rferl--2020-12-18--Notorious 'Thieves-In-Law' Crime Boss Escapes From Russian Court Building

Notorious organized crime boss Levan Abuladze -- known in the criminal underworld by the nickname Levan Sukhumsky -- has reportedly escaped from a Russian court building where he had been brought for a pretrial hearing .
Russian media reports quote police sources in the city of Vladimir , about 200 kilometers east of Moscow , as saying that Abuladze 's handcuffs were removed inside the Oktyabr District Court building shortly before his December 16 hearing so that he could use a toilet .
The police sources said Abuladze went missing after going into the toilet and that guards have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a 45-year-old citizen of Georgia , is a member of an infamous group of criminals from former Soviet republics known as the Thieves-In-Law .
On December 15 , Abuladze completed a four-year prison sentence for illegal drug trafficking and forgery .
Authorities initially had planned to deport Abuladze to his native Georgia after he completed that four-year sentence .
But in September , prosecutors filed additional charges against him of `` occupying the highest rank in the criminal hierarchy '' -- a crime with a maximum punishment of 15 years in prison .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to issue a ruling on Abuladze 's pretrial detention on December 16 .
But court officials told Russia 's Kommersant newspaper that a ruling was not issued `` because he was not brought to the courtroom . ''
The directorate of Russia 's Federal Penitentiary Service in Vladimir has refused to answer journalists ' questions regarding Abuladze 's reported escape .
The regional prosecutor 's office and the police department in Vladimir also have declined to comment .
The U.S. Treasury Department 's Office of Foreign Assets Control ( OFAC ) describes the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that has been linked to a long list of illicit activity across the globe . ''
It says the syndicate poses a threat to the United States and its allies .
Thieves-In-Law originated in Stalinist prison camps during the Soviet era .
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 , the OFAC says Thieves-In-Law has expanded across former Soviet republics , Europe , and the United States , with crimes that include money laundering , extortion , bribery , kidnapping , and robbery .
According to the OFAC , the syndicate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ' after demonstrating an 'ideal ' criminal biography and take an oath to uphold a code that includes living exclusively off their criminal profits and supporting other Thieves-In-Law . ''
Being a member of the Thieves-In-Law was criminalized in Russia in April 2019 .
In Georgia , it was criminalized in 2005 .
Two other former Soviet republics , Armenia and Ukraine , also have made it a crime to be a top member of the criminal hierarchy .

Notorious organized crime boss Levan Abuladze -- known in the criminal underworld by the nickname Levan Sukhumsky -- has reportedly escaped from a Russian court building where he had been brought for a pretrial hearing.
Russian media reports quote police sources in the city of Vladimir, about 200 kilometers east of Moscow, as saying that Abuladze's handcuffs were removed inside the Oktyabr District Court building shortly before his December 16 hearing so that he could use a toilet.
The police sources said Abuladze went missing after going into the toilet and that guards have been unable to find him.
Abuladze, a 45-year-old citizen of Georgia, is a member of an infamous group of criminals from former Soviet republics known as the Thieves-In-Law.
On December 15, Abuladze completed a four-year prison sentence for illegal drug trafficking and forgery.
Authorities initially had planned to deport Abuladze to his native Georgia after he completed that four-year sentence.
But in September, prosecutors filed additional charges against him of "occupying the highest rank in the criminal hierarchy" -- a crime with a maximum punishment of 15 years in prison.
The Oktyabr District Court had been expected to issue a ruling on Abuladze's pretrial detention on December 16.
But court officials told Russia's Kommersant newspaper that a ruling was not issued "because he was not brought to the courtroom."
The directorate of Russia's Federal Penitentiary Service in Vladimir has refused to answer journalists' questions regarding Abuladze's reported escape.
The regional prosecutor's office and the police department in Vladimir also have declined to comment.
The U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) describes the Thieves-In-Law as "a Eurasian crime syndicate that has been linked to a long list of illicit activity across the globe." It says the syndicate poses a threat to the United States and its allies.
Thieves-In-Law originated in Stalinist prison camps during the Soviet era.
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the OFAC says Thieves-In-Law has expanded across former Soviet republics, Europe, and the United States, with crimes that include money laundering, extortion, bribery, kidnapping, and robbery.
According to the OFAC, the syndicate's members are "initiated or 'crowned' after demonstrating an 'ideal' criminal biography and take an oath to uphold a code that includes living exclusively off their criminal profits and supporting other Thieves-In-Law."
Being a member of the Thieves-In-Law was criminalized in Russia in April 2019. In Georgia, it was criminalized in 2005.
Two other former Soviet republics, Armenia and Ukraine, also have made it a crime to be a top member of the criminal hierarchy.
With reporting by Kommersant


rferl--2020-12-18--Satellite Photos Reportedly Show New Construction At Iran Nuclear Facility

Satellite imagery obtained by the Associated Press on December 18 shows construction work has begun at a controversial underground Iranian nuclear facility at Fordow , the news agency said .
New work at any nuclear facility in Iran is likely to exacerbate international tensions as the outgoing U.S. administration of Donald Trump continues to exert pressure on Tehran over its nuclear and weapons programs and its activities in the region .
A photo from a week earlier obtained from Maxar Technologies reportedly shows what looks like a freshly dug foundation for a building with dozens of pillars extending into the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Iran 's representatives to the United Nations and officials at the International Atomic Energy Agency ( IAEA ) were not initially available for comment , AP reported .
“ Any changes at this site will be carefully watched as a sign of where Iran ’ s nuclear program is headed , '' said Jeffrey Lewis , an expert at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies .
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency ( IAEA ) , Rafael Grossi , said on December 17 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to revive the 2015 nuclear agreement that Washington pulled out of two years ago , it would have to reach a new deal on reversing Iran 's subsequent breaches .
One of the possible breaches involves the resumption , announced a year ago , of uranium-enrichment activities at Fordow .
President-elect Joe Biden has said the United States will rejoin the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action ( JCPOA ) `` if Iran resumes strict compliance '' with the deal , which eased UN sanctions in exchange for curbs on Iran 's disputed nuclear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2018 .
Biden is due to be sworn in on January 20 .
`` I can not imagine that they are going simply to say , 'We are back to square one ' because square one is no longer there , '' Grossi told Reuters at IAEA headquarters on December 17 .
Citing `` more [ nuclear ] material '' and `` more activity , more centrifuges '' and other factors , Grossi said that the question of a resumption is `` at the political level to decide '' and that `` undoubtedly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ second deal .
`` It is clear that there will have to be a protocol or an agreement or an understanding or some ancillary document which will stipulate clearly what we do , '' Grossi said .
The recent construction site lies northwest of Fordow 's underground facility , which is known to house uranium-enrichment technology and is built deep inside a mountain for security reasons .
A Twitter account called Observer IL recently published an image of Fordow showing the work , saying it had come from South Korea 's Korea Aerospace @ @ @ @ @ @ @ acknowledged taking the photo , AP said .
With reporting by AP and Reuters

A polytechnic school in Russia’s Tatarstan, a region some 900 kilometers east of Moscow, is using manufacturing facilities that are part of a nearby special economic zone to assemble Iranian attack drones and are increasingly turning to underage students as laborers, many of whom often work in exploitative conditions.
The revelations at Alabuga Polytechnic University raise troubling implications about the lengths that Russian authorities are going to in order to boost the war effort and how the advanced Iranian weaponry -- which is increasingly used to bombard Ukrainian cities and has only recently begun to be manufactured inside Russia -- could contribute to escalating tensions and rising civilian casualties.
The use of underage students as drone factory workers and the details of the manufacturing facilities were first reported by Russian independent media outlets Protokol and Razvorot, which published a series of investigations in July.
Since then, RFE/RL’s Idel.Realities has spoken with students who describe grueling working conditions and interviewed dozens of parents whose children have been enrolled at Alabuga Polytechnic University -- some as young at 15 -- who say that their children were forced to work exceedingly long hours, often without proper breaks or meals, and under hostile conditions that have deeply affected their mental health.
“My son enrolled and 2 1/2 months later he called for me to take him away,” Zhanna, who asked to be identified only by her first name to protect against reprisals for speaking about the operation, told RFE/RL. “He said to me on the phone, ‘Come and get me or I’ll die,’ so I picked him up immediately.”
Zhanna, who asked that her underage son’s name also not be used, says that she sent him from Nizhny Novgorod to study at Alabuga Polytechnic University in 2022 because of its reputation as a leading technical institution inside Russia.
The school offered students -- often between the ages of 15-18 -- an opportunity to get vocational training as part of a dual program that combines a classroom education with practical work experience. Students were also promised an opportunity to work and earn a locally competitive salary of up to 70,000 rubles ($700) a month as part of the work experience program that could further their career growth.
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.
But, instead, those enrolled were encouraged and in some cases pressured into working at the drone facility, where the salaries of the mostly underage laborers are contingent on meeting tough production quotas.
“This is a textbook definition of what constitutes exploitation,” Sergei Podsytnik, an investigative journalist at Protokol who worked on the series of reports, told RFE/RL. “[Students] assemble drones, with the work taking priority over their studies.”
The pressure to fulfill these quotas has allegedly led to strenuous back-to-back days -- with some shifts lasting up to 15 hours -- with little time for sleep or adequate sustenance. Overtime work is often unpaid, further highlighting potential labor violations. Exhausted students also reported not always meeting their quotas, which led to them not earning the salary initially promised by the school. Many students came from disadvantaged backgrounds and relied on their earnings to cover costs for tuition, room, and board and would send the remainder home.
Other parents, such as Marina, said she decided to take her daughter out of the program when she discovered that she was working in apparent unsafe conditions and that staff from the school had instructed students not to tell their parents about the drone assembly work.
“This was the last straw for me,” Marina, who also asked for her identity to be concealed, told RFE/RL. “This is a dangerous production process that involves dangerous chemicals. They also forbid the kids from telling everything to their parents.”
RFE/RL sent multiple requests for comment to various staff and administrators at Alabuga Polytechnic University but received no replies.
Making Iranian Drones In Russia
The complicated and concerning dynamic at Alabuga Polytechnic University stems from growing military cooperation between Iran and Russia that has accelerated since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Iran has said it provided drones to Russia before the start of the war, but not since. However, U.S. intelligence officials have warned for months of continued deliveries and deepening cooperation between Moscow and Tehran, saying the two sides were exploring how to set up a manufacturing plant for Iranian drones inside Russia.
According to The Wall Street Journal, an Iranian delegation visited Yelabuga in Tatarstan on January 5, touring a potential site for such a factory at the Alabuga special economic zone close to Alabuga Polytechnic University. U.S. officials released satellite images in April of the plant being built.
Russia already possesses an array of unarmed aerial vehicles, or UAVs, which are used mainly for surveillance and artillery spotting, but has turned increasingly to Tehran for attack drones.
After being forced to abandon Ukrainian territory that its troops captured in the early stretches of the war, Moscow shifted to a strategy of relentless air assaults on Ukrainian cities. These attacks often rely on a combination of cruise missiles and self-detonating drones packed with explosives to knock out electricity and running water for the civilian population in Ukraine.
So far, Iran has provided Russia mostly with so-called "suicide" drones, known as the Shahed-136, that contain a modest amount of explosives that can detonate when the drones crash into targets, military experts say.
In acquiring its own domestic assembly line, Russia could dramatically increase its stockpile of the relatively inexpensive but highly destructive weapons systems.
WATCH: Russia has resorted to using Shahed-136 drones from Iran in its war on Ukraine. Ukraine says it's already downed many of the drones, which work by slamming into their intended target, laden with explosives. Ordinary Ukrainians say they can already recognize the sound of the drones, which use two-stroke engines like lawnmowers or motorbikes. Iran has denied supplying the drones to Russia.
The arrangement also offers substantial economic and political benefits for Iran, which has sought to portray itself as neutral in the Ukraine war. The appearance of Iranian-made drones over Ukrainian cities, however, has triggered threats of new economic sanctions from the West. The United States, the European Union, and the United Kingdom have also all issued rules in recent months designed to cut off the flow of drone components to Russia and Iran.
The Washington Post reported in November 2022, citing unnamed U.S. intelligence officials, that the agreement to deliver Iranian drone schematics and materials for manufacture in Russia resulted from Iranian leaders believing that the arrangement would allow Tehran to avert new sanctions.
Foreign Recruitment And Patriotic Education
Alabuga Polytechnic University is formally not a college. All of its students are officially enrolled at nearby Yelabuga Polytechnic College, with the Alabuga institution existing on paper as a specialized program for students looking to break into high-tech industries.
Currently, about 1,000 students are studying at Alabuga Polytechnic University, with several hundred of them -- most of whom are between the ages of 15 and 17 -- involved in assembling the Iranian drones.
In addition to the work on the drones, there are other signs that point to blurred lines in Russia between the education system and the country’s military amid the war in Ukraine.
According to current and former Alabuga Polytechnic University students, team-building and organized extracurricular activities through the school often take on a “patriotic” character that may be designed to expose students to official government narratives of international events or echo talking points from state television.
Organized paintball games have become a mainstay for students, especially first-year arrivals, in which they are encouraged to compete against one another and then play together against more experienced outside players. Teachers and administration officials regularly refer to paintball as being part of a “patriotic” education needed to complement the technical aspect of their studies.
In one instance, a group of new students competed in paintball as Soviet soldiers against outside players who were dressed as troops from Nazi Germany in a capture-the-flag competition meant to simulate the World War II battle of Stalingrad. According to one student, the Nazi flag contained the compass symbol used by the NATO military alliance instead of the swastika used by Nazi Germany.
Other instances of political teachings from staff are more direct. In a recording obtained by RFE/RL from June 16, a senior administrator can be heard telling the teenagers that NATO launched a hybrid war against Russia back in 2011 and that it has slowly become more overt. The man then goes on to tell students that their hard work and exceeding long days at the drone factory are part of a nationwide struggle against the West and that their patriotism will be rewarded.
Several students and parents identified the man in the recording as Timur Shagivaleev, the director-general of the special economic zone where Alabuga Polytechnic University and the drone factory operate.
Shagivaleev did not respond to RFE/RL’s request for comment.
The man in the recording then goes on to tell students not to take holidays and to continue working “even if it's mom's birthday,” before ending his speech with, “Long live our great country.”
WATCH: Amid a new wave of Russian drone attacks on Ukraine, analysts in Kyiv are gaining useful intelligence from a collection of downed Russian aerial weapons. They have been studying the remains of Iranian Shahed drones and Russian Kinzhal missiles, among others.
Multiple current and former students told RFE/RL that students who work in the drone factory are often praised by staff, while those who have refused or asked to be reassigned due to the high workload are often publicly shamed. In some instances -- according to recordings heard by RFE/RL -- staff even encourage students to bully others who are not deemed “patriotic” enough.
According to Protokol and Razvorot’s investigations, Alabuga Polytechnic University has also turned toward recruiting foreign students to enroll. The majority of them come from African countries, but also from Central Asia and Azerbaijan, where they are promised “world class” salaries as part of the dual-track world experience program.
However, these foreign students are then given low-skill and menial tasks around the campus and the special economic zone, such as janitorial work, and are also paid lower salaries than initially promised.
Written by Reid Standish based on reporting by RFE/RL’s Idel.Realities


rferl--2020-12-18--Tomsk Lawmakers Demand Investigation Into Navalny's Poisoning

TOMSK , Russia -- Seven local lawmakers of the Siberian city of Tomsk have called on Russia 's Investigative Committee to launch a probe into the nerve-agent poisoning in August of Russian opposition politician Aleksei Navalny .
The city legislators said in an official letter to the Investigative Committee that they are concerned about the possible use of `` a chemical poison in our city ... with the state 's participation . ''
The letter was made public on December 17 in a Twitter post by Tomsk City Duma member Ksenia Fadeyeva .
The letter says data collected by independent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conclusions of experts at European laboratories who tested medical samples from Navalny , provide enough evidence to launch an investigation .
The local lawmakers stressed that since the names of individuals allegedly involved in Navalny 's poisoning have been made public , the investigation must be launched immediately .
The letter appeared on Twitter hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that Navalny `` is supported by the U.S. secret services . ''
Putin said that is why Russia 's secret services `` must keep an eye on him , but it does @ @ @ @ @ @ @ poison him . ''
`` Who needs him ?
You know , if we wanted , we would finish it , '' Putin said .
The 44-year-old Navalny was airlifted to Germany in August after falling ill during a flight from Tomsk to Moscow .
Laboratory tests in three European countries , confirmed by the global chemical weapons watchdog , established that Navalny was poisoned with a Soviet-style Novichok nerve agent .
Some earlier investigative reports concluded that Navalny was most likely poisoned before he boarded the plane in Tomsk .
Russia has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the poisoning and denies the involvement of state agents in the case -- saying it has yet to be shown any evidence .
A report issued on December 14 by the British-based open-source investigative group Bellingcat published the names and photos of FSB operatives accused of taking part in a state-backed poisoning operation .
The report , which includes a timeline of events around the attack on Navalny , was prepared jointly by Bellingcat , The Insider , Der Spiegel , CNN , and a Russian investigative website .
Navalny has said that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ implemented without direct orders from Putin and Aleksandr Bortnikov , the head of Russia 's Federal Security Service ( FSB ) .
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov described the reports about possible FSB involvement in the poisoning as `` funny . ''
Putin 's spokesman Dmitry Peskov canceled his daily briefings on December 15-16 after the Bellingcat report was published , citing preparations for Putin 's annual press conference .
Earlier in the week , three lawmakers in St. Petersburg and two lawmakers from Russia 's northwestern city of Pskov also officially demanded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an investigation into Navalny 's poisoning .

TOMSK, Russia -- Seven local lawmakers of the Siberian city of Tomsk have called on Russia's Investigative Committee to launch a probe into the nerve-agent poisoning in August of Russian opposition politician Aleksei Navalny.
The city legislators said in an official letter to the Investigative Committee that they are concerned about the possible use of "a chemical poison in our city...with the state's participation."
The letter was made public on December 17 in a Twitter post by Tomsk City Duma member Ksenia Fadeyeva.
The letter says data collected by independent investigative journalists, as well as the conclusions of experts at European laboratories who tested medical samples from Navalny, provide enough evidence to launch an investigation.
The local lawmakers stressed that since the names of individuals allegedly involved in Navalny's poisoning have been made public, the investigation must be launched immediately.
The letter appeared on Twitter hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that Navalny "is supported by the U.S. secret services."
Putin said that is why Russia's secret services "must keep an eye on him, but it does not mean that it is necessary to poison him."
"Who needs him? If they wanted to, they would have finished the job,” Putin said.
The 44-year-old Navalny was airlifted to Germany in August after falling ill during a flight from Tomsk to Moscow.
Laboratory tests in three European countries, confirmed by the global chemical weapons watchdog, established that Navalny was poisoned with a Soviet-style Novichok nerve agent.
Some earlier investigative reports concluded that Navalny was most likely poisoned before he boarded the plane in Tomsk.
Russia has rejected previous calls for an investigation into the poisoning and denies the involvement of state agents in the case -- saying it has yet to be shown any evidence.
A report issued on December 14 by the British-based open-source investigative group Bellingcat published the names and photos of FSB operatives accused of taking part in a state-backed poisoning operation.
The report, which includes a timeline of events around the attack on Navalny, was prepared jointly by Bellingcat, The Insider, Der Spiegel, CNN, and a Russian investigative website.
Navalny has said that such an operation could not have been implemented without direct orders from Putin and Aleksandr Bortnikov, the head of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB).
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov described the reports about possible FSB involvement in the poisoning as "funny."
Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov canceled his daily briefings on December 15-16 after the Bellingcat report was published, citing preparations for Putin's annual press conference.
Earlier in the week, three lawmakers in St. Petersburg and two lawmakers from Russia's northwestern city of Pskov also officially demanded that Investigative Committee chief Aleksandr Bastrykin launch an investigation into Navalny's poisoning.


rferl--2020-12-18--Swedish Prosecutors Seek Long Prison Terms For Russians Accused Of Attacking Chechen Blogger

Prosecutors in Sweden are said to be seeking lengthy prison terms for two Russians on trial for allegedly trying to kill an exiled Chechen blogger with a hammer as he slept .
Tumso Abdurakhmanov , who fled Russia in 2015 , reportedly survived the February 26 attack by overpowering one of the suspects .
Abdurakhmanov then posted a YouTube video in which he said he had just fought off the attack and is seen questioning a bloodied man lying on the floor .
It was one of a number of attacks outside Russia in the past two years targeting vocal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Russia 's southern Republic of Chechnya .
Abdurakhmanov said on Telegram on December 16 that Swedish prosecutors had asked an Attunda district court to sentence the defendants in the case -- Ruslan Mamayev and Elmira Shapiayeva -- to at least 10 and eight years in prison , respectively .
He said the verdicts were expected on January 8 .
Mamayev testified when the trial started on November 2 that he was acting on orders from Chechen officials and had since sought political asylum in Sweden .
He said he had secretly planned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ order to discourage Chechen officials from punishing him .
Mamayev also claimed Chechen authorities promised to pay him 50,000 euros for assassinating Abdurakhmanov .
In late January , the body of Imran Aliyev , another Chechen blogger known for his criticism of Kadyrov , was found dead with stab wounds in a hotel room in the northern French city of Lille .
Austria has arrested two Chechen asylum seekers as part of an investigation into the July 4 killing in the Vienna suburb of Gerasdorf of another Kadyrov critic , Mamikhan Umarov .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a former Chechen separatist fighter who had fled from Georgia to Germany , was shot dead in Berlin .
A Russian national suspected in that killing went on trial in Germany in October .
Human rights groups have accused Kadyrov of widespread rights and other abuses in the region , allegations he denies .
Critics say Kadyrov is ultimately responsible for the violence and intimidation of political opponents by Chechen authorities , including kidnappings , forced disappearances , torture , and extrajudicial killings .
Defenders claim Kadyrov has brought relative calm to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and separatists after the 1991 breakup of the Soviet Union .

Prosecutors in Sweden are said to be seeking lengthy prison terms for two Russians on trial for allegedly trying to kill an exiled Chechen blogger with a hammer as he slept.
Tumso Abdurakhmanov, who fled Russia in 2015, reportedly survived the February 26 attack by overpowering one of the suspects.
Abdurakhmanov then posted a YouTube video in which he said he had just fought off the attack and is seen questioning a bloodied man lying on the floor.
It was one of a number of attacks outside Russia in the past two years targeting vocal critics of Ramzan Kadyrov, the head of Russia's southern Republic of Chechnya.
Abdurakhmanov said on Telegram on December 16 that Swedish prosecutors had asked an Attunda district court to sentence the defendants in the case -- Ruslan Mamayev and Elmira Shapiayeva -- to at least 10 and eight years in prison, respectively.
He said the verdicts were expected on January 8.
Mamayev testified when the trial started on November 2 that he was acting on orders from Chechen officials and had since sought political asylum in Sweden.
He said he had secretly planned to be seen to have failed in order to discourage Chechen officials from punishing him.
Mamayev also claimed Chechen authorities promised to pay him 50,000 euros for assassinating Abdurakhmanov.
In late January, the body of Imran Aliyev, another Chechen blogger known for his criticism of Kadyrov, was found dead with stab wounds in a hotel room in the northern French city of Lille.
Austria has arrested two Chechen asylum seekers as part of an investigation into the July 4 killing in the Vienna suburb of Gerasdorf of another Kadyrov critic, Mamikhan Umarov.
In August 2019, Zelimkhan Khangoshvili, a former Chechen separatist fighter who had fled from Georgia to Germany, was shot dead in Berlin. A Russian national suspected in that killing went on trial in Germany in October.
Human rights groups have accused Kadyrov of widespread rights and other abuses in the region, allegations he denies.
Critics say Kadyrov is ultimately responsible for the violence and intimidation of political opponents by Chechen authorities, including kidnappings, forced disappearances, torture, and extrajudicial killings.
Defenders claim Kadyrov has brought relative calm to the volatile region following two wars between Moscow and separatists after the 1991 breakup of the Soviet Union.


rferl--2020-12-18--Russian, Belarusian Officials Agree On New Level Of Cross-Border Security Cooperation

Russian and Belarusian authorities last month signed a new cooperation agreement that allows for police and security operations in Belarus by troops from the Russian National Guard ( Rosgvardia ) , which is controlled directly by the Kremlin , according to a copy of the deal just made public .
An official Belarusian legal portal published the four-page agreement between the Belarusian Interior Ministry and the Federal Service of the Rosgvardia on December 18 .
But it is dated November 19 and states that it went into immediate effect .
It says either side may carry out a wide range @ @ @ @ @ @ @ territory if `` such assistance is of interest to the other . ''
The agreement comes as Belarusian security forces loyal to longtime ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka continue to crack down on months of anti-government protests since a presidential election in early August that the opposition insists was stolen .
Tens of thousands of Belarusians continue to march weekly to demand Lukashenka 's resignation despite mass arrests and beatings , detentions , and expulsions of opposition leaders , including exiled presidential challenger Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya , and a tightened grip on media in the former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ run the country since 1994 , has resisted Western calls to hold a new election and speak to the opposition .
He has also appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin for help to suppress the movement , with mixed results , as Moscow continues to try to prod Minsk toward fulfilling a decades-old agreement on joint statehood .
Putin established the Rosgvardia in 2016 with a former Kremlin security chief at its head and has steadily expanded its responsibilities and political dimensions .
The new Russian-Belarusian agreement spells out broad areas of possible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ safety , combating extremism and terrorism , and ensuring fuel and energy infrastructure .
It provides for either side to waive assistance if the party requesting help fears it could threaten sovereignty , security , or national interests , or contravenes legal or international obligations .
The European Union on December 17 imposed a third round of economic sanctions on dozens of Belarusian individuals and entities over their suspected involvement in the crackdown on the ongoing pro-democracy protests .
Exiled opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya , who entered the presidential race against Lukashenka after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ predicted it was just `` a matter of time '' until Lukashenka , who has run the country since 1994 , steps aside .
At the end of August , Putin said Russia had formed a reserve of law enforcement officers to assist Belarus at Lukashenka 's request .
He said both sides agreed such assistance `` will not be used unless the situation gets out of control . ''
In Sochi on September 14 , Putin and Lukashenka reportedly agreed that the reserve of Russian security forces -- created near the border @ @ @ @ @ @ @ places of permanent deployment .
In October , Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin tasked officials with hammering out the details of the agreement .

Russian and Belarusian authorities last month signed a new cooperation agreement that allows for police and security operations in Belarus by troops from the Russian National Guard (Rosgvardia), which is controlled directly by the Kremlin, according to a copy of the deal just made public.
An official Belarusian legal portal published the four-page agreement between the Belarusian Interior Ministry and the Federal Service of the Rosgvardia on December 18.
But it is dated November 19 and states that it went into immediate effect.
It says either side may carry out a wide range of law-enforcement-type operations on the other's territory if "such assistance is of interest to the other."
The agreement comes as Belarusian security forces loyal to longtime ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka continue to crack down on months of anti-government protests since a presidential election in early August that the opposition insists was stolen.
Tens of thousands of Belarusians continue to march weekly to demand Lukashenka's resignation despite mass arrests and beatings, detentions, and expulsions of opposition leaders, including exiled presidential challenger Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, and a tightened grip on media in the former Soviet republic.
Lukashenka, who has run the country since 1994, has resisted Western calls to hold a new election and speak to the opposition.
He has also appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin for help to suppress the movement, with mixed results, as Moscow continues to try to prod Minsk toward fulfilling a decades-old agreement on joint statehood.
Putin established the Rosgvardia in 2016 with a former Kremlin security chief at its head and has steadily expanded its responsibilities and political dimensions.
The new Russian-Belarusian agreement spells out broad areas of possible cooperation, including maintaining public order and safety, combating extremism and terrorism, and ensuring fuel and energy infrastructure.
It provides for either side to waive assistance if the party requesting help fears it could threaten sovereignty, security, or national interests, or contravenes legal or international obligations.
The European Union on December 17 imposed a third round of economic sanctions on dozens of Belarusian individuals and entities over their suspected involvement in the crackdown on the ongoing pro-democracy protests.
Exiled opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who entered the presidential race against Lukashenka after authorities jailed her candidate-husband, this week predicted it was just "a matter of time" until Lukashenka, who has run the country since 1994, steps aside.
At the end of August, Putin said Russia had formed a reserve of law enforcement officers to assist Belarus at Lukashenka's request.
He said both sides agreed such assistance "will not be used unless the situation gets out of control."
In Sochi on September 14, Putin and Lukashenka reportedly agreed that the reserve of Russian security forces -- created near the border -- would be removed and sent to places of permanent deployment.
In October, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin tasked officials with hammering out the details of the agreement.


rferl--2020-12-18--Death Of Kazakh Beauty Queen Sparks Debate On Domestic Violence

When 29-year-old Symbat Kulzhagharova fell to her death from her 11th-floor apartment in Nur-Sultan , Kazakhstan , the police said @ @ @ @ @ 's social-media posts claiming she was being beaten by her husband have raised doubts about @ @ @ @ @ people have signed a petition demanding tougher punishment for domestic violence .

When 29-year-old Symbat Kulzhagharova fell to her death from her 11th-floor apartment in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, the police said it was suicide. Kulzhagharova's social-media posts claiming she was being beaten by her husband have raised doubts about this, and some 70,000 people have signed a petition demanding tougher punishment for domestic violence.


rferl--2020-12-18--In Response To Kremlin, U.S. Reiterates Proposed Extension Of New START Treaty

The United States has responded to Russia ’ s call to continue negotiations on the New START arms-control treaty by reiterating a U.S. proposal and saying the Russians have `` rejected '' attempts to restart the talks .
The U.S. proposal calls for a one-year extension of New START and an undefined warhead freeze to which Marshall Billingslea , U.S. President Donald Trump 's special arms-control envoy , said Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed .
`` We already responded , repeatedly .
5 times we offered , incl .
in writing , to meet to finalize the freeze/extension deal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said on Twitter .
The Russian Foreign Ministry `` rejected all mtgs , '' he added .
`` All we need to do is define what we are freezing , the cap level & start verification talks . ''
Billingslea ’ s comment responded to an earlier tweet from a government-run Kremlin account that said , `` We are ready to continue the dialogue with the US , but for that our partners need to respond . ''
Talks on the treaty , which expires in February , have been stalled since October @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bilateral nuclear-arms pact between the two countries .
Russia in November revived an earlier call for an unconditional New START extension for the five-year maximum .
Putin also mentioned New START during his annual press conference on December 17 , calling for a one-year extension .
The New START accord , signed in 2010 , limits the numbers of strategic nuclear warheads , missiles , and bombers that Russia and the United States can deploy .
Several rounds of talks between the two countries took place earlier this year with no breakthrough on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ point proposed a one-year New START extension and a strategic and tactical warhead freeze also for one year , but only if Washington sought no further conditions .

The United States has responded to Russia’s call to continue negotiations on the New START arms-control treaty by reiterating a U.S. proposal and saying the Russians have "rejected" attempts to restart the talks.
The U.S. proposal calls for a one-year extension of New START and an undefined warhead freeze to which Marshall Billingslea, U.S. President Donald Trump's special arms-control envoy, said Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed.
"We already responded, repeatedly. 5 times we offered, incl. in writing, to meet to finalize the freeze/extension deal to which Putin agreed," Billingslea said on Twitter. The Russian Foreign Ministry "rejected all mtgs," he added. "All we need to do is define what we are freezing, the cap level & start verification talks."
Billingslea’s comment responded to an earlier tweet from a government-run Kremlin account that said, "We are ready to continue the dialogue with the US, but for that our partners need to respond."
Talks on the treaty, which expires in February, have been stalled since October. New START is the last remaining bilateral nuclear-arms pact between the two countries.
Russia in November revived an earlier call for an unconditional New START extension for the five-year maximum.
Putin also mentioned New START during his annual press conference on December 17, calling for a one-year extension.
The New START accord, signed in 2010, limits the numbers of strategic nuclear warheads, missiles, and bombers that Russia and the United States can deploy.
Several rounds of talks between the two countries took place earlier this year with no breakthrough on a possible extension.
Russia at one point proposed a one-year New START extension and a strategic and tactical warhead freeze also for one year, but only if Washington sought no further conditions.
Moscow discarded the idea after Washington demanded strict verification measures, a complex negotiating process.
Based on reporting by Reuters


rferl--2020-12-18--Chinese Investors File Arbitration Case Against Ukraine Over Motor Sich Investment

Chinese investors have brought a $ 3.5 billion arbitration case against Ukraine for blocking the sale of a strategic aircraft engine maker whose fate Washington is closely following .
The Chinese investors behind Skyrizon filed the arbitration case earlier this month , accusing Kyiv of expropriating its investment in Motor Sich after the government froze its shares in the company , the Kyiv Post reported December 17 .
Motor Sich owner Vyacheslav Bohuslayev agreed in 2017 to sell a majority stake in the company to Skyrizon , triggering concerns in Kyiv and Washington over the transfer of its advanced technology @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bolton told Ukrainian officials last year during a trip to Ukraine that the U.S. opposes the sale of the company to China .
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reiterated that message this year .
However , Motor Sich needs large-scale investment to stay competitive , and Western companies haven ’ t shown great interest in buying the Soviet-era company , which employs thousands of workers , putting Washington and Kyiv in a tough position as they seek a solution .
The Chinese investors earlier this year renewed their lobbying effort to get Ukraine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ failed , filed an arbitration case .
Ukraine ’ s bilateral investment treaty with China allows investors to appoint their own arbitrators .
Skyrizon could face difficulties proving that it is a private company and that the shares were bought in a legal and transparent matter , the Kyiv Post reported , citing a Ukrainian law firm .

Chinese investors have brought a $3.5 billion arbitration case against Ukraine for blocking the sale of a strategic aircraft engine maker whose fate Washington is closely following.
The Chinese investors behind Skyrizon filed the arbitration case earlier this month, accusing Kyiv of expropriating its investment in Motor Sich after the government froze its shares in the company, the Kyiv Post reported December 17.
Motor Sich owner Vyacheslav Bohuslayev agreed in 2017 to sell a majority stake in the company to Skyrizon, triggering concerns in Kyiv and Washington over the transfer of its advanced technology to Beijing.
Former national-security adviser John Bolton told Ukrainian officials last year during a trip to Ukraine that the U.S. opposes the sale of the company to China. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reiterated that message this year.
However, Motor Sich needs large-scale investment to stay competitive, and Western companies haven’t shown great interest in buying the Soviet-era company, which employs thousands of workers, putting Washington and Kyiv in a tough position as they seek a solution.
The Chinese investors earlier this year renewed their lobbying effort to get Ukraine to unfreeze the shares and, having failed, filed an arbitration case. Ukraine’s bilateral investment treaty with China allows investors to appoint their own arbitrators.
Skyrizon could face difficulties proving that it is a private company and that the shares were bought in a legal and transparent matter, the Kyiv Post reported, citing a Ukrainian law firm.


rferl--2020-12-18--U.K. Citizen Sentenced For Attempting To Smuggle Industrial Equipment To Iran

A U.K. citizen has been sentenced in Florida to two years and six months in federal prison for attempting to smuggle industrial equipment to Iran .
Colin Fisher , 45 , was arrested in August when he arrived in Florida from the United Arab Emirates to obtain power-generating equipment for a buyer in Iran , a statement from the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Florida said .
Fisher , who was also fined $ 5,000 , pleaded guilty in September to violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act , which bans the export of such equipment to Iran @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of his arrest in August , Fisher worked to violate the Iranian embargo by attempting to export a Solar Mars 90 S turbine core engine and parts from the United States for delivery to an end user in Iran , ” the statement said .
The scheme included fraudulent invoicing and coded language with conspirators to communicate about the transactions , the statement said .
“ The Iranian embargo is directly related to the national security of the United States , and by attempting to evade that embargo Fisher and his fellow conspirators @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” U.S. Attorney Lawrence Keefe said .
Law enforcement authorities seized the turbine before it was sent to a conspirator linked to an Iranian energy company .
The turbine , which was valued at $ 500,000 , could be used to provide energy to the oil fields of Iran .
James Meharg , CEO and president of Pensacola-based Turbine Resources International , was previously convicted of conspiring with Fisher to export a turbine to Iran .
He is serving a three-and-a-half-year sentence in federal prison .


rferl--2020-12-18--Congress To Be Briefed On Massive Cyberattack Suspected To Be Work Of Russian Hackers

The FBI and other agencies investigating an extensive cyberattack on U.S. government computer networks will brief members of Congress on December 18 about the intrusion , which officials suspect was carried out by Russian hackers .
The meeting comes as federal authorities expressed heightened alarm about the intrusion and as Microsoft and the U.S. Department of Energy added themselves to the list of entities affected .
The U.S. government 's top cybersecurity agency on December 17 issued its most urgent warning yet about the cyberattack , saying it posed a `` grave risk '' to computer networks maintained by governments @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and could be difficult to purge .
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency ( CISA ) said on December 17 that removing the malware from compromised systems “ will be highly complex and challenging for organizations.
” U.S. cybersecurity officials have not officially blamed Russia , but some members of Congress have .
The cyberattack was first reported on December 13 in news reports that quoted unidentified U.S. officials as saying Russia-based hackers were suspected .
The CISA alert noted that the attack came from `` a patient , well-resourced , and focused @ @ @ @ @ @ @ security and complex tradecraft . ''
Russia 's U.S. Embassy has denied any involvement , saying in a statement on December 14 that Russia “ does not conduct offensive operations in the cyber domain.
” The Department of Homeland Security , the Treasury Department , and the Commerce Department were among those affected in the attack , according to media reports , quoting unidentified officials with knowledge of the cyberattack .
The Department of Energy acknowledged on December 17 that it was among those that had been hacked .
The department includes the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weapons stockpile .
Microsoft said on December 17 that it found malicious software in its systems related to the hacking campaign .
The company is a customer of SolarWinds , the U.S. software company whose network management software was compromised .
`` Like other SolarWinds customers , we have been actively looking for indicators of this actor and can confirm that we detected malicious Solar Winds binaries in our environment , which we isolated and removed , '' a Microsoft spokesperson said , according to Reuters .
The spokesperson said the company had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ used to attack others .
Microsoft said most of the compromised customers are in the United States , with victims also in Canada , Mexico , Belgium , Spain , the United Kingdom , Israel , and the United Arab Emirates .
U.S. President-elect Joe Biden called the cyberattack a “ great concern ” and promised to impose “ substantial costs ” on the perpetrators .
“ We need to disrupt and deter our adversaries from undertaking significant cyberattacks in the first place , ” Biden said in a statement on December 17 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , among other things , imposing substantial costs on those responsible for such malicious attacks , including in coordination with our allies and partners.
” Biden said his incoming administration is working with the government agencies that were affected to learn all it can about the attack .
With reporting by AP and Reuters

The FBI and other agencies investigating an extensive cyberattack on U.S. government computer networks will brief members of Congress on December 18 about the intrusion, which officials suspect was carried out by Russian hackers.
The meeting comes as federal authorities expressed heightened alarm about the intrusion and as Microsoft and the U.S. Department of Energy added themselves to the list of entities affected.
The U.S. government's top cybersecurity agency on December 17 issued its most urgent warning yet about the cyberattack, saying it posed a "grave risk" to computer networks maintained by governments, utilities, and the private sector and could be difficult to purge.
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) said on December 17 that removing the malware from compromised systems “will be highly complex and challenging for organizations.”
U.S. cybersecurity officials have not officially blamed Russia, but some members of Congress have. The cyberattack was first reported on December 13 in news reports that quoted unidentified U.S. officials as saying Russia-based hackers were suspected.
The CISA alert noted that the attack came from "a patient, well-resourced, and focused adversary" that engaged in "operational security and complex tradecraft."
Russia's U.S. Embassy has denied any involvement, saying in a statement on December 14 that Russia “does not conduct offensive operations in the cyber domain.”
The Department of Homeland Security, the Treasury Department, and the Commerce Department were among those affected in the attack, according to media reports, quoting unidentified officials with knowledge of the cyberattack.
The Department of Energy acknowledged on December 17 that it was among those that had been hacked. The department includes the agency that manages the country's nuclear weapons stockpile.
Microsoft said on December 17 that it found malicious software in its systems related to the hacking campaign. The company is a customer of SolarWinds, the U.S. software company whose network management software was compromised.
"Like other SolarWinds customers, we have been actively looking for indicators of this actor and can confirm that we detected malicious Solar Winds binaries in our environment, which we isolated and removed," a Microsoft spokesperson said, according to Reuters.
The spokesperson said the company had found no indications that its systems were used to attack others.
Microsoft said most of the compromised customers are in the United States, with victims also in Canada, Mexico, Belgium, Spain, the United Kingdom, Israel, and the United Arab Emirates.
U.S. President-elect Joe Biden called the cyberattack a “great concern” and promised to impose “substantial costs” on the perpetrators.
“We need to disrupt and deter our adversaries from undertaking significant cyberattacks in the first place,” Biden said in a statement on December 17. “We will do that by, among other things, imposing substantial costs on those responsible for such malicious attacks, including in coordination with our allies and partners.”
Biden said his incoming administration is working with the government agencies that were affected to learn all it can about the attack.
With reporting by AP and Reuters


rferl--2020-12-18--Russian Serviceman Killed Clearing Mines In Nagorno-Karabakh

Russia has suffered its first casualty in Nagorno-Karabakh since its peacekeepers were deployed to the breakaway region last month under a Moscow-brokered cease-fire deal that brought an end to six weeks of fighting between Azerbaijan and ethnic Armenian forces .
The Russian Defense Ministry said on December 18 that the serviceman was killed while demining a road .
The officer died on his way to hospital from heavy wounds after a mine exploded near the town of Susa , which is known as Shushi in Armenian , according to Interfax .
Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most of the region 's population reject Azerbaijani rule .
They had been governing their own affairs , with support from Armenia , since Azerbaijan 's troops and Azeri civilians were pushed out of the region and seven adjacent districts in a war that ended in a cease-fire in 1994 .
Heavy clashes erupted over Nagorno-Karabakh in late September during which more than 5,600 people , including civilians , were killed .
In early November , Azerbaijan shot down a Russian military helicopter on its border with Armenia , killing two crew members @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cease-fire deal that took effect on November 10 , resulting in Azerbaijan regaining control over swaths of territory ethnic Armenians had administered for almost 30 years .
Under the truce deal , nearly 2,000 Russian peacekeepers were deployed to the conflict zone to monitor the agreement and facilitate the return of refugees .
Russian military engineers were sent to the area to clear minefields .
Based on reporting by AP , Reuters , Interfax , and TASS

Russia has suffered its first casualty in Nagorno-Karabakh since its peacekeepers were deployed to the breakaway region last month under a Moscow-brokered cease-fire deal that brought an end to six weeks of fighting between Azerbaijan and ethnic Armenian forces.
The Russian Defense Ministry said on December 18 that the serviceman was killed while demining a road.
The officer died on his way to hospital from heavy wounds after a mine exploded near the town of Susa, which is known as Shushi in Armenian, according to Interfax.
Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but the ethnic Armenians who make up most of the region's population reject Azerbaijani rule.
They had been governing their own affairs, with support from Armenia, since Azerbaijan's troops and Azeri civilians were pushed out of the region and seven adjacent districts in a war that ended in a cease-fire in 1994.
Heavy clashes erupted over Nagorno-Karabakh in late September during which more than 5,600 people, including civilians, were killed. In early November, Azerbaijan shot down a Russian military helicopter on its border with Armenia, killing two crew members.
The sides agreed to a Russia-brokered cease-fire deal that took effect on November 10, resulting in Azerbaijan regaining control over swaths of territory ethnic Armenians had administered for almost 30 years.
Under the truce deal, nearly 2,000 Russian peacekeepers were deployed to the conflict zone to monitor the agreement and facilitate the return of refugees. Russian military engineers were sent to the area to clear minefields.
Based on reporting by AP, Reuters, Interfax, and TASS


rferl--2020-12-18--Media Watchdog Calls For Release Of Turkmen Reportedly Jailed For Online Photo Post

Reporters Without Borders ( RSF ) on December 18 urged the OSCE ’ s new representative on freedom of the media to press for the release of a journalist jailed in Turkmenistan for posting a photo on a news website .
Nurgeldy Halikov ’ s conviction “ exemplifies the absurdity of the trumped-up charges used by the authorities to gag the free press ’ s few remaining representatives .
He risks being tortured in prison , ” Jeanne Cavelier , the head of RSF ’ s Eastern Europe and Central Asia desk , said in a statement on December 18 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Netherlands for which Halikov works , reported earlier this week that its editors had learned that the journalist was found guilty of fraud and handed the prison sentence in mid-September .
The 26-year-old Halikov has been in custody since July 13 , a day after he reposted a photo of a visiting World Health Organization delegation on Turkmen.news , which specializes in covering human rights in Turkmenistan .
The delegation was in Turkmenistan to evaluate the possible spread of COVID-19 in the country , where officials have insisted that there are no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ authoritarian President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov , who heads one of the world 's most oppressive governments .
Halikov ’ s family had been reluctant to talk about the case amid hopes -- ultimately dashed -- that he would be amnestied on International Day of Neutrality , which is celebrated on December 12 .
“ Turkmenistan is a black hole for news and information .
The media are completely controlled by the state and few journalists take the risk of doing independent reporting , ” according to Cavelier .
“ We urge the authorities to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Teresa Ribeiro , the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe ’ s representative on freedom of the media , to firmly condemn his arbitrary detention , ” he said .

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on December 18 urged the OSCE’s new representative on freedom of the media to press for the release of a journalist jailed in Turkmenistan for posting a photo on a news website.
Nurgeldy Halikov’s conviction “exemplifies the absurdity of the trumped-up charges used by the authorities to gag the free press’s few remaining representatives. He risks being tortured in prison,” Jeanne Cavelier, the head of RSF’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia desk, said in a statement on December 18.
Turkmen.news, a website based in the Netherlands for which Halikov works, reported earlier this week that its editors had learned that the journalist was found guilty of fraud and handed the prison sentence in mid-September.
The 26-year-old Halikov has been in custody since July 13, a day after he reposted a photo of a visiting World Health Organization delegation on Turkmen.news, which specializes in covering human rights in Turkmenistan.
The delegation was in Turkmenistan to evaluate the possible spread of COVID-19 in the country, where officials have insisted that there are no coronavirus cases.
Turkmenistan is led by authoritarian President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov, who heads one of the world's most oppressive governments.
Halikov’s family had been reluctant to talk about the case amid hopes -- ultimately dashed -- that he would be amnestied on International Day of Neutrality, which is celebrated on December 12.
“Turkmenistan is a black hole for news and information. The media are completely controlled by the state and few journalists take the risk of doing independent reporting,” according to Cavelier.
“We urge the authorities to free him at once and we ask Teresa Ribeiro, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s representative on freedom of the media, to firmly condemn his arbitrary detention,” he said.


rferl--2020-12-18--One And Only Satellite Launch This Year From Russia's Far Eastern Cosmodrome

Russia has hailed what it says was the first and only commercial launch this year from a space center in the country ’ s Far East that has been plagued by cost overruns and delays .
A Soyuz rocket carrying 36 British telecommunications and Internet satellites blasted off from the Vostochny Cosmodrome on December 18 , the Russian space agency Roskosmos said .
A spokesperson for the agency said that the launch was the first and only one to take place at the Vostochny Cosmodrome this year .
Hours later , Roskosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin announced all the satellites had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mission has been successfully completed .
Congratulations ! ''
he wrote in a tweet .
The high-tech equipment belongs to a London-based company -- OneWeb -- which is building a network in low orbit as part of a project to provide enhanced broadband services to countries around the globe .
The company has launched nearly 100 satellites into orbit so far .
It hopes to have its Internet service up and running , supported by some 650 satellites , by 2022 .
Several unmanned launches have taken place from the Vostochny Cosmodrome since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with China is intended to reduce Russia 's dependence on the Baikonur Cosmodrome it rents from Kazakhstan .
The project was plagued by controversy , including corruption linked to work-related contracts and construction delays .
Based on reporting by AFP , TASS , and Interfax

Russia has hailed what it says was the first and only commercial launch this year from a space center in the country’s Far East that has been plagued by cost overruns and delays.
A Soyuz rocket carrying 36 British telecommunications and Internet satellites blasted off from the Vostochny Cosmodrome on December 18, the Russian space agency Roskosmos said.
A spokesperson for the agency said that the launch was the first and only one to take place at the Vostochny Cosmodrome this year.
Hours later, Roskosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin announced all the satellites had reached their intended orbit.
"The mission has been successfully completed. Congratulations!" he wrote in a tweet.
The high-tech equipment belongs to a London-based company -- OneWeb -- which is building a network in low orbit as part of a project to provide enhanced broadband services to countries around the globe.
The company has launched nearly 100 satellites into orbit so far. It hopes to have its Internet service up and running, supported by some 650 satellites, by 2022.
Several unmanned launches have taken place from the Vostochny Cosmodrome since 2016.
The facility near the border with China is intended to reduce Russia's dependence on the Baikonur Cosmodrome it rents from Kazakhstan.
The project was plagued by controversy, including corruption linked to work-related contracts and construction delays.
Based on reporting by AFP, TASS, and Interfax


rferl--2020-12-18--Bulgaria Expels Another Russian Diplomat For Spying On U.S. Troops

SOFIA -- Bulgarian authorities have given a Russian diplomat 72 hours to leave Bulgaria , alleging involvement in espionage in the EU and NATO member state .
It is the sixth case of a Russian diplomat or official at the Russian Embassy in Sofia being expelled for suspected espionage since October 2019 .
The Bulgarian Foreign Ministry has declared “ persona non grata ” a diplomat from the Russian Embassy “ due to actions incompatible with his diplomatic status , '' the ministry tweeted on December 18 .
Bulgarian prosecutors issued a separate statement alleging that from 2017 until now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ activities , during which he collected military information , including about the numbers of U.S. troops deployed on Bulgarian territory during exercises . ''
The aim was to transfer this information to Russian military intelligence , prosecutors said , adding that they had evidence the diplomat had been in contact with a Bulgarian citizen with access to classified information to whom money had been offered .
Neither the Foreign Ministry nor prosecutors gave the identity or rank of the diplomat .
However , the Russian Embassy said the diplomat was the military attache @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to respond to the “ groundless ” expulsion .
The move “ is not conducive to dialogue between our countries in the military field , nor does it help improve stability in the Black Sea region , ” it said in a statement on Facebook .
Russia expelled two Bulgarian diplomats in October , nearly three weeks after two staff at the Russian Embassy in Sofia accused of military espionage were told to leave .
After the announcement of the expulsion , the United States and Britain expressed support for Bulgaria 's efforts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` As a close partner and strong NATO ally , [ Britain ] supports [ Bulgaria 's ] determination to defend its citizens , security , and sovereignty against malign threats , '' the British ambassador to Sofia , Rob Dixon , wrote in a tweet .
“ We have in recent weeks and months seen too many examples of Russian officials carrying out aggressive actions , from espionage in Bulgaria to poisoning opponents both at home and abroad , ” the U.S. Embassy said in a statement .
With reporting by AFP @ @ @ @ @

SOFIA -- Bulgarian authorities have given a Russian diplomat 72 hours to leave Bulgaria, alleging involvement in espionage in the EU and NATO member state.
It is the sixth case of a Russian diplomat or official at the Russian Embassy in Sofia being expelled for suspected espionage since October 2019.
The Bulgarian Foreign Ministry has declared “persona non grata” a diplomat from the Russian Embassy “due to actions incompatible with his diplomatic status," the ministry tweeted on December 18.
Bulgarian prosecutors issued a separate statement alleging that from 2017 until now the diplomat "has engaged in spying activities, during which he collected military information, including about the numbers of U.S. troops deployed on Bulgarian territory during exercises."
The aim was to transfer this information to Russian military intelligence, prosecutors said, adding that they had evidence the diplomat had been in contact with a Bulgarian citizen with access to classified information to whom money had been offered.
Neither the Foreign Ministry nor prosecutors gave the identity or rank of the diplomat.
However, the Russian Embassy said the diplomat was the military attache, and that Moscow reserved the right to respond to the “groundless” expulsion.
The move “is not conducive to dialogue between our countries in the military field, nor does it help improve stability in the Black Sea region,” it said in a statement on Facebook.
Russia expelled two Bulgarian diplomats in October, nearly three weeks after two staff at the Russian Embassy in Sofia accused of military espionage were told to leave.
After the announcement of the expulsion, the United States and Britain expressed support for Bulgaria's efforts to protect its sovereignty and security.
"As a close partner and strong NATO ally, [Britain] supports [Bulgaria's] determination to defend its citizens, security, and sovereignty against malign threats," the British ambassador to Sofia, Rob Dixon, wrote in a tweet.
“We have in recent weeks and months seen too many examples of Russian officials carrying out aggressive actions, from espionage in Bulgaria to poisoning opponents both at home and abroad,” the U.S. Embassy said in a statement.
With reporting by AFP, Reuters, and Interfax


rferl--2020-12-18--Prosecutor Seeks Three-Year Sentence For Russian Opposition Politician

MOSCOW -- Prosecutors in Moscow asked a court on December 18 to sentence a local opposition politician to be sentenced to three years in prison over her involvement in anti-Kremlin rallies .
The case against Yulia Galyamina , an opposition member of a Moscow district council and outspoken critic of President Vladimir Putin , was launched in late July .
Investigators say Galyamina repeatedly violated rules about public gatherings when she organized and staged unsanctioned rallies and protests .
Galyamina told RFE/RL earlier that the case against her had been launched to “ pressure ” her .
Amnesty International has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reprehensible , ” saying they are aimed at “ silencing a major dissenting voice and threatening to ban her political activities.
” Galyamina was involved in a campaign against what she says are `` illegal plans '' by Putin to remain in power beyond term limits .
Her team organized a peaceful rally in central Moscow in July against constitutional reforms introduced in 2020 that give Putin an option to remain in power for another 16 years after his current term expires in 2024 .
Dozens of people were detained by police during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Court said on December 18 that Galyamina 's verdict and sentence will be announced on December 23 .

MOSCOW -- Prosecutors in Moscow asked a court on December 18 to sentence a local opposition politician to be sentenced to three years in prison over her involvement in anti-Kremlin rallies.
The case against Yulia Galyamina, an opposition member of a Moscow district council and outspoken critic of President Vladimir Putin, was launched in late July.
Investigators say Galyamina repeatedly violated rules about public gatherings when she organized and staged unsanctioned rallies and protests.
Galyamina told RFE/RL earlier that the case against her had been launched to “pressure” her.
Amnesty International has condemned the charges as “appalling and reprehensible,” saying they are aimed at “silencing a major dissenting voice and threatening to ban her political activities.”
Galyamina was involved in a campaign against what she says are "illegal plans" by Putin to remain in power beyond term limits.
Her team organized a peaceful rally in central Moscow in July against constitutional reforms introduced in 2020 that give Putin an option to remain in power for another 16 years after his current term expires in 2024.
Dozens of people were detained by police during the protest.
The Moscow Tver District Court said on December 18 that Galyamina's verdict and sentence will be announced on December 23.


rferl--2020-12-18--CIS Virtual Summit Focuses On COVID, Nagorno-Karabakh, Cooperation

Leaders of former Soviet republics in the Commonwealth of Independent States ( CIS ) have met online for a virtual summit to discuss issues ranging from the COVID-19 pandemic to the situation the South Caucasus region following the war over Azerbaijan 's breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh .
Other topics included cooperation on security issues and how CIS members can achieve greater integration .
During the December 18 online gathering , Russian President Vladimir Putin said his country will assist all other CIS members in the battle against COVID-19 with Russia 's Sputnik V vaccine and other vaccines that have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev said his country will start producing the Sputnik V vaccine , as well as Kazakhstan 's own coronavirus vaccine , starting next week .
Kyrgyzstan 's Acting President Talant Mamytov said Bishkek is interested in receiving COVID vaccines from Russia .
Talking about the situation in Azerbaijan 's breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh , some parts of which and seven adjacent districts around it were returned under Baku 's control last month after a 44-day war between Azerbaijan and ethnic Armenian forces , Putin said Russian peacekeepers are doing their best @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Putin also said `` the risks of terrorism have increased '' in the region following a November cease-fire agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia that was brokered by Russia .
The accord took effect on November 10 , ending the worst clashes in the conflict since the early 1990s .
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said during the online summit that the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh is now `` history . ''
He said all talk about the war `` must be in the past tense . ''
Aliyev also said Azerbaijan 's armed forces had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by previous Armenian presidents -- Robert Kocharian and Serzh Sarkisian .
He said Armenia 's current leader , Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian , was not responsible for the army 's poor performance .
Pashinian did not take part in the summit due to the death of his father on December 16 .
Pashinian ’ s domestic opponents have been rallying in Yerevan since the end of the conflict to demand his resignation .
Tajik President Emomali Rahmon called on the CIS member states to establish a `` common list of terrorists and extremist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ counterterrorism efforts .
Putin expressed his gratitude to other CIS leaders for what he called `` support of Russia 's efforts to preserve historic truth about the Soviet Union 's contribution to the defeat of Nazi Germany '' in 1945 .
`` I am confident that we have to continue to act in solidarity to defend the memory of our peoples , who managed to save the world from aggression by paying enormous and irreversible sacrifices , '' Putin said .
In recent years , Russian leadership has been using the victory in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Soviet republics as the Great Patriotic War , in propaganda that has intensified since Moscow 's seizure and illegal annexation of Ukraine 's Crimean Peninsula in March 2014 .
Putin also said that in 2020 , some countries in the CIS have faced `` attempts by external forces to meddle '' in their domestic affairs .
Although Putin did n't specify any country , observers suggest he was referring to Belarus , where anti-government rallies have been staged across the country regularly since election officials in Minsk declared Alyaksandr Lukashenka had won reelection @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Tens of thousands of Belarusians continue to march weekly to demand Lukashenka 's resignation -- despite mass arrests and beatings by police , a tightened grip on media , and expulsions of opposition leaders that have included the exiled presidential challenger Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya .
Lukashenka has resisted the calls of protesters and Western government to hold a new election and speak to the opposition .
He has blamed the European Union and the United States for `` inciting mass disorders '' in Belarus .
The CIS summit also covered issues of trade @ @ @ @ @ @ @ between their countries .
Belarus was announced as the next chairman of the CIS .
The next CIS summit was scheduled for October 15 , 2021 .
CIS members include Azerbaijan , Armenia , Belarus , Kazakhstan , Kyrgyzstan , Moldova , Russia , Tajikistan , and Uzbekistan .
Turkmenistan has an associate status in the group .
Ukraine quit the CIS in 2018 , four years after Russia 's annexation of Crimea .
Georgia quit the CIS following a five-day Russian-Georgian war in August 2008 .
Russia is among the few countries @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Georgia 's breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia .
Russia continues to maintain a military presence in both regions .
With reporting by TASS , RIA Novosti , and Interfax

Leaders of former Soviet republics in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) have met online for a virtual summit to discuss issues ranging from the COVID-19 pandemic to the situation the South Caucasus region following the war over Azerbaijan's breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Other topics included cooperation on security issues and how CIS members can achieve greater integration.
During the December 18 online gathering, Russian President Vladimir Putin said his country will assist all other CIS members in the battle against COVID-19 with Russia's Sputnik V vaccine and other vaccines that have been developed by laboratories in Russia.
Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev said his country will start producing the Sputnik V vaccine, as well as Kazakhstan's own coronavirus vaccine, starting next week.
Kyrgyzstan's Acting President Talant Mamytov said Bishkek is interested in receiving COVID vaccines from Russia.
Talking about the situation in Azerbaijan's breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh, some parts of which and seven adjacent districts around it were returned under Baku's control last month after a 44-day war between Azerbaijan and ethnic Armenian forces, Putin said Russian peacekeepers are doing their best to preserve peace in the area.
Putin also said "the risks of terrorism have increased" in the region following a November cease-fire agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia that was brokered by Russia.
The accord took effect on November 10, ending the worst clashes in the conflict since the early 1990s.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said during the online summit that the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh is now "history." He said all talk about the war "must be in the past tense."
Aliyev also said Azerbaijan's armed forces had defeated an Armenian army that was established by previous Armenian presidents -- Robert Kocharian and Serzh Sarkisian. He said Armenia's current leader, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, was not responsible for the army's poor performance.
Pashinian did not take part in the summit due to the death of his father on December 16.
Pashinian’s domestic opponents have been rallying in Yerevan since the end of the conflict to demand his resignation.
Tajik President Emomali Rahmon called on the CIS member states to establish a "common list of terrorists and extremist organizations" in order to increase joint counterterrorism efforts.
Putin expressed his gratitude to other CIS leaders for what he called "support of Russia's efforts to preserve historic truth about the Soviet Union's contribution to the defeat of Nazi Germany" in 1945.
"I am confident that we have to continue to act in solidarity to defend the memory of our peoples, who managed to save the world from aggression by paying enormous and irreversible sacrifices," Putin said.
In recent years, Russian leadership has been using the victory in World War II, known in former Soviet republics as the Great Patriotic War, in propaganda that has intensified since Moscow's seizure and illegal annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in March 2014.
Putin also said that in 2020, some countries in the CIS have faced "attempts by external forces to meddle" in their domestic affairs.
Although Putin didn't specify any country, observers suggest he was referring to Belarus, where anti-government rallies have been staged across the country regularly since election officials in Minsk declared Alyaksandr Lukashenka had won reelection to a sixth term on August 9.
Tens of thousands of Belarusians continue to march weekly to demand Lukashenka's resignation -- despite mass arrests and beatings by police, a tightened grip on media, and expulsions of opposition leaders that have included the exiled presidential challenger Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya.
Lukashenka has resisted the calls of protesters and Western government to hold a new election and speak to the opposition.
He has blamed the European Union and the United States for "inciting mass disorders" in Belarus.
The CIS summit also covered issues of trade, economic cooperation, and cultural exchanges between their countries.
Belarus was announced as the next chairman of the CIS. The next CIS summit was scheduled for October 15, 2021.
CIS members include Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Turkmenistan has an associate status in the group.
Ukraine quit the CIS in 2018, four years after Russia's annexation of Crimea.
Georgia quit the CIS following a five-day Russian-Georgian war in August 2008.
Russia is among the few countries in the world to recognize the independence of Georgia's breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
Russia continues to maintain a military presence in both regions.
With reporting by TASS, RIA Novosti, and Interfax


rferl--2020-12-19--UN Agency Pushes Back Closure Deadline On Overfilled Bosnian Migrant Camp

The UN 's top agency on migration has further postponed , for at least two days , the closure of a major camp for thousands of migrants in northwestern Bosnia-Herzegovina where international watchdogs have warned that a humanitarian disaster is unfolding .
The International Organization for Migration ( IOM ) told RFE/RL 's Balkan Service on December 19 that a weekend deadline to shut down the Lipa reception facility was moved to December 21 after a request from the relevant Bosnian authorities .
It had already been moved back once .
There are estimated to be up to 10,000 migrants @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sleep rough in the woods , abandoned buildings , or by roadsides .
The IOM , which oversees all migrant facilities in Bosnia , stopped funding the Lipa facility earlier this month because it said authorities had failed to ensure the necessary conditions to make it suitable for winter .
In October , authorities 75 kilometers away in the town of Bihac closed a migrant center there and moved hundreds of people to the already full Lipa camp .
The Council of Europe 's Human Rights Commissioner Dunja Mijatovic warned in a letter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a lack of action and coordination between the country 's various governments risks having grave consequences for migrants and asylum seekers left without housing , food , and medical care .
Bosnia 's Council of Ministers -- the executive branch of an ethnically divided governing structure imposed to stop an ethnically fueled war 25 years ago -- is responsible for a final decision on finding accommodation for around 1,200 migrants at the Lipa camp .
Bosnia has become a transit route for migrants and refugees from Asia , the Middle East , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their borders to new arrivals in 2015 , but it has few resources to provide for the inflow .
Many have made their way to Bosnia 's northwest hoping to cross into EU member Croatia to the west .

The UN's top agency on migration has further postponed, for at least two days, the closure of a major camp for thousands of migrants in northwestern Bosnia-Herzegovina where international watchdogs have warned that a humanitarian disaster is unfolding.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) told RFE/RL's Balkan Service on December 19 that a weekend deadline to shut down the Lipa reception facility was moved to December 21 after a request from the relevant Bosnian authorities.
It had already been moved back once.
There are estimated to be up to 10,000 migrants in Bosnia, a quarter of whom sleep rough in the woods, abandoned buildings, or by roadsides.
The IOM, which oversees all migrant facilities in Bosnia, stopped funding the Lipa facility earlier this month because it said authorities had failed to ensure the necessary conditions to make it suitable for winter.
In October, authorities 75 kilometers away in the town of Bihac closed a migrant center there and moved hundreds of people to the already full Lipa camp.
The Council of Europe's Human Rights Commissioner Dunja Mijatovic warned in a letter to Bosnian officials on December 11 that a lack of action and coordination between the country's various governments risks having grave consequences for migrants and asylum seekers left without housing, food, and medical care.
Bosnia's Council of Ministers -- the executive branch of an ethnically divided governing structure imposed to stop an ethnically fueled war 25 years ago -- is responsible for a final decision on finding accommodation for around 1,200 migrants at the Lipa camp.
Bosnia has become a transit route for migrants and refugees from Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa since European Union countries shut their borders to new arrivals in 2015, but it has few resources to provide for the inflow.
Many have made their way to Bosnia's northwest hoping to cross into EU member Croatia to the west.


rferl--2020-12-19--Russia To 'Return' Icon Gifted To Lavrov In Balkans Amid Signs It's Stolen Ukrainian Heritage

Russia announced on December 19 that it is returning a centuries-old Orthodox icon that was given to Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during a visit this week to the Balkans after revelations that it might have been a protected cultural treasure stolen from Ukraine .
The embarrassing episode began when Milorad Dodik , the Republika Srpska representative of Bosnia-Herzegovina 's tripartite presidency , presented Moscow 's top diplomat with the artwork on December 14 .
`` The icon will be returned to its donors for further clarification on its history via Interpol , '' the Russian Foreign Ministry told journalists five @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the artifact and its seal had suggested it might be from the Ukrainian city of Luhansk , which has been mostly controlled by Russia-backed separatists since 2014 .
Its seal appeared to clearly state that it was Ukrainian `` cultural heritage '' under protection of authorities in the Odesa region .
The Ukrainian Embassy in Sarajevo quickly sent a letter to the Bosnian Foreign Ministry demanding a `` public , immediate , and unambiguous denial by the state leadership '' of the reports that suggested it had possessed or transferred an important cultural @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Ukraine .
The Bosnian ministry redirected the Ukrainian request to the Bosnian Presidency , which is a frequently awkward , ethnically based power-sharing arrangement stemming from the Dayton Agreement to end the Bosnian War in 1995 .
Bosnian Serb leader Dodik has repeatedly threatened to try and secure independence for the Serb-dominated Republika Srpska , which along with the Bosniak and Croat federation composes Bosnia .
Lavrov 's visit this week proved problematic in other ways , too .
He cut out planned events after the Bosniak and Croat members of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over his choice to begin his visit on December 14 at Dodik 's offices outside Sarajeva and because of Lavrov 's reported suggestion that the Dayton terms should remain in place .
He also was said to have supported Dodik 's rejection of Bosnia 's NATO aspirations .
The statements were seen by joint presidents Sefik Dzaferovic , a Bosnian Muslim , and Zeljko Komsic , a Croat , as `` disrespectful '' toward Bosnia .
The Dayton agreement , which turned 25 last week , salvaged Bosnia 's statehood and saved many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Croats , and Serbs .
But its ethnically based divisions and decentralization of power parceled up authority normally vested in a central government .
Republika Srpska 's threats to secede from Bosnia and Serbia ’ s reluctance to recognize its former province of Kosovo as an independent country are two of the key issues hindering some Balkan countries ' ambitions to join the European Union and , in some cases , NATO , along with rampant corruption and threats to the rule of law .

Russia announced on December 19 that it is returning a centuries-old Orthodox icon that was given to Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during a visit this week to the Balkans after revelations that it might have been a protected cultural treasure stolen from Ukraine.
The embarrassing episode began when Milorad Dodik, the Republika Srpska representative of Bosnia-Herzegovina's tripartite presidency, presented Moscow's top diplomat with the artwork on December 14.
"The icon will be returned to its donors for further clarification on its history via Interpol," the Russian Foreign Ministry told journalists five days later.
A shared image of the artifact and its seal had suggested it might be from the Ukrainian city of Luhansk, which has been mostly controlled by Russia-backed separatists since 2014.
Its seal appeared to clearly state that it was Ukrainian "cultural heritage" under protection of authorities in the Odesa region.
The Ukrainian Embassy in Sarajevo quickly sent a letter to the Bosnian Foreign Ministry demanding a "public, immediate, and unambiguous denial by the state leadership" of the reports that suggested it had possessed or transferred an important cultural, historic, and religious artifact originating in Ukraine.
The Bosnian ministry redirected the Ukrainian request to the Bosnian Presidency, which is a frequently awkward, ethnically based power-sharing arrangement stemming from the Dayton agreement to end the Bosnian War in 1995.
Problematic Visit
Bosnian Serb leader Dodik has repeatedly threatened to try and secure independence for the Serb-dominated Republika Srpska, which along with the Bosniak and Croat federation composes Bosnia.
Lavrov's visit this week proved problematic in other ways, too.
He cut out planned events after the Bosniak and Croat members of the Bosnian Presidency declined to meet with him over his choice to begin his visit on December 14 at Dodik's offices outside Sarajevo and because of Lavrov's reported suggestion that the Dayton terms should remain in place. He also was said to have supported Dodik's rejection of Bosnia's NATO aspirations.
The statements were seen by joint presidents Sefik Dzaferovic and Zeljko Komsic as "disrespectful" toward Bosnia.
The Dayton agreement, which turned 25 last week, salvaged Bosnia's statehood and saved many lives by ending bitter fighting between Bosniaks, Croats, and Serbs.
But its ethnically based divisions and decentralization of power parceled up authority normally vested in a central government.
Republika Srpska's threats to secede from Bosnia and Serbia’s reluctance to recognize its former province of Kosovo as an independent country are two of the key issues hindering some Balkan countries' ambitions to join the European Union and, in some cases, NATO, along with rampant corruption and threats to the rule of law.


rferl--2020-12-19--Pompeo Says Russia Behind Large-Scale Cyberattack On U.S. Government Networks

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says it is clear that Russia was behind a cyberattack on several U.S. government agencies that also hit commercial targets worldwide .
`` There was a significant effort to use a piece of third-party software to essentially embed code inside of U.S. government systems , '' Pompeo told The Mark Levin Show on December 18 .
`` This was a very significant effort , and I think it 's the case that now we can say pretty clearly that it was the Russians that engaged in this activity . ''
Until now the administration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ originated , and President Donald Trump has not publicly addressed the issue .
Microsoft said it had notified more than 40 customers hit by the malware , which security experts say could allow attackers network access to sensitive government information and networks that operate infrastructure such as electricity power grids .
Roughly 80 percent of the affected customers are located in the United States , Microsoft President Brad Smith said in a blog post .
Other victims of the cyberattack are in Belgium , Britain , Canada , Israel , Mexico , Spain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` This is not 'espionage as usual , ' even in the digital age , '' Smith wrote .
`` Instead , it represents an act of recklessness that created a serious technological vulnerability for the United States and the world . ''
He added that the number and location of victims will keep growing .
James Lewis , vice president at the Center for Strategic and International Studies , said the attack may end up being the worst to hit the United States , eclipsing a 2014 suspected Chinese infiltration .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't know what has been taken so that is one of the tasks for forensics , '' Lewis said , according to the AFP news agency .
`` We also do n't know what 's been left behind .
The normal practice is to leave something behind so they can get back in in the future , '' Lewis said .
The cyberattack was first reported on December 13 in news reports that quoted unidentified U.S. officials as saying Russia-based hackers were suspected .
Russia 's U.S. Embassy has denied any involvement , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Russia “ does not conduct offensive operations in the cyber domain.
” The Department of Homeland Security , the Treasury Department , and the Commerce Department were among those affected in the attack , according to media reports that quoted unidentified officials with knowledge of the cyberattack .
The Department of Energy acknowledged on December 17 that it was among those that had been hacked .
The department includes the agency that manages the country 's nuclear-weapons stockpile .
The FBI and other agencies investigating an extensive cyberattack on U.S. government computer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 18 about the intrusion .
The company whose software was compromised is SolarWinds .
It acknowledged on December 16 that hackers from an `` outside nation state '' inserted malicious code into updates of its network management software issued between March and June this year .
With reporting by AFP , Reuters , and The Washington Post

U.S. President Donald Trump has downplayed the seriousness and impact of a widespread cyberattack and cast doubt on whether Russia was to blame in his first public comments on the incident.
"The Cyber Hack is far greater in the Fake News Media than in actuality," Trump said on Twitter on December 19. "Russia, Russia, Russia is the priority chant when anything happens because Lamestream is, for mostly financial reasons, petrified of discussing the possibility that it may be China (it may!)."
Trump's assertion that China may be behind the hacking spree, which has so far affected more than a half dozen federal agencies including the Commerce and Treasury Departments, runs counter to comments by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and several lawmakers briefed on the matter.
"We can say pretty clearly that it was the Russians that engaged in this activity," Pompeo said on December 18 in an interview.
"The cyber hack is like Russian bombers have been repeatedly flying undetected over our entire country," Republican lawmaker Mitt Romney said in a tweet on December 17.
The Kremlin has denied any involvement.
In his tweet, Trump tagged Pompeo and Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence has yet to publicly comment on who is behind the massive data breach, which exploited a piece of software developed by network management firm SolarWinds that is widely used throughout the public and private sectors.
Microsoft said it had notified more than 40 customers hit by the malware, which security experts say could allow attackers network access to sensitive government information and networks that operate infrastructure such as electricity power grids.
Roughly 80 percent of the affected customers are located in the United States, Microsoft President Brad Smith said in a blog post. Other victims of the cyberattack are in Belgium, Britain, Canada, Israel, Mexico, Spain, and the United Arab Emirates.
"This is not 'espionage as usual,' even in the digital age," Smith wrote. "Instead, it represents an act of recklessness that created a serious technological vulnerability for the United States and the world." He added that the number and location of victims will keep growing.
'The Scale Is Daunting'
James Lewis, vice president at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the attack may end up being the worst to hit the United States, eclipsing a 2014 suspected Chinese infiltration.
"The scale is daunting. We don't know what has been taken so that is one of the tasks for forensics," Lewis said, according to the AFP news agency.
"We also don't know what's been left behind. The normal practice is to leave something behind so they can get back in in the future," Lewis said.
The cyberattack was first reported on December 13 in news reports that quoted unidentified U.S. officials as saying Russia-based hackers were suspected.
Russia's U.S. Embassy has denied any involvement, saying in a statement on December 14 that Russia “does not conduct offensive operations in the cyber domain.”
The Department of Homeland Security, the Treasury Department, and the Commerce Department were among those affected in the attack, according to media reports that quoted unidentified officials with knowledge of the cyberattack.
The Department of Energy acknowledged on December 17 that it was among those that had been hacked. The department includes the agency that manages the country's nuclear-weapons stockpile.
The FBI and other agencies investigating an extensive cyberattack on U.S. government computer networks briefed members of Congress on December 18 about the intrusion.
SolarWinds admitted on December 16 that hackers from an "outside nation state" inserted malicious code into updates of its network management software issued between March and June this year.
With reporting by AFP, Reuters, and The Washington Post