rferl--2020-05-30--U.S. General: Russian Aircraft Flown To Libya Linked To Moscow's Pursuit Of Foothold In Region

The U.S. military 's Africa Command ( AFRICOM ) has rejected Russia 's claim that Moscow did not deploy fighter jets to Libya , saying on May 29 that the aircraft reflected Russia 's goal to establish a foothold in the oil-rich country .
Brigadier General Gregory Hadfield , deputy director for intelligence at ARFICOM , said the U.S. military tracked the 14 MiG-29 fighter jets and SU-24 fighter bombers that were flown in by the Russian military , landing at Libya 's Jufra air base .
The base is the main forward airfield for Khalifa Haftar and his eastern-based @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which has been waging an offensive to capture Tripoli .
Hadfield said Russia 's activities in Libya gave it access to that country 's oil and a military base in striking distance of Europe .
`` Backing the LNA and backing Field Marshal Haftar -- it really is n't about winning the war , it 's about developing strongholds , '' Hadfield said in an interview on May 29 with a small group of reporters .
A big U.S. concern would be if Russia placed missiles in such a location , he added @ @ @ @ @ @ @ position in Libya and , worse , deploys long-range missile systems , it will be a game changer for Europe , NATO , and many Western nations , '' Hadfield said .
Russia has denied links to the aircraft , calling the claim `` stupidity . ''
Viktor Bondarev , the former Russian Air Force chief who heads the Defense Committee in the upper house of parliament , said the planes were not Russian , but could be Soviet-era aircraft owned by other African countries .
Hadfield disputed that , saying there were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Africa .
And , he said , `` not only did we watch them fly from Russia by way of Iran and Syria to Libya , we were able to photograph them at multiple points . ''
AFRICOM first released information about the arrival of the Russian aircraft in Libya on May 26 .
It provided more details on May 27 , saying Moscow deployed the jets and bombers to provide support for Russian mercenaries helping Haftar battle forces of the Government of National Accord ( GNA ) , which is recognized @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that MiG-29s and Su-24s bearing Russian Federation Air Force markings departed Russia `` over multiple days in May . ''
After the aircraft landed at the Russian military base of Hmeimim in western Syria , the MiG-29s `` are repainted and emerge with no national markings . ''
Hadfield said the fighter aircraft will likely provide close air support and offensive strikes for the Vagner Group , a private military contractor believed to be close to the Kremlin that has been helping Hafter 's forces .
The aircraft have not yet been used @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be flown either by pilots from Russia or contractors employed by Vagner .
Also on May 29 the U.S. State Department announced that Malta on May 26 seized $ 1.1 billion worth of counterfeit Libyan currency that it said was printed by a Russian state-owned company .
The money was printed by Joint Stock Company Goznak and ordered by `` an illegitimate parallel entity , '' State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in the statement .
The statement said the influx of Russian-printed Libyan currency in recent years `` has exacerbated Libya @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the United States remained committed to working with the United Nations and international partners to deter illicit activities in Libya .
`` This incident once again highlights the need for Russia to cease its malign and destabilizing actions in Libya , '' Ortagus said .
Libya was plunged into chaos when a NATO-backed uprising toppled longtime dictator Muammar Qaddafi in 2011 .
The country is now split between a government in the east allied with Hafter and the UN-backed GNA in Tripoli .
The Russian Foreign Ministry says the situation in Libya is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ announced in January is in tatters .
The cease-fire `` has definitively collapsed , and hostilities have resumed in full , '' ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on May 29 , according to Interfax .
The balance of power differs significantly from what it was when the cease-fire came into effect due to `` massive foreign assistance , '' she said .
Russia is in contact with all sides in the conflict and will insist it is resolved through diplomatic means , she said .
With reporting by AP , Reuters , and @

The U.S. military's Africa Command (AFRICOM) has rejected Russia's claim that Moscow did not deploy fighter jets to Libya, saying on May 29 that the aircraft reflected Russia's goal to establish a foothold in the oil-rich country.
Brigadier General Gregory Hadfield, deputy director for intelligence at ARFICOM, said the U.S. military tracked the 14 MiG-29 fighter jets and SU-24 fighter bombers that were flown in by the Russian military, landing at Libya's Jufra air base.
The base is the main forward airfield for Khalifa Haftar and his eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA), which has been waging an offensive to capture Tripoli.
Hadfield said Russia's activities in Libya gave it access to that country's oil and a military base in striking distance of Europe.
"Backing the LNA and backing Field Marshal Haftar -- it really isn't about winning the war, it's about developing strongholds," Hadfield said in an interview on May 29 with a small group of reporters.
A big U.S. concern would be if Russia placed missiles in such a location, he added.
"If Russia secures a permanent position in Libya and, worse, deploys long-range missile systems, it will be a game changer for Europe, NATO, and many Western nations," Hadfield said.
Russia has denied links to the aircraft, calling the claim "stupidity." Viktor Bondarev, the former Russian Air Force chief who heads the Defense Committee in the upper house of parliament, said the planes were not Russian, but could be Soviet-era aircraft owned by other African countries.
Hadfield disputed that, saying there were none of those aircraft in that part of Africa. And, he said, "not only did we watch them fly from Russia by way of Iran and Syria to Libya, we were able to photograph them at multiple points."
AFRICOM first released information about the arrival of the Russian aircraft in Libya on May 26. It provided more details on May 27, saying Moscow deployed the jets and bombers to provide support for Russian mercenaries helping Haftar battle forces of the Government of National Accord (GNA), which is recognized by the United Nations.
AFRICOM said that MiG-29s and Su-24s bearing Russian Federation Air Force markings departed Russia "over multiple days in May."
After the aircraft landed at the Russian military base of Hmeimim in western Syria, the MiG-29s "are repainted and emerge with no national markings."
Hadfield said the fighter aircraft will likely provide close air support and offensive strikes for the Vagner Group, a private military contractor believed to be close to the Kremlin that has been helping Hafter's forces.
The aircraft have not yet been used, but he said they will have to be flown either by pilots from Russia or contractors employed by Vagner.
Also on May 29 the U.S. State Department announced that Malta on May 26 seized $1.1 billion worth of counterfeit Libyan currency that it said was printed by a Russian state-owned company.
The money was printed by Joint Stock Company Goznak and ordered by "an illegitimate parallel entity," State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in the statement.
The statement said the influx of Russian-printed Libyan currency in recent years "has exacerbated Libya's economic challenges," adding that the United States remained committed to working with the United Nations and international partners to deter illicit activities in Libya.
"This incident once again highlights the need for Russia to cease its malign and destabilizing actions in Libya," Ortagus said.
Libya was plunged into chaos when a NATO-backed uprising toppled longtime dictator Muammar Qaddafi in 2011. The country is now split between a government in the east allied with Hafter and the UN-backed GNA in Tripoli.
The Russian Foreign Ministry says the situation in Libya is continuing to deteriorate and that a cease-fire announced in January is in tatters.
The cease-fire "has definitively collapsed, and hostilities have resumed in full," ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on May 29, according to Interfax.
The balance of power differs significantly from what it was when the cease-fire came into effect due to "massive foreign assistance," she said.
Russia is in contact with all sides in the conflict and will insist it is resolved through diplomatic means, she said.
With reporting by AP, Reuters, and Interfax


rferl--2020-05-30--Bosniak-Croat Federation PM Detained Over Deal To Buy Respirators From China

The prime minister of Bosnia 's autonomous Bosniak-Croat Federation has been questioned in a potential corruption case involving the purchase of 100 respirators from China for coronavirus patients .
Fadil Novalic was questioned as part of an investigation into suspected corruption and fraud by federal police on May 28 , according to media reports .
Neither the police nor the prosecutor 's office would comment on the matter , but they said more information about the case would be released later .
The chairman of Novalic 's Party of Democratic Action ( SDA ) , the main Bosnian Muslim party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was in custody and asked the prosecutor 's office to `` urgently present the evidence '' against him .
The 5.4 million-euro ( $ 6 million ) deal raised suspicions after it emerged that the authorities had hired a local fruit-processing company with no license to import medical equipment to procure the respirators .
Prosecutors in early May cited an expert who said the respirators were not the right model for the intensive-care units where they were needed .
Bosnia-Herzegovina has reported nearly 2,500 infections and around 150 deaths from the coronavirus .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ charge of procuring equipment , and Fikret Hodzic , the manager of the fruit-processing firm , were also questioned as part of the probe , according to local media .
Prosecutors have not yet said what charges could be filed , but a source in the investigation and protection agency told RFE/RL there were grounds for suspicion of money laundering , forgery of official documents , and abuse of office .
All three men have denied any wrongdoing , and the SDA questioned the credibility of the investigation .
`` From the very @ @ @ @ @ @ @ documentation and evidence , the prosecutor 's office has shown that their only intention is to discredit the prime minister and involve him in the affair at any cost , '' it said .
Party Chairman Bakir Izetbegovic said no evidence would be presented , and claimed that the questioning of Novalic was part of an ongoing series of attacks on Bosniaks by chief prosecutor Gordana Tadic .
He asserted that the reason other officials were not detained was that they were not Bosniaks .
Tadic said on Face TV she did not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and said his words amounted to a direct threat against her and her family .
The case arose after the coronavirus pandemic prompted the federation ’ s government to relax public procurement statutes to allow purchases of medical equipment through direct bargaining with suppliers rather than via public tender .
The fruit-processing firm , Srebrena Malina , was recruited to procure 100 ventilators from China and it received a permit for the transaction only days after 80 out of the 100 ventilators arrived .
Prosecutors are investigating how Srebrena Malina was chosen when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in procuring medical equipment that had said they could obtain effective machines at a lower cost .
With reporting by AP and Reuters

The prime minister of Bosnia's autonomous Bosniak-Croat Federation has been questioned in a potential corruption case involving the purchase of 100 respirators from China for coronavirus patients.
Fadil Novalic was questioned as part of an investigation into suspected corruption and fraud by federal police on May 28, according to media reports.
Neither the police nor the prosecutor's office would comment on the matter, but they said more information about the case would be released later.
The chairman of Novalic's Party of Democratic Action (SDA), the main Bosnian Muslim party, confirmed on May 29 that Novalic was in custody and asked the prosecutor's office to "urgently present the evidence" against him.
The 5.4 million-euro ($6 million) deal raised suspicions after it emerged that the authorities had hired a local fruit-processing company with no license to import medical equipment to procure the respirators.
Prosecutors in early May cited an expert who said the respirators were not the right model for the intensive-care units where they were needed. Bosnia-Herzegovina has reported nearly 2,500 infections and around 150 deaths from the coronavirus.
Fahrudin Solak, the government official in charge of procuring equipment, and Fikret Hodzic, the manager of the fruit-processing firm, were also questioned as part of the probe, according to local media.
Prosecutors have not yet said what charges could be filed, but a source in the investigation and protection agency told RFE/RL there were grounds for suspicion of money laundering, forgery of official documents, and abuse of office.
All three men have denied any wrongdoing, and the SDA questioned the credibility of the investigation.
"From the very beginning, by selectively publishing the collected documentation and evidence, the prosecutor's office has shown that their only intention is to discredit the prime minister and involve him in the affair at any cost," it said.
Party Chairman Bakir Izetbegovic said no evidence would be presented, and claimed that the questioning of Novalic was part of an ongoing series of attacks on Bosniaks by chief prosecutor Gordana Tadic.
He asserted that the reason other officials were not detained was that they were not Bosniaks.
Tadic said on Face TV she did not know what Izetbegovic based his claim on and said his words amounted to a direct threat against her and her family.
The case arose after the coronavirus pandemic prompted the federation’s government to relax public procurement statutes to allow purchases of medical equipment through direct bargaining with suppliers rather than via public tender.
The fruit-processing firm, Srebrena Malina, was recruited to procure 100 ventilators from China and it received a permit for the transaction only days after 80 out of the 100 ventilators arrived.
Prosecutors are investigating how Srebrena Malina was chosen when there were several other firms with experience in procuring medical equipment that had said they could obtain effective machines at a lower cost.
With reporting by AP and Reuters


rferl--2020-05-30--Afghan Journalist, Driver Killed In Blast Targeting TV Workers

A journalist and a driver have been killed and at least six people wounded when a bus carrying employees of an Afghan television station was hit by a roadside bomb in Kabul , the director of the television network said .
`` We can confirm that a journalist and a driver were killed on the spot , '' Khurshid TV director Jawid Farhad said on May 30 , without giving more details .
The Interior Ministry also confirmed the attack , saying the minivan carrying TV employees had been targeted .
`` The target of the blast was the vehicle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ministry statement said .
There has yet to be any claim of responsibility for the attack .
The Taliban and the extremist group Islamic State have both attacked reporters in the past .
Pictures shared on social media showed a white minibus with extensive damage to its front .
Last year , two employees of Khurshid TV were killed and two injured in a similar attack .
Afghanistan is one of the world 's deadliest places for journalists .
In January , the Afghan Journalists Safety Committee reported that five journalists were killed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Reuters , AFP , and AP

The education of girls and women is universally accepted in more than 200 countries and territories, including nearly 50 Muslim-majority nations.
But Afghanistan’s hard-line Islamist Taliban rulers have banned teenage girls from attending school after the sixth grade since they returned to power two years ago. The ban was extended in December to women in universities.
Countless protests by Afghans inside the country, pressure from the international community, and lobbying by Muslim scholars and clerics have failed to convince the fundamentalist Taliban leaders to reopen schools.
Experts are divided over whether the ban is rooted in how the Taliban’s interpretation of Islam is shaped by conservative Pashtun tribal customs and cultural practices or if it is prompted by how senior Taliban ideologues interpret Islamic teachings.
Most Taliban leaders are ethnic Pashtun, Sunni Muslim clerics. Many were educated in Deobandi madrasahs in neighboring Pakistan. Deobandism emerged as a puritanical Islamic revivalist movement in 19-century British Colonial India. Based on the Sunni Hanafi school of jurisprudence, it is a prominent strain among Islamists in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Tribal Influences
Sami Yousafzai, a veteran Afghan journalist and commentator, argues that the Taliban restrictions against women are linked to social customs and cultural practices in eastern and southern Afghanistan.
Most Taliban leaders come from various Pashtun rural tribal communities in these regions bordering Pakistan.
"They believe that a woman's place is either inside a house or in a grave," Yousafzai said of the basic Taliban belief influenced by the status of women in the families of clerics and religious leaders in these Pashtun regions.
“Women living in the households of the current Taliban policymakers were never educated and never left their homes,” said Yousafzai, who has tracked the Islamist group since it emerged as a ragtag militia in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar in late 1994. “These women never performed any government or nongovernmental jobs.”
Yousafzai says the Taliban backs policies shaped by this worldview by leaning on Islamic teachings supporting such ideas. He says Taliban leaders rely on sayings attributed to the Prophet Muhammad that discourage women from leaving their homes.
“Their primary belief is that pubescent girls should not leave home under any circumstance,” he said. “This is why they view women leaving home for education or work as engaging in moral corruption.”
In Afghanistan, a Muslim nation of some 40 million people, activists and rights advocates accuse the Taliban of implementing "gender apartheid" by denying women education, work, freedom of movement, and deciding how they can appear in public.
Most Muslims agree that Islam allows women to get an education. Yet the Taliban publicly says that it will allow girls access to education only after ensuring complete gender segregation and other unspecified conditions.
Almost all Afghan secondary schools were gender segregated and universities imposed a strict separation between men and women after the Taliban takeover.
Yousafzai says in conservative and traditional Muslim societies around the world, some clerics also favor restrictions on women's education, work, and their role in public life. But the governments in those countries usually oppose or limit such ideas.
In recent years, Saudi Arabia -- one of the most conservative Sunni Muslim nations -- has allowed women to drive and granted them freedom of movement without a male guardian. These steps are part of a reform and modernity drive by Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman.
The Taliban ban on education has invited universal condemnation from Muslims globally.
“The Taliban's ban on women's education is not rooted in [the Islamic] Shari’a law but rather reflects cultural biases that contradict the teachings of Islam,” said Salam al-Marayati, president of the Muslim Public Affairs Council in the United States.
He said that contrary to Taliban practices, “Islam emphasizes the importance of seeking knowledge and encourages all individuals, regardless of gender, to acquire an education.”
Historical Conflict
But Islamic scholars and those who have attempted to convince the Taliban about reopening girls schools offer a different explanation.
John Mohammad Butt, an Islamic scholar and former BBC broadcaster who is the only Westerner to graduate from India’s Darul Uloom Deoband, argues that the Taliban's policy on girls' education is not tribal but shaped by the century-old conflict over modern education.
“The problem is that girls' education in Afghanistan -- indeed, contemporary education in general -- has generally been introduced in Afghanistan in line with a secular agenda,” he said.
In the 1920s, a coalition of conservative clerics and tribal and community leaders deposed reformist King Amanullah Khan. He wanted to modernize Afghanistan along Turkish leader Kamal Ataturk's secular lines and championed modern education and rights for women.
This opposition to modernity and secularism continued, and conservative clerics opposed women's education and work. It became a key part of the Islamist opposition to the pro-Soviet Afghan communist governments after the April 1978 military coup that ended the Afghan monarchy. The mujahedin accused the communists of spreading immorality by promoting women’s education and empowerment.
“This has led to particular wariness on the part of conservative circles in Afghanistan with regard to girls' education,” Butt said.
'Deep Ideological Conviction'
Obaidullah Baheer, a political science lecturer at the American University of Afghanistan, became part of an effort to rescind the ban by talking to the Taliban last year.
But he says the effort failed because “the ban is a matter of deep ideological conviction” for the current supreme leader of the Taliban, Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada.
Baheer says that the most prominent Taliban leaders have studied in Pakistani madrasahs and were thus disconnected from village and tribal life.
“They have been indoctrinated by the Deobandi school of thought so that they now enforce the strictest version of Islam on the Afghan population,” he said.
He argues that the ban on girls’ schools is a deliberate policy championed by Akhundzada, who he says has endorsed Taliban Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani's Arabic language book The Islamic Emirate And Its System. In this book, Haqqani supports a fringe Islamic opinion of preferring the choice of one of the Prophet Muhammad's wives, Sawdah Bint Zam'ah, who chose to stay at home until her death.
Baheer says Haqqani ignores his other wives and other female companions that played an active role in many sectors of society and how they served as students and teachers for men.
“This fringe opinion is not held by all Taliban leaders but is one that the current absolute sovereign, the Taliban emir, seems to be convinced of,” he said.
Butt says that even Haqqani has acknowledged the principle that if there is something that women need to act upon, then that is also something that women need to learn about.
“I hope the Taliban authorities will come to realize in the not-too-distant future that education for women will make Afghan women into better Muslims,” he says. “It will enable them to make a stronger contribution to the well-being of their country.”
Two years after grappling with the issue, Western diplomats appear to be encouraging Afghan conservative and clerical circles to find ways to end the ban.
Tom West, the U.S. special representative for Afghanistan, recently tweeted that Afghan women must be educated and contribute to the economy to help their country stand on its own two feet.
“If change to policies is made, it will be because Afghans have asked for it, not a result of foreign requests,” he wrote.


rferl--2020-05-30--Britain, France, Germany 'Regret' U.S. Decision To End Sanctions Waivers On Iran’s Nuclear Program

Britain , France , and Germany have criticized a decision by the United States to end sanctions waivers for companies from countries that remain in the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran .
`` We deeply regret the U.S. decision to end the three waivers covering key JCPOA nuclear projects in Iran , '' a joint May 30 statement from the three European powers said .
The waivers were part of the landmark agreement signed with Tehran in 2015 that limited Iran 's nuclear activities in return for lifting crippling economic sanctions .
They allowed European , Chinese , and Russian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a heavy-water reactor in Arak , a major industrial city in western Iran .
`` These projects , endorsed by UN Security Council Resolution 2231 , serve the nonproliferation interests of all and provide the international community with assurances of the exclusively peaceful and safe nature of Iranian nuclear activities . ''
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on May 27 that Iran 's continued `` nuclear brinkmanship '' in breaching some of its nuclear commitments did not justify renewing the waivers .
`` The regime 's nuclear extortion will lead to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the regime from the international community , '' he said .
Nonproliferation experts say that the waivers give international experts a valuable eye into Tehran 's nuclear activities and that its scientific research is for legitimate civilian purposes , such as medicine .
U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal , also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action ( JCPOA ) , in 2018 and reimposed crushing sanctions on Tehran .
In response , Iran has breached several provisions of the JCPOA at the fringes , saying that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ States comes back into compliance .
Russia has also criticized the U.S. decision to end waivers , with Moscow claiming U.S. foreign policy was becoming `` more dangerous and unpredictable '' .
In Tehran , Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Musavi said the U.S. decision was a `` flagrant violation of Resolution 2231 and the charter of the United Nations . ''
He said Iran was ready to `` take legal action and act appropriately '' if the move harmed its nuclear rights , without elaborating .
Iranian Atomic Energy Organization spokesman Behruz @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's `` desperate '' decision was aimed at distracting attention from its `` continued defeats at the hands of Iran.
” '' Under the nuclear deal , this decision has no effect in practice and is simply more hype from the Americans , '' Kamalvandi was quoted as saying by Iranian media .
The Trump administration also provided a 90-day extension for the waiver covering international activity at the Bushehr nuclear power plant to ensure the safety of operations .
The international civilian-cooperation parts of the JCPOA were designed to make Iran 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of producing weapons .
Iran hawks in Congress and the Trump administration say the civilian nuclear waivers allow Iran access to technology that could be used for nuclear weapons .
But in extending the waivers in the past , the Trump administration implicitly recognized the nonproliferation benefits of the civilian projects .
With reporting by AFP and dpa

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--2020-05-30--COVID-19: Mosques In Iran To Resume Daily Prayers; Uzbekistan Starts Lifting Some Restrictions

The global death toll from the coronavirus is almost 370,000 with more than 5.9 million infections confirmed , causing mass disruptions as governments continue to try to slow the spread of the new respiratory illness .
President Hassan Rohani says mosques are to resume daily prayers throughout Iran , even though some areas are facing a rise in coronavirus infections .
`` Doors to mosques across the country will open to public for daily prayers , '' Rohani said on May 30 , adding that health protocols should be observed .
He did not say when the eased measures would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against believing that the country was rid of the virus , emphasizing that it was here to stay .
Iranian authorities have gradually eased restrictions put in place to contain the Middle East 's deadliest outbreak of coronavirus , which has killed over 7,700 people and infected nearly 150,000 , according to official figures .
The real numbers are believed to be significantly higher .
Alireza Zali , head of the government-led Coronavirus Task Force of Tehran , told state TV the situation in the capital was `` still not favorable , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be accompanied by a `` more serious observance '' of health regulations .
Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur said on May 29 there had been no deaths in the previous 24 hours in 15 of the country 's provinces and one in each of five provinces .
The provinces of Khuzestan in the southwest , and Baluchistan in the southeast of the country , have been declared `` red '' areas due to high levels of infection .
Uzbekistan ’ s government has extended its coronavirus lockdown until June 15 , but authorities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in some parts of the country `` depending on the epidemiological situation . ''
Uzbekistan 's coronavirus-response headquarters also announced on May 30 that it will allow soccer league games to resume on June 5 , but without any audience in attendance .
The special commission said the extension applies to `` quarantine '' restrictions as well as `` enhanced measures to counter the spread of the coronavirus . ''
Uzbekistan on May 8 divided all regions of the country into zones depending on the spread of coronavirus -- including `` red '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ yellow '' cautionary zones , and `` green '' zones declared as being free from the coronavirus .
The special commission said on May 30 that activities of realtors and organizations working in advertising and marketing would be permitted in red zones beginning on June 1 .
Driving-education centers and some public organizations are also allowed to resume working in the yellow zones from June 1 , it said .
Gyms , retreat centers and resorts , children 's camps , and hotels are allowed to start working in green zones , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ celebrations are also allowed in green zones starting on June 1 provided they comply with `` all sanitary regulations , '' the commission said .
Health officials in Uzbekistan have reported 3,513 cases of the disease , including 14 deaths , since the first case was confirmed there on March 15 .
With reporting by IRNA , Reuters , AFP , TASS , and Interfax

The global death toll from the coronavirus is almost 370,000 with more than 5.9 million infections confirmed, causing mass disruptions as governments continue to try to slow the spread of the new respiratory illness.
Here's a roundup of COVID-19 developments in RFE/RL's broadcast regions.
Iran
President Hassan Rohani says mosques are to resume daily prayers throughout Iran, even though some areas are facing a rise in coronavirus infections.
"Doors to mosques across the country will open to public for daily prayers," Rohani said on May 30, adding that health protocols should be observed. He did not say when the eased measures would take effect.
Rohani also warned Iranians against believing that the country was rid of the virus, emphasizing that it was here to stay.
Iranian authorities have gradually eased restrictions put in place to contain the Middle East's deadliest outbreak of coronavirus, which has killed over 7,700 people and infected nearly 150,000, according to official figures. The real numbers are believed to be significantly higher.
Alireza Zali, head of the government-led Coronavirus Task Force of Tehran, told state TV the situation in the capital was "still not favorable," adding that the easing of restrictions should be accompanied by a "more serious observance" of health regulations.
Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur said on May 29 there had been no deaths in the previous 24 hours in 15 of the country's provinces and one in each of five provinces.
The provinces of Khuzestan in the southwest, and Baluchistan in the southeast of the country, have been declared "red" areas due to high levels of infection.
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan’s government has extended its coronavirus lockdown until June 15, but authorities say they are starting to lift restrictions in some parts of the country "depending on the epidemiological situation."
Uzbekistan's coronavirus-response headquarters also announced on May 30 that it will allow soccer league games to resume on June 5, but without any audience in attendance.
The special commission said the extension applies to "quarantine" restrictions as well as "enhanced measures to counter the spread of the coronavirus."
Uzbekistan on May 8 divided all regions of the country into zones depending on the spread of coronavirus -- including "red" zones deemed the most dangerous, "yellow" cautionary zones, and "green" zones declared as being free from the coronavirus.
The special commission said on May 30 that activities of realtors and organizations working in advertising and marketing would be permitted in red zones beginning on June 1.
Driving-education centers and some public organizations are also allowed to resume working in the yellow zones from June 1, it said.
Gyms, retreat centers and resorts, children's camps, and hotels are allowed to start working in green zones, the commission said.
Weddings and other family celebrations are also allowed in green zones starting on June 1 provided they comply with "all sanitary regulations," the commission said.
Health officials in Uzbekistan have reported 3,513 cases of the disease, including 14 deaths, since the first case was confirmed there on March 15.
With reporting by IRNA, Reuters, AFP, TASS, and Interfax


rferl--2020-05-31--Children Of Azerbaijani Ex-Security Chief Acquired Luxury Properties In Britain, Investigation Finds

The children of Azerbaijan 's former security chief have acquired a number of a luxury properties in Britain , including a $ 21 million home in London , an investigation revealed .
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev fired National Security Minister Eldar Mahmudov in 2015 .
No reason was given for his dismissal by the authorities in the oil-rich , ex-Soviet republic .
Now , customer files hacked from the Cayman National Bank in November 2019 , and then published online , reveal that Mahmudov 's family has built an estimated $ 111 million business and property empire .
A joint @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project , Finance Uncovered , and Transparency International shows that nearly all the assets were acquired through companies linked to Mahmudov 's son , Anar , 36 , and his daughter , Nargiz Mahmudova , 31 .
Among the properties acquired by the siblings were office blocks in the coastal towns of Poole and Bournemouth valued at around $ 16.7 million , according to the investigation .
The investigation also revealed that Anar Mahmudov holds the deeds to a four-story property bought for around $ 21.4 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in London .
In 2018 , Anar Mahmudov 's mother-in-law , Zamira Haciyeva , who lived in London , was found to have spent more than $ 21 million at the luxury store Harrods over a decade .
In February , Haciyeva lost her appeal against a court order to reveal the source of her money .
She was the target of Britain ’ s first unexplained wealth order ( UWO ) .
Lawyers for Anar and Nargiz Mahmudov told Finance Uncovered that the family 's wealth can be traced back to an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his fortune in the 19th century .
They said the siblings ' assets were all properly registered and accounted for .
The investigation also found that the Mahmudovs also own properties and companies in Spain , Luxembourg , and Lithuania .
With reporting by The Guardian

The children of Azerbaijan's former security chief have acquired a number of a luxury properties in Britain, including a $21 million home in London, an investigation revealed.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev fired National Security Minister Eldar Mahmudov in 2015. No reason was given for his dismissal by the authorities in the oil-rich, ex-Soviet republic.
Now, customer files hacked from the Cayman National Bank in November 2019, and then published online, reveal that Mahmudov's family has built an estimated $111 million business and property empire.
A joint investigation of the leaked data by reporters from the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, Finance Uncovered, and Transparency International shows that nearly all the assets were acquired through companies linked to Mahmudov's son, Anar, 36, and his daughter, Nargiz Mahmudova, 31.
Among the properties acquired by the siblings were office blocks in the coastal towns of Poole and Bournemouth valued at around $16.7 million, according to the investigation.
The investigation also revealed that Anar Mahmudov holds the deeds to a four-story property bought for around $21.4 million in Knightsbridge, an upscale neighborhood in London.
In 2018, Anar Mahmudov's mother-in-law, Zamira Haciyeva, who lived in London, was found to have spent more than $21 million at the luxury store Harrods over a decade.
In February, Haciyeva lost her appeal against a court order to reveal the source of her money. She was the target of Britain’s first unexplained wealth order (UWO).
Lawyers for Anar and Nargiz Mahmudov told Finance Uncovered that the family's wealth can be traced back to an ancestor, Aslan Ashurov, who made his fortune in the 19th century.
They said the siblings' assets were all properly registered and accounted for.
The investigation also found that the Mahmudovs also own properties and companies in Spain, Luxembourg, and Lithuania.
With reporting by The Guardian


rferl--2020-05-31--Hundreds More Captives Freed As Part Of Afghanistan-Taliban Prisoner Swap

The Afghan government and the Taliban have released more captives as part of a major prisoner swap ahead of formal peace talks aimed at ending the 18-year war .
The prisoner exchange is part of a U.S.-Taliban agreement signed in February that called on the Afghan government to release up to 5,000 Taliban prisoners and for the militants to free around 1,000 government captives as a confidence-building measure ahead of formal peace talks .
`` The Government has released 710 Taliban prisoners from Pul-e Charkhi , Parwan and other prisons in the provinces since yesterday , '' National Security Council @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 30 .
The releases bring to around 2,700 the total number of prisoners freed by Kabul since the U.S.-Taliban agreement was signed .
Suhail Shaheen , the spokesman of the Taliban 's political office in Qatar , said on Twitter on May 30 that the militants released 73 members of the Afghan security forces in the provinces of Balkh , Kunduz , Logar , Paktia , Khost , and Paktika .
He said that the Taliban had so far released 420 government prisoners .
The prisoner releases come amid new momentum in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of collapse following intensifying militant attacks .
In a surprise move , the Taliban announced a May 24-26 cease-fire to coincide with the Eid al-Fitr Islamic holiday .
During the cease-fire , Afghan authorities released some 1,000 Taliban prisoners -- part of a pledge by the government to free up to 2,000 militants in response to the Taliban 's cease-fire move .
The developments have raised prospects of an extended cessation of hostilities and the long-delayed launch of direct talks between the government and militants over a permanent cease-fire and a future power-sharing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the militants have observed an unofficial reduction of violence , despite staging several deadly attacks on government forces .
A Taliban delegation arrived in Kabul on May 28 for talks over the prisoner swap .


rferl--2020-05-31--Islamic State Claims Blast That Killed Afghan Journalist, Technician

The Islamic State ( IS ) extremist group has claimed responsibility for a bomb blast that killed an Afghan journalist and a technician in a minibus carrying employees of a local television station .
At least seven people were wounded in in the capital , Kabul , in the evening rush-hour attack on May 30 .
`` Our colleagues Mir Wahed Shah , an economic reporter , and Shafiq Amiri , an employee in the technical department , were martyred in the incident , '' said Mohammad Rafi Rafiq Sediqi , the chief executive of the private Khurshid TV .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ forces and Taliban militants , has claimed some of the deadliest attacks in Afghanistan in recent years .
It did not give a reason for the May 30 blast .
Pictures shared on social media showed a white minibus , which was carrying 15 employees of Khurshid TV , with extensive damage to its front .
The United States , the European Union , and NATO condemned the attack .
Last year , two employees of Khurshid TV were killed and two wounded in a similar attack in Kabul .
The Taliban and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ past .
Last year , the Taliban warned the Afghan media to stop broadcasting what it called `` anti-Taliban statements . ''
Afghanistan is one of the world 's deadliest places for journalists .
In January , the Afghan Journalists Safety Committee reported five journalists were killed in 2019 .
The media-freedom group Reporters Without Borders said 15 Afghan journalists were killed in 2018 , the deadliest year yet .
Based on reporting by Reuters , AFP , and AP


rferl--2020-05-31--Belarusian Opposition Leader Statkevich Detained On Way To Rally

Prominent Belarusian opposition leader Mikalay Statkevich has been detained on his way to a rally in the capital , Minsk .
Statkevich is a former presidential challenger whose candidacy for the August 9 presidential election was rejected earlier this month .
He was detained on May 31 while on his way to Kamarousky Market in downtown Minsk , where up to 2,000 people had gathered to protest the jailing of opposition blogger Syarhey Tsikhanouski .
Tsikhanouski was recently jailed over an `` unsanctioned mass gathering '' and his candidacy was also nixed by the authorities .
Tsikhanouski runs a popular @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which frequently challenges Belarusian officialdom .
Those who gathered in Minsk on May 31 also voiced support for Tsikhanouski 's wife , Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya , who has been collecting signatures in her own bid to register as a presidential candidate .
Prospective candidates need to obtain 100,000 signatures to be considered for registration as a candidate .
Statkevich ran against longtime President Alyaksandr Lukshenka in a 2010 presidential election that was widely decried as rigged and was followed by a brutal crackdown .
Statkevich was arrested after attending a large demonstration protesting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in prison after being convicted of organizing riots at a trial criticized by human rights groups and Western governments as unfair .
The Belarusian Central Election Commission on May 19 rejected documents filed by an initiative group for a Statkevich candidacy , citing his `` criminal record . ''
Human Rights Watch warned earlier this month that authorities in Belarus had intensified their crackdown on protesters , opposition bloggers , journalists , and other government critics with a `` new wave of arbitrary arrests '' ahead of the election .
More than 1,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 24 to oppose another term for Lukashenka in one of the biggest protests of the year in the country of around 9 million .
Critics of Lukashenka , who has been in power in Belarus for more than 25 years , say his government has shown little tolerance for dissent and independent media .
The country has been the target of U.S. and EU sanctions over its poor rights record and lack of fair elections , but Belarus and the West have recently sought to mend ties to reduce Russia 's influence in @ @ @

Prominent Belarusian opposition leader Mikalay Statkevich has been detained on his way to a rally in the capital, Minsk.
Statkevich is a former presidential challenger whose candidacy for the August 9 presidential election was rejected earlier this month.
He was detained on May 31 while on his way to Kamarousky Market in downtown Minsk, where up to 2,000 people had gathered to protest the jailing of opposition blogger Syarhey Tsikhanouski.
Tsikhanouski was recently jailed over an "unsanctioned mass gathering" and his candidacy was also nixed by the authorities.
Tsikhanouski runs a popular YouTube channel called The Country For Life, which frequently challenges Belarusian officialdom.
Those who gathered in Minsk on May 31 also voiced support for Tsikhanouski's wife, Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who has been collecting signatures in her own bid to register as a presidential candidate.
Prospective candidates need to obtain 100,000 signatures to be considered for registration as a candidate.
Statkevich ran against longtime President Alyaksandr Lukshenka in a 2010 presidential election that was widely decried as rigged and was followed by a brutal crackdown.
Statkevich was arrested after attending a large demonstration protesting the 2010 results and spent five years in prison after being convicted of organizing riots at a trial criticized by human rights groups and Western governments as unfair.
The Belarusian Central Election Commission on May 19 rejected documents filed by an initiative group for a Statkevich candidacy, citing his "criminal record."
Human Rights Watch warned earlier this month that authorities in Belarus had intensified their crackdown on protesters, opposition bloggers, journalists, and other government critics with a "new wave of arbitrary arrests" ahead of the election.
More than 1,000 demonstrators joined together in Minsk on May 24 to oppose another term for Lukashenka in one of the biggest protests of the year in the country of around 9 million.
Critics of Lukashenka, who has been in power in Belarus for more than 25 years, say his government has shown little tolerance for dissent and independent media.
The country has been the target of U.S. and EU sanctions over its poor rights record and lack of fair elections, but Belarus and the West have recently sought to mend ties to reduce Russia's influence in the country.


rferl--2020-06-01--Iran Willing To Continue Fuel Shipments To Venezuela If Asked

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Musavi says Tehran will continue to export fuel to Venezuela if the South American country requests more supplies .
Both Iran and Venezuela are under U.S. sanctions and Washington has sought to deter such shipments .
`` Iran practices its free trade rights with Venezuela and we are ready to send more ships if Caracas demands more supplies from Iran , '' Musavi told a weekly news conference on June 1 that was broadcast live on state television .
Iran has sent five tankers of fuel to Venezuela , once South America 's top oil @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gasoline shortage amid a ravaging economic crisis .
The United States has warned governments , seaports , shippers , and insurers that they could face measures if they aid the tankers .
So far four tankers have entered Venezuelan waters , with the Refinitiv Eikon analytical company saying on May 31 that the first two tankers that delivered fuel to Venezuela have started the return journey .
Tensions have been on the rise between longtime foes Tehran and Washington since 2018 , when U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ world powers and reimposed crippling sanctions that have battered the Iranian economy .
Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP


rferl--2020-06-01--Dozens Injured As Fresh Clashes Erupt Along Kyrgyz-Uzbek Border

BISHKEK -- Dozens of people have been injured in the latest clashes between Kyrgyz and Uzbek citizens in a disputed border region .
The Kyrgyz Health Ministry said on June 1 that 25 Kyrgyz nationals had been injured in the clashes that erupted the day before near Uzbekistan 's Sokh exclave in Kyrgyzstan 's southern Batken region .
According to the ministry , four of the injured people are hospitalized in the town of Aidarken , with two in very serious condition after surgery .
Residents of the exclave told RFE/RL that 16 locals were injured in the clashes .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ claim from the Uzbek authorities .
The Uzbek Border Guard Service said in a statement on May 31 that the situation was under control .
The incident ignited around noon on May 31 after residents of the Kyrgyz village of Chechme and residents of the Uzbek village of Chashma argued about the ownership of a spring located in the area .
RFE/RL correspondents reported from the scene that the villagers started throwing stones at each other before several houses on each side were set on fire .
The Kyrgyz government 's press service @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Minister Kubatbek Boronov and Uzbek Prime Minister Abdula Aripov had met at a border checkpoint in the area and discussed ways to resolve the tensions .
Many border areas in Central Asia have been disputed since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 .
The situation is particularly complicated near the numerous exclaves in the volatile Ferghana Valley , where the borders of Tajikistan , Uzbekistan , and Kyrgyzstan meet .
One such exclave is Sokh , an ethnic Tajik-populated Uzbek territory within Kyrgyzstan 's Batken region , where clashes have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ border crossings through Sokh were closed for several weeks after Sokh residents clashed with Kyrgyz border guards over the installation of electric power lines to a new Kyrgyz border post .
Five Sokh residents were reportedly wounded by Kyrgyz border guards and at least 30 Kyrgyz citizens were subsequently taken hostage .
The latest clashes occurred as Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have accused each other of escalating tensions near another disputed segment of the Kyrgyz-Tajik border .

BISHKEK -- Dozens of people have been injured in the latest clashes between Kyrgyz and Uzbek citizens in a disputed border region.
The Kyrgyz Health Ministry said on June 1 that 25 Kyrgyz nationals had been injured in the clashes that erupted the day before near Uzbekistan's Sokh exclave in Kyrgyzstan's southern Batken region.
According to the ministry, four of the injured people are hospitalized in the town of Aidarken, with two in very serious condition after surgery.
Residents of the exclave told RFE/RL that 16 locals were injured in the clashes. There was no official confirmation of the claim from the Uzbek authorities.
The Uzbek Border Guard Service said in a statement on May 31 that the situation was under control.
The incident ignited around noon on May 31 after residents of the Kyrgyz village of Chechme and residents of the Uzbek village of Chashma argued about the ownership of a spring located in the area.
RFE/RL correspondents reported from the scene that the villagers started throwing stones at each other before several houses on each side were set on fire.
The Kyrgyz government's press service said on June 1 that Deputy Prime Minister Kubatbek Boronov and Uzbek Prime Minister Abdula Aripov had met at a border checkpoint in the area and discussed ways to resolve the tensions.
Many border areas in Central Asia have been disputed since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
The situation is particularly complicated near the numerous exclaves in the volatile Ferghana Valley, where the borders of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan meet.
One such exclave is Sokh, an ethnic Tajik-populated Uzbek territory within Kyrgyzstan's Batken region, where clashes have been common for years.
In 2013, border crossings through Sokh were closed for several weeks after Sokh residents clashed with Kyrgyz border guards over the installation of electric power lines to a new Kyrgyz border post.
Five Sokh residents were reportedly wounded by Kyrgyz border guards and at least 30 Kyrgyz citizens were subsequently taken hostage.
The latest clashes occurred as Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have accused each other of escalating tensions near another disputed segment of the Kyrgyz-Tajik border.


rferl--2020-06-01--COVID-19: Armenian PM, Family Test Positive; Russian Airlines Allowed To Fill Planes

The global death toll from the coronavirus is more than 370,000 with more than 6.1 million infections confirmed , causing mass disruptions as governments continue to try to slow the spread of the new respiratory illness .
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and four members of his immediate family have tested positive for the coronavirus .
`` Unfortunately , the results of our tests are positive , '' Pashinian said during a live Facebook broadcast on June 1 .
Pashinian , who turned 45 on June 1 , lives with his wife and three daughters .
His son now serves @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the family .
Pashinian said he had had no symptoms but took the test , since he planned a trip to visit troops .
He said his test results came back on May 31 .
`` After that , my whole family took tests and they also came back positive , '' he said , adding that none of his family members had coronavirus symptoms either .
Pashinian said that he had self-isolated at his residence and will continue to run the government from there .
He said it was likely he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` from a waiter , who brought us glasses of water . ''
`` I saw that he was wearing no gloves and rebuked him , but I think they were working without gloves earlier .
The waiter has also tested positive for coronavirus , '' Pashinian said .
The Armenian prime minister has been wearing a face mask during his daily coronavirus briefings ever since the government imposed a measure requiring people wear a mask in all public places .
Pashinian has urged Armenians to follow the rules , including the wearing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ handwashing , and other hygiene measures .
Since the outbreak of the coronavirus in Armenia in March , the South Caucasus country has identified over 9,400 cases of COVID-19 , the respiratory illness caused by the virus , with 139 fatalities .
The daily number of infections continues to be high , with 210 new cases reported on June 1 over the previous 24 hours in the country of 3 million .
Russian airlines are now allow to fill planes to capacity after social-distancing measures to slow the coronavirus spread were eased .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Rospotrebnadzor , told the daily Kommersant on June 1 that the restriction introduced on May 18 that allowed planes to fly only at a maximum of half-capacity had been dropped by the state air transport agency , Rosaviatsia , as part of measures on the gradual lifting the COVID-19 restrictions .
Airlines complained about lost revenue after the regulation , which forced them to place passengers in planes in a checkerboard pattern that left half of the seats empty , was introduced .
After these and other restrictions were imposed over the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Russia dropped sharply , leading to heavy financial losses .
Tickets for July are now being offered at more expensive prices as airlines attempt to make up for lost revenue .
Meanwhile , shopping malls , parks , and small businesses such as laundry services are set to reopen in Moscow on June 1 as the Russian capital becomes the latest major city to ease coronavirus restrictions after two months of lockdown .
The relaxation comes as the number of cases worldwide surpassed more than 6.1 million .
The easing of restrictions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said that 9,035 new coronavirus cases , including 162 deaths , were registered across the country in the previous 24 hours , bringing the total number of cases 414,878 , including 4,855 deaths .
People will be able to leave their homes for brief trips to shop , walk dogs , or travel to essential jobs with a permit , and will be able to jog or exercise between 5 a.m. and 9 a.m. but must wear masks , according to the new rules .
Moscow authorities , however , say restaurants , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for now , and no mass gatherings will be allowed through June 14 , when a citywide quarantine expires .
Like many other cities and countries in the world , Moscow started its lockdown in March .
While Muscovites welcomed the opportunity to leave their homes , many have ridiculed the new rules on social media , pointing to the more than 9,000 new infections recorded on May 31 .
With reporting by RFE/RL 's Armenian and Russian services , Kommersant , Reuters , Interfax , AFP , and dpa

The global death toll from the coronavirus is more than 370,000 with more than 6.1 million infections confirmed, causing mass disruptions as governments continue to try to slow the spread of the new respiratory illness.
Here's a roundup of COVID-19 developments in RFE/RL's broadcast regions.
Armenia
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and four members of his immediate family have tested positive for the coronavirus.
"Unfortunately, the results of our tests are positive," Pashinian said during a live Facebook broadcast on June 1.
Pashinian, who turned 45 on June 1, lives with his wife and three daughters. His son now serves in the army and does not live with the family.
Pashinian said he had had no symptoms but took the test, since he planned a trip to visit troops. He said his test results came back on May 31.
"After that, my whole family took tests and they also came back positive," he said, adding that none of his family members had coronavirus symptoms either.
Pashinian said that he had self-isolated at his residence and will continue to run the government from there.
He said it was likely he caught the virus during a government meeting "from a waiter, who brought us glasses of water."
"I saw that he was wearing no gloves and rebuked him, but I think they were working without gloves earlier. The waiter has also tested positive for coronavirus," Pashinian said.
The Armenian prime minister has been wearing a face mask during his daily coronavirus briefings ever since the government imposed a measure requiring people wear a mask in all public places.
Pashinian has urged Armenians to follow the rules, including the wearing of masks, social distancing, frequent handwashing, and other hygiene measures.
Since the outbreak of the coronavirus in Armenia in March, the South Caucasus country has identified over 9,400 cases of COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the virus, with 139 fatalities.
The daily number of infections continues to be high, with 210 new cases reported on June 1 over the previous 24 hours in the country of 3 million.
Russia
Russian airlines are now allowed to fill planes to capacity after social-distancing measures to slow the coronavirus spread were eased.
Russia's state agency for consumer protection, Rospotrebnadzor, told the daily Kommersant on June 1 that the restriction introduced on May 18 that allowed planes to fly only at a maximum of half-capacity had been dropped by the state air transport agency, Rosaviatsia, as part of measures on the gradual lifting the COVID-19 restrictions.
Airlines complained about lost revenue after the regulation, which forced them to place passengers in planes in a checkerboard pattern that left half of the seats empty, was introduced.
After these and other restrictions were imposed over the pandemic, the number of air passengers in Russia dropped sharply, leading to heavy financial losses.
Tickets for July are now being offered at more expensive prices as airlines attempt to make up for lost revenue.
Meanwhile, shopping malls, parks, and small businesses such as laundry services reopened in Moscow on June 1 as the Russian capital becomes the latest major city to ease coronavirus restrictions after two months of lockdown.
The relaxation comes as the number of cases worldwide surpassed more than 6.1 million.
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 easing of restrictions in Moscow comes as Russian health authorities said that 9,035 new coronavirus cases, including 162 deaths, were registered across the country in the previous 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases 414,878, including 4,855 deaths.
People are now able to leave their homes for brief trips to shop, walk dogs, or travel to essential jobs with a permit, and will be able to jog or exercise between 5 a.m. and 9 a.m. but must wear masks, according to the new rules.
Moscow authorities, however, say restaurants, cafes, and cinemas will remain closed for now, and no mass gatherings will be allowed through June 14, when a citywide quarantine expires.
Like many other cities and countries in the world, Moscow started its lockdown in March.
While Muscovites welcomed the opportunity to leave their homes, many have ridiculed the new rules on social media, pointing to the more than 9,000 new infections recorded on May 31.
Iran
Iran, one of the worst-hit countries at the outset of the pandemic, could face a second, stronger wave of infections if people ignore guidance and social-distancing rules, Health Minister Saeed Namaki said on June 1.
Iran started easing its lockdown in April after a drop in deaths, but last month saw an uptick in the rate of reported infections -- an acceleration the government put down to increased testing.
"The outbreak is not over yet and at any moment it may come back stronger than before," Namaki told a news conference broadcast on state TV.
"If our people fail to respect the health protocols...we must prepare ourselves for the worst situation."
Iran has reported a total of 154,445 infections as of June 1, an increase of almost 3,000 from the previous day, and 81 new deaths, taking the toll to 7,878.
With reporting by RFE/RL's Armenian and Russian services, Kommersant, Reuters, Interfax, AFP, and dpa


rferl--2020-06-01--Iranian Lawmaker Says 230 People Were Killed In November Unrest

A senior Iranian lawmaker said on June 1 that 230 people were killed in anti-government protests in Iran in November , state news agency IRNA reported .
It is the first time that an Iranian lawmaker has given a death toll in the unrest , which was sparked by an increase in the price of petrol .
The four days of unrest was most widespread and violent Iran had seen since the Islamic Revolution in 1979 .
Mojtaba Zolnour , head of the parliament 's national security and foreign affairs committee , said 230 people were killed , about one-fifth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ security forces .
He said about one-quarter of those killed were passersby not involved in the protests , some of whom were shot in the head or chest from close distances .
The lawmaker insisted that the security forces were too far away from the protesters to have done this .
He also said a high percentage were killed by bullets that are not used in Iranian standard-issue weapons .
Of the remainder , 16 percent died while attacking military bases and police stations , and 31 percent at public places such as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
About 2,000 people were injured during the four days of unrest .
The demonstrations erupted on November 15 in a handful of cities before spreading to at least 100 urban centers across Iran .
Petrol pumps were torched , police stations attacked , and shops looted , before security forces stepped in .
Officials had previously rejected death tolls given by foreign media and human rights groups as `` lies '' and passed responsibility of reporting on it between different state bodies .
Amnesty International has put the number at 304 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ experts said in December that 400 , including at least 12 children , could have been killed based on unconfirmed reports .
The United States has claimed that more than 1,000 were killed .
Zolnour alleged that those behind the violence had aimed to use the unrest to `` overthrow '' the system .
Tehran has yet to release any official statistics about the scale of the unrest , though two weeks ago the government acknowledged that the security forces shot and killed protesters .
With reporting by AP and AFP


rferl--2020-06-01--Putin, Trump Discuss G7 Summit, Arms Control In Phone Call

U.S. President Donald Trump has called Russian President Vladimir Putin to tell him about his proposal to convene an expanded Group of Seven ( G7 ) summit later this year that would involve Russia , the Kremlin says .
Amid the coronavirus pandemic , Trump said last week that he would postpone until the fall a meeting of the G7 leading industrialized nations that he had planned to hold next month , and plans to invite Russia , Australia , South Korea , and India .
The Kremlin said on June 1 that Trump told Putin about his idea , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the discussion or say whether the Russian leader accepted the invitation .
The White House confirmed the call , saying the two leaders `` discussed progress toward convening the G7 . ''
Trump told reporters on May 30 that the current membership of the G7 -- the United States , Canada , Germany , Britain , Japan , Italy , and France -- was `` outdated '' and does n't properly represent `` what ’ s going on in the world . ''
Russia was a member of the group for several @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but it was excluded from the club over its actions in Ukraine .
Trump said that he believed it would be appropriate to have Russia in the group `` because a lot of the things we talk about have to do with Russia . ''
The White House statement said that Trump and Putin also `` discussed the latest efforts to defeat the coronavirus pandemic and reopen global economies . ''
The U.S. president also `` reiterated the need for effective arms control , '' it said .
Putin thanked Trump for a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the launch of two NASA astronauts aboard the spacecraft built by Elon Musk ’ s SpaceX company , according to the Kremlin readout .
The Kremlin said that Putin and Trump spoke of the development of mutually beneficial cooperation in space and also talked about the need to intensify a U.S.-Russian dialogue on strategic stability and steps to enhance mutual trust in the military sphere .
With reporting by AP and Reuters

U.S. President Donald Trump has called Russian President Vladimir Putin to tell him about his proposal to convene an expanded Group of Seven (G7) summit later this year that would involve Russia, the Kremlin says.
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, Trump said last week that he would postpone until the fall a meeting of the G7 leading industrialized nations that he had planned to hold next month, and plans to invite Russia, Australia, South Korea, and India.
The Kremlin said on June 1 that Trump told Putin about his idea, but it didn't offer any details of the discussion or say whether the Russian leader accepted the invitation.
The White House confirmed the call, saying the two leaders "discussed progress toward convening the G7."
Trump told reporters on May 30 that the current membership of the G7 -- the United States, Canada, Germany, Britain, Japan, Italy, and France -- was "outdated" and doesn't properly represent "what’s going on in the world."
Russia was a member of the group for several years, making it the G8, but it was excluded from the club over its actions in Ukraine.
Trump said that he believed it would be appropriate to have Russia in the group "because a lot of the things we talk about have to do with Russia."
The White House statement said that Trump and Putin also "discussed the latest efforts to defeat the coronavirus pandemic and reopen global economies."
The U.S. president also "reiterated the need for effective arms control," it said.
Putin thanked Trump for a delivery of U.S. ventilators and congratulated him on the launch of two NASA astronauts aboard the spacecraft built by Elon Musk’s SpaceX company, according to the Kremlin readout.
The Kremlin said that Putin and Trump spoke of the development of mutually beneficial cooperation in space and also talked about the need to intensify a U.S.-Russian dialogue on strategic stability and steps to enhance mutual trust in the military sphere.
With reporting by AP and Reuters


rferl--2020-06-01--Moscow Court Postpones Appeal Hearing In Jailed Journalist's Case

MOSCOW -- The Moscow City Court has postponed the hearing of an appeal challenging a 15-day jail sentence against prominent @ @ @ @ @ Leonid Solovyov of the Apology of Protest group said that the hearing was moved from @ @ @ @ @ .
He did not provide any details .
Azar , a 35-year-old Moscow legislator and @ @ @ @ @ Gazeta newspaper , was sentenced on May 28 after being convicted of repeatedly violating Russia @ @ @ @ @ Azar was detained on May 26 for holding a single-person picket , a form of @ @ @ @ @ obtaining preliminary permission from the authorities , to protest against the jailing of Vladimir Vorontsov @ @ @ @ @ worked to expose violations within Russia 's law enforcement agencies .
Police said Azar was @ @ @ @ @ imposed to stem the spread of the coronavirus .
Dozens of his supporters , including @ @ @ @ @ several municipal lawmakers , and journalists , were detained in Moscow and St. Petersburg on @ @ @ @ @ protests in his support .

MOSCOW -- The Moscow City Court has postponed the hearing of an appeal challenging a 15-day jail sentence against prominent journalist Ilya Azar.
Lawyer Leonid Solovyov of the Apology of Protest group said that the hearing was moved from June 1 to June 5. He did not provide any details.
Azar, a 35-year-old Moscow legislator and journalist for the independent Novaya Gazeta newspaper, was sentenced on May 28 after being convicted of repeatedly violating Russia's strict protest laws.
Azar was detained on May 26 for holding a single-person picket, a form of protest that does not require obtaining preliminary permission from the authorities, to protest against the jailing of Vladimir Vorontsov, an activist who has worked to expose violations within Russia's law enforcement agencies.
Police said Azar was detained for violating the lockdown imposed to stem the spread of the coronavirus.
Dozens of his supporters, including a State Duma member, several municipal lawmakers, and journalists, were detained in Moscow and St. Petersburg on May 29 while holding single-person protests in his support.


rferl--2020-06-01--Pakistan, India In Diplomatic Spat Over Spying Allegations

Pakistan has protested the expulsion of two of its embassy officials in India , which accused them of spying .
@ @ @ @ @ said that the two officials were detained on May 30 for `` indulging in espionage @ @ @ @ @ hours to leave the country .
Pakistan on June 1 summoned India 's charge d'affaires @ @ @ @ @ accusations were “ baseless.
” In a statement , the Foreign Ministry said India ’ @ @ @ @ @ clear violation ” of “ diplomatic norms.
” Pakistan also recalled its ambassador from New @ @ @ @ @ Indian envoy .
The row comes amid escalating tensions between the two nuclear-armed rivals over @ @ @ @ @ Kashmir .
Muslim-majority Pakistan and Hindu-led India have fought two wars over control of Kashmir @ @ @ @ @ said on June 1 that three men were killed after a shootout near the de @ @ @ @ @ Line of Control ( LoC ) .
India accuses Pakistan of funding militant groups fighting @ @ @ @ @ Islamabad denies .
Based on reporting by AFP and dpa

Pakistan has protested the expulsion of two of its embassy officials in India, which accused them of spying.
India’s Foreign Ministry said that the two officials were detained on May 30 for "indulging in espionage activities" and given 24 hours to leave the country.
Pakistan on June 1 summoned India's charge d'affaires in Islamabad, saying the accusations were “baseless.”
In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said India’s decision was a “clear violation” of “diplomatic norms.”
Pakistan also recalled its ambassador from New Delhi and sent back the Indian envoy.
The row comes amid escalating tensions between the two nuclear-armed rivals over the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir.
Muslim-majority Pakistan and Hindu-led India have fought two wars over control of Kashmir.
Officials in India-administered Kashmir said on June 1 that three men were killed after a shootout near the de facto border known as the Line of Control (LoC).
India accuses Pakistan of funding militant groups fighting Indian troops, a claim Islamabad denies.
Based on reporting by AFP and dpa


rferl--2020-06-01--Russian Court Hears Third Expert Opinion In Serebrennikov Embezzlement Case

MOSCOW -- Acclaimed Russian film and theater director Kirill Serebrennikov and his co-defendants might have embezzled 129 million rubles ( $ 1.86 million ) , a Moscow court heard on June 1 as their high-profile trial resumed .
The 50-year-old Serebrennikov and three co-defendants are accused of embezzling state funds that were granted from 2011 to 2014 to Seventh Studio , a nonprofit organization established by Serebrennikov , for a project called Platforma .
Serebrennikov , who has denied wrongdoing , had taken part in anti-government protests and voiced concern about the growing influence of the Russian Orthodox Church .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ attention and prompted accusations that Russian authorities were targeting cultural figures who are at odds with President Vladimir Putin 's government .
The new expert assessment presented to the court on June 1 was the third such evaluation in the case .
The initial study in 2017-2018 said the group might have stolen 133 million rubles ( $ 1.92 million ) .
But the figure was questioned by Moscow 's Meshchansky District Court trying the case and Judge Irina Akkuratova ordered a second assessment , which concluded that Platforma needed much more financial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Culture Ministry .
The defense said at the time that the second assessment actually “ proved ” that Serebrennikov and his associates were innocent .
Akkuratova sent the case back to prosecutors in September , but Akkuratova 's decision was overturned by the Moscow City Court , which returned the case back to the Meshchansky District Court .
The new presiding judge in the case ordered the third assessment .
Serebrennikov and two co-defendants -- producer Yury Itin and former Culture Ministry employee Sofia Apfelbaum -- were released from house arrest in April @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Moscow .
The other defendant , Aleksei Malobrodsky , was also barred from leaving Moscow .

MOSCOW -- Acclaimed Russian film and theater director Kirill Serebrennikov and his co-defendants might have embezzled 129 million rubles ($1.86 million), a Moscow court heard on June 1 as their high-profile trial resumed.
The 50-year-old Serebrennikov and three co-defendants are accused of embezzling state funds that were granted from 2011 to 2014 to Seventh Studio, a nonprofit organization established by Serebrennikov, for a project called Platforma.
Serebrennikov, who has denied wrongdoing, had taken part in anti-government protests and voiced concern about the growing influence of the Russian Orthodox Church.
His arrest in August 2017 drew international attention and prompted accusations that Russian authorities were targeting cultural figures who are at odds with President Vladimir Putin's government.
The new expert assessment presented to the court on June 1 was the third such evaluation in the case.
The initial study in 2017-2018 said the group might have stolen 133 million rubles ($1.92 million).
But the figure was questioned by Moscow's Meshchansky District Court trying the case and Judge Irina Akkuratova ordered a second assessment, which concluded that Platforma needed much more financial support than the amount allocated by the Culture Ministry.
The defense said at the time that the second assessment actually “proved” that Serebrennikov and his associates were innocent.
Akkuratova sent the case back to prosecutors in September, but Akkuratova's decision was overturned by the Moscow City Court, which returned the case back to the Meshchansky District Court.
The new presiding judge in the case ordered the third assessment.
Serebrennikov and two co-defendants -- producer Yury Itin and former Culture Ministry employee Sofia Apfelbaum -- were released from house arrest in April last year, but ordered to remain in Moscow.
The other defendant, Aleksei Malobrodsky, was also barred from leaving Moscow.


rferl--2020-06-01--Russian Police Colonel Being Treated For COVID-19 Falls From Moscow Hospital Window

A female police lieutenant colonel has fallen from a window on the fifth floor of a Moscow hospital treating coronavirus patients , Russian media reported .
The reports said the incident occurred at Moscow City Clinical Hospital No .
24 on the evening of May 30 .
The woman , identified as 45-year-old Yulia B. by Komsomolsyaya Pravda , was described as a senior expert at the Forensic Center of the Interior Ministry .
The newspaper reported that the police lieutenant colonel died on the spot , but Russian media organization RBC said she survived the fall and was placed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said the police colonel left her ward to go into the corridor , then `` fell '' from the fifth floor window , and landed on the grass below .
It was not immediately clear what exactly happened .
She had arrived at the hospital on May 23 after being diagnosed with the coronavirus .
The incident comes after three physicians in Russia fell out of windows amid mysterious circumstances during the coronavirus outbreak .
On May 2 , a doctor at an ambulance unit in the western Voronezh region was badly injured @ @ @ @ @ @ @ complaints that he was forced to work even after testing positive for COVID-19 .
The previous day , the acting chief physician at a hospital for war veterans in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk died , a week after falling from the window of her fifth-floor office .
On April 24 , the chief of an ambulance center in the Moscow region also died after falling from a hospital window .
She was treated at the hospital for COVID-19 .
Russia has officially reported 414,878 coronavirus infections and 4,855 deaths as of June @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Komsomolsyaya Pravda

A female police lieutenant colonel has fallen from a window on the fifth floor of a Moscow hospital treating coronavirus patients, Russian media reported.
The reports said the incident occurred at Moscow City Clinical Hospital No. 24 on the evening of May 30.
The woman, identified as 45-year-old Yulia B. by Komsomolskaya pravda, was described as a senior expert at the Forensic Center of the Interior Ministry.
The newspaper reported that the police lieutenant colonel died on the spot, but Russian media organization RBC said she survived the fall and was placed in an intensive-care unit.
Komsomolskaya pravda said the police colonel left her ward to go into the corridor, then "fell" from the fifth floor window, and landed on the grass below.
It was not immediately clear what exactly happened.
She had arrived at the hospital on May 23 after being diagnosed with the coronavirus.
The incident comes after three physicians in Russia fell out of windows amid mysterious circumstances during the coronavirus outbreak.
On May 2, a doctor at an ambulance unit in the western Voronezh region was badly injured after falling from a hospital window following complaints that he was forced to work even after testing positive for COVID-19.
The previous day, the acting chief physician at a hospital for war veterans in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk died, a week after falling from the window of her fifth-floor office.
On April 24, the chief of an ambulance center in the Moscow region also died after falling from a hospital window. She was treated at the hospital for COVID-19.
Russia has officially reported 414,878 coronavirus infections and 4,855 deaths as of June 1.
With reporting by RBC and Komsomolskaya pravda


rferl--2020-06-01--Women’s Boxing Banned In Iran's Khuzestan Province

Khuzestan has become Iran ’ s first province to officially ban women 's boxing .
`` Any activity in women 's boxing is prohibited in the province , '' the head of Khuzestan 's boxing board , Hamid Zanganehmanesh , said on May 31 , according to the semiofficial ISNA news agency .
Referring to a recent letter from the president of the Iranian boxing federation , Zanganehmanesh said all women 's boxing activities were prohibited in Khuzestan , including coaching , training , and theory classes .
He insisted that men are not allowed to train women and will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ although he did not specify the punishment for offenders .
Zanganehmanesh did not say why the boxing federation has decided to ban women ’ s boxing in Khuzestan , a volatile and oil-rich province in southwestern Iran that is home to the majority of the country 's ethnic Arabs .
Women in Iran have been unofficially banned from the sport for years .
The national federation recently allowed Iranian women to register for boxing , provided they are coached by a female trainer and wear a hijab , or head covering , while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ between female fighters have taken place in the country so far .
In April 2019 , Sadaf Khadem became the first Iranian woman to compete in an official boxing match when she defeated a French fighter in western France .
Khadem , whose victory is said to have attracted many women in Iran to boxing , is now training in France .
International sports organizations have repeatedly criticized Iranian authorities for discriminating against female athletes and limiting women ’ s participation in sporting activities .
Women in Iran are banned from cycling in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ watch games .


rferl--2020-06-01--Judge Bars Kyrgyz Ex-President From Attending His Own Trial

BISHKEK -- A judge in Bishkek has barred former Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambaev from being present at his high-profile trial after the ex-leader of the Central Asian nation refused to sit together with other defendants in the courtroom ’ s caged area .
Judge Marat Sydykov of the Birinchi Mai District Court in Bishkek announced the decision on June 1 as the trial over deadly clashes with security forces last year at Atambaev 's compound in a Bishkek suburb resumed .
Atambaev 's lawyer , Sergei Slesarev , told reporters that guards had taken his client out of the courtroom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not be present in the courtroom until the trial is over .
Slesarev said that Atambaev , who had sat at an open desk next to his lawyers in the trial 's previous sessions , had a right not to sit together with other defendants because he was charged in another case as well .
Dozens of Atambaev ’ s supporters and opponents rallied in front of the court 's building as the trial resumed .
On May 11 , the judge sustained the prosecutor 's demand to have Atambaev seated with other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ compartment .
The high-profile trial has been postponed several times since March due to Atambaev ’ s health problems , the failure of some defendants ' lawyers to show up , and because of the state of emergency imposed to slow the spread of the coronavirus .
Last August , security officials were sent to Atambaev 's compound in Koi-Tash near Bishkek after he refused to obey three subpoenas calling him to the Interior Ministry for questioning in an investigation into his alleged involvement in the illegal release of a jailed organized-crime boss @ @ @ @ @ @ @ August 8 after he surrendered to police following a violent two-day standoff .
The standoff involving the former president and his supporters resulted in the death of a 47-year-old security officer , Usenbek Niyazbekov , and injuries to more than 170 others , including 79 law enforcement officers .
Atambaev and the 13 co-defendants were charged with murder , attempted murder , threatening or assaulting representatives of authorities , hostage-taking and the forcible seizure of power .
All 14 defendants have pleaded not guilty and call the case against them politically motivated .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ plea deals with investigators and will be tried separately .
The 63-year-old former president currently faces a separate trial for charges linked to the release of the crime boss Aziz Batukaev , who had been convicted for several high-profile crimes , including the murders of a Kyrgyz lawmaker and an Interior Ministry official , before his illegal release in 2013 .
Kyrgyzstan saw a smooth and peaceful transfer of power from Atambaev to his ally , Sooronbai Jeenbekov , a move welcomed by the international community after presidential transitions in 2005 and 2010 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the deadly clashes in August at Atambaev 's compound underscored a power struggle between him and Jeenbekov .

BISHKEK -- A judge in Bishkek has barred former Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambaev from being present at his high-profile trial after the ex-leader of the Central Asian nation refused to sit together with other defendants in the courtroom’s caged area.
Judge Marat Sydykov of the Birinchi Mai District Court in Bishkek announced the decision on June 1 as the trial over deadly clashes with security forces last year at Atambaev's compound in a Bishkek suburb resumed.
Atambaev's lawyer, Sergei Slesarev, told reporters that guards had taken his client out of the courtroom after the judge ruled that Atambaev will not be present in the courtroom until the trial is over.
Slesarev said that Atambaev, who had sat at an open desk next to his lawyers in the trial's previous sessions, had a right not to sit together with other defendants because he was charged in another case as well.
Dozens of Atambaev’s supporters and opponents rallied in front of the court's building as the trial resumed.
On May 11, the judge sustained the prosecutor's demand to have Atambaev seated with other defendants on the bench in the glass-caged compartment.
The high-profile trial has been postponed several times since March due to Atambaev’s health problems, the failure of some defendants' lawyers to show up, and because of the state of emergency imposed to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Last August, security officials were sent to Atambaev's compound in Koi-Tash near Bishkek after he refused to obey three subpoenas calling him to the Interior Ministry for questioning in an investigation into his alleged involvement in the illegal release of a jailed organized-crime boss in 2013.
Atambaev was arrested on August 8 after he surrendered to police following a violent two-day standoff.
The standoff involving the former president and his supporters resulted in the death of a 47-year-old security officer, Usenbek Niyazbekov, and injuries to more than 170 others, including 79 law enforcement officers.
Atambaev and the 13 co-defendants were charged with murder, attempted murder, threatening or assaulting representatives of authorities, hostage-taking and the forcible seizure of power.
All 14 defendants have pleaded not guilty and call the case against them politically motivated.
Five more defendants in the case made plea deals with investigators and will be tried separately.
The 63-year-old former president currently faces a separate trial for charges linked to the release of the crime boss Aziz Batukaev, who had been convicted for several high-profile crimes, including the murders of a Kyrgyz lawmaker and an Interior Ministry official, before his illegal release in 2013.
Kyrgyzstan saw a smooth and peaceful transfer of power from Atambaev to his ally, Sooronbai Jeenbekov, a move welcomed by the international community after presidential transitions in 2005 and 2010 came following violent rioting.
However, the deadly clashes in August at Atambaev's compound underscored a power struggle between him and Jeenbekov.