The supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has called on Syrians to resist the emerging rebel-led government after the ouster of former President Bashar al-Assad, saying the uprising was orchestrated by the West.

Speaking in an address on December 22, Khamenei said Syrians, especially the country's youth, "should stand with strong will against those who designed and those who implemented the insecurity."

Assad left the country in the late hours of December 8 after the U.S.-designated terrorist organization Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its allies -- some of whom are linked with Turkey -- overran government forces in a blitz offensive.

While Assad was granted political asylum in Russia by President Vladimir Putin after more than five decades of iron-fisted rule by his family, the HTS has since moved quickly to establish an interim government, and its leader, Riad al-Asaad, has said he is confident the factions that helped topple Assad will unite as one force.

HTS and the transitional government have insisted the rights of all Syrians will be protected, but Khamenei said he believes a group aligned with the Islamic republic's government would end up prevailing in Syria.

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The toppling of Assad was seen by many as another blow to Tehran, which has seen regional groups aligned with it -- parts of the so-called axis of resistance -- suffer major setbacks in the past 14 months.

Hamas, designated a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union, has been decimated by Israel, which launched a war against the group in the Gaza Strip and Hamas fighters in October 2023 crossed into Israel and killed 1,200 people while taking another 250 hostage.

That conflict spread to Lebanon, home of the Tehran-backed Hezbollah, a militant group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon.

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Fall Of Assad Unravels Iran's Decades-Old 'Axis Of Resistance'

Hezbollah is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, while the EU blacklists its armed wing but not its political party. Hezbollah’s political party has seats in the Lebanese parliament.

Israel has severely weakened Hezbollah -- killing its longtime leader and many of its top officials -- after the group launched attacks on Israel that it said was in support of Hamas.

A U.S.-brokered deal to end hostilities in Lebanon took effect last month.

Khamenei downplayed the links to Iran, saying they have fought against Israel on their own beliefs.

"They keep saying that the Islamic republic lost its proxy forces in the region. This is another mistake. The Islamic republic does not have a proxy forces," he said.

“If one day we plan to take action, we do not need proxy force,” he added.

Russia launched more than 100 drones at Ukraine on December 22, half of which were shot down, according to Ukraine's military, with no casualties reported.

The regions of Kherson, Mykolayiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Poltava, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhya, Zhytomyr, and Kyiv all saw drones fired in their direction, with 52 of the total 103 shot down, the Ukrainian Air Force reported.

Businesses and apartment buildings were damaged in the Russian attacks, though at this point, the military said, "without casualties."

Russia has stepped up its air attacks on Ukraine in recent weeks, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy saying on December 21 that Moscow has launched more than 550 guided bombs, almost 550 drones, and 20 missiles over the past week.

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Ukraine Live Briefing: Russian Missile Strikes On Kyiv

Russia has systematically targeted Ukraine's civilian and energy infrastructure since the start of the war, stepping up attacks especially at the onset of the cold season, causing maximum difficulties and lengthy power cuts for Ukrainians for the third winter in a row. It has also been accused by Kyiv of targeting residential buildings, which Moscow denies.

Russia's massive attack comes a day after Ukraine struck high-rise buildings in Kazan, the capital of Russia's oil-rich republic of Tatarstan.

Ukraine has been investing heavily in drone production in part to compensate for its shortage in manpower on the battlefield.

Ukraine's Defense Ministry said earlier this month that it had transferred 1.2 million drones to the armed forces through the first 11 months of 2024, including more than 6,000 deep strike drones. Ukraine's drone production is now close to parity with Russia, experts have said.

Kyiv has used its long-range drone capacity to hit objects crucial to Russia's war effort, such as weapons and energy facilities. It has tried to avoid civilian targets in part amid concern about backlash from its Western backers.

Kazan, one of the wealthiest cities in Russia, is approximately 800 kilometers east of Moscow.

Several Russian pensioners were allegedly tricked by scammers into carrying out risky stunts in crowded places in Moscow and St. Petersburg on December 21, police said.

A number of the pensioners have been detained, the police said. Law enforcement is still searching for at least one of the suspects. It is unclear who is behind the scam.

One incident took place at the Fort shopping center in northeastern Moscow. The building was evacuated following a small explosion in the public services center located there. One woman was treated for injuries after she fell amid the rush for the doors.

Meanwhile, a shopping center and a post office in the suburban Moscow towns of Korolev and Khimki, respectively, were evacuated the same day on similar grounds.

In Korolev, the explosion blew out several windows and triggered a fire that damaged the shopping center’s ceiling.

In the Fort incident, police detained a pensioner who allegedly detonated a firecracker on the instructions of unknown individuals who had extorted 120,000 rubles ($1,200) from her.

The 64-year-old suspect in the Korolev incident allegedly tried to detonate pyrotechnics at the police station as well. A 70-year-old woman was detained in connection with the explosion at the post office in Khimki.

The same day, two retired women in St. Petersburg allegedly tried to set fire to a police car at the direction of telephone scammers. They have been detained and a case has been opened against them on terrorist charges.

Also in St. Petersburg, an explosion occurred at an ATM location belonging to Sberbank, Russia’s largest lender. No injuries were reported. Local media reported that an elderly woman poured a flammable liquid inside the ATM before the explosion.

A similar incident at an ATM occurred the night before in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, RFE/RL’s Siberia.Realities reported. This time the suspect was a teenager. Police said the 19-year old girl was duped into carrying out the attack by scammers. She received second-degree burns and is being treated at a hospital.

Pakistani militants carried out a daring early-morning raid near the northwestern border with Afghanistan, killing over a dozen officers in the latest attack of 2024 -- a year already marked as one of the deadliest in the region.

Laddha Police Deputy Superintendent Hidayat Ullah told RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal that 16 security officers were killed when militants opened fire at a security checkpoint in South Waziristan at 2 am on December 21. He said eight more officers were wounded.

Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which claimed responsibility for the attack, said it killed 35 Pakistani security officers. Radio Mashaal could not independently confirm the number of officers killed.

Neither side said how many militants were killed during the attack.

There has been a steady increase in TTP attacks in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province since the Taliban regained control of Kabul in August 2021. The TTP seeks to impose Shari'a law in Pakistan.

The latest attack came as the elders of Dre Maseed in the Sur Rogha area of South Waziristan held a meeting on December 20 to demand that the security forces change tactics.

Sherpao Maseed, a leader of the assembly, told Radio Mashaal that Pakistani defense forces are targeting militants with artillery and mortar shells, putting civilians in danger.

The Pakistan Center for Conflict and Security Studies said in its most recent report that more than 240 people were killed in "terrorist incidents" in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in November

The death toll included 68 security officers, the highest in a single month this year.

Meanwhile, the Army Public Relations Directorate (ISPR) claims to have killed dozens of suspected militants in operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa this month.

The governments of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Pakistan say they are committed to wiping out the TTP.

BUDAPEST -- Hungary's right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's recent reported proposal for NATO members states to increase their defense spending would cripple the Hungarian economy.

According to recent reports in Britain's Financial Times and The Telegraph, Trump's team informed European officials that the president-elect was expecting the United States' NATO allies to raise their defense expenditure to 5 percent of national gross domestic product (GDP).

Speaking at his year-end press briefing on December 21, Orban said that Hungary has already sweated blood to reach the current 2 percent target, and "if the 2 percent has to be increased, that would shoot the Hungarian economy in the lungs."

"We would prefer to not spend even 2 percent of GDP on weaponry...but the world is going in the opposite direction," he said.

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Orban, who has been accused at home and abroad of democratic backsliding, also said he had not discussed this with Trump, adding that, if the increase is inevitable, then he believes it should be gradual. Hungary budgeted to spend 2.1 percent of GDP in 2024 on defense.

Orban is one of Trump's main allies in Europe and, on December 9, he met with the president-elect at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida. Throughout the Ukraine war, Orban has maintained friendly ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin, has been critical of EU aid for Ukraine, and has obstructed the bloc's sanctions regime against Moscow.

NATO Spending Targets

During his time as president between 2016 and 2020, Trump regularly called for NATO members to meet the required 2 percent level of defense spending, goals that most have since met.

NATO leadership has also called for member nations to boost spending following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which has triggered the largest war in Europe since World War II.

Before leaving office, former Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that the alliance's members would "have to be willing to pay the price for peace" and said that the current 2 percent target was "no longer enough to keep us safe."

And in Budapest in November, the current NATO secretary-general, Mark Rutte, said at the European Political Community summit that member states would have to pay more. "It will surpass the 2 percent greatly more. I am quite clear about that," Rutte said.

The United States contributes around 16 percent to NATO's common-funded budget, which is the joint largest share alongside Germany.

The United States will also spend roughly $967 billion on defense in 2024. While that accounts for around two-thirds of what all NATO members will spend on defense combined this year, it represents about 3 percent of GDP.

The United States last spent 5 percent of GDP on defense in the late 2000s and early 2010s amid the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. During the Cold War, the United States spent between 5 and 11 percent of GDP on defense.

Experts said that Trump's proposal is likely a starting point for negotiations with NATO members.

Spat With Poland

The Hungarian prime minister also defended Budapest's decision to grant political asylum to Marcin Romanowski, a Polish lawmaker from the right-wing Law and Justice party, who is wanted for alleged corruption during his tenure in Poland's previous government.

Orban said he didn't think the case involving a Polish politician would be the last.

He added, however, that he wanted to keep "conflicts with Poland at a manageable level," and would refrain from commenting on the country's rule-of-law situation.

The Hungarian prime minister's office made the announcement on December 19, arguing that the Polish government was persecuting its political rivals.

Warsaw has called the move a "hostile act" and has summoned Hungary's ambassador to Poland.

KARACHI, Pakistan -- Pakistani military courts have sentenced 25 people for their part in attacks on military facilities in May 2023.

Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of Pakistan's armed forces, said in a statement on December 21 that 25 defendants were given sentences ranging from two to 10 years.

On May 9, 2023, following the arrest of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan in a fraud case, supporters of Khan's party, Pakistan Tehrik-e Insaf (PTI), attacked and damaged military installations, mosques, and government buildings in cities across Pakistan. Several people were killed and dozens injured in the unrest.

In its statement, the military's media wing described the sentences as an "important milestone in dispensation of justice to the nation."

It added that May 9, 2023 was a sad day for the country, and it would be officially commemorated every year.

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In response to the verdicts, PTI wrote on the X social network that the military courts have violated the defendants' constitutional and human rights.

Khan's party has said the judicial process is not transparent and about 80 people have been in military custody since the unrest, their fundamental rights violated.

Supporters of the imprisoned former prime minister, who is accused of inciting attacks against the armed forces, have expressed concerns that military rather than civilian courts are trying some of the cases. They have staged months of protests to demand Khan's release.

PTI says its members and supporters did not attack military or government buildings on May 9, 2023.

Last year, Pakistan's Supreme Court ruled that civilians should be tried in civilian courts, not military courts. However, on December 13, the Supreme Court suspended the decision and allowed military courts to hear civilian cases.

Others charged over the violence are being tried in anti-terrorism courts.

PTI regularly campaigns against corruption and nepotism in Pakistan but has been accused of populism and authoritarian tendencies centered around its charismatic leader Khan.

With reporting by Reuters

KVIV -- An air-raid warning has been declared in all regions of Ukraine due to possible ballistic missile strikes, Ukrainian military authorities said.

Russia continued its regular attacks on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure overnight, launching 113 drone attacks, according to the Ukrainian Air Force on December 21. Of those drones, 57 were shot down, and 56 others were unable to reach their targets, the air force said.

The Ukrainian Air Force also said Russia had fired one surface-to-air S-400 missile at central Ukraine, but it did not cause any damage or casualties.

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RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service reported that in the eastern Ukrainian Zaporizhzhya and Kharkiv regions downed drones damaged apartment buildings, causing casualties.

Ukraine was under a general air-raid alert for several hours on December 20 as Russia launched missile and drone attacks against the capital, Kyiv, and several other regions around the country.

Russian Advance

The latest attacks come as Ukrainian forces are struggling to stop Russia's rapid advance in the east of the country.

The Russian Defense Ministry announced on December 21 that Russian forces had taken control of the village of Kostyantynopolske in the eastern Ukrainian Donetsk region.

The claim about the village, called Ostrovsky by Russia, could not be independently confirmed by Reuters.

Meanwhile, Reuters quoted Aleksandr Khinshtein, the acting governor of Russia's Kursk region, as saying that six people, including one child, were killed in a Ukrainian missile attack on December 20 on the town of Rylsk.

Ukraine seized territory in the Kursk region in an incursion in August but has since given up about half its territorial gains.

Drones, thought to be from Ukraine, hit high-rise buildings in Kazan, the capital of Russia's republic of Tatarstan, with the attacks causing the city's airport to temporarily suspend flights. No casualties were reported.

With reporting by Reuters

KAZAN, Russia -- Ukraine struck high-rise buildings in Kazan, the capital of Russia's oil-rich republic of Tatarstan, in the latest display of its growing drone capabilities.

The December 21 attacks came in three waves between 7:40 a.m. and 9:20 a.m., the Russian Defense Ministry said.

The ministry said the drones were of Ukrainian origin. Western experts said they appeared to be Ukraine's Lyitiy model, a light, aircraft-like drone. Ukrainian authorities have not commented on the strike.

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The press service of Rustam Minnikhanov, the leader of Tatarstan, said in a statement that eight drones attacked the city. According to the statement, six struck luxury residential buildings, one struck an industrial facility, and one was shot down over a river.

In a post on its Telegram channel, Kazan mayor’s office said the drones struck targets in three districts of the city.

Two drones slammed into the upper floors of a 37-story luxury skyscraper, according to videos posted on social media. The strikes, which were about 30 minutes apart, hit the glass-and-metal building in roughly the same spot.

Schools Evacuated

RFE/RL's Tatar-Bashkir Service reported that pupils were evacuated from schools in the Soviet district of Kazan and that sirens could be heard in the city.

There were no casualties, local authorities said.

According to Interfax reports, Kazan Mayor Ilsur Metshin said that people had been evacuated from the affected buildings and were being provided with accommodation and food. The mayor said that all large events in the city would be canceled over the weekend.

Kazan, one of the wealthiest cities in Russia, is approximately 800 kilometers east of Moscow.

In a statement, the Russian Defense Ministry said that a "Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle was destroyed over the territory of the Republic of Tatarstan by the air defense forces on duty."

Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency said in a statement that "temporary restrictions were imposed at Kazan Airport on the morning of December 21 in order to ensure the safety of civilian flights. Both arrivals and departures are suspended." The ban has since been lifted.

Ukrainian drone attacks have previously targeted Russian military and industrial locations in Tatarstan.

Local authorities on May 15 shut down two major airports -- one in Kazan and another in the city of Nizhnekamsk -- for several hours "for security reasons" following a drone attack. The Russian Defense Ministry said that "a Ukrainian drone" was shot down over Tatarstan.

In April, Ukrainian drones hit an oil refinery in Tatarstan and a dormitory in the Alabuga special economic zone in Yelabuga, which hosts more than 20 industrial enterprises, including chemical, mechanical engineering, and metal treatment factories. It also reportedly houses a facility producing drones.

Drone Surge

Ukraine has been investing heavily in drone production in part to compensate for its shortage in manpower on the battlefield.

Ukraine's Defense Ministry said earlier this month that it had transferred 1.2 million drones to the armed forces through the first 11 months of 2024, including more than 6,000 deep strike drones. Ukraine's drone production is now close to parity with Russia, experts have said.

Kyiv has used its long-range drone capacity to hit objects crucial to Russia's war effort, such as weapons and energy facilities. It has tried to avoid civilian targets in part amid concern about backlash from its Western backers.

In the summer of 2023, Ukrainian drones twice struck the floors of a high-rise building in Moscow's business district housing Russian government ministries.

Experts speculated whether the skyscraper in Kazan that was struck twice was home to someone connected with Russia's war effort.

Zelenskiy said that Ukraine will continue to target military objects in Russia with drones and missiles.

"We will definitely continue to strike Russian military facilities - with drones and missiles, and increasingly Ukrainian ones, at precisely those military bases, at precisely that Russian military infrastructure that is used in such terror against our people," he said in his regular nightly video address to the nation.

In the meantime, Russia has continued its regular attacks against Ukraine, including civilian targets. Russia's armed forces launched 113 drone attacks against Ukraine overnight, according to the Ukrainian Air Force on December 21. Of those drones, 57 were shot down, and 56 others were unable to reach their targets, the air force said.

With reporting by Reuters and AP

At least two people were killed and more than 60 injured after a car drove at high speed into a busy outdoor Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg, German officials said on December 20.

The car plowed into the market in what authorities suspect was an intentional act in the city in the state of Saxony-Anhalt.

“This is a terrible event, particularly now in the days before Christmas," Saxony-Anhalt Governor Reiner Haseloff said.

The driver of the car was arrested. Haseloff told reporters that the suspect is a 50-year-old doctor from Saudi Arabia who first came to Germany in 2006. He had not been on law enforcement's radar as a known Islamist, security sources told the dpa news agency.

"From what we currently know he was a lone attacker, so we don't think there is any further danger for the city," Haseloff said.

Haseloff said the two people confirmed dead were an adult and a toddler, and he couldn’t rule out further deaths.

Police evacuated the area as they suspected there could be a bomb still in the car that was driven into the market.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he plans to visit the city on December 21.

“The reports from Magdeburg suggest something terrible is to come. My thoughts are with the victims and their families. We stand by their side and by the side of the people of Magdeburg. My thanks go to the dedicated rescue workers in these anxious hours,” Scholz said on X.

French President Emmanuel Macron also reacted on X.

“Deeply shocked by the horror that struck the Magdeburg Christmas market in Germany this evening. My thoughts are with the victims, the injured, and their loved ones and families. France shares the pain of the German people and expresses its full solidarity,” he said.

Magdeburg, a city of about 240,000 residents west of Berlin, is the state capital of Saxony-Anhalt.

The suspected attack came eight years after an Islamic extremist plowed into a Christmas market in Berlin. killing 13 people and injuring dozens more. The attacker was killed days later in a shootout in Italy.

With reporting by AP, dpa, and AFP

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said in its final report on the October 26 parliamentary elections in Georgia that numerous issues “negatively impacted" the elections and eroded public trust.

The OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) issued the final report on December 20.

The OSCE said shortly after the October 26 elections that it had recorded instances of vote-buying, double-voting, physical violence, and intimidation. The final report reiterates the organization's concerns and offers recommendations to improve elections in Georgia.

“Numerous issues noted in our final report negatively impacted the integrity of these elections and eroded public trust in the process,” said Eoghan Murphy, who headed the ODIHR’s 2024 election observation mission to Georgia.

Murphy urged authorities in Georgia to urgently address all concerns about the elections, which gave the ruling Georgian Dream party more than 54 percent of the vote, enough to maintain control of the government.

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze acknowledged that the final report contains "critical remarks," including on the suppression of votes.

"In 76 percent of the polling stations where it observed, OSCE/ODIHR did not identify any irregularities at all," he said at a briefing, adding that in other cases there were "isolated irregularities" that were identified. "These were related to incorrect ballot entry, improper arrangement of the polling station, so-called leaks, video recording, etc."

According to Kobakhidze, the Georgian Dream government is ready to cooperate with the OSCE to implement its recommendations.

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The report refers to the passage of a "foreign agents" law modeled on a similar Russian law, earlier in the year, saying the election took place amid “serious concerns about the impact of recently adopted legislation on fundamental freedoms and civil society.”

The law, which mandates that organizations receiving significant foreign funding register as “foreign agents,” took effect on August 1, sparking significant backlash from international and domestic actors.

The final report also cites pressure on voters and election day practices that “compromised the ability of some voters to cast their vote without fear of retribution.”

In addition, there was an overall lack of response to complaints in the post-election period, the report said, saying the ODIHR “found that cases were not considered sufficiently, limiting legal remedies.”

The report reiterates the negative impact of the “polarized and instrumentalized media” and limited campaign finance oversight. It notes that candidates were generally able to campaign freely, and candidates across 18 party lists competed, but a "significant imbalance in financial resources contributed to the uneven playing field.”

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Demonstrators began gathering in central Tbilisi soon after the elections as criticism mounted over voting irregularities. The protests intensified after Kobakhidze announced that Tbilisi was suspending until 2028 talks with Brussels on Georgia's bid to join the European Union.

The ODIHR notes that some protests were violently dispersed, resulting in numerous arrests and allegations of brutality toward protesters and journalists.

The ODIHR said that the suppression of protests by force and numerous arrests “caused grave concerns about compliance with international commitments to freedom of peaceful assembly.”

Poland has summoned Hungary's ambassador over Budapest's decision to grant political asylum to a Polish opposition politician who is wanted for alleged corruption during his tenure in Poland's previous government.

Warsaw was outraged by Hungary's decision to grant political asylum to Marcin Romanowski. The decision, announced the Hungarian prime minister's office on December 19, accused the Polish government of persecuting its political opponents.

Poland called the move a "hostile act" that runs counter to the principle of loyal cooperation among members of the European Union.

"In response to this action, the Hungarian ambassador to Poland will be summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today, where he will receive an official protest note," the ministry said on December 20. The ministry also said that if Hungary fails to comply with its EU obligations, Poland will ask the European Commission to respond.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk's government says it has opened the door for prosecutors to investigate suspected wrongdoings committed during the tenure of the nationalist Law and Justice party, which ruled the country for eight years until 2023 and which have been covered up.

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Tusk said he was dismayed by Hungary's decision to shelter a man being sought on suspicions of defrauding the state of millions of zlotys.

“I did not expect corrupt politicians escaping justice would be able to choose between [Belarusian authoritarian leader Alyaksandr] Lukashenka and [Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor] Orban,” Tusk said on December 20. His reference to Lukashenka was apparently linked to the case of a Polish judge who fled to Belarus.

Romanowski was detained during the investigation but released in July. He denies the charges against him. Through his lawyer he has argued that he is the victim of political retribution by Tusk's government.

Gergely Gulyas, head of Orban's office, said the decision of the Hungarian authorities was in line with both domestic and European Union legislation.

He said Romanowski's arrest raised serious concerns about fair treatment and political bias in Polish judicial proceedings.

Polish opposition lawmakers, including Romanowski, accused Tusk's government of conducting a politically motivated witch-hunt against them.

Romanowski told Polish broadcaster TV Republika that he thinks the fact that Hungary has granted him asylum confirms that "we are dealing with political persecution in Poland."

Prosecutors and judges in Poland are politically controlled, he said.

A spokesman for the European Commission declined to comment on the specific case but emphasized that EU member states are obligated to enforce European arrest warrants.

Stefan de Keersmaecker said at a briefing in Brussels on December 20 that the obligation means that Hungary should send Romanowski back to Poland to face justice.

The spokesman added that all EU member states maintain a high level of protection for fundamental rights and freedoms, making them all safe countries for asylum seekers. But an asylum application from a national of another EU member state can only be accepted under exceptional circumstances.

With reporting by AP and dpa

The Georgian government has pledged to amend its controversial "foreign agents" law following discussions with the secretary-general of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset.

Berset announced at a press briefing in Tbilisi on December 20, wrapping up a three-day visit, that a working group including Georgian representatives, the Council of Europe, and the Venice Commission will be formed to draft necessary changes to the legislation.

"The government of Georgia promised to modify the content of the 'Foreign Influence Transparency' law. This working group will determine the specific changes required. I hope similar collaborative processes can extend to other areas, such as equality, anti-discrimination, electoral reform, and reforms in penitentiary and probation systems," Berset said.

The law, modeled on a similar Russian law, mandates that organizations receiving significant foreign funding register as "foreign agents." Passed by the Georgian parliament in May despite a presidential veto, it came into force on August 1, sparking significant backlash from international and domestic actors.

Georgian NGOs began appearing on the "foreign agent" registry in October, raising concerns about their ability to operate freely.

Critics, including the European Union, have warned that the law could derail Georgia's aspirations for EU membership. While Moscow praised the Georgian government for adopting the law, Western countries, including the United States and Britain, condemned it as a tool for undermining democracy.

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Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, however, reiterated Georgia's openness to discussions about the law. "If anyone proves there's something harmful in this legislation, we're ready to address it and work with relevant structures of the Council of Europe," Kobakhidze said.

Berset's visit comes amid heightened political tensions in Georgia, marked by public polarization, high-level violence, and allegations of electoral misconduct.

Addressing the situation, Berset emphasized: "Georgia is at a critical juncture. The country is filled with political tension, polarized public debate, and high levels of violence," adding that the country "deserves stability and democracy."

"I am not here to legitimize elections; that is the responsibility of other competent institutions," Berset said, stressing that his primary goal was "to support Georgia and its people."

He also said that resolving the political crisis depends on "upholding democracy, human rights, and the rule of law."

SEE ALSO:

U.S., Britain Impose Sanctions On Georgian Interior Ministry Officials

During his visit, Berset held multiple meetings with government officials, including Kobakhidze, Georgian Dream party founder Bidzina Ivanishvili, and opposition representatives. His visit is seen as an effort to mediate amid deep divisions within Georgian society.

On December 19, the United States imposed sanctions on Georgia's Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri and Special Tasks Department Deputy Director Mirza Kezevadze under the Global Magnitsky Act.

Hours earlier, Britain had sanctioned Gomelauri and four other senior officials. These sanctions reflect growing Western dissatisfaction with Georgia's political trajectory.

Despite this, Kobakhidze assured that the government would "compensate any losses" incurred by sanctioned individuals and announced plans to award honors to the Interior Ministry's leadership following the presidential poll in February 2025 and inauguration of Georgia's next president, whose legitimacy is contested by the opposition and the current President Salome Zurabishvili.

Georgia's "foreign agents" law has become a focal point in the country's strained relations with the West. The government's decision last month to delay European Union accession talks until 2028 also sparked protests in the country and criticism in the West.

Moreover, economic hardship and the threat of backsliding from the Euro-Atlantic course have created a sense of urgency and fertile ground for unrest.

International partners are apprehensive that Georgia's adoption of tactics similar to those used by Moscow could undermine its democratic progress and EU aspirations.

Russia's top Islamic body has approved a religious edict that allows Muslim men to practice polygamy, which contradicts Russian law that prohibits individuals from entering multiple registered marriages simultaneously.

The Council of Islamic Clerics of Russia's Spiritual Administration of Muslims (DUM), issued a fatwa on December 18 that allows a Muslim male to enter up to four marriages at the same time as long as certain conditions are met.

Russia's Family Code explicitly prohibits a person from entering a registered marriage with someone who is already married. But it comes as the Russian authorities are grappling with a dire demographic situation amid a population decline exacerbated by emigration, low birthrates, and high mortality.

While the full text of the fatwa has yet to be published, reports from Russian news agencies TASS and RIA Novosti revealed key provisions in it that allow Muslim men to enter into multiple religious marriages.

The fatwa stipulates that a man can engage in polygamy only if he ensures equitable treatment for all wives. This includes equal material provision, separate housing for each wife, and spending equal time with them according to an agreed schedule.

If a man cannot meet these requirements, he is prohibited from entering multiple religious marriages unless a bride "voluntarily waives" her rights to them.

Other circumstances under which polygamy is permitted by the DUM include cases where the first wife cannot conceive due to health issues, lack of desire, or age; in situations of "sexual incompatibility" between spouses; or when a man wishes to provide social and financial support to a single woman and her children.

The DUM has acknowledged that women in purely religious marriages lack legal protections, which critics argue may leave women in polygamous religious marriages vulnerable.

The conditions for such a marriage, they say, place a significant burden of proof on religious institutions or individuals to ensure compliance. How these provisions align with Russia's secular legal framework and broader societal norms is yet to be determined.

Russian officials have yet to comment on the fatwah.

The government, however, has been looking for ways to spur Russians to have more children as the declining population ages, a problem worsened by the Kremlin's war in Ukraine, which experts say has seen hundreds of thousands of Russian men die.

The Russian government has actively promoted policies to encourage women to have more children, with financial incentives for larger families and efforts to discourage abortions. The Russian Orthodox Church has been assisting the government to promote such policies.

With reporting by TASS and RIA Novosti

Ukraine launched a deadly missile attack on the Russian region of Kursk on December 20, just hours after Russia carried out a massive air assault on Kyiv during rush hour that killed one person and damaged a historic cathedral and other buildings in the capital, including six embassies.

Russia's Investigative Committee said an unspecified number of people were killed in the attack on Kursk involving U.S.-supplied HIMARS rockets on the town of Rylsk.

According to Mash Telegram channel, at least five people have been killed, and 26 others injured. The attack has destroyed several critical pieces of social infrastructure, including a pedagogical college, a cultural center, and a school.

The attack came shortly after Russian launched a barrage of missiles and drones at Kyiv and several other regions around Ukraine.

The whole of Ukraine was under a general air-raid alert for several hours as Russia launched eight missiles -- including hypersonic Kinzhal missiles and Iskander/KN-23 ballistic missiles -- on Kyiv alone, Serhiy Popko, the head of Kyiv's military administration, reported.

• RFE/RL

Kyiv was just one of several targets in massive Russian missile strikes across Ukraine on December 20.

Ukrainian cities and infrastructure continue to sustain regular Russian drone and missile strikes while outgunned and outmanned Ukrainian forces are facing difficulties in staving off Russia's increasingly rapid advance in the east.

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Destruction, Injuries After Russian Missile Attack in Ukraine's Kryviy Rih (Video)

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One person was killed by a strike in Kyiv's Holosiyiv district, while eyewitnesses reported several blasts in the city.

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Sirens Wail, A Child Flees For Safety, As Russia Bombs Kyiv (Video)

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The U.S. State Department condemned the missile attack, which damaged a building hosting several diplomatic missions.

"Any attack against diplomats or diplomatic facilities anywhere is unacceptable," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said on X.

Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko separately reported that falling debris from downed Russian drones fell on four of the capital's districts -- Holosiyiv, Solomyansk, Shevchenkivsk, and Dniprovsk -- wounding at least two people.

Kyiv restaurateur Nadir Ahundov voiced his outrage at the Russian strike that completely destroyed his restaurant.

"These subhuman [Russians], to drop such bombs on residential buildings," Ahundov told RFE/RL.

"I put my heart, my soul into [creating] this," he said, pointing to the trees outside the restaurnat. "These trees were small when I planted them. Look at them now -- those monsters knocked them down."

In Kherson, a 60-year-old man was killed in a Russian strike and two others, including an 86-year-old man, were wounded, regional Governor Roman Mrochko reported on Telegram.

Late on December 19, a Russian missile struck and badly damaged a two-story apartment building in the southeastern city of Kryviy Rih, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's hometown, wounding five people, including two pulled alive from under the rubble, officials said.

The attack also crippled the power supply in parts of the city of 600,000 and damaged a hospital, regional Governor Serhiy Lysak said.

In a statement on Telegram, Russia's Defense Ministry claimed that the strikes on December 20 were "in response" to Ukrainian attacks on Russian targets using Western-supplied weapons.

The latest wave of attacks from both sides came a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested at his highly choreographed annual press conference a "high-tech duel" over Kyiv to prove that Russia's new hypersonic ballistic missile, dubbed Oreshnik, cannot be shot down by Western-supplied air defenses.

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"It would be interesting for us.... Let's conduct this experiment, this technological duel, and see the results. I think it would be useful for both us and the Americans," Putin said.

In reaction, Zelenskiy posted a message on X calling Putin a "dumbass."

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'In His Own Bubble': Zelenskiy Slams Putin Remarks, Urges More EU Military Aid

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"People are dying, and he thinks it’s 'interesting'... Dumbass," Zelenskiy wrote.

The United States and the United Kingdom have announced sanctions on Georgian Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri and other senior officials in the ministry in response to their alleged role in a violent crackdown on journalists, opposition figures, and anti-government protesters.

The United States also imposed sanctions on Mirza Kezevadze, deputy head of the special forces department in the Georgian Interior Ministry, the U.S. Treasury Department said in a statement on December 19.

The Treasury Department said it was taking the action in coordination with Britain, which on December 19 imposed sanctions on Gomelauri and four other officials of the Interior Ministry for alleged human rights violations.

A U.S. Treasury Department official said the reasons cited by the two governments for imposing the sanctions were similar.

“In the wake of Georgia’s election, key officials in the Ministry of Internal Affairs engaged in a severe and vicious crackdown against their own people, including the intentional targeting of journalists and use of violence,” Acting Undersecretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Bradley T. Smith said in the statement.

Any assets owned by Gomelauri and Kezevadze in U.S. jurisdiction are blocked, making their business operations more difficult, the Treasury Department statement said.

In addition to Gomelauri, Britain imposed sanctions on deputy Interior Minister Aleksandre Darakhvelidze, Sulkhan Tamazashvili, Zviad Kharazishvili, and Mileri Lagazauri, according to a U.K. government statement.

Thousands demonstrated in Tbilisi again on the night of December 19. It was the 22nd consecutive day of protests against the government's decision to effectively halt the country's EU accession talks.

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The protesters have questioned the legitimacy of the victory of the Georgian Dream party in the election that took place at the end of October.

The demonstrations intensified after Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced that Tbilisi was suspending until 2028 talks with Brussels on Georgia's bid to join the European Union.

“Security forces from the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ Special Task Department responded to protests with disproportionate violence to suppress dissent and discourage protesters,” the U.S. Treasury Department’s statement said.

Georgia's pro-Europe president, Salome Zurabishvili, has said the October 26 election was rigged with the help of Moscow and has vowed not to leave office even when her successor -- selected by what protesters say is an illegitimate parliament -- is scheduled to be sworn in on December 29.

Zurabishvili has condemned the "brutal and disproportionate attacks on the Georgian people and media," comparing the crackdown to "Russian-style repression."

Demonstrations have repeatedly been violently broken up, activists have been detained, and opposition politicians and media representatives attacked.

Georgia received EU candidate status in December 2023, and according to surveys, a majority of Georgians support EU membership.

Kobakhidze has refused to back down and threatened to punish political opponents, whom he accuses of being behind violence that has occurred at the protests.

Georgia’s relations with Brussels soured with the adoption of a Russian-style "foreign agent" law that critics say threatens media and civil society groups by accusing them of "serving" outside powers.

One lawmaker was killed and another injured in a shooting at the de facto parliament in Georgia's Abkhazia, a breakaway region supported by Russia.

According to local media reports, Adgur Kharazia and Kan Kvarchia, lawmakers operating under the self-proclaimed government, were meeting on December 19 over a proposal to ban the mining of cryptocurrency when a disagreement boiled over.

Kharazia, a former mayor of the region's capital, Sukhumi, has a history of violent incidents and reportedly pulled out a firearm and began shooting.

Vakhtang Golandzia, a fellow lawmaker who was trying to intervene, was fatally shot. Kvarchia was shot in the arm and taken to hospital.

The Health Ministry confirmed the incident while acting Interior Minister Robert Kiut said in a statement that "Kharazia managed to flee the scene and police are searching for him. A special investigative group has been sent to detain him."

The shooting comes weeks after Abkhazia's parliament rejected a controversial investment deal with Russia on December 3.

The shooting also underlines the region's instability, with presidential elections scheduled for February 2025.

The agreement, signed in Moscow on October 30, was widely criticized as 'exploitative' by opposition figures and civil society groups who felt it would grant undue economic advantages to Russian investors while undermining Abkhazia's sovereignty.

The political aftermath of the deal also provoked mass protests, forcing the de facto leader, Aslan Bzhania, to resign on November 19.

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He was replaced by acting leader Badra Gunba, yet the region remains in a state of political instability. The December 19 shooting further indicated the deep division within Abkhazia's leadership and the uncertainty within its political climate.

Kvarchia, the injured legislator, has actively opposed the now-shelved Russian investment agreement.

In the parliamentary session on December 3, he said the deal was "enslaving for Abkhazia."

He accused the executive branch of trying to push the agreement through despite a public outcry.

His opposition to the current administration's move has made him one of the key figures in the opposition movement that successfully rallied public dissent against the current administration's policies.

Kharazia has a controversial history.

In 2020, he was detained for allegedly causing grievous bodily harm and illegally possessing firearms after reportedly injuring an administrative official.

His involvement in the December 19 shooting has once again raised questions about accountability within Abkhazia's separatist leadership and broader security mechanisms.

The incident has piled on the pressure on acting leader Badra Gunba, who held an emergency meeting following the shooting. Gunba has already been under pressure from opposition groups demanding accountability for the mishandling of the Russian investment deal.

The protests that led to Bzhania's resignation underlined deep-seated discontent with Abkhazia's governance and fragile dependence on Russia.

The political crisis in Abkhazia reflects a struggle in the region to balance its reliance on Moscow for economic and military support with growing public unease about over-dependence on Moscow.

While Russia recognized Abkhazia's independence after the 2008 Russo-Georgian War, most international community still views the region as part of Georgia.

A court in Romania has accepted an appeal filed by controversial Internet influencer Andrew Tate and his brother and sent his case on human trafficking and other charges back to prosecutors.

The Bucharest Court of Appeals said on on December 19 that it found "irregularities" in the indictment issued by the Prosecutor-General's Office. The prosecutors can now bring forth new evidence to back up their charges or amend the existing ones.

The ruling is a blow to Romania's anti-organized crime prosecuting unit DIICOT, which filed charges against Tate, his brother Tristan Tate, and two Romanian women after they were arrested in December 2022 on suspicion of human trafficking.

They were formally indicted last year, and the Bucharest Tribunal ruled earlier this year that a trial could start but did not set a date. All four deny the charges.

Andrew Tate, 38, and Tristen Tate, 36, are dual British-U.S. citizens and former kickboxers. Andrew Tate has amassed more than 10 million followers on the social media platform X but has been kicked off other platforms, including Facebook and TikTok over accusations of posting hate speech and misogynistic comments.

Eugen Vidineac, one of the Tate brothers’ lawyers, said the decision was “a significant legal victory” that “rightly determined that there is insufficient basis to proceed with the case.”

Mateea Petrescu, a spokeswoman for Andrew Tate, said the court's review "revealed significant procedural flaws and raised serious concerns about the integrity of the investigative process, further undermining the credibility of the prosecution’s case.”

Andrew Tate complained bitterly about the case in a statement issued after the ruling.

"They’ve had years to build their case -- years to tear apart my life, target everyone I know, and even subpoena the mother of my child," Tate said. "And yet, they have nothing."

DIICOT has not commented on the ruling.

The Bucharest Court of Appeal judges said in their decision that they had identified problems in "the manner of presenting the factual situation and describing the constitutive elements in the case" against the two female suspects. The judges also said Andrew Tate's right to a defense was violated in the way he was informed of the accusation of human trafficking regarding one of the alleged victims.

Andrew Tate in August was placed under house arrest and Tristan Tate under judicial control for 30 days after they were interrogated by Romanian anti-corruption prosecutors as part of an investigation into new allegations against them.

During the criminal investigation, prosecutors said they identified seven women who were sexually exploited "forcibly, in order to obtain significant financial benefits" for the defendants from people who accessed content on social media.

Prosecutors accused the Tate brothers of recruiting their victims using the so-called "lover boy" method, seducing them and claiming to want a relationship or marriage.

The victims were then taken to properties outside Bucharest, where they were sexually exploited through physical violence and psychological intimidation as they were forced to produce pornographic content, the prosecutors said.

Romanian investigators carried out the interrogations and fresh searches at the brothers’ residences as part of the investigation into the new charges. DIICOT said at the time that the new accusations included charges of forming an organized crime group, trafficking of minors, a sexual act with a minor, influencing statements, and money laundering.

The brothers said through a spokesperson that the fresh accusations were “not fully clarified."

They have been barred from leaving Romania as the proceedings against them continue but are set to be extradited to Britain once their case in Romania concludes.

They face further allegations of rape and human trafficking in Britain, where a court ruled on December 18 that police can seize more than 2.6 million pounds ($3.3 million) to cover years of unpaid taxes.

Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring of the Westminster Magistrates’ Court said what appeared to be a “complex financial matrix” was actually a “straightforward cheat of the revenue.”

Andrew Tate said in a statement that the ruling “is not justice” and claimed it was a “coordinated attack on anyone who dares to challenge the system.”

The Tate brothers have stated that they do not want to be extradited from Romania, which they said they consider their home.

With reporting by Reuters and AFP

A court in Moscow charged Uzbek citizen Ahmat Qurbanov on December 19 with terrorism and other charges in the high-profile killing of Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, who headed Russia's Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Defense Forces.

In addition to terrorism, Qurbanov has been charged with murder and the illegal possession of weapons and ammunition, according to the Russian state news agency TASS.

Qurbanov, born in 1995, has been accused of detonating a self-made explosive device concealed in a scooter parked near a residential building in Moscow on December 17.

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The blast killed Kirillov and his assistant. Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) detained Qurbanov shortly after the attack in cooperation with the Interior Ministry and the Investigative Committee. Investigators claimed Qurbanov was recruited by Ukrainian intelligence services.

The Russian authorities released a video in which a man speaking poor Russian introduced himself as Ahmad Qurbanov from Uzbekistan and "confessed" to having committed the attack. The circumstances in which the video was recorded remain unknown.

During the court hearing on December 19, Qurbanov requested a translator due to his limited command of the Russian language.

The Uzbek Embassy in Moscow has been actively involved in the case. It commented on Qurbanov's arrest on Telegram, saying that it was in contact with Russian law enforcement agencies.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev discussed cooperation in the fight against terrorism in a phone call on December 19, the Kremlin said. Mirziyoev expressed his condolences for the death of Kirillov and his assistant, according to the Kremlin.

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Uzbeks In Moscow Fear Crackdown After Russian General's Assassination

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The FSB said in a statement on December 18 that the suspect had been recruited and trained by Ukraine's special services and promised money to carry out the attack.

While there has been no formal claim of responsibility for the killing, a source at Ukraine's SBU security service told RFE/RL that the blast was the result of a special operation by the Ukrainian agency.

Ukraine had accused Kirillov of being responsible for the use of chemical weapons against Ukrainian troops. Moscow has denied the accusation.

Crimean Tatar leader Mustafa Dzhemilev has praised the Czech Republic after it adopted a resolution recognizing the deportation of Crimean Tatars by Soviet authorities in 1944 as genocide.

In a December 18 vote, 70 of 74 senators supported the resolution, making the Czech Republic the seventh country to recognize the genocide, joining Canada, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine.

"This decision morally supports Crimean Tatars and Ukraine and encourages other countries to follow suit," Mustafa Dzhemilev, the national leader of the Crimean Tatar people and a member of Ukraine's parliament, told RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service in an interview after the vote.

Eighty years ago, over three days from May 18 to May 20, 1944, Soviet security forces rounded up at least 200,000 Tatars on the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea and brutally sent them into exile in Central Asia.

Tens of thousands died during the deportation and under the harsh conditions of their first years in exile.

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Soviet demographers in 1949 estimated there had been nearly 45,000 “excess deaths” among Crimean Tatars in the previous five years, while Crimean Tatar sources put the losses far higher.

Dzhemilev said the recognition means even more than usual for Crimean Tatars since it comes while Russia occupies Crimea -- it illegally annexed the peninsula in 2014 -- and continues its ongoing full-scale invasion of Ukraine, launched almost three years ago.

"This is a really important event, especially for the Crimean Tatars, who are currently under occupation. This is moral support for them. And at the same time, this is moral support for Ukraine, which is currently in a state of war with our not very good neighbor," Dzhemilev said.

Dzhemilev noted the Czech government's readiness to use its influence to urge other countries to pass similar resolutions, especially those in Russia's traditional sphere of influence.

The deportation of the Crimean Tatars -- like those of several other Soviet ethnic populations around the same time -- was ordered by dictator Josef Stalin and overseen by notorious secret police head Lavrenty Beria.

It was followed by a campaign of de-Tatarization in Crimea, during which the culture of the Turkic, Muslim people was virtually wiped out on the peninsula.

Although most of the persecuted ethnic groups were allowed to return to their homelands after Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev condemned the population transfers in 1956, Crimean Tatars were not.

Only in the late 1980s, after more than four decades of exile, did the Soviet government condemn the deportation as a crime and lift the ban on their return.

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Moscow Uses Divide-And-Conquer Strategy With Crimean Tatars

With Crimea occupied again, Dzhemilev said he understands Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's recent statement that Kyiv currently lacks the military strength to retake Crimea by force.

Still, he hopes European countries such as Germany and France will convince the United States, which will see an administration change in January when President-elect Donald Trump moves into the White House, to continue its support for Ukraine in repelling Russian forces, including from Crimea.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow is nearing its primary goal in the war against Ukraine and challenged the United States to a missile "duel" involving Russia's new Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile.

Speaking at an annual news conference used in large part to show his control over almost every aspect of Russia's political and economic spheres, Putin boasted about the country's economy, glossing over the impact of severe sanctions imposed by the West for the Kremlin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The tightly controlled question-and-answer session on December 19, a live broadcast on state TV that lasted almost 4 1/2 hours, focused on domestic issues at the start before turning to foreign policy, namely the war in Ukraine.

Putin, in power for almost a quarter of a century, said Russian forces were advancing along the front line of Ukraine and were moving toward achieving their primary goals.

He didn't specify what he meant, but previously he has said peace will be possible after the "denazification, demilitarization, and a neutral status" of Ukraine.

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Russia has falsely claimed Ukraine is run by "radical nationalist" and neo-Nazi groups.

Later in the broadcast, Putin said he was ready for "negotiations and compromises" in possible peace talks with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and that he had no conditions for starting such talks.

Putin has previously ruled out making any major territorial concessions to end the war, while it has also insisted Kyiv abandon its ambitions to join the NATO military alliance.

"Soon, those Ukrainians who want to fight will run out, in my opinion. Soon there will be no one left who wants to fight," he said.

"We are ready, but the other side needs to be ready for both negotiations and compromises."

However, Putin also admitted he could not say when Russia would regain full control of the western region of Kursk, where Ukraine launched a shock offensive in August and still occupies territory.

"We will absolutely kick them out. Absolutely. It can't be any other way. But the question of a specific date, I'm sorry, I cannot say right now," Putin said.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said on December 19 that Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had spoken by phone the day before with his Swiss counterpart, Ignazio Cassis, about the conflict in Ukraine. The ministry said Lavrov "explained in detail the Russian position on the settlement of the situation" and outlined Putin's conditions.

Well-known military analyst Michael Kofman at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace said on a podcast earlier this month that he was skeptical that Russia would agree to an early cease-fire and suspected that Moscow could try to tie up the United States in "envoy diplomacy" for months.

"I'm sure they'll be happy to schedule a summit in Geneva or perhaps some other place in Europe, all the while intending to make gains on the battlefield. And they've done this before," said Kofman.

Kofman added that if Ukraine can maintain its front lines and prevent a breakthrough over the next several months, Russia's negotiating hand will weaken as military resources and economic problems become more acute.

Russia has been trending toward authoritarianism since the beginning of Putin's tenure.

But since an election in 2018, that trend has been more firmly entrenched than ever. The already marginalized opposition has been crushed.

Earlier this year, Aleksei Navalny, Putin's most prominent critic, died while in a Siberian prison.

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A raft of constitutional amendments imposed in 2020 enabled Putin to seek two additional six-year terms, the first of which he secured with a landslide victory in March in balloting the international community called a "sham" and not "free and fair."

The 72-year-old Putin, who is set to surpass Soviet dictator Josef Stalin’s nearly 30-year reign by the end of his new term to become the longest-serving Russian leader in more than two centuries, could conceivably hold power until 2036.

Putin struck a defiant tone when the subject of weaponry came up during the broadcast. In an apparent trolling of Washington, he suggested a "21th-century high-tech duel."

"Let them determine some target for destruction, say in Kyiv: Concentrate all their air defense and missile defense forces there, and we will strike there with Oreshniks and see what happens," he said.

"We are ready for such an experiment, but is the other side ready?"

Russia launched the so-called Oreshnik ballistic missile against Ukraine on November 21 in a strike targeting the city of Dnipro.

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Putin said at the time it was part of Moscow's response to Ukrainian attacks on Russian soil with U.S.-supplied ATACMS and British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles.

Analysts have voiced skepticism about the Oreshnik, saying the launching of the new intermediate-range missile was as much about political messaging as it was about military might.

Putin has been raising the specter of a nuclear strike since long before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and analysts said the Russian leader chose the Oreshnik to send a different signal to Washington.

"It's the kind of signaling you engage in when you can't, in fact, escalate in the way you've been threatening," Ruth Deyermond, senior lecturer in the Department of War Studies at King's College London, wrote on X of the November 21 missile strike.

With reporting by AFP

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said that only transatlantic unity could eventually stop the war in Ukraine and lead to peace amid a change of administrations in the United States.

Zelenskiy met on December 19 with EU leaders in Brussels to seek fresh support amid concerns that President-elect Donald Trump could pull U.S. support for Kyiv after he returns to the White House next month.

Addressing the EU leaders, Zelenskiy welcomed French President Emmanuel Macron's proposal to deploy troops to Ukraine following an eventual cease-fire.

"We support France’s initiative for a military contingent in Ukraine as part of these guarantees and call on other partners to join this effort, it will help bring the war to an end," he told the closed-door meeting, according to a text posted on his website.

It is "crucial for Europe to make a significant contribution to security guarantees," he said.

"We all understand that in January, President Trump will intensify efforts to end the war. It’s up to us whether Europe supports him with a strong, united voice," he told the EU leaders, according to the text.

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'In His Own Bubble': Zelenskiy Slams Putin Remarks, Urges More EU Military Aid

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Zelenskiy said Ukraine would ultimately need more protection through membership in the NATO military alliance. NATO has said Ukraine will join its ranks one day but it has not set a date or formally invited Ukraine to join.

"It is impossible to discuss this only with European leaders, because for us, the real guarantees in any case - today or in the future - are NATO," he told reporters. "On the way to NATO, we want security guarantees while we are not in NATO. And we can discuss such guarantees separately with both the U.S. and Europe," he said.

The meeting came as Ukrainian cities and infrastructure continue to sustain regular Russian drone and missile strikes while outgunned and outmanned Ukrainian forces are facing increasing difficulties in staving off Russia's increasingly rapid advance in the east.

The EU leaders and Zelenskiy are to reaffirm their "unwavering commitment" to supporting Ukraine "for as long as it takes," according to draft conclusions seen by Reuters.

"Russia must not prevail," the EU draft conclusions say. The bloc's leaders also stress that no decision must be made on Ukraine's fate without Kyiv's involvement.

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Zelenskiy on December 18 met in Brussels with NATO chief Mark Rutte and a group of European leaders who seek to develop their own plans if Trump, who has pledged to bring a swift end to the conflict, pulls support or forces Kyiv to make concessions to Russian President Vladimir Putin to reach a cease-fire.

Organized by Rutte, the meeting involves officials from Germany, Poland, Italy, Denmark, the Netherlands, and the European Union's main institutions.

The key topic of Zelenskiy's meeting with Rutte was security guarantees, Zelenskiy's office said.

"It is very important to use these two days in Brussels to meet with all our partners and have the same, and very importantly, not divided -- the same -- common European position on how to secure Ukraine, how to strengthen our people and, of course, make our army stronger," Zelenskiy said, according to a statement released by his office.

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Ukrainian Soldier Makes Viral Claims Of 'Incompetence' In Army

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Strengthening Ukrainian air defense especially ahead of the winter was a key topic during Zelenskiy's meeting with Rutte, according to the statement from Zelenskiy's office.

Rutte said Kyiv's allies should focus on ramping up arms supplies to ensure that Ukraine is in a position of strength.

Meanwhile, Russia attacked Ukrainian regions with 85 drones early on December 19, the Ukrainian Air Force said, adding that 45 drones were shot down while the other 40 were derailed by Ukrainian electronic warfare systems that jammed their navigation systems.

The air force said the attack targeted 10 Ukrainian regions -- Poltava, Sumy, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Khmelnytskiy, Chernihiv, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Dnipropetrovsk, and Mykolayiv.

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Russian Attack Drones Hunt Down Individual Civilians In Ukraine

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Russia also launched two Iskander-M ballistic missiles and an Kh-59/69 guided missile during the attack, the air force said.

The missile strikes damaged private homes and apartment buildings in the Sumy and Dnipropetrovsk regions, with no casualties or injuries reported.

In the Kharkiv region, three people were killed in the village of Shevchenkove, said Kharkiv Governor Oleh Synyehubov. Two women, aged 67 and 65, and a 33-year-old man, were killed, Synyehubov said.

One woman was injured and hospitalized as a result of the Russian shelling of Dvorichnaya, he added.

The Ukrainian General Staff separately said that it struck an oil refinery in Russia's Rostov region.

"Damage was inflicted to the infrastructure and production facilities of Novoshakhtinsk Oil Products Plant located in the Rostov Region of the Russian Federation," the General Staff said in a statement, adding that the refinery supplied Russia's military.

Rostov's acting governor Yury Slyusar said that the region "suffered a massive attack" using 30 drones and three missiles. Russia's Rostov region has repeatedly been targeted by Ukraine.

Separately, Russian officials said Ukraine struck Russia with at least 13 missiles and 84 drones.

In recent months, Ukraine has increased the number of drone attacks on Russian oil refineries and fuel depots that work for Moscow's military.

With reporting by AFP, Reuters, and dpa

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy met in Brussels on December 18 with NATO chief Mark Rutte and several European leaders to discuss war strategy amid concerns that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump could pull U.S. support for Kyiv after he returns to the White House next month.

The meeting came as European leaders seek to develop their own plans if Trump, who has pledged to bring a swift end to the conflict, pulls support or forces Kyiv to make concessions to Russian President Vladimir Putin to reach a cease-fire.

The key topic of Zelenskiy's meeting with Rutte was security guarantees, Zelenskiy's office said.

"It is very important to use these two days in Brussels to meet with all our partners and have the same, and very importantly, not divided -- the same -- common European position on how to secure Ukraine, how to strengthen our people and, of course, make our army stronger," Zelenskiy said, according to a statement released by his office.

Zelenskiy said earlier on X that he and French President Emmanuel Macron had a "detailed one-on-one discussion" that focused on priorities to further strengthen Ukraine’s position.

"We continued working on President Macron’s initiative regarding the presence of forces in Ukraine that could contribute to stabilizing the path to peace," Zelenskiy said in an apparent reference to a discussion of boots on the ground raised recently during a meeting between Macron and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told reporters ahead of the meeting that the priority of the meeting was to secure the "sovereignty of Ukraine and that it will not be forced to submit to a dictated peace." He said any discussion of boots on the ground would be premature.

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Rutte said Kyiv's allies should focus on ramping up arms supplies to ensure that Ukraine is in a position of strength.

Strengthening Ukrainian air defense especially ahead of the winter was a key topic during Zelenskiy's meeting with Rutte, according to the statement from Zelenskiy's office.

"We have to do everything we can now to make sure that when it comes to air defense, when it comes to other weapons systems, we are doing everything we can to provide everything we can," Rutte said.

Zelenskiy was expected to again plead for more air-defense systems to try to help stave off Russian barrages against Ukraine's power grid.

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Organized by Rutte, the meeting involves officials from Germany, Poland, Italy, Denmark, the Netherlands, and the European Union's main institutions.

Among the potential topics are possible security guarantees offered to Ukraine in the event of a cease-fire and how a cease-fire could be monitored, with one option being an international peacekeeping force.

NATO members have rebuffed Kyiv's calls for an invitation to join the alliance right away, sparking speculation that sending peacekeepers could be an alternative.

Rutte also said he wants to discuss military aid, especially air defense, with Zelenskiy, saying Ukraine needs 19 extra air-defense systems to protect the country's energy infrastructure from Russian bombardment.

Earlier on December 18, Rutte announced that a new NATO command in the German city of Wiesbaden has taken up its work to coordinate Western military aid for Ukraine.

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"The NATO command in Wiesbaden for security assistance and training for Ukraine is now up and running," Rutte told reporters at NATO's headquarters in Brussels. Dubbed NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU), the command takes over coordination of the aid from the United States in a move widely seen as aiming to safeguard the support mechanism against Trump.

NSATU is set to have around 700 personnel, including troops stationed at NATO's military headquarters in Belgium and at logistics hubs in Poland and Romania.

Russia has condemned increases in Western military aid to Ukraine as risking a wider war.

With reporting by AFP, Reuters, and dpa

The U.K. and U.S. governments on December 18 said the comments of Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev following the assassination of a high-ranking Russian general by Ukrainian security services were irresponsible and yet another sign of Moscow's desperation.

Medvedev, reacting to an editorial in the London-based Times newspaper that called the December 17 killing of a high-ranking Russian officer "a legitimate act of defense by a threatened nation," said Moscow should apply the same logic.

Medvedev accused NATO and officials from countries allied with Ukraine in its battle to repel invading Russian troops of being participants in the conflict, making them "legitimate military targets."

The U.S. State Department told RFE/RL that Medvedev's comments amounted to more irresponsible rhetoric from the Kremlin and reiterated that the United States and NATO do not seek a military conflict with Russia.

"The Kremlin's aggression against Ukraine is the most significant and direct threat to Europe's security and to peace and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area. It is the Kremlin that started this war, and [Russian President Vladimir] Putin could end it today," the State Department's press office said in a statement e-mailed to RFE/RL.

U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told a briefing on December 17 that Washington had no connection to the killing of Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, the head of Russia's Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Defense Forces (RKhBZ), or any prior knowledge of it.

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The U.K. Foreign Office said the comments were "just another example of Putin’s propaganda machine," while a spokesman for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was quoted as saying Medvedev's comments were "simply the latest in a stream of desperate rhetoric" to come out of Putin's government.

"Unlike in Russia, a free press is a cornerstone of our democracy and we take any threats made by Russia incredibly seriously," the spokesman added, according to The Times.

"Our newspapers represent the best of British values: freedom, democracy and independent thinking," he said. "I stand with The Times."

In its article, The Times said the assassination was "a discriminate strike against an aggressor" and that it underlines the need for Western governments to give Ukraine "all support it needs to fight a just war of self-defense."

"All officials of NATO countries involved in decisions about military assistance to...Ukraine are participating in hybrid or conventional warfare against Russia.... And all these individuals can and should be considered legitimate military targets for the Russian state. And for all Russian patriots." Medvedev wrote in response.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told RFE/RL on December 18 that "Russia is always threatening. And it is meant to scare us, so what we see is the threats we have heard before."

Speaking in Brussels before a meeting of EU leaders to discuss the war, she said: "I think the only response we can have is not to be afraid."

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The Moment A Russian General Was Killed By A Scooter Bomb In Moscow (Video)

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The man nominated by President-elect Donald Trump to serve as his special envoy for Ukraine and Russia also weighed in on the killing, telling Fox News that it was "not a good idea" in his opinion.

"There are rules of warfare and there are certain things you don't do," said Retired Lieutenant-General Keith Kellogg. "When you are killing [officers] in their hometown it's kind of like you kind of extended it and I don't think it's really smart to do."

Kirillov and his assistant were killed by a bomb concealed in a scooter outside the entrance of a Moscow building early on December 17.

Kirillov is one of a number of Russian officers and pro-war figures to be killed in Russia and in Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine. His death came a week after a senior official from a Russian company that develops cruise missiles used by Moscow in the war was reportedly shot dead just outside the capital.

Medvedev's rhetoric draws from the Kremlin's long-term narrative of blaming Western "forces" for anti-Russian actions worldwide and acts of sabotage and "terrorism" on Russian territory.

Russian investigators termed the killing a "terrorist" attack and immediately attributed it to Ukrainian intelligence. On December 18, Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said it had detained a suspect -- a 29-year-old unnamed Uzbek national -- in the case.

Medvedev also threatened retribution against journalists from The Times, ominously warning that the newspaper could be included in those "legitimate military targets," adding that "in London, many things happen…be careful."

That warning appears to be a thinly veiled reference to the radiation poisoning of former FSB officer and Kremlin critic Aleksandr Litvinenko in London in 2006, and the attempted assassination of former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal in the British city of Salisbury with a deadly nerve agent in 2018.