rferl--2020-10-15--Iran Says Hackers Targeted Two Government Institutions

Iran 's cybersecurity authority says hackers this week launched `` large-scale '' attacks on two Iranian government institutions .
Local media quoted Abolghasem Sadeghi , from the government 's Information Technology Organization , as saying on October 15 that some governmental bodies temporarily shut down their Internet services as a precaution against further attacks .
Sadeghi said the cyberattacks , which he described as `` important and on a large scale , ” occurred on October 12-13 .
The reports did not indicate the targets or the suspected perpetrators .
Iran says it is on high alert following previous cyberattacks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that officials have blamed on the United States and other foreign foes .
The United States and other Western powers have accused Iran of trying to disrupt and break into their online networks .
Iran is said to have disconnected much of its infrastructure from the Internet after the Stuxnet computer virus , believed to be a joint U.S.-Israeli creation , disrupted the Iranian nuclear program , according to reports that began to emerge in 2010 .
Tensions between Tehran , Washington , and U.S. allies have escalated since 2018 , when the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nuclear deal between Iran and world powers and began a policy of “ maximum pressure ” on Iran 's leadership .
Last month , the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain signed agreements toward normalizing relations with Israel in a strategic realignment of Arab Gulf countries against Iran .
Meeting the Saudi foreign minister on October 14 , U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo encouraged Saudi Arabia , Iran ’ s regional foe , to sign a similar accord with Israel .
Pompeo said the agreements `` reflect a changing dynamic in the region @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the need for regional cooperation to counter Iranian influence and generate prosperity . ''
With reporting by AP and Reuters

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


rferl--2020-10-15--Russia Halts Talks On MH17, Dutch Say They 'Regret' Kremlin Move

MOSCOW -- Russia says it has decided to halt consultations with Australia and the Netherlands on the downing of a Malaysia Airlines passenger flight over eastern Ukraine more than six years ago , after the Dutch government took Russia to court in July for its alleged role in the tragedy .
`` Such unfriendly moves by the Netherlands make further trilateral consultations and our participation in them senseless , '' Russia 's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on October 15 .
Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok said in a tweet that the Netherlands `` greatly regrets this decision .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' MH17 was shot down on its way from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur by a Russian-made Buk surface-to-air missile fired from territory controlled by Moscow-backed separatists in the east of Ukraine .
Nearly two-thirds of the 298 victims were Dutch nationals .
Following a six-year international investigation , prosecutors argued that the aircraft was shot down by a Buk system fired by Russia-backed separatist fighters who had acquired it from a Russian military base on the border between the two countries .
The findings have been corroborated or supported by evidence gathered by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the British-based group Bellingcat .
The four suspects -- Russians Sergei Dubinsky , Oleg Pulatov , and Igor Girkin , and Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko -- are being tried in absentia by court in The Hague for involvement in the tragedy .
The relatives of at least 65 Dutch victims in 2018 filed a complaint at the European Court of Human Rights ( ECHR ) .
The Dutch Foreign Ministry announced on July 10 that the government had filed a complaint against Russia with the Strasbourg-based court in a bid to offer `` maximum @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In its statement , Russia 's Foreign Ministry said Moscow agreed in 2018 to hold trilateral consultations to `` help establish…the true causes ” of the crash . ''
`` However , in all likelihood , Australia and the Netherlands did not seek to understand what actually happened…but were only aimed at getting Russia to plead guilty and receive compensation for the relatives of the victims . ''
Moscow has denied any involvement in the conflict in parts of eastern Ukraine and has offered several possible theories about how MH17 was blown out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was shot down by a Ukrainian Air Force jet or by Ukrainian ground forces using a Buk system .
The tragedy caused an international outcry and deepened tensions between Moscow and the West following Russia 's seizure of Crimea and support for the militants in their fight against Kyiv 's forces after pro-European protests pushed Moscow-friendly Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych from power .

MOSCOW -- Russia says it has decided to halt consultations with Australia and the Netherlands on the downing of a Malaysia Airlines passenger flight over eastern Ukraine more than six years ago, after the Dutch government took Russia to court in July for its alleged role in the tragedy.
"Such unfriendly moves by the Netherlands make further trilateral consultations and our participation in them senseless," Russia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on October 15.
Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok said in a tweet that the Netherlands "greatly regrets this decision. It is extremely painful for the survivors"
MH17 was shot down on its way from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur by a Russian-made Buk surface-to-air missile fired from territory controlled by Moscow-backed separatists in the east of Ukraine. Nearly two-thirds of the 298 victims were Dutch nationals.
Following a six-year international investigation, prosecutors argued that the aircraft was shot down by a Buk system fired by Russia-backed separatist fighters who had acquired it from a Russian military base on the border between the two countries.
The findings have been corroborated or supported by evidence gathered by journalists and independent investigators, such as the British-based group Bellingcat.
The four suspects -- Russians Sergei Dubinsky, Oleg Pulatov, and Igor Girkin, and Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko -- are being tried in absentia by court in The Hague for involvement in the tragedy.
The relatives of at least 65 Dutch victims in 2018 filed a complaint at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).
The Dutch Foreign Ministry announced on July 10 that the government had filed a complaint against Russia with the Strasbourg-based court in a bid to offer "maximum support to these individual cases."
In its statement, Russia's Foreign Ministry said Moscow agreed in 2018 to hold trilateral consultations to "help establish…the true causes” of the crash."
"However, in all likelihood, Australia and the Netherlands did not seek to understand what actually happened…but were only aimed at getting Russia to plead guilty and receive compensation for the relatives of the victims."
Moscow has denied any involvement in the conflict in parts of eastern Ukraine and has offered several possible theories about how MH17 was blown out of the sky, including that it was shot down by a Ukrainian Air Force jet or by Ukrainian ground forces using a Buk system.
The tragedy caused an international outcry and deepened tensions between Moscow and the West following Russia's seizure of Crimea and support for the militants in their fight against Kyiv's forces after pro-European protests pushed Moscow-friendly Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych from power.
With reporting by Reuters


rferl--2020-10-15--COVID-19: Russia Records Record Daily Death Toll

Russia has reported its highest number of COVID-19 deaths since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic .
Authorities announced on @ @ @ @ @ had succumbed to the disease over the previous 24 hours , just two days after @ @ @ @ @ fatalities .
Russia is among several European countries that have experienced a sharp increase in @ @ @ @ @ .
It currently has the fourth-highest number of infections in the world , with 1:33 @ @ @ @ @ virus .
A total of 23,491 COVID-19 patients have also died there since the outbreak @ @ @ @ @ according to official figures .

Russia has reported its highest number of COVID-19 deaths since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.
Authorities announced on October 14 that 286 people had succumbed to the disease over the previous 24 hours, just two days after the previous record of 244 fatalities.
Russia is among several European countries that have experienced a sharp increase in new cases in recent weeks.
It currently has the fourth-highest number of infections in the world, with 1:33 million already having caught the virus.
A total of 23,491 COVID-19 patients have also died there since the outbreak began earlier this year, according to official figures.
With reporting by TASS


rferl--2020-10-15--Russia Urged To Stop Forced Military Conscription, Other Violations of International Law In Crimea

The European Union has denounced forced military conscription of residents in the Russian-occupied Crimea region and called on Moscow to @ @ @ @ @ international law '' in the peninsula .
`` This is part of continued efforts to @ @ @ @ @ and territorial integrity , with further attempts to forcibly integrate the illegally-annexed Crimea and Sevastopol @ @ @ @ @ spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a statement on October 15 @ @ @ @ @ Stano , said the EU `` does not , and will not '' recognize the @ @ @ @ @ `` stop all violations of international law '' in the peninsula .
Russia occupied and @ @ @ @ @ March 2014 and threw its support behind separatists in Ukraine 's east , where some @ @ @ @ @ in the ongoing conflict .
The EU has imposed several rounds of sanctions on individuals @ @ @ @ @ Ukraine ’ s territorial integrity and sovereignty .

The European Union has denounced forced military conscription of residents in the Russian-occupied Crimea region and called on Moscow to "stop all violations of international law" in the peninsula.
"This is part of continued efforts to undermine Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, with further attempts to forcibly integrate the illegally-annexed Crimea and Sevastopol into Russia," a spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a statement on October 15.
The spokesman, Peter Stano, said the EU "does not, and will not" recognize the annexation and expects Russia to "stop all violations of international law" in the peninsula.
Russia occupied and seized Crimea from Ukraine in March 2014 and threw its support behind separatists in Ukraine's east, where some 13,200 people have been killed in the ongoing conflict.
The EU has imposed several rounds of sanctions on individuals and entities accused of undermining Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.


rferl--2020-10-15--Two Activists Detained In Kazan, Ordered Not To Commemorate Fall Of City

KAZAN , Russia -- Police have detained two activists in the Russian Republic of Tatarstan and ordered them not to mark the day of Commemoration of Tatars who died during the 1552 siege of Kazan by Russian troops , an annual event that city officials have banned for the first time since 1989 .
The chairman of the All-Tatar Public Center , Farit Zakiyev , and the leader of the Azatlyk ( Liberty ) Tatar Youth Association , Nail Nabiullin , were detained on October 15 before being officially warned by police of possible repercussions if they hold unsanctioned events @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fall of Kazan -- once the capital of the Kazan Khanate , which is now the capital of modern Tatarstan within the Russian Federation .
Last weekend , the Kazan city administration cancelled permission to hold a public event to mark the day , saying the decision came at the request of the local prosecutor who said that `` the goal of the event was unclear . ''
Initially , the city administration had agreed to allow the All-Tatar Public Center to hold the annual event , known as Commemoration Day , in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Since the permit was annulled , Tatar activists have held several small gatherings and collective prayers commemorating the Kazan defenders in Tatarstan 's capital .
The activists have said they are to commemorate Kazan defenders during the week .
The decision not to allow public events to mark the day comes amid a move by Russian federal authorities to limit the study of indigenous languages in the country 's so-called ethnic republics , which started in 2017 .
Some participants in last year 's commemoration of Kazan defenders were sentenced to community @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Koran at the event and using words about `` Tatarstan 's statehood . ''
In October 1552 , Russian Tsar Ivan the Terrible conquered the Khanate of Kazan after two weeks of resistance .
Many of the Khanate 's Muslim population were killed after the siege or forcibly Christianized afterward .

KAZAN, Russia -- Police have detained two activists in the Russian Republic of Tatarstan and ordered them not to mark the day of Commemoration of Tatars who died during the 1552 siege of Kazan by Russian troops, an annual event that city officials have banned for the first time since 1989.
The chairman of the All-Tatar Public Center, Farit Zakiyev, and the leader of the Azatlyk (Liberty) Tatar Youth Association, Nail Nabiullin, were detained on October 15 before being officially warned by police of possible repercussions if they hold unsanctioned events to commemorate the 468th anniversary of the fall of Kazan -- once the capital of the Kazan Khanate, which is now the capital of modern Tatarstan within the Russian Federation.
Last weekend, the Kazan city administration cancelled permission to hold a public event to mark the day, saying the decision came at the request of the local prosecutor who said that "the goal of the event was unclear."
Initially, the city administration had agreed to allow the All-Tatar Public Center to hold the annual event, known as Commemoration Day, in Kazan's Tinchurin park on October 18.
Since the permit was annulled, Tatar activists have held several small gatherings and collective prayers commemorating the Kazan defenders in Tatarstan's capital.
The activists have said they are to commemorate Kazan defenders during the week.
The decision not to allow public events to mark the day comes amid a move by Russian federal authorities to limit the study of indigenous languages in the country's so-called ethnic republics, which started in 2017.
Some participants in last year's commemoration of Kazan defenders were sentenced to community work or fined for praying and reading the Koran at the event and using words about "Tatarstan's statehood."
In October 1552, Russian Tsar Ivan the Terrible conquered the Khanate of Kazan after two weeks of resistance. Many of the Khanate's Muslim population were killed after the siege or forcibly Christianized afterward.


rferl--2020-10-15--Fourteen Troops Reported Killed In Attacks Across Pakistan

Pakistani officials say 14 security troops have been killed in two attacks in the country ’ s northwestern and southwestern regions bordering Afghanistan .
Six members of the paramilitary Frontier Corps died in an ambush in the restive Balochistan Province on October 15 , the military said .
A statement from the Armed Forces ' Inter-Services Public Relations said the troops were killed when attackers opened fire with automatic weapons and rocket launchers on a convoy of the state-owned oil- and gas-exploration company OGDCL .
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack , in which several vehicles of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The resource-rich southwestern province of Balochistan , which borders Afghanistan and Iran , has been plagued by sectarian violence , attacks by Islamist militants , and a separatist insurgency that has led to thousands of casualties since 2004 .
In Pakistan ’ s northwestern tribal region bordering Afghanistan , officials told RFE/RL that eight soldiers were killed in two separate attacks on October 14 .
Six of them died after their vehicles struck two roadside bombs in the Shaktoi area of the South Waziristan district , police officer Shaukat Ali and intelligence sources @ @ @ @ @ @ @ among those killed in the first blast .
As another military vehicle rushed to the scene , a second explosion killed five more soldiers .
The attacks were claimed by Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan ( TTP ) , also known as the Pakistani Taliban .
The Pakistani military said one soldier was killed and another wounded in a separate attack on a border security post in the Bajaur tribal district .
The military 's media wing tweeted that “ terrorists ” had fired from the Afghan side of the frontier .
No one immediately claimed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ South Waziristan are both located in Pakistan ’ s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province .
Pakistan ’ s border areas served as a militant base until recent years when Pakistan said its operations there had cleared the area of the Taliban and other militant groups .

Pakistani officials say 14 security troops have been killed in two attacks in the country’s northwestern and southwestern regions bordering Afghanistan.
Six members of the paramilitary Frontier Corps died in an ambush in the restive Balochistan Province on October 15, the military said.
A statement from the Armed Forces' Inter-Services Public Relations said the troops were killed when attackers opened fire with automatic weapons and rocket launchers on a convoy of the state-owned oil- and gas-exploration company OGDCL.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, in which several vehicles of the military and the OGDCL were destroyed.
The resource-rich southwestern province of Balochistan, which borders Afghanistan and Iran, has been plagued by sectarian violence, attacks by Islamist militants, and a separatist insurgency that has led to thousands of casualties since 2004.
In Pakistan’s northwestern tribal region bordering Afghanistan, officials told RFE/RL that eight soldiers were killed in two separate attacks on October 14.
Six of them died after their vehicles struck two roadside bombs in the Shaktoi area of the South Waziristan district, police officer Shaukat Ali and intelligence sources said.
Ali said a captain was among those killed in the first blast. As another military vehicle rushed to the scene, a second explosion killed five more soldiers.
The attacks were claimed by Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban.
The Pakistani military said one soldier was killed and another wounded in a separate attack on a border security post in the Bajaur tribal district.
The military's media wing tweeted that “terrorists” had fired from the Afghan side of the frontier.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for that attack.
Bajaur and South Waziristan are both located in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province.
Pakistan’s border areas served as a militant base until recent years when Pakistan said its operations there had cleared the area of the Taliban and other militant groups.


rferl--2020-10-15--Belarusian Ex-WNBA Player Leuchanka Rearrested, Fined After Jail Release Over Protest

MINSK -- Former WNBA and Belarusian national basketball team star Alena Leuchanka has been fined following a brief rearrest after she served 15 days in jail for taking part in ongoing protests against authoritarian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka .
Her father , Stsyapan Leuchanka , told RFE/RL that his daughter was placed under 72-hour preliminary arrest on October 15 immediately after she left a detention center where her relatives and dozens of supporters gathered to greet her .
She was then tried via videolink while being kept at the Akrestsin Street detention center in Minsk as riot policemen waited in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fined 810 Belarusian rubles ( $ 314 ) for participating in an unauthorized protest action on September 20 , reportedly a different one from the one that prompted her just-completed jail sentence , before once again being released .
The evidence against her reportedly included an Instagram image of Leuchanka carrying a sign that read `` People - Champion . ''
Leuchanka refused to testify in the proceedings and said she had not been allowed access to a lawyer after being presented with the new charge one day earlier .
Leuchanka complained of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ jail , saying it had exacerbated chronic ailments .
A Minsk court had sentenced Leuchanka to 15 days in jail on September 30 after finding her guilty of violating regulations on public gatherings .
Earlier that day , Leuchanka , a member of the Free Association of Athletes ( SOS BY ) movement , was detained at the Minsk airport as she attempted to leave the country for medical treatment .
Leuchanka is one of Belarus 's best-known athletes , having played basketball for the national team as well as in Russia 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ States .
Several prominent Belarusian athletes have been handed jail terms of 10 to 15 days for their open support of the ongoing protests , demanding Lukashenka ’ s resignation .
In August , nearly 350 Belarusian athletes and other members of the sports community threw down the gauntlet to Lukashenka by signing an open letter calling for an August 9 presidential election to be annulled and for all `` political prisoners '' and those detained during mass demonstrations that followed to be released .
The demonstrators say the vote was rigged in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he step down and hold new elections .
Lukashenka , who has refused to resign , had himself secretly sworn in on September 23 , sparking outrage at home and abroad .
Western governments have refused to recognize Lukashenka as the legitimate leader of Belarus and have called on him to peacefully transfer power .

MINSK -- Former WNBA and Belarusian national basketball team star Alena Leuchanka has been fined following a brief rearrest after she served 15 days in jail for taking part in ongoing protests against authoritarian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka.
Her father, Stsyapan Leuchanka, told RFE/RL that his daughter was placed under 72-hour preliminary arrest on October 15 immediately after she left a detention center where her relatives and dozens of supporters gathered to greet her.
She was then tried via videolink while being kept at the Akrestsin Street detention center in Minsk as riot policemen waited in a minibus outside the facility.
She was fined 810 Belarusian rubles ($314) for participating in an unauthorized protest action on September 20, reportedly a different one from the one that prompted her just-completed jail sentence, before once again being released.
The evidence against her reportedly included an Instagram image of Leuchanka carrying a sign that read "People -- champion."
Leuchanka refused to testify in the proceedings and said she had not been allowed access to a lawyer after being presented with the new charge the day before.
Leuchanka complained of the conditions during her two-week stint in jail, saying it had exacerbated chronic ailments.
A Minsk court had sentenced Leuchanka to 15 days in jail on September 30 after finding her guilty of violating regulations on public gatherings.
Earlier that day, Leuchanka, a member of the Free Association of Athletes (SOS BY) movement, was detained at the Minsk airport as she attempted to leave the country for medical treatment.
Leuchanka is one of Belarus's best-known athletes, having played basketball for the national team as well as in Russia's Superleague and the WNBA in the United States.
Several prominent Belarusian athletes have been handed jail terms of 10 to 15 days for their open support of the ongoing protests, demanding Lukashenka's resignation.
In August, nearly 350 Belarusian athletes and other members of the sports community threw down the gauntlet to Lukashenka by signing an open letter calling for an August 9 presidential election to be annulled and for all "political prisoners" and those detained during mass demonstrations that followed to be released.
The demonstrators say the vote was rigged in Lukashenka's favor and are demanding that he step down and hold new elections.
Lukashenka, who has refused to resign, had himself secretly sworn in on September 23, sparking outrage at home and abroad.
Western governments have refused to recognize Lukashenka as the legitimate leader of Belarus and have called on him to peacefully transfer power.


rferl--2020-10-15--Kyrgyz PM Declares 'All Power In My Hands' After President Resigns In Face Of Postelection Unrest

A convicted kidnapper who was sprung from prison and made prime minister this week amid unrest following Kyrgyzstsan 's disputed election told a crowd outside the government building late on October 15 that the president has resigned and `` all power is in my hands from now on . ''
Prime Minister Sadyr Japarov 's declaration came hours after President Sooronbai Jeenbekov announced his resignation via his official website in the face of mass protests against the official results of parliamentary elections on October 4 that handed victory to political parties associated with Jeenbekov and his government .
`` Former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ parliament speaker said it was impossible to perform [ the president 's ] duties and resigned .
Today , the duties of the acting president and the prime minister have passed to me , '' Japarov told the early evening crowd in downtown Bishkek .
`` Thank you very much , you can go home now . ''
He added : `` I will be taking over the acting president 's and prime minister 's roles . ''
It was initially unclear how protesters who have mobilized in recent weeks to support various @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or whether other senior officials would accede to Japarov 's move .
Parliament was expected to convene on October 16 .
Jeenbekov made no public appearances on October 15 .
In a statement on his website earlier in the day , Jeenbekov said that he had decided to resign `` because peace and unity in our country is more important than any post . ''
He would be the third Kyrgyz president in 15 years to be pushed out of office during a popular upheaval .
`` I am not holding onto power @ @ @ @ @ @ @ known in the history of Kyrgyzstan as a president who spilled blood and shot at his own citizens , '' he said .
`` So I decided to resign . ''
Jeenbekov said that despite his approval of parliament ’ s decision a day earlier to elect Japarov as the country 's new prime minister , `` the aggressive moods did not disappear and calls for my resignation continued . ''
His statement noted that protesters and law enforcement officers were `` currently on the edge of clashes '' and should `` stay @ @ @ @ @ @ @ called on supporters of Japarov and other political figures to stop ongoing rallies to ease tensions .
Japarov was released from a prison in the initial days of mass protests sparked by allegations of vote-buying and other improprieties during the October 4 parliamentary elections .
Japaraov was serving a lengthy term after being convicted of kidnapping in 2017 .
His supporters continued rallies in downtown Bishkek after Jeenbekov 's resignation was made public , this time chanting `` Japarov is our president ! ''
They were also demanding parliament 's dissolution and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Isaev was voted in as parliament speaker on October 13 in what appeared to be a move to make way for a transition to ease the postelection tensions .
According to the Kyrgyz Constitution , before the election of a new president , parliament 's speaker is to run the country as acting president .
But Isaev told the online media outlet 24.kg that he had `` no moral right '' to the presidency because of the lame duck status of the parliament , which faces a rerun of the disputed election .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ they would believe the president had stepped down only after he appeared in public to confirm that he resigned of his own free will .
They said their skepticism was fueled by the insistence of about a dozen politicians , who met with Jeenbekov early in the morning on October 15 , and said he told them that he was not going to step down and planned to stay in office until a new parliament was elected .
Japarov 's October 14 confirmation as prime minister moved Kyrgyzstan toward resolving the crisis sparked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of October 4 parliamentary elections .
The election results were annulled after protesters -- angry at signs of vote-buying and other improprieties during the election -- seized government buildings on October 6 .
Jeenbekov , in one of his first statements after the mass protests ousted the government and parliament 's speaker , said he was willing to resign after a new cabinet was formed and the situation in the country had calmed .
It is the third time in 15 years that public protests have brought down a president in the former @ @ @ @ @ @

A convicted kidnapper who was sprung from prison and made prime minister this week amid unrest following Kyrgyzstsan's disputed election told a crowd outside the government building late on October 15 that the president has resigned and "all power is in my hands from now on."
Prime Minister Sadyr Japarov's declaration came hours after President Sooronbai Jeenbekov announced his resignation via his official website in the face of mass protests against the official results of parliamentary elections on October 4 that handed victory to political parties associated with Jeenbekov and his government.
"Former President Sooronbai Jeenbekov has resigned. The parliament speaker said it was impossible to perform [the president's] duties and resigned. Today, the duties of the acting president and the prime minister have passed to me," Japarov told the early evening crowd in downtown Bishkek.
"Thank you very much, you can go home now."
It was initially unclear how protesters who have mobilized in recent weeks to support various factions would respond to the declaration, or whether other senior officials would accede to Japarov's move.
Parliament was expected to convene on October 16.
Jeenbekov made no public appearances on October 15.
In a statement on his website earlier in the day, Jeenbekov said that he had decided to resign "because peace and unity in our country is more important than any post."
He would be the third Kyrgyz president in 15 years to be pushed out of office during a popular upheaval.
"I am not holding onto power. I do not want to be known in the history of Kyrgyzstan as a president who spilled blood and shot at his own citizens," he said. "So I decided to resign."
Jeenbekov said that despite his approval of parliament’s decision a day earlier to elect Japarov as the country's new prime minister, "the aggressive moods did not disappear and calls for my resignation continued."
His statement noted that protesters and law enforcement officers were "currently on the edge of clashes" and should "stay away from provocations."
Jeenbekov also called on supporters of Japarov and other political figures to stop ongoing rallies to ease tensions.
Japarov was released from a prison in the initial days of mass protests sparked by allegations of vote-buying and other improprieties during the October 4 parliamentary elections. Japaraov was serving a lengthy term after being convicted of kidnapping in 2017.
His supporters continued rallies in downtown Bishkek after Jeenbekov's resignation was made public, this time chanting "Japarov is our president!"
They were also demanding parliament's dissolution and the resignation of legislative speaker Kanatbek Isaev.
Isaev was voted in as parliament speaker on October 13 in what appeared to be a move to make way for a transition to ease the postelection tensions.
According to the Kyrgyz Constitution, before the election of a new president, parliament's speaker is to run the country as acting president.
But Isaev told the online media outlet 24.kg that he had "no moral right" to the presidency because of the lame duck status of the parliament, which faces a rerun of the disputed election.
Some lawmakers suggested on October 15 that they would believe the president had stepped down only after he appeared in public to confirm that he resigned of his own free will.
They said their skepticism was fueled by the insistence of about a dozen politicians, who met with Jeenbekov early in the morning on October 15, and said he told them that he was not going to step down and planned to stay in office until a new parliament was elected.
Japarov's October 14 confirmation as prime minister moved Kyrgyzstan toward resolving the crisis sparked by the demonstrations over the official results of October 4 parliamentary elections.
The election results were annulled after protesters -- angry at signs of vote-buying and other improprieties during the election -- seized government buildings on October 6.
Jeenbekov, in one of his first statements after the mass protests ousted the government and parliament's speaker, said he was willing to resign after a new cabinet was formed and the situation in the country had calmed.
It is the third time in 15 years that public protests have brought down a president in the former Soviet republic in Central Asia.
With reporting by 24.kg


rferl--2020-10-16--Putin Proposes Extension Of New START Treaty For One Year Without Conditions

Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed extending a bilateral nuclear disarmament treaty with the United States for one year without preconditions to keep it from expiring early next year and allow talks to revive it to continue .
Putin also instructed Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at a meeting with permanent members of Russia ’ s Security Council on October 16 to work out Russia 's position on the accord , the New START arms control treaty , and inform the United States of developments .
`` In this regard , I propose ... extending the current treaty without any conditions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meaningful negotiations can be conducted on all the parameters of the problems ... '' Putin said , adding it would be `` extremely sad '' if the treaty expired .
Putin 's proposal comes just two days after Lavrov said that Moscow does n't see any prospects for extending the treaty with the United States , stressing however that Moscow plans to carry on with negotiations on the subject .
The 2010 treaty limits strategic nuclear weapons and is due to expire in February , although it can be extended for five years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ready to do without preconditions .
The White House , which has already withdrawn from other arms-control treaties because it accused Moscow of violations and felt the agreements benefited Russia more than the United States , has called for Beijing to join Moscow and Washington to find a replacement for New START .
The Chinese government has balked at the prospect of participating in the treaty .
Earlier this month Russia and the United States held an 11th-hour round of talks on the treaty in Helsinki with Washington saying it was willing to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ period of time provided the Russians agreed to a freeze on their nuclear arsenal , a proposal the Kremlin quickly rejected .
The issue of the New START treaty comes as the United States prepares for a presidential election on November 3 .
Joe Biden , who leads Trump in all major polls , supports extending New START `` to use that as a foundation for new arms control arrangements . ''
If Biden wins , the treaty will expire just weeks after he is inaugurated .
Biden calls the treaty -- which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ under President Barack Obama -- an `` anchor of strategic stability between the United States and Russia . ''
Trump 's administration wants any new nuclear arms-control treaty to cover all types of warheads , stronger verification , and transparency measures , as well as bringing China , which has a fraction of the nuclear weapons as Russia and the United States , on board .
Russia has warned that there is not enough time to renegotiate a complicated new treaty .
On October 13 , more than 75 lawmakers across Europe called @ @ @ @ @ @ @ START before its expiration .
The Trump administration has already left the landmark Cold War-era Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty ( INF ) , accusing Russia of violating it .
Washington also unilaterally exited the Open Skies , a treaty that permits the United States and Russia to conduct reconnaissance flights over each other ’ s territory .
With reporting by Interfax and TASS

Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed extending a bilateral nuclear disarmament treaty with the United States for one year without preconditions to keep it from expiring early next year and allow talks to revive it to continue.
Putin also instructed Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at a meeting with permanent members of Russia’s Security Council on October 16 to work out Russia's position on the accord, the New START arms control treaty, and inform the United States of developments.
"In this regard, I propose...extending the current treaty without any conditions for at least a year so that meaningful negotiations can be conducted on all the parameters of the problems..." Putin said, adding it would be "extremely sad" if the treaty expired.
Putin's proposal comes just two days after Lavrov said that Moscow doesn't see any prospects for extending the treaty with the United States, stressing however that Moscow plans to carry on with negotiations on the subject.
The 2010 treaty limits strategic nuclear weapons and is due to expire in February, although it can be extended for five years, which Moscow has said it is ready to do without preconditions.
The White House, which has already withdrawn from other arms-control treaties because it accused Moscow of violations and felt the agreements benefited Russia more than the United States, has called for Beijing to join Moscow and Washington to find a replacement for New START.
The Chinese government has balked at the prospect of participating in the treaty.
Earlier this month Russia and the United States held an 11th-hour round of talks on the treaty in Helsinki with Washington saying it was willing to extend the New START treaty for some period of time provided the Russians agreed to a freeze on their nuclear arsenal, a proposal the Kremlin quickly rejected.
The issue of the New START treaty comes as the United States prepares for a presidential election on November 3.
Joe Biden, who leads Trump in all major polls, supports extending New START "to use that as a foundation for new arms control arrangements." If Biden wins, the treaty will expire just weeks after he is inaugurated.
Biden calls the treaty -- which was negotiated when he was vice president under President Barack Obama -- an "anchor of strategic stability between the United States and Russia."
Trump's administration wants any new nuclear arms-control treaty to cover all types of warheads, stronger verification, and transparency measures, as well as bringing China, which has a fraction of the nuclear weapons as Russia and the United States, on board.
Russia has warned that there is not enough time to renegotiate a complicated new treaty.
On October 13, more than 75 lawmakers across Europe called on the United States to extend New START before its expiration.
The Trump administration has already left the landmark Cold War-era Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), accusing Russia of violating it. Washington also unilaterally exited the Open Skies, a treaty that permits the United States and Russia to conduct reconnaissance flights over each other’s territory.
With reporting by Interfax and TASS


rferl--2020-10-16--Iran Issues Warning Over Stray Fire From Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict

Iran 's Foreign Ministry has issued a fresh warning to Armenia and Azerbaijan after stray fire from their conflict over the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region reportedly wounded one person on the Iranian side of the border .
`` If there is any repetition of such fire , the Islamic Republic of Iran will not remain indifferent , '' Foreign Ministry spokesman Said Khatibzadeh tweeted on October 16 , without elaborating .
Ten rockets hit two villages in the county of Khoda Afarin in Iran 's East Azerbaijan Province , destroying a building and wounding one person , the official IRNA news @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Khoda Afarin borders territory controlled by ethnic Armenian authorities in Azerbaijan adjacent to Nagorno-Karabakh , which is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan but governed and populated by ethnic Armenians since a 1994 cease-fire brought an end to the separatist war that broke out as the Soviet Union collapsed .
Fighting has continued between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces in and around the territory since September 27 despite international calls for a cease fire .
Rockets and mortar rounds have repeatedly strayed across the border , prompting Khatibzadeh to warn on October 12 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's territory by either side of the conflict is intolerable . ''


rferl--2020-10-16--Iranian Ports Organization Says It Was Targeted By Cyberattacks

Iran ’ s Ports and Maritime Organization says it has been targeted by cyberattacks , after officials reported the hacking of two institutions in the country earlier this week .
`` Sworn enemies have been trying for some time to carry out cyberattacks , '' the organization said in a statement on October 16 , adding that `` appropriate ” measures had been taken to prevent an interruption of its missions .
No further details were provided .
The announcement comes a day after the government 's Information Technology Organization ( ITO ) said two Iranian government institutions had been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sadeghi said the cyberattacks , which he described as `` significant and on a large scale , ” occurred October 12-13 , and that some governmental bodies temporarily shut down their Internet services as a precaution against further assaults .
Sadeghi did not indicate the targets or the suspected perpetrators .
The second target of the reported cyberattacks has yet to be identified .
Iranian officials have blamed previous cyberattacks and malicious software , or malware , on the United States and other foreign foes .
The United States and other Western powers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disrupt and break into their online networks .
Iran is said to have disconnected much of its infrastructure from the Internet after the Stuxnet computer virus , believed to be a joint U.S.-Israeli creation , disrupted the Iranian nuclear program , according to reports that began to emerge in 2010 .
Tensions between Tehran , Washington , and U.S. allies have escalated since 2018 , when the United States withdrew from a landmark 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers and began a policy of `` maximum pressure '' on Iran 's @ @


rferl--2020-10-16--COVID-19: Azerbaijan Tightens Quarantine Regime To Curb Spread Of Virus

BAKU -- Azerbaijan will close all educational institutions , including kindergartens , for two weeks starting on October 19 due @ @ @ @ @ the number of coronavirus cases in the country .
Authorities said on October 16 that @ @ @ @ @ metro system will also be closed during that period .
Only one-third of public-sector employees @ @ @ @ @ workplaces during the October 19 to November 2 period , while the rest will be @ @ @ @ @ people older than 65 are recommended not to leave their homes unless absolutely necessary .
@ @ @ @ @ , classes in Azerbaijan started on September 15 , October 1 , and October 15 @ @ @ @ @ to school only a few days a week and classes were mostly held online .
@ @ @ @ @ almost 10 million people had reported 43,280 coronavirus cases and 619 deaths as of October @ @

BAKU -- Azerbaijan will close all educational institutions, including kindergartens, for two weeks starting on October 19 due to a sharp rise in the number of coronavirus cases in the country.
Authorities said on October 16 that the use of Baku's metro system will also be closed during that period.
Only one-third of public-sector employees will continue working at their workplaces during the October 19 to November 2 period, while the rest will be working from home.
High-risk people older than 65 are recommended not to leave their homes unless absolutely necessary.
Depending on the school level, classes in Azerbaijan started on September 15, October 1, and October 15.
However, pupils went to school only a few days a week and classes were mostly held online.
The South Caucasus country of almost 10 million people had reported 43,280 coronavirus cases and 619 deaths as of October 15.


rferl--2020-10-16--Russia Says It Put Tsikhanouskaya On Wanted List Following Move By Belarus

Russia says it put Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya on its wanted list in line with regional agreements after Belarus first made the move claiming she had called for overthrowing the constitutional order in the country .
Russian media on October 16 quoted Russia 's Interior Ministry as confirming the move , made within the framework of the Russia-Belarus Union State .
The report comes three days after Tsikhanouskaya openly demanded that Alyaksandr Lukashenka should step down from the post of Belarusian president by October 25 or face a nationwide strike .
In an interview with RFE/RL that was published @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the decision to announce the so-called `` People ’ s Ultimatum '' to Lukashenka was not made solely by her , but by opposition groups , including her team , the opposition Coordination Council , opposition political parties , protest groups , representatives of striking workers , and Belarusian citizens who were beaten and tortured by law enforcement in recent months .
`` The ultimatum was pushed forward by people , I just announced it to make it public , '' Tsikhanouskaya , who could face up to 5 years in jail in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
Tsikhanouskaya added that even “ many ” officers in law enforcement are seeking help from opposition groups to take their families out of Belarus in order to be able to openly refuse to take part in beatings and violently dispersing protest across the country .
Belarus has been rocked by protests since an August 9 presidential election handed Lukashenka a sixth term amid allegations of widespread fraud .
Tsikhanouskaya , who supporters say won the vote , left Belarus for Lithuania shortly after the election amid threats to her and her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have refused to recognize the 66-year-old Lukashenka as the legitimate leader of Belarus .
The EU on October 12 agreed to add Lukashenka to its sanctions list .
With reporting by RIA Novosti and Interfax

Russia says it put Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya on its wanted list in line with regional agreements after Belarus first made the move claiming she had called for overthrowing the constitutional order in the country.
Russian media on October 16 quoted Russia's Interior Ministry as confirming the move, made within the framework of the Russia-Belarus Union State.
The report comes three days after Tsikhanouskaya openly demanded that Alyaksandr Lukashenka should step down from the post of Belarusian president by October 25 or face a nationwide strike.
In an interview with RFE/RL that was published on October 16, Tsikhanouskaya said that the decision to announce the so-called "People’s Ultimatum" to Lukashenka was not made solely by her, but by opposition groups, including her team, the opposition Coordination Council, opposition political parties, protest groups, representatives of striking workers, and Belarusian citizens who were beaten and tortured by law enforcement in recent months.
"The ultimatum was pushed forward by people, I just announced it to make it public," Tsikhanouskaya, who could face up to 5 years in jail in Belarus if detained and found guilty, said.
Tsikhanouskaya added that even “many” officers in law enforcement are seeking help from opposition groups to take their families out of Belarus in order to be able to openly refuse to take part in beatings and violently dispersing protest across the country.
Belarus has been rocked by protests since an August 9 presidential election handed Lukashenka a sixth term amid allegations of widespread fraud.
Tsikhanouskaya, who supporters say won the vote, left Belarus for Lithuania shortly after the election amid threats to her and her family.
The United States and EU have refused to recognize the 66-year-old Lukashenka as the legitimate leader of Belarus. The EU on October 12 agreed to add Lukashenka to its sanctions list.
With reporting by RIA Novosti and Interfax


rferl--2020-10-16--U.S. Afghan Peace Envoy Says Taliban Agrees To Reduce Violence

KABUL -- The U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan says he has struck an agreement with the Taliban to reduce the number of casualties in the country as a wave of violence hampered ongoing intra-Afghan peace talks in Qatar .
Zalmay Khalilzad made the comments on October 15 , amid rising fears about the fate of tens of thousands of civilians caught up in battles between Afghan government forces and the Taliban in the southern province of Helmand .
Khalilzad tweeted that he and the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan , General Scott Miller , held several meetings with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` strictly '' adhere to their commitments under a peace agreement signed in Qatar in February .
`` We agreed to re-set actions by strictly adhering to implementation of all elements of the U.S.-Taliban Agreement and all commitments made , '' he wrote .
`` This means reduced numbers of operations .
At present too many Afghans are dying .
With the re-set , we expect that number to drop significantly , '' the U.S. envoy added .
Under the February U.S.-Taliban deal , foreign forces would leave Afghanistan by May 2021 in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ group .
Peace talks between Afghan government representatives and Taliban negotiators began last month in the Qatari capital , Doha , but there has been no apparent progress in the negotiations meant to end Afghanistan 's decades-long long war .
“ Attacks have been on the rise in recent weeks - threatening the peace process and alarming the Afghan people and their regional and international supporters , ” Khalilzad tweeted on October 15 .
The secretary-general of NATO , which is leading a mission to train , advise , and assist Afghan forces @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the best chance for peace , but Taliban must keep their promises and reduce the unacceptable level of violence . ''
Jens Stoltenberg made the remarks on Twitter after discussing the situation in Afghanistan with Khalilzad .
This week in Helmand , the U.S. military took part in air strikes to support Afghan forces defending the provincial capital , Lashkar Gah , from a Taliban assault .
Mohammad Ramin , head of the province 's refugee office , told RFE/RL on October 16 that an estimated 8,000 families have left their homes and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clashes erupted in the area on October 11 .
United Nations agencies say the heavy fighting has taken out electricity and telecommunication lines in Lashkar Gah , interrupted critical health services , and blocked all exit routes .
Doctors Without Borders ( MSF ) in Afghanistan reported on October 15 that the main trauma hospital for war-wounded in the provincial capital remains `` under pressure . ''
The nearby Boost provincial hospital , which is supported by the Geneva-based charity , received 52 war-wounded patients between October 11 and 14 , according to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan ( UNAMA ) and human rights groups have called on both sides to protect civilians and give civilians safe passage for those wishing to leave .
According to the UNAMA , civilian populations continue to bear the brunt of Afghanistan 's war with at least 1,282 deaths in the first six months of the year .
On October 16 in the central province of Ghor , officials said a pregnant woman was among six civilians killed when their vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb .
Provincial police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were taking the woman to hospital when the blast occurred west of the provincial capital , Firozkoh .

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--2020-10-16--Journalist In Russian Far East Says He Was Abducted, Threatened by Masked Men

KHABAROVSK , Russia -- A journalist who covered ongoing protests in Russia 's Far Eastern city of Khabarovsk has reportedly been kidnapped and threatened by unknown masked individuals .
A coordinator of the Open Russia opposition organization , Sergei Naumov , told RFE/RL on October 16 that journalist Sergei Plotnikov , was abducted overnight .
Plotnikov , a reporter for the RusNews YouTube channel , called his colleagues in the morning and told them that he was in a forest near a cemetery and asked for help .
Naumov said that Plotnikov told him he was abducted near his house @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him and brought him to the forest outside the city , where they threatened him by shooting live rounds of ammunition into the ground near his feet and demanding he `` cooperate . ''
Naumov says Plotnikov , who sustained a wound on his temple , has filed a complaint with local police .
Plotnikov 's colleagues told RFE/RL that the men who kidnapped and threatened the journalist must have been `` professionals '' who removed their fingerprints from items of his that they came into contact with .
The Khabarovsk regional police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ situation .
Khabarovsk and several other towns and cities of the area that borders China have seen regular protests since the region 's former governor , Sergei Furgal , was arrested in July on decades-old murder-related charges and taken to Moscow .
Furgal has denied the charges , which his supporters say were engineered by his opponents with help from the Kremlin .
The protesters have demanded Furgal 's release and in recent weeks , after their demands were not met , they began demanding the resignation of President Vladimir Putin .
On @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to violently disperse the protests for the first time since the rallies started in July .

KHABAROVSK, Russia -- A journalist who covered ongoing protests in Russia's Far Eastern city of Khabarovsk has reportedly been kidnapped and threatened by unknown masked individuals.
A coordinator of the Open Russia opposition organization, Sergei Naumov, told RFE/RL on October 16 that journalist Sergei Plotnikov, was abducted overnight.
Plotnikov, a reporter for the RusNews YouTube channel, called his colleagues in the morning and told them that he was in a forest near a cemetery and asked for help.
Naumov said that Plotnikov told him he was abducted near his house by several masked men, who handcuffed him and brought him to the forest outside the city, where they threatened him by shooting live rounds of ammunition into the ground near his feet and demanding he "cooperate."
Naumov says Plotnikov, who sustained a wound on his temple, has filed a complaint with local police.
Plotnikov's colleagues told RFE/RL that the men who kidnapped and threatened the journalist must have been "professionals" who removed their fingerprints from items of his that they came into contact with.
The Khabarovsk regional police press service refused to comment on the situation.
Khabarovsk and several other towns and cities of the area that borders China have seen regular protests since the region's former governor, Sergei Furgal, was arrested in July on decades-old murder-related charges and taken to Moscow.
Furgal has denied the charges, which his supporters say were engineered by his opponents with help from the Kremlin.
The protesters have demanded Furgal's release and in recent weeks, after their demands were not met, they began demanding the resignation of President Vladimir Putin.
On October 10, local authorities used force to violently disperse the protests for the first time since the rallies started in July.


rferl--2020-10-16--Presidential Powers In Kyrgyzstan Transferred To Newly Elected PM Japarov

BISHKEK – Kyrgyzstan 's parliament has approved the transfer of presidential powers to newly elected Prime Minister Sadyr Japarov after days of uncertainty and political crisis caused by mass protests against results of October 4 parliamentary elections that ousted the government and led to the president 's resignation .
At the parliament session on October 16 , lawmakers also lifted a state of emergency that had been in place in the capital , Bishkek , for five days .
Japarov , a convicted kidnapper who was released in the wake of the protests last week , was elected by lawmakers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prime minister .
The next day , President Sooronbai Jeenbekov announced his resignation , saying that `` peace and unity in our country is more important than any post . ''
The Kyrgyz Constitution provides that the parliament speaker becomes acting president in case the president resigns , but the chairman of the legislature , Kanatbek Isaev , declined to assume the presidency until new elections are held .
`` The process of power transfer proceeded peacefully , '' Japarov told parliament on October 16 .
He suggested that the early presidential election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ next year , and proposed to lower the threshold to enter parliament from 7 to 5 percent .
Meanwhile , Central Election Commission Chairwoman Nurjan Shaildabekova said that the election was tentatively scheduled for January 17 .
Japarov 's October 14 confirmation as prime minister and the transfer of presidential powers to him moved Kyrgyzstan toward resolving the crisis sparked by the demonstrations over the official results of the parliamentary elections .
These results were annulled after protesters -- angry at signs of vote-buying and other improprieties during the election -- seized government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the crisis .
With reporting by AKIpress , TASS , Kaktus , and KyrTAG

BISHKEK -- Kyrgyzstan’s parliament on October 16 approved the transfer of presidential powers to recently elected Prime Minister Sadyr Japarov after days of uncertainty and political crisis amid mass postelection protests that led to the president’s resignation.
Japarov had already told the country after President Sooronbai Jeenbekov's farewell statement a day earlier that "all power is in my hands" and urged demonstrators in Bishkek to go home.
"The process of power transfer proceeded peacefully," Japarov told parliament.
The Interior Ministry was quoted as issuing a statement saying that "the situation [in Bishkek] has stabilized and remains under law enforcement's control."
Later, after naming a new head of a powerful national security body, Japarov vowed to punish those responsible for hundreds of millions of dollars funneled out of the country and named one of the main suspects, a former deputy customs office director at the heart of an RFE/RL joint investigation first published last year.
At the hastily convened legislative session on October 16, lawmakers also lifted a state of emergency that had been in place in the capital for five days.
WATCH: Former Kyrgyz President Jeenbekov Says He Resigned To Avoid 'Bloodshed'
Japarov, a former nationalist lawmaker and convicted kidnapper who was freed when a mob stormed a Bishkek prison last week, was elected by lawmakers on October 14 to the post of prime minister.
The next day, Jeenbekov announced his resignation via his website, saying that "peace and unity in our country is more important than any post."
Jeenbekov appeared alongside Japarov in parliament late on October 16 to further explain his resignation in a move that appeared aimed at quelling public tensions.
"The history of our country is measured before and after October 6," Jeenbekov said of the outbreak of major protests, calling it a "turning point."
"These are the most difficult days for every Kyrgyz," he added.
Protesters had demanded Jeenbekov's resignation and new elections to rerun the October 4 voting that they insisted was marred by massive vote fraud.
The Kyrgyz Constitution says the parliament speaker becomes acting president in case the president resigns.
But Kanatbek Isaev, who was made speaker on October 13 amid closed-door maneuvering to quell the unrest, said two days later that he had "no moral right" to assume the presidency until new elections are held.
Japarov has suggested that an early presidential election be held no later than January 10, and proposed lowering the threshold for parties to enter parliament from 7 to 5 percent.
At their October 16 session, lawmakers approved amendments to the law on elections reducing the bar for parliamentary representation from 7 to 5 percent and decreasing the fee for candidates' registration from 5 million soms ($62,300) to 1 million soms.
Shortly after being given presidential powers, Japarov appointed former Emergency Situations Minister Kamchybek Tashiev to the post of the chairman of the powerful State Committee of National Security.
Tashiev pledged to investigate and bring to justice those found to have broken the law, including launching a probe into the activities of a controversial former deputy customs chief Raimbek Matraimov.
A joint investigation by RFE/RL and others found that Matraimov for years enabled and profited massively from a smuggling empire run by a secretive Uyghur family and used some of the proceeds to buy influence.
"I have never had or will have any business, political or party ties with him," Tashiev said of Matraimov. "No Matraimovs, no Raims rule our society. There will be justice in our society from now on."
Hours later, in his statement, Japarov repeated that authorities would be questioning Matraimov.
"First of all, we will bring to a conclusion the case of some $700 million taken out of Kyrgyzstan, and the main suspect Matraimov and other suspects will be punished for [whatever they have done] to our country in accordance with strict laws," Japarov said. "Certain tasks have been given to law enforcement agencies already -- and we will be able to present you results of this work as soon as possible."
Meanwhile, Central Election Commission chairwoman Nurjan Shaildabekova said that new elections were tentatively scheduled for January 17.
These October 4 results were annulled after protesters -- angry at evidence of vote-buying and other improprieties during the election -- seized government buildings on October 6, which led to the crisis.
With reporting by AKIpress, TASS, Kaktus, and KyrTAG


rferl--2020-10-16--Iranian CEO Sentenced In U.S. For Firm's Sanctions-Evading Activity

The founder and CEO of an Iranian financial-services firm has been sentenced to nearly two years in prison for running a business that helped people in Iran evade U.S. sanctions , the Justice Department said .
Seyed Sajjad Shahidian , 33 , pleaded guilty to a charge related to running Payment24 , an Internet-based company that the Justice Department said charged a fee for providing services that enabled Iranians to make online purchases from the United States .
`` Shahidian was the founder and CEO of a financial services firm that employed fraudulent tactics designed to circumvent United States sanctions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' said U.S. Attorney Erica MacDonald in a news release .
`` Such actions are criminal and threaten our national security interests . ''
U.S. law bans unauthorized exports by American businesses to Iran .
The Justice Department said Payment24 helped Iranian citizens conduct such financial transactions , including the purchase of computer software , software licenses , and computer servers .
Shahidian pleaded guilty in June to one count of conspiracy to defraud and commit offenses against the United States .
Shahidian admitted to using forged passports to set up hundreds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to people outside of Iran .
Prosecutors said Shahidian lied to U.S. suppliers , illegally transferred funds from Iran , and used the forged passports and other documents to circumvent sanctions .
Shahidian was arrested in London in 2018 before being extradited to the United States this year .
`` In Iran , based on his illegal business , Mr. Shahidian had been a high-profile executive and a millionaire .
He is now a convicted felon who has lost everything , '' MacDonald said .
Payment24 had about 40 employees and offices in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Iran , according to the Justice Department .
Based on reporting by AP and AFP


rferl--2020-10-16--Turkish And Israeli Drones' Big Impact On Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict

Turkish as well as Israeli and cheaper Russian-made drones are being used to powerful effect during Azerbaijan 's attacks in @ @ @ @ @ breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh .
Turkey has also reportedly deployed unmanned aerial vehicles in conflicts @ @ @ @ @ and Syria .
But it 's now facing an international backlash over their deployment in @ @ @ @ @ civilian deaths rising .

Turkish as well as Israeli and cheaper Russian-made drones are being used to powerful effect during Azerbaijan's attacks in and around the country's breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Turkey has also reportedly deployed unmanned aerial vehicles in conflicts in Iraq, Libya, and Syria. But it's now facing an international backlash over their deployment in the Azeribaijani-Armenian conflict, with civilian deaths rising.


rferl--2020-10-17--U.S. Rejects Putin's Proposal On Nuclear Disarmament Treaty As 'Non-Starter'

The United States says Russian President Vladimir Putin ’ s proposal to extend the New START nuclear disarmament treaty without freezing nuclear warheads is a “ non-starter.
” White House national-security adviser Robert O'Brien made the statement on October 16 on Twitter in response to Putin ’ s proposed extension of the bilateral treaty for one year without preconditions .
O ’ Brien said the U.S. proposal of an extension of New START for one year in exchange for Russia and the United States capping all nuclear warheads during that period “ would have been a win for both sides.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ were willing to accept the U.S. proposal when O ’ Brien met with his Russian counterpart in Geneva earlier this month , O ’ Brien said .
O ’ Brien added that Washington is “ serious about arms control that will keep the entire world safe ” and hopes Russia will “ reevaluate its position before a costly arms race ensues.
” The U.S. envoy for arms control , Marshall Billingslea , also reacted on Twitter .
“ The United States made every effort .
It is disappointing that the Russian Federation backtracked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the first time , ” Billingslea said .
“ This would have been an historic deal , good for the U.S. , Russia , and the world.
” Putin proposed extending the bilateral treaty for one year without preconditions to keep it from expiring and to allow talks to revive it to continue .
Putin also instructed Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at a meeting with permanent members of Russia ’ s Security Council on October 16 to work out Russia 's position on New START and inform the United States of developments @ @ @ @ @ @ @ propose ... extending the current treaty without any conditions for at least a year so that meaningful negotiations can be conducted on all the parametres of the problems ... '' Putin said , adding it would be `` extremely sad '' if the treaty expired .
Putin 's proposal came just two days after Lavrov said that Moscow did n't see any prospects for extending the treaty with the United States , stressing however that Moscow plans to carry on with negotiations on the subject .
The 2010 treaty limits strategic nuclear weapons @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , although it can be extended for five years , which Moscow has said it is ready to do without preconditions .
The White House , which has already withdrawn from other arms-control treaties because it accused Moscow of violations and felt the agreements benefited Russia more than the United States , has called for Beijing to join Moscow and Washington to find a replacement for New START .
The Chinese government has balked at the prospect of participating in the treaty .
Earlier this month Russia and the United States held an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Helsinki , with Washington saying it was willing to extend the New START treaty for some period of time provided the Russians agreed to the freeze , a proposal the Kremlin quickly rejected .
The issue of the New START treaty comes less than three weeks before the U.S. presidential election .
Democratic challenger Joe Biden supports extending New START `` to use that as a foundation for new arms control arrangements . ''
If Biden wins , the treaty will expire just weeks after he is inaugurated .
Biden calls the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was vice president under President Barack Obama -- an `` anchor of strategic stability between the United States and Russia . ''
Trump 's administration wants any new nuclear arms-control treaty to cover all types of warheads , stronger verification and transparency measures , as well as bringing China , which has a fraction of the nuclear weapons as Russia and the United States , on board .
Russia has warned that there is not enough time to renegotiate a complicated new treaty by February .
On October 13 , more than 75 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ States to extend New START before its expiration .
The Trump administration has already left the landmark Cold War-era Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty ( INF ) , accusing Russia of violating it .
Washington also unilaterally exited Open Skies , a treaty that permits the United States and Russia to conduct reconnaissance flights over each other ’ s territory .
With reporting by AFP , AP , Interfax , and TASS

The United States says Russian President Vladimir Putin’s proposal to extend the New START nuclear disarmament treaty without freezing nuclear warheads is a “nonstarter.”
White House national-security adviser Robert O'Brien made the statement on October 16 on Twitter in response to Putin’s proposed extension of the bilateral treaty for one year without preconditions.
O’Brien said the U.S. proposal of an extension of New START for one year in exchange for Russia and the United States capping all nuclear warheads during that period “would have been a win for both sides.”
O’Brien said the United States believed the Russians were willing to accept the U.S. proposal when he met with his Russian counterpart in Geneva earlier this month. He added that Washington is “serious about arms control that will keep the entire world safe” and hopes Russia will “reevaluate its position before a costly arms race ensues.”
The U.S. envoy for arms control, Marshall Billingslea, also reacted on Twitter.
“The United States made every effort. It is disappointing that the Russian Federation backtracked on an agreement covering all nuclear warheads for the first time,” Billingslea said. “This would have been an historic deal, good for the U.S., Russia, and the world.”
Putin proposed extending the bilateral treaty for one year without preconditions to keep it from expiring and to allow talks to revive it to continue.
Putin also instructed Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at a meeting with permanent members of Russia’s Security Council on October 16 to work out Russia's position on New START and inform the United States of developments.
"In this regard, I propose...extending the current treaty without any conditions for at least a year so that meaningful negotiations can be conducted on all the parameters of the problems...," Putin said, adding it would be "extremely sad" if the treaty expired.
Putin's proposal came just two days after Lavrov said that Moscow didn't see any prospects for extending the treaty with the United States, stressing however that Moscow plans to carry on with negotiations on the subject.
The 2010 treaty limits strategic nuclear weapons and is due to expire in February, although it can be extended for five years, which Moscow has said it is ready to do without preconditions.
The White House, which has already withdrawn from other arms-control treaties because it accused Moscow of violations and felt the agreements benefited Russia more than the United States, has called for Beijing to join Moscow and Washington to find a replacement for New START.
The Chinese government has balked at the prospect of participating in the treaty.
Earlier this month, Russia and the United States held an 11th-hour round of talks on the treaty in Helsinki, with Washington saying it was willing to extend the New START treaty for some period of time provided the Russians agreed to the freeze, a proposal the Kremlin quickly rejected.
The issue of the New START treaty comes less than three weeks before the U.S. presidential election.
Democratic challenger Joe Biden supports extending New START "to use that as a foundation for new arms-control arrangements." If Biden wins, the treaty will expire just weeks after he is inaugurated.
Biden calls the treaty -- which was negotiated when he was vice president under President Barack Obama -- an "anchor of strategic stability between the United States and Russia."
Trump's administration wants any new nuclear arms-control treaty to cover all types of warheads, to contain stronger verification and transparency measures, and to bring China, which has a fraction of the nuclear weapons of Russia and the United States, on board.
Russia has warned that there is not enough time to renegotiate a complicated new treaty by February.
On October 13, more than 75 lawmakers across Europe called on the United States to extend New START before its expiration.
The Trump administration has already left the landmark Cold War-era Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), accusing Russia of violating it. Washington also unilaterally exited Open Skies, a treaty that permits the United States and Russia to conduct reconnaissance flights over each other’s territory.
With reporting by AFP, AP, Interfax, and TASS