rferl--2020-12-05--U.S. Bill Targeting International Sports Doping Becomes Law

U.S. President Donald Trump has signed into law a bill giving U.S. authorities the power to prosecute individuals responsible for doping at international sporting competitions involving American athletes , sponsors , or broadcasters .
Trump signed the Rodchenkov Act , which earlier passed Congress , on December 4 despite international opposition , including from the World Anti-Doping Agency ( WADA ) .
The law , named after whistleblower Grigory Rodchenkov , who lifted the lid on state-sponsored doping in Russia , empowers U.S. prosecutors to seek fines of up to $ 1 million and jail terms of up to 10 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ victims .
`` The Rodchenkov anti-doping act is now law and part of the United States criminal code , giving the Department of Justice a powerful and unique set of tools to eradicate doping fraud and related criminal activities from international competitions . ''
said Jim Walden , Rodchenkov 's lawyer , in a statement .
WADA , which has authority to sanction athletes for doping , has expressed concern over the legislation , warning it could lead to a patchwork of laws that weaken the principle of having one set of rules @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` No nation has ever before asserted criminal jurisdiction over doping offences that occurred outside its national borders -- and for good reason , '' the agency said last month after the bill passed the Senate .
The International Olympic Committee has also questioned why American professional and college athletes are exempt .
The United States Anti-Doping Agency ( USADA ) has said there was no need to include U.S. professional and college sports in the legislation as existing law allows their prosecution .
Responding to the bill , Russian Sports Minister Oleg @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 5 that it creates “ a situation where one country claims the right to judge . ''
`` We are negative about it and will have to think about how to minimize risks for Russian athletes , '' the sports minister added .
Rodchenkov , the former head of Russia 's national anti-doping laboratory in Moscow , exposed a state-backed doping conspiracy designed to cover up Russia 's cheating at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics and other events .
Rodchenkov fled to the United States in 2016 and provided evidence of the doping @ @ @ @ @ @ @ report confirmed the allegations , leading to partial bans for Russia at the 2016 Rio Olympics and 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics .
Russian prosecutors have accused Rodchenkov of being largely responsible for the scandal .
With reporting by AFP , AP , Reuters , and TASS

U.S. President Donald Trump has signed into law a bill giving U.S. authorities the power to prosecute individuals responsible for doping at international sporting competitions involving American athletes, sponsors, or broadcasters.
Trump signed the Rodchenkov Act, which earlier passed Congress, on December 4 despite international opposition, including from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
The law, named after whistleblower Grigory Rodchenkov, who lifted the lid on state-sponsored doping in Russia, empowers U.S. prosecutors to seek fines of up to $1 million and jail terms of up to 10 years, as well as restitution to victims.
"The Rodchenkov anti-doping act is now law and part of the United States criminal code, giving the Department of Justice a powerful and unique set of tools to eradicate doping fraud and related criminal activities from international competitions." said Jim Walden, Rodchenkov's lawyer, in a statement.
WADA, which has authority to sanction athletes for doping, has expressed concern over the legislation, warning it could lead to a patchwork of laws that weaken the principle of having one set of rules for all athletes around the world.
"No nation has ever before asserted criminal jurisdiction over doping offences that occurred outside its national borders -- and for good reason," the agency said last month after the bill passed the Senate.
The International Olympic Committee has also questioned why American professional and college athletes are exempt.
The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has said there was no need to include U.S. professional and college sports in the legislation as existing law allows their prosecution.
Responding to the bill, Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin told Match Strana TV on December 5 that it creates “a situation where one country claims the right to judge."
"We are negative about it and will have to think about how to minimize risks for Russian athletes," the sports minister added.
Rodchenkov, the former head of Russia's national anti-doping laboratory in Moscow, exposed a state-backed doping conspiracy designed to cover up Russia's cheating at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics and other events.
Rodchenkov fled to the United States in 2016 and provided evidence of the doping conspiracy to WADA.
An independent WADA report confirmed the allegations, leading to partial bans for Russia at the 2016 Rio Olympics and 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.
Russian prosecutors have accused Rodchenkov of being largely responsible for the scandal.
With reporting by AFP, AP, Reuters, and TASS


rferl--2020-12-05--Protests Swell As Armenian Opposition Issues Ultimatum For PM's Resignation Over Karabakh Deal

The Armenian opposition intensified pressure on December 5 as thousands of protesters rallied in the Armenian capital demanding Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian resign over a controversial truce deal with Azerbaijan to end fighting over the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region .
Some 20,000 protesters gathered in central Yerevan , chanting `` Nikol the traitor '' and `` Armenia without Nikol , ” and then marched to the prime minister 's official residence .
Armenia was plunged into political crisis in the wake of a Moscow-brokered deal struck on November 10 , ending a 44-day war between Azerbaijan and ethnic Armenian forces that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Under the deal , Azerbaijan took back control over parts of Nagorno-Karabakh and all surrounding territories in what amounted to a capitulation in the face of Armenian battlefield defeats .
The deal was a blow to Yerevan-backed ethnic Armenian forces who controlled all of Nagorno-Karabakh as well as seven surrounding areas since a 1994 cease-fire ended all-out war .
Nagorno-Karabakh is recognized as part of Azerbaijan , but the ethnic Armenians who make up most of the population reject Azerbaijani rule .
Armenian opposition groups demanding Pashinian ’ s resignation over his handling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that there will be countrywide civil disobedience if he does not step down by December 8 .
The ultimatum comes after earlier this week 17 opposition groups nominated Vazgen Manukian , a former prime minister and ex-defense minister in the early 1990s , to head a “ transitional , anti-crisis government ” until early parliamentary elections are held .
Addressing the rally , Manukian said that Pashinian should take the chance to leave in a “ civilized manner.
” Manukian said a new government would have to abide by the Russian-brokered agreement , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with Azerbaijan and its ally Turkey .
However , he said a new government would strive to resolve some vague issues of the agreement in close coordination with Russia , Armenia 's most important ally .
Crucially , the agreement failed to address the final status of Nagorno-Karabakh .
Armenian President Armen Sarkisian has also called for early parliamentary elections and the formation of an interim government of national accord to handle the political crisis .
But Pashinian has not given any indication he intends to resign , and his My Step faction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 132-seat parliament to avoid a no-confidence vote .
While Pashinian has acknowledged that the peace deal he signed was “ bad for us , ” he has defended it as Armenia 's only option and that it ensured Nagorno-Karabakh 's survival .
In an address to the nation on December 5 , he again sought to cast Armenia ’ s defeat in the war as a symptom of past leadership failures and endemic corruption , which he says left the country in a difficult diplomatic position and the army unprepared to withstand the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pressing an anti-corruption campaign , came to power in 2018 in the wake of mass popular protests .
With reporting by RFE/RL 's Armenian Service , AP , dpa , and Interfax

The Armenian opposition intensified pressure on December 5 as thousands of protesters rallied in the Armenian capital demanding Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian resign over a controversial truce deal with Azerbaijan to end fighting over the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Some 20,000 protesters gathered in central Yerevan, chanting "Nikol the traitor" and "Armenia without Nikol,” and then marched to the prime minister's official residence.
Armenia was plunged into political crisis in the wake of a Moscow-brokered deal struck on November 10, ending a 44-day war between Azerbaijan and ethnic Armenian forces that left thousands dead on both sides.
Under the deal, Azerbaijan took back control over parts of Nagorno-Karabakh and all surrounding territories in what amounted to a capitulation in the face of Armenian battlefield defeats.
The deal was a blow to Yerevan-backed ethnic Armenian forces who controlled all of Nagorno-Karabakh as well as seven surrounding areas since a 1994 cease-fire ended all-out war. Nagorno-Karabakh is recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but the ethnic Armenians who make up most of the population reject Azerbaijani rule.
Calls To Step Down
Armenian opposition groups demanding Pashinian’s resignation over his handling of the conflict warned at the rally that there will be countrywide civil disobedience if he does not step down by December 8.
The ultimatum comes after earlier this week 17 opposition groups nominated Vazgen Manukian, a former prime minister and ex-defense minister in the early 1990s, to head a “transitional, anti-crisis government” until early parliamentary elections are held.
Addressing the rally, Manukian said that Pashinian should take the chance to leave in a “civilized manner.”
Manukian said a new government would have to abide by the Russian-brokered agreement, because it could not afford a war with Azerbaijan and its ally Turkey.
However, he said a new government would strive to resolve some vague issues of the agreement in close coordination with Russia, Armenia's most important ally. Crucially, the agreement failed to address the final status of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Armenian President Armen Sarkisian has also called for early parliamentary elections and the formation of an interim government of national accord to handle the political crisis.
But Pashinian has not given any indication he intends to resign, and his My Step faction still holds a wide majority in the 132-seat parliament to avoid a no-confidence vote.
While Pashinian has acknowledged that the peace deal he signed was “bad for us,” he has defended it as Armenia's only option and that it ensured Nagorno-Karabakh's survival.
In an address to the nation on December 5, he again sought to cast Armenia’s defeat in the war as a symptom of past leadership failures and endemic corruption, which he says left the country in a difficult diplomatic position and the army unprepared to withstand the Azerbaijani offensive.
Pashinian, a reformist pressing an anti-corruption campaign, came to power in 2018 in the wake of mass popular protests.
With reporting by RFE/RL's Armenian Service, AP, dpa, and Interfax


rferl--2020-12-05--Serbian Orthodox Church Head Hospitalized For COVID-19 One Month After Predecessor Died

The acting head of the Serbian Orthodox Church was hospitalized on December 4 after testing positive for the coronavirus , @ @ @ @ @ service said .
Bishop Hrizostom was admitted to a hospital in the nation ’ s @ @ @ @ @ said .
The church did not release information about the condition of the 68-year-old .
@ @ @ @ @ the church after Patriarch Irinej died of COVID-19 last month .
Hrizostom presided over the @ @ @ @ @ who was 90 years old .
Metropolitan Amfilohije , the head of the Serbian Orthodox @ @ @ @ @ of COVID-19 in October .

The acting head of the Serbian Orthodox Church was hospitalized on December 4 after testing positive for the coronavirus, the church’s information service said.
Bishop Hrizostom was admitted to a hospital in the nation’s capital, Belgrade, it said. The church did not release information about the condition of the 68-year-old.
Hrizostom became interim leader of the church after Patriarch Irinej died of COVID-19 last month. Hrizostom presided over the funeral services of Irinej, who was 90 years old.
Metropolitan Amfilohije, the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro, died of COVID-19 in October.
Irinej led the funeral services for Amfilohije.


rferl--2020-12-06--Thousands Rally In Moldova Calling For Snap Parliamentary Vote

CHISINAU -- Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets of the Moldovan capital demanding the government 's resignation and early general elections .
The demonstrators gathered at the square in front of the parliament building in Chisinau on December 6 , shouting slogans such as “ We are the people ! ''
The rally was called by President-elect Maia Sandu , who favors closer ties with the European Union , after lawmakers passed a bill transferring control of the country 's intelligence agency from the president to parliament .
Several thousand people on December 3 rallied against the move @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russia-backed incumbent Igor Dodon in last month 's presidential election .
Sandu and her supporters say the goal of the legislation was to reduce the presidency before she takes office and to boost parliament , where the pro-Moscow Socialists aligned with Dodon outnumber the opposition .
Addressing the December 6 rally , Sandu reiterated her call for the government of Prime Minister Ion Chicu to resign and for snap parliamentary polls .
`` Igor Dodon does not want to admit defeat , '' she told the crowd .
`` He wants now to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chaos , drive Moldova into international isolation . ''
The Constitutional Court is expected to officially confirm her election victory on December 10 , and her inauguration is scheduled for two weeks later .

CHISINAU -- Some 20,000 protesters backing Moldova's incoming pro-EU president have taken to the streets of the capital demanding the government's resignation and early general elections.
The demonstrators gathered at the square in front of the parliament building in Chisinau on December 6, shouting slogans such as “We are the people!" and "To prison!"
The rally was called by President-elect Maia Sandu, who favors closer ties with the European Union, after lawmakers passed a bill transferring control of the country's intelligence agency from the president to parliament.
The intelligence agency change came weeks after Sandu defeated the Russia-backed incumbent Igor Dodon in last month's presidential election.
Sandu and her supporters say the goal of the legislation is to weaken the presidency before she takes office on December 24 and to boost parliament, where pro-Moscow Socialists aligned with Dodon outnumber the opposition.
In June 2019, the Socialists voted to transfer the control of the intelligence service from parliament to Dodon.
Addressing the rally, Sandu reiterated her call for the government of Prime Minister Ion Chicu to resign and for snap parliamentary polls.
"Igor Dodon does not want to admit defeat," she told the crowd. "He wants now to set fire to the country, provoke chaos, [and] drive Moldova into international isolation!"
She also accused parliament of trying to sabotage her ability to fight corruption, saying: "This majority adopts laws that strip the powers of the president so that we cannot fight corruption and thieves."
"We will go to the end until we cleanse the country of corrupt officials," Sandu added.
Sandu, a former World Bank economist, promised during her presidential campaign to battle endemic corruption in Moldova, the poorest countries in Europe.
Since the election she has called for the withdrawal of Russian troops from the Moscow-backed separatist region of Transdniester, prompting the Kremlin to warn it could lead to "serious destabilization.”
With reporting by AFP and Reuters


rferl--2020-12-06--Soviet Soccer 'Hero' Ponedelnik Dies At 83

Viktor Ponedelnik , the last surviving member of the Soviet soccer team that won the inaugural European championships 60 years ago , has died at the age of 83 .
The Russian football federation made the announcement in a statement on its website on December 6 .
It did not say where or when Ponedelnik had passed away .
The federation described Ponedelnik in a tweet as a “ legend ” while UEFA 's website called him a `` hero '' for scoring the winning goal in the final of the European championship in 1960 .
The center forward ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gave the Soviets a 2-1 victory in the final in Paris .
Four years later , he helped the Soviet team reach the European final in Spain but they were beaten 2-1 by the host country .
He was also part of the U.S.S.R. team that reached the quarterfinals of the 1962 World Cup in Chile .
Ponedelnik played 29 matches as part of the Soviet national team in which he scored 20 goals .
He began his career playing for two teams in his native Rostov-on-Don before going on to join Moscow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ After his playing career , he coached the Rostselmash club in Rostov-on-Don .

Viktor Ponedelnik, the last surviving member of the Soviet soccer team that won the inaugural European championships 60 years ago, has died at the age of 83.
The Russian football federation made the announcement in a statement on its website on December 6. It did not say where or when Ponedelnik had passed away.
The federation described Ponedelnik in a tweet as a “legend”
while UEFA's website called him a "hero" for scoring the winning goal in the final of the European championship in 1960.
The center forward’s header in extra time against Yugoslavia gave the Soviets a 2-1 victory in the final in Paris.
Four years later, he helped the Soviet team reach the European final in Spain but they were beaten 2-1 by the host country.
He was also part of the U.S.S.R. team that reached the quarterfinals of the 1962 World Cup in Chile.
Ponedelnik played 29 matches as part of the Soviet national team in which he scored 20 goals.
He began his career playing for two teams in his native Rostov-on-Don before going on to join Moscow’s CSKA and Spartak Moscow.
After his playing career, he coached the Rostselmash club in Rostov-on-Don.


rferl--2020-12-06--Dozens Detained Across Belarus At Anti-Lukashenka Marches

MINSK -- Belarusian security forces detained dozens of people across the country on December 6 as street protests calling on authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka to resign continued .
Demonstrators gathered in Minsk and other Belarusian cities in nearly continuous protests since a disputed presidential election in August that the opposition says was rigged .
This is the third Sunday during which the demonstrations in Belarus are being held under the banner of March of Neighbors , a strategy adopted by the opposition as a way of decentralizing the protests and making it more difficult for police to round up activists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a sixth presidential term , but the opposition believes candidate Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya was the real winner of the election and is calling for the strongman ’ s resignation , the release of all political prisoners , and a new election .
The West refuses to accept the outcome , slapping sanctions on Lukashenka and dozens of top Belarusian officials .
Amid an intensifying crackdown by the Belarusian authorities on the protest movement , detentions were reported on December 6 in several Minsk districts and other cities across the country , including Brest and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) human rights center reported more than 40 detentions by 3:20 p.m. local time , mainly in the capital , where several subway stations were briefly closed and at least two squares were cordoned off by security forces .
A 79-year-old woman was among those detained in Minsk .
Two BelaPAN journalists covering the demonstrations in Hrodna were held by police .
People in several Belarusian cities reported problems with accessing Telegram , an instant messaging service used by many protesters to communicate .
Tsikhanouskaya , who left the country soon after the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is currently in exile in Lithuania , said on December 5 she would “ support everyone who comes out to their yard , district , and city.
” “ Each march is a reminder that Belarusians will not give up .
We will not allow our rights to be taken away and our eyes to be closed to crimes , '' she said in a statement .
A week ago , security forces used tear gas and stun grenades against some demonstrators in Minsk and detained more than 300 protesters across the country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Spring ) human rights center .

MINSK -- Belarusian security forces detained more than 300 people across the country on December 6 in the latest of nearly four months of demonstrations calling on authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka to resign.
Thousands of people protested in Minsk and other cities, defying a ban on demonstrations by holding numerous smaller marches in residential areas.
It is the third Sunday during which the demonstrations are being held under the banner of March of Neighbors, a strategy adopted by the opposition as a way of decentralizing the protests and making it more difficult for police to round up activists.
The Minsk-based Vyasna (Spring) human rights center reported more than 300 detentions in several Minsk districts and other cities across the country, including Brest and Hrodna. Two journalists covering the demonstrations in Hrodna were held by police.
Most arrests were made in the capital, where several subway stations were briefly closed and at least two squares were cordoned off by security forces. Water cannons and other law enforcement equipment were set up in the city center ahead of the protests.
'Protest Has Become A Part Of Our Life'
Belarus has been hit by near-daily protests since Lukashenka claimed he won a sixth term in an August 9 presidential vote that the opposition and West say was rigged.
The opposition says Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya won the election and demand the strongman resign, the release of all political prisoners, and a new election.
“Protest has become a part of our life, as integral as work or time with family,” Tsikhanouskaya said in a statement ahead of the rally.
“Each march is a reminder that Belarusians will not surrender,” said Tsikhanouskaya, who left the country after the election under pressure from the authorities and is currently in exile in Lithuania.
Police have violently cracked down on protests, with the UN human rights chief, Michelle Bachelet, saying on December 4 that the human rights situation in Belarus is deteriorating.
More than 27,000 people have been detained since the election, according to the UN. There have also been credible reports of torture and ill-treatment, and several people have died.
Meanwhile, much of the opposition leadership has been detained or forced into exile.
Since August, 373 journalists have been arrested, six of whom are currently detained.
The continued crackdown on the protests caused international outrage, while Russia has helped prop up its ally.
The West has refused to accept the election outcome, with the EU slapping sanctions on Lukashenka and dozens of top Belarusian officials.
With reporting by AFP, AP, dpa, and Reuters


rferl--2020-12-06--Russian Ships Move To Baltic Sea Areas To Resume Construction Of Controversial Pipeline

A Russian pipe-laying ship has moved into position to resume construction of a natural-gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea that the United States , Ukraine , and other countries have vehemently opposed .
German shipping authorities have issued an advisory for the Baltic Sea area where the last few kilometers of the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline are set to be laid and warned vessels to avoid the zone from December 5-31 .
The Akademik Cherskiy reached the area off the coast of Poland on December 5 , according to Marine Traffic tracking services .
Also on December 5 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ left a German port apparently heading to a different location where another pipeline section is to be built .
Norddeutscher Rundfunk ( NDR ) posted a video showing the 170-meter-long vessel being pulled by five tugboats .
A spokesman for the Nord Stream 2 project declined to disclose information about the ships ’ plans because he wanted to protect the companies involved , according to NDR .
The repositioning of the vessels followed Russia ’ s pledge to complete the pipeline despite the threat of U.S. sanctions .
The pipeline still has 16 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 60 kilometers in the Danish section yet to be built .
Russia 's state-controlled natural-gas company Gazprom has moved to finish construction of the pipeline with its own resources after construction was thrown into uncertainty a year ago following U.S. sanctions on the project , which will double Russian natural-gas deliveries to Germany .
The United States argues that the Nord Stream 2 would erode European energy security at a time when relations between the West and Russia are at post-Cold War lows over numerous issues , including the poisoning of Kremlin critic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Ukraine 's Crimea .
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has faced criticism for backing the project , but there has been speculation that she might withdraw her support following the poisoning of Navalny earlier this year .
The U.S. Embassy in Berlin on December 5 called on the German government to halt construction of the pipeline .
`` Now is the time for Germany and the EU to call for a moratorium for the pipeline 's construction , '' Robin Quinville , charge d'affaires at the embassy , told the newspaper Handelsblatt on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clear signal that Europe `` no longer accepts Russia 's sustained malevolent behavior , '' she said .
The official added that the pipeline was not just an economic project but a political tool for the Kremlin to circumvent Ukraine and split up Europe .
Poland , Ukraine , and the Baltic states are fiercely opposed to the pipeline .
Ukraine has complained because Nord Stream 2 would reroute Russian gas around Ukraine , depriving Kyiv of much-needed transit fees .
Russia , which initially expected to complete the pipeline in early 2020 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ using energy sanctions as a `` weapon '' to open new markets for its oil and gas industry .
After the sanctions on vessels were passed , Russian President Vladimir Putin said he hoped the pipeline would be completed by early 2021 .
The U.S. Congress is considering another bill that would widen the scope of sanctions to include any individual or entity providing insurance , technical certification , or welding services for the project .
With reporting by dpa , AP , AFP , and Norddeutscher Rundfunk

A Russian pipe-laying ship has moved into position to resume construction of a natural-gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea that the United States, Ukraine, and other countries have vehemently opposed.
German shipping authorities have issued an advisory for the Baltic Sea area where the last few kilometers of the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline are set to be laid and warned vessels to avoid the zone from December 5-31.
The Akademik Cherskiy reached the area off the coast of Poland on December 5, according to Marine Traffic tracking services.
Also on December 5, the Russian pipe-laying ship, Fortuna, left a German port apparently heading to a different location where another pipeline section is to be built. Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) posted a video showing the 170-meter-long vessel being pulled by five tugboats.
A spokesman for the Nord Stream 2 project declined to disclose information about the ships’ plans because he wanted to protect the companies involved, according to NDR.
The repositioning of the vessels followed Russia’s pledge to complete the pipeline despite the threat of U.S. sanctions. The pipeline still has 16 kilometers left in German waters and another 60 kilometers in the Danish section yet to be built.
Russia's state-controlled natural-gas company Gazprom has moved to finish construction of the pipeline with its own resources after construction was thrown into uncertainty a year ago following U.S. sanctions on the project, which will double Russian natural-gas deliveries to Germany.
The United States argues that the Nord Stream 2 would erode European energy security at a time when relations between the West and Russia are at post-Cold War lows over numerous issues, including the poisoning of Kremlin critic Aleksei Navalny and Moscow's 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimea.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has faced criticism for backing the project, but there has been speculation that she might withdraw her support following the poisoning of Navalny earlier this year.
The U.S. Embassy in Berlin on December 5 called on the German government to halt construction of the pipeline.
"Now is the time for Germany and the EU to call for a moratorium for the pipeline's construction," Robin Quinville, charge d'affaires at the embassy, told the newspaper Handelsblatt on December 5.
This would send a clear signal that Europe "no longer accepts Russia's sustained malevolent behavior," she said.
The official added that the pipeline was not just an economic project but a political tool for the Kremlin to circumvent Ukraine and split up Europe.
Poland, Ukraine, and the Baltic states are fiercely opposed to the pipeline. Ukraine has complained because Nord Stream 2 would reroute Russian gas around Ukraine, depriving Kyiv of much-needed transit fees.
Russia, which initially expected to complete the pipeline in early 2020, has accused the United States of using energy sanctions as a "weapon" to open new markets for its oil and gas industry.
After the sanctions on vessels were passed, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he hoped the pipeline would be completed by early 2021.
The U.S. Congress is considering another bill that would widen the scope of sanctions to include any individual or entity providing insurance, technical certification, or welding services for the project.
With reporting by dpa, AP, AFP, and Norddeutscher Rundfunk


rferl--2020-12-06--Romanians Vote In Parliamentary Elections In Shadow Of Pandemic

Romanians are voting in elections that will decide whether the pro-European liberals will cement their hold on power and win the parliamentary majority needed to embark on badly needed reforms despite mixed results in their handling of the coronavirus pandemic .
Voters are choosing 136 senators and 329 deputies on December 6 , a little over a year after the National Liberal Party ( PNL ) minority government took over after the collapse of the Social Democratic Party ( PSD ) cabinet following a string of corruption scandals and massive public protests .
The liberals , led by Prime Minister @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a little more than 28 percent of voters in the latest opinion poll , ahead of the second-placed PSD with some 23 percent .
However , PSD has been narrowing the gap since October , when the liberals had almost 35 percent compared to the Social Democrats ’ less than 22 percent .
The December 2 poll by IMAS put the center-right alliance of Save Romania Union and Liberty , Unity , and Solidarity Party ( USR-PLUS ) -- a relatively new actor on Romania ’ s political scene -- in third place @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their growing influence despite losing a couple of percentage points since October .
Orban ’ s liberals and President Klaus Iohannis , a former leader of the PNL , have argued that local polls held in September proved that safety and distancing measures worked , allowing for a smooth election that gave liberals and the USR-PLUS substantial gains , including the mayorship of Bucharest .
Speaking after casting his ballot , Orban called on Romanians to go and vote in this `` fundamental '' election , vowing there was no risk of coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ follow hygiene rules .
Iohannis said outside a polling station in Bucharest that it is “ extremely important ” to participate in the elections .
`` It is a historic day to choose a better parliament that deals with the problems of Romanians and that makes better laws for Romania , ” he said .
Despite Iohannis 's and Orban 's calls , turnout at 2 p.m. local time was under 17.4 percent of the almost 19 million registered voters , lower than that of the previous election in 2016 that PSD won @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at 9 p.m. local time .
Romania , one of the poorest European Union members , initially handled the coronavirus pandemic with success despite a health-care system marred by an acute lack of modern facilities , an exodus of medical personnel , and endemic corruption .
Quick measures employed by Orban ’ s government that included a two-month state of emergency in the spring limited the number of infections and fatalities but put the economy under huge stress .
However , a new spike in infections after the summer was not met with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ network , still reeling from the first wave , was quickly overwhelmed , with daily infections exploding and deaths piling up to 12,000 as of December 4 .
Gutted by decades of neglect , Romania ’ s overstrained health-care system also suffered from mismanagement and corruption , systemic faults that culminated in a fire on November 14 at a hospital in the eastern city of Piatra Neamt that killed 10 COVID-19 patients in intensive care .
The fire sparked a political storm , with the PNL , which runs the Health Ministry , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the local administration , blaming each other for the tragedy .
The PNL and Iohannis , a former leader of the PNL , have also come under criticism from the leftist opposition and some medical experts for failing to declare a second state of emergency in order not to hamper the upcoming parliamentary poll , while closing schools and much of the hospitality sector .
For their part , Orban ’ s liberals and Iohannis have argued that local polls held in September proved that safety and distancing measures worked , allowing for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the USR-PLUS substantial gains , including the mayorship of Bucharest .
The government so far has favored nighttime curfews and local restrictions to try to stem the effects of the pandemic 's second surge .
Observers are warning that absenteeism prompted both by the pandemic and a perceived disillusion with the postcommunist political class in general could lead to a repeat of the 2016 scenario when PSD 's landslide victory allowed it to unleash an all-out assault on the judiciary and the rule of law that brought tens of thousands of Romanians into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the EU and the United States .
However , absenteeism triggered by infection fears could have an opposing effect this time for PSD , journalist and political commentator Cristian Pantazi told RFE/RL .
“ PSD ’ s electoral pool mainly consists of elderly people and those living in rural areas of the eastern and southern Romania -- the main categories most likely to avoid going to the polls for fear of infection , ” Pantazi said .
Despite corruption and poverty , Romania remains staunchly pro-EU and pro-American , with Orban and Iohannis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ delayed in the three decades since the fall of communism and keeping the country on a pro-Western path .
But PSD , the heir to the Communist Party and the political force that has dominated Romanian politics for most of the last 30 years , remains an adversary to be reckoned with .
Although weakened by the imprisonment last year on corruption charges of its former leader Liviu Dragnea and removed from power through a no-confidence vote last year , PSD has the largest network of party organizations .
The PSD also dominates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ areas , where it relies on a group of rich , influential , and arguably corrupt “ local barons ” whose left-wing credentials remain questionable but whose power is indispensable for PSD .
The new PSD leader , Marcel Ciolacu , who has carefully distanced himself from Dragnea , has accused Orban ’ s government of `` incompetence '' and failing to keep the spread of the coronavirus under control .
`` The real virus that Romania is facing is ... the PNL , '' he said in a recent news conference .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Western Europe have traditionally voted against PSD , which they perceive as corrupt and in many cases the very reason why they left the country .
The diaspora proved crucial in last year ’ s elections for the European Parliament , which dealt a defeat to PSD .
However , it is unclear how many will be able to vote amid widespread anti-coronavirus restrictions .
So far , almost 40,000 have registered for mail voting .
During the campaign Orban has repeatedly said that the elections are “ crucial ” for Romania to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ PNL and USR-PLUS manage to garner a majority and form a center-right government , possibly with backing from the ethnic Hungarian party UDMR , they will have a full four years to implement the promised reforms without having to face other scheduled elections and enjoying the support of Iohannis , whose second and final term also ends in 2024 .
`` The stakes in the elections are huge , '' Orban said in a recent interview .

BUCHAREST -- Romania’s leftist Social Democrats (PSD) are pulling away from the ruling National Liberal Party (PNL), according to partial results in the country’s parliamentary elections reported by the Central Electoral Bureau on December 6.
With 95 percent of the vote counted, the PSD had 29.8 percent of the vote in the Chamber of Deputies and 30.2 percent the Senate. The pro-European PNL had 25.1 percent in the Chamber of Deputies and 25.5 percent in the Senate, results posted by the bureau showed.
The center-right alliance Save Romania Union-Liberty, Unity, and Solidarity Party (USR-PLUS) was third with 14.5 percent in the Chamber of Deputies and 15 percent in the Senate, the partial returns showed.
Most surprising, however, was the radical right-wing Alliance for the Romanians Union -- a party founded last year by a pro-Bessarabia activist and promoter of the idea of a single Romanian state including Moldova. It received 8.6 percent in the Chamber of Deputies and 8.8 percent in the Senate, according to the partial results.
The elections in the EU member state were considered key to determining whether the pro-European liberals will gain enough support to embark on their badly needed reformist agenda despite mixed results in their handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
Voters chose 136 senators and 329 deputies, a little over a year after the PNL minority government took over after the collapse of the PSD cabinet following a string of corruption scandals and massive public protests.
The liberals, led by Prime Minister Ludovic Orban, and President Klaus Iohannis, a former leader of the PNL, had sought to assuage concerns about the pandemic to urge voters to come out in large numbers.
But Romanians appeared wary of the pandemic and disillusioned with Romania's political class, with turnout only at around 32 percent, lower than in the 2016 parliamentary elections.
Romania, one of the poorest European Union members, initially handled the coronavirus pandemic with unexpected success despite a health-care system marred by an acute lack of modern facilities, an exodus of medical personnel, and endemic corruption.
However, a new spike in infections after the summer was not met with the same decisiveness. And the health-care network, still reeling from the first wave, was quickly overwhelmed.
Despite corruption and poverty, Romania remains staunchly pro-EU and pro-American, with Orban and Iohannis promising to launch a modernization campaign long delayed in the three decades since the fall of communism.
But the PSD, the heir to the Communist Party and the political force that has dominated Romanian politics for most of last 30 years, remains an adversary to be reckoned with.
The PSD's landslide victory in 2016 allowed it to unleash an all-out assault on the judiciary and the rule of law that brought tens of thousands of Romanians into the streets and prompted stark warnings from the EU and the United States.
Although weakened by the imprisonment last year on corruption charges of its former leader Liviu Dragnea and removed from power through a no-confidence vote last year, the PSD has the largest network of party organizations.
The PSD also dominates most of the local administration in rural areas, where it relies on a group of rich, influential, and arguably corrupt “local barons” whose left-wing credentials remain questionable but whose power is indispensable for the PSD.
The new leader of the PSD, Marcel Ciolacu, who has carefully distanced himself from Dragnea, has accused Orban’s government of "incompetence" and failing to keep the spread of the coronavirus under control.
Some 4 million Romanians who live in Western Europe have traditionally voted against the PSD, which they perceive as corrupt and in many cases the very reason why they left the country.
The diaspora proved crucial in last year’s elections for the European Parliament, which dealt a defeat to the PSD.


rferl--2020-12-06--Russian Police Detain Kremlin Critic Near Opposition Gathering

Solovei was detained in St. Petersburg on December 6 near a meeting of the opposition Change movement , which he @ @ @ @ @ reportedly detained him for violating a coronavirus mask mandate , Solovei said .
Earlier , @ @ @ @ @ bomb into the crowd of Change movement supporters .
A former professor , Solovei had @ @ @ @ @ Institute of International Relations until last year when he left the elite institution for what @ @ @ @ @ reasons.
” He founded Change as a decentralized movement , taking as its model NEXTA @ @ @ @ @ has covered and coordinated ongoing protests against authoritarian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka .
In September , @ @ @ @ @ after he and dozens of other protesters marched to show solidarity with protests in the @ @ @ @ @ .
With reporting by Current Time , RFE/RL 's Russian Service , and Reuters

Russian police have detained prominent political scientist and Kremlin critic Valery Solovei.
Solovei was detained in St. Petersburg on December 6 near a meeting of the opposition Change movement, which he founded in October.
Police reportedly detained him for violating a coronavirus mask mandate, Solovei said.
Earlier, unknown provocateurs threw a smoke bomb into the crowd of Change movement supporters.
A former professor, Solovei had worked for the Moscow State Institute of International Relations until last year when he left the elite institution for what he said were “political reasons.”
He founded Change as a decentralized movement, taking as its model NEXTA in neighboring Belarus, which has covered and coordinated ongoing protests against authoritarian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka.
In September, Solovei was detained in Moscow after he and dozens of other protesters marched to show solidarity with protests in the Far Eastern city of Khabarovsk.
With reporting by Current Time, RFE/RL's Russian Service, and Reuters


rferl--2020-12-06--Thousands Rally For Snap Elections In Moldova's Pro-Russia Parliament

CHISINAU -- Some 20,000 protesters backing Moldova 's incoming pro-EU president have taken to the streets of the capital demanding the government 's resignation and early general elections .
The demonstrators gathered at the square in front of the parliament building in Chisinau on December 6 , shouting slogans such as “ We are the people ! ''
and `` To prison ! ''
The rally was called by President-elect Maia Sandu , who favors closer ties with the European Union , after lawmakers passed a bill transferring control of the country 's intelligence agency from the president to parliament @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after Sandu defeated the Russia-backed incumbent Igor Dodon in last month 's presidential election .
Sandu and her supporters say the goal of the legislation is to weaken the presidency before she takes office on December 24 and to boost parliament , where pro-Moscow Socialists aligned with Dodon outnumber the opposition .
In June 2019 , the Socialists voted to transfer the control of the intelligence service from parliament to Dodon .
Addressing the rally , Sandu reiterated her call for the government of Prime Minister Ion Chicu to resign and for snap @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not want to admit defeat , '' she told the crowd .
`` He wants now to set fire to the country , provoke chaos , [ and ] drive Moldova into international isolation ! ''
She also accused parliament of trying to sabotage her ability to fight corruption , saying : `` This majority adopts laws that strip the powers of the president so that we can not fight corruption and thieves . ''
`` We will go to the end until we cleanse the country of corrupt officials , '' Sandu @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bank economist , promised during her presidential campaign to battle endemic corruption in Moldova , the poorest countries in Europe .
Since the election she has called for the withdrawal of Russian troops from the Moscow-backed separatist region of Transdniester , prompting the Kremlin to warn it could lead to `` serious destabilization.
” With reporting by AFP and Reuters


rferl--2020-12-06--Soviet Soccer Star Ponedelnik Dies At 83


rferl--2020-12-06--Belarus Opposition Continues Rallies Despite Harsh Crackdown

MINSK -- Belarusian security forces detained more than 300 people across the country on December 6 in the latest of nearly four months of demonstrations calling on authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka to resign .
Thousands of people protested in Minsk and other cities , defying a ban on demonstrations by holding numerous smaller marches in residential areas .
It is the third Sunday during which the demonstrations are being held under the banner of March of Neighbors , a strategy adopted by the opposition as a way of decentralizing the protests and making it more difficult for police to round @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Spring ) human rights center reported more than 300 detentions in several Minsk districts and other cities across the country , including Brest and Hrodna .
Two journalists covering the demonstrations in Hrodna were held by police .
Most arrests were made in the capital , where several subway stations were briefly closed and at least two squares were cordoned off by security forces .
Water cannons and other law enforcement equipment were set up in the city center ahead of the protests .
'Protest Has Become A Part Of Our Life' Belarus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lukashenka claimed he won a sixth term in an August 9 presidential vote that the opposition and West say was rigged .
The opposition says Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya won the election and demand the strongman resign , the release of all political prisoners , and a new election .
“ Protest has become a part of our life , as integral as work or time with family , ” Tsikhanouskaya said in a statement ahead of the rally .
“ Each march is a reminder that Belarusians will not surrender , ” said Tsikhanouskaya @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election under pressure from the authorities and is currently in exile in Lithuania .
Police have violently cracked down on protests , with the UN human rights chief , Michelle Bachelet , saying on December 4 that the human rights situation in Belarus is deteriorating .
More than 27,000 people have been detained since the election , according to the UN .
There have also been credible reports of torture and ill-treatment , and several people have died .
Meanwhile , much of the opposition leadership has been detained or forced into exile @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been arrested , six of whom are currently detained .
The continued crackdown on the protests caused international outrage , while Russia has helped prop up its ally .
The West has refused to accept the election outcome , with the EU slapping sanctions on Lukashenka and dozens of top Belarusian officials .
With reporting by AFP , AP , dpa , and Reuters


rferl--2020-12-06--Romania's Socialists Leading Critical Parliamentary Elections With 95 Percent Of Vote Counted

BUCHAREST -- Romania ’ s leftist Social Democrats ( PSD ) are pulling away from the ruling National Liberal Party ( PNL ) , according to partial results in the country ’ s parliamentary elections reported by the Central Electoral Bureau December 6 .
With 95 percent of the vote counted , the PSD had 29.8 percent of the vote in the Chamber of Deputies and 30.2 percent the Senate .
The pro-European PNL had 25.1 percent in the Chamber of Deputies and 25.5 percent in the Senate , results posted by the bureau showed .
The center-right alliance Save @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Party ( USR-PLUS ) was third with 14.5 percent in the Chamber of Deputies and 15 percent in the Senate , the partial returns showed .
Most surprising , however , was the radical right-wing Alliance for the Romanians Union - a party founded last year by a pro-Bessarabia activist and promoter of the idea of a single Romanian state including Moldova .
It received 8.6 percent in the Chamber of Deputies and 8.8 percent in the Senate , according to the partial results .
The elections in the EU member state were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ liberals will gain enough support to embark on their badly needed reformist agenda despite mixed results in their handling of the coronavirus pandemic .
Voters chose 136 senators and 329 deputies , a little over a year after the PNL minority government took over after the collapse of the PSD cabinet following a string of corruption scandals and massive public protests .
The liberals , led by Prime Minister Ludovic Orban , and President Klaus Iohannis , a former leader of the PNL , had sought to assuage concerns about the pandemic to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ numbers .
But Romanians appeared wary of the pandemic and disillusioned with Romania 's political class , with turnout only at around 32 percent , lower than in the 2016 parliamentary elections .
Romania , one of the poorest European Union members , initially handled the coronavirus pandemic with unexpected success despite a health care system marred by an acute lack of modern facilities , an exodus of medical personnel , and endemic corruption .
However , a new spike in infections after the summer was not met with the same decisiveness .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ reeling from the first wave , was quickly overwhelmed .
Despite corruption and poverty , Romania remains staunchly pro-EU and pro-American , with Orban and Iohannis promising to launch a modernization campaign long delayed in the three decades since the fall of communism and keeping the country on a pro-Western path .
But the PSD , the heir to the Communist Party and the political force that has dominated Romanian politics for most of last 30 years , remains an adversary to be reckoned with .
The PSD 's landslide victory in 2016 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the judiciary and the rule of law that brought tens of thousands of Romanians into the streets and prompted stark warnings from the EU and the United States .
Although weakened by the imprisonment last year on corruption charges of its former leader Liviu Dragnea and removed from power through a no-confidence vote last year , the PSD has the largest network of party organizations .
The PSD also dominates most of the local administration in rural areas , where it relies on a group of rich , influential , and arguably @ @ @ @ @ @ @ credentials remain questionable but whose power is indispensable for the PSD .
The new leader of the PSD , Marcel Ciolacu , who has carefully distanced himself from Dragnea , has accused Orban ’ s government of `` incompetence '' and failing to keep the spread of the coronavirus under control .
Some 4 million Romanians who live in Western Europe have traditionally voted against the PSD , which they perceive as corrupt and in many cases the very reason why they left the country .
The diaspora proved crucial in last year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which dealt a defeat to the PSD .


rferl--2020-12-07--Kyrgyz Supreme Court Cancels Prison Sentence Of Former PM, Calls For Retrial

BISHKEK -- The Supreme Court of Kyrgyzstan has canceled an 18-year prison sentence handed to former Prime Minister Sapar Isakov after he was convicted on corruption charges .
The court said on December 7 that it had sent the case for retrial to Bishkek 's Birinchi Mai District Court .
The reasons for the decision were not given .
In June , the Birinchi Mai District Court found Isakov guilty of misusing state funds allocated for the renovation of Bishkek ’ s National History Museum and a hippodrome in the northern town of Cholpon-Ata while in office .
That ruling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 15-year prison term on corruption charges stemming from his involvement in a 2013 project to modernize the Bishkek Thermal Power Station .
The court sentenced Isakov to 12 years in prison , but the judge said that `` altogether , taking into account his earlier conviction and prison sentence of 15 years , Isakov shall be sentenced to 18 years in a high-security penitentiary . ''
He also ordered Isakov to pay about $ 3.3 million in fines .
The sentence was upheld by the Bishkek city court in August .
Isakov , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from August 2017 to April 2018 , has denied all charges against him , calling them politically motivated .
Isakov was temporarily released from a penal colony near Bishkek on October 6 amid antigovernment protests against the official results of parliamentary elections that ousted the government and led to resignation of President Sooronbai Jeenbekov .
Isakov was ordered to return to custody on October 12 , which he never did .
His current whereabouts are unknown .

BISHKEK -- The Supreme Court of Kyrgyzstan has canceled an 18-year prison sentence handed to former Prime Minister Sapar Isakov after he was convicted on corruption charges.
The court said on December 7 that it had sent the case for retrial to Bishkek's Birinchi Mai District Court. The reasons for the decision were not given.
In June, the Birinchi Mai District Court found Isakov guilty of misusing state funds allocated for the renovation of Bishkek’s National History Museum and a hippodrome in the northern town of Cholpon-Ata while in office.
That ruling came while Isakov was already serving a 15-year prison term on corruption charges stemming from his involvement in a 2013 project to modernize the Bishkek Thermal Power Station.
The court sentenced Isakov to 12 years in prison, but the judge said that "altogether, taking into account his earlier conviction and prison sentence of 15 years, Isakov shall be sentenced to 18 years in a high-security penitentiary."
He also ordered Isakov to pay about $3.3 million in fines.
The sentence was upheld by the Bishkek city court in August.
Isakov, 43, who served as prime minister from August 2017 to April 2018, has denied all charges against him, calling them politically motivated.
Isakov was temporarily released from a penal colony near Bishkek on October 6 amid antigovernment protests against the official results of parliamentary elections that ousted the government and led to resignation of President Sooronbai Jeenbekov.
Isakov was ordered to return to custody on October 12, which he never did. His current whereabouts are unknown.


rferl--2020-12-07--European Powers 'Deeply Worried' By Iran's Uranium Enrichment Plans

Britain , France , and Germany say Iran 's apparent plan to install additional advanced centrifuges at its main nuclear enrichment facility is “ deeply worrying '' and contrary to the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers .
`` If Iran is serious about preserving a space for diplomacy , it must not implement these steps , '' the three powers , dubbed the E3 , said in a joint statement on December 7 .
A confidential report by the UN ’ s atomic watchdog , the International Atomic Energy Agency ( IAEA ) , said Iran plans to install @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in its underground plant at Natanz .
Under the 2015 nuclear deal , Tehran can only use first-generation IR-1 centrifuges , which refine uranium much more slowly , at Natanz .
The breach is the latest in a series of violations by Iran of the nuclear deal in response to President Donald Trump 's decision to withdraw the United States from the accord and his reimposition of punishing economic sanctions .
The agreement is the best and currently the only way to monitor and constrain Iran 's nuclear program , the three countries @ @ @ @ @ @ @ three European powers also rebuked Iran over an Iranian law requiring the government to halt UN inspections of its nuclear sites and step up enrichment beyond the nuclear deal 's limits if the remaining signatories to the 2015 deal -- Britain , France , Germany , China , and Russia -- do not provide relief from sanctions .
The trio said the legislation is incompatible with Tehran ’ s commitments to the nuclear accord , known officially as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action ( JCPOA ) , which scrapped sanctions against Iran @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s nuclear program .
`` Such a move would jeopardize our shared efforts to preserve the JCPOA and also risks compromising the important opportunity for a return to diplomacy with the incoming U.S. administration , '' the statement reads .
U.S. President-elect Joe Biden , who takes office on January 20 , has said he is willing to rejoin the nuclear agreement if Iran moves back into compliance .
Tehran says its breaches can quickly be reversed if sanctions on Tehran are dropped .
With reporting by Reuters and AFP

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


rferl--2020-12-07--Ukrainian National Gets 12 Years In Prison In Moscow On Espionage Charges

A Ukrainian national and former professional soccer player has received 12 years in prison in Russia on espionage charges .
@ @ @ @ @ December 7 found Vasyl Vasylenko guilty of spying and sentenced him the same day .
@ @ @ @ @ 2019 on suspicion of smuggling unspecified dangerous materials , weapons , and valuable cultural items @ @ @ @ @ amended to espionage .
The materials in the case are classified .
No other details @ @ @ @ @ Vasylenko has not commented publicly on the case because of the classification .
Russia has @ @ @ @ @ nationals on espionage charges in recent years .
Relations between Moscow and Kyiv have been @ @ @ @ @ annexed Ukraine ’ s Crimean Peninsula and began backing separatists in the conflict in eastern @ @ @ @ @ more than 13,200 people dead .
Based on reporting by RIA Novosti and Interfax

A Ukrainian national and former professional soccer player has received 12 years in prison in Russia on espionage charges.
The Moscow City Court on December 7 found Vasyl Vasylenko guilty of spying and sentenced him the same day.
Vasylenko was arrested in October 2019 on suspicion of smuggling unspecified dangerous materials, weapons, and valuable cultural items.
The charge was later amended to espionage.
The materials in the case are classified. No other details have been made public.
Vasylenko has not commented publicly on the case because of the classification.
Russia has arrested and convicted several Ukrainian nationals on espionage charges in recent years.
Relations between Moscow and Kyiv have been tense since 2014 when Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula and began backing separatists in the conflict in eastern Ukraine, which has left more than 13,200 people dead.
Based on reporting by RIA Novosti and Interfax


rferl--2020-12-07--Teenager Who Beheaded French Teacher In Paris Suburb Buried In Chechnya

SHALAZHI , Russia -- A Chechen teenager who was shot dead by French police in October after he beheaded a teacher near Paris has been buried in his family 's village in Russia 's North Caucasus region of Chechnya .
Some 200 men , all residents of the village of Shalazhi , were allowed by local authorities to attend the December 6 burial of the 18-year-old Abdullakh Anzorov , whose body was brought to Chechnya via Turkey a day earlier .
Video posted on the Telegram channel Baza showed men chanting Islamic prayers and calling out , `` There is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mohammad is his messenger ! ''
and `` God is great ! ''
while bringing Anzorov 's body to the grave for burial .
Several dozen police officers were deployed at the site to keep order and make sure people from other areas did not attend the ceremony .
French authorities said in October that Anzorov , a refugee from Moscow , killed Samuel Paty near the school where he taught in a suburb outside Paris .
Anzorov was shot and killed by police shortly after .
The 47-year-old history and geography teacher @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Prophet Muhammad as part of a class discussion on freedom of expression .
French media have reported that the discussion prompted complaints from the parents of some students , including the father of one schoolgirl who called online for a “ mobilization ” against Paty .
Muslims believe that any depiction of the Prophet is blasphemous .
France has seen a series of violent attacks carried out by Islamist militants in recent years .
It has the biggest Muslim population in Western Europe , with around 5 million adherents , some @ @ @ @ @ @

SHALAZHI, Russia -- A Chechen teenager who was shot dead by French police in October after he beheaded a teacher near Paris has been buried in his family's village in Russia's North Caucasus region of Chechnya.
Some 200 men, all residents of the village of Shalazhi, were allowed by local authorities to attend the December 6 burial of the 18-year-old Abdullakh Anzorov, whose body was brought to Chechnya via Turkey a day earlier.
Video posted on the Telegram channel Baza showed men chanting Islamic prayers and calling out, "There is no God, but God, and Mohammad is his messenger!" and "God is great!" while bringing Anzorov's body to the grave for burial.
Several dozen police officers were deployed at the site to keep order and make sure people from other areas did not attend the ceremony.
French authorities said in October that Anzorov, a refugee from Moscow, killed Samuel Paty near the school where he taught in a suburb outside Paris. Anzorov was shot and killed by police shortly after.
The 47-year-old history and geography teacher was killed days after he showed cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad as part of a class discussion on freedom of expression.
French media have reported that the discussion prompted complaints from the parents of some students, including the father of one schoolgirl who called online for a “mobilization” against Paty. Muslims believe that any depiction of the Prophet is blasphemous.
France has seen a series of violent attacks carried out by Islamist militants in recent years. It has the biggest Muslim population in Western Europe, with around 5 million adherents, some of them Chechens offered asylum.


rferl--2020-12-07--Romania's Social Democrats Take Lead In Key General Elections Amid Low Turnout

BUCHAREST -- Romania 's opposition Social Democrats ( PSD ) have taken the lead in the country 's parliamentary elections , according to preliminary results , riding a wave of voter discontent over the ruling Liberals ' mixed results in their handling of the coronavirus pandemic .
With 99 percent of the vote counted in the December 6 elections , the PSD had 29.8 percent of the vote in the Chamber of Deputies and 30.2 percent in the Senate .
The pro-European National Liberal Party ( PNL ) had 25.1 percent in the Chamber of Deputies and 25.5 percent in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
However , the count does not include roughly 265,000 votes cast by the Romanian diaspora .
Romanians who live in Western Europe have traditionally voted against the PSD , which they perceive as corrupt and in many cases the very reason why they left the country .
Even if PSD does win the election victory , the party will lack allies in the new parliament .
President Klaus Iohannis , a former leader of the PNL , has said he would n't allow the party to return to government during his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The center-right alliance Save Romania Union-Liberty , Unity , and Solidarity Party ( USR-PLUS ) was third with 14.5 percent in the Chamber of Deputies and 15 percent in the Senate , the nearly complete returns showed .
The radical right-wing Alliance for the Romanians Union , a party founded last year by a pro-Bessarabian activist and promoter of the idea of a single Romanian state including Moldova , will enter parliament for the first time .
It received 8.7 percent in the Chamber of Deputies and 8.8 percent in the Senate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an exit poll predicted an unexpectedly strong performance by the PSD , the new leader of the party , Marcel Ciolacu , said he expected Orban 's resignation .
`` It is what Romanians have asked for with their votes , '' Ciolacu said .
`` The PNL thinks it is the winner of this election , '' Prime Minister Ludovic Orban told supporters .
`` We will seek to represent a wide array of interests . ''
The elections in the European Union member state were considered key to determining whether the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on their badly needed reformist agenda .
The vote took place a little over a year after the PNL minority government took over after the collapse of the PSD cabinet following a string of corruption scandals and massive public protests .
The liberals , led by Orban , and Iohannis had sought to assuage concerns about the pandemic to urge voters to come out in large numbers .
But Romanians appeared wary of the pandemic and disillusioned with Romania 's political class , with turnout only at around 32 percent , lower than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , one of the poorest European Union members , initially handled the coronavirus pandemic with unexpected success despite a health-care system marred by an acute lack of modern facilities , an exodus of medical personnel , and endemic corruption .
However , a new spike in infections after the summer was not met with the same decisiveness .
And the health-care network , still reeling from the first wave , was quickly overwhelmed .
Despite corruption and poverty , Romania remains staunchly pro-EU and pro-American , with Orban and Iohannis promising to launch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ three decades since the fall of communism and to keep the country on a pro-Western path .
In 2016 , the landslide victory of the PSD , the heir to the Communist Party and the political force that has dominated Romanian politics for most of the last 30 years , allowed it to unleash an all-out assault on the judiciary and the rule of law that brought tens of thousands of Romanians into the streets and prompted stark warnings from the EU and the United States .
Although weakened by the imprisonment last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leader Liviu Dragnea and removed from power through a no-confidence vote last year , the PSD has the largest network of party organizations .
The PSD also dominates most of the local administration in rural areas , where it relies on a group of influential “ local barons ” whose left-wing credentials remain questionable but whose power is indispensable for the PSD .
Ciolacu , who has carefully distanced himself from Dragnea , has accused Orban ’ s government of `` incompetence '' and failing to keep the spread of the coronavirus under @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Reuters

Romania's pro-Western Prime Minister Ludovic Orban has resigned after his National Liberal Party (PNL) came second in parliamentary elections at the weekend, despite the party appearing well-placed to stay in power.
Orban's announcement late on December 7 came after a stronger-than-expected showing by the leftist opposition in elections marred by absenteeism prompted in part by the coronavirus pandemic.
With some 95 percent of the vote counted as of December 7, the populist and corruption-prone Social Democrats (PSD), who have dominated Romanian politics since the collapse of communism, have some 30 percent of the vote, with the reformist center-right PNL trailing by about 5 percent.
In his live statement on television, Orban, whose government came under criticism from the PSD for its handling of the coronavirus pandemic, said he was leaving knowing that he had fulfilled his duty.
President Klaus Iohannis, who is set to hold consultations with the parties, later appointed Defense Minister Nicolae Ciuca as acting prime minister.
However, the PSD will lack allies in the new parliament and President Klaus Iohannis -- a former PNL leader and a staunch foe of the PSD -- said on December 7 that PSD will be kept "outside of the political decision-making process" and Romania will have a new center-right government.
Iohannis had previously said he would not want PSD to return to government during his current term, which ends in 2024.
Relative Newcomer
The center-right USR-PLUS alliance, a relative newcomer on the Romanian political scene which won about 15 percent of the vote, appears the first choice to form an alliance with the PNL, followed by the ethnic Hungarian UDMR party, which looks set to win 6 percent and has said it wants to cooperate with the liberals.
Turnout, at 31.8 percent out of 18 million eligible voters, was the lowest since the end of communism, prompted both by the pandemic and overall disillusionment with the postcommunist political elite.
The liberals, led by Prime Minister Ludovic Orban, and Iohannis had sought to assuage concerns about the pandemic to urge voters to come out in large numbers.
The PSD's last spell in government was overshadowed by huge street protests and the imprisoning of its former leader, Liviu Dragnea, on corruption charges before ending in a vote of no-confidence in 2019.
The only other party to have crossed the 5 percent threshold to enter parliament is the the far-right Alliance for the Unification of Romania (AUR), seen as the big surprise of the election. The party came virtually out of nowhere to win more than 9 percent of the vote.
AUR, which means gold in Romanian, was established just a year ago with a platform that opposes same-sex marriages and was supportive of Orthodox Church clerics who defied pandemic restrictions in Romania to hold religious ceremonies.
Its leadership includes an antigay journalist and a leader of a group of nationalist soccer "ultras" who was has been banned for five years from entering neighboring Moldova after vocally advocating the ex-Soviet republic's unification with Romania.
His group of ultras was involved in clashes last year with ethnic Hungarians over a war cemetery in Transylvania and staged anti-mask-wearing protests in Bucharest during the pandemic. A local leader of AUR is reportedly being tried for robbing ATMs.
Expat Votes
However, AUR did surprisingly well among Romania’s 4 million expats, having taken the lead in Italy and coming in second in Spain and France -- the EU countries with the largest Romanian communities abroad. The diaspora has traditionally, and sometimes decisively, voted against the PSD, which it holds responsible for the poverty and underdevelopment that drove millions of Romanians abroad.
The election in the EU member state was considered key to determining whether the liberals would gain enough support to embark on their badly needed reformist agenda.
Orban and Iohannis had promised to launch a modernization campaign long delayed in the three decades since the fall of communism and keep the country on a pro-Western path, but their task appears much more difficult following the inconclusive results of the election.
Furthermore, PSD still has the largest network of party organizations in the country, and dominates most of the local administration in rural areas, where it relies on a group of rich, influential, and arguably corrupt "local barons," whose left-wing credentials remain questionable but whose power is indispensable to the PSD.
With reporting by AFP, AP, and Reuters


rferl--2020-12-06--Soviet Soccer Star Viktor Ponedelnik Dies At 83


rferl--2020-12-08--UN General Assembly Passes Nonbinding Resolution Urging Russia To Withdraw From Crimea

The UN General Assembly has adopted a resolution urging Russia to end its `` temporary occupation '' of Crimea and immediately stop transferring weapons to Ukraine .
The nonbinding resolution `` urges the Russian Federation , as the occupying Power , immediately , completely and unconditionally to withdraw its military forces from Crimea and end its temporary occupation of the territory of Ukraine without delay . ''
It also calls on Russia to stop the transfer of advanced weapon systems , including nuclear-capable aircraft and missiles , weapons , ammunition , and military personnel “ to the territory of Ukraine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 63 countries in a vote on December 7 .
Seventeen countries voted against and 62 abstained .
The resolution was put forward by 40 countries , including Britain , France , Germany , the United States , Australia , Canada , Turkey , and the Baltic states .
The 17 countries that voted against it were Russia , Armenia , Belarus , Cambodia , China , Cuba , North Korea , Iran , Kyrgyzstan , Laos , Myanmar , Nicaragua , Serbia , Sudan , Syria , Venezuela , and Zimbabwe .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russia militarizing the Crimean Peninsula , and a year ago passed a resolution seeking protection of human rights in Crimea .
Ukraine ’ s First Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Emine Dzheppar last week addressed a virtual event of the UN General Assembly on the militarization of Crimea , citing `` significant threats due to Russia 's growing military presence as an occupying power on the Crimean peninsula . ''
Moscow occupied and seized the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in March 2014 , a move that led the European Union , the United States @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Russia .
Russia is also backing separatists in eastern Ukraine in a conflict that has killed more than 13,200 people since April 2014 .
Tensions between Russia and Western countries over the conflict continue .
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun last week used a meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe ( OSCE ) to slam Russia for violating the sovereignty and territorial integrity of member states .
“ The most egregious violation of sovereignty and territorial integrity within the OSCE area remains Russia ’ s continued @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Crimea , ” Biegun told the OSCE meeting , which was held on a teleconference due to the restrictions imposed by the coronavirus pandemic .

The UN General Assembly has adopted a resolution urging Russia to end its "temporary occupation" of Crimea and immediately stop transferring weapons to Ukraine.
The nonbinding resolution "urges the Russian Federation, as the occupying power, immediately, completely and unconditionally to withdraw its military forces from Crimea and end its temporary occupation of the territory of Ukraine without delay."
It also calls on Russia to stop the transfer of advanced weapon systems, including nuclear-capable aircraft and missiles, weapons, ammunition, and military personnel "to the territory of Ukraine."
The resolution was supported by 63 countries in a vote on December 7. Seventeen countries voted against and 62 abstained.
The resolution was put forward by 40 countries, including Britain, France, Germany, the United States, Australia, Canada, Turkey, and the Baltic states.
The 17 countries that voted against it were Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Cambodia, China, Cuba, North Korea, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Serbia, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe.
The General Assembly has passed other resolutions on Russia militarizing the Crimean Peninsula, and a year ago passed a resolution seeking protection of human rights in Crimea.
Ukrainian First Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzheppar last week addressed a virtual event of the UN General Assembly on the militarization of Crimea, citing "significant threats due to Russia's growing military presence as an occupying power on the Crimean peninsula."
Moscow occupied and seized the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in March 2014, a move that led the European Union, the United States, and other countries to impose sanctions on Russia. Russia is also backing separatists in eastern Ukraine in a conflict that has killed more than 13,200 people since April 2014.
Tensions between Russia and Western countries over the conflict continue.
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun last week used a meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to slam Russia for violating the sovereignty and territorial integrity of member states.
"The most egregious violation of sovereignty and territorial integrity within the OSCE area remains Russia's continued aggression in eastern Ukraine and occupation of Crimea," Biegun told the OSCE meeting, which was held by teleconference due to the restrictions imposed by the coronavirus pandemic.
With reporting by AFP


rferl--2020-12-07--Iranian Official Rejects Rumors Of Supreme Leader's Failing Health

An Iranian official has rejected online rumors that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is gravely ill , saying that the 81-year-old cleric was going about his business as usual .
`` By the grace of God and with the good prayers of devotees , the gentleman ( Ayatollah Khamenei ) is in good health and is busy vigorously carrying out his plans according to his routine , '' Mehdi Fazaeli , an official with an office tasked with publishing the supreme leader 's works , tweeted on December 7 .
The tweet followed reports by foreign news outlets that a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had been canceled and the supreme leader 's duties handed over to one of his sons , 51-year-old Mojtaba Khamenei , who has no political position .
Ayatollah Khamenei was reportedly last seen in public on November 24 , the date of his official Twitter account 's last post .
Khamenei is the longest-serving head of state in the Middle East , having been Iran 's supreme leader since 1989 .
Prior to his election to the position , which gives him a say in all matters of state , Khamenei was Iran @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In 2014 , Khamenei underwent successful surgery for prostate cancer .
On December 7 , the IRNA state news agency blamed a fall in Tehran 's bourse index on an unidentified `` rumor . ''
According to Iran 's Tasnim news agency , the rumor of Khamenei 's declining health started with a `` fake '' tweet in Arabic attributed to a `` separatist individual based in London . ''
State television has denied that a meeting of the Assembly of Experts , a body of clerics that is empowered with selecting the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said that an image of the purported meeting circulating on social media was `` fake . ''
With reporting by AP and Reuters


rferl--2020-12-07--Russian Businessman Received Flood Of Billion-Dollar Deals After Marrying 'Putin's Daughter,' Report

Russian Businessman Received Flood Of Billion-Dollar Deals After Marrying 'Putin's Daughter,' Report Shows

A young Russian businessman received a host of proposals to buy stakes in some of the nation ’ s largest companies shortly after marrying a woman reported to be President Vladimir Putin ’ s youngest daughter , a new investigative report shows .
Kirill Shamalov , who married Katerina Tikhonova in February 2013 , had received at least four deals by April 2014 to buy shares in Russian companies in the telecommunications , real estate , oil services , and metals industry worth billions of dollars , a trove of his emails that were leaked to Istories and the Organized @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) and published on December 7 show .
The emails , which go back to 2003 and whose authenticity have been confirmed with multiple sources , may give an inside peek into how quickly people can acquire enormous wealth upon entering Putin 's inner circle .
Shamalov was just 30 at the time he married Tikhonova .
Putin has never admitted that Tikhonova is his daughter .
Shamalov would eventually agree in August 2014 to buy a 17 percent stake in petrochemicals giant Sibur from Putin ’ s long-time associate Gennady Timchenko , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the company after being sanctioned by the United States , the report said .
The emails do not state how much Shamalov paid for the Sibur stake .
Shamalov would later claim that the company was worth $ 10 billion , potentially valuing the deal at $ 1.7 billion .
However , Sibur is not a publicly traded company and its market value can not be precisely determined .
The report says it is unclear how Shamalov would have been able to buy Timchenko ’ s 17 percent stake since he would not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ large loan .
However , an earlier proposal may give some indication .
When Shamalov was given an offer to buy stakes in three telecommunications companies worth billions of dollars in May 2013 , just three months after his marriage , his assistant suggested he borrow from `` friendly financial institutions '' like Gazfond , the pension fund of state-controlled Gazprom , which was headed by Shamalov ’ s brother , the report said .
Shamalov did not randomly meet Tikhonova .
He had known Putin ’ s daughter since childhood , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Shamalov , is one of Putin 's oldest and closest friends .
Shamalov began working at Sibur in his 20s and , shortly after marrying Tikhonova , received a 3.8 percent stake in the company for just $ 100 .
The stake was potentially worth hundreds of millions at the time .
Sibur ’ s Chairman Dmitry Konov said then that Shamalov acquired the stake as part of a company stock-option program .
Many large companies offer stock to management and employees at a discount to stimulate their performance .
However , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ paid millions of dollars for their stock options , indicating that Shamalov received preferential treatment .
Shortly after Russia annexed Crimea , prompting the U.S. and Europe to impose sanctions on people in Putin ’ s inner circle , including Timchenko , Shamalov was offered the chance to buy a 51 percent stake in titanium producer VSMPO-Avisma to potentially insulate himself .
Since VSMPO-Avisma ’ s clients included major Western aerospace companies , Washington and Brussels would not sanction its controlling owner for fear of hurting its own economy , his assistant reasoned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Shamalov in April 2018 .
However , by then , he had split up with Tikhonova after less than five years of marriage and had sold his stake in Sibur for an undisclosed price .

A young Russian businessman received a host of proposals to buy stakes in some of the nation’s largest companies shortly after marrying a woman reported to be President Vladimir Putin’s youngest daughter, a new investigative report shows.
Kirill Shamalov, who married Katerina Tikhonova in February 2013, had received at least four deals by April 2014 to buy shares in Russian companies in the telecommunications, real estate, oil services, and metals industry worth billions of dollars,a trove of his emails that were leaked to Istories and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and published on December 7 show.
The emails, which go back to 2003 and whose authenticity have been confirmed with multiple sources, may give an inside peek into how quickly people can acquire enormous wealth upon entering Putin's inner circle. Shamalov was just 30 at the time he married Tikhonova. Putin has never admitted that Tikhonova is his daughter.
Shamalov would eventually agree in August 2014 to buy a 17 percent stake in petrochemicals giant Sibur from Putin’s long-time associate Gennady Timchenko, who decided to cut his stake in the company after being sanctioned by the United States, the report said.
The emails do not state how much Shamalov paid for the Sibur stake. Shamalov would later claim that the company was worth $10 billion, potentially valuing the deal at $1.7 billion. However, Sibur is not a publicly traded company and its market value cannot be precisely determined.
The report says it is unclear how Shamalov would have been able to buy Timchenko’s 17 percent stake since he would not have had enough collateral for such a large loan. However, an earlier proposal may give some indication.
When Shamalov was given an offer to buy stakes in three telecommunications companies worth billions of dollars in May 2013, just three months after his marriage, his assistant suggested he borrow from "friendly financial institutions" like Gazfond, the pension fund of state-controlled Gazprom, which was headed by Shamalov’s brother, the report said.
Shamalov did not randomly meet Tikhonova. He had known Putin’s daughter since childhood, the report states. His father, Nikolai Shamalov, is one of Putin's oldest and closest friends.


rferl--2020-12-07--Suspect In Killing Of Journalist In Kyiv Remanded In Custody

A court in Kyiv has upheld an extension of the pretrial detention of one of the suspects in the high-profile 2016 killing of journalist Pavel Sheremet in the Ukrainian capital .
The appeals court on December 7 ruled that the decision of the Shevchenko district court in Kyiv in October to hold Andriy Antonenko in pretrial detention until December 19 is valid .
Dozens of Antonenko 's supporters rallied in front of the court on December 7 .
Sheremet , a Belarusian-born Russian citizen who had made Kyiv his permanent home , was leaving his apartment to head to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ show when an improvised explosive device planted under his vehicle exploded on July 20 , 2016 , killing him .
Antonenko and two others , Yulia Kuzmenko and Yana Duhar , were arrested as suspects in the case in December last year .
Duhar and Kuzmenko were later transferred to house arrest .
The three suspects took part in military operations in different capacities in Ukraine 's east , where government forces are fighting Russia-backed separatists .
The Interior Ministry and the National Police said in December last year that the group 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and social situation in Ukraine '' by killing Sheremet .
Analysts said Sheremet 's killing underscored concerns of a climate of impunity for attacks on journalists and others who challenge the authorities , while the government has faced persistent criticism over a perceived lack of progress in solving the case .
Sheremet 's mother , Lyudmila Sheremet , told RFE/RL in December last year that she does not know if the suspects are guilty or not , but that she is afraid `` that innocent people may be hurt '' as officials try @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the case .
In January , the Ukrainian Prosecutor-General 's Office said that additional evidence was needed for the case to go to trial .
With reporting by Ukrayinska Pravda and Ukrinform

A court in Kyiv has upheld an extension of the pretrial detention of one of the suspects in the high-profile 2016 killing of journalist Pavel Sheremet in the Ukrainian capital.
The appeals court on December 7 ruled that the decision of the Shevchenko district court in Kyiv in October to hold Andriy Antonenko in pretrial detention until December 19 is valid.
Dozens of Antonenko's supporters rallied in front of the court on December 7.
Sheremet, a Belarusian-born Russian citizen who had made Kyiv his permanent home, was leaving his apartment to head to the studio where he hosted a morning radio show when an improvised explosive device planted under his vehicle exploded on July 20, 2016, killing him.
Antonenko and two others, Yulia Kuzmenko and Yana Duhar, were arrested as suspects in the case in December last year.
Duhar and Kuzmenko were later transferred to house arrest.
The three suspects took part in military operations in different capacities in Ukraine's east, where government forces are fighting Russia-backed separatists.
The Interior Ministry and the National Police said in December last year that the group's goal was "to destabilize the political and social situation in Ukraine" by killing Sheremet.
Analysts said Sheremet's killing underscored concerns of a climate of impunity for attacks on journalists and others who challenge the authorities, while the government has faced persistent criticism over a perceived lack of progress in solving the case.
Sheremet's mother, Lyudmila Sheremet, told RFE/RL in December last year that she does not know if the suspects are guilty or not, but that she is afraid "that innocent people may be hurt" as officials try to show they're making headway in the case.
In January, the Ukrainian Prosecutor-General's Office said that additional evidence was needed for the case to go to trial.
With reporting by Ukrayinska Pravda and Ukrinform