rferl--2020-05-22--White House Official: Trump To Seek Extension Of New START Arms Treaty With Russia

A top U.S. official said President Donald Trump was expected to seek an extension of the New START treaty with Russia , a major nuclear arms agreement set to expire next year .
National-security adviser Robert O'Brien ’ s May 21 comment came the same day that the Trump administration announced it would move to withdraw from another security treaty , called Open Skies .
U.S. officials said Washington would pull out of the 35-nation Open Skies accord , which allows unarmed surveillance flights over member countries , due to what they said were Russia ’ s violations .
Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ States would consider remaining a signatory to Open Skies under certain conditions .
Signed by Washington and Moscow in 2010 , New START caps the number of warheads and delivery systems in each country 's arsenal .
It also includes rigorous on-site inspection provisions , which supporters of the treaty have cited as one of the main arguments for extending it .
The agreement will expire in February unless the two sides agree to extend it by five more years .
Asked by Fox News if the United States would pull out of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no .
“ We are going to enter into good-faith negotiations with the Russians on nuclear arms control , ” he said .
But .
while Russia has agreed to an extension , the Trump administration has called for a new treaty that would include China .
China , whose nuclear arsenal is a fraction of the size of Moscow ’ s and Washington ’ s , has said it was not interested in participating in such talks .
During a May 7 phone call between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ States is committed to effective arms control that includes not only Russia , but also China . ''
The announcement to withdraw from the Open Skies treaty was the latest move by the Trump White House to pull the country out of a major global accord .
Last year , the United States unilaterally exited from of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty with Russia .
With reporting by Fox News , AP , and Reuters

A top U.S. official said President Donald Trump was expected to seek an extension of the New START treaty with Russia, a major nuclear arms agreement set to expire next year.
National-security adviser Robert O'Brien’s May 21 comment came the same day that the Trump administration announced it would move to withdraw from another security treaty, called Open Skies.
U.S. officials said Washington would pull out of the 35-nation Open Skies accord, which allows unarmed surveillance flights over member countries, due to what they said were Russia’s violations.
Trump signaled, however, that the United States would consider remaining a signatory to Open Skies under certain conditions.
Signed by Washington and Moscow in 2010, New START caps the number of warheads and delivery systems in each country's arsenal. It also includes rigorous on-site inspection provisions, which supporters of the treaty have cited as one of the main arguments for extending it.
'Good-Faith Negotiations'
The agreement will expire in February unless the two sides agree to extend it by five more years.
Asked by Fox News if the United States would pull out of New START, O’Brien said no.
“We are going to enter into good-faith negotiations with the Russians on nuclear arms control,” he said.
But. while Russia has agreed to an extension, the Trump administration has called for a new treaty that would include China.
China, whose nuclear arsenal is a fraction of the size of Moscow’s and Washington’s, has said it was not interested in participating in such talks.
During a May 7 phone call between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, the White House said "the United States is committed to effective arms control that includes not only Russia, but also China."
The announcement to withdraw from the Open Skies treaty was the latest move by the Trump White House to pull the country out of a major global accord.
Last year, the United States unilaterally exited from of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty with Russia.
With reporting by Fox News, AP, and Reuters


rferl--2020-05-22--UNICEF Calls For Cease-Fire In Eastern Ukraine, Says Children 'Urgently Need Peace'

The UN children ’ s agency is calling for all parties to the deadly conflict in eastern Ukraine to commit to a cease-fire and end more than six years of fighting , as an increase in shelling has resulted in numerous child casualties and damaged schools since the beginning of the year .
In a press release on May 21 , UNICEF said the surge in attacks combined with restrictions of movement imposed to stem the spread of the coronavirus is `` making life even more unbearable '' for the approximately 430,000 children caught up in the fighting between Ukrainian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It is unconscionable that children and families in eastern Ukraine are not only having to cope with the strict lockdown measures all families are struggling with across Europe , but also the constant threat that their homes could come under attack , '' said Afshan Khan , UNICEF ’ s regional director for Europe and Central Asia .
Children and families in eastern Ukraine , where the conflict has killed more than 13,000 people since April 2014 , `` urgently need peace , '' she added .
There have been 10 conflict-related child @ @ @ @ @ @ @ -- double the number of child casualties compared to the same time period last year , UNICEF said .
During the first week of May , six children were wounded at home after their villages came under shelling .
Three young girls , two of them sisters , aged 7 and 10 , and the other a friend , also aged 7 , were severely injured in one incident .
The UN agency also mentioned nine attacks on schools , including five in April .
In one of them , a 17-year-old girl @ @ @ @ @ @ @ schoolyard .
The attacks occurred despite the fact that Ukraine in November became the 100th country to endorse the Safe Schools Declaration , an intergovernmental political document which contains concrete commitments to better protect students , teachers , schools , and universities from the effects of war .
Families across Ukraine , including those living in the conflict-affected Donetsk and Luhansk regions , have been in lockdown since the end of March due to the coronavirus pandemic .
As of May 21 , the country has reported more than 19,700 cases of COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The lockdown leaves `` many children living near the 'contact line ' -- where fighting is most severe -- with no real way to continue their education , due to limited Internet connectivity and access to necessary equipment , ” according to UNICEF .
`` The emotional trauma caused by movement restrictions , school closures , and isolation will only intensify the already high levels of stress that vulnerable children who live in the frontline communities have to contend with , '' the UN body said .
The statement also noted that UNICEF @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a COVID-19 response in Ukraine .
That ’ s in addition to a humanitarian appeal of $ 9,8 million , which remains underfunded by 73 percent , to support families with children in the conflict-affected regions .

The UN children’s agency is calling for all parties to the deadly conflict in eastern Ukraine to commit to a cease-fire and end more than six years of fighting, as an increase in shelling has resulted in numerous child casualties and damaged schools since the beginning of the year.
In a press release on May 21, UNICEF said the surge in attacks combined with restrictions of movement imposed to stem the spread of the coronavirus is "making life even more unbearable" for the approximately 430,000 children caught up in the fighting between Ukrainian government forces and Russia-backed separatists.
"It is unconscionable that children and families in eastern Ukraine are not only having to cope with the strict lockdown measures all families are struggling with across Europe, but also the constant threat that their homes could come under attack," said Afshan Khan, UNICEF’s regional director for Europe and Central Asia.
Children and families in eastern Ukraine, where the conflict has killed more than 13,000 people since April 2014, "urgently need peace," she added.
There have been 10 conflict-related child casualties since the beginning of this year -- double the number of child casualties compared to the same time period last year, UNICEF said.
During the first week of May, six children were wounded at home after their villages came under shelling. Three young girls, two of them sisters, aged 7 and 10, and the other a friend, also aged 7, were severely injured in one incident.
The UN agency also mentioned nine attacks on schools, including five in April. In one of them, a 17-year-old girl was wounded by shrapnel while in her schoolyard.
'Emotional Trauma'
The attacks occurred despite the fact that Ukraine in November became the 100th country to endorse the Safe Schools Declaration, an intergovernmental political document which contains concrete commitments to better protect students, teachers, schools, and universities from the effects of war.
Families across Ukraine, including those living in the conflict-affected Donetsk and Luhansk regions, have been in lockdown since the end of March due to the coronavirus pandemic. As of May 21, the country has reported more than 19,700 cases of COVID-19 confirmed, including over 570 deaths.
The lockdown leaves "many children living near the 'contact line' -- where fighting is most severe -- with no real way to continue their education, due to limited Internet connectivity and access to necessary equipment,” according to UNICEF.
"The emotional trauma caused by movement restrictions, school closures, and isolation will only intensify the already high levels of stress that vulnerable children who live in the frontline communities have to contend with," the UN body said.
The statement also noted that UNICEF is appealing for $23 million for a COVID-19 response in Ukraine.
That’s in addition to a humanitarian appeal of $9,8 million, which remains underfunded by 73 percent, to support families with children in the conflict-affected regions.


rferl--2020-05-21--Condition, Whereabouts Of Chechen Leader Unclear After Reported Hospitalization For Coronavirus

Chechen and Russian officials remain tight-lipped about the condition or whereabouts of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov , a day after news reports said he had been hospitalized in Moscow for possible coronavirus infection .
If confirmed , Kadyrov would join the list of several other prominent Russian officials , including Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov , who have been infected with the virus .
Interfax and RIA-Novosti cited unnamed medical officials on May 21 as saying that Kadyrov , 43 , had been flown to a Moscow facility and was under medical supervision .
The Telegram @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by plane to `` one of the best clinics in Moscow '' on May 21 , after he showed symptoms of an acute respiratory viral infection .
Earlier , the head of Grozny TV , which is controlled by Chechen regional authorities , insisted that Kadyrov was still in control , though he did not explicitly deny the reports on the Chechen leader 's hospitalization .
Kadyrov `` is personally in control of the situation , he is taking all necessary measures .
The work of his headquarters is under his personal control @ @ @ @ @ @ @ video posted to his Instagram account .
Kadyrov has sought to project an air of authority amid the coronavirus pandemic .
As of May 21 , Chechnya had officially reported 1,046 confirmed cases , and 11 fatalities from the disease .
Recently , he lashed out at complaints that regional medical workers lacked masks and other proper equipment to protect them against infection .
Grigory Shvedov , editor of the news site Caucasian Knot , said medical workers , who are normally fearful of the authoritarian Kadyrov , have grown more fearful of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more frequently .
Shvedov explained that the silence surrounding Kadyrov 's condition was due in large part to the fact that falling ill would undermine the strongman image he has projected .
`` Ramzan Kadyrov is a hostage of his image , that he is strong , he can do anything , that there are no problems .
Therefore , even if he is sick -- God grant him health -- if he is sick , he does not talk about it , '' he told Current Time .
The reports about Kadyrov @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Daghestan ratchet up restrictions to deter people from gathering in groups this weekend to celebrate the end of the Muslim month of Ramadan .
Chechen Interior Minister Ruslan Alkhanov said that all movements , except for emergency services , would be banned for three days beginning May 23 .
In Daghestan , authorities announced a lockdown on two major cities ; officials in the regional capital , Makhachkala , had not yet taken similar measures .
Russia has the second-highest total of reported COVID-19 cases , after the United States .
The Russian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 22 , while the death toll climbed to 3,249 .
Russian officials have been accused of lowering its coronavirus mortality rates by ascribing deaths to pneumonia .
Aside from Mishustin and Peskov , Culture Minister Olga Lyubimova , and Construction Minister Vladimir Yakushev have also tested positive for the disease .
Peskov , as of May 21 , remained hospitalized .

Chechen and Russian officials remain tight-lipped about the condition or whereabouts of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, a day after news reports said he had been hospitalized in Moscow for possible coronavirus infection.
If confirmed, Kadyrov would join the list of several other prominent Russian officials, including Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who have been infected with the virus.
Interfax and RIA-Novosti cited unnamed medical officials on May 21 as saying that Kadyrov, 43, had been flown to a Moscow facility and was under medical supervision.
The Telegram channel Baza reported that Kadyrov was taken by plane to "one of the best clinics in Moscow" on May 21, after he showed symptoms of an acute respiratory viral infection.
Earlier, the head of Grozny TV, which is controlled by Chechen regional authorities, insisted that Kadyrov was still in control, though he did not explicitly deny the reports on the Chechen leader's hospitalization.
Kadyrov "is personally in control of the situation, he is taking all necessary measures. The work of his headquarters is under his personal control," Akhmed Dudayev said in a video posted to his Instagram account.
'A Hostage Of His Image'
Kadyrov has sought to project an air of authority amid the coronavirus pandemic. As of May 21, Chechnya had officially reported 1,046 confirmed cases, and 11 fatalities from the disease.
Recently, he lashed out at complaints that regional medical workers lacked masks and other proper equipment to protect them against infection.
Grigory Shvedov, editor of the news site Caucasian Knot, said medical workers, who are normally fearful of the authoritarian Kadyrov, have grown more fearful of the coronavirus, and were speaking out more frequently.
Shvedov explained that the silence surrounding Kadyrov's condition was due in large part to the fact that falling ill would undermine the strongman image he has projected.
"Ramzan Kadyrov is a hostage of his image, that he is strong, he can do anything, that there are no problems. Therefore, even if he is sick -- God grant him health -- if he is sick, he does not talk about it," he told Current Time.
Ramadan Concerns
The reports about Kadyrov come as authorities in Chechnya and neighboring Daghestan ratchet up restrictions to deter people from gathering in groups this weekend to celebrate the end of the Muslim month of Ramadan.
Chechen Interior Minister Ruslan Alkhanov said that all movements, except for emergency services, would be banned for three days beginning May 23.
In Daghestan, authorities announced a lockdown on two major cities; officials in the regional capital, Makhachkala, had not yet taken similar measures.
Russia has the second-highest total of reported COVID-19 cases, after the United States.
The Russian case tally rose to 326,448 on May 22, while the death toll climbed to 3,249.
Russian officials have been accused of lowering its coronavirus mortality rates by ascribing deaths to pneumonia.
Aside from Mishustin and Peskov, Culture Minister Olga Lyubimova, and Construction Minister Vladimir Yakushev have also tested positive for the disease.
Peskov, as of May 21, remained hospitalized.


rferl--2020-05-21--U.S. To Withdraw From Open Skies Treaty, Accuses Russia Of Violations

The United States said it would move to withdraw from the Open Skies treaty , accusing Russia of repeated violations of the 18-year-old security agreement .
The announcement , detailed in a statement by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on May 21 , marked the latest move by President Donald Trump 's administration to pull out of major international treaties .
The moves have prompted alarms from watchdog groups and some members of the U.S. Congress who say it increases the possibility for an arms race or accidental military confrontations .
Washington will provide notification to the other 34 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ months but may reconsider `` should Russia return to full compliance with the Treaty , '' Pompeo said in a statement .
Trump also gave mixed messages as he made the announcement , signaling that the move was intended as a bargaining ploy to get Russia to hold new talks on the treaty .
He said there 's a `` very good chance we 'll make a new agreement or do something to put that agreement back together . ''
The United States and Russia have a very good relationship , he told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russia did n't adhere to the treaty .
So , until they adhere we will pull out . ''
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Aleksandr Grushko said the U.S. withdrawal would be a “ blow ” to European security .
Trump was trying to justify the exit from a `` fundamental treaty '' via `` technical issues '' that should be resolved within the treaty , Grushko said .
Signed in 1992 , Open Skies entered into force a decade later and now has 35 members .
The agreement aims to increase international stability @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over one another ’ s territories to observe military installations and other objects .
Pompeo alleged that examples of Russia 's violations include the denial of access to observation flights within a 10-kilometer corridor along Russia 's border with Georgia 's breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia .
Arms experts say this restriction may technically not fall under the agreement ’ s provision .
Pompeo said Russia has also placed restrictions on some flights around the Baltic Sea region of Kaliningrad amid a military buildup that he said might include short-range nuclear-tipped @ @ @ @ @ @ @ airfield in the annexed Crimean Peninsula as an Open Skies refueling base , Pompeo said .
He alleged that was illegal attempt by Russia to cement its claim to the Ukrainian region , which Moscow seized in 2014 .
Pompeo insisted the United States and its partners that signed the treaty have lived up to their commitments and obligations , but Russia `` has flagrantly and continuously '' violated it in various ways for years .
The exit will upset European allies , many of whom are members of the treaty , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Representative Eliot Engel , the Democratic chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee , said the move to withdraw was illegal , arguing that existing law requires the White House to give Congress 120 days ’ notice .
`` There is something particularly dangerous about a president , a secretary of state and a secretary of defense knowingly breaking the law in ways that jeopardize our safety and national security , '' Engel said in a statement .
The threatened withdrawal was the latest effort by the Trump administration to unravel major global @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty , also accusing Russia of repeated violations .
The last major bilateral arms control treaty , New START , is scheduled to expire in February 2021 .
While Russia has pushed for a five-year extension , the Trump administration has balked , saying it wants the deal to be broadened to include China .
That agreement caps the number of nuclear warheads and so-called delivery systems held by the United States and Russia .
Trump ’ s lead arms negotiator , Marshall Billingslea , said on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hold talks with the Russians over the future of New START , even as the Chinese have signaled they do not plan to join that first meeting .
`` The United States can not keep participating in this treaty if Russia is going to violate it with impunity . ''
Billingslea said .
The idea of allowing Russia and the United States to conduct aerial reconnaissance flights over each other ’ s territory was first put forward by U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower in July 1955 .
But the Soviet Union balked at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a treaty until 1989 when President George Bush breathed new life into it .

A top Russian diplomat has accused the United States of seeking to undermine international security after President Donald Trump gave notice on withdrawing from the Open Skies treaty, citing what U.S. officials said were repeated Russian violations.
Speaking on May 22, one day after officials said the United States would move to withdraw from the 18-year-old treaty, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Washington had provided no facts to back up its allegations that Moscow has repeatedly violated the terms of the Open Skies treaty, which allows members states to conduct surveillance flights over one another's territories to observe military installations.
The U.S. claims "are totally unfounded," he said.
The U.S. announcement is the latest move by the Trump administration to pull out of major international treaties, exits that have prompted watchdog groups and some members of the U.S. Congress to warn of the increased possibility of an arms race or accidental military confrontations.
In a statement on May 21, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington will provide notification to the other 34 signatories that it will withdraw in six months, but may reconsider "should Russia return to full compliance with the treaty."
Trump also gave mixed messages as he made the announcement, signaling that the move might be a bargaining ploy to get Russia to hold new talks on the treaty.
He said there was a "very good chance we'll make a new agreement or do something to put that agreement back together." He did not give any further details.
The United States and Russia have a very good relationship, he told reporters on May 21, "but Russia didn't adhere to the treaty. So, until they adhere we will pull out."
Signed in 1992, Open Skies entered into force a decade later and now has 35 members. The agreement aims to increase international stability by allowing nations to conduct surveillance flights over one another’s territories to observe military installations and other objects.
Pompeo alleged that examples of Russia's violations include the denial of access to observation flights within a 10-kilometer corridor along Russia's border with Georgia's breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Arms experts say this restriction may technically not fall under the agreement’s provision.
Pompeo said Russia has also placed restrictions on some flights around the Baltic Sea region of Kaliningrad amid a military buildup that he said might include short-range nuclear-tipped missiles.
Russia has also designated an airfield in the annexed Crimean Peninsula as an Open Skies refueling base, Pompeo said. He alleged that was illegal attempt by Russia to cement its claim to the Ukrainian region, which Moscow seized in 2014.
'Flagrantly And Continuously' Violated
Pompeo insisted the United States and its partners that signed the treaty have lived up to their commitments and obligations, but Russia "has flagrantly and continuously" violated it in various ways for years.
The exit has upset European allies, many of whom are members of the treaty, and some members of the U.S. Congress.
France, Germany, and eight other European countries said they regretted the U.S. move.
"We regret the announcement by the United States of its plan to pull out of the Open Skies treaty, even though we share the concerns about how the accord is being carried out by the Russian Federation," the countries said in a joint statement issued by France's Foreign Ministry.
EU foreign-policy chief Josep Borrell later said that "withdrawing from a treaty is not the solution to address difficulties in its implementation and compliance by another party."
"While continuing to urge Russia to return immediately to the full implementation of the treaty, I call upon the United States to reconsider their decision," Borrell said.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg urged Russia to comply with the treaty in the hope that Washington might reverse its decision to withdraw from the accord.
"All NATO allies are in full compliance with all provisions of the treaty," Stoltenberg said, while for many years Russia had "imposed flight restrictions inconsistent with the treaty, including flight limitations over [its Baltic exclave of] Kaliningrad, and restricting flights in Russia near its border with Georgia."
U.S. Representative Eliot Engel, the Democratic chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said the move to withdraw was illegal, arguing that existing law required the White House to give Congress 120 days' notice.
"There is something particularly dangerous about a president, a secretary of state, and a secretary of defense knowingly breaking the law in ways that jeopardize our safety and national security," Engel said in a statement.
The threatened withdrawal was the latest effort by the Trump administration to unravel major global security treaties. Last year Washington withdrew from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, also accusing Russia of repeated violations.
The last major bilateral arms control treaty, New START, is scheduled to expire in February 2021. While Russia has pushed for a five-year extension, the Trump administration has balked, saying it wants the deal to be broadened to include China.
That agreement caps the number of nuclear warheads and so-called delivery systems held by the United States and Russia.
Trump's lead arms negotiator, Marshall Billingslea, said on May 21 that U.S. officials planned to hold talks with the Russians over the future of New START, even as the Chinese have signaled they do not plan to join that first meeting.
"The United States cannot keep participating in this treaty if Russia is going to violate it with impunity." Billingslea said.
The idea of allowing Russia and the United States to conduct aerial reconnaissance flights over each other’s territory was first put forward by U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower in July 1955. But the Soviet Union balked at the idea.
There was no movement toward a treaty until 1989, when President George Bush breathed new life into it.
With reporting by Reuters and AFP


rferl--2020-05-22--HRW Denounces ‘Wave Of Arrests” In Belarus As Elections Loom

Belarus has intensified its crackdown on independent activists and journalists with a “ new wave of arbitrary arrests ” ahead of presidential elections , Human Rights Watch ( HRW ) says .
With polls less than three months away , more than 120 peaceful protesters , opposition bloggers , journalists , and other critics of the government were arrested in 17 Belarusian cities between May 6 and 13 , the New York-based human rights watchdog said on May 22 .
It said that those detained were handed jail sentences of up to 25 days on charges of “ participation in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic and the increased risk of virus transmission in detention facilities .
The authorities “ should not be arresting people for peaceful protests , but to expose them to higher risk of a deadly infection is unacceptable , ” said Tanya Lokshina , associate Europe and Central Asia director at HRW .
The group urged Minsk to “ act on the calls by the World Health Organization and other expert international bodies…to minimize the number of people in custody during the coronavirus epidemic.
” Belarus , which has reported more than 34,300 confirmed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hasn ’ t ordered a lockdown .
HRW said those arbitrarily arrested this month included environmental protestors who opposed construction of a battery factory in the western city of Brest , supporters of a popular blogger who has announced he would run for president , and human rights defenders and journalists who reported on peaceful public gatherings .
One of the detained activists was diagnosed with COVID-19 shortly after his arrest , while another fell ill with coronavirus symptoms during his detention , according to HRW .
“ Arresting people for participating in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unjust penalty even in normal times , and pursuing this practice during a pandemic is simply outrageous , ” Lokshina said .
Critics of authoritarian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka , who has been in power in Belarus for more than 25 years , say his government has shown little tolerance for dissent and independent media .
The country has been the target of U.S. and EU sanctions over its poor rights record and lack of fair elections , but Belarus and the West have recently sought to mend ties to reduce Russia ’ s @ @ @ @ @

Belarus has intensified its crackdown on independent activists and journalists with a "new wave of arbitrary arrests" ahead of presidential elections, Human Rights Watch (HRW) says.
With polls less than three months away, more than 120 peaceful protesters, opposition bloggers, journalists, and other critics of the government were arrested in 17 Belarusian cities between May 6 and 13, the New York-based human rights watchdog said on May 22.
It said that those detained were handed jail sentences of up to 25 days on charges of “participation in unsanctioned public gatherings” despite the COVID-19 pandemic and the increased risk of virus transmission in detention facilities.
The authorities "should not be arresting people for peaceful protests, but to expose them to higher risk of a deadly infection is unacceptable," said Tanya Lokshina, associate Europe and Central Asia director at HRW.
The group urged Minsk to "act on the calls by the World Health Organization and other expert international bodies…to minimize the number of people in custody during the coronavirus epidemic."
Belarus, which has reported more than 34,300 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 190 deaths, hasn’t ordered a lockdown.
'Simply Outrageous'
HRW said those arbitrarily arrested this month included environmental protestors who opposed the construction of a battery factory in the western city of Brest, supporters of a popular blogger who has announced he would run for president, and human rights defenders and journalists who reported on peaceful public gatherings.
One of the detained activists was diagnosed with COVID-19 shortly after his arrest, while another fell ill with coronavirus symptoms during his detention, according to HRW.
"Arresting people for participating in or reporting on peaceful gatherings is an unjust penalty even in normal times, and pursuing this practice during a pandemic is simply outrageous," Lokshina said.
Critics of authoritarian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka, who has been in power in Belarus for more than 25 years, say his government has shown little tolerance for dissent and independent media.
The country has been the target of U.S. and EU sanctions over its poor rights record and lack of fair elections, but Belarus and the West have recently sought to mend ties to reduce Russia’s influence in the country.


rferl--2020-05-22--Survey: 1 In 3 Russian Doctors Told To 'Adjust' COVID-19 Stats

MOSCOW -- More than a third of doctors working with coronavirus patients in Russia have received `` instructions '' to manipulate statistics on the COVID-19 outbreak , a new poll suggests .
The results show that 35.8 percent of the doctors involved in the survey answered `` yes '' to the question : `` Are you given instructions to code cases of confirmed COVID-induced pneumonia with codes that will allow you to adjust the rates of infection and death ? ''
The coding system is used to attribute the cause of a patient 's death .
The survey , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 15 and involved 509 respondents , comes amid speculation that Russia has been lowering its coronavirus mortality rates by ascribing deaths to other conditions the patients were suffering from before or after contracting COVID-19 , in particular pneumonia .
The poll was conducted on Doctor 's Manual , a popular smartphone app for Russian-speaking medics .
According to Dr. Konstantin Komanov , the general director of Medical Informational Decisions , the company that runs the app , registered users must confirm their status as medical workers to gain access to surveys , publications @ @ @ @ @ @ @ way we know that our users are medical specialists , '' Komanov told RFE/RL .
As of May 22 , Russia has the world 's second-highest total of reported COVID-19 cases at 326,448 , including 3,249 deaths .
The figures give a mortality rate far lower than those reported by other countries hit hard by the global pandemic .
Lacking trust in official figures , Russian medics are compiling a list of colleagues they 've lost to the pandemic .
The list now has over 250 names .
According to an investigation by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doctors 16 times more likely to die from coronavirus than their counterparts in other hard-hit countries .
Controversial reforms to Russian health care have seen almost half of the country 's hospitals close in the past 20 years as part of a campaign to merge small , rural facilities with larger , more modern clinics .
But critics say that has led to the equipment shortages and chronic underfunding that ail the system today and have accelerated the rates of infection among medical workers throughout the country .
According to the survey on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which were first reported by Russian outlet Meduza , 39 percent of doctors said personal-protective equipment ( PPE ) was supplied irregularly or in inadequate quantities to their facility , and 48.5 percent said they had to reuse PPE .
Over three-quarters of respondents -- 77 percent -- said they either already had COVID-19 or considered themselves to be at high risk of contracting the disease .
Some Russian doctors are suspected to have committed suicide under the weight of stress brought on by a high-pressure working environment and the risks of treating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 78 percent of respondents admitted feeling physically and/or psychologically exhausted , and 62.5 percent said they were working beyond official work hours .
In April , Russian President Vladimir Putin promised monthly payouts to nurses , paramedics , and ambulance drivers ranging from 25,000 to 50,000 rubles ( $ 300 ) .
Doctors treating coronavirus patients were promised 80,000 rubles ( $ 1,000 ) .
However , health-care workers across Russia have complained that the bonuses are not being paid , with some taking to social media with video addresses demanding the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ survey 's respondents , 53 percent said they had not received payouts in addition to their regular salaries .

MOSCOW -- More than a third of doctors working with coronavirus patients in Russia have received "instructions" to manipulate statistics on the COVID-19 outbreak, a new poll suggests.
The results show that 35.8 percent of the doctors involved in the survey answered "yes" to the question: "Are you given instructions to code cases of confirmed COVID-induced pneumonia with codes that will allow you to adjust the rates of infection and death?"
The coding system is used to attribute the cause of a patient's death.
The survey, which was conducted between May 1 and May 15 and involved 509 respondents, comes amid speculation that Russia has been lowering its coronavirus mortality rates by ascribing deaths to other conditions the patients were suffering from before or after contracting COVID-19, in particular pneumonia.
The poll was conducted on Doctor's Manual, a popular smartphone app for Russian-speaking medics. According to Dr. Konstantin Komanov, the general director of Medical Informational Decisions, the company that runs the app, registered users must confirm their status as medical workers to gain access to surveys, publications, and other content.
"That way we know that our users are medical specialists," Komanov told RFE/RL.
As of May 22, Russia has the world's second-highest total of reported COVID-19 cases at 326,448, including 3,249 deaths. The figures give a mortality rate far lower than those reported by other countries hit hard by the global pandemic.
Lacking trust in official figures, Russian medics are compiling a list of colleagues they've lost to the pandemic. The list now has over 250 names.
According to an investigation by independent outlet Mediazona, that makes Russian doctors 16 times more likely to die from coronavirus than their counterparts in other hard-hit countries.
Controversial reforms to Russian health care have seen almost half of the country's hospitals close in the past 20 years as part of a campaign to merge small, rural facilities with larger, more modern clinics. But critics say that has led to the equipment shortages and chronic underfunding that ail the system today and have accelerated the rates of infection among medical workers throughout the country.
According to the survey on Doctor's Manual, the results of which were first reported by Russian outlet Meduza, 39 percent of doctors said personal-protective equipment (PPE) was supplied irregularly or in inadequate quantities to their facility, and 48.5 percent said they had to reuse PPE.
Over three-quarters of respondents -- 77 percent -- said they either already had COVID-19 or considered themselves to be at high risk of contracting the disease.
Some Russian doctors are suspected to have committed suicide under the weight of stress brought on by a high-pressure working environment and the risks of treating COVID-19 patients.
In the new survey, 78 percent of respondents admitted feeling physically and/or psychologically exhausted, and 62.5 percent said they were working beyond official work hours.
In April, Russian President Vladimir Putin promised monthly payouts to nurses, paramedics, and ambulance drivers ranging from 25,000 to 50,000 rubles ($300). Doctors treating coronavirus patients were promised 80,000 rubles ($1,000).
However, health-care workers across Russia have complained that the bonuses are not being paid, with some taking to social media with video addresses demanding the president keep his word.
Of the survey's respondents, 53 percent said they had not received payouts in addition to their regular salaries.


rferl--2020-05-22--Two Kosovar Women Charged With Joining IS In Syria

PRISTINA -- Prosecutors in Kosovo have filed terrorism charges against two women for allegedly joining the Islamic State ( IS ) extremist group in Syria .
Kosovo 's Special Prosecution said on May 22 that the two women , identified only as A.A. and L.I.
, went to Syria , where they `` willingly became part of the terrorist organization '' and provided logistical support to IS fighters .
They moved around Syria `` depending on the change of territory of the Islamic State , '' according to prosecutors .
Following the defeat of the IS group , the women @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Kosovo on April 24 , 2019 , with the assistance of the U.S. military , they said .
The two suspects face up to 15 years in prison if convicted of `` organizing and participating in a terrorist group . ''
A Kosovar woman was indicted on a similar charge earlier this month .
She is part of a group of 110 Kosovars repatriated from Syria on April 19 last year .
They included alleged IS fighters , 32 women , and 74 children .
About 400 Kosovars are believed to have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

PRISTINA -- Prosecutors in Kosovo have filed terrorism charges against two women for allegedly joining the Islamic State (IS) extremist group in Syria.
Kosovo's Special Prosecution said on May 22 that the two women, identified only as A.A. and L.I., went to Syria, where they "willingly became part of the terrorist organization" and provided logistical support to IS fighters.
They moved around Syria "depending on the change of territory of the Islamic State," according to prosecutors.
Following the defeat of the IS group, the women were handed to Kurdish forces and deported to Kosovo on April 24, 2019, with the assistance of the U.S. military, they said.
The two suspects face up to 15 years in prison if convicted of "organizing and participating in a terrorist group."
A Kosovar woman was indicted on a similar charge earlier this month.
She is part of a group of 110 Kosovars repatriated from Syria on April 19 last year. They included alleged IS fighters, 32 women, and 74 children.
About 400 Kosovars are believed to have joined terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq.


rferl--2020-05-22--Russian Court Bans Prominent Group Promoting Ethnic Bashkir Rights

UFA , Russia -- The Supreme Court of the Russian Republic of Bashkortostan has banned the Bashqort group , which @ @ @ @ @ Bashkir language and culture as well as equal rights for ethnic Bashkirs .
The court @ @ @ @ @ group extremist and banned its operations based on what it called the `` presence in @ @ @ @ @ had been convicted on extremism charges . ''
The group 's leader , Fail Alsynov @ @ @ @ @ charges against members of his organization were often politically motivated .
The group 's lawyers @ @ @ @ @ ruling , which they believe will `` have a negative effect on all national and @ @ @ @ @ civil rights activists in the Republic of Bashkortostan . ''
Bashqort has faced pressure in @ @ @ @ @ rallies and other events challenging the policies of both local and federal authorities , including @ @ @ @ @ mandatory indigenous-language classes in the regions with large populations of indigenous ethnic groups .

UFA, Russia -- The Supreme Court of the Russian Republic of Bashkortostan has banned the Bashqort group, which for years has promoted the Bashkir language and culture as well as equal rights for ethnic Bashkirs.
The court on May 22 labeled the group extremist and banned its operations based on what it called the "presence in the organization of individuals who had been convicted on extremism charges."
The group's leader, Fail Alsynov, said earlier that extremism charges against members of his organization were often politically motivated.
The group's lawyers said they will appeal the ruling, which they believe will "have a negative effect on all national and ethnic movements of Bashkirs and civil rights activists in the Republic of Bashkortostan."
Bashqort has faced pressure in recent years after staging several rallies and other events challenging the policies of both local and federal authorities, including Moscow's move to abolish mandatory indigenous-language classes in the regions with large populations of indigenous ethnic groups.


rferl--2020-05-22--Ukrainian Security Service Chief Reportedly Runs Company In Spain, Illegally

KYIV -- The head of the Ukrainian Security Service ( SBU ) , Ivan Bakanov , holds a top position in a private company registered in Spain , in violation of the anti-corruption law , according to Skhemy ( Schemes ) , a joint project by RFE/RL and UA : Pershy television .
According to the May 21 report , an official extract from the register of legal entities in Spain shows Bakanov has occupied the post of sole administrator at Nueva Tierra Verde Sociedad Limitada since 2015 .
According to Ukrainian law , the head of the SBU can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ company .
The founder of the company is the Cypriot company Davegra LTD , owned by Andriy Yakovlev , the creator of Kvartal-95 Studio , where incumbent Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy worked as a comedian/actor before he was elected last year .
The name of the company , based in the Spanish province of Girona , translates to New Green Territory , which echoes the titles of projects with Zelenskiy 's involvement .
The president 's last name stems from the word green in Slavic languages .
According to the register , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ activities .
Since it does not submit annual reports on its operations , the company was added to a list of violators of Spanish tax regulations .
Last autumn , the company 's tax identification number was temporarily revoked due to the violation .
The State Register of Legal Entities of the Province of Girona confirmed to Skhemy that the company had not been liquidated and was considered a functioning entity .
Under Spanish regulations , Bakanov is legally the company 's sole manager and fully in charge of running it .
Article @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Prevention of Corruption states that individuals occupying public offices are banned `` from being members of boards , other executive or control bodies , and supervisory boards of commercial enterprises or profit organizations . ''
Bakanov refused to comment on the situation , but the SBU press service provided Skhemy with a statement denying Bakanov did anything wrong .
`` It is a well-known fact that long before his appointment as the chief of the Security Service of Ukraine , Ivan Bakanov was successfully engaged in business , including business activities abroad .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the law requirements , he has not been engaged in commercial activities since his appointment to the public office .
Nueva Tierra Verde Sociedad Limitada has officially suspended its activities in 2019 , which is reflected in the relevant register of legal entities , '' the SBU 's statement said .
When asked about the Spanish State Register 's statement confirming the company was still listed as functioning with Bakanov as its sole administrator , the press service said that `` the work to clarify the issue will be done . ''
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by Ukrainian officials to the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption is June 1 .
According to amendments to the legislation introduced last fall , the SBU leadership must make all income declarations public .
However , Zelenskiy submitted an `` urgent '' bill to parliament in March that would again classify the SBU leadership 's income and property declarations .
Zelenskiy promised to discuss the issue with Bakanov , whom he calls `` the most honest SBU chief , '' when asked about the move during a press conference on May @ @

KYIV -- The head of the Ukrainian Security Service holds a top position in a private company registered in Spain, in violation of an anti-corruption law, according to a Skhemy investigative program.
According to the May 21 report, an official extract from the register of legal entities in Spain shows Ivan Bakanov has occupied the post of sole administrator at Nueva Tierra Verde Sociedad Limitada since 2015.
According to Ukrainian law, the head of the service, known as the SBU, cannot be the head of a private company.
The founder of the company is the Cypriot firm Davegra LTD, owned by Andriy Yakovlev, the creator of Kvartal-95 Studio, where President Volodymyr Zelenskiy worked as a comedian/actor before he was elected last year.
The name of the company, based in the Spanish province of Girona, translates as New Green Territory in English, echoing the titles of projects with Zelenskiy's involvement. The president's last name stems from the word green in Slavic languages.
According to the register, the company specializes in construction and various real-estate activities.
Since it does not submit annual reports on its operations, the company was added to a list of violators of Spanish tax regulations.
Last autumn, the company's tax identification number was temporarily revoked due to the violation.
The State Register of Legal Entities of the Province of Girona confirmed to Skhemy that the company had not been liquidated and was considered a functioning entity.
Under Spanish regulations, Bakanov is legally the company's sole manager and fully in charge of running it.
Article 25 of Ukraine's Law on the Prevention of Corruption states that individuals occupying public offices are banned "from being members of boards, other executive or control bodies, and supervisory boards of commercial enterprises or profit organizations."
Bakanov refused to comment on the situation, but the SBU press service provided Skhemy with a statement denying Bakanov did anything wrong.
Skhemy, which translates as Schemes, is a joint investigative news project produced by RFE/RL and UA:Pershy television.
"It is a well-known fact that, long before his appointment as the chief of the Security Service of Ukraine, Ivan Bakanov was successfully engaged in business, including business activities abroad. We stress that, in compliance with the law requirements, he has not been engaged in commercial activities since his appointment to the public office. Nueva Tierra Verde Sociedad Limitada officially suspended its activities in 2019, which is reflected in the relevant register of legal entities," the SBU's statement said.
When asked about the Spanish State Register's statement confirming the company was still listed as functioning with Bakanov as its sole administrator, the press service said that "work to clarify the issue will be done."
The deadline for submitting property and income declarations by Ukrainian officials to the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption is June 1.
According to amendments to the legislation introduced last fall, the SBU leadership must make all income declarations public.
However, Zelenskiy submitted an "urgent" bill to parliament in March that would again classify the SBU leadership's income and property declarations.
Zelenskiy promised to discuss the issue with Bakanov, whom he calls "the most honest SBU chief," when asked about the move during a press conference on May 20.


rferl--2020-05-22--Third Member Of RFE/RL Film Crew Dies After Belarus Road Accident

A third member of an RFE/RL film crew working on a documentary in Belarus died after suffering critical injuries in a car crash earlier this month .
Relatives of Lyubou Zyamtsova told Current Time that she died in a Minsk hospital on May 22 .
A well-known Belarusian documentary filmmaker , Zyamtsova , 28 , did not regain consciousness after being hospitalized with multiple internal injuries and bone fractures from the May 14 crash .
Two other members of the film crew she was working with -- director Uladzimer Mikhaylouski , 33 , and sound engineer Maksim Haurylenka , 26 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ occurred outside the southeastern city of Homel .
RFE/RL President Jamie Fly said Zyamtsova 's death `` is a profound tragedy , for all of us at RFE/RL , for her family , and for Belarus . ''
`` Her work shows a deeply human connection to the people of Belarus .
She managed to convey this beautifully on film .
We will mourn the loss of her voice , her spirit , and the hope that she brought to her audiences and everyone who knew her , '' he said .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ video shoot in Homel , where they were gathering material for a program about volunteers assisting medical workers responding to the coronavirus epidemic .
Belarus 's authoritarian leader , Alyaksandr Lukashenka , has downplayed the pandemic , even staging a parade on May 9 that drew thousands of people to central Minsk to mark the anniversary of the Nazi defeat in World War II .
The crew was shooting the documentary for Current Time , a 24/7 Russian-language digital and TV network led by RFE/RL , in cooperation with VOA .

A third member of an RFE/RL film crew working on a documentary in Belarus died after suffering critical injuries in a car crash earlier this month.
Relatives of Lyubou Zyamtsova told Current Time that she died in a Minsk hospital on May 22.
A well-known Belarusian documentary filmmaker, Zyamtsova, 28, did not regain consciousness after being hospitalized with multiple internal injuries and bone fractures from the May 14 crash.
Two other members of the film crew she was working with -- director Uladzimer Mikhaylouski, 33, and sound engineer Maksim Haurylenka, 26 -- died in the collision, which occurred outside the southeastern city of Homel.
RFE/RL President Jamie Fly said Zyamtsova's death "is a profound tragedy, for all of us at RFE/RL, for her family, and for Belarus."
"Her work shows a deeply human connection to the people of Belarus. She managed to convey this beautifully on film. We will mourn the loss of her voice, her spirit, and the hope that she brought to her audiences and everyone who knew her," he said.
The filmmakers were returning to Minsk from a video shoot in Homel, where they were gathering material for a program about volunteers assisting medical workers responding to the coronavirus epidemic.
Belarus's authoritarian leader, Alyaksandr Lukashenka, has downplayed the pandemic, even staging a parade on May 9 that drew thousands of people to central Minsk to mark the anniversary of the Nazi defeat in World War II.
The crew was shooting the documentary for Current Time, a 24/7 Russian-language digital and TV network led by RFE/RL, in cooperation with VOA.


rferl--2020-05-22--Iran's Supreme Leader Calls Israel 'Cancerous Tumor'

Iran 's supreme leader has called on Palestinians to continue their uprising against Israel , suggesting the Israeli government was a `` cancerous tumor . ''
In a speech online marking Quds Day on May 22 , Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also hailed Tehran 's supply of arms to Palestinians , saying the `` fight to liberate Palestine is an obligation and an Islamic jihad . ''
`` The Zionist regime is a cancerous tumor in the region , '' he said .
`` Today , the world is counting one by one every victim of the coronavirus across the globe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ responsible for the hundreds of thousands of martyrdoms , imprisonments , and disappearances in Palestine and in countries where the U.S. and Europe have waged wars ? ''
he added .
Following 's Khamenei 's remarks , Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that `` whoever threatens Israel with destruction puts himself in similar danger . ''
The United States and European Union also condemned the comments .
Khamenei and other senior Iranian officials have called repeatedly over the years for an end to the Jewish state , including through a referendum in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the majority .
But his comments on supplying weapons are the first public confirmation from the supreme leader that Tehran was arming the uprising .
However , leaders of Palestinian militant groups in Gaza , including Hamas and Islamic Jihad , have often praised Iran 's financial and military support .
Khamenei 's speech came on what Iranian authorities calls Quds Day – which has been observed every year since the 1979 Islamic Revolution , on the last Friday of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan , in solidarity with the Palestinians .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The Iranian regime has typically observed Quds Day with massive rallies , though this year , with Iran in the midst of being hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak , officials have asked people to stay home and not hold the mass demonstrations that usually mark the event .
With reporting by AFP , AP , and Reuters

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


rferl--2020-05-22--Pakistani Passenger Jet Crashes Near Karachi, Killing Dozens

Pakistani officials say at least 76 people were killed and dozens more are feared dead after a Pakistani International Airlines ( PIA ) aircraft with 99 people on board crashed into a residential area in the southern port city of Karachi after experiencing technical problems .
Flight PK8303 , carrying 91 passengers and eight crew , crashed on May 22 on approach to the city 's Jinnah International Airport .
The Airbus A320 was traveling from the eastern city of Lahore .
The health department in Sindh Province , of which Karachi is the capital , said rescuers had recovered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the dead were all passengers or included residents living in the area of the crash site .
Officials said there were at least three survivors from the plane , according to Geo TV .
It was unknown how many people on the ground were injured , with at least five houses destroyed .
As night fell several hours after the crash , rescuers were searching the rubble of the damaged buildings and the wreckage for more bodies and survivors .
PIA Chief Executive Arshad Malik told a news conference that finding all the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Malik said Pakistan 's independent safety investigations agency would probe the crash , whose cause is yet to be confirmed , and that the aircraft was in good working order .
The provincial chief minister declared an emergency in all of Karachi 's hospitals after the tragedy .
Photos and video posted on social media showed plumes of black smoke rising over a residential neighborhood not far from Karachi 's Jinnah International Airport .
A reporter for Geo TV told RFE/RL that they could see a fire on the plane while it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it crashed into buildings on the ground .
Witnesses said the jet appeared to attempt to land two or three times before going down .
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said he was `` shocked and saddened '' by the tragedy and promised an `` immediate '' investigation .
According to flight-tracking website Flightradar24.com , the Airbus A320 was 15 years old .
The crash occurred as Muslims are preparing to celebrate Eid al-Fitr this weekend -- the breaking of the Ramadan fast , with many Pakistanis travelling back to their homes in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ days after Pakistan began allowing commercial flights to resume following a coronavirus lockdown .
Pakistan has been the scene of frequent military and civilian plane crashes over the years .
In 2016 , a PIA plane burst into flames while travelling from northern Pakistan to Islamabad , killing 47 people .
With reporting by the BBC , AFP , Reuters , Dawn , and Dunya News

Ninety-seven people have been confirmed dead in the crash of a Pakistani International Airlines (PIA) plane into a residential area in the southern port city of Karachi.
Provincial health officials said on May 23 that two people survived the crash of Flight PK8303, which was carrying 91 passengers and eight crew.
All passengers and crew have been accounted for, and the bodies of those killed had been recovered from the crash site, the Sindh Health Ministry said. Nineteen of the bodies have been identified.
There were reports that people had been killed on the ground, but it was unclear how many and whether their bodies had been recovered.
The Airbus A320 traveling from the eastern city of Lahore crashed on May 22 on a second approach to the Karachi's Jinnah International Airport.
One of the survivors, Muhammad Zubair, told Geo TV that the plane came down for one landing, briefly touched down, then took off again.
About 10 minutes later the pilot announced to passengers he was going to make a second attempt, then crashed on approaching to the runway, Zubair said according to Geo TV.
The plane was flying smoothly and no one was aware it was about to crash, the BBC quoted Zubair as saying.
The plane had developed a technical fault, according to Interior Minister Ijaz Ahmad Shah, who said the pilot issued a mayday call after the aircraft lost an engine.
The airline's CEO, Arshad Mahmood Malik, identified one survivor as the president of the Bank of Punjab, Zafar Masud.
The bank said he had suffered fractures but was "conscious and responding well.”
Malik told a news conference that Pakistan's independent safety investigations agency would probe the crash.
Airbus said in a statement that the plane had first entered service in 2004 and was acquired by PIA a decade later and had logged around 47,100 flight hours. It said it had no confirmed information about the accident.
The crash occurred as Muslims prepare to celebrate Eid al-Fitr this weekend -- the breaking of the Ramadan fast. Many Pakistanis are travelling back to their homes in cities and villages for the holiday.
It also came days after Pakistan began allowing commercial flights to resume following a coronavirus lockdown.
Prime Minister Imran Khan said he was "shocked and saddened" by the crash, tweeting that he was in touch with Malik.
He also said he was grateful for the condolences sent by world leaders over the loss of "precious lives."
"The people of Pakistan value this support and solidarity in our hour of grief," he wrote on Twitter.
With reporting by Reuters, AFP, and the BBC


rferl--2020-05-22--Kyiv, Sofia Clash Over Ukraine's Plan To Redraw District Lines In Ethnic Bulgarian Region

Ukraine and Bulgaria have clashed over Kyiv ’ s plans to change administrative divisions within a district in the southern Odesa region with a sizeable ethnic-Bulgarian minority .
Ukraine 's Foreign Ministry on May 21 protested a resolution adopted by Bulgaria 's parliament that urges the government to intervene , claiming that the division of the Bolhrad district in Ukraine into several districts would change the territory ’ s demographic statistics , thus depriving the ethnic Bulgarian population of the status of a sizeable minority there .
According to Bulgarian lawmakers , such a division might lead to abolishing education @ @ @ @ @ @ @ residing in the district .
Ukraine 's Foreign Ministry said that the issues related to `` the administrative-territorial structure of Ukraine fall within the exclusive competence of the state authorities of Ukraine . ''
`` Attempts by a foreign state to interfere in the internal affairs of Ukraine are completely unacceptable , '' the statement said .
The issue of ethnic minorities and their languages has become a major issue in Ukraine in recent years .
In 2017 , amid harsh criticism from ethnic minorities , Ukraine adopted a new language law that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ introduce their languages in regions where they represented more than 10 percent of the population .
The move was criticized by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe , which said the new law `` does not appear to strike an appropriate balance between the official language and the languages of national minorities . ''
Notable minority groups in Ukraine include Russians , Poles , Romanians , and Hungarians .
The law has also incensed officials in other neighboring countries , particularly Russia , which used the language issue as one of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Crimea in 2014 and the backing of pro-Moscow separatists in eastern Ukraine where some 13,200 people have been killed since violence broke out in April 2014 .
With reporting by Ukrinform and Radio Bulgaria

Ukraine and Bulgaria have clashed over Kyiv’s plans to change administrative divisions within a district in the southern Odesa region with a sizeable ethnic-Bulgarian minority.
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry on May 21 protested a resolution adopted by Bulgaria's parliament that urges the government to intervene, claiming that the division of the Bolhrad district in Ukraine into several districts would change the territory’s demographic statistics, thus depriving the ethnic Bulgarian population of the status of a sizeable minority there.
According to Bulgarian lawmakers, such a division might lead to abolishing education in Bulgarian for some 300,000 ethnic Bulgarians residing in the district.
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said that the issues related to "the administrative-territorial structure of Ukraine fall within the exclusive competence of the state authorities of Ukraine."
"Attempts by a foreign state to interfere in the internal affairs of Ukraine are completely unacceptable," the statement said.
The issue of ethnic minorities and their languages has become a major issue in Ukraine in recent years.
In 2017, amid harsh criticism from ethnic minorities, Ukraine adopted a new language law that overturned 2012 legislation which allowed minorities to introduce their languages in regions where they represented more than 10 percent of the population.
The move was criticized by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, which said the new law "does not appear to strike an appropriate balance between the official language and the languages of national minorities."
Notable minority groups in Ukraine include Russians, Poles, Romanians, and Hungarians.
The law has also incensed officials in other neighboring countries, particularly Russia, which used the language issue as one of the justifications for its forcible seizure of Crimea in 2014 and the backing of pro-Moscow separatists in eastern Ukraine where some 13,200 people have been killed since violence broke out in April 2014.
With reporting by Ukrinform and Radio Bulgaria


rferl--2020-05-21--Questions Surround Chechen Leader After Reported Hospitalization For Coronavirus


rferl--2020-05-21--Russia Accuses U.S. Of Undermining Security With Open Skies Treaty Move

A top Russian diplomat has accused the United States of seeking to undermine international security after President Donald Trump gave notice on withdrawing from the Open Skies treaty , citing what U.S. officials said were repeated Russian violations .
Speaking on May 22 , one day after officials said the United States would move to withdraw from the 18-year-old treaty , Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Washington had provided no facts to back up its allegations that Moscow has repeatedly violated the terms of the Open Skies treaty , which allows members states to conduct surveillance flights over one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The U.S. claims `` are totally unfounded , '' he said .
The U.S. announcement is the latest move by the Trump administration to pull out of major international treaties , exits that have prompted watchdog groups and some members of the U.S. Congress to warn of the increased possibility of an arms race or accidental military confrontations .
In a statement on May 21 , Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington will provide notification to the other 34 signatories that it will withdraw in six months , but may reconsider @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the treaty . ''
Trump also gave mixed messages as he made the announcement , signaling that the move might be a bargaining ploy to get Russia to hold new talks on the treaty .
He said there was a `` very good chance we 'll make a new agreement or do something to put that agreement back together . ''
He did not give any further details .
The United States and Russia have a very good relationship , he told reporters on May 21 , `` but Russia did n't @ @ @ @ @ @ @ until they adhere we will pull out . ''
Signed in 1992 , Open Skies entered into force a decade later and now has 35 members .
The agreement aims to increase international stability by allowing nations to conduct surveillance flights over one another ’ s territories to observe military installations and other objects .
Pompeo alleged that examples of Russia 's violations include the denial of access to observation flights within a 10-kilometer corridor along Russia 's border with Georgia 's breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia .
Arms experts say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the agreement ’ s provision .
Pompeo said Russia has also placed restrictions on some flights around the Baltic Sea region of Kaliningrad amid a military buildup that he said might include short-range nuclear-tipped missiles .
Russia has also designated an airfield in the annexed Crimean Peninsula as an Open Skies refueling base , Pompeo said .
He alleged that was illegal attempt by Russia to cement its claim to the Ukrainian region , which Moscow seized in 2014 .
Pompeo insisted the United States and its partners that signed the treaty have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but Russia `` has flagrantly and continuously '' violated it in various ways for years .
The exit has upset European allies , many of whom are members of the treaty , and some members of the U.S. Congress .
France , Germany , and eight other European countries said they regretted the U.S. move .
`` We regret the announcement by the United States of its plan to pull out of the Open Skies treaty , even though we share the concerns about how the accord is being carried out by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said in a joint statement issued by France 's Foreign Ministry .
EU foreign-policy chief Josep Borrell later said that `` withdrawing from a treaty is not the solution to address difficulties in its implementation and compliance by another party . ''
`` While continuing to urge Russia to return immediately to the full implementation of the treaty , I call upon the United States to reconsider their decision , '' Borrell said .
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg urged Russia to comply with the treaty in the hope that Washington might reverse its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` All NATO allies are in full compliance with all provisions of the treaty , '' Stoltenberg said , while for many years Russia had `` imposed flight restrictions inconsistent with the treaty , including flight limitations over [ its Baltic exclave of ] Kaliningrad , and restricting flights in Russia near its border with Georgia . ''
U.S. Representative Eliot Engel , the Democratic chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee , said the move to withdraw was illegal , arguing that existing law required the White House to give Congress 120 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ something particularly dangerous about a president , a secretary of state , and a secretary of defense knowingly breaking the law in ways that jeopardize our safety and national security , '' Engel said in a statement .
The threatened withdrawal was the latest effort by the Trump administration to unravel major global security treaties .
Last year Washington withdrew from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty , also accusing Russia of repeated violations .
The last major bilateral arms control treaty , New START , is scheduled to expire in February 2021 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ five-year extension , the Trump administration has balked , saying it wants the deal to be broadened to include China .
That agreement caps the number of nuclear warheads and so-called delivery systems held by the United States and Russia .
Trump 's lead arms negotiator , Marshall Billingslea , said on May 21 that U.S. officials planned to hold talks with the Russians over the future of New START , even as the Chinese have signaled they do not plan to join that first meeting .
`` The United States can not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is going to violate it with impunity . ''
Billingslea said .
The idea of allowing Russia and the United States to conduct aerial reconnaissance flights over each other ’ s territory was first put forward by U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower in July 1955 .
But the Soviet Union balked at the idea .
There was no movement toward a treaty until 1989 , when President George Bush breathed new life into it .
With reporting by Reuters and AFP


rferl--2020-05-23--Flight Recorders Recovered From Pakistani Jet Crash That Killed 97

Investigators have recovered the black box flight recorders from the wreckage of a Pakistani International Airlines ( PIA ) jet that crashed in Karachi killing 97 people .
Company spokesman Abdullah Khan said on May 23 that Flight PK8303 ’ s two recorders , located a day earlier , would be turned over to civil aviation authorities .
Provincial health officials earlier said that two of the 99 people on board the Airbus A-380 had survived .
There were reports that people had been killed on the ground , but it was unclear how many and whether their bodies had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the eastern city of Lahore when it crashed May 22 on its second approach to Karachi ’ s Jinnah International Airport .
One of the survivors , Muhammad Zubair , told Geo TV that the plane came in for one landing , briefly touched down , then took off again .
About 10 minutes later the pilot announced to passengers that he was going to make a second attempt , then crashed on the approach to the runway , Zubair said , according to Geo TV .
The plane was flying smoothly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about to crash , the BBC quoted Zubair as saying .
The plane had developed a technical fault , according to Interior Minister Ijaz Shah , who said the pilot issued a mayday call after the aircraft lost an engine .
The airline 's CEO , Arshad Mahmood Malik , identified one survivor as the president of the Bank of Punjab , Zafar Masud .
The bank said he had suffered fractures but was `` conscious and responding well . ''
Airbus said in a statement that the plane had first entered service @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a decade later and had logged around 47,100 flight hours .
It said it had no confirmed information about the accident .
The crash occurred as Muslims prepared to celebrate Eid al-Fitr , the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan .
Many Pakistanis are travelling back to their homes in cities and villages for the holiday .
It also came days after Pakistan began allowing commercial flights to resume following a coronavirus lockdown .
Prime Minister Imran Khan said he was `` shocked and saddened '' by the crash .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and solidarity in our hour of grief , '' he wrote on Twitter .
With reporting by Reuters , AFP , and the BBC

Investigators have recovered the black box flight recorders from the wreckage of a Pakistani International Airlines (PIA) jet that crashed in Karachi killing 97 people.
Company spokesman Abdullah Khan said on May 23 that Flight PK8303’s two recorders, located a day earlier, would be turned over to civil aviation authorities.
Provincial health officials earlier said that two of the 99 people on board the Airbus A320 had survived.
There were reports that people had been killed on the ground, but it was unclear how many and whether their bodies had been recovered.
The jet was traveling from the eastern city of Lahore when it crashed May 22 on its second approach to Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport.
One of the survivors, Muhammad Zubair, told Geo TV that the plane came in for one landing, briefly touched down, then took off again.
About 10 minutes later the pilot announced to passengers that he was going to make a second attempt, then crashed on the approach to the runway, Zubair said, according to Geo TV.
The plane was flying smoothly and no one was aware it was about to crash, the BBC quoted Zubair as saying.
The plane had developed a technical fault, according to Interior Minister Ijaz Shah, who said the pilot issued a mayday call after the aircraft lost an engine.
The airline's CEO, Arshad Mahmood Malik, identified one survivor as the president of the Bank of Punjab, Zafar Masud.
The bank said he had suffered fractures but was "conscious and responding well."
'Our Hour Of Grief'
Airbus said in a statement that the plane had first entered service in 2004 and was acquired by PIA a decade later. It had logged around 47,100 flight hours.
Airbus added that it had no confirmed information about the accident.
The crash occurred as Muslims prepared to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Many Pakistanis are travelling back to their homes in cities and villages for the holiday.
It also came days after Pakistan began allowing commercial flights to resume following a coronavirus lockdown.
Prime Minister Imran Khan said he was "shocked and saddened" by the crash.
"The people of Pakistan value this support and solidarity in our hour of grief," he wrote on Twitter.
With reporting by Reuters, AFP, and the BBC


rferl--2020-05-23--Iran To Open More Businesses, Religious Sites Amid Loosening Of Virus Restrictions

Iran 's president said authorities would allow more businesses , cultural sites , and religious shrines to open as part @ @ @ @ @ restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic .
Hassan Rouhani said on state television on @ @ @ @ @ and museums would also be allowed to open beginning May 24 , which is the @ @ @ @ @ end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan .
He said religious shrines , where @ @ @ @ @ from early on in the crisis , will reopen the following day and worshippers will @ @ @ @ @ and similar rules to prevent spreading the virus further .
Rohani last week said that @ @ @ @ @ and sports activities would resume without spectators .
Universities are set to reopen early next @ @ @ @ @ hit early on as the coronavirus spread from China , where it first erupted late @ @ @ @ @ May 23 , official figures showed that a total of 7,359 people had died in @ @ @ @ @ disease caused by the coronavirus .
while 131,652 have been infected .


rferl--2020-05-23--NATO Official Says Jets Intercepted Russian Aircraft In European Airspace Nearly 300 Times In 2019

NATO jets intercepted Russian planes flying close to NATO airspace nearly 300 times in 2019 , an alliance official said , amid a continuing upward trend of Russian and NATO aircraft encounters .
The official , who spoke on condition he not be named , told RFE/RL ’ s Bulgarian Service that Russian military aircraft activity in the Black Sea and other parts of Europe had increased since 2014 .
`` In 2019 , allied aircraft took to skies 290 times to escort or shadow Russian military aircraft all across Europe , '' the official said in an e-mail on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ respond to follow-up questions about encounters in past years .
Earlier this week , five NATO jets from three Black Sea alliance members -- Bulgaria , Romania , and Turkey -- were scrambled to respond to two Russian Tu-22 strategic bombers and two Su-27 fighter jets who approached the three countries ’ shared airspace in a western part of the Black Sea .
Bulgarian military officials said the Russian aircraft returned to Russian airspace without incident .
`` They do it on a regular basis , '' Defense Minister Krasimir Karakachanov said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ want to see how we are going to react , how fast we will send the planes and whether our radars will detect them . ''
In the Black Sea , in particular , there has been an uptick in Russian military activity since 2014 , when Moscow seized Ukraine ’ s Crimean Peninsula .
Since then , Russia has bolstered its military forces in the region , prompting more surveillance and monitoring from NATO ’ s Black Sea members .
`` There has definitely been an increase since 2014 .
This is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ military presence in the Black Sea region after the annexation of Crimea , '' Velizar Shalamanov , a former Bulgarian military official , told RFE/RL .

NATO jets intercepted Russian planes flying close to NATO airspace nearly 300 times in 2019, an alliance official said, amid a continuing upward trend of Russian and NATO aircraft encounters.
The official, who spoke on condition he not be named, told RFE/RL’s Bulgarian Service that Russian military aircraft activity in the Black Sea and other parts of Europe had increased since 2014.
"In 2019, allied aircraft took to skies 290 times to escort or shadow Russian military aircraft all across Europe," the official said in an e-mail on May 23.
He did not immediately respond to follow-up questions about encounters in past years.
Earlier this week, five NATO jets from three Black Sea alliance members -- Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey -- were scrambled to respond to two Russian Tu-22 strategic bombers and two Su-27 fighter jets who approached the three countries’ shared airspace in a western part of the Black Sea.
Bulgarian military officials said the Russian aircraft returned to Russian airspace without incident.
"They do it on a regular basis," Defense Minister Krasimir Karakachanov said. "They are testing our capability and want to see how we are going to react, how fast we will send the planes and whether our radars will detect them."
In the Black Sea, in particular, there has been an uptick in Russian military activity since
2014, when Moscow seized Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula. Since then, Russia has bolstered its military forces in the region, prompting more surveillance and monitoring from NATO’s Black Sea members.
"There has definitely been an increase since 2014. This is related to the strengthening of Russia's military presence in the Black Sea region after the annexation of Crimea," Velizar Shalamanov, a former Bulgarian military official, told RFE/RL.


rferl--2020-05-23--U.S. Lawmakers Criticize White House On Shipment Of Ventilators To Russia

U.S. congressional lawmakers have complained to the White House about the shipment of dozens of U.S.-built ventilators to Russia , saying the move was done without justification and could potentially deprive coronavirus-infected Americans of treatment .
The May 22 letter , signed by five Democratic lawmakers in the House of Representatives , was the latest development in the ongoing story of how and why medical supplies were shipped by Russia to the United States , and the reciprocal gesture made to Russia by the U.S. administration this week .
The State Department announced that around 200 ventilators , valued at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sent to Russia in what was described as a `` humanitarian donation . ''
A military plane carrying the items arrived in Moscow on May 21 .
In their letter to President Donald Trump , the lawmakers questioned the White House ’ s rationale for the shipment .
`` It does not appear that your Administration has any policymaking process in place to determine whether these ventilators are going to the countries where they are needed most and whether their delivery will advance our national security , '' they wrote .
`` Instead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ selling ventilators to other countries as gifts or favors to serve your own political or personal interests without any meaningful strategic justification , thorough interagency process , or policy rationale for doing so , '' they said .
There was no immediate response from the White House or the U.S. State Department .
The U.S. gesture followed an earlier shipment of 45 ventilators , and other medical supplies , that Russia sent to the United States in April .
Both the Kremlin and State Department hailed the delivery as an example of collaboration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Washington and Moscow .
However , that shipment has been dogged by confusion over who paid for what , whether the Russian companies involved were subject to the U.S. sanctions , and whether the U.S. administration vetted the shipment ahead of time .
On May 13 , a spokeswoman for the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency said that the ventilators were never used by the New York region hospitals they were intended for and they were being returned to the agency `` out of an abundance of caution . ''
The announcement came @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ordered a suspension of use of the ventilator model in question , following two deadly fires at Russian hospitals .
Short-circuiting ventilators were blamed for the blazes in St. Petersburg and the Moscow region .
Meanwhile , the Russian ventilators that were sent to the United States were not authorized by U.S. regulators , the Reuters news agency reported May 22 .
Nor did the ventilators even obtain special emergency authorization under a procedure put in place by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to cope with the coronavirus pandemic , Reuters said @

U.S. congressional lawmakers have complained to the White House about the shipment of dozens of U.S.-built ventilators to Russia, saying the move was done without justification and could potentially deprive coronavirus-infected Americans of treatment.
The May 22 letter, signed by five Democratic lawmakers in the House of Representatives, was the latest development in the ongoing story of how and why medical supplies were shipped by Russia to the United States, and the reciprocal gesture made to Russia by the U.S. administration this week.
The State Department announced that around 200 ventilators, valued at around $5.6 million, were being sent to Russia in what was described as a "humanitarian donation." A military plane carrying the items arrived in Moscow on May 21.
In their letter to President Donald Trump, the lawmakers questioned the White House’s rationale for the shipment.
"It does not appear that your Administration has any policymaking process in place to determine whether these ventilators are going to the countries where they are needed most and whether their delivery will advance our national security," they wrote.
"Instead it appears you may be providing or selling ventilators to other countries as gifts or favors to serve your own political or personal interests without any meaningful strategic justification, thorough interagency process, or policy rationale for doing so," they said.
There was no immediate response from the White House or the U.S. State Department.
The U.S. gesture followed an earlier shipment of 45 ventilators, and other medical supplies, that Russia sent to the United States in April.
Both the Kremlin and State Department hailed the delivery as an example of collaboration despite the toxic state of relations between Washington and Moscow.
However, that shipment has been dogged by confusion over who paid for what, whether the Russian companies involved were subject to the U.S. sanctions, and whether the U.S. administration vetted the shipment ahead of time.
On May 13, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency said that the ventilators were never used by the New York region hospitals they were intended for and they were being returned to the agency "out of an abundance of caution."
The announcement came around the same time that Russian regulators ordered a suspension of use of the ventilator model in question, following two deadly fires at Russian hospitals. Short-circuiting ventilators were blamed for the blazes in St. Petersburg and the Moscow region.
Meanwhile, the Russian ventilators that were sent to the United States were not authorized by U.S. regulators, the Reuters news agency reported May 22. Nor did the ventilators even obtain special emergency authorization under a procedure put in place by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to cope with the coronavirus pandemic, Reuters said.


rferl--2020-05-23--At Least Two Killed In Hospital Fire In Central Russia

Regional health officials said at least two people have died in a central Russian hospital after an electrical short circuit @ @ @ @ @ blaze , which broke out in the Tatarstan region early on May 23 , injured @ @ @ @ @ the evacuation of several dozen patients and staff .
The state-run TASS news agency said @ @ @ @ @ also died .
City administrators said the fire erupted in the vascular ward of the @ @ @ @ @ no patients infected with the coronavirus were affected .
Officials also said it did not @ @ @ @ @ by a faulty artificial ventilator .
Two fires in medical facilities in St. Petersburg and @ @ @ @ @ concerns about short-circuiting ventilators used to treat patients suffering from COVID-19 , the disease caused @ @ @ @ @ people died in the St. Petersburg facility , while 11 people were killed in a @ @ @ @ @ later suspended all use of the ventilator models in question .
As of May 23 @ @ @ @ @ cases , up 9,434 over the past 24 hours .

Regional health officials said at least two people have died in a central Russian hospital after an electrical short circuit sparked a fire.
The blaze, which broke out in the Tatarstan region early on May 23, injured three others, and prompted the evacuation of several dozen patients and staff. The state-run TASS news agency said a third person may have also died.
City administrators said the fire erupted in the vascular ward of the Zelenodolsk Central District Hospital and no patients infected with the coronavirus were affected.
Officials also said it did not appear to have been caused by a faulty artificial ventilator.
Two fires in medical facilities in St. Petersburg and the Moscow region have raised concerns about short-circuiting ventilators used to treat patients suffering from COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
Six people died in the St. Petersburg facility, while 11 people were killed in a Moscow-area hospice.
Russian regulators later suspended all use of the ventilator models in question.
As of May 23, Russia reported 335,882 coronavirus cases, up 9,434 over the past 24 hours.
With reporting by TASS