rferl--2020-12-16--Tsikhanouskaya Accepts Sakharov Prize, Says 'Without A Free Belarus, Europe Is Not Free'

Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya and other leaders of the country 's democratic opposition were awarded the European Parliament 's 2020 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought in a ceremony on December 16 in Brussels .
Tsikhanouskaya received the prize from European Parliament President David Sassoli on behalf of the Coordination Council , a body set up by Belarus 's political opposition to facilitate a transfer of power in the country following a presidential election in August that the opposition says was rigged and the West has refused to accept .
`` An invisible wall of fear had been built @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lawmakers in her acceptance speech .
`` But this year , united , we believe that this wall of fear could be taken down , brick by brick .
The dream of a better Belarus keeps us going .
`` We are bound to win and we will win , '' the exiled former presidential candidate said .
`` Without a free Belarus , Europe is not truly free .
Long live Europe , long live Belarus ! ''
`` Your fight is our fight , '' Sassoli told the Belarusian opposition members @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Brussels this week for talks with European Union leaders ahead of the ceremony to present the prestigious prize .
Sassoli has said the representatives of the Belarusian opposition were being recognized for the courage , resilience , and determination that they have shown in defense of the freedom of thought and expression .
The 50,000 euro ( $ 59,180 ) annual human rights prize is named after the Soviet physicist and dissident Andrei Sakharov and was established in 1988 to honor individuals and organizations defending human rights and fundamental freedoms .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Coordination Council , including Tsikhanouskaya , Maryya Kalesnikava , Veranika Tsapkala , Volha Kavalkova , and Syarhey Dyleuski ; Nobel laureate Svetlana Alexievich ; Tsikhanouskaya 's imprisoned husband , Syarhey Tsikhanouski ; the founder of the Telegram channel NEXTA , Stsyapan Putsila ; Ales Byalyatski from the human rights organization Vyasna ; and political prisoner Mikalay Statkevich , who was a presidential candidate in the 2010 election .
Protests against longtime ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka have been ongoing since the disputed presidential election on August 9 .
Lukashenka , in office since 1994 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than 80 percent of the vote -- a vote which the opposition , and many Belarusians , said was rigged and which they believe Tsikhanouskaya actually won .
Police have violently cracked down on the protests , with more than 27,000 detentions , according to the United Nations .
There have also been credible reports of torture and ill-treatment , and several people have died .

EU ambassadors have agreed on a package of economic sanctions on Belarus over its crackdown on opposition protesters, targeting 29 individuals and seven firms or organizations, diplomats say.
The measures are said to include bans on conducting business in the 27-member bloc, freezing of assets, and travel bans.
The sanctions -- the third package on Belarus agreed by the EU -- are to be officially adopted during a meeting of the European Council on December 17.
An invisible wall of fear had been built around us. But this year, united, we believe that this wall of fear could be taken down, brick by brick. The dream of a better Belarus keeps us going."
The latest list of individuals and entities to be sanctioned is expected to be published the same day in the EU's official administrative gazette.
The EU ambassadors' decision came the same day that Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya and other leaders of the Belarusian democratic opposition were awarded the bloc's top human rights award.
Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka, his son, and more than 50 Belarusian officials have already been placed under EU sanctions.
Lukashenka, who has ruled Belarus for 26 years, has faced almost daily protests calling for his resignation since a presidential election on August 9 that the opposition says was rigged and which the West has refused to accept.
Police have violently cracked down on the postelection protests, with more than 27,000 detentions, according to the UN. There have also been credible reports of torture and ill-treatment, and several people have died.
Tikhanovskaya, who left Belarus for neighboring Lithuania fearing for the safety of her family, and other Belarusian opposition leaders were in Brussels on December 16 to receive the European Parliament's 2020 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought.
Tsikhanouskaya received the prize on behalf of the Coordination Council, a body set up by the political opposition to facilitate a transfer of power in Belarus.
"An invisible wall of fear had been built around us," she told European lawmakers in her acceptance speech. "But this year, united, we believe that this wall of fear could be taken down, brick by brick. The dream of a better Belarus keeps us going.
"We are bound to win and we will win," the exiled former presidential candidate said. "Without a free Belarus, Europe is not truly free. Long live Europe, long live Belarus!"
"Your fight is our fight," European Parliament President David Sassoli told the Belarusian opposition members during his introduction.
Crisis In Belarus Read our coverage as Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka continues his brutal crackdown on NGOs, activists, and independent media following the August 2020 presidential election.
Sassoli has said the representatives of the Belarusian opposition were being recognized for the courage, resilience, and determination that they have shown in defense of the freedom of thought and expression.
The 50,000-euro ($59,180) annual human rights prize is named after the Soviet physicist and dissident Andrei Sakharov and was established in 1988 to honor individuals and organizations defending human rights and fundamental freedoms.
Besides Tsikhanouskaya, the award goes to several other members of Belarus’s opposition Coordination Council, including Maryya Kalesnikava, Veranika Tsapkala, Volha Kavalkova, and Syarhey Dyleuski; Nobel laureate Svetlana Alexievich; Tsikhanouskaya's imprisoned husband, Syarhey Tsikhanouski; the founder of the Telegram channel NEXTA, Stsyapan Putsila; Ales Byalyatski from the human rights organization Vyasna; and political prisoner Mikalay Statkevich, who was a presidential candidate in the 2010 election.
Later in the day, the U.S. State Department said Tsikhanouskaya and Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun participated in a virtual discussion on the ongoing political crisis in Belarus.
During the discussion hosted by the German Marshall Fund, Biegun "reaffirmed strong U.S. support for the Belarusian people's resounding calls for their voice to be heard in determining their country’s fate," according to department spokesman Cale Brown.
He added that the deputy secretary "underscored U.S. calls for dialogue between the Coordination Council and Belarusian authorities to resolve the crisis, truly free and fair elections under international observation, and the unconditional release of all political prisoners and those unjustly detained."
With reporting by AFP and dpa


rferl--2020-12-16--Cold And Crowded: American Jailed In Russia Complains About Poor Conditions

Former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan , sentenced in June in Russia to 16 years on espionage charges that he rejects , has complained to his family members about the conditions at the prison where he is incarcerated .
The 50-year-old Whelan was arrested in Moscow in December 2018 and sentenced on June 15 after prosecutors claimed that a flash memory stick found in Whelan 's possession contained classified information .
He is serving his sentence at Correctional Colony No .
17 in the region of Mordovia , some 350 kilometers east of Moscow , in a region historically known as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ toughest prisons , including Soviet-era labor camps for political prisoners .
In an interview with Interfax published on December 16 , David Whelan said his brother had complained during a phone call that the detention facility was “ practically unheated ” and that the temperature in the barracks was 5 degrees Celsius .
David Whelan quoted his brother as saying he is woken up at approximately two-hour intervals every night despite lodging complaints with the prison warden .
David Whelan also said his brother had indicated that there was an outbreak of illness @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prison has not clarified what it is . ''
`` The prison has barracks for inmates , and one is now housing the sick inmates , ” he said .
“ The displaced prisoners are being housed in the remaining barracks , leading to overcrowding .
While prisoners have masks , they are not always worn correctly and there are no other preventative steps being taken ” to stop the spread of the coronavirus .
David Whelan said he hopes that the U.S. government continues to make efforts to secure the release of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the administration of President-elect Joe Biden .
The United States has demanded Whelan 's immediate release , calling his treatment and conviction `` appalling . ''
Whelan , who has rejected the espionage charges and insists he had come to Russia to attend a wedding , says he was framed when he took the memory stick from an acquaintance thinking it contained holiday photos .
In his first extensive interview since his arrest , Whelan told the U.S. television network ABC in November that he did n't know why he was targeted .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ could be linked to his job as a global security executive for auto parts supplier BorgWarner and its business with Russian truck manufacturer KamAZ , partly owned by Russian state defense conglomerate Rostec , which is under U.S. sanctions .
Reports in June said Russian and U.S. officials were in talks about a possible swap of Whelan for two Russians -- arms dealer Viktor Bout and drug smuggler Konstantin Yaroshenko -- who are serving lengthy sentences in U.S. prisons .
Whelan said FSB officers immediately mentioned both Bout and Yaroshenko to him after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ made clear Russia hoped for a trade .
On December 16 , Interfax quoted Whelan 's lawyer , Konstantin Zherebenkov , as saying that a prisoner swap involving Whelan , Bout , and Yaroshenko was “ possible.
” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said in August that the issue of Whelan 's exchange for Russian citizens had not yet been discussed with U.S. officials .
Whelan 's family also said that no negotiations are currently under way .
Whelan told ABC that he understands it 's difficult for the U.S. government to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hostage -- for two criminals .
Still , he said he remains optimistic .

Former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, sentenced in June in Russia to 16 years on espionage charges that he rejects, has complained to his family members about the conditions at the prison where he is incarcerated.
The 50-year-old Whelan was arrested in Moscow in December 2018 and sentenced on June 15 after prosecutors claimed that a flash memory stick found in Whelan's possession contained classified information.
He is serving his sentence at Correctional Colony No. 17 in the region of Mordovia, some 350 kilometers east of Moscow, in a region historically known as the location of some of Russia's toughest prisons, including Soviet-era labor camps for political prisoners.
In an interview with Interfax published on December 16, David Whelan said his brother had complained during a phone call that the detention facility was "practically unheated" and that the temperature in the barracks was 5 degrees Celsius.
David Whelan quoted his brother as saying he is woken up at approximately two-hour intervals every night despite lodging complaints with the prison warden.
David Whelan also said his brother had indicated that there was an outbreak of illness at the prison, "although the prison has not clarified what it is."
"The prison has barracks for inmates, and one is now housing the sick inmates," he said. "The displaced prisoners are being housed in the remaining barracks, leading to overcrowding. While prisoners have masks, they are not always worn correctly and there are no other preventative steps being taken" to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
David Whelan said he hopes that the U.S. government continues to make efforts to secure the release of his brother even during the transition to the administration of President-elect Joe Biden.
The United States has demanded Whelan's immediate release, calling his treatment and conviction "appalling."
Whelan, who has rejected the espionage charges and insists he had come to Russia to attend a wedding, says he was framed when he took the memory stick from an acquaintance thinking it contained holiday photos.
In his first extensive interview since his arrest, Whelan told the U.S. television network ABC in November that he didn't know why he was targeted.
But he said he believed his arrest could be linked to his job as a global security executive for auto parts supplier BorgWarner and its business with Russian truck manufacturer KamAZ, partly owned by Russian state defense conglomerate Rostec, which is under U.S. sanctions.
Reports in June said Russian and U.S. officials were in talks about a possible swap of Whelan for two Russians -- arms dealer Viktor Bout and drug smuggler Konstantin Yaroshenko -- who are serving lengthy sentences in U.S. prisons.
Whelan said FSB officers immediately mentioned both Bout and Yaroshenko to him after his arrest and that it was soon made clear Russia hoped for a trade.
On December 16, Interfax quoted Whelan's lawyer, Konstantin Zherebenkov, as saying that a prisoner swap involving Whelan, Bout, and Yaroshenko was “possible.”
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said in August that the issue of Whelan's exchange for Russian citizens had not yet been discussed with U.S. officials.
Whelan's family also said that no negotiations are currently under way. Whelan told ABC that he understands it's difficult for the U.S. government to exchange him -- an American tourist taken hostage -- for two criminals. Still, he said he remains optimistic.
With reporting by Interfax


rferl--2020-12-16--Kazakh Activists Mark Independence Day With Unsanctioned Rally In Almaty

ALMATY , Kazakhstan -- Opposition activists in Kazakhstan 's largest city , Almaty , have marked the Central Asian nation 's Independence Day with an unsanctioned rally .
The Independence Day marked on December 16 coincides with the two major anniversaries in modern Kazakh history : the 1986 Kazakh youth anti-Kremlin demonstrations in Almaty , known as the Zheltoqsan revolt , and the deadly 2011 police crackdown against protesting oil workers in the southwestern town of Zhanaozen .
At least 14 oil workers died in the crackdown .
Hundreds of activists belonging to the Oyan , Qazaqstan ( Wake Up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opposition Democratic Party , as well as ordinary Almaty residents and rights defenders , gathered in the city 's central Square of the Republic , on December 16 .
Participants commemorated the victims of Zheltoqsan and Zhanaozen and chanted slogans demanding the immediate release of all political prisoners , fair parliamentary elections on January 10 , and the registration of opposition parties .
Police surrounded the demonstrators , dividing them into smaller groups and not allowing them to march across the city .
The activists held posters saying , `` Never forget 1986 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on December 16 , votes to be taken on January 10 , '' and `` Kazakhstan needs an upgrade ! ''
The leader of the Democratic Party , Zhanbolat Mamai , said at the gathering that individuals responsible for deaths in 1986 and 2011 must face justice .
`` Those who gave the orders to open fire at peaceful demonstrators in Zhanaozen must be put behind bars .
What kind of a country are we if we forget the victims of December 1986 and 2011 ? ''
Mamai told the gathering .
Smaller @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Zheltoqsan were held on December 16 in Kazakhstan ’ s capital , Nur-Sultan , and in other towns and cities .

ALMATY, Kazakhstan -- Opposition activists in Kazakhstan's largest city, Almaty, have marked the Central Asian nation's Independence Day with an unsanctioned rally.
The Independence Day marked on December 16 coincides with the two major anniversaries in modern Kazakh history: the 1986 Kazakh youth anti-Kremlin demonstrations in Almaty, known as the Zheltoqsan revolt, and the deadly 2011 police crackdown against protesting oil workers in the southwestern town of Zhanaozen. At least 14 oil workers died in the crackdown.
Hundreds of activists belonging to the Oyan, Qazaqstan (Wake Up, Kazakhstan) movement and the unregistered opposition Democratic Party, as well as ordinary Almaty residents and rights defenders, gathered in the city's central Square of the Republic, on December 16.
Participants commemorated the victims of Zheltoqsan and Zhanaozen and chanted slogans demanding the immediate release of all political prisoners, fair parliamentary elections on January 10, and the registration of opposition parties.
Police surrounded the demonstrators, dividing them into smaller groups and not allowing them to march across the city.
The activists held posters saying, "Never forget 1986 and 2011," "Lives taken on December 16, votes to be taken on January 10," and "Kazakhstan needs an upgrade!"
The leader of the Democratic Party, Zhanbolat Mamai, said at the gathering that individuals responsible for deaths in 1986 and 2011 must face justice.
"Those who gave the orders to open fire at peaceful demonstrators in Zhanaozen must be put behind bars. What kind of a country are we if we forget the victims of December 1986 and 2011?" Mamai told the gathering.
Smaller gatherings to commemorate victims of Zhanaozen and Zheltoqsan were held on December 16 in Kazakhstan’s capital, Nur-Sultan, and in other towns and cities.


rferl--2020-12-16--U.S. Senate Unanimously Approves New Ambassador To Belarus

The U.S. Senate has unanimously approved the appointment of Julie Fisher , deputy assistant secretary for Western Europe and the European Union , as the new ambassador to Belarus .
Fisher is the first U.S. envoy to the Eastern European country since 2008 .
U.S. President Donald Trump in April announced his decision to appoint Fisher to the post , and the Senate ’ s Foreign Affairs Committee in September recommended the approval of her nomination .
Fisher previously served on special assignment as the charge d ’ affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Moscow .
The United States and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dissolution of the Soviet Union .
Relations turned sour amid accusations by the United States that Belarus was violating human rights .
Minsk , in turn , has accused Washington of interfering in its internal affairs .
In June 2006 , Washington imposed economic sanctions on two enterprises of the Belarusian state petrochemical corporation Belneftekhim over reports of human rights abuses .
The same year , Belarus recalled its ambassador from Washington and insisted that the U.S. envoy must leave Minsk .
On July 20 , longtime ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka appointed a new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the process of mending U.S.-Belarusian ties paused this year after the disputed August 9 presidential election in Belarus and subsequent unrest .
Belarus has been gripped by protests since the official results of the vote handed Lukashenka a landslide win and a sixth straight term .
The election was condemned by opponents and the West as rigged .
Crowds of demonstrators calling for his resignation have swelled beyond 100,000 at times , and the opposition has sought to mount a nationwide strike .
Thousands of protesters have been arrested , with some beaten @ @ @ @ @ @ @ streets and in detention .
Many of the protest movement 's leaders were forced to flee the country or jailed in a government crackdown .
The United States , the European Union , and several other countries have refused to acknowledge Lukashenka as the winner of the vote , and imposed sanctions on him and his allies , citing election fraud and the police crackdown .

The U.S. Senate has unanimously approved the appointment of Julie Fisher, deputy assistant secretary for Western Europe and the European Union, as the new ambassador to Belarus.
Fisher is the first U.S. envoy to the Eastern European country since 2008.
U.S. President Donald Trump in April announced his decision to appoint Fisher to the post, and the Senate’s Foreign Affairs Committee in September recommended the approval of her nomination.
Fisher previously served on special assignment as the charge d’affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Moscow.
The United States and Belarus established diplomatic relations after the 1991 dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Relations turned sour amid accusations by the United States that Belarus was violating human rights. Minsk, in turn, has accused Washington of interfering in its internal affairs.
In June 2006, Washington imposed economic sanctions on two enterprises of the Belarusian state petrochemical corporation Belneftekhim over reports of human rights abuses.
The same year, Belarus recalled its ambassador from Washington and insisted that the U.S. envoy must leave Minsk.
On July 20, longtime ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka appointed a new envoy to the United States. But the process of mending U.S.-Belarusian ties paused this year after the disputed August 9 presidential election in Belarus and subsequent unrest.
Belarus has been gripped by protests since the official results of the vote handed Lukashenka a landslide win and a sixth straight term.
The election was condemned by opponents and the West as rigged.
Crowds of demonstrators calling for his resignation have swelled beyond 100,000 at times, and the opposition has sought to mount a nationwide strike.
Thousands of protesters have been arrested, with some beaten by police and security forces on the streets and in detention.
Many of the protest movement's leaders were forced to flee the country or jailed in a government crackdown.
The United States, the European Union, and several other countries have refused to acknowledge Lukashenka as the winner of the vote, and imposed sanctions on him and his allies, citing election fraud and the police crackdown.
With reporting by Interfax


rferl--2020-12-16--Russian Opposition Activist Kotov Released From Prison

MOSCOW -- Russian opposition activist Konstantin Kotov , who was imprisoned for repeatedly taking part in unsanctioned rallies , has been released upon completion of his prison term .
Kotov left Correctional Colony No .
2 in the western Vladimir Region on December 16 , his lawyer Maria Eismont told reporters .
The 35-year-old computer programmer was detained on August 10 , 2019 , for taking part in a rally to demand that opposition and independent candidates be put on the ballot for the Moscow City Duma election that was held in September 2019 .
Kotov was convicted and sentenced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was one of several activists sent to prison following the protests in what has been dubbed the Moscow Case .
Kotov 's sentencing on September 5 , 2019 , sparked a public outcry in Russia because of its severity .
On January 25 , amid protests triggered by Kotov 's imprisonment , President Vladimir Putin ordered the Prosecutor-General 's Office to review the legality of the sentencing .
Two days later , Russia 's Constitutional Court ruled that the case must be reviewed .
Later in April , the Moscow City Court ruled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2 1/2 years .
His term was also recalculated due to the time he served in pretrial detention , where one day is equal to two days served in a penal colony .
Kotov has maintained his innocence , calling his case politically motivated .
With reporting by Interfax and MBKh Media

MOSCOW -- Russian opposition activist Konstantin Kotov, who was imprisoned for repeatedly taking part in unsanctioned rallies, has been released upon completion of his prison term.
Kotov left Correctional Colony No. 2 in the western Vladimir Region on December 16, his lawyer Maria Eismont told reporters.
The 35-year-old computer programmer was detained on August 10, 2019, for taking part in a rally to demand that opposition and independent candidates be put on the ballot for the Moscow City Duma election that was held in September 2019.
Kotov was convicted and sentenced to four years in prison. He was one of several activists sent to prison following the protests in what has been dubbed the Moscow Case.
Kotov's sentencing on September 5, 2019, sparked a public outcry in Russia because of its severity.
On January 25, amid protests triggered by Kotov's imprisonment, President Vladimir Putin ordered the Prosecutor-General's Office to review the legality of the sentencing.
Two days later, Russia's Constitutional Court ruled that the case must be reviewed.
Later in April, the Moscow City Court ruled Kotov's term must be lowered by 2 1/2 years. His term was also recalculated due to the time he served in pretrial detention, where one day is equal to two days served in a penal colony.
Kotov has maintained his innocence, calling his case politically motivated.
With reporting by Interfax and MBKh Media


rferl--2020-12-16--Russia Backs UN Security Council Call For Withdrawal Of Foreign Fighters From Libya

The UN Security Council reiterated a call for all foreign fighters to leave Libya in a unanimous statement on December 15 that included the backing of Russia , which has been accused of helping a military contractor send mercenaries into the country .
All 15 Security Council members called for the withdrawal of “ all foreign fighters and mercenaries ” from Libya in line with a UN-brokered cease-fire agreement reached on October 23 .
Under the agreement , the departure of foreign forces and mercenaries is to take place within three months .
Stephanie Williams , acting UN envoy to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about 20,000 foreign and mercenary forces were still in Libya .
Moscow has been accused of supporting mercenaries fighting against the UN-backed Government of National Accord ( GNA ) in Tripoli .
The GNA is vying for power against strongman Khalifa Haftar , who is supported by the United Arab Emirates , Russia , and Egypt .
Before the truce was signed in October , the European Union and Britain sanctioned a Kremlin-connected businessman who they said was providing support for the Vagner Group , a Russian military contractor force active in Libya @ @ @ @ @ @ @ calling for the withdrawal of mercenaries following a closed-door video conference on December 15 .
The statement also underlined the importance of an effective Libyan-led Cease-Fire Monitoring Mechanism .
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is due to submit options to the Security Council for the creation of the mechanism , which would be run by the United Nations .
Libya has been wracked by violence since longtime ruler Muammar Qaddafi was deposed by a NATO-backed uprising in 2011 .
Earlier on December 15 , U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blasted Russia for continuing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sowing `` chaos , conflict , and division '' in Mediterranean countries , including Libya .
Based on reporting by AFP and Reuters

The UN Security Council reiterated a call for all foreign fighters to leave Libya in a unanimous statement on December 15 that included the backing of Russia, which has been accused of helping a military contractor send mercenaries into the country.
All 15 Security Council members called for the withdrawal of “all foreign fighters and mercenaries” from Libya in line with a UN-brokered cease-fire agreement reached on October 23.
Under the agreement, the departure of foreign forces and mercenaries is to take place within three months.
Stephanie Williams, acting UN envoy to Libya, said earlier this month that about 20,000 foreign and mercenary forces were still in Libya.
Moscow has been accused of supporting mercenaries fighting against the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli. The GNA is vying for power against strongman Khalifa Haftar, who is supported by the United Arab Emirates, Russia, and Egypt.
Before the truce was signed in October, the European Union and Britain sanctioned a Kremlin-connected businessman who they said was providing support for the Vagner Group, a Russian military contractor force active in Libya.
The Security Council released the statement calling for the withdrawal of mercenaries following a closed-door video conference on December 15. The statement also underlined the importance of an effective Libyan-led Cease-Fire Monitoring Mechanism.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is due to submit options to the Security Council for the creation of the mechanism, which would be run by the United Nations.
Libya has been wracked by violence since longtime ruler Muammar Qaddafi was deposed by a NATO-backed uprising in 2011.
Earlier on December 15, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blasted Russia for continuing to "threaten Mediterranean stability" and sowing "chaos, conflict, and division" in Mediterranean countries, including Libya.
Based on reporting by AFP and Reuters


rferl--2020-12-16--White House National-Security Adviser Cuts European Trip Short To Deal With Major Cyberattack

White House national-security adviser Robert O'Brien has cut short a European trip and returned to Washington to deal with the fallout from a major cyberattack by suspected Russian hackers .
O'Brien was to hold National Security Council ( NSC ) meetings late on December 15 and early on December 16 and will convene a high-level interagency meeting later this week , NSC spokesman John Ullyot said in a statement .
The White House previously announced that a coordinating team had been created to respond to the cyberattack , which was first reported on December 13 .
The team includes the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( DHS ) , and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence .
DHS has not said how many agencies were hacked .
The department was among those targeted , along with the U.S. Treasury Department and the U.S. Commerce Department , according to media reports on December 14 .
DHS and thousands of businesses have been scrambling to investigate and respond to the cyberattack , which experts have said was carried out by Russian government hackers .
The Russian Embassy in Washington denied any involvement , saying in a statement on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conduct offensive operations in the cyber domain.
” A bipartisan group of U.S. senators have written a letter to the directors of the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency ( CISA ) requesting a report about the extent of the attacks .
The senators asked for a list of all federal agencies that are customers of SolarWinds , the software company whose product was compromised , and details about data that was susceptible to hacking .
CISA has ordered federal agencies to immediately stop using technology products made by SolarWinds , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` outside nation state '' inserted malicious code into updates of its network management software issued between March and June of this year .
It is expected to take weeks if not longer for investigators to discover what government and private industry secrets may have been stolen .
SolarWinds ’ software is used by several U.S. government agencies , including the U.S. Defense Department , which said in a statement on December 14 that it had issued guidance to protect its networks .
It would not say whether any of its systems may @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chris Miller told CBS News on December 15 that there was no evidence of compromise .
Cybersecurity experts say the latest cyberattack exhibits the tactics and techniques of Russia ’ s Foreign Intelligence Service ( SVR ) and predict that when the investigation is complete , the cyberattack will rank highly in the annals of cyberespionage .
Thomas Rid of Johns Hopkins University said this cyberattack can be compared to Russia ’ s three-year-long hacking of U.S. government targets , including NASA and the Pentagon , in the 1990s .
Based on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to spy in the most recent case , he said they probably stole so much information they most likely do not know yet how they will use it .
With reporting by Reuters and AP

White House national-security adviser Robert O'Brien has cut short a European trip and returned to Washington to deal with the fallout from a major cyberattack by suspected Russian hackers.
O'Brien was to hold National Security Council (NSC) meetings late on December 15 and early on December 16 and will convene a high-level interagency meeting later this week, NSC spokesman John Ullyot said in a statement.
The White House previously announced that a coordinating team had been created to respond to the cyberattack, which was first reported on December 13. The team includes the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
DHS has not said how many agencies were hacked. The department was among those targeted, along with the U.S. Treasury Department and the U.S. Commerce Department, according to media reports on December 14.
DHS and thousands of businesses have been scrambling to investigate and respond to the cyberattack, which experts have said was carried out by Russian government hackers.
The Russian Embassy in Washington denied any involvement, saying in a statement on December 14 that Russia “does not conduct offensive operations in the cyber domain.”
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators have written a letter to the directors of the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) requesting a report about the extent of the attacks.
The senators asked for a list of all federal agencies that are customers of SolarWinds, the software company whose product was compromised, and details about data that was susceptible to hacking.
CISA has ordered federal agencies to immediately stop using technology products made by SolarWinds, which has admitted that hackers from an "outside nation state" inserted malicious code into updates of its network management software issued between March and June of this year.
It is expected to take weeks if not longer for investigators to discover what government and private industry secrets may have been stolen.
SolarWinds’ software is used by several U.S. government agencies, including the U.S. Defense Department, which said in a statement on December 14 that it had issued guidance to protect its networks. It would not say whether any of its systems may have been hacked.
Acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller told CBS News on December 15 that there was no evidence of compromise.
Cybersecurity experts say the latest cyberattack exhibits the tactics and techniques of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) and predict that when the investigation is complete, the cyberattack will rank highly in the annals of cyberespionage.
Thomas Rid of Johns Hopkins University said this cyberattack can be compared to Russia’s three-year-long hacking of U.S. government targets, including NASA and the Pentagon, in the 1990s.
Based on the amount of time the hackers were able to spy in the most recent case, he said they probably stole so much information they most likely do not know yet how they will use it.
With reporting by Reuters and AP


rferl--2020-12-16--Canada Questions Iran's Probe Into Downing Of Ukrainian Passenger Jet

An independent Canadian report published on December 14 has questioned Iran ’ s investigation into its own military ’ s downing of a Kyiv-bound passenger plane that killed 176 people .
Iran is not conducting the probe properly and many questions remain unanswered , the report said , in the latest complaint over Iran ’ s handling of the aftermath of the disaster .
`` The party responsible for the situation is investigating itself , largely in secret .
That does not inspire confidence or trust , '' said the report , written by the Canadian government 's special counsel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Flight 752 crashed shortly after taking off from the Iranian capital 's main airport on January 8 , killing all on board , including 85 Canadian citizens and permanent residents .
Iran said days later that its forces had accidentally shot down the plane after firing two missiles amid heightened tensions with the United States .
Flight 752 was downed the same night that Iran launched a ballistic-missile attack that targeted U.S. soldiers in Iraq , and Tehran 's air defenses were on high alert in case of retaliation .
Iran 's missile @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drone strike that killed the powerful commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps , Major General Qasem Soleimani , in Baghdad five days earlier .
`` Many of the key details of this horrific event remain unknown , '' the report said , noting in particular why Iranian airspace had remained open the night of the tragedy .
`` Iran bears responsibility for that because -- at least thus far -- it has not conducted its investigations ( safety , criminal or otherwise ) in a truly independent , objective , and transparent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Canada said in October that it would set up its own team of investigators to collect and analyze available information on the crash .
In early November , the International Civil Aviation Organization ( ICAO ) called on Iran to `` expedite the accident investigation '' and publish its final findings on the crash .
The author of the report , Ralph Goodale , a former minister in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 's cabinet , also called for a review of the current international standard that entrusts the investigation of an aviation crash @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` In the case of a military shoot-down , that means the very government involved in causing the disaster ( Iran in this case ) is in complete control of the safety investigation , obvious conflicts of interest notwithstanding , with few safeguards to ensure independence , impartiality , or legitimacy , '' the report said .
`` This undermines the investigation 's credibility and enables a sense of impunity in avoiding essential questions . ''
Trudeau welcomed the report and called on Iran to `` answer comprehensively , with supporting evidence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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--2020-12-17--U.S. Senator Confident Nord Stream 2 Will Be Stopped As Russia Hurries To Complete Pipeline

WASHINGTON – U.S .
Senator Ted Cruz has expressed confidence that new U.S. sanctions will prevent the completion of a controversial Russian natural gas pipeline to Europe even as the Kremlin hurries to finish the undersea project .
Congress earlier this month passed the National Defense Authorization Act ( NDAA ) , which includes legislation sanctioning any companies that provide upgrading services for vessels working on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline or that provide insurance and certification services for the project .
The sanctions legislation will take effect should President Donald Trump sign the NDAA .
The White House has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ separate legislation in the package .
The United States in December 2019 passed a bill that imposed sanctions on vessels laying the Nord Stream 2 pipeline , forcing Swiss-based Allseas to stop work on the project shortly before its completion .
Russia is now seeking to retrofit its own vessels to finish the pipeline , which is more than 90 percent complete , prompting Congress to pass the latest round of sanctions in an attempt to foil any more progress .
“ This project , I believe , will never deliver gas , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , told an online conference on December 16 organized by the Atlantic Council , a Washington-based think tank .
The sanctions target “ critical vulnerabilities without which the pipeline can not be completed , ” he said .
Cruz said Russia is spreading disinformation that the project ’ s completion is inevitable just as it did last year before the first round of sanctions .
“ We know that they were wrong then .
They are wrong now also .
This project is not going to be completed , ” he said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the largest producer of oil and gas in the United States , dismissed claims that the sanctions are an attempt to further open the European gas market for U.S. energy exports , calling it Russian propaganda .
“ As far as I ’ m concerned , getting [ gas ] anywhere other than Russia is a material improvement for everybody , ” said Cruz .
Christopher Robinson , a deputy assistant secretary in the department ’ s Europe and Eurasia bureau told the conference that Washington had long been opposed to Nord Stream @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1 , before the United States had the ability -- legally and technically -- to export liquefied natural gas ( LNG ) .
The United States began exporting LNG in February 2016 , more than three years after Russia said it intended to move ahead with the second phase of the project .
Washington is opposed to Nord Stream 2 on the grounds that it undermines Ukraine and increases European dependence on Russian energy .
The pipeline would not increase total Russian natural gas exports to Europe , rather it would reroute Russian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Baltic Sea to a port in Germany , bypassing an existing land route through Ukraine and depriving Kyiv of billions of dollars in annual fees .
Nord Stream 2 was scheduled for completion in early 2020 but was delayed by the first round of U.S. sanctions .
Russia is now seeking to lay the remaining 100 kilometers of the 1,230-kilometer pipeline , announcing earlier this month that it began work on a 2.6 kilometer stretch in German waters .
Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the first round of sanctions were imposed , that he hoped the project would be completed by the end of March 2021 .
Ben Schmitt , a researcher at Harvard University and former European energy security adviser at the State Department , told the conference that Russia could increase aggression toward Ukraine if it completes the project and is no longer dependent on its neighbor ’ s pipeline system .
Russia illegally annexed Ukraine ’ s Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and soon began backing rebels in two of the country ’ s eastern @ @ @ @ @ @ @ European Union .
While some nations , especially in eastern Europe , have expressed opposition to the pipeline , Germany supports it , raising concerns on both sides of the Atlantic that Washington could damage relations with Berlin if the legislation becomes law .
Debra Cagan , a former deputy assistant secretary of defense , said U.S.-German relations are so expansive that the sanctions dispute is just a “ blip on the radar.
” Germany , she pointed out , would only consume about 15 percent of the gas it receives from Nord @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other countries .
Furthermore , it would be on the hook for $ 10 billion if the project isn ’ t completed , she said .
“ I think we have to be honest here and say that [ German opposition to sanctions ] is more about profits than about geopolitics , ” she said .

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Ted Cruz has expressed confidence that new U.S. sanctions will prevent the completion of a controversial Russian natural gas pipeline to Europe even as the Kremlin hurries to finish the undersea project.
Congress earlier this month passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which includes legislation sanctioning any companies that provide upgrading services for vessels working on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline or that provide insurance and certification services for the project.
The sanctions legislation will take effect should President Donald Trump sign the NDAA. The White House has threatened to veto the massive NDAA over separate legislation in the package.
The United States in December 2019 passed a bill that imposed sanctions on vessels laying the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, forcing Swiss-based Allseas to stop work on the project shortly before its completion.
Russia is now seeking to retrofit its own vessels to finish the pipeline, which is more than 90 percent complete, prompting Congress to pass the latest round of sanctions in an attempt to foil any more progress.
“This project, I believe, will never deliver gas,” Cruz, who co-sponsored the legislation, told an online conference on December 16 organized by the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based think tank.
The sanctions target “critical vulnerabilities without which the pipeline cannot be completed,” he said.
Cruz said Russia is spreading disinformation that the project’s completion was inevitable just as it did last year before the first round of sanctions.
“We know that they were wrong then. They are wrong now also. This project is not going to be completed,” he said.
Cruz, a Republican from Texas, the largest producer of oil and gas in the United States, dismissed claims that the sanctions were an attempt to further open the European gas market for U.S. energy exports, calling it Russian propaganda.
“As far as I’m concerned, getting [gas] anywhere other than Russia is a material improvement for everybody,” said Cruz.
Christopher Robinson, a deputy assistant secretary in the U.S. State Department’s Europe and Eurasia bureau told the conference that Washington had long been opposed to Nord Stream 2 and its predecessor, Nord Stream 1, before the United States had the ability -- legally and technically -- to export liquefied natural gas (LNG).
The United States began exporting LNG in February 2016, more than three years after Russia said it intended to move ahead with the second phase of the project.
Washington is opposed to Nord Stream 2 on the grounds that it undermines Ukraine and increases European dependence on Russian energy.
The pipeline would not increase total Russian natural gas exports to Europe, rather it would reroute Russian gas destined for the continent under the Baltic Sea to a port in Germany, bypassing an existing land route through Ukraine and depriving Kyiv of billions of dollars in annual fees.
Nord Stream 2 was scheduled for completion in early 2020 but was delayed by the first round of U.S. sanctions. Russia is now seeking to lay the remaining 100 kilometers of the 1,230-kilometer pipeline, announcing earlier this month that it had begun work on a 2.6 kilometer stretch in German waters.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in January, a few weeks after the first round of sanctions were imposed, that he hoped the project would be completed by the end of March 2021.
Ben Schmitt, a researcher at Harvard University and former European energy security adviser at the State Department, told the conference that Russia could increase aggression toward Ukraine if it completes the project and is no longer dependent on its neighbor’s pipeline system.
Russia illegally annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and soon began backing rebels in two of the country’s eastern provinces.
The project has divided the European Union.
While some nations, especially in eastern Europe, have expressed opposition to the pipeline, Germany supports it, raising concerns on both sides of the Atlantic that Washington could damage relations with Berlin if the legislation becomes law.
Debra Cagan, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense, said U.S.-German relations are so expansive that the sanctions dispute is just a “blip on the radar.”
Germany, she pointed out, would only consume about 15 percent of the gas it receives from Nord Stream 2 and resell the rest to other countries.
Furthermore, it would be on the hook for $10 billion if the project isn’t completed, she said.
“I think we have to be honest here and say that [German opposition to sanctions] is more about profits than about geopolitics,” she said.


rferl--2020-12-16--Dozens Of Armenian Soldiers 'Captured' In Nagorno-Karabakh Raid

The de facto authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh say dozens of ethnic Armenian soldiers have been captured in a raid by Azerbaijani forces in the breakaway region following last month 's cease-fire that ended six weeks of fighting .
`` Unfortunately , several dozen of our servicemen have been captured near Khtsaberd , '' the leader of the separatist mountainous region , Arayik Harutiunian , said on December 16 .
The Nagorno-Karabakh military said 73 of its soldiers had gone missing around the villages of Khtsaberd ( Caylaqqala in Azeri ) and Hin Tagher ( Kohne Taglar ) .
The rights ombudsman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ earlier put the number at around 60 .
Nagorno-Karabakh 's Defense Ministry earlier said contact had been lost with a number of army positions around the villages of Khtsaberd ( Caylaqqala in Azeri ) and Hin Tagher ( Kohne Taglar ) .
There has been no comment so far on the soldiers ' reported capture from Azerbaijani authorities .
Armenian and Azerbaijan agreed to a Moscow-brokered accord that took effect on November 10 , ending the worst clashes over Nagorno-Karabakh since the early 1990s .
Under the agreement , Azerbaijani retook control of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ since the 1990s and nearly 2,000 Russian peacekeepers have been deployed between the two sides .
The Russian peacekeeping force reported over the weekend that fighting had broken out between the two sides in violation of the cease-fire .
Armenia accused Azerbaijan of breaking the truce by attacking Khtsaberd and Hin Tagher , which Azerbaijan claims fall under its control under the deal .
The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said it had launched an offensive against Armenian forces who had refused to leave the area in the Hadrut district .
The ministry also said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ since the truce agreement came into effect .
Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan , but the ethnic Armenians who make up most of the region 's population reject Azerbaijani rule .
They had been governing their own affairs , with support from Armenia , since Azerbaijan 's troops and Azeri civilians were pushed out of the region and seven adjacent districts in a war that ended in a cease-fire in 1994 .
With reporting by the BBC and AFP

The de facto authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh say dozens of ethnic Armenian soldiers have been captured in a raid by Azerbaijani forces in the breakaway region following last month's cease-fire that ended six weeks of fighting.
"Unfortunately, several dozen of our servicemen have been captured near Khtsaberd," the leader of the separatist mountainous region, Arayik Harutiunian, said on December 16.
The Nagorno-Karabakh military said 73 of its soldiers had gone missing around the villages of Khtsaberd (Caylaqqala in Azeri) and Hin Tagher (Kohne Taglar). The rights ombudsman in the region, Artak Beglarian, earlier put the number at around 60.
Nagorno-Karabakh's Defense Ministry earlier said contact had been lost with a number of army positions around the villages of Khtsaberd (Caylaqqala in Azeri) and Hin Tagher (Kohne Taglar).
There has been no comment so far on the soldiers' reported capture from Azerbaijani authorities.
Armenian and Azerbaijan agreed to a Moscow-brokered accord that took effect on November 10, ending the worst clashes over Nagorno-Karabakh since the early 1990s.
Under the agreement, Azerbaijani retook control of swaths of territory ethnic Armenians had controlled since the 1990s and nearly 2,000 Russian peacekeepers have been deployed between the two sides.
The Russian peacekeeping force reported over the weekend that fighting had broken out between the two sides in violation of the cease-fire.
Armenia accused Azerbaijan of breaking the truce by attacking Khtsaberd and Hin Tagher, which Azerbaijan claims fall under its control under the deal.
The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said it had launched an offensive against Armenian forces who had refused to leave the area in the Hadrut district.
The ministry also said that four Azerbaijani soldiers had been killed since the truce agreement came into effect.
Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but the ethnic Armenians who make up most of the region's population reject Azerbaijani rule.
They had been governing their own affairs, with support from Armenia, since Azerbaijan's troops and Azeri civilians were pushed out of the region and seven adjacent districts in a war that ended in a cease-fire in 1994.
With reporting by the BBC and AFP


rferl--2020-12-16--Death Of Kazakh Beauty Queen Sparks Debate On Domestic Violence

When 29-year-old Symbat Kulzhagharova fell to her death from her 11th-floor apartment in Nur-Sultan , Kazakhstan , the police said @ @ @ @ @ 's social-media posts claiming she was being beaten by her husband have raised doubts about @ @ @ @ @ people have signed a petition demanding tougher punishment for domestic violence .

When 29-year-old Symbat Kulzhagharova fell to her death from her 11th-floor apartment in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, the police said it was suicide. Kulzhagharova's social-media posts claiming she was being beaten by her husband have raised doubts about this, and some 70,000 people have signed a petition demanding tougher punishment for domestic violence.


rferl--2020-12-16--Armenia's Pashinian Says Early Elections 'Cannot Be Held Based On My Will Alone'

YEREVAN -- Armenia 's embattled prime minister , Nikol Pashinian , who is facing mounting opposition calls for him to step down over last month 's cease-fire deal with Azerbaijan , says he alone can not decide to call early parliamentary elections .
Pashinian made the comments in an interview with RFE/RL on December 16 as several thousand demonstrators turned out for a march through the center of Yerevan during which the opposition called for a nationwide strike next week .
`` The question is not whether or not the prime minister must resign .
The question is who decides @ @ @ @ @ @ @ minister .
The people must decide with their vote , '' Pashinian said .
`` Snap elections can not be held based on my will and decision alone .
There has to be consensus . ''
The prime minister did not elaborate .
Pashinian , who swept to power amid nationwide protests in 2018 , has come under fire since agreeing to a Moscow-brokered deal with Azerbaijan that took effect on November 10 , ending six weeks of fierce fighting in and around the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh .
His opponents want him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his disastrous handling of the conflict that handed Azerbaijan swaths of territory ethnic Armenians had controlled since the 1990s .
Thousands of anti-government protesters have taken to the streets of Yerevan and other Armenian cities since the truce took effect , while most opposition groups called for the establishment of a new , interim government until early elections can be held in the coming months .
Speaking at the scene of the opposition march in the capital on December 16 , a leader of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation party , Ishkhan Sagatelian , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ December 22 .
`` We must begin a general strike , '' Sagatelian said , adding that the entire country `` must be paralyzed ' to force Pashinian to step down .
Pashinian has said he has no plans to quit , insisting that he is responsible for ensuring national security and stabilizing the former Soviet republic .
However , representatives of his My Step bloc have indicated in recent days that they are `` ready to discuss '' the possibility of holding fresh parliamentary elections .
In the interview with RFE/RL , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bore responsibility for the outcome of the latest fighting , in which more than 5,600 people on both sides were killed -- the worst clashes over Nagorno-Karabakh since the early 1990s .
`` I consider myself to be the No .
1 person responsible [ for the Armenian side 's defeat ] , but I do not consider myself to be the No .
1 guilty person , '' Pashinian said , dismissing critics ' claims he precipitated the war with a reckless policy on Nagorno-Karabakh .
`` The situation had reached a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said .
Under the Moscow-brokered cease fire agreed last month , some parts of Nagorno-Karabakh and all seven districts around it were placed under Azerbaijani administration after almost 30 years of control by Armenians .
Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan , but the ethnic Armenians who make up most of the region 's population reject Azerbaijani rule .
They had been governing their own affairs , with support from Armenia , since Azerbaijan 's troops and Azeri civilians were pushed out of the region and seven adjacent districts in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 1994 .

YEREVAN -- Armenia's embattled prime minister, Nikol Pashinian, who is facing mounting opposition calls for him to step down over last month's cease-fire deal with Azerbaijan, says he alone cannot decide to call early parliamentary elections.
Pashinian made the comments in an interview with RFE/RL on December 16 as several thousand demonstrators turned out for a march through the center of Yerevan during which the opposition called for a nationwide strike next week.
"The question is not whether or not the prime minister must resign. The question is who decides in Armenia who should be the prime minister. The people must decide with their vote," Pashinian said. "Snap elections cannot be held based on my will and decision alone. There has to be consensus."
The prime minister did not elaborate.
Pashinian, who swept to power amid nationwide protests in 2018, has come under fire since agreeing to a Moscow-brokered deal with Azerbaijan that took effect on November 10, ending six weeks of fierce fighting in and around the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
His opponents want him to quit over what they say was his disastrous handling of the conflict that handed Azerbaijan swaths of territory ethnic Armenians had controlled since the 1990s.
Thousands of anti-government protesters have taken to the streets of Yerevan and other Armenian cities since the truce took effect, while most opposition groups called for the establishment of a new, interim government until early elections can be held in the coming months.
Speaking at the scene of the opposition march in the capital on December 16, a leader of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation party, Ishkhan Sagatelian, called for a nationwide strike beginning on December 22.
"We must begin a general strike," Sagatelian said, adding that the entire country "must be paralyzed' to force Pashinian to step down.
Pashinian has said he has no plans to quit, insisting that he is responsible for ensuring national security and stabilizing the former Soviet republic.
However, representatives of his My Step bloc have indicated in recent days that they are "ready to discuss" the possibility of holding fresh parliamentary elections.
In the interview with RFE/RL, the prime minister also admitted that he bore responsibility for the outcome of the latest fighting, in which more than 5,600 people on both sides were killed -- the worst clashes over Nagorno-Karabakh since the early 1990s.
"I consider myself to be the No. 1 person responsible [for the Armenian side's defeat], but I do not consider myself to be the No. 1 guilty person," Pashinian said, dismissing critics' claims he precipitated the war with a reckless policy on Nagorno-Karabakh.
"The situation had reached a point where war was inevitable," he said.
Under the Moscow-brokered cease fire agreed last month, some parts of Nagorno-Karabakh and all seven districts around it were placed under Azerbaijani administration after almost 30 years of control by Armenians.
Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but the ethnic Armenians who make up most of the region's population reject Azerbaijani rule.
They had been governing their own affairs, with support from Armenia, since Azerbaijan's troops and Azeri civilians were pushed out of the region and seven adjacent districts in a war that ended in a cease-fire in 1994.


rferl--2020-12-16--'Unconscionable': Jehovah's Witness Sentenced To Six Years In Russian Prison For 'Extremism'

A Siberian member of the Jehovah 's Witnesses has been sentenced to six years for organizing activities of the religious group that Russia has labeled as extremist and banned in 2017 .
Jarrod Lopes , a spokesman for the headquarters of the Jehovah 's Witnesses in the United States , told RFE/RL that the Lenin district court in the city of Novosibirsk sentenced 66-year-old Yury Savelyev on December 16 after finding him guilty of involvement in organizing of `` activities of a banned group '' in the city .
`` [ Savelyev 's sentencing ] defies international human rights norms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Britain , the United States , and the United Nations have repeatedly called on Russia to stop its systematic persecution of Jehovah ’ s Witnesses , '' Lopes said in an e-mailed statement to RFE/RL .
`` Yet , Russian authorities have persisted , raiding over 440 homes of Jehovah ’ s Witnesses so far this year .
Undeterred even by COVID-19 , Russian authorities continue to unconscionably subject harmless believers , including older men like Yury , to the unsanitary and potentially deadly confines of prison.
” Savelyev , who was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said in a statement in court last week that he is being prosecuted `` simply for being a follower of the religious teachings of the Jehovah ’ s Witnesses . ''
Savelyev 's sentencing comes less than three weeks after a court in another Siberian city , Omsk , sentenced another member of the religious group , 48-year-old Sergei Polyakov , to three years in prison on the same charge .
Polyakov 's wife , Anastasia Polyakova , and two other Jehovah 's Witnesses , Dinara Dyusekeyeva and Gaukhar Bektemirova , were convicted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of an extremist group '' and handed suspended two-year prison terms each .
For decades , the Jehovah 's Witnesses have been viewed with suspicion in Russia , where the dominant Orthodox Church is championed by President Vladimir Putin .
The Christian group is known for door-to-door preaching , close Bible study , rejection of military service , and not celebrating national and religious holidays or birthdays .
Since the faith was outlawed in Russia , many Jehovah 's Witnesses have been imprisoned in Russia and the Russia-annexed Ukrainian Black Sea Crimean Peninsula @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jehovah 's Witnesses are currently in prison , of whom 10 were convicted of extremism and 35 are in pretrial detention .
In September 2019 , Washington banned two high-ranking regional officers from Russia 's Investigative Committee from entering the United States over the alleged torture of seven detainees who are Jehovah 's Witnesses .
The Moscow-based Memorial Human Rights Center has recognized dozens of Jehovah ’ s Witnesses who 've been charged with or convicted of extremism as political prisoners .

A Siberian member of the Jehovah's Witnesses has been sentenced to six years for organizing activities of the religious group that Russia has labeled as extremist and banned in 2017.
Jarrod Lopes, a spokesman for the headquarters of the Jehovah's Witnesses in the United States, told RFE/RL that the Lenin district court in the city of Novosibirsk sentenced 66-year-old Yury Savelyev on December 16 after finding him guilty of involvement in organizing of "activities of a banned group" in the city.
"[Savelyev's sentencing] defies international human rights norms, which is why the European Union, Britain, the United States, and the United Nations have repeatedly called on Russia to stop its systematic persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses," Lopes said in an e-mailed statement to RFE/RL.
"Yet, Russian authorities have persisted, raiding over 440 homes of Jehovah’s Witnesses so far this year. Undeterred even by COVID-19, Russian authorities continue to unconscionably subject harmless believers, including older men like Yury, to the unsanitary and potentially deadly confines of prison.”
Savelyev, who was arrested and charged in November 2018, said in a statement in court last week that he is being prosecuted "simply for being a follower of the religious teachings of the Jehovah’s Witnesses."
Savelyev's sentencing comes less than three weeks after a court in another Siberian city, Omsk, sentenced another member of the religious group, 48-year-old Sergei Polyakov, to three years in prison on the same charge.
Polyakov's wife, Anastasia Polyakova, and two other Jehovah's Witnesses, Dinara Dyusekeyeva and Gaukhar Bektemirova, were convicted of "taking part in the activities of an extremist group" and handed suspended two-year prison terms each.
For decades, the Jehovah's Witnesses have been viewed with suspicion in Russia, where the dominant Orthodox Church is championed by President Vladimir Putin.
The Christian group is known for door-to-door preaching, close Bible study, rejection of military service, and not celebrating national and religious holidays or birthdays.
Since the faith was outlawed in Russia, many Jehovah's Witnesses have been imprisoned in Russia and the Russia-annexed Ukrainian Black Sea Crimean Peninsula.
According to the group, 45 Jehovah's Witnesses are currently in prison, of whom 10 were convicted of extremism and 35 are in pretrial detention.
In September 2019, Washington banned two high-ranking regional officers from Russia's Investigative Committee from entering the United States over the alleged torture of seven detainees who are Jehovah's Witnesses.
The Moscow-based Memorial Human Rights Center has recognized dozens of Jehovah’s Witnesses who've been charged with or convicted of extremism as political prisoners.


rferl--2020-12-16--EU Agrees On New Belarus Sanctions As Tsikhanouskaya Accepts Sakharov Prize

EU ambassadors have agreed on a package of economic sanctions on Belarus over its crackdown on opposition protesters , targeting 29 individuals and seven firms or organizations , diplomats say .
The measures are said to include bans on conducting business in the 27-member bloc , freezing of assets , and travel bans .
The sanctions -- the third package on Belarus agreed by the EU -- are to be officially adopted during a meeting of the European Council on December 17 .
The latest list of individuals and entities to be sanctioned is expected to be published the same @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gazette .
The EU ambassadors ' decision came the same day that Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya and other leaders of the Belarusian democratic opposition were awarded the bloc 's top human rights award .
Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka , his son , and more than 50 Belarusian officials have already been placed under EU sanctions .
Lukashenka , who has ruled Belarus for 26 years , has faced almost daily protests calling for his resignation since a presidential election on August 9 that the opposition says was rigged and which the West has refused to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the postelection protests , with more than 27,000 detentions , according to the UN .
There have also been credible reports of torture and ill-treatment , and several people have died .
Tikhanovskaya , who left Belarus for neighboring Lithuania fearing for the safety of her family , and other Belarusian opposition leaders were in Brussels on December 16 to receive the European Parliament 's 2020 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought .
Tsikhanouskaya received the prize on behalf of the Coordination Council , a body set up by the political opposition @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Belarus .
`` An invisible wall of fear had been built around us , '' she told European lawmakers in her acceptance speech .
`` But this year , united , we believe that this wall of fear could be taken down , brick by brick .
The dream of a better Belarus keeps us going .
`` We are bound to win and we will win , '' the exiled former presidential candidate said .
`` Without a free Belarus , Europe is not truly free .
Long live Europe , long @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is our fight , '' European Parliament President David Sassoli told the Belarusian opposition members during his introduction .
Sassoli has said the representatives of the Belarusian opposition were being recognized for the courage , resilience , and determination that they have shown in defense of the freedom of thought and expression .
The 50,000-euro ( $ 59,180 ) annual human rights prize is named after the Soviet physicist and dissident Andrei Sakharov and was established in 1988 to honor individuals and organizations defending human rights and fundamental freedoms .
Besides Tsikhanouskaya , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Belarus ’ s opposition Coordination Council , including Maryya Kalesnikava , Veranika Tsapkala , Volha Kavalkova , and Syarhey Dyleuski ; Nobel laureate Svetlana Alexievich ; Tsikhanouskaya 's imprisoned husband , Syarhey Tsikhanouski ; the founder of the Telegram channel NEXTA , Stsyapan Putsila ; Ales Byalyatski from the human rights organization Vyasna ; and political prisoner Mikalay Statkevich , who was a presidential candidate in the 2010 election .
Later in the day , the U.S. State Department said Tsikhanouskaya and Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun participated in a virtual @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Belarus .
During the discussion hosted by the German Marshall Fund , Biegun `` reaffirmed strong U.S. support for the Belarusian people 's resounding calls for their voice to be heard in determining their country ’ s fate , '' according to department spokesman Cale Brown .
He added that the deputy secretary `` underscored U.S. calls for dialogue between the Coordination Council and Belarusian authorities to resolve the crisis , truly free and fair elections under international observation , and the unconditional release of all political prisoners and those unjustly detained .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @


rferl--2020-12-17--EU Court Rules Hungary Broke Asylum Law By Detaining Migrants

The European Union 's highest court on December 17 ruled that Hungary broke the law by preventing some immigrants from seeking asylum and moving many to transit camps .
The European Commission -- the 27-member bloc 's executive body -- launched legal proceedings against the asylum law issued by Prime Minister Viktor Orban 's right-wing government in 2015 , at the peak of a migrant crisis in which well over 1 million people entered Europe .
As tens of thousands of migrants moved through the Balkans , Orban 's anti-migrant government erected razor-wire fences to keep them out and expanded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crisis situation caused by mass migration ” to set up two transit zones where refugees were held .
The European Court of Justice ( ECJ ) largely ruled in favor of the commission , finding that Hungarian authorities failed to observe the procedures and required guarantees .
`` Hungary has failed to fulfill its obligations under EU law in the area of procedures for granting international protection , '' the ECJ said .
The court found Hungary did not allow asylum seekers to leave detention while their cases were under consideration and offered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vulnerable .
Where asylum claims have been rejected , it said , in some cases , `` those nationals are forcibly escorted , by the police , from the other side of a fence erected a few meters from the border with [ non-EU member ] Serbia , to a strip of land devoid of any infrastructure . ''
The actions were deemed a breach of an EU directive establishing safeguards for the removal of illegal immigrants .
`` Restricting access to the international protection procedure , unlawfully detaining applicants for that protection @ @ @ @ @ @ @ third-country nationals to a border area , without observing the guarantees surrounding a return procedure , constitute infringements of EU law , '' the court said in a press release .
Orban 's government has argued that nation states should have control over their own borders and accused the European Union of trying to force it to accept mass immigration .
Orban has often argued that migrants from the Middle East and Africa must be kept out to preserve the Christian character of Hungarian culture .
With reporting by AFP , AP , @ @

The European Union's highest court on December 17 ruled that Hungary broke the law by preventing some immigrants from seeking asylum and moving many to transit camps.
The European Commission -- the 27-member bloc's executive body -- launched legal proceedings against the asylum law issued by Prime Minister Viktor Orban's right-wing government in 2015, at the peak of a migrant crisis in which well over 1 million people entered Europe.
As tens of thousands of migrants moved through the Balkans, Orban's anti-migrant government erected razor-wire fences to keep them out and expanded the use of legal exceptions for “crisis situation caused by mass migration” to set up two transit zones where refugees were held.
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) largely ruled in favor of the commission, finding that Hungarian authorities failed to observe the procedures and required guarantees.
"Hungary has failed to fulfill its obligations under EU law in the area of procedures for granting international protection," the ECJ said.
The court found Hungary did not allow asylum seekers to leave detention while their cases were under consideration and offered no special protections to children or the vulnerable.
Where asylum claims have been rejected, it said, in some cases, "those nationals are forcibly escorted, by the police, from the other side of a fence erected a few meters from the border with [non-EU member] Serbia, to a strip of land devoid of any infrastructure."
The actions were deemed a breach of an EU directive establishing safeguards for the removal of illegal immigrants.
"Restricting access to the international protection procedure, unlawfully detaining applicants for that protection in transit zones and moving illegally staying third-country nationals to a border area, without observing the guarantees surrounding a return procedure, constitute infringements of EU law," the court said in a press release.
Orban's government has argued that nation states should have control over their own borders and accused the European Union of trying to force it to accept mass immigration.
Orban has often argued that migrants from the Middle East and Africa must be kept out to preserve the Christian character of Hungarian culture.
With reporting by AFP, AP, and dpa


rferl--2020-12-17--Moscow Court Upholds Scientist's Detention To Await 'High Treason' Trial

A court in Moscow on December 17 upheld pretrial detention for a Russian physicist specializing in hypersonic aircraft who was arrested earlier this month on suspicion of high treason .
The Moscow City Court rejected Anatoly Gubanov 's appeal against a lower court 's decision to keep him in custody until at least February 2 .
Russian officials have portrayed hypersonic aircraft and missiles as a strategically important military opportunity in the face of mounting tension with the West and Washington 's recent decisions to abandon decades-old strategic arms agreements .
In October , the Russian military said it had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that flew more than eight times the speed of sound in what President Vladimir Putin hailed as a `` big event '' for the country .
Gubanov 's lawyer , Olga Dinze , said after this week 's closed-door hearing that her client was officially charged with high treason and that he had pleaded not guilty .
If convicted , Gubanov could face up to 20 years in prison .
Details of the case , which reportedly revolves around classified materials , have not been made public .
Media reports quoted unnamed sources @ @ @ @ @ @ @ took part in international conferences and projects involving hydrogen-powered hypersonic aircraft , and is suspected of handing classified materials over to foreign secret services .
The scientist is said to be a lecturer at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology .
The number of cases of alleged high treason has increased dramatically in Russia during Putin 's third and fourth terms as president .
Based on reports by Interfax and TASS

A court in Moscow on December 17 upheld pretrial detention for a Russian physicist specializing in hypersonic aircraft who was arrested earlier this month on suspicion of high treason.
The Moscow City Court rejected Anatoly Gubanov's appeal against a lower court's decision to keep him in custody until at least February 2.
Russian officials have portrayed hypersonic aircraft and missiles as a strategically important military opportunity in the face of mounting tension with the West and Washington's recent decisions to abandon decades-old strategic arms agreements.
In October, the Russian military said it had successfully test-launched a Tsirkon hypersonic cruise missile that flew more than eight times the speed of sound in what President Vladimir Putin hailed as a "big event" for the country.
Gubanov's lawyer, Olga Dinze, said after this week's closed-door hearing that her client was officially charged with high treason and that he had pleaded not guilty.
If convicted, Gubanov could face up to 20 years in prison.
Details of the case, which reportedly revolves around classified materials, have not been made public.
Media reports quoted unnamed sources on December 17 as saying that Gubanov took part in international conferences and projects involving hydrogen-powered hypersonic aircraft, and is suspected of handing classified materials over to foreign secret services.
The scientist is said to be a lecturer at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.
The number of cases of alleged high treason has increased dramatically in Russia during Putin's third and fourth terms as president.
Based on reports by Interfax and TASS


rferl--2020-12-17--Influential Eastern Ukrainian Mayor Dies In Germany After COVID Battle

KYIV -- One of Ukraine ’ s most influential and outspoken politicians , Hennadiy Kernes , the mayor of the eastern city of Kharkiv , has died of complications from COVID-19 .
A spokesman for the Kharkiv city council , Yuriy Sydorenko , confirmed to RFE/RL on December 17 that Kernes , 61 , died overnight in a German clinic .
He had been there undergoing treatment for weeks after contracting the coronavirus and falling ill in mid-September .
Kernes ' wife , Oksana Haysynska , and his associate , Pavlo Fuks , reported the mayor 's death to other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kernes won reelection and his eponymous Kernes Bloc won around 40 percent of the vote in Ukraine 's second-largest city in late October despite Kernes not having been seen in public since August .
His absence fueled a regional police case after a local rival filed a missing persons report and there was speculation that he had died Reports a week ago had suggested that Kernes ' condition was grave after both of his kidneys failed and doctors in Germany connected him to a life-support machine .
Kernes had served two mayoral terms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to turn up for the first session of the new city council by December 20 to begin a third term .
Kernes survived a gun attack that left him requiring a wheelchair in April 2014 , a time of growing instability in eastern Ukraine and a month after Moscow forcibly annexed the Crimean Peninsula .
Kernes initially gave his backing to the pro-Russia separatists in the east before later switching his loyalty to the Ukrainian government .
Kharkiv is just 20 kilometers from the Russian border .

KYIV -- One of Ukraine’s most influential and outspoken politicians, Hennadiy Kernes, the mayor of the eastern city of Kharkiv, has died of complications from COVID-19.
A spokesman for the Kharkiv city council, Yuriy Sydorenko, confirmed to RFE/RL on December 17 that Kernes, 61, died overnight in a German clinic.
He had been there undergoing treatment for weeks after contracting the coronavirus and falling ill in mid-September.
Kernes' wife, Oksana Haysynska, and his associate, Pavlo Fuks, reported the mayor's death to other media outlets earlier in the day.
Kernes won reelection and his eponymous Kernes Bloc won around 40 percent of the vote in Ukraine's second-largest city in late October despite Kernes not having been seen in public since August.
His absence fueled a regional police case after a local rival filed a missing persons report and there was speculation that he had died
RFE/RL's Coronavirus Crisis Archive Features and analysis, videos, and infographics explore how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the countries in our region.
Reports a week ago had suggested that Kernes' condition was grave after both of his kidneys failed and doctors in Germany connected him to a life-support machine.
Kernes had served two mayoral terms since 2010 and was required by law to turn up for the first session of the new city council by December 20 to begin a third term.
Kernes survived a gun attack that left him requiring a wheelchair in April 2014, a time of growing instability in eastern Ukraine and a month after Moscow forcibly annexed the Crimean Peninsula.
Kernes initially gave his backing to the pro-Russia separatists in the east before later switching his loyalty to the Ukrainian government.
Kharkiv is just 20 kilometers from the Russian border.