The Kremlin said on July 4 that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Russia on July 8-9 and hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The visit was first announced by Russian officials last month, but the dates have not been previously disclosed. Russia has had strong ties with India since the Cold War, and New Delhi’s importance as a key trade partner for Moscow has grown since the Kremlin sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022. Under Modi’s leadership, India has avoided condemning Russia’s action in Ukraine while emphasizing the need for a peaceful settlement. Modi last visited Russia in 2019.

Iranian state media said on July 4 that campaigning had ended one day ahead of a runoff vote between a reformist and a hard-liner to replace the country's late president in an election beset so far by record-low turnout.

The tightly vetted race has narrowed to ultraconservative Saeed Jalili and veteran reformist lawmaker and ethnic Azeri Masud Pezeshkian, who surprised many by earning the most of four candidates in voting on June 28.

Voter turnout in the first round was just 40 percent, a record low that has prompted concern at the highest levels of the country's religiously dominated leadership.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei acknowledged on July 3 that the turnout was "not as expected" but denied the lack of voter interest reflected unpopularity for Iran's leadership and called the vote "very important."

“Those who love Islam and the Islamic republic and the progress of the country must show it by taking part in the election,” said Khamenei, 85, who has the final say on all state matters.

SEE ALSO:

To Vote Or Not To Vote? Iranians Mull Continuing Presidential Election Boycott

While some of the regime's harshest critics have urged a boycott of round two, it was unclear how widespread those calls were and whether Iranians would heed them.

Iran's unelected, hard-line institutions routinely vet candidate applications to weed out perceived threats, including by disqualifying relative moderates.

This election is seen as especially important because of Khamenei's advanced age and the eventual winner's potential role in influencing the choice of the next supreme leader.

Pezeshkian won around 42.5 percent of the ballots in the first round, according to official results, while Jalili finished with 38.6 percent.

Neither of the other two candidates -- parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and former Justice Minister Mostafa Purmohammadi -- got more than 14 percent.

Critics and dissidents urged a boycott of the election, saying past votes have failed to bring change.

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Voter turnout in Iran has been slumping since 2020, seemingly driven by frustration over a lack of freedoms and reforms, a beleaguered economy that is still subject to U.S. and other sanctions, and falling living standards.

Rights groups have alleged that Iran's authorities have cranked up suppression of critical voices on social media since ultraconservative President Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash while returning from a visit to Azerbaijan on May 19.

Raisi was an intensely divisive figure who was relentless in his criticism of the West and accused of serving as a prosecutor for an "execution committee" that sent thousands of political prisoners and regime opponents to their deaths in the late 1980s.

He was also seen as a potential successor to Supreme Leader Khamenei.

Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and other officials also died in the crash.

Russian President Vladimir Putin met with interim Iranian President Mohammad Mokhber on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Kazakhstan in July 4 amid an "unprecedented upswing" in bilateral ties, Russia's Foreign Ministry said, according to Reuters.

A Norwegian court has found a man guilty of conducting a deadly shooting rampage at a gay bar in Oslo in 2022 during the city's annual Pride celebrations, Norwegian media organizations NRK, TV2, Dagbladet, and VG reported on July 4. The verdict was to be made public around midday on July 4. The court sent it to the parties involved ahead of that time. Two people died, nine suffered gunshot wounds, and 25 others were injured after the shooting at the London Pub, a longstanding hub of Oslo's LGBT scene, as well as a nearby bar in the center of the Norwegian capital. Zaniar Matapour, a 45-year-old, Iranian-born Norwegian citizen, described by police as a radicalized Islamist with a history of mental illness, stood trial on charges of committing gross terrorism and murder. He will serve at least 30 years in prison.

A court in the Russian capital ordered further pretrial detention on July 4 for a French researcher arrested in June who Russian investigators said a day before pleaded guilty to illegally obtaining information about the Russian military.

Forty-eight-year-old Frenchman Laurent Vinatier was initially sent into pretrial detention on June 7 over the alleged spying and for purportedly failing to register as a "foreign agent."

Vinatier is an adviser who works for the Geneva-based Center for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD), a nonprofit conflict-resolution organization, and "travels regularly for his work," according to the group.

The HD says it is "doing everything possible to assist" and get legal representation for Vinatier, and is "reaching out to relevant governmental authorities."

Radio France International reported that HD acknowledged that Vinatier had not registered as a "foreign agent" because he was unaware of such an obligation.

Russia has long used its "foreign agent" laws to jail perceived domestic and international enemies and critics.

But it has stepped up detentions of Westerners under those and other charges since its all-out invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.

A "foreign agent" conviction can result in a five-year prison sentence.

In some cases -- including one against jailed RFE/RL journalist Alsu Kurmasheva that Washington has said is to punish journalism -- allegations concerning Russia's military amid what Moscow calls a "special military operation" against Ukraine have accompanied the "foreign agent" charge.

The Russian Investigative Committee alleged publicly that the information Vinatier gathered "could be used against state security."

Russian President Vladimir Putin met Mohammad Mokhber, the interim president of Iran, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in the Kazakh capital, Astana, on July 4. Moscow and Tehran have been negotiating a comprehensive bilateral cooperation agreement reflecting the "unprecedented upswing" in their bilateral ties, according to Russia's Foreign Ministry.

The leaders of China, Russia, Turkey, Pakistan, four of the five post-Soviet republics of Central Asia, and other states are continuing a two-day summit in Kazakhstan of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a regional grouping promoted by Beijing and Moscow as an alternative to Western influence.

They started the second and final day by accepting Belarus as a member, an expected move that advances authoritarian leader Aleksandr Lukashenka along his anti-Western path since disputed elections four years ago sparked unprecedented street protests and a brutal crackdown.

Lukashenka has pursued SCO membership for a decade and a half.

In the past three years, his decisions to "weaponize" third-party migrants at Belarus's border with its EU neighbors and to allow Russian troops to stage their full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Belarusian territory have further alienated Lukashenka from the West and increased his reliance on Moscow.

Lukashenka called Belarusian entry into the SCO "historic." In his familiar tone, Lukashenka declared the need to "destroy the unipolar world" and take on responsibility for "global security" because "the narcissistic, selfish West proved incapable of it."

"There are no leaders there [in the West] capable of making responsible decisions independently," he said.

Analysts have pointed out that Lukashenka could be hoping the SCO tie boosts and expands desperately needed trade and economic cooperation with China while slightly reducing his regime's dependence on Moscow.

The SCO is a political, economic, and security and defense organization founded by China and Russia in 2001.

With the addition of Belarus, its membership has now expanded from six to 10 countries, including India and Pakistan, who joined in 2017, and Iran, which became a member in 2023.

Four of the five post-Soviet Central Asian states are members, with only Turkmenistan staying away.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping met on the first day of the summit in Astana, which has been shrouded in tightened security measures well beyond the Independence Palace venue where the leaders are gathering.

Putin was quoted by Russian media as crediting the SCO with "strengthening its role as one of the key pillars of a fair multipolar world order."

Xi, who has lent diplomatic support to Russia over Western objections throughout Putin's two-year-old invasion of Ukraine, called Putin an "old friend" in Astana. He cited the "aspiration of friendship for generations" in response to an "ever-changing international situation."

The Kremlin said Putin and Xi talked about the Ukraine war during talks on the sidelines of the summit and, in the words of Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as quoted by Reuters, "noted" the "futility of any formats" for peace talks without Russian participation.

On day two, Xi urged SCO members to "resist external interference" and "safeguard the right to development."

In addition to the Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, and Uzbek presidents, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev are in attendance at the SCO event. Baku and Ankara are dialogue partners of the SCO.

SEE ALSO:

China In Eurasia Briefing: Xi Showcases Eurasian Ambitions At The SCO

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is also there as part of his first tour of Central Asia since 2017, which will take him to Tajikistan next. He attended the SCO's remotely held summit last year.

The SCO's 23-year history has largely been shaped by China and Russia's evolving relationship.

Putin and Xi's recent efforts since the Ukraine war began have pressed the SCO as part of their broader cooperation and a centerpiece of their shared anti-U.S. perspective.

But beyond the Belarus move, it is unclear what if any gains are likely to be made by the organization at this, its 24th, annual summit.

Critics say that, in expanding its membership and geographical reach, it has diluted whatever mission it might hope to achieve.

"It's still trying to figure out what it is now and what it can be," Temur Umarov, a fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center in Berlin, told RFE/RL recently.

Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev met with visiting UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Astana on July 3 in what Toqaev called "a bright sign of close relations" between the international body and his post-Soviet republic. Toqaev expressed "full support" for the work of the UN. Kazakhstan has hosted peace talks between Caucasus foes Azerbaijan and Armenia, as well as discussions on the Syrian conflict in the past year while pressure has mounted at home over economic and political woes amid a clampdown on dissent since deadly unrest two years ago. Guterres is on his first tour of Central Asia since 2017 and is attending a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Astana. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Kazakh Service, click here.

Military officials in the Ukrainian capital say they intercepted fresh "waves" of Russian drones targeting Kyiv around dawn on July 4 that did not appear to inflict injuries or major damage, as locals in a major city hundreds of kilometers to the east mourned the dead and wounded from a third attack there in less than a week.

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine

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

The head of Kyiv's military administration, Serhiy Popko, said via Telegram that the drones came "from different directions" but that "not a single drone reached Kyiv itself."

Explosions could be heard from the city following a 4 a.m. air alert but, Popko said, life in the city was not otherwise disrupted.

Ukraine's military said it had downed 21 of 22 Russian attack drones in all over central and northern regions overnight on July 3-4.

Meanwhile, the head of the military administration in the central city of Dnipro said the death toll had risen to six -- with more than 30 others injured -- from a Russian bombardment of that city early on July 3.

Dnipro Mayor Boris Filatov declared July 4 a day of mourning after the third attack in just five days on Dnipro, a city with a prewar population of around 1 million people.

That bombardment also renewed President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's pleas for more advanced air-defense systems and long-range weapons from allies to beat back the two-year-old full-scale invasion by Russia.

Also on July 3, Zelenskiy rejected a description of the battlefield situation as a "deadlock" and said Ukraine's fighting manpower has improved in recent months but it needs "the tools [and] they haven't arrived yet."

Zelenskiy expressed gratitude to U.S. officials after the White House announced a new $2.3 billion military aid package for Ukraine on July 3, and added, "We count on further U.S. assistance."

The U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) predicted this week that while Ukraine was forming new brigades to "address its manpower challenges," "delayed and insufficient Western weapons deliveries will likely prevent Ukraine from equipping all these new brigades."

It called "timely" Western assistance a "crucial determinant" of Ukraine's capacity to respond to Russia's current "battlefield initiative."

The Kremlin said that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping talked about Ukraine during talks on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Kazakhstan on July 3 and, in the words of Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as quoted by Reuters, "noted" the "futility of any formats" for peace talks without Russian participation.

SEE ALSO:

China In Eurasia Briefing: Xi Showcases Eurasian Ambitions At The SCO

Russia, which insists it has already annexed Crimea and four other areas of Ukraine, was excluded from a major summit in Switzerland last month to seek paths toward peace in Ukraine.

A NATO summit next week in Washington marking the transatlantic alliance's 75th anniversary is expected to grapple with ways to further support Ukraine's defense and map a path to closer cooperation, but Kyiv is not expected to be invited to join NATO as Zelenskiy has urged.

Russian news agency TASS on July 4 quoted Russia's Defense Ministry as saying it had destroyed a grounded Ukrainian MiG-29 in the Dnipropetrovsk region, but there was no initial confirmation from Ukrainian authorities.

Reports from the Ukrainian military suggest Russian forces are focusing an offensive on the area of Pokrovsk in the eastern Donetsk region.

The governor of Ukraine's southern Zaporizhzhya region, Ivan Fedorov, said on July 4 that Russian shelling killed two and injured another person there amid a barrage that struck 10 settlements over the past day.

RFE/RL cannot independently confirm reports by either side of battlefield developments in areas of the worst fighting.

A Russian court sentenced a resident of Ukraine's occupied Crimean Peninsula on July 3 to 16 years in prison after being charged with preparing a detonation. The defendant will spend the first three years of the sentence in prison before being sent to a high-security penal colony, the court announced. He will also have to pay a 500,000 ruble ($5,600) fine. The court alleged that the defendant established contact with Ukrainian intelligence and later assumed “obligations regarding the transfer, storage of weapons, and means of committing a terrorist attack -- undermining railway lines.” Ukraine has yet to comment on the sentence, and the name of the defendant was not provided. To read the original story on RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service, click here.

Turkmenistan and Iran signed a contract on July 3 for the delivery of 10 billion cubic meters of Turkmen natural gas per year, which Iran will then ship to Iraq.

Turkmenistan's Foreign Ministry announced the deal but did not say what price Iran would pay for the gas.

The ministry's statement said Iranian companies will construct a new 125-kilometer pipeline between Iran and Turkmenistan to expand the Central Asian country's delivery capacity.

The ministry said Turkmenistan, whose economy is heavily dependent on the export of natural gas, also plans to increase its gas supplies to Iran to 40 billion cubic meters a year. However, no time frame was given.

Iran has the world's second-largest natural gas reserves and is the world's third-largest producer of the fossil fuel, but rising domestic demand is curtailing its ability to export. Iran has faced natural gas shortages during the wintertime.

A gas swap with Turkmenistan will allow Iran to meet its export commitments.

Turkmenistan has been carrying out gas swaps with Iran for several years, but the volume has been relatively low at just a few billion cubic meters annually.

Revenue from natural gas exports account for the lion's share of Turkmenistan's budget.

Turkmenistan holds the world’s fourth-largest proven natural gas reserves, estimated at nearly 14 trillion cubic meters, according to statistics compiled by British Petroleum.

Turkmenistan currently produces about 80 billion cubic meters, meaning its production to proven reserve life is 166 years, an extraordinarily high number by global standards and one that implies Turkmenistan has the potential to produce significantly more.

However, Turkmenistan has had trouble finding markets for its massive natural gas reserves. Bordered by Russia, Uzbekistan, Iran and the land-locked Caspian Sea, Turkmenistan has no ability to directly ship liquefied natural gas (LNG) to world markets.

China is the country's main customer for natural gas, accounting for about half of Turkmenistan’s annual production.

Turkmenistan is working on a pipeline to supply gas to Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India, where natural gas demand is expected to rise significantly in the coming decades.

Turkmenistan has for decades been considering shipping natural gas via a pipeline across the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan and further on to Europe, but opposition by littoral states Iran and Russia, previously the largest natural gas supplier to Europe, has left the idea in limbo.

Europe's attempt to cut its natural gas demand has also raised questions about the viability of the pipeline.

With reporting by AP

A former senator and four people in his entourage were killed on July 3 in a blast in Pakistan’s northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Police in the Bajaur district told RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal that former Senator Hidayatullah Khan’s vehicle was attacked in the volatile Damadola area. He was accompanied by his two guards and two family members, who were all killed in the attack. Hidayatullah Khan was on a campaign trip when his vehicle was targeted by a remote-controlled bomb. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. Hidayatullah Khan joined Pakistan Tehrik-e Insaf (PTI) in 2018 after he was elected to the Senate. He belongs to an influential political family, and his brother Shaukatullah Khan is a former governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. To read the original story on RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal, click here.

Drone attacks targeting the Russian-held Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant (ZNPP) in Ukraine must stop, UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi said on July 3 after the plant's Russian management reported strikes near the facility and the injury of eight ZNPP employees. "ZNPP informed IAEA of several drone strikes, injuring workers at Enerhodar electrical sub-station and starting fires in forest near ZNPP switchyard," the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on X. The statement did not specify whose drones carried out the attack. The head of the Russian nuclear authority, Aleksei Likhachev, called what he said was a Ukrainian attack on a substation near ZNPP an “ostentatious violation” of IAEA regulations on nuclear safety. There has been no comment from the Ukrainian side.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said at a July 3 press conference in Kabul that the Taliban will not remove restrictions on women and women’s education in Afghanistan. The announcement comes at the end of UN-sponsored talks in Doha, the first that Taliban representatives have attended since the annual discussions began in 2021. The talks held this time were condemned by human rights organizations for the UN’s decision to exclude women and civil society representatives to encourage the Taliban’s participation. While the UN does not recognize the Taliban as a legitimate government, Mujahid praised the “spirit of cooperation” and “atmosphere of trust” at the conference. To read the original story on RFE/RL's Radio Azadi, click here.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said on July 3 that it had summoned Romanian Ambassador Cristian Istrate and informed him that a diplomat from the Romanian Embassy in Moscow had been declared persona non grata. The ministry described the move as "a response" to Romania's decision in late May to declare a Russian diplomat in Bucharest persona non grata. On May 24, Romanian authorities announced the arrest of a Romanian man suspected of spying for Moscow since 2022, adding that a diplomat at the Russian Embassy had been declared persona non grata for activities in breach of the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here.

A military court in Moscow sentenced three sons of Orthodox priest Igor Ashcheulov on July 3 to lengthy prison terms for their intention to join Ukrainian armed forces. Ioann Ashcheulov received 17 1/2 years in prison, his brothers -- Aleksei and Timofei -- were sentenced to 17 years in prison each on charges of attempted treason and intending to join a terrorist group. The brothers pleaded not guilty. They were detained in July 2023 near the Ukrainian border while trying to join the so-called Liberty of Russia legion, consisting mostly of Russian citizens, which fights alongside Ukrainian armed forces against invading Russian troops. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has lamented the record-low turnout in the first round of Iran’s presidential election last week, but insisted that it is not reflective of the popularity of the Islamic republic.

In comments on July 3, Khamenei said the runoff vote on July 5 between reformist hopeful Masud Pezeshkian and hard-line candidate Saeed Jalili was “very important” and urged the public to participate.

“Those who love Islam and the Islamic republic and the progress of the country must show it by taking part in the election,” said the 85-year-old, who has the final say on all state matters.

Khamenei said the 40-percent turnout in the first round of the vote on June 28 was “not as expected,” but added that it was "completely wrong to think that those who did not vote in the first round are against the system.”

However, in a speech in 2001, Khamenei had ridiculed 40-percent voter participation in Western nations, saying it was "shameful" and a sign that "people do not trust, care, hope for the political system."

SEE ALSO:

Who Is Masud Pezeshkian, The Surprise Front-Runner In Iran's Presidential Vote?

Pezeshkian received around 42.5 percent of the ballots in the first round of voting, while his rival Jalili finished second with 38.6 percent.

The conservative vote was split between Jalili and parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, who came in third with around 13.8 percent of the vote. Mostafa Purmohammadi, a former justice minister, finished last with just under 1 percent.

SEE ALSO:

Who Is Saeed Jalili, The Hard-Line Candidate In Iran's Runoff Vote For President?

With no candidate securing enough votes to win the election outright, a runoff has been scheduled for July 5.

The first round of voting was held amid calls by dissidents and activists to boycott the election, arguing that past votes had failed to instigate change.

SEE ALSO:

To Vote Or Not To Vote? Iranians Mull Continuing Presidential Election Boycott

Iran has seen a trend of sliding voter turnout since 2020 that is driven in part by a growing frustration over a lack of freedoms, a faltering economy, and declining living standards.

Analysts say the declining voter participation reflects a growing despondency in society and casts doubt over the legitimacy of Iran’s clerical establishment, which has been in power since 1979.

Elections in the Islamic republic are tightly controlled with candidates being preselected by an unelected body dominated by hard-liners.

Kyrgyzstan's Supreme Court on July 3 rejected an appeal filed by veteran government critic Zarina Torokulova against her imprisonment on a charge of online calls for mass disorders. In April, a Bishkek court canceled Torokulova's five-year suspended sentence after prosecutors argued it was too lenient and ordered the 47-year-old Torokulova to serve her sentence in prison. In January, Torokulova was found guilty of calling for mass disorders in a series of Facebook posts; she insisted she had nothing to do with them. A vocal critic of the government, Torokulova has twice run for a seat on the Bishkek city council. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service, click here.

Media reports say NATO allies have agreed to provide 40 billion euros ($43 billion) in military aid to Ukraine for 2025 but failed so far to commit to a multiyear military financial package for the war-wracked country. Diplomats told Reuters and German news agency dpa that NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg had asked allies to make a multiyear $43 billion commitment ahead of a summit of the alliance next week in Washington, but member states did not back his request. However, a diplomatic source said the agreement includes a provision to reevaluate allied contributions at future NATO summits.

ASTANA -- Kazakh civil right activists have been under pressure since July 2, a day before the presidents of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states convened in Astana for a two-day summit.

Astana-based activist Orynbasar Zhanibek told RFE/RL on July 3 that police briefly detained him a day earlier after he demanded Kazakh officials arrange the repatriation and burial with honors of late opposition activist and journalist Aidos Sadyqov, who died in a hospital in Kyiv on July 1. He had been shot 13 days earlier while in his car near his home in the Ukrainian capital.

Ukrainian authorities have named two Kazakh men as suspects in the shooting. Kazakh officials have said they are ready to cooperate with Kyiv in investigating the murder, but refused the extradition of the two to Ukraine, arguing that Kazakh laws does not permit it.

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Zhanibek said the police released him after warning him of possible repercussions for his demands. He did not elaborate.

Police in Astana did not officially comment on Zhanibek's detainment.

Also on July 2, police in Kazakhstan's largest city, Almaty, detained Bauyrzhan Adilkhan, an activist with Oyan, Qazaqstan (Wake Up, Kazakhstan) movement, whil he was boarding a plane to Astana and held him in custody for several hours.

The movement said later that the detainment was politically motivated and was most likely conducted to prevent Adilkhan's presence in Astana during the SCO summit.

Almaty police department officials refused to comment on the situation.

The SCO summit started in the Kazakh capital on July 3. Leaders and representatives of the grouping's member states -- China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan -- observers Belarus and Mongolia as well as dialogue partners Azerbaijan, Qatar, Turkey, Turkmenistan, and the United Arab Emirates are taking part in the summit.

MINSK -- The leader of the opposition Belarusian Popular Front, Ryhor Kastusyou, who was serving a lengthy prison term, has been released after the country's authoritarian ruler signed a law on a mass amnesty to coincide with the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Belarus from Nazi Germany.

Kastusyou's son-in-law, Dzmitry Antonchyk, who resides in Poland, told RFE/RL that the 67-year-old politician was released on July 3.

Kastusyou, a presidential candidate in 2010, was convicted in September 2022 of conspiracy to seize power and sentenced to 10 years in prison. He spent more than three years in prison including his time in pretrial detention.

While in prison, Kastusyou was diagnosed with cancer.

The Vyasna (Spring) human rights group said on July 3 that, in all, four political prisoners, including two women, were released from prison under the amnesty law that was made public earlier in the day. Vyasna did not mention the names of the people released, citing privacy reasons.

Authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka signed the law on July 2. According to the official announcement, the amnesty will affect 7, 850 convicts, of whom 2,090 will be released, while the remainder of the suspended sentences of 800 people will be forgiven and the administrative arrests of 40 people will be canceled. The prison sentences of 260 people will be replaced by parole-like sentences, while 4,550 convicts will have their terms cut by one year.

The Crisis In Belarus

Read our coverage as Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka continues his brutal crackdown on NGOs, activists, and independent media following the August 2020 presidential election.

On July 2, Lukashenka publicly said that some of those serving prison terms for taking part in 2020 mass protests against official results of the presidential poll that named him the winner may be released. Lukashenka stressed, however, that mostly "seriously ill, mainly persons with cancer," will be eligible for early release.

As of July 3, there are 1,409 political prisoners in Belarus recognized by human rights groups, while the actual number of those convicted on politically motivated charges may be higher.

The Vyasna (Spring) human rights group said earlier that as of May 1, there were at least 254 political prisoners in Belarus with serious medical conditions or disabilities.

Lukashenka's decree says that "the amnesty will not be applied to persons involved in extremist and terrorist activities."

Since the 2020 mass protests challenging the official result of the presidential election that many in Belarus and abroad said was rigged, Belarusian authorities have added more than 4,000 to the registry of extremists. The Belarusian KGB has added more than 400 persons to the list of "terrorists" since then.

Lukashenka, 69, has been in power since 1994. He has tightened his grip on the country since the August 2020 election by arresting -- sometimes violently -- more than 35,000 people. Fearing for their safety, most opposition members have fled the country.

The West has refused to recognize the results of the election and does not consider Lukashenka to be the country's legitimate leader.

Many countries have imposed sanctions against Lukashenka's regime in response to the suppression of dissent in the country.

Russia's Interior Ministry on July 3 added French businessman Philippe Delpal, a former senior executive in the Baring Vostok investment group, to its wanted list on unspecified charges.

In August 2021, a court in Moscow handed Delpal, U.S. investor Michael Calvey, and five Russian businesspeople suspended prison terms on financial fraud charges.

Calvey is the founder of the Russia-focused private equity group Baring Vostok.

Delpal received a 4 1/2-year suspended prison term at the time and Calvey was condemned to a 5 1/2-year suspended prison term. All have maintained their innocence.

The court also ordered the businessmen not to leave Russia without the authorities' permission, but the ban was lifted in January 2022, allowing Delpal and Calvey to immediately return to their home countries.

In 2023, Calvey's suspended sentence was shortened by one year, and in February 2024, a Russian court of appeals reduced Calvey's sentence by another two months.

In April, Calvey's probation period ended and his conviction was wiped off from the records of Russia's State Penitentiary Service (FSIN).

Calvey and his associates were charged in 2019 with defrauding Vostochny Bank of 2.5 billion rubles ($28.5 million).

Baring Vostok used to be a major shareholder in Vostochny Bank. Defendants claimed the case was aimed at pressuring Baring Vostok as part of a business dispute over the control of Vostochny Bank.

The case has rattled the investment community and prompted several prominent officials and businesspeople to voice concerns about the treatment of the executives.

Baring Vostok is one of the largest and oldest private-equity firms operating in Russia. It was founded in the early 1990s and manages more than $3.7 billion in assets.

The company was an early major investor in Yandex, Russia's dominant search engine.

With reporting by RBK and Reuters

A St. Petersburg court of appeals on July 2 extended the three-year prison term of documentary director Vsevolod Korolyov, known for his anti-war stance, to seven years, the court press service said. Korolyov was convicted and sentenced to the three-year term in March on a charge of distributing false information about Russia's military. He was arrested in July 2022 after he posted two reports online about Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine, namely about alleged atrocities committed by Russian troops against civilians in Ukrainian towns and cities. He pleaded not guilty. To read the original story by RFE/RL's North.Realities, click here.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has renewed his plea to the West for advanced air-defense systems and long-range weapons after at least five people were killed in a Russian drone and missile attack on Dnipro on July 3.

“Only two things can stop this Russian terror -- modern air-defense systems and the long-range capabilities of our weapons,” Zelenskiy wrote in English on X.

“The world can protect lives, and it requires the determination of leaders. Determination that can and must make protection from terror the norm again.”

The Ukrainian leader has long called for better air-defense systems and weapons, with the last request coming on June 30, after a Russian rocket attack killed seven people and wounded 35 others in the city of Vilnyansk, in the southern Zaporizhzhya region.

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine

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The July 3 attack also wounded at least 34 people, according to Zelenskiy. Fourteen houses were destroyed in the strikes, Serhiy Lysak, governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region, said in a message on Telegram. He added that the attack causes multiple fires in the city.

Separately, Ukraine’s Air Force said it had shot down five missiles, including an Iskander-K cruise missile, and six unmanned aerial vehicles, five of which were Shahed-type kamikaze drones. It said the attack mainly targeted Dnipro.

This is the third time that Dnipro has been targeted in the last five days. A high-rise building was destroyed in an attack on June 28, while at least 12 people were wounded in a drone strike on July 1.

Russia also shelled Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhya region early on July 3, destroying 14 houses and wounding a man.

On the same day, the Russian Defense Ministry said it had downed a total of 10 Ukrainian drones in three regions, including five in Belgorod, four in Bryansk, and one in Moscow. The ministry added that two unmanned boats heading toward Novorossiysk in the Black Sea were sunk.

Russia has been targeting Ukraine’s electrical grid for months, forcing frequent power outages. In March, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said 80 percent of the country’s thermal-generation capacity had been destroyed. Around the same time, the Energy Ministry said thermal power plants controlled by Tsentroenerho and Ukrhydroenerho had been badly damaged.

Last month, Zelenskiy asked the European Union to step up electricity exports to Ukraine, as well as to supply necessary equipment and other resources to make repairs.

Zelenskiy met with Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof on July 3 and said on Telegram that he is counting on the Netherlands to expand training missions for Ukrainian pilots.

The Dutch government previously supplied F-16s to a training facility in Romania, where Ukrainian pilots and ground staff are being taught to fly and maintain the planes in battle.

Schoof said on X that the Netherlands' support for Ukraine is “rock solid” and that Amsterdam “will continue to support Ukraine politically, militarily, and financially against Russian aggression, whatever it takes and for as long as it takes.”

Over the past several months, Ukraine has increasingly targeted fuel-production sites inside Russia, mainly oil-refining facilities that work for the Russian military.

Kyrgyzstan's State Committee for National Security (UKMK) said on July 3 that border guards detained 11 citizens of Bangladesh for illegally crossing the Kyrgyz-Uzbek border. The UKMK added that earlier in May, Kyrgyz authorities had detained 46 other illegal migrants from Bangladesh in the southern Jalal-Abad region. The issue of illegal immigrants from South Asia and the Middle East has turned into an important topic in Kyrgyzstan after hundreds of students from Pakistan fled Kyrgyzstan in May following violent mob attacks targeting foreign university students in Bishkek. The attacks were sparked by an online video showing a brawl between Kyrgyz men and Egyptian citizens. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service, click here.

DUSHANBE -- Two sources close to the Supreme Court of Tajikistan told RFE/RL on July 2 that Sojida Saidmurodova, the mother of former top police officer Dilshod Saidmurodov, who is serving life in prison for kidnapping and killing a banker last year, was sentenced to 13 years in prison on corruption charges in June.

The sources added that the Supreme Court on June 19 also ordered three co-defendants in the case to pay hefty fines. The trial was held behind closed doors.

Relatives of the 65-year-old Saidmurodova said earlier that the woman was arrested in September and charged with financial fraud, illegally obtaining a parcel of land, illegal construction of property, forgery, and obstruction of justice.

In March, Tajikistan's Supreme Court sentenced her son, who used to work at the Interior Ministry directorate dealing with organized crime, and four other men to life in prison in the high-profile case of the abduction and murder of one of the Central Asian country's wealthiest bankers, Shohrat Ismatulloev.

Another 10 defendants were sentenced to prison terms of between one year and eight years for their involvement in Ismatulloev's abduction and murder.

Ismatulloev, the deputy chairman of Orienbank, one of the country's leading banks, was abducted in June 2023. His body was found later that August.

One of the alleged abductors was identified as Rustam Ashurov, who died in a hospital in Moldova in July 2023 after local police wounded him during a shoot-out in which he killed two security officers at Chisinau International Airport.

Moldovan authorities said at the time that Ashurov worked at the Tajik Interior Ministry for seven years but was fired for unspecified criminal activities.

Investigators said the kidnappers were looking to extort money from the banker and tortured him before he died.

Orienbank is the largest private financial institution in the authoritarian Central Asian country and has been linked to the family of President Emomali Rahmon, several sources have told RFE/RL.