A U.S. businessman whose extravagant claims about supposed projects in Ukraine were exposed in an RFE/RL investigation has been charged with stock manipulation by financial regulators in the United States.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said that Benjamin Ballout, the CEO of Enerkon Solar International, "authored, approved, and issued" at least three false press releases designed to drive up the price of the company's stock so that he and his associates could sell shares for a profit.

The charges stem from what the SEC said were false claims about purported U.K. and U.S. deals in press releases published between March and May 2021, at least two months after the initial Ukraine project claims.

This kind of scheme, known as "pump and dump," is not uncommon in the world of public companies that are valued at well under $1 billion and trade on the over-the-counter market as opposed to regulated exchanges.

Two of Ballout's associates, Mohamed Zayed and William Fielding, were also charged, the SEC said in a September 23 statement.

The government watchdog said it was seeking to force the return of the trio's allegedly illegal gains, impose civil penalties, and bar them from trading what are known as "penny stocks."

It said Fielding had agreed to settle with the SEC, giving up $311,000 in profits and $53,230 in interest and paying a $195,000 fine.

RFE/RL exposed Ballout's activities in a March 2021 article after he published a press release claiming that Enerkon had been "awarded" the right to create a massive solar-power project in Ukraine and build out a next-generation wireless-technology network around the country.

Enerkon's stock price jumped in the days and weeks following the press release, making Ballout overnight a multimillionaire on paper.

Ballout also claimed, in a filing with the Justice Department under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), that he would be setting up meetings for a Ukrainian deputy prime minister with leading U.S. companies during the official’s upcoming visit to the United States.

An RFE/RL investigation showed that no such rights had been awarded to Enerkon. The Ukrainian government also denied that Ballout had been tapped to set up business meetings.

The investigation also showed that Ballout had no record of developing major projects and had struggled financially, filing for personal bankruptcy twice.

In phone calls and written messages, Ballout harassed and threatened RFE/RL reporters in an attempt to stop the article's publication.

"You and your crew under big scrutiny now. U can’t ever spy on me to a foreign gov and get away with it," he wrote in a March 22, 2021, text message.

Ballout did not answer his phone when RFE/RL tried to reach him for comment following the SEC charges.

The European Union will move ahead early next week with new sanctions against individuals and entities linked to Iran, sources told RFE/RL on October 11.

According to three European sources who spoke with RFE/RL on condition of anonymity, the sanctions are expected to be agreed on October 14 and likely will include Iran Air.

One source noted that EU ambassadors had already given the package a preliminary green light on October 9.

"Yes, sanctions on Monday in response to the shipment and more sectoral sanctions likely after that," another source told RFE/RL, referring to the transfer of Iranian ballistic missiles to Russia.

"I have zero indication that there is any reluctance," the source said.

After the United States, Britain, France, and Germany accused Iran of sending missiles to Russia more than a month ago, the three European countries announced their plans to place sanctions on Iran Air, the state-owned airline.

At the time, the German Foreign Ministry told RFE/RL that work had begun to consult with European allies on the matter.

Iran Air has direct flights to several cities in Europe, including Frankfurt, Hamburg, Cologne, Paris, and Milan.

The possibility of new EU sanctions comes just a few days after Peter Stano, the EU's chief foreign policy spokesman, told RFE/RL that he was "optimistic" about the EU's relationship with Iran.

Stano stressed that EU relations with Iran "have been at an all-time low for a long time" and noted that the most recent reason is Iran's support for Russia in its illegal invasion of Ukraine by supplying drones and more recently missiles.

Domestic repression in Iran, arbitrary detention of EU citizens, and uranium enrichment are other factors that have caused the Islamic republic's relations with the EU to become "complicated" and "sensitive," according to Stano.

Independent Tatar journalist Iskander Siradzhi has been released from pretrial detention in the Russian city of Kazan after launching a hunger strike to protest the charges against him.

His lawyer, Talia Chernova, was quoted by online news outlet Realnoe Vremya as saying that Siradzhi was released and that no investigative actions were taken against him on October 11, but he remains a suspect in a case involving the release of private information about two witnesses in a murder case.

Chernova said earlier on October 11 that Siradzhi "considers his prosecution to be illegal."

Siradzhi, a well-known local journalist and the owner of the online newspaper Sirazhi Suze, was detained on October 9 in Kazan, the capital of Russia's Tatarstan region, after authorities searched his home and office, confiscating all his equipment.

Authorities subsequently opened a criminal case against him for the alleged dissemination of private information without consent, his wife Elmira Siradzhi reported on Telegram.

Siradzhi was briefly investigated in November 2023 in connection with RFE/RL journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, who was arrested in Kazan in October 2023.

Kurmasheva, a dual U.S.-Russian citizen, was first charged with failing to register as a "foreign agent" under a punitive Russian law that targets journalists among others and was subsequently charged with spreading falsehoods about the Russian military -- charges she and RFE/RL denied.

She was sentenced to 6 1/2 years before being released in a prisoner exchange between Russia and the United States in August.

While Kurmasheva was still in detention, Siradzhi's home was searched at 5:30 a.m. by authorities, who took away his professional equipment and his children's computers.

"Allegedly, RFE/RL journalist Alsu Kurmasheva collected information that constituted a state secret," Siradzhi said at the time.

"Supposedly, Kurmasheva asked some professors how many people were taken from their institute during the military mobilization. And this is supposedly a big crime. Supposedly, I am somehow connected with this crime," he added.

Siradzhi has never collaborated with RFE/RL.

Now the Investigative Committee is accusing Siradzhi of publishing personal information about two Kazan residents, named by authorities only as Safiullin and Sabirov.

The committee claimed that video footage published by Siradzhi several years ago disclosed details about the places of residence, the families, and the income of the two individuals, accusations that Chernova said are untrue.

The case against Siradzhi stems from his reporting on the case of Kazan resident Ibrahim Zakiyev, who was accused of murders committed some two decades ago.

Tatarstan's Supreme Court has recently acquitted Zakiyev, despite testimonies against him provided by Safiullin and Sabirov.

"And the very next day, based on [Safiullin and Sabirov's] statement, the Investigative Committee opens a case [against Siradzhi]," Chernova said, adding that his case is being handled by the same [investigative] department that sent Zakiyev’s murder case to court.

"I believe there’s a direct connection here," Chernova said. She added that investigators promised Siradzhi he would be released if he gave a confession.

The Japanese group Nihon Hidankyo, an organization of Atomic bomb survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki who advocate for the abolition of nuclear weapons, has been awarded the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize.

In making the announcement in Oslo on October 11, Norwegian Nobel Committee chief Joergen Watne Frydnes said it was "alarming" that "new countries appear to be preparing to acquire nuclear weapons, and threats are being made to use nuclear weapons as part of ongoing warfare."

“It is very clear that threats of using nuclear weapons are putting pressure on the important international norm: the taboo of using nuclear weapons,” Frydnes said when asked at a news conference if rhetoric from Moscow surrounding nuclear weapons and its invasion of Ukraine had played a part in the committee's decision.

Frydnes did not mention any specific countries, but his comments come at a time when countries such as Iran have raised fears of nuclear proliferation. Tehran says it is developing its nuclear capabilities for civilian purposes, but its foes say it is looking to produce atomic weapons.

In addition, Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has further heightened concerns about the risk of nuclear war given Moscow's announcement that it plans to review its doctrine on the use of nuclear weapons and its deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus -- the first relocation of such warheads outside Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union.

"The committee is drawing attention to a very dangerous situation in the world, with relations between China and the U.S., and between Russia and the U.S., the most toxic since the end of the Cold War," said Dan Smith of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), which noted that at the start of 2024, the nine nuclear-armed states possessed an estimated 12,121 atomic weapons.

"If there is a military conflict, there is a risk of it escalating to nuclear weapons," Smith added.

SEE ALSO:

Putin Widens Scope Of Russia's Nuclear Doctrine

The 2024 Nobel Peace Prize isn't the first time an anti-nuclear group has been recognized.

The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017. Before it, Joseph Rotblat and the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs, which works to reduce the role nuclear arms play in international politics, won in 1995.

The prize also comes as conflict ravages the Middle East, with fears focused on Iran. More than three dozen Iranian hard-line lawmakers on October 10 demanded the government revise its nuclear doctrine to pursue atomic weapons.

In a letter to the Supreme National Security Council, they said Western powers could not control Israel, thus making nuclear weapons "Iran's option to create deterrence."

Nihon Hidankyo was chosen from among 286 nominees -- 89 of which were organizations.

Last year, the prize, which comes with an 11 million Swedish krona (just over $1 million) award, went to imprisoned Iranian women's rights activist Narges Mohammadi.

An influential U.S. lawmaker has called on U.S. tech giants Meta and Alphabet to address Russian disinformation targeting Moldova ahead of elections later this month seen as crucial for the Southeastern European country's path to Euro-Atlantic integration.

Moldovans are heading to the polls on October 20 to decide whether they will grant a second term to pro-Western President Maia Sandu and have their say in a referendum on the former Soviet republic's integration into the European Union.

In letters to Mark Zuckerberg and Sundar Pichai, the CEOs of the parent companies of Facebook and Google, Senator Ben Cardin (Democrat-Maryland), chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, pointed to the importance of the two polls, which he called "a unique moment in Moldova’s history that will determine the future for generations of Moldovans," stressing that "the decision must be Moldovans’ alone.”

A former World Bank official, the U.S.-educated Sandu steered Moldova firmly toward the West after defeating Moscow-backed incumbent Igor Dodon in 2020 and moved to curb Russia's influence in one of Europe's poorest countries more than three decades after it declared independence from the Soviet Union.

Chisinau firmly condemned Moscow's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and joined the EU sanctions regime against the Kremlin while sheltering tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugees.

Moldova secured EU candidate status in June 2022 and opened membership negotiations with the bloc earlier this year, steps that prompted Russia to step up a disinformation campaign to undermine the credibility of Moldova's government and portray Moscow as a better alternative for Chisinau's future.

SEE ALSO:

EU Parliament Blasts Russian Interference In Moldova Ahead Of Vote

Ahead of the elections, the National Democratic Institute (NDI), a U.S. pro-democracy NGO, warned that foreign malign influence from Russia on social media platforms “is the greatest threat to electoral integrity” and recommended that social media companies move to prevent advertising from "sanctioned individuals or their proxies."

In his letters to Zuckerberg and Pichai, Cardin urged the two companies to "act without delay to allocate additional resources to support a fair electoral environment in the run-up to October 20" and pointed to a joint statement by the United States, Canada, and Britain warning in particular of Russian actors who intend to "incite protests in Moldova should a pro-Russia candidate not win."

SEE ALSO:

Wider Europe Briefing: The EU's New Plans To Target Russian Threats

Cardin went on to warn the two tech giants that fugitive Moscow-backed oligarch Ilan Shor, who is wanted in Moldova for his role in the theft in 2014 of around $1 billion in banking assets and is under U.S. and EU sanctions, "has paid for sponsored ads on your platforms."

Cardin's letters came the same day that Moldovan police searched the homes of leaders of a group linked to Shor as part of a criminal investigation into election meddling. Three suspects were detained.

The whereabouts of Shor, who also holds Russian and Israeli passports, are not known, but he is believed to live in Moscow. His Facebook account was blocked this summer. Meta has so far also blocked the accounts of lawmaker and Shor-associate Marina Tauber and of Evghenia Gutul, the Russia-backed leader of Moldova's autonomous region of Gagauzia.

Cardin reminded the two IT giants that they have a responsibility in preventing "malign" outside involvement in the make-or-break elections.

“The gravity of this decision before the Moldovan people puts the onus on Moldova’s partners, as well as those who help moderate key parts of Moldova’s information space, to prevent malign foreign influence from interfering in one of the most important choices Moldovans will ever make,” Cardin concluded.

Russian President Vladimir Putin used a meeting with his Iranian counterpart, Masud Pezeshkian, to cement their growing bilateral ties that have raised concern in the West as war rages in Ukraine and the Middle East.

SEE ALSO:

Living Under The Threat Of Hezbollah Rockets In Northern Israel

The two leaders met in Ashgabat on the sidelines of a conference in the capital of the tightly controlled Central Asian country of Turkmenistan on October 11. It was the first of two meetings between the men, with another scheduled at the BRICS summit in the Russian city of Kazan that runs on October 22-24.

It was the first of two meetings between the two, with another scheduled at the BRICS summit in the Russian city of Kazan that runs on October 22-24.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters ahead of the meeting that while the talks will focus on bilateral relations, "the situation in the Middle East definitely will not be ignored and will also be on the agenda."

The meeting was the first between the two since Pezeshkian assumed office on July 30 after winning an election to succeed his hard-line predecessor, Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash in May.

Relations between Moscow and Tehran have strengthened since the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

"Pezeshkian is trying to gauge to what extent Iran can rely on Russia for help," Touraj Atabaki, professor emeritus of Middle East and Central Asia social history at Leiden University in the Netherlands, told Radio Farda.

"Russia wants to stand with Iran due to Iran's support in its war on Ukraine but Moscow doesn't want to darken its relationship with Israel further and cut all ties," he added.

Since the early months of the Ukraine war, Russia has been accused of using Iranian-made Shahed and Mohajer-6 drones, many of which have been found after being shot down over Ukrainian cities and battlefields.

Iran initially denied arming Russia before relenting and admitting that it had supplied a "limited number of drones" to Moscow before the war.

Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, Tehran continues to deny that its drones are being used by Russia against Ukraine. That has not stopped the United States and the European Union from imposing sanctions on Iran for helping Moscow.

Last month, the EU said it had "credible" information provided by allies suggesting that Iran has supplied short-range ballistic missiles to Russia to help Moscow wage war in Ukraine.

SEE ALSO:

Iranian President Vows 'Harsher Response' If Israel Retaliates Against Tehran

Meanwhile, tensions in the Middle East have been heightened since Tehran launched some 200 missiles at Israel on October 1, saying the attack was in response to the killing of Tehran-backed militant leaders and a general from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.

Israel has vowed to launch a "deadly, precise, and surprising" attack on Iran in retaliation, while it continues to pound targets in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip that it says are aimed at Iran-backed proxies.

The recent spiral of violence was sparked by the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas that killed around 1,200 people and saw some 250 taken hostage. Hamas has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union.

The fighting in Gaza prompted another Iran-backed group, Hezbollah, to fire missiles into Israel in support of Hamas. Hezbollah is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, while the EU blacklists its armed wing but not its political party.

The Israeli military has launched massive air strikes on Beirut and southern Lebanon in response, as well as a ground incursion into southern Lebanon intended to destroy the Iran-allied militant group, whose political party has seats in the Lebanese parliament.

Further rattling the region, more than three dozen Iranian hard-line lawmakers on October 10 demanded the government revise its nuclear doctrine to pursue atomic weapons.

In a letter to the Supreme National Security Council, they said Western powers could not control Israel, thus making nuclear weapons "Iran's option to create deterrence."

Iran has been hit with waves of crippling economic sanctions for its nuclear program, which has seen a sharp increase in its uranium enrichment capacity after the United States under former President Donald Trump withdrew from a 2015 landmark deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action that restricted Tehran's nuclear program in exchange for relief from sanctions.

Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful civilian purposes, but government officials caused alarm recently by saying it could change its "nuclear doctrine" if it is attacked or its existence is threatened by Israel.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said that Washington was still working to prevent a larger war in the Middle East and urged Israel to protect civilians after 22 people were killed in strikes on central Beirut.

SEE ALSO:

Living Under The Threat Of Hezbollah Rockets In Northern Israel

Blinken spoke a day after Israeli air strikes targeted two buildings in Beirut, one of which completely collapsed.

"We continue to engage intensely to prevent broader conflict in the region," Blinken told reporters after an East Asia Summit in Laos, adding that it was "vitally important" for Israel to ensure that civilians are protected during the conflict.

Lebanese sources said at least one senior Hezbollah figure was targeted in the attacks, which were the third on Beirut since Israel started a military campaign in southern Lebanon last month against the Iran-allied Hezbollah militia, sparking fears of an all-out regional war.

Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV reported after the strikes that an attempt to kill Wafiq Safa, a top security official with the group, had failed. It said that Safa had not been inside either of the targeted buildings.

Safa heads Hezbollah's liaison and coordination unit responsible for working with Lebanese security agencies, security sources said.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah kept up its rocket fire into Israel on October 10, with the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) saying that several drones heading toward Israel had been intercepted.

Earlier on October 10, an Israeli strike on a school in the Gaza Strip killed at least 27 people, Palestinian medical officials said. The Israeli military said it had carried out a "precise strike on terrorists" who had a command-and-control center embedded in the school.

"This is a further example of the Hamas terrorist organization's systematic abuse of civilian infrastructure in violation of international law," an Israeli military statement said.

The Palestinian militant group Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States and the EU, has denied such accusations. People who had been sheltering at the school said the strike hit a meeting of aid workers and injured 54 other people.

SEE ALSO:

Palestinians Count The Toll Of Israel's Devastating War In Gaza

Israel has continued to strike at what it says are militant targets across Gaza as it battles Hamas militants, even as the war broadened to include Hezbollah in Lebanon amid rising tensions with Iran.

In a separate incident on October 10, the UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon said an Israeli tank fired on its headquarters in the town of Naqoura, hitting an observation tower and wounding two peacekeepers. The nationality of the injured peacekeepers was not released.

The UN peacekeeping mission -- known as UNIFIL -- said in a statement that Israeli forces also fired on a nearby bunker where peacekeepers were sheltering, damaging vehicles and a communication system.

The Italian Defense Ministry summoned Israel's ambassador in protest, and Defense Minister Guido Crosetto told a press conference that "hostile acts committed and repeated by Israeli forces against the base...could constitute war crimes."

Crosetto added that Italy has asked for an official explanation "because it was not a mistake."

The French Foreign Ministry said that while no French soldiers were injured in the incident, it also demanded an explanation.

With reporting by Reuters

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has arrived in Berlin for talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz as the number of civilians killed in a Russian missile strike on Odesa on October 11 rose to nine, including a teenage girl.

As he continues a whirlwind tour of Ukraine's main European allies, Zelenskiy's main goal is to press for additional military and financial aid as Kyiv faces difficult months ahead in its fight to stop a slow but continuous Russian advance in the east.
During his 35-minute meeting with Pope Francis, Zelenskiy sought the Vatican's help in securing the return of adults and children taken prisoner by Russia, he said on X, formerly Twitter.

SEE ALSO:

Tense Times For Ukraine As Pressure Mounts On The Battlefield And Beyond

"The issue of bringing our people home from captivity was the main focus of my meeting with Pope Francis," he said.

Zelenskiy gave Francis an oil painting called the Bucha Massacre, depicting the mass killings of civilians by Russian troops in the Ukrainian city in 2022.

The Ukrainian president later arrived in Berlin, landing at the Chancellery in the German capital in a helicopter ahead of talks with Scholz and then with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

The previous day he toured London, Paris, and Rome to present his "victory plan" to some of Ukraine's closest European allies.

He met with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris after talks in London with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte before attending a working dinner with Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni in the Italian capital.

Zelenskiy said on X that he had "outlined the details" of his proposed "victory plan" to defeat Russian forces during his meetings. He added that he and the other leaders agreed to work on the plan together but gave no details on what it says.

Separately, Meloni announced after meeting Zelenskiy that Rome would host the next "recovery conference" to help Ukraine's reconstruction on July 10-11, 2025.

"Ukraine is not alone, and we will stand with it for as long as needed," Meloni told reporters.

Zelenskiy has said the war with Russia is at a critical point as the U.S presidential election approaches and winter is set to arrive.

"The next peace summit has to be in November. The plan will be on the table.... Early November the plan will [have] all the details," Zelenskiy told reporters in Paris when asked about a potential peace conference. He dismissed any talk of a cease-fire.

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's arrival in Berlin comes after an October 12 summit of the Ramstein group of Ukraine's main backers was canceled at short notice when U.S. officials, including President Joe Biden, abandoned their travel plans as the southern U.S. states braced for Hurricane Milton.

The White House said in a statement that Biden spoke to Scholz on October 10 and noted "his intention to continue our strong collaboration on geopolitical priorities, including supporting Ukraine’s defense against Russian aggression."

The United States has been Ukraine's main backer and by far the main contributor in terms of financial and military aid, but a victory by Republican candidate and former President Donald Trump in the election could cast doubt about Washington's continued support for Kyiv.

Zelenskiy's diplomatic efforts are taking place as Russia continues to keep up the pressure on Ukraine's cities.

Odesa Governor Oleh Kiper said the number of people killed after an early-morning Russian missile strike on his region rose to nine, after initially reporting that people people, including a 16-year-old girl, had been killed.

"A two-story building where civilians lived and worked was destroyed," Kiper wrote on Telegram

Odesa, Ukraine's main hub for grain exports, has been repeatedly struck by Russian forces since the start of the war.

In the northeastern region of Kharkiv, a 38-year-old man was killed by a Russian drone strike on the village of Kozacha Lopan, the region's military administration reported.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the capital was targeted by Russian drones early on October 11. The military administration of the Ukrainian capital later reported on Telegram that all the attacking drones had been shot down, without specifying a number.

On the battlefield, outmanned and outgunned Ukrainian forces were fighting Russian troops inside the strategic city of Toretsk in the eastern region of Donetsk after abandoning Vuhledar, another strategic hub in the region, last week.

Over the past 24 hours, Russian forces carried out fresh attacks near Vremivka, Kharkiv, Kupyansk, and Siversk, the General Staff of Ukraine's military reported on October 11.

Unidentified gunmen shot and killed 20 coal miners in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan Province early on October 11, police said. The attack occurred at a coal mine in Balochistan's Duki district, local officials told RFE/RL. Police official Humayun Khan told journalists that the attackers also used rocket-propelled grenades. Doctors at a hospital in Duki said they had received 20 bodies and seven injured. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. Mineral-rich Balochistan has been rocked by a series of militant attacks since the start of the year. Baluch separatist groups, such as the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), designated as a global terrorist organization by the United States, are engaged in fighting against the Pakistani government.

The Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) plans to go ahead with its Loya Jirga grand assembly on October 11 to discuss peace and security in northwestern Pakistan despite recent violence, including the deaths of three of its members.

Thousands of people took part on October 10 in a funeral prayer service for the three peace activists killed when police started firing at them a day earlier after the activists refused to vacate the venue for the Loya Jirga.

Pakistani authorities earlier this week banned the PTM, a popular civil rights movement that campaigns for the country's ethnic Pashtun minority. The PTM has been engaged in "certain activities that are harmful to public order and security," the Interior Ministry said on October 6 in a statement announcing the ban. It provided no details about the alleged activities.

Embed share

Thousands Attend Funerals Of Pashtun Activists Shot By Police

Embed share

The code has been copied to your clipboard.

---

width px height px

---

The URL has been copied to your clipboard

No media source currently available

0:00 0:01:59 0:00

The PTM on October 10 rejected the accusation of the interior minister that it is trying to "create a parallel or parallel justice" in the country and "create division and differences in the society."

The PTM in recent days reported a series of police raids and arrests targeting its leaders and members ahead of the Loya Jirga to be held in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province.

The PTM has campaigned since 2018 for the civil rights of the country’s estimated 35 million ethnic Pashtuns. Many of Pakistan’s ethnic Pashtuns live in areas close to the border with Afghanistan, where the Pakistani military has conducted campaigns that it says defeated the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan, also known as the Pakistani Taliban or TPP.

The area has recently experienced a surge in militant violence. The TPP has claimed responsibility for much of it.

In the most recent incident, militants opened fire on October 10 on a police vehicle and killed two officers before fleeing the scene, police said. The attack happened in the city of Tank, local police official Sher Afzal said.

Within hours the military said it had killed four militants in North Waziristan, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province.

No group has claimed responsibility, but suspicion is likely to fall on the TTP, which is outlawed in Pakistan. The group is separate from but a close ally of the Afghan Taliban.

In other recent violence in the country, two Chinese citizens were killed in a large blast near the airport of Karachi that the Chinese Embassy called a "terrorist attack." The blast was claimed by the separatist Baloch Liberation Army.

The attack took place late on October 6 and it targeted a convoy of Chinese employees of the Port Qasim Electric Power Company Limited that was traveling from the airport, the embassy said. The Chinese citizens were working on the construction of two coal-fired power plants in Pakistan.

The latest violence comes ahead of the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which will take place in Islamabad on October 15.

With reporting by AP

Journalists from RFE/RL came under Russian fire in eastern Ukraine on October 10 as they filmed battlefield action alongside Ukrainian troops.

The group from the Radio Donbas Realities project of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, consisting of correspondent Roman Pahulych and cameraman Pavlo Kholodov, was filming Ukrainian drone operators on October 10 when Russian military hit the positions of Ukrainian fighters with artillery.

The first incoming shell fell next to Pahulych and several Ukrainian soldiers he had spoken with while in the Donetsk region near Bakhmut.

The group was taken to a stabilization point, where Pahulych was treated for a bruise caused by the pressure of the exploding shell, while two soldiers were treated for minor injuries.

Cameraman Pavel Kholodov was uninjured.

Pahulych has been working for RFE/RL since 2018, reporting from the front lines in the war to repel Russia's invading forces, as well as producing analyses about the problems faced by Ukraine's military.

Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Roshchyna, who had gone missing in Russian-occupied territories, has been confirmed dead while in Russian captivity, Ukrainian authorities reported on October 10.

The news was confirmed by Petro Yatsenko, a representative of Ukraine’s Coordination Staff for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, following an internal investigation into her disappearance.

“We have conducted an internal investigation, and unfortunately, the information about Viktoria’s death has been confirmed," Yatsenko said. However, the circumstances surrounding Roshchyna’s death remain unclear and are still under investigation, he added.

Roshchyna, a freelance journalist who had previously worked with RFE/RL and other prominent Ukrainian media outlets, had been missing since early August 2023.

She had traveled from Ukraine to Poland on July 27 last year before heading toward the Russian-occupied territories in eastern Ukraine, according to her father, Volodymyr Roshchyn. Her last known communication was on August 3, 2023.

RFE/RL is "devastated" by the news of Roshchyna's death, President and CEO Stephen Capus said.

"Her unlawful imprisonment and tragic death underscore the high price journalists pay for reporting the truth about Russia's war on Ukraine. We must honor her legacy by holding her captors accountable,” Capus said in a statement.

Oleksandra Matviychuk, a friend of Roshchyna and head of the human rights organization Center for Civil Liberties, which was awarded the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize, also reacted to Roshchyna's death.

Roshchyna "died under unknown circumstances in Russian captivity fighting for what she believed in: freedom, transparency, and democracy. Her bravery in the face of adversity is something every journalist, every human, should aspire to," Matviychuk said in a statement.

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.

Yatsenko revealed that prior to Roshchyna's death efforts were being made to secure her release from Russian captivity, where she was held along with at least 25 other Ukrainian journalists. These journalists are either detained or missing within Russian-controlled areas.

Andriy Yusov of Ukraine's Military Intelligence confirmed that Roshchyna had been slated for a prisoner exchange, and as of the most recent updates she was being transferred from Taganrog, a Russian city near the Ukrainian border, to Moscow's Lefortovo detention center in preparation for her release.

Ukrainian authorities are now trying to understand what transpired during this transfer.

Roshchyna's case highlights the dangers faced by journalists reporting in war zones. According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), more than 100 Ukrainian and foreign journalists have been directly affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022.

Several Ukrainian journalists remain detained or missing in Ukraine’s Russian-occupied territories, with Roshchyna's death underscoring the ongoing risks faced by members of the press in conflict zones.

A complex international smuggling operation involving the illegal supplying of Belarusian mineral fertilizer to Ukraine despite sanctions imposed on such activities by both Ukraine and the European Union has been uncovered by RFE/RL's Belarusian Service, known locally as Radio Svaboda.

According to documents obtained by Radio Svaboda from the Shevchenko district court in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, the Belarusian company Hrodna Azot used a network of intermediaries, including a Dubai-based company, to conceal the origin of its products by falsely claiming they were produced in Turkmenistan.

The case highlights the broader issue of Belarusian goods entering Ukraine despite sanctions, as intermediaries use routes through Black Sea countries such as Romania and Bulgaria to bypass restrictions.

The scheme was outlined in the documents as part of a court case against the Ukrainian company Oscar Optima, which was involved in the sale of the fertilizer in question.

According to the Ukrainian court, Hrodna Azot transported its products by rail to the Russian port of Rostov, where the fertilizer was shipped through Bulgaria before finally reaching the Ukrainian port of Izmayil.

A red flag was raised when the fertilizer was declared as originating from Turkmenistan, a country that does not produce the type being declared.

In April 2023, one such shipment, valued at $1.1 million, was traced to a Dubai-registered company, Agro Chain General Trading LLC, which acted as a front for the operation, court documents showed.

Ukrainian authorities also uncovered forged certificates of origin and communications between Oscar Optima and Turkish nationals managing the Dubai company further confirmed the illicit origins of the shipments.

A forensic investigation confirmed that the fertilizer matched products produced by Hrodna Azot, a Belarusian company sanctioned by the EU in 2021 for its role in repressing workers who protested against the authoritarian ruler of Belarus, Alyaksandr Lukashenka, and his regime.

Since the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Belarusian products, including fertilizer, have been banned from being purchased with Ukrainian state funds, but some goods continue to enter the country via third-party countries.

Ukrainian investigators are pursuing charges under multiple sections of the Criminal Code, including forgery, tax evasion, and collaboration, which could result in up to 12 years in prison for those involved.

The investigation is ongoing, with the involvement of Ukraine's Security Service and the Prosecutor-General’s Office.

Shipments from countries such as Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan, which may involve similar tactics, are also being investigated.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on October 10 issued a decree simplifying visa procedures for Georgian citizens, allowing visa-free entry to those traveling for work or education. The decree, effective immediately, extends to Georgian citizens staying in Russia for over 90 days. This development comes as tensions between Georgia's government and the West continue to rise. Tbilisi has been criticized for its increasingly close ties to Moscow, with the European Union and the United States expressing concerns over Georgia's democratic backsliding. Earlier this year, the Georgian parliament passed a controversial "foreign influence" law despite mass protests. The law is similar to a Russian law used to muzzle free press and dissent. The decree looks like another move by Russia to strengthen ties with Georgia, even as the country's government faces mounting pressure from Western allies over its stance on Russia and internal governance issues. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Echo of the Caucasus, click here.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called on Moldovans to participate in two crucial upcoming elections and announced that the European Union has earmarked 1.8 billion euros ($1.97 billion) in financial support for the economy of one of Europe's poorest countries in the next three years.

Pro-Western President Maia Sandu is running for a second term on October 20, when voters will also have their say in a referendum on joining the 27-member European Union.

On the same day Von der Leyen traveled to Moldova, police searched the homes of leaders of a group linked to fugitive pro-Russian businessman Ilan Shor as part of a criminal investigation into election meddling. Three people were detained for at least 72 hours following 115 searches that began on October 8.

The police action came after the country's police and Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office last week said tens of thousands of voters had been paid off in a bid to derail Chisinau's election. The Moldovan authorities said the payments were made through accounts in a Russian bank and were managed by people in Russia.

Shor, a resident of Russia who is wanted in Moldova, has denied allegations, describing statements from Moldovan authorities as an "absurd spectacle."

Shor's account on Telegram was later blocked in Moldova, though people were able to gain access to an alternative account he opened.

At a joint news conference with Sandu, Von der Leyen encouraged Moldovans to go to the polls to express their "free and sovereign choice" but stopped short of telling them how to vote.

Under the U.S.-educated Sandu, who came to power after defeating Russian-backed incumbent Igor Dodon in 2020, Moldova took an about-turn toward the West, condemning Moscow's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and joining the EU sanctions regime against the Kremlin.

Moldova secured EU candidate status in June 2022 and opened membership negotiations with the bloc earlier this year, steps that prompted Russia to step up attempts to undermine the credibility of Moldova's government and portray Moscow as a better alternative for Chisinau's future.

Sandu said the 1.8 billion-euro package would be used to invest in "areas that will generate economic growth and public services" such as repairing schools, building two new hospitals in the cities of Balti and Cahul, and building roads and bridges to connect Moldova with its neighbors. But the money would also be used to develop the country's energy network.

The election is seen as a make-or-break moment for the future of Moldova, a country of 2.5 million wedged between Romania and Ukraine where Russia still wields massive influence and maintains more than 1,000 troops in the separatist Transdniester region, 33 years after Chisinau declared independence from the Soviet Union.

Von der Leyen praised Sandu for "how committed" she has been to "Moldova's European path" and for the advances made by Moldova toward EU membership and mentioned "the initiation of reforms of the judiciary, the fight against corruption, and the expulsion of oligarchs from the economic sector."

Sandu called the financial support package "a symbol of trust in Moldova's development potential."

"Thank you, dear Ursula, for your support for Moldova all these years," Sandu said.

In announcing the alleged payments-for-votes scheme on October 3, authiorities said that in September alone more than $15 million from Russian banks were directed to the accounts of more than 130,000 Moldovan citizens.

The plot was allegedly hatched by Shor, a Russian-backed fugitive oligarch implicated in a $1 billion bank fraud and other illicit schemes who has organized protests in Chisinau against Sandu.

With reporting by Reuters

A monument has been erected in the Siberian city of Nizhnevartovsk to honor victims of the brutal purges from the 1930s to the 1950s, despite efforts by the Russian government to glorify Soviet dictator Josef Stalin and downplay the extent of Soviet-era political repression.

The memorial, long delayed and initially resisted, was funded by local authorities and stands as a reminder of a dark chapter in Soviet history -- one increasingly subject to historical revisionism.

The rehabilitation of Stalin has been a feature of the rule by President Vladimir Putin since the former KGB officer came to power nearly a quarter-century ago.

In the early years, Stalin was promoted as an "effective manager" who led the Soviet Union to victory over Nazi Germany.

But over time, the tight connection between Stalin and the war has been loosened, and Stalin and Stalinist imagery now appear in a much wider array of contexts -- from advertising to the arts.

Sources familiar with the project to build the new monument, which flies in the face of Putin's narrative, told RFE/RL on October 10 that the idea dates back to 2008, when the Nizhnevartovsk city administration held a competition to design it.

Despite initial momentum, the project stalled for years, with officials citing various logistical reasons.

First, city officials claimed the site was unavailable due to construction. Later, they allocated a remote location in an old part of the city, further delaying its completion.

Frustrated by the city's inaction, residents took matters into their own hands in 2015, raising funds to erect a simple slab monument near a school. However, this unofficial tribute was destroyed in the fall of 2023 by unknown individuals.

The long-awaited monument was finally erected with the assistance of former Khanty-Mansi Governor and current Federation Council member Natalya Komarova and after years of persistent advocacy by activists from the Istoki Pamyati (Origins of Memory) group.

An official unveiling is planned for October 30, which is observed as the Day of Remembrance of Victims of Political Repression in Russia, at a time when the condemnation of Stalin's crimes is being pushed aside by normalization of the era in the everyday lives of Russians.

Recently, the Prosecutor-General’s Office announced plans to review past decisions on the rehabilitation of repression victims, raising concerns that historical accountability for Soviet atrocities may be undermined.

Moreover, in June, changes were made to the official Concept On Victims Of Political Repressions, eliminating references to the mass nature of Soviet-era purges and removing the call to commemorate their victims.

The shift in the official stance was highlighted by the Moscow city government's decision to cancel the 2024 "Return of Names" event, where citizens traditionally gather to read aloud the names of those who were killed or jailed during the repressions.

The cancellation was ostensibly due to a "sharp increase in COVID cases," but activists see it as part of the broader effort to suppress discussion of Soviet crimes.

At least 22 people were killed and 117 others injured in Israeli strikes on Beirut, the Lebanese Health Ministry reported on October 10 after an Israeli strike on a school sheltering Palestinians in Gaza killed dozens of people.

Lebanon's state news agency NNA reported two evening air raids in central Beirut. The first targeted an eight-story building and the second a four-story building that completely collapsed as a result of the strike, NNA said.

SEE ALSO:

Living Under The Threat Of Hezbollah Rockets In Northern Israel

A Lebanese security source quoted by Reuters said at least one senior Hezbollah figure was targeted in the attacks, which were the third on Beirut since Israel started a military campaign in southern Lebanon last month targeting the Iran-allied Hezbollah militia and sparking fears of an all-out regional war.

Hezbollah’s Al Manar TV reported after the strikes that an attempt to kill Wafiq Safa, a top security official with the group, had failed. It said that Safa had not been inside of either of the targeted buildings.

Hezbollah kept up rocket fire into Israel on October 10. The military said several drones heading toward Israel were intercepted.

Earlier on October 10 an Israeli strike on a school in the Gaza Strip killed at least 27 people, Palestinian medical officials said, while a separate Israeli strike hit UN peacekeeper headquarters in southern Lebanon, prompting Italy to summon the Israeli ambassador.

The Israeli military said it carried out a "precise strike on terrorists" who had a command and control center embedded in the school.

"This is a further example of the Hamas terrorist organization's systematic abuse of civilian infrastructure in violation of international law," a military statement said.

The Palestinian militant group Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States and the EU, has denied such accusations. People who had been sheltering at the school said the strike hit a meeting of aid workers and injured 54 other people.

Israel has continued to strike at what it says are militant targets across Gaza as it battles Hamas militants even as the war broadened to include Hezbollah in Lebanon amid rising tensions with Iran.

SEE ALSO:

Palestinians Count The Toll Of Israel's Devastating War In Gaza

In a separate incident on October 10 the UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon said an Israeli tank fired on its headquarters in the town of Naqoura, hitting an observation tower and wounding two peacekeepers. The nationality of the injured peacekeepers was not released.

The UN peacekeeping mission known as UNIFIL said in a statement that Israeli forces also fired on a nearby bunker where peacekeepers were sheltering, damaging vehicles and a communication system.

The Italian Defense Ministry summoned Israel's ambassador in protest, and Defense Minister Guido Crosetto told a press conference that "hostile acts committed and repeated by Israeli forces against the base...could constitute war crimes." Crosetto added that Italy has asked for an official explanation "because it was not a mistake."

The French Foreign Ministry said that while no French solider was injured in the incident, it also demanded an explanation.

The Israeli military announced earlier on October 10 that it had eliminated another important Hezbollah member as it kept up its attacks against the Iran-backed group.

SEE ALSO:

Would An All-Out Israel-Iran War Send Oil Prices Skyrocketing?

Adham Jahout, a member of Hezbollah's Golan Terrorist Network was killed in an air strike in the area of Quneitra in Syria, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said.

Jahout was relaying intelligence from Syrian regime sources to Hezbollah and facilitating operations against Israel in the Golan Heights, the IDF said.

Israel annexed the Golan Heights after capturing them from Syria during the 1967 Middle East war. The annexation has not been recognized by most countries.

Separately, the Israeli military said on October 10 that it had eliminated two Hezbollah commanders in southern Lebanon and its warplanes attacked munitions depots in the Beirut area and in southern Lebanon. It did not immediately reveal the identities of the two commanders.

Hezbollah, a militant group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon, is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, while the European Union blacklists its armed wing but not its party, which has seats in the Lebanese parliament.

The latest strikes came as the United States, Israel's main ally, warned against bombardments in Lebanon similar to those that caused large-scale destruction in Gaza as Israel retaliated against Hamas following the U.S.- and EU-designated terrorist group's deadly attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, that left more than 1,100 people dead.

Israel's bombardment of central and northern Gaza in recent days has killed dozens of people and trapped thousands in their homes, Palestinian officials say.

• RFE/RL
• Reuters
• AP

Israel on October 7 marked the somber anniversary of the Hamas attack that killed more than 1,200 people and took some 250 hostages. Some 100 hostages remain in captivity, many of whom are believed dead. Hamas is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States and the EU. 

"There should be no kind of military action in Lebanon that looks anything like Gaza and leaves a result anything like Gaza," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told journalists on October 9.

The warning came after U.S. President Joe Biden emphasized in a call on October 9 with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the need for a diplomatic arrangement for the return of both Lebanese and Israeli civilians to their homes on both sides of the border.

The United States warned Israel on October 9 against launching a military action in Lebanon like the one it has conducted in Gaza, and U.S. President Joe Biden emphasized in a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the need for a diplomatic arrangement for the return of both Lebanese and Israeli civilians to their homes on both sides of the border.

Biden also condemned Iran's ballistic-missile attack on Israel on October 1, a White House statement said.

Biden "affirmed Israel's right to protect its citizens from Hezbollah, which has fired thousands of missiles and rockets into Israel over the past year alone, while emphasizing the need to minimize harm to civilians, in particular in the densely populated areas of Beirut," the statement said.

Two journalists from the Kyrgyz anti-corruption investigative group Temirov Live have been sentenced to prison after being found guilty on charges that their supporters and media watchdogs say are politically motivated.

A court in Bishkek on October 10 sentenced Makhabat Tajibek-kyzy to six years in prison and Azamat Ishenbekov to five years after they were found guilty of "creating an organized criminal group" and "calling for mass riots."

Tajibek-kyzy is the wife of the group's founder, Bolot Temirov.

The court also sentenced Aktilek Kaparov and Aike Beishekeeva to three years of probation on the same charges.

Seven other current and former members of Temirov Live -- Maksat Tajibek-uulu, Akyl Orozbekov, Jumabek Turdaliev, Joodar Buzumov, Saparbek Akunbekov, Saipidin Sultanaliev, and Tynystan Asypbekov -- were acquitted.

SEE ALSO:

Watchdog Urges Bishkek To Drop 'Contrived' Charges Against 11 Journalists On Trial

The 11 journalists went on trial on June 7 amid calls from domestic and international rights groups for all charges to be dropped and for them to be released immediately.

Last month, one of the journalists on trial, Aike Beishekeeva, was named as the winner of the Gratias Tibi award of the Prague-based Clovek v Tisni (People In Need) rights group.

The annual award is given to people younger than 30 for their contributions to defending human rights worldwide.

SEE ALSO:

Kyrgyzstan's Vibrant Media Space In Peril After Journalists Raided, Jailed

Bolot Temirov was deported to Russia in November 2022 after a court ruled that he obtained Kyrgyz citizenship illegally.

Temirov, who held Kyrgyz and Russian passports, rejected the accusation and insisted the probe against him was launched after he published an investigation suggesting corruption among top Kyrgyz officials.

Kyrgyzstan's free press and civil society have traditionally been the most vibrant in Central Asia, but that has changed amid an intensifying government crackdown.

SEE ALSO:

Closing The Kloop: Kyrgyzstan's Media Crackdown Becomes Farcical As Leading Journalism Foundation Shuttered

In early April, President Sadyr Japarov signed into law a controversial bill that allows authorities to register organizations as "foreign representatives," which critics say mirrors a repressive Russian law on "foreign agents" that Moscow uses to muzzle independent journalism and NGOs.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy held talks on October 10 with British, French, and Italian leaders as part of a push to secure additional military and financial aid.

The visit comes as Kyiv confronts relentless daily air strikes and a grinding Russian offensive in the east that is making incremental progress.

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 met with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris after talks in London with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, who was in Kyiv last week after taking over at the helm of the military alliance.

Zelenskiy said on X that he "outlined the details" of his proposed "victory plan" to defeat Russian forces in his meeting with Starmer, Macron, Rutte, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome. He added that he and the other leaders agreed to work on the plan together but gave no details on what it says.

Zelenskiy said they discussed transatlantic cooperation and further reinforcing Ukraine militarily, adding, “These are the steps that will create the best conditions for restoring a just peace.”

After meeting with Zelenskiy, Meloni announced that Rome would host the next "recovery conference" to help Ukraine's reconstruction.

"Ukraine is not alone, and we will stand with it for as long as needed," Meloni told reporters, setting the meeting date for July 10-11, 2025.

Zelenskiy has said the war with Russia is at a critical point as the U.S presidential election approaches and winter set to arrive in Ukraine.

"The next peace summit has to be in November. The plan will be on the table.... Early November the plan will [have] all the details," Zelenskiy told reporters in Paris when asked about a potential peace conference. He dismissed any talk of a cease-fire.

Zelenskiy's trip comes after a summit of the Ramstein group of Ukraine's main backers was canceled at short notice when U.S. officials, including President Joe Biden, abandoned their travel plans as southern U.S. states braced for Hurricane Milton.

The Ukrainian leader is also scheduled to meet with Pope Francis at the Vatican on October 11 and then travel to Germany for consultations with Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

• RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service

At least four people were injured and dozens of buildings were damaged after waves of Russian strikes on Zaporizhzhya, according to the regional governor of the southeastern Ukrainian city.

The White House said in a statement that Biden spoke to Scholz on October 10 and noted "his intention to continue our strong collaboration on geopolitical priorities, including supporting Ukraine’s defense against Russian aggression."

The United States has been Ukraine's main backer and by far the main contributor in terms of financial and military aid, but a victory by Republican candidate and former President Donald Trump in the election could cast doubt about Washington's continued support for Kyiv.

SEE ALSO:

Tense Times For Ukraine As Pressure Mounts On The Battlefield And Beyond

On October 9, Zelenskiy attended a summit with Balkan leaders in Croatia, where he stressed the importance of European unity for a durable peace.

"No one in Europe needs to be reminded how precious peace is, especially here in the Balkans. What happens here in the Balkans and what happens in Ukraine in a way determines the stability of the whole of Europe," Zelenskiy said.

Summit participants passed a declaration condemning Russia's aggression against Ukraine and supporting Zelenskiy's peace efforts, Ukraine's membership in NATO, and its reconstruction after the war.

On the battlefield, outmanned and outgunned Ukrainian forces were fighting Russian troops inside the strategic city of Toretsk in the eastern region of Donetsk after abandoning Vuhledar, another strategic hub in the region, last week.

Russian forces, meanwhile, shelled Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhya regions, wounding several people and causing further destruction, regional authorities reported.

Separately, Ukraine's air force reported that it had downed 41 Russian drones out of 62 launched early on October 10 at targets in the Odesa, Poltava, and Donetsk regions.

Authorities raised the number killed in a strike on Odesa from six to eight. Authorities said Russian forces launched a missile attack on the port on October 9.

The two victims were a 26-year-old man and a 46-year-old dock worker. Both died in the hospital from injuries they sustained in the attack, regional Governor Oleh Kiper said on Telegram.

With reporting by AFP

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy stressed the importance of European unity as he took part in a summit in Croatia with Balkan leaders on October 9.

If Europe is not united, it cannot expect peace, Zelenskiy said, speaking in Dubrovnik at the start of the third Ukraine-Southeast Europe summit.

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.

"Even though there is much political tension we must ensure that our unity in Europe remains as stable as possible," he added.

“No one in Europe needs to be reminded how precious peace is, especially here in the Balkans. What happens in the Balkans and what happens here in Ukraine in a way determines the stability of the whole of Europe.”

He also thanked Balkan leaders for their support “and for standing up against Russia's efforts to destabilize this region as well."

The leaders of 12 countries -- Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Greece, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, and Turkey -- joined Zelenskiy and Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic for the summit.

Five of the countries whose leaders are participating in the event -- Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Romania, and Slovenia -- are EU members; the other nations are on different stages of their paths toward joining the bloc.

Zelenskiy said earlier that there is a chance to “move things toward peace and lasting stability” between now and the end of the year.

“The situation on the battlefield creates an opportunity to make this choice -- choice for decisive action to end the war no later than in 2025," he told the summit.

But a key meeting with international allies planned for October 12 has been postponed. U.S. President Joe Biden called off his scheduled visit to Germany as millions were warned to leave their homes in Florida because of Hurricane Milton.

A high-level meeting of the Ramstein group of Ukraine arms donors was subsequently canceled after Biden scrapped his trip. The Ramstein group, also known as the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, was due to convene during Biden's planned October 10-13 visit.

While a new date for the meeting of the Ramstein group is being sought, the Ukrainian president said he would hold talks later this week with the leaders of Britain, France, Italy, and Germany in each of the countries.

Zelenskiy's press service said he would start negotiations "with key partners on whom the military component of our strengthening depends."

Zelenskiy called on the summit's participants to get involved in the peace process, noting that his peace plan contains conditions which "need to be met for a just end to the war."

Plenkovic said investing in defense and showing solidarity with Ukraine were key geopolitical interests for everyone.

By helping Ukraine "we are investing in the future for our children in all of Europe," he said. "Not condemning Russia in this attack on Ukraine would encourage other regimes to do similar or the same thing. In Southeast Europe, we must not allow this to happen."

Prior to the start of the summit Zelenskiy and Plenkovic signed a 10-year bilateral agreement on cooperation and Croatia's support to Ukraine after their meeting.

The agreement is focused on Croatia's experience in prosecuting war crimes, supporting war veterans, demining, and the process of joining the European Union, Plenkovic said on X.

Zelenskiy said participants in the summit would also discuss the implementation of Ukraine's peace plan and the country's integration into the European Union and the NATO military alliance.

Summit participants passed a declaration condemning Russia's aggression against Ukraine and supporting Zelenskiy's peace efforts, Ukraine's membership in NATO, and its reconstruction after the war.

The declaration emphasized the importance of Ukraine's energy security. It also says that the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant must be returned to Ukrainian control and function in accordance with the principles of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

With reporting by Reuters and AFP

The editorial board of one of Ukraine’s most respected media outlets, Ukrayinska Pravda, has accused President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s office of launching an "ongoing and systematic pressure" campaign against it that threatens the independence of its work.

In a statement released on October 9, the publication accused President Zelenskiy’s administration of attempting to influence editorial policy and individual journalists.

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.

Ukrayinska Pravda alleged that government officials are hindering its work by blocking interviews, pressuring businesses to withdraw advertising, and initiating "emotionally-charged communication" between President Zelenskiy and its journalist, Roman Kravets, during an August press conference.

“These and other nonpublic signals suggest attempts to influence our editorial policy,” the statement said, adding that such actions are particularly alarming during Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, when journalistic independence is critical.

The editorial board warned that any further efforts to sway reporting would be publicly exposed and "will have consequences at the international level."

Zelenskiy’s office has yet to comment on the allegations. RFE/RL reached out to his press office for comments on the newspaper’s allegations, but did not receive any.

Sevhil Musayeva, Ukrayinska Pravda’s editor-in-chief, has previously claimed that the President’s Office tried to block advertising on the media outlet's website and that the publication’s owner has resisted offers to sell it, which she described as part of the pressure campaign.

Ukrayinska Pravda was founded by Heorhiy Gongadze, a prominent Ukrainian journalist.

Gongadze gained international attention after his abduction and murder in 2000, which many believe was politically motivated.

His death sparked protests and became a symbol of the fight for a free press in Ukraine.

Ukrayinska Pravda continues to play a significant role in Ukrainian journalism under the ownership of Czech businessman Tomas Fiala.

Viktor Orban and European lawmakers have traded barbs in the European parliament, with the Hungarian prime minister urging the bloc to change while top EU officials chided Budapest for its Russia-friendly stance and backsliding on democracy.

The clash as Orban -- Russian President Vladimir Putin's closest ally within the European Union -- addressed the parliament in Strasbourg on October 9 came as little surprise with the two sides having sparred for months over aid to Ukraine, migration, allegations of the misuse of bloc funds and breaches of its laws.

Orban used his speech, which was interrupted at times by shouts and singing from European parliamentarians, to continue his calls for a hard line in the face of a "migration crisis", arguing that "the European Union needs to change."

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen followed Orban at the podium and accused his government of "just throwing problems over your neighbor's fence," a reference to Budapest's early release of more than 1,000 convicted people smugglers and human traffickers.

SEE ALSO:

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

She also criticized Hungary's policy of issuing visas to Russian nationals without more thorough background checks compared to other nationals before chiding him on hindering the flow of aid to Ukraine as it battles invading Russian troops.

"There is only one path to achieve a just peace for Ukraine and for Europe, we must continue to empower Ukraine's resistance with political, financial and military support," von der Leyen said.

Meanwhile, the joint leader of the Greens-European Free Alliance, Terry Reintke, was more blunt in her message to Orban: "You are not welcome here," she told him.

A day earlier, Orban told a press conference in Strasbourg that the EU's current strategy of sending massive aid to Ukraine "does not work."

"If you cannot win on the battlefield -- you have to communicate, you have to negotiate, you have to have a cease-fire," he said.

Orban was in Strasbourg to mark his country's six-month stint in the rotating EU presidency.

The populist Orban government has maintained ties with Moscow despite Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Orban has opposed aid to Kyiv and has also angered the EU with his increasingly authoritarian rule and his ties to China.

Former U.S. Marine Trevor Reed has been sentenced in absentia by a Russian court to 14 1/2 years in prison, on charges he joined the Ukrainian Army as a mercenary.

The Russian Investigative Committee said on October 9 that Reed enlisted with Ukrainian forces in May 2023 and participated in combat operations in the Donetsk region.

Reed’s participation in the war -- it was reported by some media outlets that he joined the Ukrainian military as a foreign fighter in November 2022 -- became public in July 2023 when he was injured by a mine explosion while fighting for Ukraine.

The U.S. State Department said at that time that he had been transferred to Germany for medical care after being injured.

Reed vaulted into the news in 2020 when he was sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison for allegedly assaulting Russian police officers after a traffic stop, a charge he denied.

In April 2022, Reed, who by then had served nearly three years in a Russian prison, was exchanged for Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko, who had been serving a 20-year sentence in the United States for drug trafficking.

Reed's conviction in absentia comes days after two other Americans were convicted and sentenced by Russian courts, fueling concerns over the political motivations behind their detentions amid heightened tensions between Moscow and Washington.

SEE ALSO:

'They Remain In Torturous Conditions': The Prisoners Left Behind In Russia After Historic Exchange 

Stephen Hubbard, 72, was sentenced by the Moscow City Court on October 7 to six years and 10 months in prison on charges of being a mercenary and fighting against Russia in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Robert Gilman, a 30-year-old former U.S. Marine, was sentenced to seven years and one month in prison for assaulting a prison official and a state investigator.

Gilman, already serving a 3 1/2-year sentence for attacking a police officer in 2022 while intoxicated, allegedly committed the assaults in late 2023 while in custody.

Both cases follow a pattern of high-profile arrests and detentions of Americans in Russia, which many analysts view as part of Moscow's broader strategy to exert pressure on Washington.

The detentions are increasingly being seen as politically motivated, with the potential for these individuals to become bargaining chips in future prisoner swaps.

SEE ALSO:

Long Showers. Clean Drinking Water. Long Hugs. Avocados: Alsu Kurmasheva Adjusts To Freedom After Russian Prison

This comes in the wake of an exchange in August in which three U.S. citizens were released, including RFE/RL's journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, Wall Street Journal Evan Gershkovich, and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, in exchange for Russian prisoners serving sentences in the United States and Europe.

The timing of the sentences coincides with a period of strained U.S.-Russia relations, exacerbated by Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine and Western sanctions aimed at weakening Moscow's position.

U.S. authorities said they have arrested an Afghan citizen and charged him with conspiring to conduct a terrorist attack on Election Day in the United States in the name of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group.

The Justice Department said in a statement late on October 8 that Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, 27, a resident of Oklahoma City, confirmed to U.S. investigators after his arrest that he was plotting an attack aimed at large crowds of people at an unspecified location.

Tawhedi and a co-conspirator, who has not been named because he is a minor, "expected to die as martyrs" during the attack, the statement said.

The Afghan national arrived in the United States on a special immigrant visa in 2021 and was waiting for the conclusion of his immigration proceedings, the Justice Department said.

He acquired two AK-47 firearms and ammunition and initiated the sale of his house and other assets while arranging for his family members to be resettled back in Afghanistan.

SEE ALSO:

Iran Tries To 'Storm' U.S. Election With Russian-Style Disinformation Campaign

"As charged, the Justice Department foiled the defendant’s plot to acquire semiautomatic weapons and commit a violent attack," Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said.

The arrests come as U.S. authorities are facing heightened concerns over the possibility of terrorist acts on U.S. soil in the run-up and during the presidential election on November 5.

The FBI searched Tawhedi's phone and obtained communications between him and an individual who he understood to be affiliated with IS and allegedly facilitated "recruitment, training, and indoctrination" for the terrorist group, according to the criminal complaint, which also said Tawhedi appeared in a video recorded in July reading to two children about "the rewards a martyr receives in the afterlife."

He also allegedly accessed and stored IS propaganda on his iCloud and Google account, was a member of pro-IS Telegram groups, and donated to a charity that gathers funds for IS.

“This defendant, motivated by [IS], allegedly conspired to commit a violent attack, on Election Day, here on our homeland," said FBI Director Christopher Wray.

The complaint, which does not say how Tawhedi came to the authorities' attention, says an FBI informant posing as a buyer of personal property listed by the suspect on Facebook got in touch with him ostensibly to buy a laptop for his firearms business.

Tawhedi and his co-conspirator tested firearms together with the FBI informant before "buying" two AK-47 assault rifles and 500 bullets from him on October 7.

Once Tawhedi took possession of the guns and ammunition at a location in the Western District of Oklahoma, the two were arrested.

If found guilty, Tawhedi, who was charged with conspiring and attempting to provide material support to IS and receiving a firearm to be used to commit an act of terrorism, faces up to 20 years in prison.

The program under which Tawhedi obtained a U.S. visa was meant to allow Afghans who helped U.S. forces in Afghanistan to relocate to the United States.

U.S. and international forces withdrew from Afghanistan in August 2021, leading to an almost immediate takeover of the country by the Taliban.

Amid intensifying pressure on technology platforms, Russian communications regulator Roskomnadzor on October 8 announced the official blocking of the Discord messaging platform, citing violations of Russian law.

The announcement was first reported by the state-run TASS news agency, which quoted Roskomnadzor.

According to Roskomnadzor, Discord had been involved in distributing content that violates Russian legislation, with almost 1,000 "illegal materials" found on the platform. The service had already been fined 3.5 million rubles ($36,270) in mid-September for alleged similar violations.

Anton Nemkin, a member of the parliamentary Committee on Information Policy, told another Russian state news agency, RIA Novosti, that this move should be seen as a "signal to other foreign IT companies that [our] patience and willingness to negotiate are running out."

Users of Discord had already begun reporting issues with the platform in September, with both the web version and the app experiencing service disruptions.

Despite these failures, users were still able to access the service via VPNs.

Originally developed for gamers, Discord has become a widely used platform for communities and interest groups. However, its increasing popularity has placed it under the scrutiny of Russian authorities.

On October 1, the Federal Security Service (FSB) reported the arrest of 39 individuals described as "pro-Ukrainian radicals" who allegedly used Discord to incite violence among teenagers.

The move to block Discord comes amid a broader trend of the Russian government intensifying its control over technology platforms as part of its efforts to control online information flows and enforce laws on content it does not want to be accessed by the public.

The pattern of blocking and fines imposed on other tech platforms in Russia in recent years, such as Facebook, Twitter, Telegram, and others has shown that any service that refuses to comply with the Russian government's demands for data access, information control, or censorship is at risk of being targeted.

With reporting by RIA Novosti and TASS