A Moscow court on October 15 extended the pretrial detention of noted Russian journalist Nadezhda Kevorkova, who says she is innocent of charges of "justifying terrorism," until at least November 6.

Kevorkova, 65, was arrested in May and charged under Part 2 of Article 205.2 of the Russian Criminal Code, which covers public calls for terrorist activities, justifying terrorism, or promoting terrorism through the Internet.

The charges stem from two incidents: the first involving a post on her Telegram channel in 2018, where she shared an article written by her once close friend, the late journalist Orkhan Dzhemal.

Dzhemal, along with two other Russian journalists, was killed in July 2018 in the Central African Republic while investigating the local activities of the Wagner Group, a Russian private military company.

The article Kevorkova posted related to a 2010 attack by separatists on government buildings in Nalchik, the capital of Russia's North Caucasus region of Kabardino-Balkaria.

The second incident in the case involves Kevorkova's alleged justification of the Taliban in 2021. The Taliban is recognized as a terrorist organization and banned in Russia.

Kevorkova, a graduate of Moscow State University’s History Department, has had a long career in journalism, starting in 1997.

She worked with the Nezavisimaya gazeta newspaper and served as a special correspondent in the United States. Over the years, she reported from conflict zones in Lebanon, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Sudan, Syria, the Gaza Strip, and the North Caucasus, focusing on Muslim rights and conflicts in the region.

Kevorkova's contributions to journalism earned her a nomination for the International Women of Courage Award in 2010.

She was previously married to Maksim Shevchenko, a prominent Russian political commentator and politician.

The case against Kevorkova has raised concerns about press freedom in Russia, as journalists continue to face growing risks of persecution under broad terrorism and extremism laws.

With reporting by TASS

Moldova has signed a memorandum of understanding with a group of Western countries to counter Russia's hybrid attacks just days ahead of crucial elections that could cement Chisinau's path toward Euro-Atlantic integration and untether the former Soviet republic from decades of Moscow's influence.

The deal was signed in Chisinau on October 15 by Moldovan Foreign Minister Mihai Popsoi and the foreign ministers of the eight members of the Nordic-Baltic format -- Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, and Sweden.

The visit comes just days after EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen traveled to Chisinau to voice her support for Moldova's European path.

Popsoi, who is also deputy prime minister, said the memorandum would strengthen Moldova's institutional capabilities in the face of an increasingly aggressive Russian disinformation campaign.

Pro-Western President Maia Sandu runs for a second term on October 20 in an an election that takes place simultaneously with a referendum to decide whether Moldovans want their country to pursue integration into the European Union.

Under the U.S.-educated Sandu, who defeated a Russian-backed incumbent in 2020, Moldova -- a country of 2.5 million wedged between Ukraine and EU and NATO member Romania -- made a radical U-turn toward the West despite Russia's ceaseless attempts to destabilize Sandu's government.

Despite still having Russian troops on the territory of its breakaway Transdniester region, Moldova sided with Ukraine after Russia's unprovoked invasion and opened its border to tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugees.

One of the poorest European countries, Moldova secured EU candidate status in 2022 and opened accession talks with the bloc earlier this year.

Popsoi told the visiting diplomats that their presence in Chisinau sent a "political message" and represented a "clear sign of support for the European aspirations" of Moldova.

The Nordic Eight ministers' trip comes after von der Leyen on October 10 unveiled an economic support plan for Moldova in Chisinau that provides for 1.8 billion euros ($2 billion) worth of investment in Moldova over the next three years.

A strong signal of support also came from the United States, where Senator Ben Cardin, (Democrat-Maryland), chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on October 11 urged tech giants Meta and Alphabet to do more on their social media platforms to fight Russia's "malign" involvement in the Moldovan elections.

Following Cardin's open letters, Meta, the owner of Faceboook, said on October 11 that it had removed a network of group accounts targeting Russian-speakers in Moldova ahead of the election and referendum.

On October 15, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said a 40-member-strong delegation of observers from the OSCE and the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) observers are going to monitor the dual vote in Moldova.

Senior officials from around Eurasia have begun meeting at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit under tight security in Islamabad amid a surge in violence by various separatist groups in Pakistan.

Thousands of security officers had the capital locked down on October 15 as seven prime minsters -- including from longtime ally China and the foreign minister of archrival India -- began to discuss security issues, regional cooperation, trade, and financial integrity among the 10 member states.

Early on October 11, unidentified gunmen shot and killed 21 coal miners in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan Province, which has been rocked by a series of militant attacks since the start of the year.

Baluch separatist groups, such as the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), designated as a global terrorist organization by the United States, are engaged in fighting against the Pakistani government.

Pakistan's northwest has also recently experienced a surge in militant violence.

On October 10, militants opened fire on a police vehicle in the city of Tank, killing two officers. Within hours the military said it had killed four militants in North Waziristan, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province.

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

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

Member countries of the SCO, formed in 2001 by Moscow and Beijing, include China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, Pakistan, and Iran.

India and Pakistan became full members in 2017, while Iran became a member in 2023 and Belarus in July 2024.

Leaders from India and Pakistan are not expected to meet during the SCO summit.

A Russian man was found alive in a catamaran two months after it went missing off the Russian Pacific region of Khabarovsk and drifted about 1,000 kilometers across the Sea of Okhotsk.

Mikhail Pichugin, 49, along with his brother and teenage nephew set sail on August 9 on a whale-watching excursion around the Shantar Islands but lost contact soon afterward.

The regional emergency office said in a statement on October 15 that Pichugin -- who had lost 50 kilograms during the ordeal -- was the sole survivor when fishermen found the vessel a day earlier.

According to a report by Russia's Far Eastern Transport Prosecutor’s Office, Pichugin is under investigation as authorities try to determine what happened and whether there were violations of water-transport safety rules resulting in multiple deaths.

To read the original story by RFE/RL's Siberia.Realities, click here.

Russian forces struck the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolayiv with S-300 missiles early on October 15, killing a woman and wounding 16 other people, regional Governor Vitaliy Kim reported on Telegram. Kim said the attack damaged civilian infrastructure, including a shopping center, residential buildings, and cars. Separately, Ukraine's air force said its defenses shot down 12 out of 17 Russian drones over 12 the Mykolaiv, Kyiv, Odesa, Poltava, Chernihiv, Kirovohrad, and Cherkasy regions. Meanwhile, heavy fighting was under way in Ukraine's northeast in the direction of Kharkiv, the General Staff of the Ukrainian military reported early on October 15. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, click here.

Israeli forces launched fresh strikes on Hezbollah in eastern Lebanon on October 15 after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed no mercy for the Iran-backed militant group.

Multiple Israeli strikes targeted Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, taking a hospital in the city of Baalbek out of service, according to Lebanon's official National News Agency.

The strikes came as Netanyahu vowed a ruthless response to a Hezbollah drone strike that killed four Israeli soldiers in central Israel on October 13.

Netanyahu, speaking during a visit to the military base where the four soldiers were killed, said Israel would continue to strike the group "without mercy, everywhere in Lebanon -- including Beirut."

Hezbollah -- which is considered a terrorist group by the United States, although the EU has only blacklisted its armed wing, and not the political party -- controls much of southern Lebanon.

The Hezbollah attack on the Israeli army base in the town of Binyamina was one of the bloodiest since October last year and employed a "swarm" of drones that were difficult to locate and destroy by the Israeli air defenses.

Israel's sophisticated air defenses have usually shot down Hezbollah's rockets without problems.

Following the deadly Hezbollah strike, Israel killed at least 21 people in an air strike in northern Lebanon on October 14. Israel also ordered residents of 25 villages in southern Lebanon to evacuate to areas north of the Awali River, which is some 60 kilometers north of the border with Israel.

Separately, Netanyahu's office said in a statement on October 15 that he will take into account the position of the United States -- Israel's main ally -- but will have his country's own "national interests" as a top priority as it ponders a response to a massive Iranian attack earlier this month.

"We listen to the opinions of the United States, but we will make our final decisions based on our national interest," his office said in a statement.

Fears of an all-out regional war grew as signs indicated Israel could be preparing to launch a direct strike on Iran in retaliation for Tehran's strike on October 1.

U.S. President Joe Biden has warned Netanyahu against striking Iran's nuclear or oil facilities to avoid a further escalation of the conflict.

On October 13, Biden announced that he had ordered the Pentagon to send a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery and troops to Israel as part of U.S. efforts to defend its ally.

With reporting by AFP and Reuters

A large number of state institutions in Ukraine on October 14 were evacuated after hundreds of schools, businesses, embassies, and media outlets received e-mails threatening a terrorist attack.

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Authorities inspected schools, businesses, hotels, embassies, and media organizations -- including RFE/RL -- that received the threatening e-mail looking for explosive devices that the message said had been planted at those locations.

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said 60 of its missions abroad had received the threatening e-mail, some of them suspending consular services.

The threatening e-mail mentions the names of RFE/RL journalists Iryna Sysak and Valeria Yehoshyna, as well as freelancer Yulia Khymeryk, whose activities the senders appear to blame for prompting them to plan the alleged bombings, although they did not mention any specific activity.

It follows an investigation published by the three journalists in the Skhemy (Schemes) investigative unit of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service showing how Russian intelligence services recruit Ukrainians, including minors, to set fire to the cars of the Ukrainian military personnel and representatives of conscription centers.

Representatives of Ukraine's National Police who checked the locations -- including the office of RFE/RL in Kyiv -- said late on October 14 that they had not found any explosive device after searching some 60 percent of the threatened locations, but searches continued.

The message was sent by a person who identified himself as a representative of a "terrorist group" whose name matches that of an anti-Ukrainian Telegram channel, which has spread calls to burn cars belonging to Ukrainian military personnel and representatives of conscription centers. RFE/RL is not disclosing the name of the sender or the group for security and ethical reasons.

After receiving the threatening e-mail, Schemes also found out that a person with the same name as the sender of the threatening e-mail lives in Russian-occupied Crimea and has a Russian passport.

RFE/RL President Stephen Capus said RFE/RL was aware that its journalists had been named in the threatening e-mails.

"We will not be intimidated and stand behind our reporters who will continue to bring news to Ukrainian audiences without fear or favor," Capus said, pledging to fully cooperate with authorities in their investigations.

According to Schemes, the group that claimed responsibility for the alleged planting of explosives is actively spreading messages on social media calling for the burning of Ukrainian military vehicles and demonstrating the results of previous arson attacks. The recruiting effort offers $100 to those who agree to take part.

Artem Dekhtyarenko, spokesman for the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said Russia was trying to make it look like arson attacks are being carried out by ordinary Ukrainians when in fact the attacks are instigated by Russian security services.

The group's Telegram channel also shares videos of officers at conscription centers detaining Ukrainian citizens for mobilization and calls for persecution of these soldiers in exchange for a promised payment of $1,000.

Schemes also reported that in early October representatives of the same group sent messages to several Ukrainian government agencies offering to "kill for a fee" top security officials and public figures. They introduced themselves as an organization that "has long been engaged in the execution of orders for violent actions and the resolution of issues through physical elimination."

The group's website says that it provides "services" such as "racketeering, contract killings, car theft, bodily harm, arson."

The SBU's press service told Schemes that the mass mailing of threatening e-mails should be viewed as an operation aimed at spreading panic among the Ukrainian public.

Another Chinese Communist party official is visiting Serbia in the latest sign of close cooperation between the two countries.

Li Xiaoxin, a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CCPC) and director of the State Commission for Public Sector Reform, arrived in Belgrade on October 14, a month after the visit of Lin Wu, the party secretary of Shandong Province.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, who met with Li, said Serbia is extremely proud of its “excellent relations, ironclad friendship, and overall cooperation with China.” Vucic posted a photo of the meeting on Instagram, saying that he and Li discussed economic cooperation between Serbia and China.

This cooperation is “dynamically developing” through numerous infrastructure and energy projects and “increasingly intense” investment cooperation, especially in mining and the automobile industry, Vucic said.

Serbia is one of the countries in China’s Belt and Road initiative to fund infrastructure projects with Chinese loans.

In addition to meetings with officials in Belgrade, members of the Chinese delegation are meeting with the leadership of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS).

The SNS said on October 14 that the visit comes after the establishment of cooperation between Serbia and China and after close party cooperation between SNS and the CCPC "paved by presidents Aleksandar Vucic and Xi Jinping."

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Marina Ragus, a member of the SNS presidency and the vice president of the Serbian parliament, said the two countries are in a new phase of developing bilateral relations and have continued to support each other since Xi's visit to Serbia in May. She did not respond to RFE/RL’s inquiry about the frequent visits by Chinese party delegations.

Vuk Vuksanovic, a senior researcher at the Belgrade Center for Security Policy (BCSP), told RFE/RL that the intensified dialogue between the two parties and political elites is an integral part of the Serbian-Chinese partnership.

"The frequency of these visits speaks to the intensity of that partnership and shows a reality that has existed for at least six years, which is that China has replaced Russia as Serbia’s primary partner outside the Western world," says Vuksanovic.

Meanwhile, a delegation of the government of the northern Serbian province of Vojvodina led by provincial President Maja Gojkovic is visiting China’s Shandong Province.

The government of Vojvodina announced on October 13 that officials discussed cooperation and project implementation by Chinese companies in Vojvodina.

Jailed Belarusian political activist Palina Sharenda-Panasyuk is again facing accusations of showing "disobedience" to the administration of the prison where she is incarcerated.

The latest charge is the subject of a new trial that began on October 14 in the Rechytsa district court in southeastern Belarus.

Sharendra-Panasyuk, a mother of two, has already served nearly four years in prison and could face an additional year if convicted again.

Her continued imprisonment is widely seen as a politically motivated act of repression by the Belarusian authorities.

The activist's husband, Andrey Sharenda, said his wife is now accused of “malicious disobedience to the requirements of the administration of the correctional facility.”

Before her trial, Sharenda-Panasyuk was transferred from a pretrial detention center in the regional capital, Homel, to a detention center in Rechytsa, a nearby town.

Sharenda expressed concern over her transfer to this facility, where conditions are reportedly harsh.

According to him, inmates are forced to sleep on metal slabs without mattresses or bed linen, which exacerbates his wife’s back problems.

Despite her medical condition, Sharenda claims that the authorities have subjected his wife to inhumane treatment. He also noted that her latest trial began on October 14, the same date on which Belarus celebrates Mother’s Day. Sharenda-Panasyuk has not seen her children for four years.

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Sharenda-Panasyuk was initially sentenced to two and a half years in prison for insulting authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka and allegedly assaulting a police officer. Her term was extended by two years in successive trials for allegedly disobeying prison guards' commands.

Sharenda-Panasyuk was due to be released in May but has remained in custody pending investigation into the new criminal case.

Her health has been a significant concern throughout her imprisonment. In July 2024, her family learned that she had been diagnosed with moderate chronic pancreatitis. Sharenda has reported that his wife's health has deteriorated sharply in recent months, including constant stomach and back pain.

While the prison administration claims that “necessary treatment is being provided,” her husband remains skeptical about the quality of care she is receiving.

Belarusian human rights organizations have recognized Sharenda-Panasyuk as a political prisoner.

Her continued imprisonment has drawn attention both within Belarus and internationally and highlights the ongoing repression of opposition activists and dissidents in Belarus, where the government has been cracking down on any form of dissent, particularly since the disputed 2020 presidential election.

Less than a week after European parliamentarians blasted Russia for its "provocations and attempts to destabilize" Moldova ahead of a crucial presidential election and referendum on European Union membership, the bloc has sanctioned five people and one legal entity for similar actions.

Foreign ministers from the EU's 27 members on October 14 approved restrictive measures on the six culprits it identified, including Evghenia Gutul, the Russian-backed leader of Moldova's autonomous region of Gagauzia.

Evrazia, a Russian-based NGO that promotes Russian interests, and its founder, Nelli Parutenco, were also sanctioned.

"Moldova faces massive direct attempts from Russia to destabilize the country, as well as challenges arising from Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine," Josep Borrell, the EU's top diplomat, said in a statement.

"This is a direct threat to a sovereign country, to its democratic life, to its path toward the European Union. The EU will continue providing all its support to the legitimate aspirations of the Moldovan people. Today's listings are yet another contribution to the resilience of Moldova."

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The new sanctions, which come before an October 20 presidential election that has been twinned with a referendum on joining the EU, include asset freezes and travel bans.

Last week, members of the European Parliament adopted a resolution condemning "Russia’s escalating malicious activities, interference and hybrid operations" ahead of the balloting.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on October 14 rejected the allegations of meddling in the campaigns.

The two polls are seen as a make-or-break moment for the future of one of Europe's poorest countries, where Russia still wields massive influence and maintains more than 1,000 troops in the separatist Transdniester region, 33 years after Chisinau declared independence from the Soviet Union.

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

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

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

U.S. tech giant Meta recently blocked Gutul's social media accounts after qualifying them as “dangerous.”

Umed Bobozoda, Tajikistan's human rights commissioner, voiced serious concerns over the mistreatment of Tajik migrants in Russia. In a letter to his Russian counterpart, Tatyana Moskalkova, Bobozoda accused Russian law enforcement of using illegal methods, including physical abuse and unjustified detentions, particularly since a deadly terrorist attack at the Crocus City Hall near Moscow in March. Since the attack, in which several Tajik nationals were implicated, around 20,000 Tajiks have been deported, and many others have faced harsh treatment in Russia. Bobozoda highlighted that detained Tajik citizens, including women and children, are often denied basic necessities. Tajik officials, including Prime Minister Qohir Rasulzoda, have raised these issues with Russian officials in recent meetings, but the response from Moscow remains uncertain. The ongoing crackdown threatens to strain relations between the two countries, the leaders of which have called each other key strategic partners. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Tajik Service, click here.

Razif Abdullin, the chief editor of the online independent media outlet Aspekty, resigned from his position last week amid pressure from the authorities in the Russian region of Bashkortostan, according to a statement by Aspekty's founder, Ruslan Valiyev. Valiyev, the former editor of the now defunct Ekho Moskvy radio affiliate in Bashkortostan, made the announcement via YouTube on October 14, emphasizing that the publication's team was evicted from its studio in Bashkortostan's capital, Ufa. Valiyev, who currently lives abroad, said that despite the setback, Aspekty would continue its work, noting that the publication plans to report more freely as its ties to the region diminish. Aspekty has been active in covering protests and criminal cases against activists in Bashkortostan, particularly since January. In March, Russian media regulator Roskomnadzor blocked Aspekty’s website, but the publication has persisted through its Telegram and YouTube channels after emerging shortly after Russia started its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Idel.Realities, click here.

A Moscow court sentenced French researcher Laurent Vinatier on October 14 to three years in prison on a charge of violating "foreign agent" laws, Russia's Investigative Committee said. Vinatier, 48, was arrested in June, allegedly for spying and for failing to register as a foreign agent. Russian investigators claimed he pleaded guilty to illegally obtaining information about the Russian military. Prosecutors sought three years and three months in prison for Vinatier. His defense team had asked the court to fine him instead of sentencing him to prison, calling the prosecutor's request "too harsh." Vinatier is an adviser for the Geneva-based Center for Humanitarian Dialogue, a nonprofit conflict-resolution organization, and "travels regularly for his work," according to his employer. France denounced the "extreme severity" of the sentence and called for his immediate release. French Foreign Ministry spokesman Christophe Lemoine said Russia's "foreign agent" law "contributes to a systematic violation of fundamental freedoms in Russia."

At least four Pakistani police officers and five insurgents were killed on October 14 when militants stormed a police headquarters in the volatile Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region in the country’s northwest, a police officer speaking on condition of anonymity told RFE/RL. The officer in the Bannu police unit said armed men crossed the police line and engaged in battles with security forces. According to the official, the gunmen have entered the police building and the clash is ongoing. The security forces have closed nearby roads amid sounds of gunfire, and military helicopters can be seen flying over the area. The Islamist militant group Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan has claimed responsibility for the attack. To read the original story by RFE/RL’s Radio Mashaal, click here.

Maryya Kalesnikava, a key figure in the Belarusian opposition and a symbol of defiant protests against the country's authoritarian regime, has been held incommunicado in prison for 18 months amid fears over her reportedly declining state of health.

Kalesnikava was an opposition activist who in 2020 became a prominent leader of protests demanding the resignation of strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka following a disputed presidential election. She was sentenced to 11 years in prison in September 2021.

There has been no information on Kalesnikava for well over a year. Sources earlier this year told RFE/RL that she was placed in solitary confinement more than a year ago a violation of Belarusian law, which says the maximum period in solitary confinement is six months.

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

“I can only pray to God that she is alive. The authorities ignore my requests for meetings and letters. It's a terrible feeling of helplessness for a father,” her father, Alyaksandr Kalesnikau, was quoted by AP as saying on October 14 by phone.

Kalesnikava’s unwavering resistance to authoritarian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka has not only led to her imprisonment but has also raised international concern about the conditions under which political prisoners are held in Belarus.

Kalesnikava and fellow opposition figure Maksim Znak were sentenced to 11 years and 10 years in prison, respectively, in September 2021 on charges that included extremism, conspiracy to seize power, and calls for actions damaging national security.

Both opposition figures rejected these charges, viewing them as politically motivated in the wake of the 2020 Belarusian presidential election, where mass protests erupted after Lukashenka’s widely disputed victory.

Kalesnikava gained prominence as a coordinator for would-be presidential candidate Viktar Babaryka, and later as an ally of Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the opposition candidate who is believed by many Belarusians to have won the election.

Following her abduction on September 7, 2020, Kalesnikava’s defiance at the border -- ripping up her passport to prevent forced exile -- led to her detention, symbolizing her resolute opposition to the regime.

Since her imprisonment, Kalesnikava’s family has had no contact with her for the past 18 months. The last known communication from her came in February 2023, when she managed to send a letter.

Her father said he has made several attempts to visit his daughter at the Homel women’s colony where she is incarcerated, but he said all efforts have been met with indifference from prison authorities.

Guards have responded that if she does not call or write, it is because “she does not want to,” he said.

Former inmates from the same prison colony have reported alarming details about Kalesnikava’s deteriorating health.

According to one former prisoner, Kalesnikava was hospitalized around May or June 2023, although specifics surrounding her condition remain unknown.

The information, relayed by a woman who identified herself as Natallya, sheds light on the inhumane treatment Kalesnikava endures in custody, with reports suggesting that she is suffering from malnutrition, weighing only 45 kilograms.

Tatsyana Khomich, Kalesnikava's sister who resides outside Belarus, voiced fears that Kalesnikava’s life is in grave danger.

“They are slowly killing Maryya,” Khomich said.

According to Khomich, Kalesnikava’s letters are torn up by prison staff and the mental toll of isolation is exacerbated by physical neglect.

Kalesnikava’s case is emblematic of the brutal suppression of dissent in Belarus.

The mass protests following the 2020 election were met with violent crackdowns by security forces, and many opposition leaders, activists, and ordinary citizens have since been imprisoned or forced into exile.

While international human rights organizations have condemned these actions, the regime has persisted in silencing its critics, often employing draconian measures like incommunicado detention to stifle opposition voices.

With reporting by the Associated Press

Foreign ministers from the European Union have approved new sanctions against seven individuals and seven entities linked to Iran after Kyiv's Western allies accused Tehran of sending ballistic missiles to Russia to aid in its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

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The sanctions, reported in an exclusive by Radio Farda last week, target companies and individuals accused of being involved in the transfer of the weapons to Russia, including the country's flagship carrier Iran Air, as well as airlines Saha Airlines and Mahan Air.

Individuals sanctioned include the deputy defense minister of Iran, Seyed Hamzeh Ghalandari; prominent officials of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps's Quds Force (IRGC-QF); IRGC Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters; and IRGC Aerospace Force Space Division, as well as the managing directors of the EU-listed companies Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industries (HESA) and Aerospace Industries Organization (AIO).

The United States, Britain, France, and Germany accused Iran of sending ballistic missiles and related technology to Russia for use against Ukraine more than a month ago, sparking consultations among European allies on the matter.

"Today’s designation includes individuals and entities responsible for the development and transfer of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), missiles, and related technology to Russia in support of its war of aggression against Ukraine, and to armed groups and entities undermining peace and security in the Middle East and the Red Sea region," the council said in a statement on October 14 .

Those targeted are subject to an asset freeze and travel ban to the European Union. Additionally, the provision of funds or economic resources, directly or indirectly, with those listed is prohibited.

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

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

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

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

Afghanistan's Taliban morality ministry pledged on October 14 to implement a law banning news media from publishing images of all living things, with journalists told the rule will be gradually enforced. "The law applies to all Afghanistan...and it will be implemented gradually" by persuading people images of living things are against Islamic law, a spokesman for the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, Saiful Islam Khyber, told the AFP news agency. The Taliban government's judiciary recently announced legislation formalizing its strict interpretations of Islamic law. Aspects of the new law have not yet been strictly enforced, however, and Taliban officials continue to regularly post photos of people on social media.

Human Rights Watch has condemned Iran’s controversial new law that increases prison terms and fines for women and girls who breach the country's strict dress code in the wake of the mass Women, Life, Freedom protests that followed the death of a young woman while in police custody for an alleged head-scarf violation.

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The Hijab and Chastity law mandates sentences of up to 10 years in prison for those who are deemed to be dressed “inappropriately” in public.

The law, which was approved by parliament in September 2023, came into force after its approval by the Guardians Council, a conservative legal body.

“Rather than responding to the Woman, Life, Freedom movement with fundamental reforms, the autocratic government is trying to silence women with even more repressive dress laws,” said Nahid Naghshandi, acting Iran researcher at Human Rights Watch.

The hijab became compulsory for women and girls over the age of 9 in 1981, two years after the Islamic Revolution in Iran.

For women, unacceptable coverings are defined as “revealing or tight clothing, or clothing that shows parts of the body lower than the neck or above the ankles or above the forearms,” according to the new law.

For men, it has been defined as “revealing clothing that shows parts of the body lower than the chest or above the ankles, or shoulders.”

Naghshandi warned that the new law “will only breed fierce resistance and defiance among women in and outside Iran.”

The renewed focus on the mandatory hijab came after Iran was swept by monthslong mass protests triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini while in the custody of the morality police in 2022 for an alleged hijab violation.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says he had been briefed by Ukrainian intelligence services about what he described as North Korea's effective involvement in Russia's war in his country.

He provided no further details in his nightly address on October 14. Zelenskiy claimed on October 13 that North Korea has sent soldiers and weapons to Russia to support the war in a sign of the increasing alliance between the Kremlin and Pyongyang.

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The reports could not be independently verified, but in his regular nightly address on October 13, Zelenskiy for the first time reiterated the claims.

"This is no longer just about transferring weapons. It is actually about transferring people from North Korea to the occupying military forces,” he said.

Zelenskiy did not provide evidence to back up his claim, but speculation over North Korea's role in the conflict has grown amid signs of tightening relations between Moscow and countries such as North Korea and Iran almost 32 months after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine was launched.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a Washington-based U.S. military think tank, recently reported that several thousand North Korean troops had arrived in Russia and were being prepared for deployment in Ukraine.

North Korea has reportedly been providing Moscow with weapons and ammunition to support its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022.

The South Korean intelligence service has claimed that Pyongyang supplies artillery shells and short-range missiles to Moscow. The Kremlin has dismissed those claims, but has not commented on Zelenskiy's assertions.

Zelenskiy said the development highlights Ukraine’s need for “more support” from its Western partners to “increase the pressure” on Russia and prevent “a bigger war.”

“When we talk about more long-range capability for Ukraine and more decisive supplies for our forces, it is not just a list of military equipment. It is about increasing the pressure on the aggressor," Zelenskiy said.

In his nightly address on October 14, Zelenskiy said that Ukraine had already procured and supplied 1 million drones to the front. Additional supplies have been sent by volunteers, he added.

Zelenskiy will present Ukraine's "victory plan" during a speech in the Verkhovna Rada, the country's parliament, on October 16, Serhiy Leshchenko, an adviser to the head of the president's office, said on Telegram on October 14.

Mykhaylo Podolyak, a senior adviser to Zelenskiy, said on October 12 that the plan had already been presented to the United States and several European countries and would be presented to the Ukrainian people "in the coming days."

Later this week, the situation in Ukraine and the Middle East is expected to be high on the agenda of a meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and German leaders when Biden visits Germany.

According to a government source in Berlin, Biden is set to visit Germany on October 18 after a previously planned trip was canceled due to Hurricane Milton.

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Biden's original visit was to have taken place between October 10-12, during which he had planned to hold a meeting of more than 50 of Ukraine's allies -- known as the the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, or the Ramstein group -- to discuss further support for Kyiv.

In frontline news, Ukrainian authorities said on October 14 that five people were killed and eight were wounded in Russian attacks during the past day. The casualties were reported by local officials in the Donetsk, Kharkiv, and Kherson regions, which were hit by Russian shelling.

Russia claimed on October 13 that it had captured the town of Mykhaylivka, at the gates of the town of Selydove, and south of Pokrovsk, where its forces have been advancing for weeks.

Russian troops have been trying to capture Pokrovsk, a mining city that was home to around 60,000 people before Moscow launched its offensive.

Zelenkskiy said on October 14 that fighting was taking place along the entire length of the front but was particularly fierce in the Pokrovsk and Kharkiv areas. He also noted that Russian forces have been trying to break through Ukrainian defenses in the Kursk region for five days and Ukrainian forces "are holding on and counterattacking."

Russia also said it has evacuated some 30,415 people, including nearly 8,000 children, from areas bordering Ukraine due to shelling and attacks.

Tatyana Moskalkova, Russia’s human rights commissioner, told Russian media in an interview published on October 14 that the evacuees have been placed in nearly 1,000 temporary accommodations across Russia.

With reporting by AFP, dpa, and Reuters

French President Emmanuel Macron told Iranian counterpart Masud Pezeshkian that it was Tehran's "responsibility" to help ease tensions in the Middle East, where the Iran-allied Hezbollah and Hamas militant groups are engaged in fighting Israeli forces. Macron underlined "the responsibility of Iran to support a general de-escalation and to use its influence in this direction with the destabilizing actors that enjoy its support." Hezbollah is an armed group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon and has been targeted with a massive Israeli air and ground campaign over recent weeks. It is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, while the EU blacklists its armed wing but not its political party. Hamas is deemed a terror organization by the United States and the EU. The Iranian presidency also reported on the call, mentioning efforts to reach a cease-fire but using belligerent language toward Israel.

Amirhossein Maghsoudloo, a popular and controversial Iranian rapper known by his stage name Tataloo, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison on a variety of charges, a judiciary spokesman said on October 13.

Court spokesman Asghar Jahangir told a news conference that the performer had been sentenced to five years on charges of insulting sanctities and 10 years for encouraging corruption and prostitution.

It was not immediately clear if the sentences would run concurrently or consecutively. Jahangir said he would be required to begin his sentence immediately.

Tataloo's works -- considered provocative and Western in style -- are not officially permitted in the country, with authorities saying he lacks pertinent certificates from the Culture Ministry.

Hard-liners in Iran often condemn performers who they accuse of offending the conservative Islamic nation's moral standards and corrupting the youth.

Tataloo, 36, who at times has used his music to criticize Iran's human rights record, had lived in Istanbul since 2018 but was extradited to Iran by Turkish authorities in December 2023. He has been detained in Iran since his extradition.

Tataloo's trial began in March on charges of promoting obscenity, publishing propaganda against the Islamic Republic of Iran, and disseminating obscene content.

In a statement last month, the case investigator cited Tataloo's expression of regret, stating the rapper had written a repentance letter while also expressing his desire to marry, start a family, and pursue music in a more accepted manner.

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The information could not be verified, but the admission, if true, likely saved the performer from a much harsher potential sentence.

The rapper, known for blending rap, pop, and R&B and for his distinctive tattoos, has been a polarizing figure in Iran.

He previously released a song in support of Iran's nuclear rights, which coincided with the breakdown of a nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers.

In 2020, Instagram shut down the rapper's account after activists and Instagram users reported him for inappropriate posts asking underage girls to join his "team" for sex.

Tataloo had been briefly jailed in 2013 for distribution of his banned music to foreign-based satellite channels and for two months in 2016 for insulting a judge during a court hearing.

Iranian media reported in December 2023 that Turkish police had arrested Tataloo on charges of insulting members and staff of the consulate in Istanbul over a complaint by the Iranian consulate.

Fars News Agency reported that Tatlou was charged with setting up a gambling house; encouraging, enticing or threatening people to obtain or facilitate pornographic content; inciting and persuading people, especially the younger generation, to commit crimes against chastity and sexual deviance; and encouraging people to commit corruption and prostitution.

With reporting from ISNA and dpa

Ukrainian officials have accused Russian forces of executing nine captured troops in the Kursk border region, denouncing Moscow for violating "all the rules and customs of war," while Kyiv said at least two people were killed and 22 others injured in Russian attacks in Ukraine over the past 24 hours.

Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine's commissioner for human rights, said he had written to the United Nations and the Red Cross concerning the allegations, which officials said are the result of Ukrainian battlefield analysis site DeepState, which published drone footage purporting to show the dead troops.

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.

Russia has not commented on the reports, which could not immediately be verified.

The allegations are the latest in a long list of reports by Kyiv outlining incidents of alleged executions of Ukrainian prisoners by Russian forces.

Kyiv said it has documented evidence related to the execution of a total of 93 Ukrainian prisoners of war, according to a law enforcement official tasked with investigating war crimes related to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Yuriy Belousov, who heads the Prosecutor-General's Office department in charge of investigating crimes committed in armed conflict, provided the figure during a live television appearance on October 4.

Cases of the alleged execution of Ukrainian prisoners of war fall under the mandate of the International Criminal Court (ICC), and the court is entitled to try such cases, ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan said on October 9, without referring to specific cases.

"Each of the provisions of the Rome Statute [the founding treaty of the ICC]...can be applied. They all matter. Our duty is to apply a methodological approach and put together an investigation strategy," Khan told a roundtable at The Hague attended by journalists from Schemes, the investigative unit of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service.

In the latest incident, images published by DeepState showed the apparently dead Ukrainian troops stripped to their underwear and lying face down in the Kursk region following a rapid offensive by Russian forces.

"These actions must not go unpunished, and the enemy must bear full responsibility," Lubinets wrote in a post on Telegram. "Russia is a terrorist country that violates all the rules and customs of war."

The accuracy of the videos could not independently be verified.

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

The accusations come amid reports that at least two people were killed and 22 others were injured in Russian attacks over the past 24 hours in Ukraine.

The two fatalities were reported in the settlements of Kurakhivka and Ulakla in the eastern Donetsk region, which came under came under intense shelling.

Eleven others were injured in the attack, according to regional Governor Vadym Filashkin.

Separately, Russian state-run TASS news agency quoted the Defense Ministry as saying that Russian glide bombs hit a concentration of Ukrainian soldiers in the Kursk region on October 13. Kyiv has not commented and there is no report on casualties yet.

Russian forces also targeted the Kharkiv, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhya regions, injuring at least 11 people and damaging residential buildings and infrastructure, regional officials said.

In Kherson, the Russian military "targeted a critical infrastructure facility and a cellular tower," as well as "populated residential quarters," regional Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported on Telegram.

"A high-rise residential building and three private houses were damaged," Prokudin added.

Russia launched 68 drones and four missiles on Ukrainian territory overnight, according to the latest update by Ukraine's air force.

The air force said its defense units destroyed 31 of the Russian drones, while 36 were unaccounted for, most likely intercepted by Ukraine's electronic warfare. The remaining drone was still in the air, it said early on October 13.

Two Iskander-M ballistic missiles struck Poltava and Odesa regions, and two Kh-59 guided air missiles targeted the Chernihiv and Sumy regions, it added.

There were no immediate reports of casualties from the latest air strikes.

Russia claimed its air-defense units downed 13 Ukrainian drones overnight over three regions bordering Ukraine.

Russia's Defense Ministry said on October 13 that six drones each were shot down over the Belgorod and Kursk regions. One drone was destroyed over Bryansk, the ministry said on Telegram.

The claims cannot be independently verified.

With reporting by Reuters and the BBC

Pakistan's capital was under strict security lockdown starting October 14 ahead of the arrival of Chinese Premier Li Qiang for a four-day bilateral visit and a heads-of-government gathering of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) this week.

The government has announced a three-day public holiday in Islamabad, with schools and businesses shut, and large contingents of police and paramilitary forces deployed.

Pakistan Army troops will be responsible for the security of the capital's Red Zone, which will house most of the meetings and is also home to parliament and a diplomatic enclave, according to the Interior Ministry.

The threat alert has been high in the South Asian nation ahead of the SCO summit meeting, especially after the killing of two Chinese engineers and the shooting deaths of 21 miners.

Four Israeli soldiers were killed and dozens were injured, seven critically, when a "swarm" of Hezbollah drones hit an army base near the northern Israeli town of Binyamina in one of the bloodiest attacks on the country since October 2023.

Hezbollah is an armed group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon.

The Israeli military early on October 14 said the attack took place at an army base some 60 kilometers north of Tel Aviv. It did not immediately provide further details.

CNN had earlier reported that the United Hatzalah rescue service said it had "provided assistance to over 60 wounded people in various conditions -- some of them in critical, serious, moderate, and light condition."

National emergency service Magen David Adom (AFMDA) said at least 67 people were injured in the attack in Israel's Haifa district.

Hezbollah -- which is considered a terrorist group by the United States, although the EU has only blacklisted its armed wing -- claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it had launched a "swarm of attack drones" at a military training camp in Binyamina.

Iran-allied Hezbollah has fired hundreds of rockets and drones into Israel but, because of Israel's sophisticated air-defense systems, most have been shot down or have caused little damage and few casualties.

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Earlier in the day, angry UN peacekeepers said Israeli forces had smashed into a gate of one of their bases in Lebanon, causing about 15 minor injuries.

"At around 4:30 a.m., while peacekeepers were in shelters, two IDF Merkava tanks destroyed the position's main gate and forcibly entered the position in the Ramia area," said the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), adding that the Israeli forces left after about 45 minutes.

Israel later claimed the tanks had come under fire when they crashed into the base gate.

The action came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said UN peacekeepers must "immediately" pull out of the combat zone in southern Lebanon and directly addressed Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

"The time has come for you to withdraw UNIFIL from Hezbollah strongholds and from the combat zones," Netanyahu said, accusing Guterres of making UNIFIL soldiers "human shields" and "hostages of Hezbollah."

"Mr. Secretary-General, get the UNIFIL forces out of harm's way. It should be done right now, immediately," he said.

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UNIFIL is a 9,500-strong mission created in 1978 tasked with monitoring a cease-fire that ended a 33-day war in 2006 between Israel and Hezbollah.

Forty nations that contribute to UNIFIL said in a joint statement on October 12 that they "strongly condemn recent attacks" on the peacekeepers. The United States and European leaders have demanded Israel stop firing at the peacekeepers, with U.S. President Joe Biden on October 12 saying he was "absolutely, positively" telling Israel to stop.

Fears of an all-out regional war grew as signs indicated Israel could be preparing to launch a direct strike on Iran in retaliation for Tehran's massive missile strike on Israel on October 1.

Biden on October 13 said he had ordered the Pentagon to send a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery and troops to Israel as part of U.S. efforts "to defend Israel."

Pentagon spokesman Major General Pat Ryder said the system will help bolster Israel's air defenses following Iran's missile attacks. The THAADs are similar to Patriot missile systems but can cover wider areas and require about 95 soldiers to operate, analysts say.

"It is part of the broader adjustments the U.S. military has made in recent months, to support the defense of Israel and protect Americans from attacks by Iran and Iranian-aligned militias," Ryder said.

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The French presidency on October 13 said President Emmanuel Macron, in a phone call, told his Iranian counterpart, Masud Pezeshkian, it was Tehran's "responsibility" to back efforts to lower tensions in the Middle East. The Iranian presidency also reported the call, saying the sides discuss ways to end the conflict but also using heavily belligerent language toward Israel.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi on October 13 said Tehran was prepared for a "war situation," although he stated his government desired peace.

"We are fully prepared for a war situation. We are not afraid of war, but we do not want war. We want peace, and we will work for a just peace in Gaza and Lebanon," he said while on a visit to the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.

Israeli warplanes hit a 100-year-old mosque in a village of Lebanon near the border early on October 13, a day after a marketplace was hit in the southern city of Nabatiyeh, according to Lebanon's official National News Agency.

Lebanon's Health Ministry reported deadly strikes in other areas of the country, including one on a Shi'ite Muslim village in a mostly Christian mountainous area.

Hezbollah said it launched rockets at Israeli forces inside Lebanese territory on October 13 as ground troops conducted incursions into the country's south.

A Hezbollah statement claimed it targeted a "gathering" of Israeli forces in the village of Maroun al-Ras "with artillery shells."

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Hezbollah fired hundreds of projectiles from Lebanon into Israel on October 12 as Israelis celebrated Yom Kippur, an important holiday on the Jewish religious calendar.

The escalation comes as Israel is also conducting fresh attacks in Gaza and is expected to strike Iran in retaliation for a missile attack earlier this month.

Palestinian medical officials said on October 13 that an Israeli strike killed a family of eight and wounded seven others in the central Gaza Strip.

The attack late on October 12 hit a home in the Nuseirat refugee camp, killing a couple and their six children, who ranged in age from 8 to 23, according to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, where the bodies were taken.

Israel continues to strike what it says are militant targets in Gaza nearly every day for more than a year into the war with Hamas, which is designated a terrorist group by the United States and European Union.

The Israeli Army said in a statement on October 13 that forces operating throughout the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours had attacked about 40 targets and killed dozens of militants.

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Both Hamas and Hezbollah are allies of Iran. Israel has repeatedly said it will respond to Iran's missile attack on October 1, which Tehran said was launched in retaliation for Israel's military operations in Gaza and Lebanon and the killings of a string of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders.

Washington believes Israel has narrowed down targets in its potential response to military and energy infrastructure, NBC reported on October 12, citing unnamed U.S. officials.

There is no indication that Israel will target Iran’s nuclear facilities or carry out assassinations, the NBC report said, adding that Israel has not made final decisions about how and when to act.

Araghchi said there would be "no red line" for Iran in defending its citizens from the potential strikes.

"While we have made tremendous efforts in recent days to contain an all-out war in our region, I say it clearly that we have no red lines in defending our people and interests," Araghchi wrote in a post on X on October 13.

With reporting by Reuters, AFP, and AP

Iran has banned passengers from carrying pagers and walkie-talkies on all flights, after near-simultaneous attacks last month in which the communication devices exploded across Lebanon and Syria. The new regulation applies to both cabin and hold luggage, a spokesman for the Iranian aviation authority told the ISNA news agency on October 12. Passengers are still allowed to take their mobile phones on board. Thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies belonging to the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia exploded in September. Hezbollah, an armed group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon, is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, while the EU blacklists its armed wing but not its political party. Hezbollah and Iran blamed the brazen attacks on Israel. At least 39 people were killed and around 3,000 were injured, some seriously. Most were Hezbollah members.