rferl--2020-06-13--COVID-19: Iran Will Reimpose Restrictions If Measures Not Obeyed; Ex-Pakistan Cricket Captain Tests

COVID-19: Iran Will Reimpose Restrictions If Measures Not Obeyed; Ex-Pakistan Cricket Captain Tests Positive

The global death toll from the coronavirus is approaching 430,000 with more than 7.6 million infections confirmed , causing mass disruptions as governments continue to try to slow the spread of the respiratory illness .
Iran 's President Hasan Rohani has said that restrictions to stem the coronavirus pandemic will be reimposed in the country if citizens continue to disobey public-health regulations .
After gradually relaxing its lockdown since mid-April , Iran in recent weeks has seen a sharp rise of new daily infections .
Rohani said in a televised speech on June 13 that compliance with health regulations had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mid-May .
But he said compliance was now down to only about 20 percent .
Rohani blamed Iran 's latest surge of COVID-19 on travelers that he said had been spreading the coronavirus to previously low-risk provinces .
With 2,410 new cases on June 13 , the total number of confirmed cases in Iran is now about 185,000 .
Iran 's Health Ministry said on June 13 that 71 people had died from the virus during the previous 24 hours .
The total number of deaths in Iran from COVID-19 on June 13 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rohani expressed concern about mass prayers at the recently reopened Imam Reza shrine , Iran 's largest Shi'ite Muslim religious complex in the northeast of the country .
`` If there is no cooperation , we will have to reimpose the restrictions , '' Rohani said , adding that adherence to the health restrictions was needed `` to keep businesses open . ''
Tehran faced resistance from hard-line clerics before it closed holy shrines in mid-March .
The closures sparked protests with angry crowds storming the shrines of Imam Reza in Mashhad and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cricket captain Shahid Afridi says he has tested positive for the coronavirus , as the number of positive cases accelerates across the South Asian country .
`` I 've been feeling unwell since Thursday ; my body had been aching badly .
I 've been tested and unfortunately I 'm COVID positive , '' he wrote on Twitter on June 13 .
`` Need prayers for a speedy recovery , Inshallah ( God willing ) , '' added Afridi , who still has a huge global fan base .
Since retiring from international @ @ @ @ @ @ @ active in charity work through his own foundation .
Afridi 's foundation has been providing food to people in remote areas of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces , which have been hit hard by the coronavirus .
Pakistan has officially recorded over 132,405 positive cases and 2,551 deaths from the coronavirus as of June 13 , according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University .
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has warned that the spread of the coronavirus in his country is `` bad , '' a day after his government extended a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` Our situation with the coronavirus spread is bad , '' Pashinian said on June 13 .
`` I want to report that yesterday we registered a new record .
Medics confirmed 723 new infections .
Six patients , unfortunately died . ''
`` I must be honest .
I am very much upset with these figures , '' Pashinian said .
Pashinian also said he had traveled to his office on June 13 by car and `` could see from a window of the car that people continue to breach epidemiological safety @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on June 12 , the government decided to extend the coronavirus state of emergency until July 13 .
It was the third extension of the state of emergency since it was introduced in mid-March .
Armenia began relaxing its strict lockdown rules in mid-April as new infections were rising sharply .
The total number of confirmed infections in the country was just under 1,400 when Armenia began reopening the economy .
Including the figures announced by Pashinian on June 13 , the total number of infections in the country is now more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Volodymyr Zelenskiy says he will switch to `` a special work mode '' after his wife tested positive for coronavirus .
The presidential office said on June 12 that Zelenskiy will cancel face-to-face meetings , suspend any trips and events , and strictly limit personal contact to close aides and security .
Zelenskiy tested negative for coronavirus and will now take daily coronavirus tests and undergo medical examinations .
Olena Zelenska , the president 's wife , said earlier that she had tested positive .
Zelenska wrote on Facebook on June 12 that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` Today , I received back a positive result from the coronavirus test .
Unexpected news , especially considering that my family and I continue to comply with all the regulations -- masks , gloves , minimal contact , '' Zelenska wrote , adding that her husband and children tested negative for the virus .
Ukraine 's Health Ministry said on June 12 that the total number of coronavirus cases in the country was 29,753 , including 870 deaths .
With reporting by RFE/RL 's Armenian and Ukrainian services , Reuters , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Interfax

The global death toll from the coronavirus is approaching 430,000 with more than 7.6 million infections confirmed, causing mass disruptions as governments continue to try to slow the spread of the respiratory illness.
Here's a roundup of COVID-19 developments in RFE/RL's broadcast regions.
Iran
Iran's President Hasan Rohani has said that restrictions to stem the coronavirus pandemic will be reimposed in the country if citizens continue to disobey public-health regulations.
After gradually relaxing its lockdown since mid-April, Iran in recent weeks has seen a sharp rise of new daily infections.
Rohani said in a televised speech on June 13 that compliance with health regulations had been as high as 80 percent in mid-May. But he said compliance was now down to only about 20 percent.
Rohani blamed Iran's latest surge of COVID-19 on travelers that he said had been spreading the coronavirus to previously low-risk provinces.
With 2,410 new cases on June 13, the total number of confirmed cases in Iran is now about 185,000.
Iran's Health Ministry said on June 13 that 71 people had died from the virus during the previous 24 hours.
The total number of deaths in Iran from COVID-19 on June 13 was 8,730, the ministry said.
Rohani expressed concern about mass prayers at the recently reopened Imam Reza shrine, Iran's largest Shi'ite Muslim religious complex in the northeast of the country.
"If there is no cooperation, we will have to reimpose the restrictions," Rohani said, adding that adherence to the health restrictions was needed "to keep businesses open."
Tehran faced resistance from hard-line clerics before it closed holy shrines in mid-March. The closures sparked protests with angry crowds storming the shrines of Imam Reza in Mashhad and Fatemeh Massoumeh in Qom.
Pakistan
Former Pakistani cricket captain Shahid Afridi says he has tested positive for the coronavirus, as the number of positive cases accelerates across the South Asian country.
"I've been feeling unwell since Thursday; my body had been aching badly. I've been tested and unfortunately I'm COVID positive," he wrote on Twitter on June 13.
"Need prayers for a speedy recovery, Inshallah (God willing)," added Afridi, who still has a huge global fan base.
Since retiring from international cricket in 2018, Afridi has been active in charity work through his own foundation.
Afridi's foundation has been providing food to people in remote areas of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces, which have been hit hard by the coronavirus.
Pakistan has officially recorded over 132,405 positive cases and 2,551 deaths from the coronavirus as of June 13, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.
Armenia
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has warned that the spread of the coronavirus in his country is "bad," a day after his government extended a public-health state of emergency until mid-July.
"Our situation with the coronavirus spread is bad," Pashinian said on June 13. "I want to report that yesterday we registered a new record. Medics confirmed 723 new infections. Six patients, unfortunately died."
"I must be honest. I am very much upset with these figures," Pashinian said.
Pashinian also said he had traveled to his office on June 13 by car and "could see from a window of the car that people continue to breach epidemiological safety rules."
At an extraordinary session on June 12, the government decided to extend the coronavirus state of emergency until July 13.
It was the third extension of the state of emergency since it was introduced in mid-March.
Armenia began relaxing its strict lockdown rules in mid-April as new infections were rising sharply.
The total number of confirmed infections in the country was just under 1,400 when Armenia began reopening the economy.
Including the figures announced by Pashinian on June 13, the total number of infections in the country is now more than 16,000 with 264 deaths.
Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says he will switch to "a special work mode" after his wife tested positive for coronavirus.
The presidential office said on June 12 that Zelenskiy will cancel face-to-face meetings, suspend any trips and events, and strictly limit personal contact to close aides and security.
RFE/RL's Coronavirus Crisis Archive Features and analysis, videos, and infographics explore how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the countries in our region.
Zelenskiy tested negative for coronavirus and will now take daily coronavirus tests and undergo medical examinations.
Olena Zelenska, the president's wife, said earlier that she had tested positive.
Zelenska wrote on Facebook on June 12 that the test result took her by surprise.
"Today, I received back a positive result from the coronavirus test. Unexpected news, especially considering that my family and I continue to comply with all the regulations -- masks, gloves, minimal contact," Zelenska wrote, adding that her husband and children tested negative for the virus.
Ukraine's Health Ministry said on June 12 that the total number of coronavirus cases in the country was 29,753, including 870 deaths.
With reporting by RFE/RL's Armenian and Ukrainian services, Reuters, Fars, AFP, TASS, and Interfax


rferl--2020-06-14--COVID-19: Iran Daily Deaths Exceed 100 For First Time In Two Months

The global death toll from the coronavirus is more than 430,000 with more than 7.8 million infections confirmed , causing mass disruptions as governments continue to try to slow the spread of the respiratory illness .
The number of deaths from COVID-19 in Iran has exceeded 100 for the first time in two months , the countr 's Health Ministry said on June 14 .
Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari announced 107 coronavirus fatalities in the past 24 hours , raising the overall death toll to 8,837 .
She said the number of infections had reached 187,427 , with 2,472 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hours .
Real numbers are believed to be significantly higher .
After gradually relaxing its lockdown since mid-April , Iran in recent weeks has seen a rise of new daily infections .
Speaking on June 13 , President Hasan Rohani said that restrictions to stem the coronavirus pandemic will be reimposed in the country if citizens continue to disobey public health regulations .
Rohani said compliance with health regulations had been as high as 80 percent in mid-May .
But he said compliance is now down to only about 20 percent .
With @ @ @ @ @

The global death toll from the coronavirus is more than 430,000 with more than 7.8 million infections confirmed, causing mass disruptions as governments continue to try to slow the spread of the respiratory illness.
Here's a roundup of COVID-19 developments in RFE/RL's broadcast regions.
Russia
President Vladimir Putin says Russia is emerging from the coronavirus pandemic with minimal losses and has done better than the United States in handling the health crisis, but questions about Russia's recordkeeping persist.
Russia is "working rather smoothly and emerging from this situation with the coronavirus confidently and, with minimal losses," Putin said on state television.
Russia has recorded 6,938 deaths from COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. The death toll is much lower than in many other countries despite Russia having more than a half-million infections -- the third-highest rate after the United States and Brazil.
The veracity of Russian statistics, however, has been questioned. Critics have said that the authorities might have falsified the numbers for political purposes to play down the scale of the outbreak, and a top World Health Organization (WHO) official said the low number of deaths in Russia "certainly is unusual."
Unlike Russia, some countries' official death count includes people who had COVID-19 but died from other causes, said Dr. Michael Ryan, executive director of the WHO Health Emergencies Program.
"It will be important that the Russian authorities review the way in which death certification is done to reassure themselves that they are accurately certifying deaths in the appropriate way," Ryan said, according to the Associated Press.
In his interview with Rossia-1, Putin also said Russia had handled the crisis better than the United States because authorities at federal and regional level had worked as one team without disagreements.
"I can't imagine someone in the [Russian] government or regions saying we are not going to do what the government or president say," he said.
Commenting on the United States' high death toll of more than 115,000, Putin said it appeared that "party interests" had been "put above those of society's as a whole, above the interests of the people."
The virus exposed what he called deep internal crises that dated back to President Donald Trump's election victory and efforts by rivals to undermine its legitimacy.
Putin also commented for the first time on anti-racism protests in the United States, describing them as a sign of "deep-seated internal crises."
RFE/RL's Coronavirus Crisis Archive Features and analysis, videos, and infographics explore how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the countries in our region.
The Russian president stressed he supported African-Americans' struggle for equality, calling it "a long-standing problem" in the United States and one that Russians "had a lot of sympathy for."
But Putin added that if the fight for legal rights turned into "mayhem and rioting," he sees "nothing good for the country."
He said he nevertheless expected that the "fundamental basis of American democracy will allow the country to escape this series of crisis events."
Putin also denied allegations that constitutional reforms that could allow him to extend his rule were aimed at "strengthening a presidential dictatorship," saying parliament would have a bigger role after the changes.
Putin has called on citizens to support amendments to the constitution at a national vote scheduled for July 1.
Among other changes, the amendments would allow the 67-year-old, who has run Russia for 20 years as either president or prime minister, to stay in power until 2036.
Iran
The number of deaths from COVID-19 in Iran has exceeded 100 for the first time in two months, the country's Health Ministry said on June 14.
Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari announced 107 coronavirus fatalities in the past 24 hours, raising the overall death toll to 8,837.
She said the number of infections had reached 187,427, with 2,472 new infections recorded in the past 24 hours.
Real numbers are believed to be significantly higher.
After gradually relaxing its lockdown since mid-April, Iran in recent weeks has seen a rise of new daily infections.
Speaking on June 13, President Hasan Rohani said that restrictions to stem the coronavirus pandemic will be reimposed in the country if citizens continue to disobey public health regulations.
Rohani said compliance with health regulations had been as high as 80 percent in mid-May. But he said compliance is now down to only about 20 percent.
Kazakhstan
Kazakh Prime Minister Askar Mamin has gone into self-isolation after the Central Asian country's health minister tested positive for the coronavirus.
The prime minister's spokeswoman, Zarina Nurlanova, said on Facebook on June 14 that Mamin would continue to work and had tested negative for COVID-19.
Mamin made a working trip to the southern Zhambyl Province with Health Minister Yerlen Birtanov on June 12 to start construction at a new pharmaceutical plant intended to produce medicines and vaccines.
Birtanov said on June 14 he tested positive for the coronavirus and had been hospitalized.
"Despite all the strict sanitary measures I have followed, there are always risks," he wrote on Facebook, urging Kazakhs to practice physical distancing, wear a mask, and follow sanitary measures.
Nurlanova said both ministers wore masks when they were together.
Pictures posted on Facebook show the two wearing face masks at the pharmaceutical-plant construction site.
The number of people infected with the coronavirus has risen sharply in the country recently.
According to the latest data, 18,898 people have been infected with the coronavirus in Kazakhstan and 77 people died.
The true infection rate and death toll are believed to be higher.
Those diagnosed with COVID-19 but said to have "died of another disease" are not included in the country's core statistics.
With reporting by RFE/RL's Kazakh Service, Reuters, AFP, and IRNA


rferl--2020-06-14--RSF Warns New Tajik Legislation Could Hamper Coronavirus Coverage

Reporters Without Borders ( RSF ) has called for the withdrawal of newly approved legislative amendments in Tajikistan under which false or inaccurate COVID-19 coverage would be subject to heavy fines .
The Paris-based media watchdog warned that the amendments could lead to censorship and other violations of press freedom .
`` This new , vaguely defined legislation could be exploited to violate the right to information , ” Jeanne Cavelier , the head of RSF 's Eastern Europe and Central Asia desk , said in a statement published on June 12 .
`` Under international law , nothing ever @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to decide what is true or false , or -- without reference to a judge -- to restrict the right of a person or media to freedom of expression on the grounds that what they say might be false or inaccurate , '' Cavalier added .
`` We call for the withdrawal of these amendments , which violate freedom of the press and expression , '' she said .
Tajikistan 's authoritarian government initially claimed there were no coronavirus cases in the country and President Emomali Rahmon flouted warnings by international experts to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ try to curtail the spread of the disease .
According to official numbers , 4,690 people have contracted the virus in Tajikistan and 48 have died .

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has called for the withdrawal of newly approved legislative amendments in Tajikistan under which false or inaccurate COVID-19 coverage would be subject to heavy fines.
The Paris-based media watchdog warned that the amendments could lead to censorship and other violations of press freedom.
"This new, vaguely defined legislation could be exploited to violate the right to information,” Jeanne Cavelier, the head of RSF's Eastern Europe and Central Asia desk, said in a statement published on June 12.
"Under international law, nothing ever justifies giving a public authority the power to decide what is true or false, or -- without reference to a judge -- to restrict the right of a person or media to freedom of expression on the grounds that what they say might be false or inaccurate," Cavalier added.
"We call for the withdrawal of these amendments, which violate freedom of the press and expression," she said.
Tajikistan's authoritarian government initially claimed there were no coronavirus cases in the country and President Emomali Rahmon flouted warnings by international experts to order social-distancing restrictions or other measures to try to curtail the spread of the disease.
According to official numbers, 4,690 people have contracted the virus in Tajikistan and 48 have died.


rferl--2020-06-14--U.S.-Indicted Dealmaker For Venezuela's Maduro Detained On Way To Iran

A Colombian businessman indicted by U.S. authorities as the chief money launder for Nicolas Maduro 's regime in Venezuela has been detained in the African island archipelago of Cape Verde .
Alex Saab was detained on June 12 as his San Marino-registered jet made a refueling stop in Cape Verde on its way from Caracas to Iran .
U.S. Justice Department spokeswoman Nicole Navas Oxman said on June 13 that Saab was arrested in Cape Verde on an Interpol red notice .
The United States has no extradition treaty with Cape Verde and it was not immediately clear what would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Saab of being the front man for a vast network of money laundering and corruption in Venezuela through shell companies in the United Arab Emirates , Turkey , Hong Kong , Panama , Colombia , and Mexico .
The U.S. Justice Department in July 2019 indicted Saab and another businessman for bribing Venezuelan officials and diverting some $ 350 million to overseas accounts .
The U.S. Treasury Department has also put sanctions on Saab for running a vast corruption network for a food-aid program that lined the pockets of the Maduro regime , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the oil-rich country .
U.S. officials say the food scheme also includes Maduro 's stepchildren as well as 13 companies in various countries .
`` Saab engaged with Maduro insiders to run a wide-scale corruption network they callously used to exploit Venezuela ’ s starving population , '' Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in July 2019 while announcing the sanctions .
`` They use food as a form of social control , to reward political supporters and punish opponents , all the while pocketing hundreds of millions of dollars through a number of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Saab is suspected of getting involved in the oil business by helping Maduro buy fuel oil and supplies from Iran in exchange for gold in order to get around U.S. sanctions on both countries .
In May , Iran sent Venezuela several tankers of fuel oil that the U.S. government and Venezuelan opposition say were purchased with gold and by shell companies controlled by Saab .
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza denounced the `` arbitrary and illegal detention '' of Saab , who he said was acting on behalf of the Venezuelan government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other supplies to help the country against the coronavirus pandemic .
The Venezuelan opposition , headed by Juan Guaido -- who is recognized by dozens of countries including the United States as Venezuela 's interim president -- welcomed Saab 's arrest .
`` Colombian boss Alex Saab is the main figurehead of the dictatorship ; he manages opaque [ Venezuelan state oil company ] PDVSA businesses , gold , food , alliance with Iran , relations with cartels , and protects ill-gotten money from Maduro and [ Maduro 's wife ] Cilia Flores @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opposition figure close to Guaido , said on Twitter .
`` His capture is a hard blow to the structure of the regime , it shows that Venezuelans are not alone and that there is no future with Maduro , not even for those who support him , '' he said .
With reporting by AFP , 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--2020-06-14--Famed Iranian Actor Mohammad Ali Keshavarz Dies At 90

Mohammad Ali Keshavarz , a legendary actor in Iranian film , theater , and television , has died at the @ @ @ @ @ .
Keshavarz was hospitalized in early June with a kidney problem , after which he @ @ @ @ @ care unit due to a lung infection .
The prominent actor has been ill since @ @ @ @ @ .
Keshavarz was born in Isfahan in 1961 and began his theatrical career in the @ @ @ @ @ decades , he features in about 50 movies , more than 30 television series , @ @ @ @ @ his most famous roles were those in the popular television series The Patriarch and such @ @ @ @ @ , Mother , and Ragbar .
He is considered one of the five great male @ @ @ @ @ cinema , and television .


rferl--2020-06-14--Nuclear Powers Modernize Arsenals As Warheads Decrease: SIPRI

A Sweden-based nonproliferation think tank says nuclear powers have continued to modernize their arsenals despite a decrease in the number of nuclear warheads .
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute ( SIPRI ) said in a report released on June 15 that nine nuclear weapon powers -- the United States , Russia , the United Kingdom , France , China , India , Pakistan , Israel , and North Korea -- together possessed an estimated 13,400 nuclear weapons at the start of 2020 .
The number is down by 465 nuclear weapons in “ a marked decrease ” from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a combined estimated total of 13,865 nuclear weapons , according to SIPRI .
The decrease `` was largely due to the dismantlement of retired nuclear weapons by Russia and the U.S. -- which together still possess over 90 per cent of global nuclear weapons.
” U.S. nuclear warheads dropped by 385 and Russia 's declined by 125 .
Those large reductions were offset by slight increases in the nuclear forces of China , Britain , India , and North Korea .
The reductions in U.S. and Russian strategic nuclear forces were required by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms ( New START ) and completed in 2018 .
In 2019 the forces of both countries remained below the limits specified by the treaty .
Extending the New START treaty is the subject of arms negotiations that the top U.S. envoy for arms control said would begin with Russia later this month .
The United States also has invited China to take part in the talks .
“ The deadlock over New START and the collapse of the 1987 Soviet–U.S .
Treaty on the Elimination @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Treaty ) in 2019 suggest that the era of bilateral nuclear arms control agreements between Russia and the USA might be coming to an end , ” said Shannon Kile , director of SIPRI ’ s Nuclear Disarmament , Arms Control , and Nonproliferation Program .
The INF Treaty was abandoned last year after the United States officially withdrew from it over accusations of Russian violations .
Russia denied the accusations and in turn suspended its participating in the pact .
“ The loss of key channels of communication between Russia and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and prevent misperceptions about their respective nuclear force postures and capabilities could potentially lead to a new nuclear arms race , ” Kile added .
New START , the last major arms control treaty between the United States and Russia , is scheduled to expire in February 2021 .
The accord caps the number of nuclear warheads and so-called delivery systems held by the two countries .
While Moscow has pushed for a five-year extension , Washington has balked , saying it wants the deal to be broadened to include China .
China @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the size of Moscow ’ s and Washington ’ s , has said it was not interested in participating in such talks .
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on June 10 that Beijing had n't changed its previous stance that it was not going to join the talks , which according to Bloomberg will take place on June 22 in Vienna .
SIPRI said in its report that China is in the middle of a significant modernization of its nuclear arsenal .
“ It is developing a so-called nuclear triad @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of new land- and sea-based missiles and nuclear-capable aircraft.
” SIPRI also said that India and Pakistan are slowly increasing the size and diversity of their nuclear forces , while North Korea continues to prioritize its military nuclear program as a central element of its national security strategy .
It noted that North Korea provides no information about its nuclear weapon capabilities , while Israel has a long-standing policy of not commenting on its nuclear arsenal .

A Sweden-based, nonproliferation think tank says nuclear powers have continued to modernize their arsenals despite a decrease in the number of nuclear warheads.
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said in a report released on June 15 that nine nuclear-weapon powers -- the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, Israel, and North Korea -- together possessed an estimated 13,400 nuclear weapons at the start of 2020.
The number is down by 465 nuclear weapons in "a marked decrease" from the previous year, when the nine states possessed a combined estimated total of 13,865 nuclear weapons, according to SIPRI.
The decrease "was largely due to the dismantlement of retired nuclear weapons by Russia and the U.S. -- which together still possess over 90 percent of global nuclear weapons."
U.S. nuclear warheads dropped by 385 and Russia's declined by 125. Those large reductions were offset by slight increases in the nuclear forces of China, Britain, India, and North Korea.
The reductions in U.S. and Russian strategic nuclear forces were required by the 2010 Treaty on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (New START) and completed in 2018. In 2019 the forces of both countries remained below the limits specified by the treaty.
Extending the New START treaty is the subject of arms negotiations that the top U.S. envoy for arms control said would begin with Russia later this month. The United States has also invited China to take part in the talks.
"The deadlock over New START and the collapse of the 1987 Soviet–U.S. Treaty on the Elimination of Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles (INF Treaty) in 2019 suggest that the era of bilateral nuclear arms-control agreements between Russia and the USA might be coming to an end," said Shannon Kile, director of SIPRI’s Nuclear Disarmament, Arms Control, and Nonproliferation Program.
The INF Treaty was abandoned last year after the United States officially withdrew from it over accusations of Russian violations. Russia denied the accusations and in turn suspended its participation in the pact.
"The loss of key channels of communication between Russia and the USA that were intended to promote transparency and prevent misperceptions about their respective nuclear force postures and capabilities could potentially lead to a new nuclear arms race," Kile added.
New START, the last major arms-control treaty between the United States and Russia, is scheduled to expire in February 2021. The accord caps the number of nuclear warheads and so-called delivery systems held by the two countries.
While Moscow has pushed for a five-year extension, Washington has balked, saying it wants the deal to be broadened to include China.
China, whose nuclear arsenal is a fraction of the size of Moscow's and Washington's, has said it was not interested in participating in such talks.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on June 10 that Beijing hadn't changed its previous stance that it was not going to join the talks, which according to Bloomberg will take place on June 22 in Vienna.
SIPRI said in its report that China was in the middle of a significant modernization of its nuclear arsenal.
"It is developing a so-called nuclear triad for the first time, made up of new land- and sea-based missiles and nuclear-capable aircraft."
SIPRI also said that India and Pakistan were slowly increasing the size and diversity of their nuclear forces, while North Korea continues to prioritize its military nuclear program as a central element of its national security strategy.
It noted that North Korea provided no information about its nuclear weapon capabilities, while Israel has a long-standing policy of not commenting on its nuclear arsenal.


rferl--2020-06-14--Germany Says Further U.S. Sanctions Over Nord Stream 2 Would Interfere With EU Energy Security

The German government has `` noted with regret '' a U.S. proposal to expand sanctions over the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline between Russia and Germany .
`` New sanctions would constitute a serious interference in European energy security and EU sovereignty , '' a statement by the Foreign Ministry said on June 14 .
A group of bipartisan U.S. senators early this month submitted legislation to stop Russia from completing the controversial natural gas pipeline along the floor of the Baltic Sea .
The United States already has taken steps to halt the $ 11 billion project .
A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to impose sanctions on any vessel that helps Russia complete the pipeline , forcing Western-owned ships to stop work .
To get around the legislation 's impact , Russia has sent its own vessel to the Baltic Sea to lay the remaining 160 kilometers of pipeline .
The new proposed legislation widens the sanctions in the existing law to include any entity that provides insurance , port facilities , or tethering services for the project as well as any company that certifies Nord Stream 2 for operation .
Senator Ted Cruz ( Republican-Texas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on June 4 , said there was bipartisan consensus that the Nord Stream 2 pipeline `` poses a critical threat to America 's national security and must not be completed . ''
The United States opposes Nord Stream 2 , claiming it undermines Ukraine and strengthens Russia 's grip on Europe 's energy industry .
The pipeline would enable Russia to reroute natural-gas exports to Europe around Ukraine , depriving Kyiv of billions of dollars in transit revenue .
Moscow has accused Washington of using sanctions to open the door for more U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Europe .

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated that there can be no advancement in the relationship between the United States and Afghanistan's Taliban rulers unless there is an improvement in the treatment of women in the country.
Speaking to reporters on August 15, the two-year anniversary of the Taliban’s seizure of power in Kabul, Blinken said the United States continues to work to hold the Taliban accountable for the commitments that it's made, particularly when it comes to the rights of women and girls.
"We've been very clear with the Taliban -- and dozens of countries around the world have been very clear -- that the path to any more normal relationship between the Taliban and other countries will be blocked unless and until the rights of women and girls among other things are actually supported," Blinken said.
No country has recognized the Taliban-led government, and the United States has avoided direct economic engagement in part over the treatment of women and girls, who have seen their rights drastically curbed by the hard-line Islamists. This includes a ban on women working in local and international nongovernmental organizations and a ban on education beyond the sixth grade.
The Taliban stormed back to power in August 2021 after President Joe Biden withdrew U.S. troops under the terms of an agreement reached in February 2020 between the Taliban and the administration of then-U.S. President Donald Trump.
Blinken defended the pullout and said the United States was not focused on other priorities.
"The decision to withdraw from Afghanistan was an incredibly difficult one, but also the right one," Blinken said. "We ended America's longest war. For the first time in 20 years, we don't have another generation of young Americans going to fight and die."
A number of international human rights organizations earlier on August 15 called the Taliban's two years of rule shameful and worrying.
Amnesty International and several other international human rights organizations demanded in a statement an effective response to the situation, noting the Taliban's strict decrees against human rights in Afghanistan, especially against women and girls.
The organizations said in a statement that in the past two years, the Taliban has increasingly imposed harmful policies against women and girls and religious and ethnic minorities that clearly violate Afghanistan's obligations under international human rights law.
The Taliban has previously rejected reports on the treatment of women as propaganda of international organizations. The militant group's leaders have said they have strengthened all the rights of women in Afghanistan in light of Islamic principles.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the chief spokesman for the Taliban, said in an interview with the AP marking the second anniversary of the Taliban takeover of the country that the Taliban views its rule of Afghanistan as open-ended and as drawing legitimacy from Islamic law. He also suggested a ban on female education will remain in place.
Female activist Soheila Yousefi calls the situation alarming and wants the world to pay attention.
"The international community should take serious action in this regard because the world chose to be silent in these two years and did not take any practical steps. Our request is that they should look at the current situation in Afghanistan, then take a serious and comprehensive review."
The Taliban did not respond to Radio Azadi's questions before the release of the report, but the rulers have spoken of strengthening human rights in Afghanistan, especially the rights of women and girls, according to Islamic principles.
With reporting by AP and AFP


rferl--2020-06-14--Dozens Arrested During Opposition Protests Outside Armenian Security Service

Armenian police have arrested more than 90 protesters in Yerevan after National Security Service ( HAAT ) officers searched the home and office of an opposition leader over alleged economic crimes .
Armenian police spokesman Ashot Aharonian said that more than 90 people were briefly detained .
Mass gatherings are currently banned in Armenia due to a state of emergency imposed over the coronavirus pandemic .
The arrests took place after clashes between police and protesters outside HAAT headquarters after its officers conducted the searches as part of a criminal investigation of the Prosperous Armenia party 's leader .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of opposition politician Gagik Tsarukian and offices of his Prosperous Armenia Party ( BHK ) as part of an investigation into `` financial crimes . ''
The businessman is suspected of conducting unlicensed gambling activities that have deprived the government of tens of millions of dollars in tax revenue .
Tsarukian claims the allegations are politically motivated and aimed at silencing his criticism of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian 's handling of the coronavirus pandemic .
BHK , which has 25 of 132 seats in the Armenian parliament , is the largest opposition party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outside the HAAT 's headquarters , shouting , `` Pashinian , step down ! ''
The HAAT said in a statement cited by AFP that Tsarukian has been summoned for questioning .
As a member of parliament , however , he has immunity from prosecution .
Armenia has a fast-growing outbreak with 16,667 cases on June 14 and 269 deaths , according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University .
Armenia began relaxing its strict lockdown rules in mid-April at a time when new infections were rising sharply .
Pashinian warned on June @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in his country was `` bad '' and said the latest figures upset him .
He made the comment the day after the government decided to extend the coronavirus state of emergency until July 13 .
With reporting by AP and AFP

Armenian police have arrested more than 90 protesters in Yerevan after National Security Service (HAAT) officers searched the home and office of an opposition leader over alleged economic crimes.
Armenian police spokesman Ashot Aharonian said that more than 90 people were briefly detained.
Mass gatherings are currently banned in Armenia due to a state of emergency imposed over the coronavirus pandemic.
The arrests took place after clashes between police and protesters outside HAAT headquarters after its officers conducted the searches as part of a criminal investigation of the Prosperous Armenia party's leader.
The HAAT said it had searched the home of opposition politician Gagik Tsarukian and offices of his Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) as part of an investigation into "financial crimes."
The businessman is suspected of conducting unlicensed gambling activities that have deprived the government of tens of millions of dollars in tax revenue. Tsarukian claims the allegations are politically motivated and aimed at silencing his criticism of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian's handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
BHK, which has 25 of 132 seats in the Armenian parliament, is the largest opposition party.
Hundreds of supporters of Tsarukian gathered outside the HAAT's headquarters, shouting, "Pashinian, step down!"
The HAAT said in a statement cited by AFP that Tsarukian has been summoned for questioning. As a member of parliament, however, he has immunity from prosecution.
Armenia has a fast-growing outbreak with 16,667 cases on June 14 and 269 deaths, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.
Armenia began relaxing its strict lockdown rules in mid-April at a time when new infections were rising sharply.
Pashinian warned on June 13 that the spread of the coronavirus in his country was "bad" and said the latest figures upset him.
He made the comment the day after the government decided to extend the coronavirus state of emergency until July 13.
With reporting by AP and AFP


rferl--2020-06-14--Russian Military's Cathedral Consecrated Without Mosaic Featuring Putin

Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill has consecrated the main cathedral dedicated to the armed forces , built to mark Victory Day in celebration of the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe .
Religious leaders , Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu , his deputies , guests , and hundreds of uniformed soldiers attended the ceremony on June 14 at the newly constructed Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces , located some 60 kilometers outside of Moscow .
The church was originally due to be opened on May 9 as part of a grand celebration to commemorate the 75th @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But the opening was postponed due to the deadly coronavirus pandemic .
The massive cathedral , one of the largest in the world , sparked controversy earlier this year when leaked photos showed a partially completed mosaic featuring Russian President Vladimir Putin , Defense Minister Shoigu , General Valery Gerasimov , and several other Russian officials .
The plan to display the mosaic was later canceled following criticism and after the Kremlin leader reportedly expressed opposition to the idea .
`` This is an unprecedented event for the soldiers and for all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country , '' Gerasimov , the current chief of the General Staff of the armed forces , said ahead of the event .
The construction of the church cost 6 billion rubles ( about $ 86 million ) , according to media reports .
The church was supposed to be paid for entirely through donations , but according to Russian reports almost 3 billion rubles ( about $ 40 million ) came from the Kremlin budget .

Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill has consecrated the main cathedral dedicated to the armed forces, built to mark Victory Day in celebration of the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe.
Religious leaders, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, his deputies, guests, and hundreds of uniformed soldiers attended the ceremony on June 14 at the newly constructed Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces, located some 60 kilometers outside of Moscow.
The church was originally due to be opened on May 9 as part of a grand celebration to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany. But the opening was postponed due to the deadly coronavirus pandemic.
The massive cathedral, one of the largest in the world, sparked controversy earlier this year when leaked photos showed a partially completed mosaic featuring Russian President Vladimir Putin, Defense Minister Shoigu, General Valery Gerasimov, and several other Russian officials.
The plan to display the mosaic was later canceled following criticism and after the Kremlin leader reportedly expressed opposition to the idea.
"This is an unprecedented event for the soldiers and for all of the the citizens in the whole country," Gerasimov, the current chief of the General Staff of the armed forces, said ahead of the event.
The construction of the church cost 6 billion rubles (about $86 million), according to media reports.
The church was supposed to be paid for entirely through donations, but according to Russian reports almost 3 billion rubles (about $40 million) came from the Kremlin budget.
With reporting by dpa


rferl--2020-06-14--COVID-19: Putin Credits Unified Approach For 'Minimal Losses'; Iran Daily Deaths Exceed 100 For Firs

COVID-19: Putin Credits Unified Approach For 'Minimal Losses'; Iran Daily Deaths Exceed 100 For First Time In Two Months

The global death toll from the coronavirus is more than 430,000 with more than 7.8 million infections confirmed , causing mass disruptions as governments continue to try to slow the spread of the respiratory illness .
President Vladimir Putin says Russia is emerging from the coronavirus pandemic with minimal losses and has done better than the United States in handling the health crisis , but questions about Russia 's record keeping persist .
Russia is `` working rather smoothly and emerging from this situation with the coronavirus confidently and , with minimal losses , '' Putin said on state television @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 , the disease caused by the coronavirus , according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University .
The death toll is much lower than in many other countries despite Russia having more than a half-million infections -- the third-highest rate after the United States and Brazil .
The veracity of Russian statistics , however , has been questioned .
Critics have said that the authorities might have falsified the numbers for political purposes to play down the scale of the outbreak , and a top World Health Organization ( WHO ) official @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russia `` certainly is unusual . ''
Unlike Russia , some countries ' official death count includes people who had COVID-19 but died from other causes , said Dr. Michael Ryan , executive director of the WHO Health Emergencies Program .
`` It will be important that the Russian authorities review the way in which death certification is done to reassure themselves that they are accurately certifying deaths in the appropriate way , '' Ryan said , according to the Associated Press .
In his interview with Rossia-1 , Putin also said Russia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ United States because authorities at federal and regional level had worked as one team without disagreements .
`` I ca n't imagine someone in the [ Russian ] government or regions saying we are not going to do what the government or president say , '' he said .
Commenting on the United States ' high death toll of more than 115,000 , Putin said it appeared that `` party interests '' had been `` put above those of society 's as a whole , above the interests of the people . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ internal crises that dated back to President Donald Trump 's election victory and efforts by rivals to undermine its legitimacy .
Putin also commented for the first time on anti-racism protests in the United States , describing them as a sign of `` deep-seated internal crises . ''
The Russian president stressed he supported African-Americans ' struggle for equality , calling it `` a long-standing problem '' in the United States and one that Russians `` had a lot of sympathy for . ''
But Putin added that if the fight for legal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' he sees `` nothing good for the country . ''
He said he nevertheless expected that the `` fundamental basis of American democracy will allow the country to escape this series of crisis events . ''
Putin also denied allegations that constitutional reforms that could allow him to extend his rule were aimed at `` strengthening a presidential dictatorship , '' saying parliament would have a bigger role after the changes .
Putin has called on citizens to support amendments to the constitution at a national vote scheduled for July 1 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would allow the 67-year-old , who has run Russia for 20 years as either president or prime minister , to stay in power until 2036 .
The number of deaths from COVID-19 in Iran has exceeded 100 for the first time in two months , the country 's Health Ministry said on June 14 .
Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari announced 107 coronavirus fatalities in the past 24 hours , raising the overall death toll to 8,837 .
She said the number of infections had reached 187,427 , with 2,472 new infections recorded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ numbers are believed to be significantly higher .
After gradually relaxing its lockdown since mid-April , Iran in recent weeks has seen a rise of new daily infections .
Speaking on June 13 , President Hasan Rohani said that restrictions to stem the coronavirus pandemic will be reimposed in the country if citizens continue to disobey public health regulations .
Rohani said compliance with health regulations had been as high as 80 percent in mid-May .
But he said compliance is now down to only about 20 percent .
Kazakh Prime Minister Askar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Central Asian country ’ s health minister tested positive for the novel coronavirus .
The prime minister 's spokesperson Zarina Nurlanova said on Facebook June 14 that Mamin would continue to work and had tested negative for COVID-19 .
Mamin made a working trip to the southern Zhambyl Province with Health Minister Yerlen Birtanov on June 12 to start construction at a new pharmaceutical plant intended to produce medicines and vaccines .
Birtanov said June 14 he tested positive for the coronavirus and had been hospitalized .
“ Despite all the strict sanitary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ always risks , ” he wrote on Facebook , urging Kazakhs to practice physical distancing , wear a mask , and follow sanitary measures .
Nurlanova said both ministers wore masks when they were together .
Pictures posted on Facebook show the two wearing face masks at the pharmaceutical plant construction site .
The number of people infected with the coronavirus has risen sharply in the country recently .
According to the latest data , 18,898 people have been infected with the coronavirus in Kazakhstan and 77 people died .
The true infection @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be higher .
Those diagnosed with COVID-19 but are said to have `` died of another disease '' are not included in the country 's core statistics .
With reporting by Reuters , AFP , RFE/RL 's Kazakh Service , and IRNA


rferl--2020-06-13--Turkey, Russia Postpone Talks Focused On Libya, Syria

Russia and Turkey have postponed high-level talks that were expected to focus on Libya and Syria , where the two countries support opposing sides in long-standing conflicts .
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and his Russian counterpart , Sergei Lavrov , decided to put off the talks during a phone call on June 14 , the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement .
`` The two countries ' deputy ministers will continue contacts and talks in the period ahead .
Minister-level talks will be held at a later date , '' the statement said .
Lavrov and Russian Defense @ @ @ @ @ @ @ visit Istanbul for the talks .
The Russian Foreign Ministry said discussion will be held on the date of the ministers ' meeting .
The United Nations said this week that warring sides had begun new peace talks in Libya .
The country has been torn by civil war since a NATO-backed popular uprising ousted and killed the North African country 's longtime dictator , Colonel Muammar Qaddafi , in 2011 .
The struggle pits Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar 's self-styled Libyan National Army ( LNA ) in the east of the country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Accord ( GNA ) .
Moscow , along with the United Arab Emirates and Egypt , backs the LNA in the conflict .
Turkey , which deployed troops , drones , and Syrian rebel mercenaries to Libya in January , supports the government in Tripoli alongside Qatar and Italy .
In Syria , Russia and Iran support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad , while Turkey backs opposition fighters .
Meanwhile , Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was expected to visit Istanbul on June 14 for talks with Turkish officials .
Iran 's Foreign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to visit Moscow as well .
With reporting by Reuters , AFP , and Tasnim

Russia and Turkey have postponed high-level talks that were expected to focus on Libya and Syria, where the two countries support opposing sides in long-standing conflicts.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, decided to put off the talks during a phone call on June 14, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
"The two countries' deputy ministers will continue contacts and talks in the period ahead. Minister-level talks will be held at a later date," the statement said.
Lavrov and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu had been set to visit Istanbul for the talks.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said discussion will be held on the date of the ministers' meeting.
The United Nations said this week that warring sides had begun new peace talks in Libya. The country has been torn by civil war since a NATO-backed popular uprising ousted and killed the North African country's longtime dictator, Colonel Muammar Qaddafi, in 2011.
The struggle pits Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar's self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) in the east of the country against the internationally recognized Government of National Accord (GNA).
Moscow, along with the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, backs the LNA in the conflict.
Turkey, which deployed troops, drones, and Syrian rebel mercenaries to Libya in January, supports the government in Tripoli alongside Qatar and Italy.
In Syria, Russia and Iran support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, while Turkey backs opposition fighters.
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was expected to visit Istanbul on June 14 for talks with Turkish officials.
Iran's Foreign Ministry had earlier announced that Zarif planned to visit Moscow as well.
With reporting by Reuters, AFP, and Tasnim


rferl--2020-06-15--Another Russian Researcher Charged With High Treason

The Russian authorities have charged the president of the St. Petersburg-based Arctic Academy , Valery Mitko , with high treason in an ongoing spate of similar investigations targeting Russian academics .
Mitko 's lawyer , Ivan Pavlov , said on June 15 that the 78-year-old researcher had been under house arrest since February and his case was being investigated by the Federal Security Service ( FSB ) .
Mitko is accused of transferring classified materials to China , Pavlov said , adding that his client had pleaded not guilty .
According to the lawyer , Mitko , who regularly traveled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with him materials `` exclusively related to his scientific and teaching activities . ''
On June 5 , a court in St. Petersburg extended Mitko 's house arrest until October 10 .
The scientist is barred from walking or communicating with others directly or via mail , the Internet , or telephone .
Treason charges against researchers and scientists have become a regular occurrence in Russia in recent years .
The news about Mitko comes four days after a Russian court granted early release to a 79-year-old former space researcher , Vladimir Lapygin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in prison in 2016 on a treason conviction and recognized as a political prisoner by the rights group Memorial .
Lapygin , who worked for a research branch of the Russian space agency Roskosmos , was also found guilty of handing classified materials to China , which he denied as well .
With reporting by Interfax and RIA Novosti

The Russian authorities have charged the president of the St. Petersburg-based Arctic Academy, Valery Mitko, with high treason in an ongoing spate of similar investigations targeting Russian academics.
Mitko's lawyer, Ivan Pavlov, said on June 15 that the 78-year-old researcher had been under house arrest since February and his case was being investigated by the Federal Security Service (FSB).
Mitko is accused of transferring classified materials to China, Pavlov said, adding that his client had pleaded not guilty.
According to the lawyer, Mitko, who regularly traveled to China for teaching, had taken with him materials "exclusively related to his scientific and teaching activities."
Russian news agencies TASS and Interfax quoted unidentified sources as saying the scientist passed on information about hydroacoustic research and the detection of submarines.
On June 5, a court in St. Petersburg extended Mitko's house arrest until October 10. The scientist is barred from walking or communicating with others directly or via mail, the Internet, or telephone.
Treason charges against researchers and scientists have become a regular occurrence in Russia in recent years.
The news about Mitko comes four days after a Russian court granted early release to a 79-year-old former space researcher, Vladimir Lapygin, who was sentenced to seven years in prison in 2016 on a treason conviction and recognized as a political prisoner by the rights group Memorial.
Lapygin, who worked for a research branch of the Russian space agency Roskosmos, was also found guilty of handing classified materials to China, which he denied as well.
With reporting by Interfax, TASS, and RIA Novosti


rferl--2020-06-15--In Diplomatic Tit-For-Tat, Moscow Expels Two Czech Diplomats

Russia 's Foreign Ministry has declared two Czech diplomats personae non gratae in retaliation to a similar move by Prague several days ago .
The ministry said in a June 15 statement that the Czech ambassador to Russia , Vitezslav Pivonka , had been officially informed that the two Czech diplomats , whose identities were not disclosed , had been ordered to leave Russia along with their family members in two days .
`` The ambassador was told that the move is a mirror response to the provocative action by a Prague official , which was undertaken without any grounds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
On June 5 , Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis said that his government had decided to expel the two staffers as a result of the so-called ricin affair , which he said turned out to be a fake incident sparked by an `` internal struggle '' between embassy staff .
The Russian Embassy called the expulsions an `` unfriendly step '' that showed Prague is not interested in normalizing already tense relations between the two countries .
The affair stems from Czech media reports that Andrei Konchakov , deputy director of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Culture , brought ricin from Russia to Prague in mid-March that was meant to be used in a plot to poison Prague Mayor Zdenek Hrib and two other senior municipal officials , Ondrej Kolar and Pavel Novotny .
Moscow at the time denied the reports as `` fabrications . ''
The scandal broke out on April 26 when Respekt , a Czech investigative weekly , published a report quoting unnamed security sources as saying that a suspected Russian intelligence officer traveling on a diplomatic passport had arrived recently in Prague carrying the deadly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plot .
Czech media last month identified the suspected Russian intelligence operative as Konchakov .
The three Czech officials -- Kolar , Hrib , and Novotny -- were given around-the-clock police protection at time .
All three have taken or supported actions that have angered the Kremlin , including the renaming of the square in front of the Russian Embassy after a slain former Kremlin critic and the removal of a statue of a Soviet-era general .
As possible payback , Moscow is suspected of having a role in a recent wave of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , suspected in the 2018 poisoning in Britain of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter with a nerve agent , has said the alleged poisoning plot against the three Czechs was part of a `` disinformation campaign '' aimed at discrediting Russia and threatened `` serious consequences '' to Czech-Russian relations .
With reporting by RIA Novosti and TASS

Russia's Foreign Ministry has declared two Czech diplomats personae non gratae in retaliation to a similar move by Prague several days ago.
The ministry said in a June 15 statement that the Czech ambassador to Russia, Vitezslav Pivonka, had been officially informed that the two Czech diplomats, whose identities were not disclosed, had been ordered to leave Russia along with their family members in two days.
"The ambassador was told that the move is a mirror response to the provocative action by a Prague official, which was undertaken without any grounds," the ministry's statement says.
On June 5, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis said that his government had decided to expel the two staffers as a result of the so-called ricin affair, which he said turned out to be a fake incident sparked by an "internal struggle" between embassy staff.
The Russian Embassy called the expulsions an "unfriendly step" that showed Prague is not interested in normalizing already tense relations between the two countries.
The affair stems from Czech media reports that Andrei Konchakov, deputy director of the embassy's Russian Center for Science and Culture, brought ricin from Russia to Prague in mid-March that was meant to be used in a plot to poison Prague Mayor Zdenek Hrib and two other senior municipal officials, Ondrej Kolar and Pavel Novotny.
Moscow at the time denied the reports as "fabrications."
The scandal broke out on April 26 when Respekt, a Czech investigative weekly, published a report quoting unnamed security sources as saying that a suspected Russian intelligence officer traveling on a diplomatic passport had arrived recently in Prague carrying the deadly toxin as part of an alleged poisoning plot.
Czech media last month identified the suspected Russian intelligence operative as Konchakov.
The three Czech officials -- Kolar, Hrib, and Novotny -- were given around-the-clock police protection at time.
All three have taken or supported actions that have angered the Kremlin, including the renaming of the square in front of the Russian Embassy after a slain former Kremlin critic and the removal of a statue of a Soviet-era general.
As possible payback, Moscow is suspected of having a role in a recent wave of cyberattacks in the Czech Republic.
Moscow, suspected in the 2018 poisoning in Britain of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter with a nerve agent, has said the alleged poisoning plot against the three Czechs was part of a "disinformation campaign" aimed at discrediting Russia and threatened "serious consequences" to Czech-Russian relations.
With reporting by RIA Novosti and TASS


rferl--2020-06-15--U.S. Citizen Whelan Sentenced To 16 Years For Spying By Russian Court

A Russian court has found former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan guilty on an espionage charge , a verdict that the top U.S. diplomat in Russia called a `` mockery of justice . ''
The Moscow City Court on June 15 handed Whelan a prison sentence of 16 years for the conviction in a trial that was held behind closed doors because the evidence includes classified materials , as well as because of measures taken to slow the spread of the coronavirus .
The 50-year-old Whelan , who also holds British , Canadian , and Irish citizenship , was arrested in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this year went on trial , which was held in the face of the coronavirus pandemic and diplomatic protests .
He denies all charges .
Whelan told journalists that he will appeal the court 's decision , calling it politically motivated .
`` It is a political trial , a political sentence , '' he said .
On May 25 , a prosecutor at Whelan 's trial asked a Moscow court to find him guilty of espionage and sentence him to 18 years in prison .
Whelan says he was framed when he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , thinking it contained holiday photos , and that the allegations of spying against him are politically motivated .
He has also accused his prison guards of mistreatment .
U.S .
Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan said that he was `` disappointed , enraged '' by Whelan 's sentence and called the trial a `` mockery of justice , '' stressing that Whelan 's conviction will harm U.S.-Russia relations .
Answering a journalist 's question about a possible exchange of Whelan for Russian citizens held in the United States , Sullivan said that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ instead justice for Whelan .
Whelan 's lawyer , Vladimir Zherebenkov , said separately that the issue of pardoning or exchange of his client will be possible only in 10 days , when the court 's ruling comes into force .
Whelan was head of global security at a U.S. auto-parts supplier at the time of his arrest .
He and his relatives insist he visited Russia to attend a wedding .
Before the verdict , U.S. officials had urged Moscow to release Whelan following their criticism of Russian authorities for their `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reporting by TASS , Interfax , AFP , and Reuters

The United States has demanded the immediate release of Paul Whelan, calling the treatment and conviction of the former Marine for spying "appalling."
The Moscow City Court announced the conviction and handed Whelan a 16-year prison sentence on June 15 after a trial that was held behind closed doors because the evidence included classified materials and because of measures taken to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
The U.S. ambassador to Russia called the proceedings a "mockery of justice," while Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he was outraged by the trial and that the United States has "serious concerns" that Whelan was deprived of fair-trial guarantees that Russia is required to provide under its international human rights obligations.
U.K. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said he was deeply disappointed by the verdict and sentence against Whelan, who also holds British, Canadian, and Irish citizenship, and expressed "serious reservations about the legal process."
Russia's Foreign Ministry rejected "claims about the unfairness and excessive harshness" of the sentence.
The 50-year-old former U.S. Marine was arrested in Moscow in December 2018 and in March this year went on trial, which was held in the face of the coronavirus pandemic and diplomatic protests. He had denied all charges.
'Sham Trial'
During the hearing, Whelan held up a paper from the glass enclosure where he sat with several messages, including a reference to the proceedings as a "Sham trial" and, in an apparent reference to emergency hernia surgery last month, "Meatball surgery!"
He also complained that he had been deprived of human rights and demanded "decisive action" from U.S. President Donald Trump and from the prime ministers of the other countries he is a citizen of.
Whelan told journalists afterward that he will appeal the court's decision, calling it politically motivated.
"It is a political trial, a political sentence," Whelan said.
Hours after the ruling, Pompeo said in a statement that “the treatment of Paul Whelan at the hands of Russian authorities has been appalling.”
"Russia failed to provide Mr. Whelan with a fair hearing before an independent and impartial tribunal; and during his detention has put his life at risk by ignoring his long-standing medical condition; and unconscionably kept him isolated from family and friends," he added, noting that the ruling came "after a secret trial, with secret evidence, and without appropriate allowances for defense witnesses."
In his statement, Raab said London "will continue to provide consular support to [Whelan] and his family, and press the Russian authorities to respect [his] basic rights, which include a fair trial and appeal process."
Russian prosecutors claimed that a flash drive found in Whelan's possession contained classified information.
On May 25, a prosecutor at Whelan's trial asked a Moscow court to find him guilty of espionage and sentence him to 18 years in prison.
Whelan says he was framed when he took a USB drive from an acquaintance, thinking it contained holiday photos, and that the allegations of spying against him are politically motivated.
He has also accused his prison guards of mistreatment.
U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan said that he was "disappointed, enraged" by Whelan's sentence and called the trial a "mockery of justice," stressing that Whelan's conviction will harm U.S.-Russia relations.
Answering a journalist's question about a possible exchange of Whelan for Russian citizens held in the United States, Sullivan said that Washington was not seeking exchange but instead justice for Whelan.
Whelan's lawyer, Vladimir Zherebenkov, said separately that the issue of pardoning or an exchange of his client will be possible only in 10 days, when the court's ruling comes into force.
Whelan was head of global security at a U.S. auto-parts supplier at the time of his arrest. He and his relatives insist he visited Russia to attend a wedding.
Before the verdict, U.S. officials had urged Moscow to release Whelan following their criticism of Russian authorities for their "shameful treatment" of him.
With reporting by TASS, Interfax, AFP, and Reuters


rferl--2020-06-14--Nuclear Powers Modernize Arsenals As Warheads Decrease, Report Finds

A Sweden-based , nonproliferation think tank says nuclear powers have continued to modernize their arsenals despite a decrease in the number of nuclear warheads .
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute ( SIPRI ) said in a report released on June 15 that nine nuclear-weapon powers -- the United States , Russia , the United Kingdom , France , China , India , Pakistan , Israel , and North Korea -- together possessed an estimated 13,400 nuclear weapons at the start of 2020 .
The number is down by 465 nuclear weapons in `` a marked decrease '' from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ possessed a combined estimated total of 13,865 nuclear weapons , according to SIPRI .
The decrease `` was largely due to the dismantlement of retired nuclear weapons by Russia and the U.S. -- which together still possess over 90 percent of global nuclear weapons . ''
U.S. nuclear warheads dropped by 385 and Russia 's declined by 125 .
Those large reductions were offset by slight increases in the nuclear forces of China , Britain , India , and North Korea .
The reductions in U.S. and Russian strategic nuclear forces were required @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms ( New START ) and completed in 2018 .
In 2019 the forces of both countries remained below the limits specified by the treaty .
Extending the New START treaty is the subject of arms negotiations that the top U.S. envoy for arms control said would begin with Russia later this month .
The United States has also invited China to take part in the talks .
`` The deadlock over New START and the collapse of the 1987 Soviet–U.S .
Treaty on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ INF Treaty ) in 2019 suggest that the era of bilateral nuclear arms-control agreements between Russia and the USA might be coming to an end , '' said Shannon Kile , director of SIPRI ’ s Nuclear Disarmament , Arms Control , and Nonproliferation Program .
The INF Treaty was abandoned last year after the United States officially withdrew from it over accusations of Russian violations .
Russia denied the accusations and in turn suspended its participation in the pact .
`` The loss of key channels of communication between Russia and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and prevent misperceptions about their respective nuclear force postures and capabilities could potentially lead to a new nuclear arms race , '' Kile added .
New START , the last major arms-control treaty between the United States and Russia , is scheduled to expire in February 2021 .
The accord caps the number of nuclear warheads and so-called delivery systems held by the two countries .
While Moscow has pushed for a five-year extension , Washington has balked , saying it wants the deal to be broadened to include China .
China , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the size of Moscow 's and Washington 's , has said it was not interested in participating in such talks .
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on June 10 that Beijing had n't changed its previous stance that it was not going to join the talks , which according to Bloomberg will take place on June 22 in Vienna .
SIPRI said in its report that China was in the middle of a significant modernization of its nuclear arsenal .
`` It is developing a so-called nuclear triad for the first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and sea-based missiles and nuclear-capable aircraft . ''
SIPRI also said that India and Pakistan were slowly increasing the size and diversity of their nuclear forces , while North Korea continues to prioritize its military nuclear program as a central element of its national security strategy .
It noted that North Korea provided no information about its nuclear weapon capabilities , while Israel has a long-standing policy of not commenting on its nuclear arsenal .


rferl--2020-06-16--Ukraine's Top Court Rules In Favor Of Government In PrivatBank Case

Ukraine 's Supreme Court has reversed a lower court decision in favor of the government in a landmark case related to state-owned PrivatBank .
The top court ’ s ruling on June 15 means the government does not have to pay back more than a billion hryvnyas ( $ 37 million ) to two brothers who lost their savings in the 2016 nationalization of Ukraine ’ s largest lender .
The victory comes days after Ukraine struck a $ 5 billion agreement with the International Monetary Fund ( IMF ) that was partly contingent on its handling of the PrivatBank @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and securing the IMF deal are viewed as key tests for President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to deliver on promised reforms and tackling deep-rooted vested interests .
Ukraine 's central bank had recognized the tycoon brothers , Ihor and Hryhoriy Surkis , as related parties and included money from their deposits at PrivatBank in a bail-in .
The Surkis brothers , known as associates of the former owner of PrivatBank Ihor Kolomoyskiy , challenged that decision in court , forcing the central bank to defend its actions .
Kolomoyskiy lost control over PrivatBank in 2016 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after it failed stress tests and was deemed to be undercapitalized .
An independent audit later concluded that PrivatBank had conducted “ large-scale and coordinated fraud ” for at least 10 years before its takeover by the state .
U.S.-based corporate investigative firm Kroll and attorneys at AlixPartners also found a hole of at least $ 5.5 billion in the bank ’ s balance sheet .
Kolomoyskiy has denied wrongdoing and maintains that he is the rightful owner of the bank , which he has vowed to regain control over .
The central @ @ @ @ @ @ @ victory for the Surkis brothers would have opened up other claims , particularly from Kolomoyskiy .
Kolomoyskiy lived in self-imposed exile for nearly two years and returned after Zelenskiy 's election in April 2019 .
His ties to Zelenskiy , who rose to fame as an actor on a TV channel owned by Kolomoisky , had raised concerns over the president ’ s independence from the oligarch .
In May , Ukraine 's parliament , the Verkhovna Rada , approved a banking bill that prevents the former owners of banks that were nationalized @ @ @ @ @ @ @ compensation .
Although the legislation was implemented to improve the financial sector , its main purpose is to prevent Kolomoyskiy from regaining ownership rights to the bank .
With reporting by RFE/RL 's Ukrainian Service and Reuters

Ukraine's Supreme Court has reversed a lower-court decision in favor of the government in a landmark case related to state-owned PrivatBank.
The top court's ruling on June 15 means the government does not have to pay back more than a billion hryvnyas ($37 million) to two brothers who lost their savings in the 2016 nationalization of Ukraine's largest lender.
The victory comes days after Ukraine struck a $5 billion agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that was partly contingent on its handling of the PrivatBank issue.
Resolving lingering issues over PrivatBank and securing the IMF deal are viewed as key tests for President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to deliver on promised reforms and tackling deep-rooted vested interests.
Ukraine's central bank had recognized the tycoon brothers, Ihor and Hryhoriy Surkis, as related parties and included money from their deposits at PrivatBank in a bail-in.
The Surkis brothers, known as associates of the former owner of PrivatBank, Ihor Kolomoyskiy, challenged that decision in court, forcing the central bank to defend its actions.
Kolomoyskiy lost control over PrivatBank in 2016, when the central bank took it over after it failed stress tests and was deemed to be undercapitalized.
An independent audit later concluded that PrivatBank had conducted "large-scale and coordinated fraud" for at least 10 years before its takeover by the state.
U.S.-based corporate investigative firm Kroll and attorneys at AlixPartners also found a hole of at least $5.5 billion in the bank's balance sheet.
Kolomoyskiy has denied wrongdoing and maintains that he is the rightful owner of the bank, which he has vowed to regain control over.
The central bank and PrivatBank had worried that a victory for the Surkis brothers would have opened up other claims, particularly from Kolomoyskiy.
Kolomoyskiy lived in self-imposed exile for nearly two years and returned after Zelenskiy's election in April 2019.
His ties to Zelenskiy, who rose to fame as an actor on a TV channel owned by Kolomoyskiy, had raised concerns over the president's independence from the oligarch.
In May, Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, approved a banking bill that prevents the former owners of banks that were nationalized from regaining ownership rights or receiving monetary compensation.
Although the legislation was implemented to improve the financial sector, its main purpose is to prevent Kolomoyskiy from regaining ownership rights to the bank.
With reporting by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service and Reuters


rferl--2020-06-15--Belarus Jails Several Opposition Figures In Widening Clampdown Ahead Of Election

Prominent Belarusian opposition leader Mikalay Statkevich and several bloggers on June 15 were sentenced to 15 days in jail as part of a widening crackdown on dissent in the country ahead of elections .
Statkevich was already sentenced on June 1 to 15 days in jail for taking part in an “ unauthorized ” opposition event in Minsk to collect signatures for petitions to support would-be candidates for upcoming elections .
Opposition rallies and gatherings in support of would-be candidates have attracted thousands of people across Belarus in recent weeks ahead of the August presidential election in which authoritarian President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Dozens of activists and politicians have been harassed and arrested .
Statkevich ’ s wife , Maryna Adamovich , wrote on Facebook June 15 that her husband was sentenced to another 15 days in the absence of a lawyer .
Statkevich -- who challenged Lukashenka in the 2010 election , which was marred by allegations of fraud -- has been barred from running in the August election .
He was previously sentenced to sentenced to six years in prison and released in 2015 .
Also on June 15 , bloggers Eduard Palchys @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were sentenced to 15 days for taking part in “ unauthorized ” events .
Another activist , Syarhey Tsikhanouski , a jailed Belarusian vlogger who is seeking to take part in an August presidential election , may face up to 3 years in prison for organizing pro-democracy rallies .
Since Tsikhanouski ’ s candidacy was rejected , his wife Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya has been trying to get registered as a candidate herself , collecting the necessary 100,000 signatures to qualify .
Investigators are also targeting Belgazprombank ’ s former chief executive Viktar Babaryka , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ run against Lukashenka .
On June 15 , authorities took control of the bank , which is the local unit of Russia 's Gazprombank , as part of a wider money laundering and corruption probe that has already led to the arrest of 15 executives .
Babaryka says the raids are designed to apply political pressure on him .

MINSK -- Prominent Belarusian opposition leader Mikalay Statkevich and several bloggers have been sentenced to 15 days in jail as part of a widening crackdown on dissent in the country ahead of elections.
Statkevich was already sentenced on June 1 to 15 days in jail for taking part in an "unauthorized" opposition event in Minsk to collect signatures for petitions to support would-be candidates for the upcoming elections.
Opposition rallies and gatherings in support of would-be candidates have attracted thousands of people across Belarus in recent weeks ahead of the August presidential election in which authoritarian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka is seeking a sixth term.
Dozens of activists and politicians have been harassed and arrested.
Statkevich’s wife, Maryna Adamovich, wrote on Facebook on June 15 that her husband was sentenced to another 15 days in the absence of a lawyer.
Statkevich -- who challenged Lukashenka in the 2010 election, which was marred by allegations of fraud -- has been barred from running in the August election. He was previously sentenced to six years in prison and released in 2015.
Also on June 15, bloggers Eduard Palchys, Uladzimer Tsyhanovich, and Mikalay Maslouski were sentenced to 15 days for taking part in "unauthorized" events.
Another activist, Syarhey Tsikhanouski, a jailed Belarusian vlogger who is seeking to take part in the August presidential election, may face up to three years in prison for organizing pro-democracy rallies.
Since Tsikhanouski's candidacy was rejected, his wife, Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, has been trying to get registered as a candidate herself, collecting the necessary 100,000 signatures to qualify.
Investigators are also targeting Belgazprombank's former chief executive, Viktar Babaryka, who stepped down from the bank to run against Lukashenka.
On June 15, authorities took control of the bank, which is the local unit of Russia's Gazprombank, as part of a wider money-laundering and corruption probe that has already led to the arrest of 15 executives.
Babaryka says the raids are designed to apply political pressure on him.


rferl--2020-06-15--U.S. Envoy Says Kosovo, Serbia Agree To White House Meeting In Late June

PRISTINA -- The U.S. special envoy for Serbia and Kosovo negotiations says he has received commitments from both countries to meet in Washington on June 27 for talks aimed at leading to a normalization of relations .
The envoy , Richard Grenell , said Kosovo and Serbia had committed to `` temporarily pause the derecognition campaign and the seeking of international memberships '' in order to meet at the White House to try to resume talks that have been on hold for more than a year .
`` If either side is unsatisfied with the June 27 discussions then they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after they leave Washington , '' Grenell said on Twitter .
`` As we have consistently said , we must first make progress on growing the economies .
This is the focus . ''
he added .
Neither government confirmed Grenell 's announcement , but the president and prime minister of Kosovo welcomed the invitation .
`` U.S. leadership & support has always been decisive for the prosperous future '' of Kosovo , President Hashim Thaci wrote on Twitter .
Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti tweeted that the `` continuation of the dialogue is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ relations and mutual recognition !
” The European Union ’ s special envoy to Serbia-Kosovo talks , Miroslav Lajcak , is expected to arrive in Pristina on June 16 to begin discussions on the timing and other details of the resumption of the dialogue , Dinka Zivalj , spokeswoman of the EU office in Kosovo , told RFE/RL .
Hoti , of Kosovo 's center-right Democratic League of Kosovo ( LDK ) , became prime minister on June 3 after winning a vote in parliament by a razor-thin margin .
Three days later @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against Serbia , a move that opened the door to the restart normalization talks with Belgrade .
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic welcomed Pristina ’ s move to remove all trade barriers , calling it a `` good decision . ''
The tariffs , imposed on Serbia in November 2018 , came in response to Belgrade 's diplomatic campaign to encourage some of the 110-plus countries that have recognized Kosovo since it declared independence from Serbia in 2008 to reverse their position .
The tariffs had been partially lifted earlier this year under former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leader of the leftist-nationalist Vetevendosje ( Self-Determination ) party .
The United States and EU had demanded that the punitive fees be lifted in full .
Kurti has accused Grenell of rushing to reach a deal with Serbia to score political points for U.S. President Donald Trump , who is seeking reelection this year .
He has said such a deal would include a “ territorial exchange . ''
Grenell has repeatedly denied the allegations .

PRISTINA -- The U.S. special envoy for Serbia and Kosovo negotiations says he has received commitments from both countries to meet in Washington on June 27 for talks aimed at leading to a normalization of relations.
The envoy, Richard Grenell, said Kosovo and Serbia had committed to "temporarily pause the derecognition campaign and the seeking of international memberships" in order to meet at the White House to try to resume talks that have been on hold for more than a year.
"If either side is unsatisfied with the June 27 discussions then they will go back to the status quo after they leave Washington," Grenell said on Twitter.
"As we have consistently said, we must first make progress on growing the economies. This is the focus." he added.
Neither government confirmed Grenell's announcement, but the president and prime minister of Kosovo welcomed the invitation.
"U.S. leadership & support has always been decisive for the prosperous future" of Kosovo, President Hashim Thaci wrote on Twitter.
Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti tweeted that the "continuation of the dialogue is a key step for the normalization of relations and mutual recognition!”
The European Union’s special envoy to Serbia-Kosovo talks, Miroslav Lajcak, is expected to arrive in Pristina on June 16 to begin discussions on the timing and other details of the resumption of the dialogue, Dinka Zivalj, spokeswoman of the EU office in Kosovo, told RFE/RL.
Hoti, of Kosovo's center-right Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), became prime minister on June 3 after winning a vote in parliament by a razor-thin margin.
Three days later the new government scrapped all trade sanctions against Serbia, a move that opened the door to the restart normalization talks with Belgrade.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic welcomed Pristina’s move to remove all trade barriers, calling it a "good decision."
The tariffs, imposed on Serbia in November 2018, came in response to Belgrade's diplomatic campaign to encourage some of the 110-plus countries that have recognized Kosovo since it declared independence from Serbia in 2008 to reverse their position.
The tariffs had been partially lifted earlier this year under former Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti, the leader of the leftist-nationalist Vetevendosje (Self-Determination) party.
The United States and EU had demanded that the punitive fees be lifted in full.
Kurti has accused Grenell of rushing to reach a deal with Serbia to score political points for U.S. President Donald Trump, who is seeking reelection this year. He has said such a deal would include a “territorial exchange."
Grenell has repeatedly denied the allegations.