Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged Russia and Ukraine to find a path to peace "as soon as possible" ahead of his historic visit to Kyiv.

Modi was in Warsaw on August 22 to meet with Polish officials before heading to Ukraine, the first trip by an Indian leader to Kyiv since the countries established bilateral relations more than 30 years ago. His visit also marks the first trip by an Indian prime minister to Warsaw in 45 years.

"It is India's strong belief that no problem can be resolved on a battlefield," Modi said while in the Polish capital, adding that his country supported "dialogue and diplomacy for restoration of peace and stability as soon as possible."

India came under fire from some Western countries after he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow last month, which coincided with a deadly Russian missile attack on a children's hospital in Kyiv that elicited harsh international condemnation.

The United States was particularly concerned with Modi’s two-day visit to Russia as it sees New Delhi as an important pillar in its strategy to contain an ascending China.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said as he welcomed Modi that "history has taught our nations the importance of respecting the rules, respecting borders, [and] territorial integrity."

Modi said in a statement published before he left for Poland that "as a friend and partner, we hope for an early return of peace and stability in the region."

The statement added that Modi will hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and "share perspectives on peaceful resolution of the ongoing Ukraine conflict."

A court of appeals in Astana on August 21 rejected an appeal by former Kazakh Culture and Sports Minister Arystanbek Mukhamediuly against his imprisonment after being convicted of corruption. Mukhamediuly was initially sentenced last year to eight years in prison on embezzlement charges. In February, he was handed an additional three years on bribery charges, while his wife was handed six months in prison for mediating an attempted bribe, and his lawyer was sentenced to six years and eight months for his alleged role in mediating the bribe. Mukhamediuly’s arrest in 2022 came amid President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev's campaign to remove his predecessor, Nursultan Nazarbaev and his associates, from the political scene. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Kazakh Service, click here.

ASTANA -- Kazakhstan summoned Paval Utsyupin, Belarus's ambassador in Astana, to "objectively assess" the Central Asian nation's stance on key international issues in an unbiased manner amid rising tensions between the two countries.

The ministry did not say specifically why it summoned Utsyupin, but it comes after Alyaksandr Lukashenka, the authoritarian ruler of Belarus, made several controversial statements in an interview with Russian state television.

Kazakh Foreign Minister Murat Nurtileu said at the August 21 meeting with Utsyupin that Astana is "confident that all differences between any nations must be solved solely via political and diplomatic means."

In the televised interview on August 20, Lukashenka accused some post-Soviet states of what he called "unfair relations with Russia," specifically mentioning antigovernment protests in Kazakhstan in January 2022 that turned deadly after Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev invited troops of the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) to help him restore order.

SEE ALSO:

Belarusian Embassy In Yerevan Pelted With Eggs And Tomatoes After Lukashenka Statements

"We have to be together. The time will come soon to ask Russia for help. Nobody else is there to ask for help.... When the situation occurred in Kazakhstan, whom did it refer to for help? China, India, Pakistan? No. It turned to Putin for help. And we sent [CSTO] troops there. In just half of one day our planes landed there, and order was restored," Lukashenka said in the interview.

The interview caused a sharp reaction in Kazakhstan and other countries such as Armenia, where protesters pelted the Belarusian Embassy in Yerevan with eggs and other produce and demanded diplomatic ties with Minsk be cut over Lukashenka's interview, in which he also criticized Armenia's shift westward.

"Who needs Armenians? Nobody. Let them develop their economy and rely on their own resources. What is France? Who is [French President Emmanuel] Macron? Tomorrow, when Macron is gone, everybody will forget about the Armenians," Lukashenka said in the interview.

The rally in front of the Belarusian Embassy was organized by the pro-Western For the Republic Party. The party's leader, Arman Babajanian, was among the protesters.

Lukashenka's interview came amid Ukrainian armed forces' incursion into Russia's Kursk region, which led to speculations in many post-Soviet countries that Russia could now call on the CSTO member states -- Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan -- to help it repel Ukrainian troops. Armenia suspended its membership in the CSTO in February.

At least eight people drowned after a boat full of migrants capsized overnight on the Drina River as it was attempting to cross over from Serbia to Bosnia-Herzegovina, authorities in the two countries said on August 22.

Rescuers found 18 people alive, including three children, who had managed to reach the riverbank, Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said.

"Currently, the bodies of eight people have been pulled out of the water," Vladan Rankic, the chief of the water rescue service of Republika Srpska, Bosnia's Serb entity, told RFE/RL.

"Unfortunately, we are searching for more bodies, including those of a mother and baby," Rankic added.

It was not immediately possible to establish the exact number of people on the boat, but survivors told rescuers there were about 25 people on board.

Members of the border police of Bosnia-Herzegovina, firefighters from the Bosnian town of Bratunac and from Serbia, divers from Republika Srpska's Civil Protection Service as well as Serbian police divers are taking part in the search on the river and its banks, authorities told RFE/RL.

Migrants fleeing wars and poverty in Africa and the Middle East often fall prey to people smugglers who promise to illegally take them across borders in their quest to reach Western Europe.

Bosnian police said efforts are under way to identify and apprehend the smugglers who are responsible for the tragedy.

"The Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia-Herzegovina has been informed about all of the above, and at this moment everything is being done to establish the facts and take all measures and actions to shed light on this event," Bosnia's border police said in a statement for RFE/RL.

Serbia lies on the so-called Balkan migration route to Western Europe. At least 40 people have died over the past decade trying to cross the Drina, according to an RFE/RL Balkan Service count.

Dozens of Ukrainian refugees, many of whom are children, spent the night sleeping on the street in Hungary after a government-approved legal change revoked their access to state-subsidized accommodation.

The refugees were evicted due to a decree signed by nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban that took effect on August 21. The decree limits state support for refugees who came to Hungary from parts of Ukraine that Budapest says were not affected by Russia's full-scale invasion and the war it has sparked.

"Since the publication of the government decree, we have continuously warned the parties involved and civil organizations about the problem hoping that there will be some solution. This shouldn't happen in a state based on the rule of law," Magdolna Szecsi, an equal-opportunities expert at the Civil College Foundation in Hungary, told RFE/RL on August 22.

• Kurt Vinion
• RFE/RL's Hungarian Service

At least 120 Ukrainian citizens, mainly from the Transcarpathian region, are now homeless, with thousands more facing eviction as Hungary enforces a decree that restricts state-subsidized accommodation to those directly affected by the war in Ukraine.

Szecsi said many of those forced onto the street are Transcarpathian Roma who do not want to return to Ukraine, where their living conditions were "inhumane." Transcarpathia, located in the western part of Ukraine, is home to a large ethnic Hungarian community.

Since moving to Hungary, she added, they have begun to integrate by sending their children to school and getting jobs. However, without the subsidies for housing, they cannot afford a place to live.

"I don't know what kind of solution can be found, but it is certain that these people do not want to leave here," Szecsi said.

According to the Hungarian government, 13 regions in Ukraine are currently accepted as directly affected by the war. While all parts of Ukraine have been subjected to attacks by Russia, the front line of the war runs mainly through the eastern and southern parts of the country.

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Brussels Frustrated With Hungary Over Russian Visa Decision That Could Let In Spies 

Norbert Pal, the government commissioner responsible for those who have fled Ukraine, said the decree was "reasonable and proportionate" and that those who "wanted to get back on their feet in Hungary have been able to do so."

Last week the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, expressed "concern" over the law saying up to 3,000 Ukrainians could lose access to subsidized accommodation.

"UNHCR consistently calls on EU Member States to interpret and implement the Temporary Protection Directive in a uniform and inclusive manner. The directive also requires Hungary to provide those with asylum status with suitable accommodation and housing," it said in a statement.

"Accordingly, the UNHCR urges the Hungarian Government to review the current amendment. All changes related to collective accommodation must be gradual and adequate measures must be taken to prevent anyone from becoming homeless or forced to destitution as a result of the changes," it added.

Azerbaijani political analyst Bahruz Samadov, who is known for his criticism of the country's authorities, was arrested in Baku on August 21. Samadov's grandmother, Zibeyda Osmanova, told RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service that after her grandson's arrest police searched their apartment and informed her Samadov was suspected of illegal drugs-related activities. Later, a lawyer called and told her her grandson "is being accused of treason." Samadov, a doctoral student at the Charles University in Prague, has been critical of Baku's military offensives in 2020 and 2024 that ended with Azerbaijan regaining control over the then mostly ethnic Armenian-populated breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service, click here.

UN nuclear agency head Rafael Grossi will visit Russia's Kursk nuclear power plant next week, a spokesperson confirmed on August 22, weeks after Ukraine launched a surprise counteroffensive in the region. "We can confirm (it's planned for) next week," a spokesperson for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said without giving further details. The UN nuclear agency on August 9 urged Russia and Ukraine to exercise "maximum restraint" to "avoid a nuclear accident with the potential for serious radiological consequences" as fighting approached the plant. The visit was first announced on August 21 by Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.

The U.S. embassy in Kyiv has warned of an "increased risk" of Russian air attacks in the coming days as Ukraine prepares to celebrate its Independence Day on August 24. The embassy "assesses that during the next several days and through the weekend there is an increased risk of both nighttime and daytime Russian drone and missile attacks throughout Ukraine in connection with Ukraine’s Independence Day on August 24," it said in a statement on its website. Ukraine will mark its 33rd year of independence from the Soviet Union on August 24. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, click here.

Lithuania's government has extended temporary residence permits for Ukrainian war refugees for another year. The validity of such residence permits, currently due to expire in March next year, has been prolonged until March 4, 2026, in the European Union country. According to Lithuania's Migration Department, 30-40 new applications for temporary residence permits are registered every day. Currently, more than 44,300 Ukrainians have valid temporary residence permits in Lithuania.

Ukraine's military intelligence was behind a drone strike on an airfield hundreds of kilometers inside Russia, security sources told RFE/RL, in the latest move by Ukraine to turn the tide of the war amid a surprise incursion in Russia's border region of Kursk that shocked the Kremlin and reaped operational gains for Kyiv.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, meanwhile, traveled to Ukraine's Sumy region that borders Kursk for the first time since the start of Ukraine's invasion there on August 6.

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine

RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's full-scale invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war in Ukraine, click here.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) together with the Special Operations Forces early on August 22 struck the Marinovka airfield in Russia's Volgograd region, located 275 kilometers east of the Ukrainian border, SBU sources told RFE/RL on the condition of anonymity.

The strike targeted a storage site for fuel, antitank missiles, and glide bombs, the security source said.

Ukrainian intelligence has lately focused on striking airfields inside Russia used to conduct attacks on Ukraine's civilian infrastructure.

The SBU source also said Marinovka is such an airfield.

Glide bombs are standoff weapons launched by warplanes from a distance sufficient to allow the aircraft to evade enemy fire.

Russia has been increasingly using such bombs, which are relatively cheap to produce, against Ukrainian cities.

After the impact, "plumes of black smoke and a powerful detonation" occurred on the airfield surface, the SBU source said.

Earlier, Russian Telegram channels, citing eyewitnesses, reported a series of explosions at Marinovka, and the Astra channel on Telegram posted a video showing what appeared to be a large explosion and plumes of black smoke rising above the airfield.

Volgograd Governor Andrei Bocharov said drone strikes ignited a fire at a military facility in the region but claimed the attack had been repelled.

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"As a result of the UAV crash, a fire broke out on the territory of a ministry facility. Fire and rescue services quickly began extinguishing the fire," Bocharov said on Telegram.

Bocharov said there are no casualties after the strike.

Meanwhile, the airport of regional capital Volgograd, a city of some 1 million people 55 kilometers east of Marinovka, restricted the arrivals and departures of commercial aircraft.

Volgograd is the current name of Tsaritsyn, which from 1925 to 1961 bore the name Stalingrad, after Soviet dictator Josef Stalin. Stalingrad became famous for its repelling a monthslong Nazi siege in 1942-1943 during World War II.

In Bryansk, another Russian region bordering Ukraine, Governor Aleksandr Bogomaz said Russian forces prevented a separate attempt by Ukrainian troops to enter the region.

Bogomaz said the attempted breakthrough occurred in the Klimovo district of the region, which borders the Chernihiv region of Ukraine.

His claim could not be independently confirmed, and Ukraine has not commented.

SEE ALSO:

Spinning Ukraine's Kursk Incursion, Kremlin Says Russia Is Conducting A 'Counterterrorism Operation'

During his trip to Sumy, Zelenskiy met with Ukraine's top military commander, Oleksandr Syrskiy, who briefed him on the operational situation in the area controlled by Ukrainian forces in Russia's Kursk, Ukraine's presidential administration said in a statement.

Sumy Governor Volodymyr Artyukh told Zelenskiy that following the start of Ukraine's operation in Kursk, the number of cross-border shellings and the casualties among civilians had dropped drastically, also allowing the start of infrastructure repairs badly needed after months of incessant Russian bombardments, the statement said.

Ukraine's leadership has repeatedly stated that its bold move into Kursk aims to establish a buffer zone inside Russia meant to protect Ukrainian civilians from cross-border Russian shelling.

Ukraine has also said it is not pursuing territorial gains from Russia.

The Ukrainian military had earlier announced the destruction of a Russian pontoon bridge with U.S.-made weapons during their incursion in Kursk.

A video posted by Ukrainian special forces showed strikes on several pontoon crossings built by Russia after Ukraine destroyed at least three bridges over the Seym River.

SEE ALSO:

Blown Bridges: As Ukraine's Invasion Expands, Russia Closes In On Donbas City

"Where do Russian pontoon bridges 'disappear' in the Kursk region? Operators...accurately destroy them," Ukraine's Special Operations Forces said on Telegram.

Separately, UN nuclear agency head Rafael Grossi on August 22 confirmed he will visit Russia's Kursk nuclear power plant next week.

The International Atomic Energy Agency on August 9 urged Russia and Ukraine to exercise "maximum restraint" to "avoid a nuclear accident with the potential for serious radiological consequences" as fighting approached the plant.

In Kyiv, the U.S. Embassy warned of an "increased risk" of Russian air attacks in the coming days as Ukraine prepares to celebrate its Independence Day on August 24, when it will mark its 33rd year of independence from the Soviet Union.

Divisive Internet influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan have been remanded in custody after being interrogated by Romanian anticorruption prosecutors as part of an investigation into new allegations against them. Romanian investigators carried out four searches on August 21 at the residences of the two brothers, who are awaiting trial on charges of human trafficking, rape, and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women. Romania's anti-organized crime agency DIICOT said in a statement the searches related to new accusations of forming an organized crime group, trafficking of minors, a sexual act with a minor, influencing statements, and money laundering.

Ukraine's military said its forces came under repeated attack on August 21 around the town of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region, where Russian forces are pressing for a breakthrough.

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine

RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's full-scale invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war in Ukraine, click here.

In a statement, the General Staff of the Ukrainian military said there were 46 Russian attacks in the Pokrovsk area over the course of day. Of these, 44 were repelled and two were ongoing into the evening hours local time.

It also said 238 Russian troops were killed or wounded in the same area on August 21. It did not disclose Ukrainian losses, and it was not possible to verify the number of Russian soldiers killed.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukraine's military was responding to the Russian push by strengthening its forces around Pokrovsk, one of the hottest areas of the front.

The Ministry of Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine has ordered a forced evacuation of children with their parents or legal representatives from certain districts of the Donetsk region, including Pokrovsk.

There were dozens of other clashes across the front line on August 21. Most of them were repelled, according to the General Staff, but some continued into the late evening hours.

The governor of the Bryansk region of Russia, Aleksandr Bogomaz, said Russian forces prevented an attempted incursion into the region by Ukrainian troops. Bogomaz said the attempted breakthrough occurred in the Klimovo district of the region, which borders the Chernihiv region of Ukraine.

"The enemy has been hit by fire. Currently, the situation at the site of the clash has stabilized," Bogomaz said on Telegram.

Ukraine said separately that it had destroyed a Russian pontoon bridges with U.S.-made weapons in Russia's Kursk region. A video posted by Ukrainian special forces showed strikes on several pontoon crossings after Russia reported that Ukraine has destroyed at least three bridges over the Seym River.

"Where do Russian pontoon bridges 'disappear' in the Kursk region? Operators...accurately destroy them," Ukraine's Special Operations Forces said on Telegram.

Claims of battlefield success could not be independently verified.

The Kremlin believes the fighting to repel Ukraine's incursion into the Kursk region will last for months and is trying to prepare the public for this "new normal," sources close to the Russian presidential administration and the government have told the Meduza and Verstka news websites.

The reports came as Russia is battling to repel the two-week-old Ukrainian incursion into its region bordering Ukraine, where Kyiv's forces say they control more than 1,260 square kilometers and 92 settlements.

The news outlets said the Ukrainian incursion "shocked" Russian elites, but now that the initial shock has passed, "they've gotten used to it."

'New Reality'

At the same time, the Kremlin is using its propaganda machine to try and prepare Russians for life in the conditions of a "new reality" and "new normality," said the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

"The Kremlin proposes convincing Russians that an enemy that breaks through to Russian territory will face 'inevitable defeat,' but 'the return of territories will take time and Russians need to wait,'" one of the sources said.

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Russian elites are expecting the resignations of those responsible for the Ukrainian breakthrough, a source told Meduza.

Ukraine's leadership has repeatedly clarified that its bold move into Kursk is meant to establish a buffer zone inside Russia meant to protect Ukrainian civilians from cross-border Russian shelling.

The American Institute for the Study of War said Ukrainian forces continued to advance along the entire front line in Kursk.

Earlier on August 21, Ukrainian naval forces struck a Russian S-300 antiaircraft complex in Russia's Rostov region, Ukraine's General Staff reported, while Russia said it was subjected to one of the most intense waves of Ukrainian drone strikes that ever targeted the capital, Moscow.

SEE ALSO:

Blown Bridges: As Ukraine's Invasion Expands, Russia Closes In On Donbas City

Ukraine's General Staff said the strike against the S-300 missile complex near the settlement of Novoshakhtinsk in the Rostov region was carried out by naval force units and the consequences of the strike are still being evaluated.

"Russian invaders also use S-300 missiles to attack peaceful Ukrainian cities, destroying residential buildings and terrorizing the civilian population," the General Staff said.

Rostov regional Governor Vasily Golubev separately said a Ukrainian missile had been shot down in the region, without giving details.

SEE ALSO:

Live Briefing: Russia Invades Ukraine

Meanwhile, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said Ukrainian drones targeted the Russian capital in one of the largest such attacks, adding that air defenses shot down 10 of the drones.

"This is one of the largest attempts to attack Moscow with drones of all time," Sobyanin wrote, adding no casualties or material damage were reported.

Russia's Defense Ministry separately said its air defense systems shot down 45 Ukrainian drones.

"Eleven drones were destroyed over the Moscow region, 23 over the Bryansk region, six over the Belgorod region, three over the Kaluga region, and two over the Kursk region," it said.

Ukraine needs a real mechanism that will enable Russian frozen assets to work for the country in the coming months, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said.

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine

RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's full-scale invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war in Ukraine, click here.

Zelenskiy said in his evening video address that the topic was discussed with Ukraine’s partners on August 21 “to bring real decisions closer to the promised $50 billion from frozen Russian assets.”

There has been a lot of discussion in the past about the transfer of the funds to Ukraine, but Zelenskiy said that despite these statements Ukraine still needs a real mechanism.

"It is necessary that the funds from the aggressor's assets work for real assistance in defense against the aggressor," he said. "Relevant discussions have been going on for too long, and finally solutions are needed."

Western countries froze some 276 billion euros ($300 billion) in sovereign Russian wealth funds following Moscow's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. In June, the Group of Seven (G7) industrialized countries decided to service a $50 billion loan for Ukraine with proceeds generated by the so-called immobilized assets.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has suggested that the G7 could agree on the terms of providing Ukraine with a $50 billion loan secured by the assets by October.

Yellen said in June that there was "no legal problem" in providing Ukraine with the loan. She also rejected Russian President Vladimir Putin's accusation that the use of income from Russian assets for the benefit of Ukraine was theft.

Most of the frozen Russian sovereign funds -- some 210 billion euros ($228 billion) -- are held in Europe, while about $10 billion ($11.1 billion) is in the United States, the news website Euractiv.com estimates. Some $30 billion ($33.4 billion) are in Japan, and $10 billion in Britain.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced last month that 1.5 billion euros ($1.6 billion) of “proceeds from immobilized Russian assets” would be transferred to Ukraine for defense and reconstruction.

"There is no better symbol or use for the Kremlin's money than to make Ukraine and all of Europe a safer place to live,” von der Leyen said on July 26.

In reaction to von der Leyen's announcement, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia would not leave the EU's move unanswered but said Moscow's response had to be carefully planned.

The Foreign Ministry said that “any encroachment on Russian state property under the guise of any contrived ‘reparation mechanism’ would be nothing more than theft at the state level."

Western countries have discussed the possible confiscation of the frozen assets, but it is associated with greater legal difficulties than using the proceeds from them.

The General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces has rejected a media report saying that the helicopter crash in May in which Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi died was caused by weather conditions and the aircraft's inability to handle the weight it was carrying.

Iran's semiofficial Fars news agency reported on August 21 that the investigation into the helicopter crash had been "fully completed by the regulatory and security institutions."

Fars quoted an unnamed security source informed of the final investigation as saying there was "absolute certainty that what happened was an accident." The monitoring and security institutions "did not identify a suspicious factor" in their final assessments, Fars reported.

The two reasons given for the crash were bad weather conditions and the helicopter’s inability to handle the weight of extra passengers that exceeded safety protocols, the source added.

According to the Fars report, the chopper was carrying two passengers beyond the recommended capacity when it crashed.

But after the Fars report, the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces "strongly rejected" the reported findings, saying in a statement carried by state media that it was "distorted and discredited."

The headquarters said the claim that the helicopter was carrying more people than its capacity was "fundamentally false.”

The Bell 212 helicopter had a capacity of 15, including one pilot, according to the manufacturer. Raisi and seven others were killed when the helicopter crashed on its way to the city of Tabriz on May 19 in heavy fog as it crossed a mountainous and forested area.

Some reports at the time noted that because of international sanctions it has been difficult for Iran to obtain parts for its aging helicopter fleet. The Bell 212 was made in the United States and procured by Iran from the United States before the 1979 Iranian revolution.

Iran elected a new president, reformist Masud Pezeshkian, in June and on August 21 the country's hard-line parliament approved his 19-member Cabinet, accepting the entire slate of ministers without a change for the first time since 2001.

With reporting by AFP

A Russian court on August 21 sentenced exiled opposition politician and former parliamentary deputy Dmitry Gudkov to eight years in prison in absentia for his criticism of Russia's military offensive in Ukraine. Gudkov, who served in Russia's parliament from 2011 to 2016, was found guilty of publishing "false information" about the Russian military motivated by "political hatred," the Moscow prosecutor's office said in a statement. In response to the sentencing, Gudkov said on Telegram that his thoughts were with "the hundreds of real, and not 'in absentia' Russian political prisoners" who are waiting for a chance to be freed in a prisoner exchange or for the end of their prison terms. To read the original story on RFE/RL’s Russian service click here.

SARAJEVO -- Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik denied on August 21 that the Serbian entity of Bosnia-Herzegovina has ever pursued a policy of secession and or disputed the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bosnia under the Dayton agreement.

Dodik said, however, that Republika Srpska "has the right to a political fight for its status” under the Dayton agreement.

Dodik made the comments a day after CIA Director William Burns visited Sarajevo amid what a U.S. government official described to RFE/RL as “worrying secessionist rhetoric and actions.”

Bosnia “is a community of two equal entities and three constituent peoples, so I encourage Mr. Burns' position that the responsibility for the functioning of the country lies with all ethnic communities," Dodik said on X.

He also said he welcomed cooperation in the area of terrorism, indicating that he believed Burns made the visit to discuss that topic.

"The fight against terrorism is a duty of the entire free world. In this context, the visit by the CIA director, Mr. William Burns, to Bosnia-Herzegovina is important,” he said. “Republika Srpska is committed to this fight and welcomes any cooperation in this sphere."

The U.S. official who spoke with RFE/RL about Burns’ visit said the CIA director held meetings at the Bosnian presidency with colleagues in the intelligence community, members of the presidency, and the foreign minister.

"They discussed issues of mutual interest, which include the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Bosnia-Herzegovina,” according to the official, who asked not to be named.

Dodik, who has been designated for sanctions by the United States, backed a proposal in May that called for the “disassociation” of Republika Srpska from Bosnia. The United States called it “secession by another name” and said it contradicted the Dayton agreement, which ended the 1992-95 Bosnian War.

SEE ALSO:

Bosnian Serbs' Move Toward Secession 'Dangerous, Irresponsible,' U.S. Envoy Warns

Dodik has also raised concerns among Bosnia’s Western allies because of his ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Dodik reaffirmed in February after meeting Putin in the Russian republic of Tatarstan that Republika Srpska would not join Western sanctions against Moscow over its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Denis Becirovic, the current chairman of Bosnia's tripartite presidency, expressed gratitude to Burns for U.S. assistance to Bosnia in building a democratic and multiethnic state. He said he told Burns that the dangerous anti-Dayton policy of Republika Srpska threatens peace and security in Bosnia and the region.

"This is a very important visit, primarily from the security aspect, but it is also a confirmation of the strong support of the United States for the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Bosnia-Herzegovina," Becirovic said on Facebook.

Almir Dzuvo, the chief of Bosnia's Intelligence and Security Agency, who met with Burns on August 20, told RFE/RL that that the visit had been agreed to earlier and that Burns “expressed support for cooperation’ between the two countries’ intelligence agencies and between the United States and Bosnia.

Analysts and current and former Bosnian officials considered the visit a response to the challenges posed by the Kremlin's influence in the region and the secessionist aspirations of pro-Russian Bosnian politicians.

"I am convinced that this is a serious problem, because the director of the CIA rarely goes on such missions and publicly announces it,” said Srdja Pavlovic, a historian and associate of the Wirth Institute at the University of Alberta in Canada. “I suppose that one of the reasons is the growing malign influence of Serbia and Russia in the Balkans," Pavlovic told RFE/RL.

Margarita Assenova, a senior fellow at the Jamestown Foundation in Washington, agreed that Serbia has been stirring up trouble in Bosnia for some time and it’s become “more visible and more dangerous.”

Burns' visit is a “very good message” to Serbia that the United States will not tolerate its actions, Assenova said.

Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has confirmed he is ready to visit the Kursk nuclear power plant in Russia at the end of August, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on August 21. Russia's Defense Ministry last week accused Ukraine of planning to attack the Kursk plant as part of its ongoing incursion into the Russian region, an assertion Kyiv has denied.

A former Russian defense official held in pretrial detention on corruption charges will remain behind bars, a Moscow court decided on August 21 in a ruling that rejected an appeal against his arrest. General Dmitry Bulgakov was detained in Moscow last month pending an investigation and trial, Russia’s Investigative Committee said in a statement. Bulgakov is charged with large-scale embezzlement. He reportedly oversaw the creation of a system to supply low-quality food rations to Russian troops at inflated prices. If found guilty, Bulgakov faces up to 10 years in prison. Bulgakov was deputy defense minister in charge of logistics from 2008 to September 2022, when he was dismissed.

YEREVAN -- Protesters in Yerevan pelted the Belarusian Embassy with eggs and other produce and demanded that diplomatic ties with Minsk be cut over statements made by authoritarian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka about Armenia's shift westward.

The protests on August 21 came a day after Lukashenka, speaking in an interview with Russian state television, sharply criticized Armenia's current diplomatic friendliness with Western countries amid tense relations between Yerevan and Moscow.

"Who needs Armenians? Nobody. Let them develop their economy and rely on their own resources. What is France? Who is [French President Emmanuel] Macron? Tomorrow, when Macron is gone, everybody will forget about the Armenians," Lukashenka said in the interview.

The rally in front of the Belarusian Embassy on August 21 was organized by the pro-Western For the Republic Party. The party's leader, Arman Babajanian, was among the protesters.

The party's petition demanding the expulsion of the Belarusian ambassador and calling for ties to be cut with Minsk was also signed by two other political parties -- the Republic and the European Party. Three pro-Western nongovernmental organizations also signed the petition.

Earlier in May, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian claimed that two member states of the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) helped Azerbaijan prepare for the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh.

It is believed that Pashinian was referring to Russia and Belarus.

Russian-Armenian relations have worsened significantly since Azerbaijan managed in September last year to regain control over Nagorno-Karabakh, which had been under ethic Armenian control for three decades.

Yerevan has been seeking closer ties with the West, accusing Moscow of not honoring its security commitments to Armenia.

Pashinian has repeatedly threatened to pull his country out of the CSTO, prompting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to charge that Pashinian’s administration was "leading things to the collapse of Russian-Armenian relations" at the behest of the West.

Iran's hard-line parliament approved moderate reformist Masud Pezeshkian's 19-member Cabinet, accepting the entire slate of ministers without a change for the first time since 2001.

The vote on August 21 included the appointment of 61-year-old career diplomat Abbas Araghchi -- a member of the negotiating team that reached a nuclear deal with world powers in 2015 -- as Iran’s new foreign minister.

Pezeshkian, a doctor and a former health minister, defeated ultraconservative hard-liner Saeed Jalili in a July 5 runoff vote and was sworn in earlier this month.

The election was triggered by the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash in May.

Pezeshkian has called for "constructive relations" with Western countries and favors reviving the 2015 deal that fell apart after then-President Donald Trump unilaterally pulled the United States out of the deal in 2018.

Iran's acute economic doldrums have since worsened under the weight of the harsh sanctions.

Pezeshkian has also said he supports the principles of the Islamic republic and said that he plans to follow Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's policies.

He has also questioned Iran's methods of enforcing the Islamic head scarf for women following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in 2022 while in the custody of Iran's dreaded morality police for allegedly wearing her hijab improperly.

He has also said that while the hijab law should be observed, "there should never be any intrusive or inhumane behavior toward women."

Journalist Andrey Kuznechyk of RFE/RL's Belarusian Service, known locally as Radio Svaboda, on August 21 marked his 1,000th day in prison on charges, he, his employer, and human rights organizations call politically motivated.

Kuznechyk, a father of two, was arrested on November 25, 2021, and initially sentenced to 10 days in jail on hooliganism charges that he rejected.

After serving that penalty, Kuznechyk was kept in jail and was subsequently charged with creating an extremist group, a move that officials withheld from Kuznechyk's relatives and colleagues for months.

On June 8, 2022, the Mahilyou regional court in the country's east found Kuznechyk guilty and sentenced him to six years in prison. The trial lasted just one day.

Human rights groups in Belarus have recognized Kuznechyk as a political prisoner.

Kuznechyk, who has maintained his innocence, and some 150 other Belarusian political prisoners, including another RFE/RL journalist, Ihar Losik, and former would-be presidential candidate Viktar Babaryka, are serving sentences at the same correctional colony No. 1 in the northern city of Navapolatsk.

Correctional colony No. 1 is known as one of the most restricted penitentiaries in the country.

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Initially, the territory of the colony was occupied by a number of temporary houses built for workers at a then newly built oil refinery in 1958.

The territory was later turned into correctional colony No. 10, where mostly members of organized criminal groups, noted crime kingpins, and so-called thieves-in-law served their terms.

Belarusian authorities started sending political prisoners to the correctional colony in 2010.

In 2017, the penitentiary changed its name to correctional colony No. 1.

Since a disputed August 2020 presidential election sparked mass protests over authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka's victory, tens of thousands of Belarusians have been arrested for voicing any dissent against the regime.

The crackdown has pushed most opposition politicians, who say the vote was rigged, to leave the country fearing for their safety.

Many Western governments have refused to recognize the results of the election and do not consider Lukashenka to be the country's legitimate leader.

Many countries have imposed several rounds of sanctions against his regime in response to the suppression of dissent in the country.

Three people are dead and another is seriously injured after an attacker opened fire at a high school in the northwestern Bosnian town of Sanski Most. Police from the Una-Sana canton confirmed details of the August 21 shooting to RFE/RL, adding that the attacker, an employee at the school, shot three other school employees with an automatic rifle. There were no reports of students being injured, while the director of the school was among those killed, police said. According to the police, the attacker tried to commit suicide during the incident but failed and was transferred to the Banja Luka University Clinical Center with serious injuries. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Balkan Service, click here.

The Russian Central Election Commission (TsIK) said on August 21 that it has postponed local elections scheduled for September in seven districts of the Kursk region, parts of which have been under the control of Ukrainian armed forces since early August. "The process of preparations and holding the elections will resume when the full safety of voters is secured," the TsIK said in a statement on Telegram. According to the latest official data from Russian authorities, 31 people have died and another 143 were injured in the area since the incursion by Ukrainian armed forces into the Kursk region. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here.

Romanian investigators carried out four fresh searches on August 21 at the residences of divisive Internet influencer Andrew Tate, 37, and his brother Tristan, 36, who are awaiting trial on charges of human trafficking, rape, and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women. Romania's anti-organized crime agency DIICOT said in a statement the searches relate to new accusations of forming an organized crime group, trafficking of minors, a sexual act with a minor, influencing statements, and money laundering. The brothers, who hold U.S. and U.K. citizenship, said through a spokesperson that the fresh accusations "are not fully clarified yet."

Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, on August 21 ratified the Rome Statute, the founding treaty of the International Criminal Court (ICC), lawmakers Yaroslav Zheleznyak and Oleksiy Honcharenko reported. They said the move was supported by 281 deputies. Ukraine signed the statute in January 2000 but had not ratified it. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on August 15 submitted to parliament the bill on the ratification, which is a key requirement for Ukraine to eventually join the European Union. Ratification will increase the ICC's effectiveness in "prosecuting crimes by Russian citizens on the territory of Ukraine," presidential aide Iryna Mudra said.