Russia faces a significant population decline, an issue Putin has frequently highlighted as urgent.
The government has introduced various measures to boost population growth, including financial support for families, restrictions on abortions, and tightened controls on content deemed contrary to family values, such as LGBT-related materials.
Putin has framed these efforts as essential for boosting Russia's birth rate and securing its future. Critics, however, contend that the ban reflects a broader state agenda aimed at ensuring a steady supply of "future soldiers for the Kremlin," suggesting demographic policies are aligned with military needs.
Overall, Russian casualties -- killed or wounded in action -- are believed to exceed 500,000 according to Western estimates, with more men killed over the past 32 months than in an entire decade of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in the 1980s.
The drive to outlaw the childfree movement has gained traction in recent months, with Russian officials, including Federation Council Chairwoman Valentina Matviyenko, linking the trend to "radical feminism" from the West.
Matviyenko and others argue that promoting voluntary childlessness undermines family values and worsens Russia's demographic challenges.
Meanwhile, a recent study by Russia's Higher School of Economics underscores the complexities of the demographic crisis.
Polls indicate that many Russians are delaying or opting out of having children due to factors like the war in Ukraine, political uncertainty, economic strain, and rising social anxiety.
Polish President Refuses Group Photo At COP29 Summit Due To 'Lukashenka's Presence'
Polish President Andrzej Duda has skipped the official group photo at the COP29 climate summit in Baku, with Polish broadcaster Polsat saying the decision was driven by the presence of the authoritarian ruler of Belarus, Alyaksandr Lukashenka.
Lukashenka has been condemned by many Western leaders for his repressive domestic policies and alignment with Russia.
"This is a symbolic moment of the so-called family photo, when the leaders of the countries participating in the summit stand shoulder to shoulder and pose for a joint photo. The president boycotted this moment due to the fact that the leader of Belarus, Alyaksandr Lukashenka, was also there," a source close to Duda's delegation told Polsat.
"This is a symbolic disassociation, due to, among other things, Belarus's involvement in the developments in Ukraine."
At a previous summit in Dubai, leaders from Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia similarly chose to opt out of being in a photo that included Lukashenka.
The incident underscores Poland’s position as a staunch critic of Belarus's policies and as a frontline state supporting Ukraine amid Russia's ongoing full-scale invasion.
The COP29 summit, which kicked off in the Azerbaijani capital on November 11, is a critical gathering for addressing climate change, but the event also reflects broader geopolitical divides.
Lukashenka's presence contrasts with the notable absence of major Western leaders, including U.S. President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, as well as Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
With reporting by Polsat
- By Current Time
Russian Pediatrician Gets 5 Years For Anti-War Comments To Patients
A 68-year-old Russian pediatrician has been sentenced to five years in prison on charges related to the dissemination of so-called fake news about the Russian military after a patient's mother accused her of making anti-war comments.
After the judge at the Tushino district court in Moscow on November 12 sentenced Nadezhda Buyanova, who has denied making the alleged comments, dozens of people in the courtroom shouted "Shame!" and expressed solidarity with the doctor.
The case highlights the growing trend of Russians turning in other Russians for making anti-war statements as the Kremlin's full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine nears its 33rd month.
According to OVD-Info, at least 1,057 people have faced criminal prosecution for making comments deemed to be against the war while at least 20,061 have been detained for anti-war protests.
The case against Buyanova was initiated after a complaint from Anastasia Akinshina, a Moscow mother who brought her 7-year-old son in for a checkup.
During the appointment, Buyanova allegedly noticed that the child was acting nervous.
When Akinshina explained that her son was struggling with the trauma of losing his father, a Russian soldier killed in the war in Ukraine, Buyanova is said to have referred to the deceased father as a "legitimate military target" in front of the child.
The remark, according to Akinshina, prompted her to file a complaint with law enforcement.
Buyanova has denied making any such statement and insisted that she did not discuss the military or the boy's father with Akinshina during the visit. The pediatrician maintains that she is the victim of a false accusation.
Buyanova was dismissed from her job following the complaint and has since been fighting for reinstatement. A court ruled in her favor in July, demanding that she be reinstated to her position at the medical clinic.
The case has drawn attention from human rights groups and the media, particularly due to the growing number of legal actions under Russia's "fake news" law, which has been increasingly used to silence critics of the government and its military actions related to the war in Ukraine.
Critics argue that the law is part of a broader pattern of repression designed to stifle dissent and control public discourse regarding Russia's actions in Ukraine.
- By Current Time
Russia Issues Warrant For International Criminal Court Judge
A Moscow court has issued an arrest warrant for International Criminal Court (ICC) Judge Haykel Ben Mahfoudh on a charge of "illegal incarceration."
The court said on November 11 that the charge stemmed from the ICC's issuance of arrest warrants for former Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and armed forces' Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov.
Mahfoudh and his ICC colleagues, Rosario Salvatore Aitala and Sergio Gerardo Ugalde Godinez, issued the arrest warrants for Shoigu and Gerasimov in late June for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Ukraine after the start of Russia's unprovoked invasion of its neighbor in 2022.
According to the ICC judges, Shoigu and Gerasimov were responsible for Russian missile strikes conducted between October 2022 and at least March 9, 2023, against Ukraine's energy infrastructure.
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The ICC statement issued at the time said that "the expected incidental civilian harm and damage would have been clearly excessive to the anticipated military advantage" for those who ordered the strikes.
Shoigu was dismissed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in May. He now heads Putin's Security Council.
Earlier last year, Russian authorities added Aitala, along with ICC Judge Tomoko Akane and Prosecutor Karim Khan to their wanted list after they issued arrest warrants in March 2023 for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia's children's commissioner, Maria Lvova-Belova, for being responsible for the deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia following the invasion -- a war crime under international legislation.
Russia retaliated by opening criminal cases against the ICC officials.
The ICC does not have the means to enforce its arrest warrants but relies instead on the judiciaries of its 124 members to fulfill them.
With reporting by Rapsinews and Meduza
North Korea Approves Deal With Moscow That Allows Troop Deployment
North Korea has ratified a "comprehensive strategic partnership" agreement with Russia, cementing a deal that has paved the way for its soldiers to fight on Russian soil against Ukraine.
North Korea's state-controlled news agency KCNA said on November 12 that the deal, which was agreed between Moscow and Pyongyang in June, will take full effect once both sides exchange ratified copies of the agreement.
According to reports from South Korea's Yonhap news agency, Russian President Vladimir Putin has already signed the documents.
The deployment of North Korean troops in Russia's Kursk region, which has been confirmed by U.S., NATO, South Korean, and Ukrainian intelligence, has raised concerns that it will further destabilize the Asia-Pacific region and broaden Moscow's war on Ukraine.
South Korea has raised questions about what new military technologies North Korea might get from Russia in exchange for supplying troops.
"Russia working together with North Korea, Iran, and China is not only threatening Europe, it's threatening peace and security, yes, here in Europe, but also in the Indo-Pacific and in North America," NATO Chief Mark Rutte said in Paris on November 12 ahead of talks later in the day with French President Emmanuel Macron.
Russia has had to shift some resources to the Kursk border region to respond to a Ukrainian incursion launched in August, and its forces have struggled to push back Ukrainian troops there.
The United States has estimated about 10,000 North Korean troops are in Russia now. Seoul and its allies assess that the number has increased to 11,000, while Ukraine has put the figure higher, at up to 12,000.
Moscow and Pyongyang have trumpeted their increased defense cooperation since the launch of the invasion, but the Kremlin has neither denied nor directly confirmed the presence of North Korean troops on its soil.
The bolstering of Russian forces comes at a time when it appears to be making advances in Ukraine despite incurring heavy casualties.
NATO's Rutte, in the face of the battlefield gains by Russia and the election in the United States of Donald Trump, who has been critical of how much aid the West has given to Kyiv, called for continued support of Ukraine from allies.
"We must recommit to stay the course of the war and we must do more than just keep Ukraine in the fight," Rutte said.
"We need to raise the cost for Putin and his enabling authoritarian threats by providing Ukraine with the support it needs to change the trajectory of the conflict."
Macron agreed, saying the "only way toward negotiations" was to make sure that nothing is decided about "Ukraine without the Ukrainians and on Europe without the Europeans."
Jailed Mother Of Chechen Bloggers Faces New Charges
Investigators in the Russian North Caucasus region of Chechnya have launched a new probe against Zarema Musayeva, the jailed mother of three Chechen opposition bloggers in exile. Musayeva's lawyer, Aleksandr Savin, said on November 11 that his client was being investigated for "attacking a guard" and "disrupting" order in the prison, and faced an additional five years if found guilty. The 55-year-old Musayeva, whom the Memorial rights group has recognized as a political prisoner, is was jailed on charges of fraud and attacking a police officer, which she and her supporters have rejected. Her prison sentence is scheduled to end in March 2025. Musayeva is the mother of Ibragim, Abubakar, and Baisangur Yangulbayev, all of whom fled Russia due to harassment by the Chechen authorities over their vocal criticism of Kremlin-backed Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Idel.Realities, click here.
Bashkir Activist Released From Russian Prison After Health Deteriorates
A Russian court granted the "immediate" release of ethnic Bashkir activist Rustem Mulyukov on November 12 due to his deteriorating health. The 47-year-old activist has been on dialysis due to failing kidneys since late 2023. Previous requests by his lawyers for a medical release were rejected. Mulyukov was sentenced to 30 months in prison in June 2023 along with the former chief of late opposition politician Aleksei Navalny's team in Bashkortostan, Lilia Chanysheva, who was handed a 7 1/2-year term. Both were found guilty of extremism, a charge they and rights organizations called politically motivated. Chanysheva was released in August as part of a major prisoner swap between Russia and the West. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Idel.Realities, click here.
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