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Kazakh Prosecutor Seeks 7 Years In Prison For Journalist
QONAEV, Kazakhstan -- The prosecution asked a court in Kazakhstan's southern town of Qonaev to sentence journalist Duman Mukhammedkarim, who is on trial for what he says are politically motivated charges of financing an extremist group and participating in a banned group's activities, to seven years in prison.
Mukhammedkarim's lawyer, Murat Zholshiev, told RFE/RL on July 29 that prosecutors also requested the court to ban Mukhammedkarim from conducting public activities for three years.
Around 40 people gathered in front of the court building to support Mukhammedkarim as they were unable to attend the trial since it is being held behind closed doors.
On July 18, Mukhammedkarim was transferred to a hospital as his health has dramatically deteriorated after he undertook several hunger strikes to protest the secrecy of the trial.
Mukhammedkarim, whose Ne Deidi? (What Do They Say?) YouTube channel is extremely popular in Kazakhstan, was sent to pretrial detention in June 2023 over an online interview he did with fugitive banker and outspoken government critic Mukhtar Ablyazov.
Ablyazov's Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan (DVK) movement was declared extremist and banned in the country in March 2018. As Mukhammedkarim's trial started on February 12, he complained of being beaten by jail guards, prompting prosecutors to launch an investigation into the matter.
Mukhammedkarim's trial was then postponed until an unspecified date to allow for the investigation, which was shut down later due to a purported lack of evidence.
The proceedings resumed after that.
Domestic and international right organizations have urged the Kazakh authorities to drop all charges against Mukhammedkarim and immediately release him. Kazakh rights defenders have recognized Mukhammedkarim as a political prisoner.
Rights watchdogs have criticized the authorities in the tightly controlled former Soviet republic for persecuting dissent, but Astana has shrugged off the criticism, saying there are no political prisoners in the country.
The oil-rich Central Asian nation was ruled by authoritarian President Nursultan Nazarbaev from before its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 until current President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev succeeded him in 2019.
Over the past three decades, several opposition figures have been killed and many jailed or forced to flee the country.
Toqaev, who broadened his powers after Nazarbaev and his family left the oil-rich country's political scene following the deadly, unprecedented antigovernment protests in January 2022, has promised political reforms and more freedoms for citizens.
However, many in Kazakhstan describe the reforms announced by Toqaev as cosmetic, and a crackdown on dissent has continued even after the president announced his "New Kazakhstan" program.
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U.S. Lawmakers Seek To Ban Recognition Of Georgian Government, Report Says
U.S. lawmakers are reportedly poised to introduce a bill prohibiting the recognition of a Georgian Dream government less than two weeks after the party's Russia-friendly billionaire founder, Bidzina Ivanishvili, was sanctioned for undermining Georgia's democracy for the "benefit of the Russian Federation."
Fox News reported on January 8 that the bill, which has bipartisan support, would be introduced in the House of Representatives during the day.
Fox said it exclusively obtained the bill, which bars the recognition or normalization of relations "with any Government of Georgia that is led by Bidzina Ivanishvili or any proxies due to the Ivanishvili regime's ongoing crimes against the Georgian people."
"No federal official or employee may take any action, and no Federal funds may be made available, to recognize or otherwise imply, in any manner, United States recognition of Bidzina Ivanishvili or any government in Georgia," Fox quoted the bill as saying.
The move comes after the State Department on December 27 sanctioned Ivanishvili "for undermining the democratic and Euro-Atlantic future of Georgia."
Georgia, once a closer U.S. ally, has angered Washington and the European Union with its perceived tilt toward Russia and its violent crackdown on dissent in the Caucasus nation.
The sanctions come at a crucial time as Georgia's fate hangs in the balance -- whether it will intensify its tilt toward Moscow, return to the pro-Europe path or remain in an environment of unrest and uncertainty.
Police in Tbilisi have clashed with pro-West protesters over the past several weeks, detaining dozens and injuring scores of people who were angered by a government decision in November to halt negotiations on joining the European Union until 2028.
The political crisis erupted after Georgian Dream claimed victory in October parliamentary elections that the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said was marred by instances of vote-buying, double-voting, physical violence, and intimidation.
Georgia received EU candidate status in December 2023, but ties with Brussels have been tense in recent months following the adoption in May of a controversial "foreign agent" law pushed through parliament by Georgian Dream, which has been in power since 2012.
Georgian Dream pushed through its candidate, Mikheil Kavelashvili, a former soccer player and right-wing populist, as the country's new leader on December 29.
Salome Zurabishvili, his predecessor, continues to call herself Georgia's "only legitimate president."
She and the tens of thousands of Georgians demonstrating in the streets have pushed for new parliamentary elections as the only way out of the current crisis.
Earlier on January 8, Republican Congressman Joe Wilson, who is chairman of the Helsinki Commission and a sponsor of the new bill, released a letter signed by 43 American and European politicians calling for fresh elections.
"Ivanishvili's Georgian Dream party has chosen to ignore the legitimate concerns of the opposition and international monitors about the recent elections, seated a one-party legislature, and unilaterally elected a new president," the letter reads.
"They have responded with brutality to nightly protests of hundreds of thousands of protesters. The Georgian people demand free and fair elections and we must stand with them."
- By RFE/RL
Italian Podcaster Held By Tehran Released, On Way Home
Italian journalist Cecilia Sala, who was held by Tehran police for almost three weeks for her "journalistic activities," has been released and is headed home.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced in a post on X that Sala, who was detained on December 19, was on a plane to Italy on January 8.
"Thanks to intense work on diplomatic and intelligence channels, our compatriot has been released by the Iranian authorities and is returning to Italy," Meloni said.
The 29-year-old, who has a podcast called Stories that covers life in places around the world, was held for over a week before Iranian authorities confirmed her detention.
No details of the charges were made public, but they came after Sala posted a podcast from Tehran on December 17 about patriarchy in the Iranian capital.
Three days before Sala's detention, Mohammad Abedini, an Iranian-Swiss businessman who is wanted by the United States for his alleged involvement in a deadly drone attack on an American base in Jordan, was arrested in Milan, Italy.
Iran called Abedini's arrest "illegal" and subsequently summoned the Italian ambassador to Tehran over the issue.
The United States called Sala's detention "retaliatory," while media watchdogs Reporters Without Borders and the International Federation of Journalists described her arrest as "arbitrary" and aimed at "extortion."
Iran is routinely accused of arresting dual nationals and Western citizens on false charges to use them to pressure Western countries.
Reza Valizadeh, a dual U.S.-Iranian citizen and former journalist for RFE/RL's Radio Farda, was handed a 10-year sentence by Tehran's Revolutionary Court in December on charges of "collaborating with a hostile government."
Valizadeh resigned from Radio Farda in November 2022 after a decade of work. He returned to Iran in early 2024 to visit his family but was arrested on September 22.
His two court sessions, held on November 20 and December 7, reportedly lacked a prosecution representative, with the judge assuming that role.
Sources close to the journalist claim he fell into a "security trap" despite receiving unofficial assurances from Iranian security officials that he would not face legal troubles upon returning to Iran.
Iran is among the most repressive countries in terms of freedom of the press. Reporters Without Borders ranked Iran 176th 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.
At Least 13 Killed, Dozens Injured In Russian Strike On Zaporizhzhya
Ukrainian officials said at least 13 people were killed and dozens injured in a Russian air strike on the southern city of Zaporizhzhya, the latest in a series of Russian attacks causing widespread civilian casualties.
The January 8 strike hit an industrial district of the city around midafternoon, said Ivan Fedorov, head of the regional administration.
According to reports, debris hit a tram and a minibus with passengers, damaging cars parked nearby.
Video released by emergency services showed bodies mangled and bloodied on sidewalks as firefighters rushed to put out car fires and extinguish a blaze in a nearby administrative building.
"There is nothing more cruel than air strikes on a city, with the knowledge that ordinary civilians will suffer," President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a Telegram post that included graphic footage of the blast's aftermath.
It's unclear what weapon was used, though the scope of the damage and casualties suggested a larger weapon.
Ukrainian authorities, who earlier sounded air-raid sirens, warned of the possibility of a missile launch or a possible glide bomb -- an air-dropped guided weapon that Russia has used to devastating effect on Ukrainian defenses.
"The number of injured and dead is constantly increasing. Police, rescuers, medics, and other specialized services are continuously working to eliminate the consequences of the enemy attack," Interior Minister Igor Klymenko said.
"They are clearing the rubble, searching for people, providing assistance to the victims.... In particular, police paramedics saved five people."
There was no immediate comment on the attack from Russian officials.
Russia has systematically targeted Ukraine's civilian and energy infrastructure since the start of the war. It has also been accused by Kyiv of targeting residential buildings, which Moscow denies despite mounting evidence to the contrary.
Ukraine has also been accused by Moscow of targeting civilian infrastructure, but to a far less decgree.
Earlier, Ukraine claimed to have hit an oil depot inside Russia that served a strategic air base in the southern Saratov region.
The January 8 strike "creates serious logistical problems for the strategic aviation of the Russian occupiers and significantly reduces their ability to strike at peaceful Ukrainian cities and civilian objects," Ukraine's General Staff of the Armed Forces claimed on social media.
Oleksandr Kamyshin, an adviser to Volodymyr Zelenskiy, added that "long-range capabilities" were deployed in the strike, while he also used the hashtag #MadeInUkraine, implying locally made weapons, not arms supplied by the West, were used.
"Numerous explosions were recorded in the area of the target, a large-scale fire broke out. It should be noted that this oil depot supplied fuel to the Engels-2 military airfield, where the enemy's strategic aviation is based," the General Staff of the Armed Forces said.
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.
Since the beginning of 2024, Russian refineries have been regularly targeted by Ukrainian drones. At some, primary oil-processing units have failed and required repairs. Russia has said it has partially restored capacity at some key oil refineries.
The strike comes as Ukrainian forces resume their offensive operations in several directions within the Kursk region, which analysts told Current Time gives Kyiv a bargaining chip in any possible cease-fire or peace talks with Moscow.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump reiterated on January 7 that he is eager to see negotiations with Russia on ending the war in Ukraine begin soon after he returns to the White House later this month, but gave no specifics on when they would take place.
Trump said he wants to see negotiations soon because “Russia is losing a lot of young people and so is Ukraine.”
Trump, who spoke with reporters at a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, didn’t say whether or how soon he would meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin but said such a meeting would not be appropriate until after he is inaugurated on January 20.
"I can't tell you that, but I know Putin would like to meet," Trump said.
At the end of December, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there were no preconditions for a meeting between the U.S. and Russian presidents.
Dmytro Levus, a political analyst at the United Ukraine think tank, told Current Time on January 8 that Trump has limited levers to use against Russia if it does not agree to any peace deal.
"It's possible to put pressure on Russia in the oil sector," he said.
The president-elect said during his election campaign he could end the conflict in Ukraine within 24 hours of taking office.
At the news conference on January 7, Trump said he hoped to end the fighting within six months.
Trump’s return to the White House brings with it uncertainty on what impact it will have on Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which is nearly three years old, and whether negotiations can take place. But Trump told the news conference he is determined to get it "straightened out," adding that it is "a tough one."
Ukrainian officials are concerned that any hastily arranged negotiations could allow Russia to hold on to Ukrainian territory it has seized and would also give Russian forces time to rest and reorganize.
The Ukrainians also want to encourage Trump to continue U.S. military support for their country.
With reporting by RFE/RL Europe Editor Rikard Jozwiak
- By RFE/RL
Finland Says Ship Linked To Cable Damage Not Seaworthy As NATO Boosts Baltic Presence
Finland says a tanker alleged to be part of Russia's “shadow fleet” that was detained over the damaging of Baltic Sea cables has "serious deficiencies," putting it under detention amid reports NATO is due to begin patrolling near key underwater cables.
"The deficiencies detected are of a nature that operating the ship is forbidden until the deficiencies have been rectified," Sanna Sonninen, director-general of the Maritime Sector at the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency (Traficom), said in a statement on January 8.
"Rectifying the deficiencies will require external assistance for repairs and will take time,” it added.
Finland is currently conducting a criminal investigation into the oil tanker Eagle S. It is suspected of sabotaging the EstLink-2 power cable -- which sends electricity between Finland and Estonia -- on December 25.
Several other incidents have taken place in recent months in the Baltic Sea, including damage to an Internet cable linking Finland and Germany and another linking Finland and Sweden.
In response to the threat of further incidents, Finnish state broadcaster YLE reported that NATO ships will begin patrolling the areas in the Baltic where cables run. The move is intended to act as a deterrent and reduce the risk of further sabotage that is believed to have been carried out by Russia's "shadow fleet."
YLE reported that up to 10 ships will take part in the security patrols and will remain until at least April.
The “shadow fleet” consists of a number of old, uninsured oil vessels used to bypass Western sanctions on Russia and maintain a source of revenue for the Kremlin. The ships carry Russian crude oil and petroleum products that have been barred following Moscow's February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Finnish police said on January 7 that an anchor had been recovered from the bottom of the Baltic Sea as part of investigations into the cable-damaging incidents.
Authorities have said they suspect the damage to the EstLink-2 cable was caused by a ship dragging its anchor and said the Eagle S was missing one of its anchors.
The Swedish Navy said earlier on January 7 that it had recovered the anchor after sending a submarine to assist Finland in the investigation. A spokesman for the navy told the AFP news agency that the anchor had been handed over to Finnish authorities.
Investigators said earlier that they found a track on the seabed dozens of kilometers long indicating that the ship dragged its anchor. However, they had not yet located the missing anchor at that time.
“The location where the anchor was found is along the route of the Eagle S toward the western end of the drag trace found on the seabed," Finland's National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said in a statement.
The captain and another crew member of the seized oil tanker are Georgian nationals, Georgia's Maritime Transport Agency told RFE/RL on January 6. The agency said a representative of the Georgian Embassy had been informed of the two crew members' detention.
Moscow has said it has no connection to the Eagle S and that Finland's seizure of the vessel is not a matter that concerns Russia. It has regularly denied that it is involved in any of the other incidents involving infrastructure assets in the Baltic Sea region.
Britain said on January 6 that it was leading a new initiative using artificial intelligence to "track potential threats to undersea infrastructure and monitor the Russian shadow fleet."
"Specific vessels identified as being part of Russia's shadow fleet have been registered into the system so they can be closely monitored when approaching key areas of interest," the Defense Ministry in London said.
It added that if a "potential risk is assessed, the system will monitor the suspicious vessel in real time and immediately send out a warning" shared with nations of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) and NATO.
The 10-nation JEF also includes Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Netherlands, and Sweden.
With reporting by RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service and YLE
Jump In Iranian Executions In 2024 Prompts UN Outrage
Iran executed at least 901 people in 2024 -- including 31 women, some of whom were convicted of killing their husbands while fighting off a rape or other cases of domestic violence -- a nine-year high that has sparked outrage at the United Nations.
About 40 of the total executions came in the last week of December alone, the UN high commissioner for human rights said in a report published on January 7.
"The increase in the number of people executed in Iran over the past year is very worrying," High Commissioner Volker Turk said, adding that the total had climbed from 853 in 2023.
“It is high time Iran stemmed this ever-swelling tide of executions,” he added.
The UN said that most of the executions were for drug-related offenses, but it added that dissidents and people connected to protests in 2022 were also executed.
Protests erupted across Iran in 2022, triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini, a young woman who was arrested for allegedly violating the hijab law, while in police custody.
During the protests, women and girls removed and burned their head scarves.
The authorities waged a brutal crackdown on protesters, killing hundreds and arresting thousands.
In the latest report, Turk called on Tehran to halt all future executions.
“It is incompatible with the fundamental right to life and raises the unacceptable risk of executing innocent people. And, to be clear, it can never be imposed for conduct that is protected under international human rights law,” Turk said.
UN spokeswoman Liz Throssell told reporters in Geneva that the number of women executed in Iran was the highest figure in at least the past 15 years.
"The majority of cases involved charges of murder. A significant number of the women were victims of domestic violence, child marriage, or forced marriage," she said.
Throssell told Reuters that one of the women executed for murder had killed her husband to prevent him from raping her daughter.
The conservative Islamic state has a long history of violating the rights of citizens, especially women and girls.
Masud Pezeshkian, who many labeled as a reformist, won Iran’s presidential election in July, vowing to better protect the rights of women and minorities, but many rights activists and international observers remain skeptical pending substantive actions.
With reporting by Reuters
Trump Says Ukraine Peace Talks Could Begin Soon After Taking Office
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has said again that he is eager to see negotiations with Russia on ending the war in Ukraine begin soon after he returns to the White House but gave no specifics on when they would take place.
Trump said he wants to see negotiations soon because “Russia is losing a lot of young people and so is Ukraine.”
Trump, who spoke with reporters at a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, didn’t say whether or how soon he would meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin but said such a meeting would not be appropriate until after he is inaugurated on January 20.
"I can't tell you that, but I know Putin would like to meet," Trump said.
At the end of December, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there were no preconditions for a meeting between the U.S. and Russian presidents.
The president-elect said during his election campaign he could end the conflict in Ukraine within 24 hours of taking office. At the news conference Trump said he hoped to end the fighting within six months.
"I hope long before six months," Trump said, when asked if he could solve the war within half a year.
Trump’s return to the White House brings with it uncertainty on what impact it will have on the nearly three-year-old conflict and whether negotiations can take place. But Trump told the news conference he is determined to get it "straightened out," adding that it is "a tough one."
Ukrainian officials are concerned that any hastily arranged negotiations could allow Russia to hold on to Ukrainian territory it has seized and would also give Russian forces time to rest and reorganize.
The Ukrainians also want to encourage Trump to continue U.S. military support for their country. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha announced on January 7 that a trip to Ukraine by Trump's special envoy for Ukraine and Russia had been canceled and would have to be rescheduled.
The envoy, Keith Kellogg, has been tasked with leading negotiations to end the war. Kellogg has said that potential cease-fire talks could begin once Trump takes office and, in a December interview with Fox News, said the war could "be resolved in the next few months."
The planned meetings between Kellogg and Ukrainian officials are “extremely important,” Sybiha said during a news conference with his visiting Icelandic counterpart.
“I am confident that this meeting will take place in due course,” he told reporters in Kyiv. “We are in contact to clearly define the timeline for its organization and to ensure that the meeting is as meaningful as possible.”
Ramstein Meeting
Trump was not asked about a report that the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden is set to announce a massive final military aid package for Ukraine as part of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s visit to Germany on January 9.
Austin is scheduled to meet with representatives of about 50 partner nations in the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at an air base in Ramstein, Germany.
The package is expected to be “substantial," according to two officials who briefed reporters on Austin’s trip. The officials did not provide an exact dollar amount.
Austin's trip will be his final meeting with the contact group, which he organized after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Together those nations have provided more than $126 billion in weapons, military training, and assistance since the war started. The U.S. portion of the total is $66 billion.
The package to be announced later this week will draw from existing U.S. stockpiles with a goal of getting most of the weapons to Ukraine by the time Trump is sworn in, one of the officials said.
Trump also urged NATO members to increase their defense spending to 5 percent of GDP, up from the current 2 percent target, reinforcing his long-held claim that they are not paying enough for U.S. protection.
U.S. Imposes Sanctions On Senior Hungarian Official Over Alleged Corruption
The United States has announced sanctions on a senior Hungarian official with a critical role in Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government for his alleged involvement in corruption.
The sanctions are being imposed on Antal Rogan, who “has used his role to enrich himself and those loyal to his party,” the U.S. Treasury Department said in a news release on January 7.
Rogan “orchestrated schemes designed to control several strategic sectors of the Hungarian economy” and skim the proceeds from the sectors for himself and loyalists to Orban’s Fidesz party, the department said.
Under Orban's right-wing government, Hungary has been accused, at home and abroad, of democratic backsliding.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto blasted the U.S. action, calling it a “personal vendetta” of the U.S. ambassador.
“How good it is that in a few days' time the United States will be led by people who see our country as a friend and not an enemy,” he added, referring to the January 20 inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, who has often praised Orban.
The U.S. statement noted that, in his role as minister in charge of Orban’s cabinet office, Rogan controls many government entities, including the National Communications Office, the Digital Government Agency, and the Hungarian Tourism Agency. Rogan also has been a member of parliament in Hungary since 1998.
“Throughout his tenure as a government official, Rogan has orchestrated Hungary’s system for distributing public contracts and resources to cronies loyal to himself and the Fidesz political party,” the department said.
He is being designated under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, which targets perpetrators of serious human rights abuses and corruption around the world.
“Corruption undermines a country’s governing institutions and limits its economic development, providing short-sighted gain to a select few while depriving future generations of longer-term benefit,” said acting Treasury Undersecretary Bradley T. Smith.
The department said public sector corruption in Hungary has been worsening for more than a decade, leading to Hungary receiving the lowest score of any European Union (EU) member state on Transparency International’s 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index for the second consecutive year.
It also said whistleblowers in Hungary have criticized the government for operating a kleptocracy with a notable lack of transparency and equity in public and private expenditure deals made between administrators such as Rogan and loyalist business leaders.
"Hungary’s failure to address transparency issues in its public procurement mechanisms has most recently led to a loss of over 1 billion Euros in future funding from the European Union, disadvantaging Hungarian citizens,” the department noted.
The Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act targets perpetrators of serious human rights abuse and corruption around the world. The sanctions freeze any property Rogan holds within U.S. jurisdiction and bar any dealings with him by a U.S. person.
- By RFE/RL
Authorities Find Anchor Believed To Be Linked To Damaged Cables In Baltic Sea
Finnish police say an anchor has been recovered from the bottom of the Baltic Sea as part of an investigation into an incident last week in which undersea power and telecommunications cables were damaged.
Authorities have said they suspect the damage was caused by a ship dragging its anchor and have detained a tanker carrying Russian oil, the Eagle S, that was missing one of its anchors. Investigators said earlier that they found a track on the seabed dozens of kilometers long indicating the ship dragged its anchor, but until now they had not found the missing anchor.
"The location where the anchor was found is along the route of the Eagle S...toward the western end of the drag trace found on the seabed," Finland's National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said in a statement.
The Swedish Navy said earlier on January 7 it had recovered the anchor after sending a submarine to assist Finland in the investigation. A spokesman for the navy told AFP that the anchor had been handed over to Finnish authorities.
Finnish customs have said they suspected the tanker is part of Russia's "shadow fleet" -- ships that carry Russian crude oil and petroleum products that are embargoed over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
The Estlink 2 electricity interconnector cable between Finland and Estonia was suddenly disconnected from the grid on December 25 along with four telecommunications lines. The Cook Islands-flagged Eagle S was detained by Finnish authorities shortly afterward and is being held in Finnish waters in the Baltic Sea.
The captain and another crew member of the seized oil tanker are Georgian nationals, Georgia's Maritime Transport Agency told RFE/RL on January 6. The agency said a representative of the Georgian Embassy had been informed of the two crew members' detention.
The incident, one of several since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, has raised concerns across Europe that energy and communications infrastructure are being targeted as part of what experts and politicians call Russia's hybrid war with Western countries.
Moscow has said it has no connection to the Eagle S and Finland's seizure of the vessel is not a matter for Russia. It has regularly denied that it is involved in any of the other incidents involving Baltic Sea region infrastructure assets.
NATO announced it will strengthen its military presence in the Baltic Sea following the damage caused to the Estlink 2 and similar incidents since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Two of the damaged telecommunications cables have been repaired, according to their operators, but it remained unclear when the Estlink 2 power cable would be fixed.
With reporting by Reuters and AFP
Belarus Rejects Zelenskiy's Comments on Apology Following Russia's Invasion
Belarusian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka did not apologize to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in the days following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a spokeswoman for the authoritarian leader said, disputing recent comments made by Zelenskiy.
"No apologies were made by the Belarusian president to Zelenskiy for the simple reason that we have nothing to apologize for," spokeswoman Natalia Eismont told Russian media on January 6 while confirming that a phone call did take place.
She was responding to comments made by Zelenskiy during an interview with U.S. podcaster Lex Fridman published a day earlier.
The Ukrainian leader said that in the first days following Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, Lukashenka apologized for the missiles that were fired from Belarusian territory.
"He said that 'it was not me. Missiles were launched from my territory and [Russian President Vladimir] Putin was the one launching them,'" Zelenskiy related.
Zelenskiy said Lukashenka told him: "Volodymyr, this is not me. I'm not in charge.... I’m not in charge. These are just missiles. This is Putin."
"I told him, 'You are a murderer, too, I’m just saying.' He told me, 'You must understand, you can't fight the Russians.'"
The Belarus spokeswoman claimed that during the call, Lukashenka "primarily said the conflict broke out on the territory of Ukraine, on Zelenskiy's territory, and it is he who will eventually have to be responsible for the loss of life more than anyone else."
While Belarus has not sent forces to join Russia's war in Ukraine, it has allowed Moscow to use its territory as a staging ground for the full-scale invasion it launched in February 2022.
Moscow and Minsk in 2023 signed documents allowing for the placement of Russian tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus -- the first relocation of such warheads outside Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union.
The announcement sparked immediate criticism from governments around the world, while NATO called it "dangerous and irresponsible."
Lukashenka has waged a relentless clampdown on dissent with the support of Putin since unprecedented street protests erupted in the former Soviet republic after he declared victory in a fraught election for a sixth presidential term in 2020.
A presidential election is scheduled for January 26, one in which Lukashenka is certain to be declared the winner.
With reporting by Ukrinform
Kursk Battles Rage As U.S. Set To Unveil 'Final' Aid Package Under Biden
The Ukrainian military continued its drive in Russia's Kursk region late on January 7, claiming it hit a key Russian command post, while Washington is reportedly set to announce a "substantial" final weapons package under the current administration.
AP, citing two senior defense officials, reported that President Joe Biden's administration will announce the aid package during Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s visit to Ramstein, Germany, on January 9 for the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting, a summit of some 50 partner nations.
The officials did not discuss the amount or nature of the package other than to say it would be "substantial," as Biden looks to shore up Ukraine's defenses before he leaves office on January 20.
One of the officials said Biden's defense team has been in contact with President-elect Donald Trump's transition leaders regarding "all the issues that we believe are important” regarding Ukraine.
In his nightly video address on January 7, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said his team is "thoroughly preparing" for the crucial Ramstein meeting, without elaborating.
On the battlefield, the General Staff of the Ukrainian military said it hit the Russian command post with a "high-precision strike," adding that "a series of recent operations...were coordinated with the Ukrainian Ground Forces who are currently commencing new offensive operations."
It said Russia's 810th Separate Marine Brigade in the village of Bila in the Kursk region was targeted, although it did not disclose the results of the attack.
Dozens of clashes had been reported earlier in the Kursk region. The General Staff said at least 94 battles had taken place in over the previous 24 hours in an operation it said was aimed at "preventing an enemy offensive in the Sumy region" on the Ukrainian side of the border with Kursk.
A spokesman for Ukraine's National Guard said Russia has been forced to transfer units to the Kursk region to reinforce troops there.
"What we are seeing now has an effect not only on the north of the Kharkiv region -- on the enemy's activity along the border with the Sumy region -- but also on other directions of the front," Ruslan Muzychuk said on Ukrainian television.
Ukraine's army also rejected Russia's claim that it had taken the strategic town of Kurakhove, saying it was still repelling attacks near the town despite being outmanned.
Battlefield claims by either side could not be independently verified.
Ukrainian forces resumed offensive operations in several directions within the Kursk region in recent days, which analysts told Current Time gives Kyiv a bargaining chip in any possible cease-fire or peace talks with Moscow.
"It is important for Ukraine to have a bridgehead in the Kursk region as an instrument of pressure in the negotiations and as an opportunity to negotiate a territorial exchange," Ukrainian political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko told Current Time on January 7.
"Ukraine doesn't need any territory in Russia. Ukraine can negotiate to withdraw from the Kursk region, but in exchange, for example, for the withdrawal of Russian troops from the Kharkiv region. Such an option is possible."
Ukrainian troops first pushed into in a surprise incursion on August 6. They have since resisted Russian attempts to fully expel them.
According to Russian pro-war accounts on Telegram that closely follow and document frontline developments, the attack is being carried out with armored vehicles, mine-clearing vehicles, and electronic warfare systems, which are said to be successfully countering Russian drones.
Russia's Defense Ministry had claimed its troops had taken the Ukrainian town of Kurakhove some 30 kilometers south of Pokrovsk -- the strategic logistics hub that has been the target of Russian forces over the past several months.
The situation there remains unclear as of late January 7.
If Russian forces were to take Pokrovsk, it would represent a major gain for the Kremlin after fighting that has left the city mostly in ruins, with most of its 64,000 prewar population having fled.
Russian advances around Kurakhove and Kyiv's offensive in Kursk come ahead of the inauguration Trump, who has previously said that ending the war in Ukraine would be a priority for his first day in office.
Fesenko said both sides are trying to strengthen their pre-negotiation positions and also "to show their strength, their power to the new U.S. administration in order to put it under military pressure."
The scale of the current offensive and whether it will lead to changes along the front line remains unclear, but U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on January 6 that Ukraine's positioning in Kursk indeed is critical to possible future peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv.
Videos online purported to show columns of Ukrainian military vehicles speeding across snow-covered land in the Kursk region.
The MIG Rossyy channel claimed the Ukrainian military has had "local successes," saying, "These are not sluggish maneuvers of small sabotage groups, but a full-scale attempt to attack.”
Russian forces, supported by the introduction of thousands of North Korean soldiers, have advanced but failed to eject Ukrainian troops entirely from Kursk.
The offensive was reportedly launched from the district center of Sudzha, which has been under Ukrainian control since August, in the direction of Bolshoye Soldatskoye, which lies some 70 kilometers from Kursk city, the region's administrative center.
Zelenskiy said late on January 6 that Russia had suffered heavy losses in five months of fighting Ukrainian forces in Kursk, with nearly 15,000 killed. He did not present evidence to back up the claim.
Ukraine's General Staff said on January 6 that Russian forces have lost 1,550 soldiers over the past 24 hours. It did not elaborate.
Russia's Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said on January 7 that it had inflicted several defeats on Ukrainian units in Kursk.
About half of the land seized in Ukraine's initial offensive has been recaptured since August, but Kyiv still holds Sudzha and about 500 square kilometers of Russian territory.
In November, Ukraine reported its forces had engaged in combat with North Korean soldiers in the Kursk region and Ukrainian officials have claimed that North Korean forces are suffering heavy losses.
The introduction of North Korean troops followed Ukraine's cross-border offensive, which Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned as a "major provocation."
3 Years After 'Bloody January,' Kazakh Families Still Awaiting Justice
In January 2022, anti-government protests erupted across Kazakhstan, prompting a violent police crackdown that left hundreds dead. In the city of Shymkent, 20 people were killed in one night, including Nurbolat Alpamys, a young man just days from his 20th birthday. His parents have petitioned the local government to hold security forces accountable for their son's death, but their efforts only led to Nurbolat's father being jailed himself.
Moldovan Government, Energy Firm To Send Supplies To Some Transdniester Settlements
The Moldovan government on January 6 said it would provide natural gas to 14 localities in the Moscow-backed Transdniester breakaway region as residents there suffer through the brutal winter after Russian supplies were cut off on New Year's Day.
The settlements are those that are already connected to Moldovan networks. Moldova's Premier Energy Distribution firm said it would supply electricity to two localities that are technically connected to the western -- or government-controlled -- bank of the Dniester River.
The cutoff was the result of Ukraine’s refusal to extend a transit contract with Russian state gas giant Gazprom as Kyiv and its Western partners look to deny Moscow revenue used to fund its war in Ukraine.
Even before the January 1 cutoff, Gazprom said it was ceasing deliveries to Moldova because of a debt dispute. Russia says Moldova owes it more than more than $700 million. Chisinau puts the figure at $9 million.
Transdniester, the breakaway territory on the eastern bank of the Dniester, has Russian troops on its soil and has governed its own affairs -- with Moscow’s backing --- since a war that erupted as the Soviet Union collapsed in the early 1990s.
Moldovan authorities on January 6 announced the summoning of a Russian diplomat following accusations over the worsening situation in Transdniester amid fears of a complete electricity blackout in the region.
The Foreign Ministry in Chisinau said it “strongly refutes the dangerous disinformation spread by the embassy of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Moldova, which seeks to deflect responsibility for a crisis that Moscow itself has created.”
“We firmly condemn these false statements, which are aimed at dividing Moldovan society and obscuring the true origins of the energy crisis [in Transdniester],” it said on its website.
Tens of thousands already are without gas for heating in the separatist enclave, which is experiencing freezing temperatures. People have been forced to burn wood or rely on plug-in electric heaters for warmth.
With reporting by AFP and Reuters
- By RFE/RL
Brazilian Lab Sends Data From Doomed Flight's Recorders To Kazakh Investigators
A lab run by Brazil's air force has sent data from the flight recorders recovered from the Brazilian-made Azerbaijan Airlines plane that crashed last month to the Kazakhstan authority investigating the crash.
The lab said in a statement on January 6 that it had completed the extraction of the data from the cockpit recorders of the Embraer plane and turned the material over to the investigators.
Kazakh authorities announced on December 29 that the recorders were being sent to Brazil amid accusations by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev that Russia was trying to "cover up" the cause of the tragedy.
The Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane was flying from the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, to Grozny in Russia's Chechnya region on December 25 when it was diverted and crashed in Kazakhstan, killing 38 of the 67 people on board.
The Kazakh Transport Ministry said the commission in charge of the probe had sent the flight recorders to the Center for the Investigation and Prevention of Aeronautical Accidents in Brazil amid evidence that the jet was hit by a Russian air-defense missile before it went down near Aqtau in western Kazakhstan.
Aliyev said on December 29 that the plane was mistakenly shot at while approaching Grozny. He also said Russia had not admitted guilt or apologized to Azerbaijan but instead had presented “absurd theories" about a bird strike or an explosion of a gas cylinder on the plane.
Those theories, Aliyev said, showed "that the Russian side wanted to cover up the issue."
The Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized to Aliyev but did not accept blame for the plane crash.
In a phone call with Aliyev on December 28, Putin said Russian air defenses were repelling an alleged Ukrainian drone attack on Grozny when the plane was trying to land at the airport there, a Kremlin statement said.
Russia's Investigative Committee has opened a criminal investigation into the possible violation of flight safety rules, the statement said.
With reporting by Reuters
2 Georgians Among Detained Crew From Ship Suspected Of Damaging Baltic Sea Cable
The captain and another crew member of the seized oil tanker suspected of damaging an electric power cable in the Baltic Sea last month are Georgian nationals.
Georgia's Maritime Transport Agency told RFE/RL on January 6 that according to the ship's registry and "relevant partner agencies" in Finland, the two are part of the crew of the Eagle S, which was detained by Finnish authorities last month to help secure a financial claim for damages related to the breakdown of the undersea Estlink 2 electricity interconnector.
The cable between Finland and Estonia was suddenly disconnected from the grid on December 25 along with telecommunications lines. The Cook Islands-flagged Eagle S was detained by Finnish authorities and is being held in Finnish waters in the Baltic Sea pending an investigation.
The incident, one of several since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, has raised concerns across Europe that energy and communications infrastructure are being targeted as part of what experts and politicians call Russia's hybrid war with Western countries.
"A representative of the Georgian Embassy has already communicated with them [the two crew members]," the Maritime Transport Agency said.
"[We] will await the completion of the investigation and will discuss further steps in accordance with the results," it added.
Investigators have said they found a track on the seabed dozens of kilometers long indicating the ship dragged its anchor, but they have yet to find the anchor.
According to the global ship monitoring website MarineTraffic, the ship significantly reduced speed at the same time interference was detected in the electrical power cable.
The owner of the vessel, United Arab Emirates-based Caravella LLC FZ, has previously asked Finnish authorities to release it. The company has not responded to Fingrid's request to seize the vessel.
Moscow has said it has no connection to the Eagle S and Finland's seizure of the vessel is not a matter for Russia. It has regularly denied that it is involved in any of the other incidents involving Baltic Sea region infrastructure assets.
NATO announced it will strengthen its military presence in the Baltic Sea following the damage caused to the Estlink 2 and similar incidents since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The same day -- December 26 -- that Finnish authorities boarded and took command of the Eagle S, the European Commission said an unnamed cargo ship suspected of having deliberately damaged power and Internet cables in the Baltic Sea was part of Russia's "shadow fleet."
The poor condition of these ships has also raised concerns about environmental disasters.
Investigators have said the damage to the Estlink 2 and the telecommunications cables could have been caused by the ship intentionally dragging its anchor.
The security chief for Finnish telecommunications operator Elisa echoed that assessment on January 6, telling AFP that the damaged cables appeared to have been severed by an anchor.
"There is compelling evidence of the Eagle S at the site," Jaakko Wallenius said, adding that it is up to law enforcement to determine who was responsible.
Wallenius said two of the damaged telecommunications cables had been repaired. One of the others is expected to be fixed by January 10, its operator said. It was unclear when the Estlink 2 power cable would be fixed.
Kyiv Presses On In Kursk As Russians Claim To Take Key Town In Ukraine
Ukraine on January 6 pressed its new assault in Kursk amid claims by Kyiv of major Russian losses there, while Moscow said its forces had taken a key town in eastern Ukraine as both sides bid for strategic positions ahead of any potential cease-fire talks.
The U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War said in a report late on January 5 that Ukrainian forces had resumed offensive operations in at least three directions within the Kursk region and achieved "tactical advances."
The scale of the current offensive and whether it will lead to changes along the front line remains unclear, but U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken noted Ukraine's positioning in Kursk is critical to possible future peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv.
"Their position in Kursk is an important one because certainly it's something that would factor in any negotiation that may come about in the coming year," Blinken told reporters during a trip to Seoul on January 6.
Ukrainian military agencies and Russian bloggers both reported intense fighting in Kursk, where Ukrainian troops first pushed into in a surprise incursion on August 6. They have since resisted Russian attempts to fully expel them.
Russian military analyst Yan Matveyev told RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service on January 6 that the fresh push of the Kursk operation is more likely to be aimed at short-term goals rather than the longer term.
"It's difficult to assume that Ukrainian forces have enough reserves to occupy vast territories in the Kursk region, including Kursk itself," he said.
"They might try and expand their foothold ahead of negotiations. Besides, an attack like that makes the defensive side, Russia in this case, accumulate additional forces, thus weakening possible attacks in other parts of the front," he added.
The head of Ukraine's presidential office, Andriy Yermak, said there "was good news from the Kursk region" and that Russia was "getting what it deserves."
According to Russian pro-war accounts on Telegram that closely follow and document frontline developments, the attack is being carried out with armored vehicles, mine-clearing vehicles, and electronic warfare systems, which are said to be successfully countering Russian drones.
Videos online purported to show columns of Ukrainian military vehicles speeding across snow-covered land in the Kursk region.
The MIG Rossyy channel claimed the Ukrainian military has had "local successes," saying, "These are not sluggish maneuvers of small sabotage groups, but a full-scale attempt to attack.”
RFE/RL has not been able to independently verify the reports.
Russian forces, supported by the introduction of thousands of North Korean soldiers, have advanced but failed to eject Ukrainian troops entirely.
The offensive has reportedly been launched from the district center of Sudzha, which has been under Ukrainian control since August, in the direction of Bolshoye Soldatskoye, which lies some 70 kilometers from Kursk city, the region's administrative center.
The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement it had repelled a Ukrainian assault near the village of Berdin, some 15 kilometers from the border.
About half of the land seized in the initial offensive has been recaptured since August, but Kyiv still holds Sudzha and about 500 square kilometers of Russian territory.
In November, Ukraine reported its forces had engaged in combat with North Korean soldiers in the Kursk region and Ukrainian officials have claimed that North Korean forces are suffering heavy losses.
The introduction of North Korean troops followed Ukraine's cross-border offensive, which Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned as a "major provocation."
Ukraine's General Staff said in a statement on January 6 that Russian forces have lost 1,550 soldiers over the past 24 hours. It did not elaborate.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russia has lost 38,000 in five months of fighting in the Kursk region, describing nearly 15,000 of the losses as "irrecoverable."
Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address that Russia had deployed its strongest units to Kursk, including soldiers from North Korea, and Ukraine's operation in the region had prevented them from being deployed to the front line in the Donetsk, Sumy, Kharkiv, and Zaporizhzhya regions.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry said its troops had taken the Ukrainian town of Kurakhove some 30 kilometers south of Pokrovsk – the strategic logistics hub that has been the target of Russian forces over the past several months.
If Russian forces were to take Pokrovsk, it would represent a major gain for the Kremlin after fighting that has left the city mostly in ruins, with most of its 64,000 prewar population having fled.
The developments come ahead of the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on January 20, who has previously said that ending the war in Ukraine would be a priority for his first day in office.
Keith Kellogg, the Trump administration's incoming envoy for Ukraine and Russia, has been tasked with leading negotiations to end the war and also said that potential cease-fire talks could begin once Trump takes office.
In a December interview with Fox News, Kellogg said the war could "be resolved in the next few months."
Amid speculation that he could visit Ukraine in the coming days, Reuters reported on January 6 that Kellogg had postponed the trip until after Trump's January 20 inauguration.
Citing four sources familiar with the matter, Reuters reported that Kellogg is also seeking to set up meetings in other European capitals, including Rome and Paris.
In his comments, Blinken didn't comment on the actual operations by the Ukrainian troops in Kursk, but he did say that if and when talks finally start, Kyiv would still need "adequate security assurances" against Putin.
"There is going to be, at some point, a cease-fire. It's not going to be in Putin's mind 'game over'," Blinken said.
"His imperial ambitions remain, and what he will seek to do is to rest, refit, and eventually re-attack," Blinken said, calling for an "adequate deterrent in place so that he doesn't do that."
With reporting by RFE/RL's Russian Service
Zelenskiy Calls For U.S. Security Guarantees, Seeks Early Trump Meeting
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says any security guarantees for his country to end the war with Russia would only be meaningful if they were provided by the United States and that he hopes to meet with President-elect Donald Trump soon after his January 20 inauguration.
"Without the United States, security guarantees are not possible," he said in a three-hour interview published on January 5 with U.S. podcaster Lex Fridman.
"I mean security guarantees that can prevent Russian aggression."
In the interview, which took place in Kyiv and in English, Ukrainian, and even Russian at times, Zelenskiy stressed his belief that any cease-fire without security guarantees for Kyiv would be used by the Kremlin as an opportunity to resupply and reorganize for new offensives.
As the third anniversary of Russia's unprovoked, full-scale invasion approaches on February 24, the death and destruction continues in many Ukrainian cities -- mainly in the east and in territory occupied by Kremlin forces -- and across the border in Russia's Kursk region.
Uncertain times lie ahead for Kyiv, with Trump set to reclaim the White House on January 20.
Trump, who has vocally criticized the volume of U.S. aid to Ukraine, has repeatedly vowed to bring the conflict to a quick end, though he has provided few details. Many Ukraine supporters are concerned he will press terms unacceptable to Kyiv.
A push for a cease-fire is almost certain, however, in light of Trump's promises to end the war quickly.
The outgoing administration of President Joe Biden shepherded some $60 billion to Ukraine in weapons, equipment, and other aid over the past four years.
Zelenskiy has a long, difficult history with the incoming president.
Trump's first impeachment as president in 2019 was sparked by a phone call between Trump and Zelenskiy in which Trump appeared to condition U.S. military aid on Zelenskiy ordering a criminal investigation of Biden.
Trump has taken aim at Zelenskiy several times. During his presidential campaign, he repeated his description of the Ukrainian president as "the greatest salesman in the world" -- a reference to the tens of billions of dollars in aid that lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have approved since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion.
However, in the interview, Zelenskiy said he is confident Trump will help bring a fair, sustainable peace deal, along with the required security assurances.
"Trump and I will come to an agreement and...offer strong security guarantees, together with Europe, and then we can talk to the Russians," Zelenskiy said.
"We and Trump come first, and Europe will support Ukraine's position," he said.
"I think that President Trump not only has the will, he has all these possibilities, and it's not just talk," Zelenskiy added.
"I really count on him, and I think that our people really count on him, so he has enough power to pressure him, to pressure [Russian President Vladimir] Putin."
Asked what he would need to consider a cease-fire, Zelenskiy said security guarantees, preferably within the NATO alliance -- something Putin has vehemently opposed.
NATO membership was one of the Kremlin's original grievances used to justify the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
In any settlement, Zelenskiy said, Western partners should, at the least, guarantee security in Ukrainian territory not now occupied by Russia, continue to supply military assistance, and to keep in place the economic sanctions that have devastated Russia's economy.
"If we do not have security guarantees, Putin will come again," he said.
Zelenskiy said Putin's goals are to bring about "a weak NATO" and a "Ukraine which cannot survive on the battlefield," and to "prevent me from building a strong relationship with Trump."
Zelenskiy also relayed what he said was a phone conversation with close Kremlin ally Alyaksandr Lukashenka, the authoritarian ruler of neighboring Belarus.
Zelenskiy said that in the first days following Russia's full-scale invasion, Lukashenka apologized for the missiles that were fired from Belarus territory.
"He said that 'it was not me. Missiles were launched from my territory and Putin was the one launching them.'"
Zelenskiy said the Belarus strongman told him: "Volodymyr, this is not me. I'm not in charge.... I’m not in charge. These are just missiles. This is Putin."
"I told him, 'You are a murderer, too, I’m just saying.' He told me, 'You must understand, you can't fight the Russians.'"
With reporting by Reuters
Thousands In Montenegro Protest Response To Mass Shooting, Demand Resignations
PODGORICA -- Thousands of people rallied in the streets of the Montenegrin capital, Podgorica, on January 5, protesting what they call an inadequate response to a deadly mass shooting on January 1 and demanding the resignation of top security officials.
“Be fair and correct -- innocent citizens were killed,” said Marko Vukcevic of an informal student group that organized the rally.
“You failed to protect us and that's why you must resign immediately."
Demonstrators specifically called for Interior Minister Danilo Saranovic and the deputy prime minister in charge of security, Aleksa Becic, to step down.
Many protesters chanted "Resignation," "Your hands are bloody," and "Murderers."
The mass shooting -- sparked by a brawl at a local bar -- killed 12 people, including two children, in the city of Cetinje on New Year’s Day. The city, with a population of about 13,000, is some 34 kilometers west of the capital.
The suspected shooter, Aco Martinovic, died on the way to the hospital after attempting suicide following the killings and subsequent manhunt.
Martinovic had previously had illegal weapons confiscated in 2022 and received a three-month prison sentence in late 2024, which he had appealed.
Police have not yet revealed the identities of the victims, but they are believed to have been relatives, friends, and godparents of Martinovic.
In Cetinje, site of the tragedy, some 2,000 residents converged for 12 minutes of silence at 5:26 p.m. -- the exact time on January 1 when the first four people were killed in the Velestovo tavern, located near the gathering site.
In response to the shooting, the government on January 3 announced a raft of new gun-control measures following a seven-hour session of the National Security Council, which is chaired by the country's president.
The proposed law, announced by Prime Minister Milojko Spajic, will mandate the reverification of existing weapons licenses and impose severe penalties for those who fail to surrender illegal weapons within a two-month period.
Spajic also said that hunting clubs would be verified and the authorities would establish an anonymous tip line where citizens can report illegal weapons possession for a reward.
While estimates vary, Montenegro has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in Europe. In the country of just over 620,000 people, there are about 245,000 firearms in use, according to the Swiss-based Small Arms Survey.
Other estimates suggest the figure is lower. According to 2022 police data provided to RFE/RL's Balkan Service, there are over 100,000 legally owned weapons in Montenegro, while illegal firearms are estimated to number between 40,000 and 80,000.
The prime minister also highlighted staff shortages in law enforcement, noting that around 1,000 police officers had retired in the previous two years. He announced his intention to expedite the hiring of 200 additional officers.
Addressing questions about the police response, Spajic said all killings occurred within 20 minutes across five locations, describing it as "a tsunami of violence." He said police only learned about the crimes after the eighth victim was killed. It took five and a half hours from the last victim's death to Martinovic's body being found.
Cetinje Mayor Nikola Djuraskovic also called for the resignation of the political leadership among security officials and called for an urgent meeting of the country's parliament to discuss the matter.
With reporting by Reuters
Armenian General Arrested Amid Ongoing Political Frictions
The former deputy chief of the general staff of Armenia’s armed forces has been arrested on charges of negligence relating to the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, amid ongoing political tensions inside the Caucasus country.
Lieutenant General Tiran Khachatrian was arrested on January 4 and will be detained awaiting trial. State prosecutors allege that Khachatrian failed to perform his official duties during the 44-day war in 2020 between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Khachatrian has denied the accusations and his legal team say they plan to file an appeal. In a January 5 statement, his lawyers called the charges “groundless” and that the detention of the former high-ranking military officer is retribution for his political views and that he is being scapegoated for Armenia’s “defeat in the war” with Azerbaijan.
The arrest is another sign of the political fault lines opened up in Armenia following Yerevan’s losses to Baku in successive campaigns, which have strained Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s relations with his country’s military and put him under increasing public pressure at home.
The 2020 war, when Azerbaijani forces took control of a chunk of Nagorno-Karabakh, was the second that Azerbaijan and Armenia fought in the last three decades over the breakaway region, which had been under ethnic Armenian separatists’ control, but recognized internationally as part of Azerbaijan since the 1990s.
That was followed by a decisive one-day military operation in September 2023 that saw Azerbaijani forces take control of the remaining parts of the region.
Khachatrian was awarded the title of National Hero of Armenia in 2020 following the war that year with Azerbaijan, but tensions quickly grew between him and Armenian authorities in its aftermath.
In February 2021, Pashinian dismissed Khachatrian from his post as deputy chief of the general staff of the armed forces, which led to escalating frictions with the military.
The day after Khachatryan was relieved of his duties, more than 40 of Armenia's top military officers -- including Khachatrian -- called for the resignation of the prime minister and his government.
Pashinian condemned the move as part of a coup attempt to depose him.
As part of the January 4 preliminary hearing, Armenia’s investigative committee said that the charges against Khachatrian stem from the “negligent attitude toward the performance of his official duties” in October 2020, including failing to set up adequate defensive lines, which led to Azerbaijani forces making strategic gains.
Khachatrian was also arrested and detained for two months in January 2024 after he fired a gun during a restaurant confrontation. Prosecutors said the former military official injured a bystander at a neighboring table, but Khachatrian denied the charges and said he fired his gun in the air in self-defense.
Following that 2024 arrest, Khachatrian’s lawyer claimed to RFE/RL that the case was being exploited by the authorities as an opportunity to silence and intimidate him for his criticism of the government.
Fierce Clashes In Kursk Region As Ukraine Launches Fresh Drive
The Ukrainian military has launched a new assault in Russia’s Kursk region, according to the Russian Defense Ministry and battlefield reports, with Kyiv stating that "combat clashes" were under way in the region
Ukraine Invasion: News & Analysis
RFE/RL's Ukraine Live Briefing gives you the latest developments on Russia's invasion, Western military aid, the plight of civilians, and territorial control maps. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.
The Russian Defense Ministry said in a January 5 statement that “at about 9 a.m. Moscow time, the Ukrainian armed forces launched a counterattack to stop the advance of Russian troops in the Kursk direction.”
The statement insisted that Russian troops were “continuing to defeat” Ukrainian forces.
Late on January 5, Ukraine’s General Staff said there had been 44 armed battles in the region, at least nine of which were still under way as night fell, although it did not specifically confirm that a new offensive had been launched.
“The Defense Forces of Ukraine continue the operation in the Kursk region,” it said on Telegram.
“At this time, 44 combat clashes are known, 35 of them have already been completed. Fighting continues,” the General Staff added.
The scale of the current offensive and whether it will lead to changes along the front line remains unclear, but some Ukrainian officials have also suggested that a fresh push is under way.
The head of Ukraine's presidential office, Andriy Yermak, said there "was good news from the Kursk Region" and that Russia was "getting what it deserves.”
Andriy Kovalenko, the head of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council's Center for Countering Disinformation, also commented on the development and said that Russian forces in Kursk had been "attacked in several directions, which came as a surprise to them."
“The Defense Forces are at work,” he wrote.
Ukrainian troops first pushed across the border in a surprise incursion on August 6 and have since resisted Russian attempts to fully expel them.
More recently, Russian forces, supported by the introduction of thousands of North Korean soldiers, have advanced but failed to eject Ukrainian troops entirely.
The offensive has reportedly been launched from the district center of Sudzha, which has been under Ukrainian control since August, in the direction of Bolshoye Soldatskoye, which lies some 70 kilometers from Kursk city, the region's administrative center.
In its statement, the Russian Defense Ministry said it had repelled a Ukrainian assault near the village of Berdin, some 15 kilometers from the border.
According to Russian pro-war accounts on Telegram that closely follow and document frontline developments, the attack is being carried out with armored vehicles, mine-clearing vehicles, and electronic warfare systems, which are said to be successfully countering Russian drones.
Videos online purported to show columns of Ukrainian military vehicles speeding across snow-covered land in the Kursk region.
The MIG Rossyy channel claimed that the Ukrainian military has had "local successes,” saying that “these are not sluggish maneuvers of small sabotage groups, but a full-scale attempt to attack.”
RFE/RL has not been able to independently verify the reports.
About half of the land seized in the initial offensive has been recaptured since August, but Kyiv still holds Sudzha and about 500 square kilometers of Russian territory.
In November, Ukraine reported its forces had engaged in combat with North Korean soldiers in the Kursk region and Ukrainian officials have claimed that North Korean forces are suffering heavy losses.
The introduction of North Korean troops came following Ukraine’s cross-border offensive, which Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned as a “major provocation.”
The January attacks launched by Kyiv come as its forces are reportedly suffering from manpower shortages and have been losing ground in eastern Ukraine.
The development also comes ahead of the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on January 20, who has previously said that ending the war in Ukraine would be a first-day priority.
Keith Kellogg, the Trump administration's incoming envoy for Ukraine and Russia, has been tasked with leading negotiations to end the war and also said that potential cease-fire talks could begin once Trump takes office.
In a December interview with Fox News, Kellogg said that the war could "be resolved in the next few months."
During a January 2 interview broadcast on Ukrainian television, Zelenskiy said that operations in Kursk play a key role in countering any international perceptions that Kyiv is losing the war.
"The Kursk operation changed everything. It was an important step," he said.
Meanwhile, in an interview with U.S. podcaster Lex Fridman, Zelenskiy said security guarantees for Ukraine in any future peace deal would only be effective if provided by the United States and that he hopes to meet Trump soon after his inauguration.
"Without the United States, security guarantees are not possible. I mean these security guarantees that can prevent Russian aggression," he said.
With reporting by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service and dpa
- By Current Time
Russia-Installed Officials Declare Oil-Spill Emergency In Occupied Sevastopol
Russia-installed occupation officials in Crimea declared a regional emergency on January 4 as oil came ashore in the city of Sevastopol from a spill that has plagued the region since last month. Russia’s southern region and the occupied Crimean Peninsula have been covered by fuel oil from two tankers that ran aground in the ecologically sensitive waters on December 15. Authorities in Russia's Krasnodar region also declared a state of emergency on December 25, with officials saying that thousands of people -- crews and volunteers -- were still working to clean up the spill of mazut -- a heavy, low-quality fuel oil -- in what some Russian officials have termed an “ecological disaster.” To read the original story by Current Time, click here.
Moldova's Breakaway Transdniester Region Braces For Power Cuts, Freezing Cold
CHISINAU -- Moldova’s pro-Moscow breakaway Transdniester region is bracing for additional rolling power cuts and business closures after the supply of Russian natural gas was stopped on January 1 due to the expiration of a contract with Ukraine.
As the region suffered throughout a blistering cold spell, Transdniester authorities said rolling power cuts will last four hours on January 5, running from 8 a.m. to noon local time, including in the regional capital, Tiraspol.
The separatist government warned that power outages could be extended and suggested residents gather firewood to burn to generate heat.
The mainly Russian-speaking region of some 450,000 people faced cuts of one hour on January 3 and three hours on January 4. As of the morning of January 4, at least 157 emergency power outages were recorded, officials said.
Most industries, except for those producing food products, have been shut down. On January 4, the closures included a steel factory and bakery in the ancient city of Rybnitsa, with a population of about 48,000.
Separatist authorities announced measures to aid the elderly as temperatures were expected to drop to minus-10 Celsius overnight.
The January 3 "introduction of rolling cuts was a test. And it confirmed that an hour-long break to keep the electrical supply system operating was insufficient," Vadim Krasnoselsky, Transdniester’s de facto leader, wrote on Telegram.
"The power generated is not covering sharply rising demand."
He said that “1,500 multistory apartment buildings have no heating and hot water. Almost 72,000 private households have no gas. One hundred and fifty gas boiler houses have been shut down.
Authorities in the federal capital, Chisinau, confirmed that Moldova is providing electricity to Transdniester after the power plant serving the region switched to coal-fired operation.
According to public data, Transdniester's capital, Tiraspol, has reserves of about 70,000 tons of coal, which could cover consumption of the region for 30-50 days.
But people in at least 11 communities near Tiraspol had no supply of natural gas, heating, and hot water on January 1.
The city has set up 30 meeting points where people can gather to warm up and eat hot meals. Meanwhile, about 115,000 households are receiving natural gas supplies only for cooking, according to supplier Tiraspoltransgaz.
Transdniester, the breakaway territory on the eastern bank of the Dniester River, has Russian troops on its soil and has governed its own affairs -- with Moscow’s backing --- since a war that erupted as the Soviet Union collapsed in the early 1990s.
Analysts and Moldovan officials say Russia is seeking to use the cutoff as a part of a wider effort to weaken the pro-Western government in the small nation situated between Ukraine and European Union member Romania, and where the Kremlin aims to regain influence.
The cutoff was the result of Ukraine’s refusal to extend a transit contract with Russian state gas giant Gazprom, as the West looks to deny Moscow revenue used to fund its war in Ukraine -- a move analysts say is a major blow to the Kremlin.
Much of the gas supply was transported to Europe. Most countries have begun developing alternative sources of gas, although some -- notably Slovakia, Hungary, and Austria -- have said other means will drive up costs prohibitively.
Moldova until recently got 80 percent of its electricity from Kurchugan, a power plant in Transdniester that had been fueled by Russian gas.
Moldova's state-owned energy trader, Energocom, said it has successfully covered 100 percent of the country's electricity needs but that the halt in Russian gas supplies is causing shortages in the breakaway region.
The Eastern European nation is expected to start importing more electricity from Romania this year, though prices are likely to be higher.
Authorities have urged household consumers, businesses, and public institutions to conserve energy to help to help reduce the need to make purchases at high prices on the EU market.
Even before the January 1 cutoff in gas supplies, Gazprom said on December 28 that it would cease gas deliveries to Moldova at the end of 2024 because of a dispute over debt.
With reporting by Reuters and CNN
Arrests Spark Diplomatic Clash Between Iran And Italy
The Iranian Foreign Ministry has summoned the Italian ambassador over the arrest of Mohammad Abedini, who is wanted by the United States for his alleged involvement in a deadly drone attack on an American base in Jordan.
Abedini was detained at Milan's Malpensa Airport on December 16, 2024, at the request of U.S. authorities who have accused him of defying sanctions and transferring sensitive drone parts to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.
The components were used in a drone strike in Jordan in January 2024 that killed three U.S. service members, according to U.S. justice authorities. Iran has denied being involved in the attack.
Iran's diplomatic move on January 3 came a day after the Italian Foreign Ministry summoned Iran's ambassador to Rome to protest the arrest of Italian journalist Cecilia Sala, who was detained in Tehran on December 19, 2024.
Italy's Foreign Ministry has said Sala, who has a podcast called Stories that covers life in different places around the world, was in Iran to carry out "journalistic activities."
In a January 3 meeting with the Italian ambassador, Majid Nili Ahmadabadi, director-general for Western Europe in Iran's Foreign Ministry, said Abedini's arrest was "illegal" and called for his immediate release, according to the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency.
Ahmadabadi also reportedly said that the United States was attempting to "take Iranian nationals hostage all over the world."
The Iranian authorities have remained silent about Sala's case since her detention in December 2024. After Italian media reported her arrest, Iran's Culture Ministry announced only that she had "violated the laws of the Islamic republic," without providing further details.
The United States has called Iran's detention of Sala, who was arrested three days after Abedini, "retaliatory." Media watchdogs Reporters Without Borders and the International Federation of Journalists have described her arrest as "arbitrary" and aimed at "extortion."
According to the website of the Il Foglio daily, where Sala works, the Milan Court of Appeal will hold a hearing into Abedini's case on January 15.
Several European countries and the United States have characterized the Islamic republic's arrest of Western citizens as "hostage diplomacy," claiming that Iran uses these detentions as bargaining chips in negotiations with the West.
In December 2024, a Tehran court sentenced Reza Valizadeh, a dual U.S.-Iranian citizen and former journalist for RFE/RL's Radio Farda, to 10 years in prison for "collaborating with a hostile government."
After working for Radio Farda for 10 years, Valizadeh left the company in November 2022. He visited his family in Iran in early 2024 before being taken into custody on September 22.
Montenegro Cracks Down On Guns After New Year's Massacre
PODGORICA -- The Montenegrin government has announced a raft of new gun-control measures, following a mass shooting that killed 12 people, including two children.
The shooting took place on January 1 in the western Montenegrin city of Cetinje. Four other people were injured.
Montenegrin Prime Minister Milojko Spajic announced the proposed new Law on Weapons on January 3 following a seven-hour session of the National Security Council, which is chaired by the country's president.
The proposed law will mandate the reverification of existing weapons licenses and impose severe penalties for those who fail to surrender illegal weapons within a two-month period. Spajic also said that hunting clubs would be verified and the authorities would establish an anonymous tip line where citizens can report illegal weapons possession for a reward.
Manhunt
The suspected shooter, Aco Martinovic, died on the way to the hospital after attempting suicide following the killings and subsequent manhunt.
Martinovic had previously had illegal weapons confiscated in 2022 and received a three-month prison sentence in late 2024, which he had appealed.
Police have not yet revealed the identities of the victims, but they are believed to have been relatives, friends, and godparents of Martinovic.
While estimates vary, Montenegro has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in Europe. In the country of just over 620,000 people, there are about 245,000 firearms in use, according to the Swiss-based Small Arms Survey.
Other estimates suggest the figure is lower. According to 2022 police data provided to RFE/RL's Balkan Service, there are over 100,000 legally owned weapons in Montenegro, while illegal firearms are estimated to number between 40,000 and 80,000.
The prime minister also highlighted staff shortages in law enforcement, noting that around 1,000 police officers had retired in the previous two years. He announced his intention to expedite the hiring of 200 additional officers.
During the incident, Cetinje, a city and municipal area of around 15,000 people, was protected by only about a dozen officers. An additional 150 officers from the capital, Podgorica, and other cities later were brought in to assist with the manhunt.
Police Response Criticized
Addressing questions about the police response, Spajic said that all murders occurred within 20 minutes across five locations, describing it as "a tsunami of violence." He said that police only learned about the crimes after the eighth victim was killed. It took five and a half hours from the last victim's death to Martinovic's body being found.
During the National Security Council session, hundreds of citizens protested outside the government building, demanding changes in the leadership of law enforcement agencies. The country began three days of mourning on January 2.
The prime minister said there were no discussions about resignations in law enforcement, saying: "We need to support the police at a time like this."
When questioned about potentially dismissing Interior Minister Danilo Saranovic, Spajic said that he "never blames the people below him," though he acknowledged that a statement the interior minister made about returning to "normal life" after the incident was unfortunate. Saranovic also reportedly said that the police deserved congratulations for their response to the massacre.
The Action for Human Rights and the Center for Women's Rights NGOs called for a thorough examination of the police response, saying that Cetinje had only a minimal police presence despite being home to 120 known organized crime members and having experienced a similar massacre in August 2022, when an attacker killed 10 people and wounded six before being killed by a passerby.
The organizations questioned what security improvements had been implemented since 2022 and why Cetinje remained vulnerable to such incidents.
Ukraine Can Expect Further U.S. Aid Offers Before Biden Leaves Office, White House Says
Ukraine can expect more announcements in coming days about additional U.S. security assistance, a White House spokesman said as President Joe Biden’s term in office winds down.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told a briefing on January 3 that additional announcements on the provision of U.S. aid to Ukraine can be expected in the coming days. He gave no specifics.
The announcements would follow a $5.9 billion package of additional military and budget assistance for Ukraine announced by the Biden administration last week amid concerns that the new administration under President-elect Donald Trump will significantly reduce or halt arms supplies to Ukraine in order to push Kyiv to negotiate a peace settlement with Russia.
The White House said in a statement on December 30 that the aid includes an additional $1.25 billion drawdown package for the Ukrainian military and a $1.22 billion Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative package. The Treasury Department later on December 30 announced a separate $3.4 billion disbursement to Ukraine in direct budget support.
Biden said in the statement that the United States would continue to work relentlessly to strengthen Ukraine's position in the war, but despite his pledge, the $5.9 million package was thought to be the last during his administration, which is set to end on January 20 with the inauguration of Trump.
Kirby also announced that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin would travel to Ramstein, Germany, for a meeting next week of Ukraine Defense Contact Group on January 9.
Kirby had previously said that there was a possibility that another meeting of the group could take place before Biden leaves office.
Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh confirmed later on January 3 that Austin would leave for Germany on January 7 to attend the 25th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group.
The meeting will “reaffirm our enduring commitment to Ukraine,” Singh said at a briefing. “Together with defense ministers and military leaders from around the globe, Secretary Austin will focus on delivering practical and coordinated support that reinforces Ukraine’s ability to defend itself today and deter aggression in the future.”
She said more details about Austin’s schedule would be announced in the coming days.
Asked about plans for future meetings of the contact group, Singh said it would be up to the incoming secretary of defense to decide whether to continue them.
She added that Trump’s transition team had so far met with 79 Pentagon officials about the transition to the new administration.
There has been no confirmation from the Trump team that his designated Ukraine envoy, retired Lieutenant-General Keith Kellogg, will travel to Kyiv in the coming days. Reuters quoted two sources with knowledge of the trip's planning as saying that Kellogg will visit senior leaders in Kyiv.
His team is working to set up meetings with leaders in other European capitals, such as Rome and Paris, they said. He is not planning to visit Moscow during the trip.
The meetings are expected to focus on fact-finding on behalf of the new administration rather than on active negotiations, the sources said.
The trip is seen as a sign of the urgency that Trump, who said he would end the war in Ukraine swiftly after his inauguration, has placed on quickly winding down the war.
Ukraine and other European countries have been skeptical about the claim and are concerned that a deal drafted by Trump could force Ukraine to give up territory to Russia in exchange for peace.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a televised interview broadcast on January 2 that Trump's "unpredictability" could help end the war.
Zelenskiy said that he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin is afraid of Trump, who could be "decisive" in ending the war.
With reporting by Reuters
Zelenskiy Claims North Koreans Suffer Major Losses In New Kursk Fighting
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said North Korean soldiers, fighting alongside Kremlin forces in Russia’s Kursk region, had suffered heavy casualties over the past two days amid mounting reports of losses for the Asian nation’s forces fighting some 6,700 kilometers from home.
"In battles yesterday and today [January 4] near just one village, Makhnovka, in Kursk region, the Russian army lost up to a battalion of North Korean infantry soldiers and Russian paratroops," Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address.
"And that is significant," he added, citing information relayed from Ukrainian commander Oleksandr Syrskiy.
The report could not independently be verified.
The size of a battalion can vary in different military alignments, often ranging from 300 to 1,000 troops.
North Korean military support is coming at a critical time in the war. Russia is seeking to overpower an undermanned and under-resourced Ukrainian infantry and gain territory before its own manpower and resources become constrained.
Russia has lost more than 600,000 soldiers in the nearly three-year war, the Pentagon said in early October. It has burned through so much war material that it is struggling to replace its artillery and missile needs amid sweeping Western sanctions.
Zelenskiy on December 23 said more than 3,000 troops, or about a quarter of the North Korean special forces sent to Russia, had been killed or injured, though he acknowledged it was difficult to determine exact numbers.
Western and Ukrainian intelligence and military sources estimate that Pyongyang has deployed about 11,000 troops to Russia’s Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces still occupy territory after launching a mass cross-border incursion in August.
In his address, Zelenskiy also said "fierce battles" were raging along the 1,000-kilometer front line, with the "hottest spot" near the important logistical hub of Pokrovsk, a city in the Donetsk region with a prewar population of 64,000.
Zelenskiy also said a rescue operation was under way near Chernihiv in north-central Ukraine, where a Russian missile assault had damaged some 40 buildings.
Local officials on January 3 said one person was killed and five were injured when three missiles hit a residential site in the area. A picture posted on social media by Chernihiv regional Governor Vyacheslav Chaus showed the shattered facade of a private home.
The person killed was an associate professor at the Institute of Postgraduate Education, according to Suspilne Chernihiv. Local media said the 72-year-old's house was burned down after it was hit by Russian shelling in March 2022. Since then, he had been living in a barn.
Five people were injured in an earlier drone attack in the Kyiv region, and four were hurt when the town of Slovyansk near the front line in the Donetsk region was shelled, officials said. All four were hospitalized. Among the injured is a 2-year-old boy, whose mother was injured in the attack and was in serious condition, said Mayor Vadym Lyakh.
Russian forces used a guided aerial bomb, which struck a private sector of Slovyansk at about 3 p.m. local time, a police representative at the scene told RFE/RL.
Zelenskiy said on X that in the first three days of 2025, Russia had launched 300 attack drones and nearly 20 missiles on Ukrainian targets. Most, he said, had been downed or intercepted, but he said the attacks had killed and injured people, prompting him to renew his plea for his Western allies to send additional air-defense systems
“We are already preparing for the upcoming meeting in Ramstein,” he said, referring to the next session of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group on January 9 in Germany.
He said Kyiv will be working with partners there to spur additional arms to help fight off Russian drones, guided bombs, and aircraft that have been attacking crucial infrastructure as the winter cold deepens.
On January 3, a White House spokesman said Ukraine can expect more announcements in coming days about additional U.S. security assistance as President Joe Biden’s term in office winds down on January 20.
The announcements would follow a $5.9 billion package of additional military and budget assistance for Ukraine announced by the Biden administration last week amid concerns that the new administration under President-elect Donald Trump will significantly reduce or halt arms supplies to Ukraine in order to push Kyiv to negotiate a peace settlement with Russia.
Meanwhile, Russian newspaper Izvestia said a freelance journalist working for the media outlet was killed in a Ukrainian drone strike near the city of Donetsk on January 4.
Izvestia and a group of journalists traveling with Aleksandr Martemyanov said the man was killed when a drone hit their civilian automobile "for from the line of contact."
With reporting by RFE/RL's Russian Service
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