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

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

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

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

The Keremet Bank in Kyrgyzstan said it suspended money transactions to several major Russian banks. Last week, another bank in the Central Asian nation, MBank, made a similar move. The 24.kg website reported on August 21 that after visiting 16 banks in Bishkek, the outlet's journalists found that in all, 13 banks have suspended monetary transactions to major Russian banks. The Tazabek website cited sources at the Kyrgyz National Bank (KUB) as saying that all commercial banks in the country had been instructed to stop cooperation with Russian banks sanctioned by the West over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service, click here.

Kyrgyzstan's Supreme Court on August 21 rejected an appeal filed by activist Kanykei Aranova against a 42-month prison term she was handed in June over a Facebook post. Aranova was arrested in February as part of a case concerning protests against a Kyrgyz-Uzbek border deal that led to the detention of 27 people. Aranova was initially ordered to pay a fine after she was found guilty of inciting hatred and making online calls to seize power. Prosecutors appealed the ruling, calling it too lenient, after which the Bishkek City Court cancelled the initial ruling and sentenced her to 42 months in prison. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service, click here.

Iran says it will take its time in its response to the July 31 killing in Tehran of Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of the U.S.- and EU-designated Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.

Iran has kept the world on edge since it promised to strike Israel -- which it blames for the attack that killed Haniyeh -- a move experts say could plunge the region into an all-out war.

Israel has neither confirmed nor denied carrying out the attack. But it has vowed to kill leaders of Hamas over the group’s October 7 attack inside Israeli territory that killed 1,200 people. Around 250 others were taken hostage, some of whom have since been released.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said after the assassination that Iran was "duty-bound" to avenge its "guest."

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Why Is Iran Delaying Its Vowed Attack On Israel?

"Time is in our favor, and the waiting period for this response could be long," Ali Mohammad Naini, a spokesman for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), said on August 30, adding any response "may not be a repetition of past operations."

The 62-year-old Haniyeh was killed while he was in Tehran to attend the July 30 inauguration ceremony for Iran's new president, Masud Pezeshkian.

Tehran has rebuffed calls by Western nations to show restraint, insisting it has a legitimate right to respond to the killing of Haniyeh on Iranian territory.

The killing of Haniyeh and talk of retaliation comes as Washington continues to push to get Hamas and Israel to agree to a temporary cease-fire and a deal to release hostages being held in Gaza. Senior officials from the United States, Israel, Qatar, and Egypt are engaged in the latest round of talks to secure such a deal.

Naini did not comment on how Iran may respond to the attack on Haniyeh, but his reference to "past operations" may refer to Tehran’s launching of more than 300 missiles and drones at Israel in April in response to Israel's suspected bombing of Iran's embassy compound in Damascus.

Damage from the Iranian attack was minimal with some analysts saying the response appeared to be measured to avoid a broader conflict.

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

The reports came as Russia is battling to repel a two-week-old Ukrainian incursion into its Kursk region bordering Ukraine, where Kyiv's forces say they control more than 1,260 square kilometers and 92 settlements in what Ukraine's leadership said is a move to establish a buffer zone inside Russia meant to protect Ukrainian civilians from cross-border Russian shelling.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SEE ALSO:

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

Russian war bloggers, meanwhile, said heavy fighting was under way along the front line in Kursk, where Russia acknowledged three key bridges over the Seym River had been destroyed, cutting important supply lines for Moscow forces.

The American Institute for the Study of War said Ukrainian forces continued to advance along the entire front line in Kursk, striking Russian pontoon bridges and pontoon engineering equipment meant to replace the damaged bridges over the Seym River.

One of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's senior advisers, Mykhaylo Podolyak, told Current Time that Kyiv's aim is not territorial gain and has a clear scope -- ensuring the safety against incessant Russian shelling and strikes from across the border, adding that Ukraine's operation is adhering to international legislation and protects the civilian population.

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"This is a different type of war, a war that is clearly spelled out in international law and in conventions that regulate behavior toward combatants and especially toward noncombatants, toward the civilian population on this territory."

Meanwhile, Russia continued its grinding advance into Ukraine's eastern region of Donetsk, claiming to have captured Nyu-York, an important logistics hub in Donetsk, on August 20.

Over the past 24 hours, five civilians were killed and 31 were wounded by Russian shelling in four Ukrainian regions, regional officials reported.

Afghanistan's Taliban rulers have banned UN's Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Richard Bennett from entering the country, spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid was quoted as saying by private Afghan broadcaster Tolo. Mujahid accused Bennett of providing "false" information about the situation in Afghanistan and spreading "propaganda." The United Nations Human Rights Council appointed Bennet in 2022 to monitor Afghanistan's human rights situation after the Taliban returned to power in August 2021 following the withdrawal of the U.S.-led international forces. Bennett has traveled to Afghanistan several times and pointed to grave human rights violations, especially against Afghan women and girls. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Radio Azadi, click here.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is visiting Moldova on August 21, where is due to hold talks with President Maia Sandu and Prime Minister Dorin Recean on bilateral relations and security policy issues. "The impact of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine on the Republic of Moldova will also be discussed," the German government said in a statement, adding that Moldova's accession to the European Union and Berlin's support for Chisinau during the accession process will also be discussed. Moldova has sided firmly with the West in condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine and has housed tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugees.

A bus carrying Pakistani pilgrims overturned in central Iran, killing 28 passengers and injuring another 23 people, state media reported on August 21. The accident took place late August 20 in the central Iranian province of Yazd and was caused by a technical defect in the bus braking system, according to preliminary investigations made by the Iranian traffic police. Millions of Shi'ite Muslims are currently partaking in the Arbaeen pilgrimage in Iraq's Karbala Governorate. The event marks the 40th mourning following the martyrdom of Imam Hussein bin Ali, a central figure in Shi'ite Islam and the grandson of Prophet Muhammad.

Azerbaijan has officially applied to join the BRICS bloc of developing economies. Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Aykhan Hajizadeh announced the move on August 20, a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the South Caucasus country. For over a decade, the bloc included just five nations -- Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. But it has recently seen a major expansion. Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates joined in January. Saudi Arabia has said it's considering joining as well. Azerbaijan initially expressed its desire to join BRICS in July, and China welcomed it. To read the original story on RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service, click here.

EU officials on August 20 again firmly rejected Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic's claim that Western countries were behind recent protests against his government's lithium mining plans.

"The European Union absolutely rejects any allegations that it would be involved in any kind of illegal or illegitimate activities linked to foreign interference. This is not what the European Union is doing," Peter Stano, spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, said at a European Commission news briefing.

The protests oppose a lithium mining project set to be launched by the Anglo-Australian metals and mining giant Rio Tinto in Jadar in western Serbia over fears that it will pollute water and land resources in a country that already suffers from significant environmental degradation, a legacy of communist rule.

The protests took place after the European Union and the Serbian government last month signed a memorandum of understanding on a "strategic partnership" on sustainable raw materials, battery supply chains, and electric vehicles.

SEE ALSO:

Germany's Scholz Praises Lithium-Mining Deal With Serbia, Says Environment Will Be Protected

The mining of lithium is necessary for Europe "to remain sovereign in a changing world and not be dependent on others," German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on July 19 as he attended a Critical Raw Materials Summit in Belgrade, where the memorandum was signed.

Germany is seeking to secure lithium for the manufacture of electric vehicles as the EU aims to reduce its dependence on imports from China of the critical substance, which is used in batteries for electric vehicles.

Ana Pisonero, EU Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi's spokeswoman, stressed on August 20 that the EU “remains fully committed to developing -- jointly with Serbia and stakeholders -- concrete actions to put into practice the strategic partnership on sustainable raw materials, battery value chains, and electric vehicles.”

Stano and Pisonero, who joined the press briefing via video link, made the comments in response to a question about Vucic’s unsubstantiated accusation that recent demonstrations in opposition to the multibillion-dollar lithium-mining project were part of Western-backed "hybrid" warfare against his government.

SEE ALSO:

Protests Flare Up In Serbian Towns Over Reversal On Huge Lithium Mine

Moscow has also accused the West of being behind the protests, which demand a halt to Anglo-Australian metals and mining giant Rio Tinto's $2.4 billion lithium project in Jadar in western Serbia over fears it could pollute nearby land and water.

The project has the capacity to supply 90 percent of Europe's current lithium needs and make Rio Tinto one of the world's leading lithium producers. It could also play a critical role in Western electric vehicle supply chains as Washington and Brussels seek to reduce dependency on rival China.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- After the Wagner Group reconstituted itself earlier this year, including renaming itself the Africa Corps, Kremlin officials seem unsure of the group’s next steps and its role within Russia’s international strategy, experts speaking on August 20 at a Washington think tank said.

While major restructuring did take place, the newly formed Africa Corps appears to be different in name only. The war in Ukraine has continued to be the number one priority for the group, comprising heavy cooperation with Russian officials. Within Africa, however, both the group’s sovereignty and their exact role in the region come into question, the experts said.

With the one-year anniversary of the plane crash that took the lives of multiple key figures of the then-Wagner Group approaching on August 23, Moscow officials have yet to fill the void that was left by the death of charismatic leader Yevgeny Prigozhin.

After the dramatic crash in the Tver region northwest of Moscow -- an accident according to Russian authorities but widely believed to have been an intentional act carried out at the behest of Russian President Vladimir Putin -- Russia's GRU military intelligence agency took control of all operations of the group.

SEE ALSO:

Russia In Africa: Coups, Anti-Western Messaging Offset Setbacks From Ukraine War, Prigozhin's Demise 

But even with this takeover, political analyst Mark Galeotti argued at the Brookings Institution on August 20 that the GRU “is trying to run a blended diplomatic, commercial, and military structure, while they only have the skill set to run the latter.”

With the GRU still getting a foothold on the operations of the previous group, Africa Corps has large shoes to fill if it wishes to continue the Wagner Group’s influence across several African countries.

In Libya, the Central African Republic (C.A.R.), and Mali, the Africa Corps has continued the same operations that were conducted by Wagner Group in years prior. But in the past year, Africa Corps’ leadership has begun to test its power in both Burkina Faso and Niger with expansions of personnel that bring its presence in each country to more than 100, according to Christopher Faulkner, professor at the U.S. Naval War College.

“Africa Corps is still in its elementary phase…. We’re just waiting to see what’s going to transpire and whether or not Moscow will actually invest in real genuine security in those states,” Faulkner said.

SEE ALSO:

Wagner's Bloody Mali Debacle Shows Cracks In Russia's Sahel Strategy

With the Wagner’s Group previous reputation for brutality in Ukraine, it is surprising that its counterinsurgency operations have largely been unspectacular in Africa, according to Vanda Felbab-Brown, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.

In C.A.R., Wagner’s success was underpinned by the fact that its adversary consisted of relatively weak local groups. Even in a case such as Mozambique, where it was fighting a weak Al-Shabab, its operation was largely considered a failure, Felbab-Brown said.

The goal of the newly formed Africa Corps, considered a terrorist group by Britain and a transnational criminal group by the United States, is to create regime dependency on Russia through the security it provides. It has systemically driven up polarization in the countries where it operates in Africa, provoked violence, economic infiltration, and made use of organized crime groups, Felbab-Brown said.

Africa Corps’ entry into Burkina Faso, which came after Prigozhin’s death, was an attempt to further this influence, while simultaneously the GRU began assessing its role on the continent. As this assessment continues, Africa Corps appears to be preparing to enter the Democratic Republic of the Congo (D.R.C) as well. According to Felbab-Brown, the Russian government has already signed military deals with the government of the D.R.C.

In addition, the government of the tiny island country of Sao Tome and Principe off Africa’s western coast, is cozying up to Russia. It has been signaling that it is keen on sending forces to a Russian training academy in Chechnya designed specifically for proxy actors. Similarly, Russia has begun canceling and restructuring large portions of debt owed to it by Guinea Bissau.

Russian influence in Guinea Bissau, one of the world’s least developed countries, will put Moscow within arms reach of Guinea Bissau’s massive cocaine trade, where many organized crime groups from both Africa and Latin America convene, according to Felbab-Brown. This would allow Russian intelligence groups to further link themselves to transnational criminal organizations.

While Africa Corps is slowly attempting to further cement itself on the continent, Moscow officials must first learn how to properly use the group to their advantage. In considering the reach the group already has, as well as the speed at which Moscow was able to reconstitute Wagner into Africa Corps, Felbab-Brown said it is easy to understand why “Russia is playing for influence, much as the U.S.A. is trying to counter this influence.”

Russia’s Supreme Court on August 20 extended the pretrial detention of three lawyers who once represented slain Russian opposition politician, Aleksei Navalny, and are now facing charges of extremism. Vadim Kobzev, Igor Sergunin, and Aleksei Liptser were arrested in October in a case widely seen as a means to ramp up pressure on Navalny. According to his allies, authorities accused the lawyers of using their status to pass letters from the imprisoned opposition politician to his team, thus serving as intermediaries between Navalny and what they called his “extremist group.” The Supreme Court also denied a request to transfer the case away from a court in Russia’s western Vladimir region.

A court in Kazakhstan has fined three activists over their participation in a rally in late May demanding the official registration of the opposition Algha, Qazaqstan (Forward, Kazakhstan) party. Aizhan Zholdasova and Ermek Qonyshbai were ordered on August 19 to pay 110,740 tenges ($230) each, while Azia Abieva was fined 77, 532 tenges ($161). All three pleaded not guilty before the court in the southern city of Shymkent, saying they have a right to express their political demands. In November, a court in Astana sentenced the chairman of Algha, Qazaqstan, Marat Zhylanbaev, to seven years in prison on extremism charges, which he also rejects as politically motivated. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Kazakh Service, click here.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said on August 20 that it had summoned the U.S. Embassy's Deputy Chief of Mission Stephanie Holmes to protest what it called "provocative" reports by U.S. journalists from the Kyiv-controlled part of Russia's Kursk region who "illegally" crossed the Russian border. The ministry also claimed that "evidence" showed the presence of unspecified U.S. private military groups' involvement in Ukraine's ongoing incursion into the region, adding that "necessary investigative actions to bring them to justice" will be carried out.

SARAJEVO -- CIA Director William Burns was in Sarajevo on August 20 to discuss the “worrying secessionist rhetoric and actions” of the pro-Russian president and government of Bosnia-Herzegovina’s Serb entity, a U.S. government official told RFE/RL.

Burns, who arrived from a diplomatic mission to Israel as part of the U.S. effort to negotiate a cease-fire in Gaza, held meetings at the Bosnian presidency with colleagues in the intelligence community, members of the presidency, and the foreign minister, the U.S. official said.

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

Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik, the pro-Russia president of the Serb entity of Bosnia, has raised concerns among Bosnia’s Western allies because of his ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

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

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Dodik Doubles Down On Refusal To Join Sanctions Against Moscow In Meeting With Putin

Dodik’s statements have been one of the main stumbling blocks in Bosnia's progress toward EU membership since it became a candidate in 2022.

Almir Dzuvo, the chief of Bosnia's Intelligence and Security Agency, confirmed earlier to RFE/RL that Burns was in Sarajevo. Burns “voiced his support for the cooperation of U.S. and Bosnian intelligence agencies" during his meeting with Dzuvo, the Bosnian intelligence chief told RFE/RL.

Bosnia’s head of diplomacy Elmedin Konakovic, who also met with Burns, said Bosnia “once again received confirmation of full support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Bosnia and condemnation of secessionist messages and moves.”

Konakovic told RFE/RL that while he could not comment on some parts of the discussion, a universal message was sent that the American administration is “very clear that Bosnia’s foreign policy partner is still firmly with Bosnia-Herzegovina."

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

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

Trouble in the Balkans would play into the Kremlin’s hands as it could distract the United States and Europe from Russia’s war in Ukraine, she added, noting that President Joe Biden played an active role in U.S. foreign policy toward the Balkans while in the Senate and serving in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

A visit from one of the top people of the U.S. government shows the commitment of the United States and that Bosnia “is at the very top of the priorities of American foreign policy, which is very important for us," he added.

The last CIA director to visit Bosnia-Herzegovina was John Brennan in 2016.

Sources told RFE/RL that Zeljka Cvijanovic, who has been designated for sanctions by the U.S. Treasury Department due to threats to the Dayton accords, was at the meeting at the Bosnian presidency. She is a member of Dodik’s Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD) and a member of State Presidency of Bosnia.

Ukrainian lawmaker Roman Kostenko told RFE/RL on August 20 that no evacuation of local residents from parts of Russia's Kursk region that is controlled by Kyiv's armed forces to Ukraine is under way at the moment. Kostenko added that the Ukraine-installed commandant's office is ensuring the protection of local residents in Russian territories under Kyiv's control, in accordance with the Geneva conventions. Kostenko added that, if some Russian citizens from the Kursk region have appeared on the Ukrainian side of the border, that must have been done through their own initiative and efforts. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, click here.

Iranian police have shut down Germany’s Das Deutsche Sprachinstitut Teheran (DSIT) -- the German Language Institute Tehran -- for allegedly “violating the country’s laws,” prompting Berlin to summon Iran's ambassador.

In a post on X, the Mizan news agency of Iran’s judiciary said on August 20 that two branches of “illegal centers affiliated with the German government” had been shut down for “committing several illegal actions and extensive financial violations.”

It added that the judiciary had "received reports of violations by other centers linked to Germany" without elaborating.

Formerly called the Goethe Institute, the cultural center is managed by the Germany Embassy in the Iranian capital.

"We condemn Iranian security authorities' treatment of that German language institute in Tehran," the Foreign Ministry in Berlin said, noting that the Iranian ambassador had been summoned.

Prior to Mizan’s post, an informed source told RFE/RL's Radio Farda that police officers had shuttered the institute’s branches in uptown Tehran on August 20, confirming earlier claims on social media.

The move comes after Germany last month banned the Islamic Center Hamburg, or IZH, an Iran-linked organization that it said "promotes an Islamist-extremist, totalitarian ideology in Germany."

The German authorities also shut down five IZH suborganizations, saying that they "also support the terrorists of Hizballah and spread aggressive antisemitism,” referring to Iran’s Lebanon-based ally that has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States.

Speaking to Radio Farda, a former DSIT student said the closure was a “sad” development because the institute served as a “second home” for people who wanted to learn German in an environment “more open” than Iranian universities.

They said most people who studied at the institute sought to migrate to continue their studies in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Now, those looking to learn German have to pay more to study at less reputable institutes and travel abroad to take an accredited German language exam.

Many people immediately expressed concerns about what the shuttering of the institute would mean for their scheduled language exams.

Photos shared on the social media platform showed several police cars parked outside premises of the cultural institute. Police officers were also seen standing under the institute’s torn-down signboard.

The Goethe Institute opened its first branch in Iran in 1958 but its cultural activities were severely restricted following the 1979 Islamic Revolution, resulting in its closure in 1987.

The institute resumed operations in 1995 under a new name -- DSIT -- but it continued to be referred to locally as Goethe Institute.

Kazakh anti-nuclear activist Meiirkhan Abdimanapov was fined 129,000 tenges ($270) after he was detained in Almaty on August 19 on his way to Astana, where he planned to take part in public debates on government's plans to construct a nuclear power station in Kazakhstan. Abdimanapov spent several hours in police custody and was released late in the night after a court fined him for taking part in rallies held six months ago to support incarcerated independent journalist Duman Mukhammedkarim. Abdimanapov says the goal of his detention was to prevent him from taking part in debates in Astana over the nuclear plant. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Kazakh Service, click here.

Ukrainian lawmakers on August 20 approved a bill banning religious organizations linked to the Russian Orthodox Church, which Kyiv has criticized for being supportive of Moscow's full-scale invasion.

Lawmaker Oleksandr Honcharenko said 265 members in parliament (Verkhovna Rada) approved the bill that once signed by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will pave the way to banning the branch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC),which is associated with the Moscow Patriarchate.

The legislation bans the activities of religious organizations affiliated with centers of influence "in a state that carries out armed aggression against Ukraine." It says a court of law would be empowered to terminate such activities.

Zelenskiy thanked lawmakers and called the legislation "the law on our spiritual independence."

"This is what we have been talking about with members of the Council of Churches and Religious Organizations. And in the coming days I will talk about it with representatives of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. We will continue to strengthen our Ukraine, our society," Zelenskiy said in a video statement.

The bill has been a hot issue for lawmakers. In July, senior legislators refused to put it to a vote, after which, deputies representing several parties blocked the podium armed with a banner reading "The Moscow church kills."

SEE ALSO:

Internal Rifts And U.S. Politics In Play As Ukraine Considers Banning Long Russian-Linked Church

Zelenskiy's Servant of the People party split over the fate of the legislation targeting the UOC, whose controversial role in Ukraine has drawn further scrutiny since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Ukrainian lawmakers gave their initial approval to the bill in October 2023.

The UOC is a branch of Ukraine’s Orthodox Church that previously was under the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox patriarch in Moscow. It officially cut ties with Moscow last year over Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, but officials linked to the church have been accused of maintaining links with Russia.

The Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) said in October that 68 criminal cases, including accusations of treason, had been initiated against UOC representatives since Russia's invasion.

The UOC has insisted the legislation would not comply with the Ukrainian Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights, accusing Kyiv of trying to portray its Ukrainian clergymen and believers as "agents of the Russian Federation."

On August 20, Archpriest Nikolai Balashov, who is an adviser to the Russian Orthodox Church's leader, Patriarch Kirill, condemned the Ukrainian lawmakers' approval of the bill, saying it violates the religious rights of the Ukrainian people.

"The law adopted by the [Verkhovna] Rada violates internationally recognized norms related to the protection of religious freedom and provides the possibility of a further wider deployment of anti-church persecution by the Kyiv regime," Balashov said.

The Russian Orthodox Church has staunchly backed President Vladimir Putin and Moscow’s invasion.

Pakistan's military says five suspected militants and three troops were killed in a firefight in the Bajaur tribal district of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. The public relations department of Pakistan's Army said the clash occurred early on August 19 in Bajaur's Mamondo area. The military said four other suspected militants were wounded. It did not say which militant group the suspects, who were attempting to enter Pakistan from Afghanistan, belonged to. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has seen an increase in deadly attacks that mostly remained unclaimed while some of them were claimed by the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan.

The Committee to Protect Journalists on August 19 called on Tajik authorities to drop bribery charges against noted journalist Ahmad Ibrohim, who was arrested a week earlier.

"Following the wave of lengthy convictions against journalists in Tajikistan since 2022, the arrest of Ahmad Ibrohim is yet another reminder of how dangerous any form of critical journalism is in the country's deeply repressive media environment," CPJ Europe and Central Asia program coordinator Gulnoza Said emphasized in the statement.

"Tajik authorities should release Ibrohim, along with seven other journalists currently incarcerated in retaliation for their work, and allow the media to operate freely," Said added.

Several sources close to law enforcement in Tajikistan told RFE/RL over the weekend that police in the Central Asian nation's southern city of Kulob had arrested the 62-year-old editor-in-chief of the Paik (Message) independent newspaper after he allegedly offered a bribe to an official in exchange for re-registration of his media outlet.

According to some sources, Ibrohim’s arrest appeared to have been a setup.

Authorities in Kulob have refused to extend Paik's license to operate since March, the sources said, and a state security services officer who had spent several months cultivating a relationship with Ibrohim said he could help obtain a license for 2500 somoni ($235). After Ibrohim handed over the money, he was arrested.

If convicted, Ibrohim could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison.

Tajik officials have yet to announce the arrest officially.

In recent years, several Tajik journalists, rights activists, and opposition politicians have been handed lengthy prison terms on charges seen by rights groups as trumped-up and politically motivated.

Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, who has run the Central Asian nation for almost 30 years, has been criticized by international human rights groups over his administration's alleged disregard for independent media, religious freedoms, civil society, and political pluralism.

Kyiv says it is continuing its two-week-old incursion into Russia's border region of Kursk with the aim of creating a buffer zone to protect civilians along the border, but Moscow is pressing unabated its offensive farther south in Donetsk region, where it claims to have captured a key logistics hub on August 20.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukraine now controls 1,250 kilometers and 92 settlements in Kursk since it launched its surprise cross-border operation on August 6, and Russia acknowledged that three key bridges over the Seym River were destroyed, cutting important supply lines for Moscow forces.

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.

However, Kyiv's aim is not territorial gain and has a clear scope -- ensuring the safety against incessant Russian shelling and strikes from across the border, one of Zelenskiy's senior advisers, Mykhaylo Podolyak, told Current Time, adding that Ukraine's operation is adhering to international legislation and protects the civilian population.

"Ukraine does not intend to seize populated areas or occupy this territory," Podolyak said on August 19.

"This is a different type of war, a war that is clearly spelled out in international law and in conventions that regulate behavior toward combatants and especially toward noncombatants, toward the civilian population on this territory."

Podolyak told Current Time that Moscow has been using border areas to strike civilian infrastructure up to 70-80 kilometers inside Ukraine.

"Along the border, including in the Kursk region, artillery is deployed 1 or 2 kilometers from the state border, ballistic launchers are deployed, multiple-launch rocket systems are deployed," he said.

"Take [Ukraine's] Sumy region, located just opposite Kursk region. About 500-600 shellings were carried out daily targeting the territory of the Sumy region. Squeezing out Russian weapons to a depth of 100 kilometers will already make it possible to protect the civilian population in the Ukrainian border area, for example in the Chernihiv, Sumy, and Kharkiv regions."

Referring to the civilian population that remains in the territory now under Ukrainian military's control, Podolyak said Kyiv is fulfilling all the requirements of international humanitarian legislation.

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Zelenskiy Aide Says Ukraine Helping Civilians Amid Food Shortages In Kursk Region

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"We keep a register of civilians. International law very strictly requires that you bear actual responsibility for residents, citizens, and noncombatants. International humanitarian law clearly spells out your responsibility in the zone of actual control if there is military action there. Of course, registers will be compiled, our guys are looking at who is there, who needs to be sent where, and so on."

Ukrainian lawmaker Roman Kostenko told RFE/RL on August 20 that no evacuation of local residents from Kursk areas controlled by Ukraine's armed forces to Ukraine is under way at the moment.

Kostenko added that the Kyiv-installed command office is ensuring the protection of local residents in Russian territories under Ukraine's control, in accordance with Geneva conventions.

On August 19, Zelenskiy again pushed for permission from Ukraine's allies to use long-range weapons to strike targets deep inside Russia.

• Amos Chapple

Washington has reportedly indicated it is "open" to supplying Ukraine with longer-range cruise missiles that have the ability to significantly impact the war with Russia. But experts say their high cost will limit how the missiles are used.

"Ukraine is separated from halting the advance of the Russian Army on the front by only one decision we await from our partners: the decision on long-range capabilities," he said.

The United States and other allies of Ukraine have placed restrictions on the use of the weapons over concerns that it could escalate the war.

Podolyak, however, said such an escalation would only occur if Ukraine acted in a similar way to Russia and struck civilian areas, which would put Kyiv morally on the same footing as Moscow.

"There is definitely no point in striking big cities or populated areas as such. This will not solve any problem and would equalize Ukraine and Russia in the type of warfare, which is absolutely pointless," Podolyak said.

The United States, Ukraine's main ally and supplier of modern weapons systems, remains opposed for the time being to allowing Ukraine to use long-range western arms to strike deeper inside Russia.

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Ukraine Blasts Bridges In Kursk, Claims More Prisoners Taken

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"I will say that our policy has not changed. I just don't have anything to add to that," White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said in response to a question on the subject on August 19.

Meanwhile, Russia on August 20 claimed to have captured Nyu-York, an important logistics hub in Donetsk, as it continues its grinding advance toward the city of Pokrovsk, where Ukrainian authorities have ordered the mandatory evacuation of children.

"As a result of the actions of the units of the center group of forces, a large grouping of enemy troops was defeated and one of the largest settlements in Toretsk agglomeration, the strategically important logistics hub of [Nyu-York].. was liberated," the Russian Defense Ministry said on Telegram.

The capture of Nyu-York, which had a population of around 10,000 before the start of the war, could not be independently confirmed.

On August 19, Russia said it had captured the nearby town of Zalizne, also part of Toretsk urban agglomeration.

Ukrainian air-defense systems repelled a missile strike on Kyiv early on August 20, the fifth missile attack by Russia's military on the Ukrainian capital this month, the air force reported.

Elsewhere, a large fire broke out in the western Ukrainian city of Ternopil, regional officials said, urging people to remain inside.

The cause of the fire was not immediately known.