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Senior Officer Defects As Battles Rage For Airports, Damascus Suburbs
Jumaa Farraj Jassem, a section chief in Syria's General Intelligence Directorate, announced his defection and described Assad's regime as "criminal."
Meanwhile, on January 12, Syrian rebels were reportedly battling government forces for control of two military airports in the northern province of Aleppo -- the Al-Ming and Narib bases.
The fighting comes a day after rebels captured the strategic Taftanaz military base in northern Syria.
In Damascus, government officials claimed the regime has recaptured most of the suburb of Daraya from rebels in a battle that has lasted weeks.
The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed that Daraya and other Damascus suburbs were being shelled by government forces on January 12.
Based on reporting by AFP, dpa, Reuters, and AP
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In Ukraine, Top Japanese Diplomat Warns Of 'Alarming' North Korean Move
KYIV -- Visiting Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya said in Ukraine on November 16 that Tokyo and Kyiv have committed to increased dialogue between their respective defense and foreign ministers on security issues in light of the "extremely alarming situation" around the recent deployment of North Korean troops to Russia as Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine continues.
Ukraine Invasion: News & Analysis
RFE/RL's Ukraine Live Briefing gives you the latest developments on Russia's invasion, Western military aid, the plight of civilians, and territorial control maps. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.
Iwaya warned at a joint briefing alongside Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha in Kyiv that North Korean troops joining the 2 1/2-year-old Russian war effort could have "extremely significant implications" for Asia as well.
He met later with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
Zelenskiy said he discussed with Iwaya "that now North Korea has become an accomplice of Russia and is helping Putin in this criminal war." He said they discussed "all threats from cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow."
With estimates of Russian casualties exceeding 600,000 and President Vladimir Putin desperate to avoid a politically unpopular second mobilization, reports suggest more than 11,000 North Korean soldiers are in southwestern Russia.
In Kyiv, Iwaya expressed "deep concern" and strong condemnation of the deployment.
He said the Japanese and Ukrainian sides would maintain a "bilateral high-level security policy dialogue" going forward, including the sharing of intelligence.
Iwaya arrived hours earlier and visited a memorial to the victims of Russian occupation in the city of Bucha, where Ukrainian and international prosecutors have alleged widespread atrocities against civilians by Russian troops.
Ukrainian military intelligence said the first North Korean troops arrived in the southwestern Russian region of Kursk on October 23.
Subsequent reports said the first clashes between North Korean soldiers and Ukrainian forces took place on November 5 in Kursk, where Ukraine launched a surprise incursion in August and now controls hundreds of square kilometers of territory.
Sybiha called the appearance of North Korean troops "evidence that the future of not only the European but also the global security architecture is being decided in Ukraine."
He cited shared values with Japan and said Iwaya's visit was an "important sign of solidarity, especially in such a difficult time."
With reporting by Reuters
- By RFE/RL's Radio Farda and
- RFE/RL
Iran 'Categorically Denies' Its UN Envoy Met With Trump Ally Musk
Tehran has "categorically denied" U.S. reports suggesting that billionaire Trump ally and adviser Elon Musk met with Iranian Ambassador to the UN Amir Saeed Iravani in New York last week, contradicting reporting by The New York Times and AP asserting that Tehran sought the meeting in an apparent effort to ease tensions with President-elect Donald Trump. Iranian news agency IRNA quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei as saying those are "false reports." In his first term, Trump withdrew from a major nuclear accord with Tehran and global powers and reimposed tough sanctions that walloped Iran's currency and economy. Trump has pledged close if informal cooperation with Musk, who has boasted that he has "top-secret clearance" and said he looks forward to a role as "first buddy" to the next U.S. president. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Radio Farda, click here.
Militants Kill 7 Pakistani Troops In Balochistan
At least seven Pakistani paramilitary soldiers were killed and 13 others were wounded in a militant attack on a checkpoint in the mountainous Kalat district some 150 kilometers from Quetta, the capital of the southwestern Balochistan Province, Ali Gul Baloch, deputy police commissioner of Kalat, told RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack, which was claimed by the separatist militant group the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA). The BLA has waged an insurgency for decades against the Pakistani state, carrying out mostly small-scale attacks against government forces and others. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal, click here.
Putin Not Interested In Negotiations, Only In Ending His Own Isolation, Zelenskiy Says
Russian President Vladimir Putin "is not interested in holding negotiations to end the war but wants to hold talks with foreign leaders to put an end to his international isolation," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on November 16 following a telephone conversation between Putin and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
"I think that Putin does not want peace at all, but this does not mean that he does not want to sit down with some of the leaders [at the negotiating table]. Because for him political isolation means destruction. It is quite profitable for him to sit down, talk, and disagree," Zelenskiy said in a radio interview broadcast on November 16.
Ukraine Invasion: News & Analysis
RFE/RL's Ukraine Live Briefing gives you the latest developments on Russia's invasion, Western military aid, the plight of civilians, and territorial control maps. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.
"He can't travel, and to negotiate means he would be able to go somewhere.... This would be the end of his isolation for him," Zelenskiy said.
However, Zelenskiy said that Ukraine has to put an end to the conflict as soon as possible and admitted that the situation on the battlefield in the east, where Russia was making incremental advances, was difficult for the outmanned and outgunned Ukrainian Army.
"From our side, we must do everything so that this war ends next year, ends through diplomatic means," Zelenskiy said.
He added that he wants to talk with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump directly, not through intermediaries, but said that is not allowed by U.S. legislation before Trump's inauguration.
"As the president of Ukraine, I will only take seriously a conversation with the president of the United States of America, with all due respect to any entourage, to any people," Zelenskiy said.
Zelenskiy has criticized Scholz's phone call with Putin on November 15, warning that it had opened a "Pandora's box" that undermined efforts to isolate Putin and end the war in Ukraine with a "fair peace."
WATCH: Ukrainian inventors have developed more than 200 different ground robotic systems in the last year. The devices can lay mines, destroy enemy positions, transport equipment and shells, or fire machine guns.
Russia, meanwhile, continued to batter Ukraine's cities and infrastructure.
The Russian military launched 83 drones and an S-300 missile at targets in Ukraine, the air force said on Telegram.
Ukraine's air-defense systems shot down 53 Russian drones over 11 of its regions -- Cherkasy, Odesa, Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Sumy, Mykolayiv, Kirovohrad, Poltava, Zaporizhzhya, Kharkiv, and Khmelnytskiy.
Separately, Russian shelling killed one person on November 16 in the city of Slovyansk, in the eastern region od Donetsk, regional Governor Vadym Lyakh reported.
Black Liquid Splashed On Election Chief As Georgia Validates Disputed Poll Results
TBILISI -- Georgia's Central Election Commission (CEC) on November 16 validated the results of last month's disputed elections, despite weeks of protests by the opposition and accusations of widespread fraud and Russian interference.
The Moscow-friendly ruling Georgian Dream party won 53.93 percent of the vote against 37.79 percent garnered by an opposition alliance, the CEC announced during an unruly session that was briefly interrupted after opposition representative Davit Kirtadze splashed a black liquid on CEC chief Giorgi Kalandarishvili and called him a "dark spot."
"Unfortunately, the CEC, under your leadership, your direct involvement, and your unfair decisions, instead of leading the country toward Europe, is moving it towards Russia," Kirtadze told Kalandarishvili after throwing the black liquid on him.
Kirtadze's protest was intended to refer to the ink from voters' pens that was visible through the thin paper on the other side of some ballots. The opposition says this compromised secrecy in the disputed voting on October 26.
Georgian Dream, in power since 2012, is the only party that recognized the election results, with pro-European President Salome Zurabishvili still refusing to acknowledge the outcome, which she said was heavily influenced by Russia.
Georgia's pro-European opposition has boycotted the new parliament, renouncing its mandates from the October 26 vote, alleging widespread fraud and Russian interference.
Representatives of the two main opposition blocs -- the United National Movement (ENM) and the Coalition for Change -- filed an appeal this week with the CEC in a technical move to prevent it from registering the opposition candidates who won seats as lawmakers.
The new parliament is expected to hold its first postelection session by the end of the month, with the makeup of a new government possibly to follow within days.
While the CEC was announcing the validation of the election results, a protest was under way outside the vommission's building. The opposition has been holding large daily protests in Tbilisi since Georgian Dream claimed victory.
On November 15, student-led protests were held, with police cordoning off Tbilisi State University's main building as protesters gathered.
WATCH: A student-led protest was held in Georgia's capital on November 15 over elections in October that officials said confirmed the ruling Georgian Dream party's hold on power. Opposition parties and the country's president say results were manipulated with help from the Central Election Commission.
Students inside a building of Shota Rustaveli State University, in the Black Sea port city of Batumi, were pledging to stay inside for a second night of protest there.
Also on November 15, Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze ignored a journalist's question about the protests as he left a downtown meeting with Tbilisi's mayor, saying only, "The opposition is in trouble. The opposition is in trouble."
A presidential election should be held by early January.
Zurabishvili has feuded for years with the governing Georgian Dream, but the crisis has boiled over in the past six months with the enactment of curbs on NGOs and media under a "foreign influence" law that Zurabishvili and other critics call a "Russian law."
Zurabishvili said the voting showed Georgian Dream had "captured" the country.
EU and other Western officials have expressed serious doubts about the elections and perceived irregularities.
Georgia has been a candidate for EU membership since last year. But the "foreign influence" law and anti-LGBT measures have stalled that effort.
The United States in July announced that it would pause more than $95 million in assistance to the Georgian government, warning it that it was backsliding on democracy.
- By AP
Austria Says Russia's Gazprom Will Cut Off Natural Gas Supply This Weekend
Russia’s state-owned natural gas company Gazprom will cut off supplies to Austria’s OMV utility early on November 16, Austria’s chancellor said, adding that his country’s underground gas storage was full and that it had alternative, non-Russian supplies. The cutoff follows OMV’s announcement it would stop paying for Gazprom gas to its Austrian arm to offset a 230 million euro arbitration award it won over an earlier cutoff of gas to its German subsidiary. Chancellor Karl Nehammer said Austria has a secure supply of alternative fuel and that “no one will freeze.” “The supply is secure,” he said in a hastily called appearance on November 15.
Abkhaz President Says He's 'Ready' To Resign, But Demands Protesters Leave Parliament
Aslan Bzhania, the leader of Georgia's Moscow-backed separatist region of Abkhazia, said on November 16 that he was "ready" to step down if opposition supporters agree to leave the parliament compound in the capital, Sukhumi.
The opposition called for a fresh rally on November 16 after protesters the previous day stormed the parliament grounds over a real estate deal with Moscow and demanded Bzhania’s ouster.
"Those who seized the buildings, those who tried to commit a coup d'etat, must vacate the compound, after which I am ready to call elections, ready to resign, and run in fresh elections," Bzhania told his supporters in his native coastal village of Tamysh, some 40 kilometers from Sukhumi.
However, the opposition appeared determined to ignore Bzhania's demands.
"Aslan Bzhania is resorting to desperate attempts to preserve his government," a so-called Coordination Council of the opposition said in a statement, adding, "His reign is over."
The statement accused Bzhania of "enriching his relatives and a narrow circle close to him," calling on opposition supporters to gather in the capital, Sukhumi, in the early afternoon.
Local media said lawmakers had on November 15 failed to ratify the deal, which opponents fear would allow wealthy Russians to acquire property in the picturesque Black Sea region, pushing real estate prices higher and making it unaffordable for locals.
Opposition representatives said that after initially demanding only that the deal be canceled, protesters are now calling for Bzhania's ouster.
Bzhania, a former chief of Abkhazia's state security service, told his supporters on November 16 that "enormous pressure is being exerted on members of parliament so that the parliament makes an unlawful decision to dismiss the president." But he warned that the "2014 scenario will not be repeated," an allusion to one of two instances when Abkhaz leaders resigned due to opposition protests.
On June 1, 2014, Abkhaz leader Aleksander Ankvab resigned following opposition protests led by Raul Khajimba, who took his place only to resign, too, after the Supreme Court overturned the results of the 2019 presidential election. Bzhania then became president after winning a March 2020 vote.
Abkhazia and South Ossetia broke away from Georgia's rule after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Moscow recognized the independence of the two regions after Russian forces repelled a Georgian attempt to retake South Ossetia in a five-day war in the summer of 2008, which ended with Georgia's defeat.
Most countries still recognize Abkhazia as part of Georgia, but its economy is almost entirely dependent on Moscow, which pays the salaries of public administrators as well as social payments to residents.
Georgian pro-European President Salome Zurabishvili responded to the tensions in what Tbilisi regards as its occupied region by accusing Russia of "taking accelerated steps toward annexation" of Abkhazia.
Tensions have been running high in the region in recent weeks, with opposition activists demanding an end to Russia's dominance over the region and its economy, though opposition parties on November 15 said their protest is not against Russia.
"The actions of the protesters are not directed against relations between Russia and Abkhazia," they said in a joint statement. "In fact, we, the opposition, have always emphasized the importance of fraternal and strategic ties between our countries."
They said their anger was directed at Bzhania, whom they accused of using relations with Moscow "for his own selfish gain during his entire rule."
Russia's Foreign Ministry posted a statement in which spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused the Abkhaz opposition of exceeding legal means and "provoking an escalation."
She said Russia was not interfering and expected the situation "will be resolved exclusively by peaceful political means."
Zakharova recommended that any Russian citizens in Abkhazia leave "if possible" and that others refrain from traveling there.
UEFA To Rule After Kosovar Players Walk Off In Romania Amid Claims Of 'Racist' Chants
European football's governing body is expected to announce a decision following a Nations League match between Romania and Kosovo in Bucharest that was abandoned in stoppage time on November 15 after Kosovar players left the field complaining of "racist" abuse.
The Kosovar players headed for the dressing room in the 92nd minute with the game heading for a goalless draw after some spectators chanted, "Serbia! Serbia!" during a scuffle between Kosovo captain Amir Rrahmani and Romanian striker Denis Alibec.
The Football Federation of Kosovo on November 16 warned that it will submit a complaint to UEFA for what it said were "provocations and racist behavior" of Romanian fans during the match.
Kosovo national team manager Bajram Shala said the decision to abandon the match was made by the Kosovar federation, coach Franco Foda, and the players after "racist calls" against their country.
"We, as a federation, coach and team, have decided not to participate in a match where the fundamental values of UEFA are not respected. Not only were the values not respected, but there was racial discrimination, so we decided we couldn't allow that. It's happening for the second time in the same stadium from the fans," Shala said at a press conference in Bucharest.
The captain of the Kosovo team, Amir Rrahmani, said that Romanian fans chanted, "Serbia, Serbia," and, "Kosovo is Serbia," and that he had informed Danish referee Morten Krogh "at least three times" that his team would leave the field.
The Romanian team remained on the pitch for about an hour before the referee decided to abandon the game after the Kosovar players refused to return.
Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008 and has been recognized by more than 100 countries, but not Romania and other four EU states -- Spain, Cyprus, Greece, and Slovakia.
The Romanian team on November 16 thanked their fans for "the extraordinary support and for the behavior they had in the match with Kosovo, a game that will remain in everyone's memory not only as a three-hour one, but also as an example of unity and solidarity."
"It's a regrettable gesture that the visiting team chose to leave the field without the referee's consent, refusing to end the match on the pitch, in the spirit of fair play, which reflects a lack of respect not only for football, but also for the profession of footballers," the Romanian team's message said.
The Romanian Gendarmerie said 13 spectators were fined after the game and another nine were banned from entering a sports competition for a period of up to one year.
The game is not the first one between the two teams to be marred by incidents.
During a previous game in Bucharest in September 2023, Romanian ultras shouted chants at Kosovo players and unfurled a huge banner with the inscription "Kosovo is Serbia" in Romanian and Serbian.
The game was interrupted for 50 minutes, the Romanian Football Federation was fined by UEFA, and Romania played the next match with only children under 14 allowed in the stands.
Kosovar fans responded in kind during the first leg of the League of Nations played in Pristina this fall, which was won by Romania 3-0. They whistled during the Romanian anthem, chanted racist slogans, and even invaded the pitch. The incidents led to the Kosovar Federation also being fined by UEFA.
UEFA said it would communicate "further information in due course."
Romania is top of Nations League Group C with 12 points, followed by Kosovo with nine points, and would have automatically qualified into the upper Group B had the game ended in a draw. A UEFA decision in favor of Kosovo would bring the two teams to the same number of points, with one more game left to play each.
More Georgian Protests As Election Commission Report Looms
TBILISI -- Student-led protests targeting last month's disputed elections in Georgia continued on November 15, with the Georgian Dream government that claimed victory expecting the release any day of the election watchdog's summary of last month's voting and opposition critics and President Salome Zurabishvili still refusing to recognize the results.
Police cordoned off Tbilisi State University's main building as protesters gathered and were not allowing anyone inside.
Dozens of student protesters later moved toward Ilia State University in Tbilisi and vowed to spend the night camped out there.
Students inside a building of Shota Rustaveli State University, in the Black Sea port city of Batumi, were pledging to stay inside for a second night of protest there.
WATCH: A student-led protest was held in Georgia's capital on November 15 over elections in October that officials said confirmed the ruling Georgian Dream party's hold on power. Opposition parties and the country's president say results were manipulated with help from the Central Election Commission.
On November 15, Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze ignored a journalist's question about the protests as he left a downtown meeting with Tbilisi's mayor, saying only, "The opposition is in trouble. The opposition is in trouble."
Georgia's pro-European opposition has withdrawn from the new parliament and renounced its mandates from the October 26 voting, alleging widespread fraud and Russian interference.
Representatives of the two main opposition blocs -- the United National Movement (ENM) and the Coalition for Change -- filed an appeal this week with the Central Election Commission (CEC) in a technical move to prevent the CEC from registering the opposition candidates who won seats as lawmakers.
The new parliament is expected to hold its first postelection session by the end of the month, with the makeup of a new government possibly to follow within days.
A presidential election should follow by early January.
Zurabishvili has feuded for years with the governing Georgian Dream, but the crisis has boiled over in the past six months with the enactment of curbs on NGOs and media under a "foreign influence" law that Zurabishvili and other critics call a "Russian law."
The opposition has been holding large daily protests in Tbilisi since the Moscow-friendly Georgian Dream party, which has been in power for the past 12 years, claimed victory with 54 percent of the vote.
Zurabishvili said the voting showed Georgian Dream had "captured" the country.
EU and other Western officials have expressed serious doubts about the elections and perceived irregularities.
RFE/RL's Georgian Service confirmed that the Central Election Commission (CEC) was due to convene a meeting before noon on November 16, but no agenda was disclosed.
Opposition sources said they believed the commission planned to summarize the process and results of the October elections.
A protest rally was reportedly being planned near the commission building in Tbilisi at around the same time.
Additional public tensions between Georgians and their government have centered around Georgian Dream's reluctance to join Western sanctions against Russia or supply military equipment to Ukraine as it battles the 2 1/2-year-old full-scale Russian invasion.
Georgia's national soccer team was set to host Ukraine in a UEFA Nations League match on November 16 at Batumi Arena.
Georgia has been a candidate for EU membership since last year. But the "foreign influence" law and anti-LGBT measures have stalled that effort.
- By AP
Lebanon's PM Asks Iran To Help Secure Cease-Fire Between Israel, Hezbollah
Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister, Najib Mikati, on November 15 asked Iran to help secure a cease-fire in the war between Israel and Hezbollah, which is designated a terrorist organization by the United States and whose military wing is blacklisted by the European Union.
He also appeared to urge Iran to convince the militant group to agree to a deal that could require it to pull back from the Israel-Lebanon border.
As a top adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei visited Lebanon for talks, Lebanese officials said an American proposal for a cease-fire deal had been passed on to Hezbollah, aiming to end 13 months of exchanges of fire between Israel and the group.
Iran is a main backer of Hezbollah and for decades has been funding and arming the Lebanese militant group.
Hezbollah began firing rockets into northern Israel the day after U.S.- and EU-designated terrorist organization Hamas’s surprise attack into Israel on October 7, 2023, ignited the war in Gaza.
- By AP
Pakistan Province Declares Health Emergency Due To Smog
A Pakistani province declared a health emergency on November 15 due to smog and imposed a shutdown in two major cities. Smog has choked Punjab for weeks, sickening nearly 2 million people and shrouding vast swaths of the province in a toxic haze. A senior provincial minister, Marriyum Aurangzeb, declared the health emergency at a press conference and announced measures to combat the growing crisis. Time off for medical staff is canceled, all educational institutions are shut until further notice, and restaurants are being closed. “Smog is currently a national disaster,” Aurangzeb said.
Serbians Hold Silent Protest For Victims Of Railway Station Tragedy
NOVI SAD, Serbia -- Many residents of Serbia's second-largest city, Novi Sad, held 14 minutes of silence on November 15 to honor the 14 people killed when a concrete overhang collapsed outside Novi Sad's main train station two weeks ago. The November 1 incident sparked widespread public anger and violent protests, and prompted the resignation of Construction Minister Goran Vesic. Other parts of the train station had just undergone years of renovation. Opposition calls have continued for the resignations of Novi Sad Mayor Milan Djuric and Prime Minister Milos Vucevic. Prosecutors are continuing their investigation of the tragedy. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Balkan Service, click here.
- By Reuters
Iran Backs Lebanon In Cease-Fire Talks, Seeks End To 'Problems'
Iran backs any decision taken by Lebanon in talks to secure a cease-fire with Israel, a senior Iranian official said on November 15, signaling Tehran wants to see an end to a conflict that has dealt heavy blows to its Lebanese ally Hezbollah, which is designated a terrorist organization by the United States and whose military wing is blacklisted by the European Union. Israel launched air strikes in the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut, flattening buildings for a fourth consecutive day. Israel has stepped up its bombardment of the area this week, an escalation that has coincided with signs of movement in U.S.-led diplomacy toward a cease-fire. Senior Iranian official Ali Larijani, asked whether he had come to Beirut to undermine the U.S. truce plan, said: "We are not looking to sabotage anything. We are after a solution to the problems."
- By Reuters
Russia Restricts Enriched Uranium Exports To The U.S.
Russia, the world's largest supplier of enriched uranium, said on November 15 that it had imposed temporary restrictions on the export of enriched uranium to the United States, a symbolic tit-for-tat move after the United States banned Russian uranium imports. Russia holds about 44 percent of the world's uranium-enrichment capacity and about 35 percent of U.S. nuclear fuel imports used to come from Russia, according to the U.S. Office of Nuclear Energy. But in May, President Joe Biden signed into law a ban on Russian enriched uranium, though the United States also has the ability to issue waivers if there are supply concerns.
- By RFE/RL
Scholz Speaks To Putin About Ukraine War, Drawing Concern From Kyiv
Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin by telephone on November 15, urging the Kremlin leader to end the war against Ukraine and negotiate with Kyiv for a "just and lasting peace," the chancellor's office said.
But the first direct conversation in nearly two years between the German and Russian leaders elicited a warning from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who said Scholz's call was a "Pandora's box" that could help Putin "ease his isolation, Russia's isolation, and engage in conventional negotiations that won't end in anything."
Zelenskiy said such empty exchanges are "exactly what Putin has been wanting for a long time" as the 2 1/2-year-old full-scale invasion grinds on.
Scholz expressed "unwavering determination to support Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression for as long as necessary," Berlin said.
Ukraine Invasion: News & Analysis
RFE/RL's Ukraine Live Briefing gives you the latest developments on Russia's invasion, Western military aid, the plight of civilians, and territorial control maps. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.
"The chancellor condemned Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and called on President Putin to end it and withdraw troops," Scholz's office said.
It also said Scholz spoke with Zelenskiy before the Putin call and would speak again afterward.
The Kremlin said the conversation came at Germany's request and was "a detailed and frank exchange of views on the situation in Ukraine."
It repeated Moscow talking points on the origins of the conflict in "NATO's long-term aggressive policy" and said Russia had "never refused and remains open to resuming negotiations." It cited a speech by Putin in June and said any possible deal should take Russian security interests into account along with "new territorial realities and, most importantly, eliminate the root causes of the conflict."
Putin, the Kremlin said, described Russian-German relations as having suffered "unprecedented degradation in all areas" and said Russia was prepared for "mutually beneficial cooperation" in the energy sector.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Scholz talked to him afterward and that Warsaw was satisfied he "reiterated the Polish position: 'Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.'"
Reuters quoted a source as saying Scholz told Putin that the deployment of North Korean troops for combat missions is a significant escalation and expansion of the war.
- By RFE/RL
Apple Removes Another RFE/RL App At Request Of Russian Regulator
U.S. technology giant Apple has notified RFE/RL that it has removed another of its apps following a request from Russia's media regulator, Roskomnadzor.
The newly removed RFE/RL app is that of the Russian Service, which in turn hosts the websites of its regional projects Siberia.Realities and North.Realities.
Apple had previously removed the apps for RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service and Current Time, the Russian-language TV and digital network run by RFE/RL.
Roskomnadzor notified Apple that the Russian Service app contains materials from an organization whose activities in Russia have been declared "undesirable."
The app is still available in Apple's App Store in other countries.
RFE/RL was placed on Russia's list of "undesirable organizations" in February. RFE/RL President Stephen Capus called the decision "yet another example of how the Russian government sees truthful reporting as an existential threat."
Besides RFE/RL's apps, Apple also removed or hid several Russian-language podcasts produced by independent journalists.
The news outlet Mediazona reported on November 14 that new episodes from the online radio station Ekho Moskvy and investigative outlet The Insider were no longer accessible inside Russia. A BBC Russian Service podcast also appeared to be affected.
Older episodes dating back more than a week were available, Mediazona reported, and users outside of Russia could still access all episodes.
In recent years, Russian authorities have accelerated efforts to more strictly regulate and control content on the Russian-language Internet, known informally as the RuNet. Sites like X or Facebook have been throttled or slowed down in the past in what experts say appears to be tests by regulators to filter content or redirect Russian users.
The Google-owned video streaming platform YouTube, which has been largely untouched by regulators, saw a major slowdown beginning in the summer.
Some officials blamed outdated equipment inside Russia, equipment Google has been unable to maintain due to Western sanctions. But others said the "degradation" was intentional, aimed at slowing the platform down and frustrating viewers in a bid to nudge them toward homegrown Russian alternatives that are more tightly controlled.
On November 14, Internet monitors reported that YouTube inside Russia appeared to have returned to normal speeds and was fully accessible throughout the country.
On November 15, the Kremlin said that President Vladimir Putin "is looking into" slow speeds and disruptions on YouTube after a top cinema official raised the matter.
Karen Shakhnazarov, a prominent filmmaker who heads Russia's most famous film studio, told a talk show on state-run TV on November 14 that he had raised the issue of YouTube speeds with Putin during a meeting a day earlier.
Other efforts by regulators to control the RuNet include installing sophisticated monitoring hardware, squeezing major Internet companies until they're sold to pliant owners, and ordering global tech giants to ensure their servers are accessible to regulators.
- By RFE/RL
Russian-American Sentenced To 5 Years In Prison For Massive Bitcoin Theft
A Russian-American man whose theft of thousands of bitcoins was one of the largest in history has been sentenced to five years in a U.S. prison. U.S. prosecutors charged Ilya Lichtenstein with conspiracy and money laundering for his theft of around 120,000 bitcoins from the cryptocurrency exchange Bitfinex in 2016. Worth around $71 million at the time, the bitcoins are now worth 1,000 times that amount. Officials said Lichtenstein, who was born in Russia and raised in the United States, pleaded guilty last year, as did his wife, Heather Morgan, who helped him launder the funds, buying gold coins and shopping gift cards.
- By RFE/RL
IAEA Chief Visits Iran's Underground Nuclear Enrichment Sites
Rafael Grossi, the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has visited Iran’s key underground uranium enrichment sites at Fordow and Natanz, Iranian state media reported on November 15, without offering details. Iran has restricted inspection of its nuclear sites and barred several IAEA inspectors from visiting its enrichment facilities. Grossi is in Iran to push for diplomacy, warning that the “space for negotiation…is getting smaller” over Iran’s advancing nuclear program. Tehran insists its nuclear ambitions are peaceful. The visit comes ahead of an upcoming meeting of the IAEA's Board of Governors, where some nations are pushing for action against the Islamic republic.
Abkhaz Opposition Says Talks Under Way After Storming Of Parliament Over Russia Deal
Opposition leaders in Georgia's Moscow-backed breakaway region of Abkhazia claimed late on November 15 that lawmakers were mediating as a dispute continued with the region's leadership after opposition supporters stormed the local parliament over a controversial proposed deal with Moscow.
Local media said lawmakers had earlier failed to ratify the agreement, which reportedly would give preferential treatment to Russian property developers in the breakaway region, whose independence Moscow recognized 16 years ago but which Tbilisi and most of the international community still regard as Georgian territory.
Opposition leader Temur Gulia said that "negotiations are under way between the Coordination Council and members of parliament, who are communicating with the incumbent president [Aslan Bzhania] and conveying our proposals to him."
Hours earlier, the crowd outside forced its way into the grounds of the parliament building in Sukhumi, the regional capital, and was said to be pushing the legislature to vote on dropping the deal completely.
"The confrontation is growing, and there is a risk of it turning into bloodshed," Nuzhnaya Gazeta wrote on its Telegram channel.
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili responded to the tensions in what Tbilisi regards as its occupied region by accusing Russia of "taking accelerated steps toward annexation" of Abkhazia. She "categorically condemned" the alleged moves by Moscow and expressed solidarity with the residents of Abkhazia, who she said were resisting attempts to introduce Russian legislation.
Zurabishvili's yearslong falling out with Georgia's ruling Georgian Dream party intensified this year when lawmakers approved a law curbing foreign funding of NGOs and media with what she and critics called a "Russian law."
In Sukhumi, local media said hundreds of protesters clashed with security forces, who allegedly used tear gas to disperse the crowd.
Local agency Apsnypress cited Abkhaz breakaway authorities as saying that seven people had been treated briefly for injuries and another remained under medical supervision. RFE/RL could not confirm that report.
Bzhania's press service subsequently said his administration is preparing a document on the withdrawal from parliament of the draft law. But protesters said they do not intend to withdraw before Bzhania resigns.
Appearing alongside Gulia, fellow oppositionist Kan Kvarchia said they had proposed two options, both of which included the resignations of Bzhania, his vice president, and the breakaway leadership's prime minister. The first option would leave parliamentary speaker Lasha Ashuba in charge until new elections are held, he said, while the second would allow the departing president to appoint a different individual "who satisfies all parties" as acting president until new voting.
Tensions have been running high in the region in recent weeks, with opposition activists demanding an end to Russia's dominance over the region and its economy, though opposition parties on November 15 said their protest is not against Russia.
"The actions of the protesters are not directed against relations between Russia and Abkhazia," they said in a joint statement. "In fact, we, the opposition, have always emphasized the importance of fraternal and strategic ties between our countries."
They said their anger was directed at Bzhania, whom they accused of using relations with Moscow "for his own selfish gain during his entire rule."
Russia's Foreign Ministry posted a statement in which spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused the Abkhaz opposition of exceeding legal means and "provoking an escalation."
She said Russia was not interfering and expected the situation "will be resolved exclusively by peaceful political means."
Zakharova recommended that any Russian citizens in Abkhazia leave "if possible" and that others refrain from traveling there.
Abkhazia and South Ossetia broke away from Georgia's rule after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Moscow recognized the independence of the two regions after Russian forces repelled a Georgian attempt to retake South Ossetia in a five-day war in the summer of 2008, which ended with Georgia's defeat.
Most countries still recognize Abkhazia as part of Georgia, but its economy is almost entirely dependent on Moscow, which pays the salaries of public administrators as well as social payments to residents.
Russian Forces Reportedly Start All-Out Assault On Key Ukrainian City Of Kupyansk
Russian forces have reportedly opened an all-out assault on Kupyansk in northeastern Ukraine, days after partially breaching Ukrainian defenses to the north of the city.
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Ukrainian forces have struggled for weeks to hold back Russian troops who have slowly advanced on the railway and transport hub from the north, east, and south.
The city has been under Ukrainian control since the fall of 2022, when commanders retook it amid a surprise offensive in the Kharkiv region.
Earlier this week, small units of Russian troops managed to enter Kupyansk's northern outskirts, Ukrainian and Russian officials reported. But Ukrainian commanders claimed they had repelled the effort.
On Telegram, Russian war bloggers reported infantry units had entered an industrial zone on the northern side of the city, and fierce fighting was under way.
Ukraine's General Staff said that Russian units were attacking outlying districts, but made no mention of fighting inside the city itself.
For months now, Ukrainian troops have struggled to hold back Russian advances across the nearly 1,100-kilometer front line.
Oleksandr Musiyenko, a military expert with the Military-Legal Investigations Center in Kyiv, told RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service on November 15 that "in fact, Russian troops have been intensively storming the Kupyansk direction for a year and a half. And in a year and a half of attacks, of course, they could have had some tactical success."
He called the situation "tense" but suggested that Ukrainian forces were "succeeding in weakening" the Russian encirclement effort.
In addition to Kupyansk, Russian units are closing in on the Donbas city of Pokrovsk, and partially control Toretsk and Chasiv Yar. If those cities fall to Russia, Ukrainian supply and logistics lines across the Donbas will be severely threatened.
Ukraine, meanwhile, has stepped up its use of drones to target military bases and industrial sites such as fuel depots inside Russia itself.
On November 15, Ukraine launched dozens of drones, some targeting the southern Russian region of Krasnodar, Governor Veniamin Kondratyev reported, saying two districts -- Krymsk and Krasnoarmeisk -- suffered damage but no casualties.
The Telegram channel Astra reported that the attack targeted the Krymsk air base, which is used by Russian forces to launch attacks.
Ukrainian officials had no immediate comment on the attack.
Ukrainian forces have claimed to control more than 1,200 square kilometers of Russian territory since a surprise cross-border incursion in the Kursk region that was launched in early August.
Musiyenko speculated that Russian forces are attacking with added intensity elsewhere in order to draw some of the Ukrainian soldiers in Kursk to other fronts.
He said Russia's "strategic goal" is currently to fully capture the Donetsk region.
Russia's Defense Ministry also reported more than 80 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory as well as the occupied Crimean Peninsula. The ministry claimed dozens were downed by air defense systems.
A day earlier, Russia launched its own drone and missile strike against the Black Sea port city of Odesa, an important hub for Ukrainian grain and agricultural exports. Mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov called it "a massive combined strike."
WATCH: A Russian air attack struck a residential building and energy installations in Ukraine's Black Sea port of Odesa on November 14, killing one person, injuring 10, and leaving 40,000 people without heating.
Officials said one person died and at least 10 other people, including a 9-year-old boy, were wounded.
One apartment building was completely destroyed, several others damaged, and a main pipeline supplying heating to some 40,000 people, was struck, forcing its shutdown, regional Governor Oleh Kiper reported.
The Ukrainian Air Force reported nearly 30 Russian drones and a cruise missile were fired at three regions overnight. It claimed 25 had been downed.
Seoul Detains Man Over 'Attempted Murder' Of Politician Close To Uzbek President's Daughter
South Korean authorities have detained Uzbek citizen Javlon Yunusov on suspicion of involvement in the attempted murder of Komil Allamjonov, a close associate of Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev's daughter, independent sources in South Korea and Uzbekistan told RFE/RL on November 14.
A source in Uzbekistan's law enforcement called Yunusov's detention "a turning point" in an ongoing investigation. A representative of the Uzbek Embassy in Seoul confirmed Yunusov's detention but did not elaborate.
Interpol had issued a request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and arrest Yunusov, 36, on behalf of Uzbekistan on a charge of attempted murder.
The Red Notice issued by Interpol is not an arrest warrant but allows a third country to detain a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action, according to Interpol.
The alleged crime took place on October 26 in the Tashkent region, according to the Uzbek Prosecutor-General's Office. Authorities said that unknown individuals opened fire on a Range Rover. There were no injuries, the Prosecutor-General's Office said.
Sources close to the investigation told RFE/RL at the time that the alleged attackers targeted Allamjonov, a prominent political figure in Uzbekistan with close ties to the presidential family.
Uzbek authorities have said little publicly about their investigation into what they have called an attempted assassination, and local media have been gagged from reporting any information not released through official channels.
The reports on the attack, initially thought to be a botched hit, have now spiraled into a tangled web of intrigue implicating powerful figures within Mirziyoev's inner circle.
Uzbek authorities arrested two suspects in Uzbekistan following the attack.
Allamjonov, once a key adviser to Mirziyoev and mentor to his daughter, Saida Mirziyoeva, recently resigned from his post in the presidential administration. His departure, though publicly framed as a move to the private sector, was widely seen as a prelude to a growing rift within the ruling family.
Mirziyoeva, 40, is regularly mentioned in conversations about her father's long-term succession planning.
Authorities have remained tight-lipped, with no official explanation or details about the investigation released to the public.
Many in Uzbekistan suggest that the silence points to a deeper power struggle within Uzbekistan’s elite, one that may ultimately involve the highest levels of government.
- By Current Time
Wounded Russian Soldiers Flee Unit To Escape Return To Combat
More than a dozen wounded Russian contract soldiers who had fought in Ukraine fled a military unit near the city of Novosibirsk in southern Siberia when they were told they were being sent back to the battlefield despite their injuries, the Telegram channel Baza reported. The channel has ties to Russia's security services. The soldiers had signed contracts to fight in Ukraine in exchange for the termination of criminal prosecution for various offenses. Police managed to detain seven of those who fled, but the rest are still on the run. To read the original story by Current Time, click here.
Russian Theater Director Gets 8 Years Over Anti-Putin Posts
Theater director Anastasia Berezhinskaya has been sentenced to 8 years in prison by a court in Moscow over her posts and comments on the VKontakte social network in 2022, condemning Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and making calls to "kill" and "eliminate" President Vladimir Putin.
Judge Andrei Pluzhnikov from the Second Western District Military Court in Moscow on November 14 found Berezhinskaya guilty of "justifying terrorism," "distributing false information about the Russian military," and "discrediting Russia's armed forces."
Prosecutors had sought a 10-year prison sentence for Berezhinskaya.
The 43-year-old Berezhinskaya, who refused to testify during the trial, pleaded partially guilty.
When giving a final statement to the court, Berezhinskaya told the judge: "Your Honor, I do not have anything to say, anything to add. I will accept any decision of yours."
After the judge handed down his ruling, Berezhinskaya was immediately arrested. Before and during the trial, she was under orders not to leave Moscow.
Berezhinskaya, who is the mother of children aged 8 and 10 years, has been diagnosed with a personality disorder, but the court ruled that she does not need hospitalization.
Russian officials have increasingly used charges such as discrediting the country's armed forces or distributing false information about the military to stifle any dissent voiced regarding Moscow's aggression against Ukraine since the full-scale invasion was launched in February 2022.
With reporting by Mediazona
8 Tajik Politicians, Public Figures Go On Trial For 'Plotting To Seize Power'
DUSHANBE -- Eight former top officials, politicians, and public figures in Tajikistan have gone on trial behind closed doors on charges of plotting to forcibly seize power, calling for mass disorder, and inciting hatred.
The trial, which began on November 14 in a pretrial detention center in the Tajik capital, Dushanbe, includes former Foreign Minister Hamrohkhon Zarifi, former Foreign Ministry spokesman Abulfaiz Atoi, and former parliament speaker Akbarshoh Iskandarov.
The Supreme Court officials who are hearing the case have refused to comment to RFE/RL, while the classification of the materials by the Tajik Prosecutor-General’s Office means the exact details of the charges brought against the eight defendants are not known.
The Tajik government has brutally cracked down on dissent in recent years, jailing opposition politicians or forcing them into self-exile. Dozens of independent journalists, activists, and government critics have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms.
Senior politicians on trial in the case also include the ex-leader of the Democratic Party, Saidjafar Usmonzoda, Democratic Party of Tajikistan Deputy Chairman Ahmadshoh Komilzoda, and Social Democratic Party Deputy Chairman Shokirjon Hakimov.
Two former top officers of the State Committee for National Security, Nuramin Ghanizoda and Jamshed Boev, are also being tried in the case.
All of the defendants were arrested over the past year. It is unknown how seven of them pleaded. Associates of Hakimov, who is a lawyer, have said he has rejected the charges.
Relatives of the defendants were not allowed to attend the trial, while lawyers who arrived at the detention center refused to talk to journalists.
In 2015, Tajik authorities banned the main political opposition, the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan, as well as Group 24 -- an organization that had been gaining popularity among younger Tajiks.
Both parties were branded as “terrorist” and the government of autocratic President Emomali Rahmon continues to target their members and supporters both at home and outside the country.
The founder of the Group 24, businessman Umarali Quvatov was assassinated in Turkey in 2015.
The Social Democratic Party has been officially registered in Tajikistan, but it has been under constant political and financial pressure. Controlled elections have made it impossible for the party to ever win a seat in parliament.
Rahmon, who has run Tajikistan for almost three decades, has been criticized by international human rights groups over his regime's stifling of political pluralism, independent media, religious freedoms, and civil society.
UN Nuclear Chief Warns Iran That Window On Talks May Be Closing
Rafael Grossi, head of the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has urged Iran and its global partners to achieve "concrete, tangible, and visible results" in talks over Tehran's nuclear program as the return of Donald Trump to the White House may mean the window for diplomacy is closing.
Speaking to journalists in the Iranian capital on November 14 after a meeting with Iran's nuclear chief, Mohammad Eslami, Grossi said pressure was building for movement toward a solution with Iran-backed proxies at war with Israel and Trump, known for his hard-line stance against Tehran, taking over the U.S. presidency in January.
"We know that it is indispensable to get, at this point of time, to get some concrete, tangible, and visible results that will indicate that this joint work is improving (the) situation, is bringing clarification to things, and in a general sense it is moving us away from conflict and ultimately war," Grossi said.
“The fact that international tensions and regional tensions do exist...shows that the space for negotiation and diplomacy is not getting bigger, it is getting smaller," he added.
Grossi's visit takes place about two months ahead of the inauguration of Trump, who during his first term in 2018 unilaterally withdrew from a landmark 2015 agreement between Iran and world powers and reimposed biting sanctions on the Islamic republic.
The 2015 deal, known officially as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), had given Iran some limited relief from international sanctions in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program designed to prevent it from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
Grossi also met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi in Tehran on November 14.
Araqchi, Iran's chief negotiator during the negotiations to reach the JCPOA deal, which barred Tehran from enriching uranium above the level of 3.65 percent, said on X that the talks with Grossi were "important and straightforward."
He vowed to continue Iran's cooperation with the IAEA on nuclear nonproliferation "with courage and good will" and reiterated Tehran's longstanding assertion that its nuclear program was "peaceful."
Araqchi added, however, that Iran would not negotiate "under pressure."
After Washington's withdrawal from the JCPOA, Iran expanded its nuclear program and restricted IAEA inspections of its nuclear sites.
The IAEA and the international community have voiced alarm at reports that Tehran has substantially increased its stocks of uranium enriched to 60 percent -- considerably closer to the 90 percent level needed for a nuclear weapon.
Nuclear expert Eric Brewer told RFE/RL that the IAEA's lack of access to Iran's nuclear sites heightens the risk of it producing more enriched uranium.
"I suspect that to get Iran to provide some information on that front is at the top of Director-General Grossi's list," Brewer said.
He added that while the trip had been scheduled since before the U.S. election, Trump's re-election "will hang over the conversations."
The IAEA chief is expected to hold talks with Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian later in the day.
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