rferl--2020-01-19--Germany Hosts Crucial Summit In Bid To End Libyan Fighting, Prevent 'New Syria'

Representatives of more than 10 countries , including Turkey , the United States , and Russia , are gathering in Berlin on January 19 in an attempt to end the conflict in Libya and prevent what some fear could result in another Syria-like refugee crisis .
Chancellor Angela Merkel is hosting the presidents of Turkey , France , and Russia and other world leaders under the UN-backed meeting to convince outside powers to stop fueling the conflict with troops , arms , or financial support .
Organizers of the Berlin talks have expressed hopes that the parties will emerge with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stoking conflict in the oil-rich North African state of around 7 million people .
The leaders of Libya 's UN-recognized Government of National Accord ( GNA ) in Tripoli and rebel leader Khalifa Haftar 's self-styled Libyan National Army ( LNA ) , based in the city of Tobruk , were also expected to attend .
GNA head Fayez al-Serraj reportedly cast doubt on Haftar 's agenda just hours before the meeting , telling the German dpa news agency on January 19 that `` long experience makes us doubt the intentions , seriousness @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , whom everyone knows seeks powers at any price . ''
On his way to the meeting , Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged other leaders not to `` sacrifice '' hopes for a cease-fire there `` to the ambitions of the merchants of blood and chaos.
” The GNA is supported by NATO-member Turkey and its ally Qatar .
Turkey and Russia have both been criticized by UN and Western officials who say their efforts to arm their allies have led to an intensification of the violence .
Secretary of State Mike @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and China , Britain , Italy , Egypt , Algeria , and the United Arab Emirates ( U.A.E . )
were all expected to have representatives at the summit .
A draft communique circulating early on January 19 urged rival sides to refrain from hostilities against oil infrastructure , agencies reported as senior officials from countries backing the warring parties converged in the German capital .
The communique was among the topics up for discussion .
Tribesmen loyal to Haftar have reportedly blocked off all oil ports in eastern Libya .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ company NOC as the only legitimate entity that can sell Libyan oil .
A cease-fire had been scheduled to enter into force on January 12 , but it has been shaky at best .
And Haftar left talks last week in Moscow without signing a cease-fire deal proposed by Moscow and Ankara .
Libya has been plagued with violence and unrest since a NATO-backed campaign ousted longtime dictator Muammar Qaddafi in 2011 .
There are international fears that further conflict could spark another flood of refugees from the region similar to the Syrian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ UN experts and diplomats say Russian military contractors in recent months have deployed alongside Haftar 's LNA , which has also received air support from the U.A.E .
and backing from Jordan and Egypt .
Erdogan announced earlier this month that he had dispatched Turkish military elements to Libya to ensure stability for the GNA .
The United Nations , European Union , and Arab League are also participating in the Berlin summit .
A U.S. official traveling with Pompeo told reporters in Berlin that Libya 's conflict is increasingly becoming like Syria @ @ @ @ @ @ @ killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions , with many fleeing to Europe to create an immigration crisis .
`` I think it 's so complex and the heels are so far dug in that I would have moderate expectations as we go into this , '' the official said on the eve of the summit .
At the meeting , Germany and the UN will push rival Libyan camps fighting over the capital , Tripoli , to agree to a truce and monitoring mechanism as first steps toward peace , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ With reporting by Reuters , AP , dpa , and AFP

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says a summit in Berlin on the conflict in Libya has made progress toward a fully fledged cease-fire, and that he hopes the development will lead to the reopening of Libyan oil facilities that have been blocked by warring tribesmen.
Pompeo made the remarks after Germany brought together the leaders of 11 countries on January 19 for talks aimed at convincing outside powers to stop fueling Libya's civil war with troops, weapons, or financial support.
The Berlin summit also sought to secure a cease-fire between forces of Libya's UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli and Libya's Russian-backed rebel leader, General Khalifa Haftar, whose Libyan National Army (LNA) headquarters are in the city of Tobruk.
Ultimately, the summit was aimed at relaunching a political process and prevent what some fear could become another Syria-like flood of refugees from Libya.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters at the conclusion of the summit that the backers of the rival Libyan sides had agreed a truce reached in Tripoli over the past week should be turned into a permanent cease-fire to allow a political process to take place.
A special committee made up of five military men from each side will monitor the truce, Merkel said, adding that foreign powers active in Libya have committed themselves to uphold an existing UN arms embargo and to stop shipping weapons there.
Those attending the Berlin gathering included Pompeo, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte, and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Also in attendance were UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres along with senior representatives of the European Union, the African Union, and the Arab League.
'Downward Spiral'
Libya's UN-recognized Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj was also in Berlin for the January 19 gathering along with his main rival, General Haftar.
Merkel and German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas met separately with both Sarraj and Haftar at the chancellery in Berlin before the summit began.
But neither Sarraj nor Haftar attended the summit's opening group photo and the two did not meet in Berlin, Merkel said.
"We know that we have not solved all of Libya's problems today but we were aiming for fresh momentum," she said at the end of the gathering.
Just hours before the meeting began, Sarraj raised doubts about Haftar's agenda, saying that "long experience makes us doubt the intentions, seriousness, and commitment of the other side, whom everyone know seeks powers at any price."
Guterres said at the start of the conference that world leaders "are here for an urgent and pressing reason: to stop Libya's downward spiral."
Macron told the gathering on January 19 that he was extremely concerned about the recent arrival in Tripoli of pro-Turkish Syrian fighters.
The French president said the deployment in Libya of fighters from Syria and other foreign forces must stop immediately.
Turkey and Russia have both been criticized by UN and Western officials who say their efforts to arm their allies have intensified violence.
Differences were apparent on January 19 with Erdogan declaring that the world has failed to respond adequately to Haftar's "reckless attacks" on Sarraj's UN-recognized government.
"Hopes that flourish again with the cease-fire and the Berlin summit should not be sacrificed to the ambitions of the merchants of blood and chaos," said Erdogan, who supports Sarraj's government and has been critical of Russia's support for Haftar.
Shaky Cease-Fire
Erdogan met Putin before the summit began, with Putin saying "we will sincerely strive for the conflict to be resolved."
Meanwhile, the U.S. Secretary of State said during a meeting with Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on January 19 that Washington was also concerned about the presence of foreign fighters in Libya.
Erdogan announced earlier in January that he had dispatched Turkish military elements to Libya to ensure stability for the GNA.
Pompeo also held talks on the sidelines of the Berlin summit with Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates, another country involved in the Libyan conflict.
A draft communique circulating early on January 19 urged rival sides to refrain from hostilities against oil infrastructure, agencies reported as senior officials from countries backing the warring parties converged in the German capital.
The draft communique reportedly described Tripoli-based state oil company NOC as the only legitimate entity that can sell Libyan oil.
Tribesmen loyal to Haftar have reportedly blocked off all oil ports in eastern Libya.
A cease-fire between the rival Libyan forces had been scheduled to enter into force on January 12, but has been shaky at best.
Last week, Haftar left talks in Moscow without signing a cease-fire deal proposed by Moscow and Ankara.
Libya has been plagued with violence and unrest since a NATO-backed campaign ousted longtime dictator Muammar Qaddafi in 2011.
UN experts and diplomats say Russian military contractors in recent months have deployed alongside Haftar's LNA, which has also received air support from the U.A.E. and backing from Jordan and Egypt.
Moscow denies direct military involvement.
With reporting by Reuters, AP, dpa, and AFP


rferl--2020-01-19--Opposing Sides Lay Out Their Case In Trump Impeachment Trial

The opposing sides in the impeachment trial of U.S. President Donald Trump laid out their cases on January 18 , with Democratic managers saying Trump `` abandoned '' his oath of office , while the defense team fired back with claims of a `` dangerous attack '' on American democracy .
In a 111-page brief filed ahead of a 5 p.m. deadline , Democratic-led House of Representatives prosecutors -- or `` managers '' -- wrote that it was clear that the `` evidence overwhelmingly establishes '' that Trump was guilty of both articles of impeachment against him .
The historic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ January 16 but was quickly adjourned until January 21 , a day after the Martin Luther King holiday .
It will take a two-thirds majority in the Senate to convict and remove Trump from office , an unlikely event given that his Republican party controls the chamber .
Still , the Democrats set out their case , saying the `` Senate should convict and remove President Trump to avoid serious and long-term damage to our democratic values and the nation 's security . ''
`` The case against the president of the United @ @ @ @ @ @ @ indisputable , and the evidence is overwhelming , '' they said .
Trump faces two articles of impeachment , one charging him with abuse of power and the other with obstruction of Congress .
He is specifically accused of pressuring Ukraine to investigate his political foes , in particular , former Vice President Joe Biden , who is a potential opponent in this year ’ s presidential election .
Trump also allegedly withheld documents that the House requested during the fact-finding phase of the inquiry and prevented administration officials and agencies from providing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ denies the charges and has called the impeachment proceedings a `` sham , '' `` hoax , '' and `` witch hunt . ''
Trump 's legal team on January 18 issued a fiery response to the Democrats ahead of opening arguments in the trial , calling the two articles passed by the House last month `` a dangerous attack on the right of the American people to freely choose their president . ''
`` This is a brazen and unlawful attempt to overturn the results of the 2016 election and interfere with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ away , '' the filing states .
Trump 's legal team is led by White House counsel Pat Cipollone and Trump personal lawyer Jay Sekulow .
Trump also named to his team Ken Starr , a prosecutor whose investigation some 20 years ago led to President Bill Clinton 's impeachment ; and Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz .
AP quoted two unnamed sources familiar with the White House strategy as saying Trump 's lawyers had advised the president against including Dershowitz on his team .
It said they are concerned about the professor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ financier who killed himself in a New York City jail last summer while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges .
The legal team is challenging the impeachment on both procedural and constitutional grounds .
It is expected to file a more-detailed legal brief on January 20 , and House managers will have the opportunity to respond the following day before the formal trial begins .
With reporting by Reuters and AP

A former top FBI counterintelligence agent pleaded guilty to charges related to his work for notorious Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, changing his plea after federal prosecutors filed new, reduced charges of conspiring to violate U.S. sanctions on Russia by working for the billionaire industrialist.
The move by Charles McGonigal, made on August 15 before a federal judge in New York City, ends a prosecution that had stunned the FBI, where McGonigal had investigated Russian influence operations for years while climbing the bureau’s ranks.
The 55-year-old also still faces a separate set of foreign agent charges in Washington, D.C., related to work he did for Albanian officials.
McGonigal, who retired as head counterintelligence in the FBI's New York bureau in 2018, was originally indicted in January by a grand jury on more serious charges of money laundering and violating U.S. sanctions.
Prosecutors alleged that McGonigal and a former Russian diplomat with whom he was associated, were paid more than $200,000 to do work for Deripaska, a wealthy Russian metals tycoon who has long been seen as a Kremlin insider. Deripaska was hit with sanctions by the U.S. Treasury Department in 2018.
U.S. authorities said McGonigal was hired to dig up negative information on Vladimir Potanin, a rival oligarch to Deripaska. McGonigal and the former diplomat, Sergei Shestakov, also worked to try and get Deripaska removed from U.S. sanctions lists.
Shestakov has pleaded not guilty to the more serious charges than had been originally filed against McGonigal.
They "attempted to conceal Deripaska's involvement by, among other means, not directly naming Deripaska in electronic communications, using shell companies as counterparties in the contract that outlined the services to be performed, using a forged signature on that contract, and using the same shell companies to send and receive payment from Deripaska," the Justice Department said in a press release after McGonigal entered his plea.
McGonigal could receive up to five years in prison when he is sentenced in December.
The separate case filed in Washington, D.C., by federal prosecutors centers on work McGonigal allegedly did on behalf of a former Albanian intelligence officer, for which he was paid $225,000.
McGonigal also allegedly lied to the FBI about his contacts with foreign nationals and foreign travel while he was still employed by the bureau.
Deripaska also faces charges of violating U.S. sanctions through real estate deals and a complicated scheme under which he allegedly arranged for his girlfriend to travel to the United States to give birth to two of their children.


rferl--2020-01-19--Ukrainian Embassy In London Protests Inclusion Of National Symbol In British Extremist Guide

Ukraine ’ s Embassy in Britain has publicly called on police officials to remove the trident , Ukraine ’ s national symbol and state coat of arms , from a counter-terrorism guide that was distributed to police officers , teachers , and medical staff last year .
“ Placing the Trident…constitutional national symbol & Coat of Arms of # Ukraine , in Extremism Guide produced by @ TerrorismPolice for UK teachers & medical staff is beyond outrageous , ” the Ukrainian Embassy in Britain tweeted on January 19 .
“ No explanations acceptable .
We demand Trident to be removed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ statement was in reference to a 24-page guide that British authorities produced while giving anti-extremism briefings last year to help front-line officers discern signs and symbols .
London daily The Guardian first reported on the guide ’ s contents .
The police document , according to the newspaper , shows a Nazi swastika in one section and nonviolent groups such as , the Greenpeace symbol in another .
Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistance Commissioner Dean Haydon told the BBC that the visual aid was produced in order to help police “ identify and understand @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the difference between them .
In a statement , he said that many groups listed in the guide “ are not of counter-terrorism interest.
” Based on reporting by The Guardian , BBC , UNIAN , and Interfax

The Ukrainian Embassy in Britain has publicly called on police officials to remove the trident, Ukraine’s national symbol and state coat of arms, from a counterterrorism guide that was distributed to police officers, teachers, and medical staff last year.
“Placing the Trident…constitutional national symbol & Coat of Arms of #Ukraine, in Extremism Guide produced by @TerrorismPolice for UK teachers & medical staff is beyond outrageous,” the Ukrainian Embassy in Britain tweeted on January 19. “No explanations acceptable. We demand Trident to be removed from Guide with official apologies.”
The statement was in reference to a 24-page guide that British authorities produced while giving anti-extremism briefings last year to help front-line officers discern signs and symbols.
London daily The Guardian first reported on the guide’s contents.
The police document, according to the newspaper, shows a Nazi swastika in one section and nonviolent groups such as Greenpeace in another.
Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistance Commissioner Dean Haydon told the BBC that the visual aid was produced in order to help police “identify and understand signs and symbols” so they know the difference between them.
In a statement, he said that many groups listed in the guide “are not of counterterrorism interest.”
Based on reporting by The Guardian, BBC, UNIAN, and Interfax


rferl--2020-01-19--One Ukrainian Soldier Killed, 10 wounded In Donbas Conflict With Russian-Backed Separatists

One Ukrainian soldier was killed and 10 were wounded over a span of 24 hours on January 18 in the country ’ s eastern Donbas war zone , the Ukrainian military reported .
A daily briefing by the military headquarters the following day said Ukrainian forces faced six attacks along the front line that included the use of drones , armored-fighting vehicles , 120-millimeter mortars , grenade launchers , and heavy-caliber machine guns .
Another Ukrainian serviceman was killed on January 16 from sniper fire in a conflict with Russian-backed separatists that started in April 2014 and which has killed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year , Russian President Vladimir Putin gave the order to forcibly seize the Crimean Peninsula from Kyiv , prompting the West to impose sanctions .
Some 130 Ukrainian military personnel were killed in 2019 and the beginning of January , the General-Prosecutor ’ s Office said on January 17 .
In the Donetsk region , 101 service personnel were killed and 31 in the Luhansk region .
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has vowed to end the war , which has internally uprooted 1.5 million people from their homes and caused a humanitarian crisis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Luhansk .
Since ascending the presidency in May , Zelenskiy has implemented measures with Russia to deescalate , including two prisoner exchanges and the mutual withdrawal of forces and weapons from three flashpoints along the 400-kilometer front line .
Russia has denied direct involvement in the conflict and says any Russians fighting in the Donbas territories are volunteers .

One Ukrainian soldier was killed and 10 were wounded over a span of 24 hours on January 18 in the country’s eastern Donbas war zone, the Ukrainian military reported.
A daily briefing by the military headquarters the following day said Ukrainian forces faced six attacks along the front line that included the use of drones, armored-fighting vehicles, 120-millimeter mortars, grenade launchers, and heavy-caliber machine guns.
Another Ukrainian serviceman was killed on January 15 from sniper fire in a conflict with Russia-backed separatists that started in April 2014 and which has killed more than 13,000 people. Earlier that year, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave the order to forcibly seize the Crimean Peninsula from Kyiv, prompting the West to impose sanctions.
Some 130 Ukrainian military personnel were killed in 2019 and the beginning of January, the Prosecutor-General’s Office said on January 17. In the Donetsk region, 101 service personnel were killed and 31 in the Luhansk region.
A total of seven Ukrainian troops have been killed since the beginning of this year and another 28 were wounded, the Defense Ministry reported.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has vowed to end the war, which has internally uprooted 1.5 million people from their homes and caused a humanitarian crisis in the easternmost regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.
Since ascending the presidency in May 2019, Zelenskiy has implemented measures with Russia to deescalate, including two prisoner exchanges and the mutual withdrawal of forces and weapons from three flash points along the 400-kilometer front line.
Russia has denied direct involvement in the conflict and says any Russians fighting in the Donbas territories are volunteers.


rferl--2020-01-19--U.K. PM Warns Putin Not To Repeat Chemical Attacks On Britain

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has told Vladimir Putin in their first official meeting that Moscow must not repeat a chemical attack on Britain like the 2018 nerve agent attack in Salisbury against former Russian spy Sergei Skripal .
Downing Street said Johnson told the Russian president on the sidelines of a summit in Berlin on January 19 that ties between Moscow and London will not return to normal until Russia ends its `` destabilizing '' activities .
`` The prime minister said there will be no normalization of our bilateral relationship until Russia ends the destabilizing activity that threatens @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the safety of our citizens and our collective security , '' Johnson 's office said .
The statement said Johnson told Putin `` there had been no change in the U.K. 's position on Salisbury , which was a reckless use of chemical weapons and a brazen attempt to murder innocent people on U.K .
soil . ''
The Kremlin rejects Britain ’ s accusations that Russian GRU military intelligence agents used Novichok , a powerful nerve agent , to poison Skripal in retribution for his work with British and other Western spy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Yulia , both spent days in a coma but survived and have since gone into hiding .
On January 19 , Johnson 's office said , the British prime minister told Putin `` they both had a responsibility to address issues of international security including Libya , Syria , Iraq and Iran '' .
But the British leader also made clear that this dialogue did not mean London 's relations with the Kremlin were back on track , the statement said .
Johnson has a long history of feuds with Putin .
Shortly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when Johnson was Britain 's foreign secretary in the cabinet of then-Prime Minister Theresa May , he blamed Putin personally and criticized the Kremlin over the poisoning of the Skripals .
`` Our quarrel is with Putin 's Kremlin , and with his decision , and we think it overwhelmingly likely that it was his decision to direct the use of a nerve agent on the streets of the U.K. , on the streets of Europe , for the first time since World War II , '' Johnson said .
`` That is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
The Kremlin lashed back at Johnson 's remarks as `` unforgivable . ''
`` Any reference or mention of our president in this regard is a shocking and unforgivable breach of diplomatic rules of decent behavior , '' the Kremlin responded .
Also in 2018 , as Russia was preparing to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup , Johnson said that Putin would revel in the tournament in the same way that Adolf Hitler did when Berlin hosted the 1936 Olympic Games .
Based on reporting by Reuters , AP , @ @

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has told Vladimir Putin in their first official meeting that Moscow must not repeat a chemical attack on Britain like the 2018 nerve agent attack in Salisbury against former Russian spy Sergei Skripal.
Downing Street said Johnson told the Russian president on the sidelines of a summit in Berlin on January 19 that ties between Moscow and London will not return to normal until Russia ends its "destabilizing" activities.
"The prime minister said there will be no normalization of our bilateral relationship until Russia ends the destabilizing activity that threatens the U.K. and our allies and undermines the safety of our citizens and our collective security," Johnson's office said.
The statement said Johnson told Putin "there had been no change in the U.K.'s position on Salisbury, which was a reckless use of chemical weapons and a brazen attempt to murder innocent people on U.K. soil."
The Kremlin rejects Britain’s accusations that Russian GRU military intelligence agents used Novichok, a powerful nerve agent, to poison Skripal in retribution for his work with British and other Western spy services.
Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, both spent days in a coma but survived and have since gone into hiding.
On January 19, Johnson's office said, the British prime minister told Putin "they both had a responsibility to address issues of international security including Libya, Syria, Iraq and Iran".
But the British leader also made clear that this dialogue did not mean London's relations with the Kremlin were back on track, the statement said.
Johnson has a long history of feuds with Putin.
Shortly after the March 2018 Novichok attack, when Johnson was Britain's foreign secretary in the cabinet of then-Prime Minister Theresa May, he blamed Putin personally and criticized the Kremlin over the poisoning of the Skripals.
"Our quarrel is with Putin's Kremlin, and with his decision, and we think it overwhelmingly likely that it was his decision to direct the use of a nerve agent on the streets of the U.K., on the streets of Europe, for the first time since World War II," Johnson said. "That is why we are at odds with Russia."
The Kremlin lashed back at Johnson's remarks as "unforgivable."
"Any reference or mention of our president in this regard is a shocking and unforgivable breach of diplomatic rules of decent behavior," the Kremlin responded.
Also in 2018, as Russia was preparing to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Johnson said that Putin would revel in the tournament in the same way that Adolf Hitler did when Berlin hosted the 1936 Olympic Games.
Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP


rferl--2020-01-19--Iran Olympian, Defector Would Be 'Happy To Compete For Germany'

Iranian defector Kimia Alizadeh has told German media that she `` would be happy to compete for Germany '' at this year 's Summer Olympics .
The 21-year-old Alizadeh has been a national hero since becoming the first Iranian woman to stand on an Olympic podium by winning a bronze medal in the taekwondo 57-kilogram weight class at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro .
She announced her `` permanent '' defection via social media last week , blaming the Iranian regime 's `` injustice '' and `` hypocrisy '' for the way it exploits athletes as `` tools @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had n't said where she was , and some suggested at the time that she wanted to settle in the Netherlands .
`` I would be happy to compete for Germany there .
I am hoping for a quiet life without any problems here , '' Alizadeh told Germany 's Bild am Sonntag Sunday paper in an article that was published on January 19 , according to the dpa news agency .
The paper said Alizadeh was in the northern German city of Hamburg , and that she had offers from Belgium , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The 2020 Summer Olympics are scheduled to run from July 24 to August 9 , and it is unclear that Alizadeh could meet eligibility guidelines for Tokyo .
BBC named Alizadeh one of the 100 most `` inspiring and influential women from around world '' in 2019 .
Alizadeh said in her Instagram post on January 11 that she no longer wanted to `` sit at the table of hypocrisy , lies , injustice , and flattery . ''
`` I am one of the millions of oppressed women in Iran with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' she wrote .
`` I wore whatever they told me to wear .
I repeated everything they told me to say , '' she wrote , adding , `` None of us matter to them . ''

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--2020-01-19--Moscow Protesters Detained After Opposing Putin At Commemorative March

MOSCOW -- Russian security forces have detained at least 10 people who were taking part in a march in Moscow on January 19 to commemorate a human rights lawyer and a journalist who were killed by Russian neo-Nazis more than a decade ago .
The march has taken place each year in Moscow since lawyer Stanislav Markelov and journalist Anastasia Baburova were killed in the Russian capital on January 19 , 2009 .
This year , however , some of the 1,500 marchers used the event to declare their opposition to constitutional changes proposed on January 15 by Russian President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aside by authorities and taken to police vans .
One activist , Konstantin Fokin , arrived at the gathering point for the march carrying a poster with the slogan , `` Putin , leave ! ''
He was detained by security forces before the march began .
The changes Putin proposed during his annual state-of-the-nation speech would redistribute power within the Russian government , giving more authority to positions that Putin himself could take over after his presidential term expires in 2024 .
Participants at the head of the January 19 march carried @ @ @ @ @ @ @ funeral wreath while protesting Putin 's proposals .
They also demonstrated against the persecution of political activists by Russian authorities .
Some organizers of the march told RFE/RL on January 19 that the main threat posed to anti-fascists in Russia used to be from neo-Nazis but is now coming from Russian government authorities .
The Markelov and Baburova killings sparked accusations that the Kremlin was not doing enough to hunt down the attackers of activists and journalists .
Two young neo-Nazis , Nikita Tikhonov and Yevgenia Khasis , were convicted of the dual @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to life in prison for murder and Khasis to 18 years for helping him .
Markelov had represented investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya , who was murdered in 2006 , as well as Chechen civilians abused by Russian troops .

MOSCOW -- Russian security forces have detained at least 10 people who were taking part in a march in Moscow on January 19 to commemorate a human rights lawyer and a journalist who were killed by Russian neo-Nazis more than a decade ago.
The march has taken place each year in Moscow since lawyer Stanislav Markelov and journalist Anastasia Baburova were killed in the Russian capital on January 19, 2009.
This year, however, some of the 1,500 marchers used the event to declare their opposition to constitutional changes proposed on January 15 by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
They were quickly pulled aside by authorities and taken to police vans.
One activist, Konstantin Fokin, arrived at the gathering point for the march carrying a poster with the slogan, "Putin, leave!"
He was detained by security forces before the march began.
The changes Putin proposed during his annual state-of-the-nation speech would redistribute power within the Russian government, giving more authority to positions that Putin himself could take over after his presidential term expires in 2024.
Participants at the head of the January 19 march carried copies of the Russian Constitution and a funeral wreath while protesting Putin's proposals. They also demonstrated against the persecution of political activists by Russian authorities.
Some organizers of the march told RFE/RL on January 19 that the main threat posed to anti-fascists in Russia used to be from neo-Nazis but is now coming from Russian government authorities.
The Markelov and Baburova killings sparked accusations that the Kremlin was not doing enough to hunt down the attackers of activists and journalists.
Two young neo-Nazis, Nikita Tikhonov and Yevgenia Khasis, were convicted of the dual killings in 2011. Tikhonov was sentenced to life in prison for murder and Khasis to 18 years for helping him.
Markelov had represented investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya, who was murdered in 2006, as well as Chechen civilians abused by Russian troops.


rferl--2020-01-19--Medvedev Says He's Hanging On To United Russia Party Chairmanship

Russian ex-Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on January 19 that he will continue to chair the ruling United Russia party , which has worked in close concert with President Vladimir Putin to dominate the country 's political scene for two decades .
Medvedev resigned along with his government after Putin used his annual state-of-the-nation speech on January 15 to call for a referendum on substantial constitutional amendments that he said would strengthen parliament 's powers .
Russian news agencies later said Putin planned to create the position of deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia , which is formally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ post would be offered to Medvedev .
`` If we speak about a particular new job , this position does not run counter to being engaged in political activity , including in activity related to leading the party .
I remain chairman of the United Russia party , '' Medvedev told Rossia 1 TV on January 19 , according to TASS .
Medvedev served as head of state during what critics described as a sort of interregnum in 2008-12 between Putin 's second and third presidential terms to keep in line with a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he would not seek reelection but instead return to the prime minister 's job to allow a third term for Putin set off massive protests that sparked a brutal crackdown on dissent .
Lawmakers in the State Duma , where United Russia holds a super-majority of around three-quarters of the 450 seats , overwhelmingly approved Putin 's choice for new prime minister , the little-known tax chief Mikhail Mishustin , on January 16 .
Some observers suspect that Putin 's surprise constitutional shakeup could help keep the 67-year-old former KGB officer in power @ @ @ @ @ @ @ term in 2024 .

Russian ex-Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on January 19 that he will continue to chair the ruling United Russia party, which has worked in close concert with President Vladimir Putin to dominate the country's political scene for two decades.
Medvedev resigned along with his government after Putin used his annual state-of-the-nation speech on January 15 to call for a referendum on substantial constitutional amendments that he said would strengthen parliament's powers.
Russian news agencies later said Putin planned to create the position of deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia, which is formally headed by Putin, and that the post would be offered to Medvedev.
"If we speak about a particular new job, this position does not run counter to being engaged in political activity, including in activity related to leading the party. I remain chairman of the United Russia party," Medvedev told Rossia 1 TV on January 19, according to TASS.
Medvedev served as head of state during what critics described as a sort of interregnum in 2008-12 between Putin's second and third presidential terms to keep in line with a constitutional term limit.
The announcement that he would not seek reelection but instead return to the prime minister's job to allow a third term for Putin set off massive protests that sparked a brutal crackdown on dissent.
Lawmakers in the State Duma, where United Russia holds a super-majority of around three-quarters of the 450 seats, overwhelmingly approved Putin's choice for new prime minister, the little-known tax chief Mikhail Mishustin, on January 16.
Some observers suspect that Putin's surprise constitutional shakeup could help keep the 67-year-old former KGB officer in power beyond the end of his fourth presidential term in 2024.
Based on reporting by TASS


rferl--2020-01-19--U.K., France Cite Need For 'Long-Term Framework' After Tehran Warns It Could 'Reconsider' IAEA Coope

U.K., France Cite Need For 'Long-Term Framework' After Tehran Warns It Could 'Reconsider' IAEA Cooperation

The influential speaker of Iran 's parliament has warned European powers against `` for any reason '' taking an `` unfair '' approach to the dispute mechanism in the 4-year-old nuclear deal that has been in the balance since a U.S. pullout in 2018 .
Tehran would `` seriously reconsider our cooperation '' with the International Atomic Energy Agency ( IAEA ) as a result , the speaker , Ali Larijani , who is also a former chief nuclear negotiator for Tehran , was quoted as saying by state TV .
Germany , Britain , and France announced last week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action ( JCPOA ) , which exchanged curbs on Iran 's nuclear program for relief from international sanctions .
`` What the three European countries did regarding Iran 's nuclear issue ... is unfortunate , '' Larijani said .
`` We clearly announce that if Europe , for any reason , uses Article 37 of the nuclear agreement unfairly , then Iran will make a serious decision regarding cooperation with the agency , '' he added , according to AFP .
The European states -- signatories of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the European Union , and , formerly , the United States -- said that , while the mechanism could lead to UN sanctions against Iran , they were not joining Washington 's yearlong `` maximum pressure '' campaign designed to change Tehran 's behavior .
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and French President Emmanuel Macron reiterated their commitment to the JCPOA on January 19 and agreed during a meeting on the sidelines of a Libya-summit in Berlin that a long-term framework was needed , according to a Downing Street spokeswoman quoted by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leaders reiterated their commitment to the JCPoA ... and also acknowledged the need to define a long-term framework to prevent Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon , '' the spokeswoman said .
`` They agreed on the importance of de-escalation and of working with international partners to find a diplomatic way through the current tensions . ''
Since the U.S. withdrawal from the deal , Iran has breached its main limitations , exceeding the stockpiles of heavy water and uranium allowed , the number and types of centrifuges it can operate to enrich uranium @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. President Donald Trump -- who reimposed tough sanctions on Iran after leaving the JCPOA -- has said he wants Tehran to negotiate a new accord that would place indefinite curbs on its nuclear program and restrict Tehran 's ballistic-missile program .
Tehran has said it wo n't enter new talks until sanctions are lifted .
Based on reporting by AP and Reuters


rferl--2020-01-19--Pompeo Says Berlin Summit Made Progress Toward Libya Cease-Fire

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says a summit in Berlin on the conflict in Libya has made progress toward a fully fledged cease-fire , and that he hopes the development will lead to the reopening of Libyan oil facilities that have been blocked by warring tribesmen .
Pompeo made the remarks after Germany brought together the leaders of 11 countries on January 19 for talks aimed at convincing outside powers to stop fueling Libya 's civil war with troops , weapons , or financial support .
The Berlin summit also sought to secure a cease-fire between forces of Libya @ @ @ @ @ @ @ GNA ) in Tripoli and Libya 's Russian-backed rebel leader , General Khalifa Haftar , whose Libyan National Army ( LNA ) headquarters are in the city of Tobruk .
Ultimately , the summit was aimed at relaunching a political process and prevent what some fear could become another Syria-like flood of refugees from Libya .
German Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters at the conclusion of the summit that the backers of the rival Libyan sides had agreed a truce reached in Tripoli over the past week should be turned into a permanent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ take place .
A special committee made up of five military men from each side will monitor the truce , Merkel said , adding that foreign powers active in Libya have committed themselves to uphold an existing UN arms embargo and to stop shipping weapons there. Those attending the Berlin gathering included Pompeo , Russian President Vladimir Putin , Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan , French President Emmanuel Macron , Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte , and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson .
Also in attendance were UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres along with senior @ @ @ @ @ @ @ African Union , and the Arab League .
Libya 's UN-recognized Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj was also in Berlin for the January 19 gathering along with his main rival , General Haftar .
Merkel and German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas met separately with both Sarraj and Haftar at the chancellery in Berlin before the summit began .
But neither Sarraj nor Haftar attended the summit 's opening group photo and the two did not meet in Berlin , Merkel said .
`` We know that we have not solved all of Libya 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fresh momentum , '' she said at the end of the gathering .
Just hours before the meeting began , Sarraj raised doubts about Haftar 's agenda , saying that `` long experience makes us doubt the intentions , seriousness , and commitment of the other side , whom everyone know seeks powers at any price . ''
Guterres said at the start of the conference that world leaders `` are here for an urgent and pressing reason : to stop Libya 's downward spiral . ''
Macron told the gathering on January @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the recent arrival in Tripoli of pro-Turkish Syrian fighters .
The French president said the deployment in Libya of fighters from Syria and other foreign forces must stop immediately .
Turkey and Russia have both been criticized by UN and Western officials who say their efforts to arm their allies have intensified violence .
Differences were apparent on January 19 with Erdogan declaring that the world has failed to respond adequately to Haftar 's `` reckless attacks '' on Sarraj 's UN-recognized government .
`` Hopes that flourish again with the cease-fire and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the ambitions of the merchants of blood and chaos , '' said Erdogan , who supports Sarraj 's government and has been critical of Russia 's support for Haftar .
Erdogan met Putin before the summit began , with Putin saying `` we will sincerely strive for the conflict to be resolved . ''
Meanwhile , the U.S. Secretary of State said during a meeting with Turkey 's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on January 19 that Washington was also concerned about the presence of foreign fighters in Libya .
Erdogan announced earlier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ military elements to Libya to ensure stability for the GNA .
Pompeo also held talks on the sidelines of the Berlin summit with Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates , another country involved in the Libyan conflict .
A draft communique circulating early on January 19 urged rival sides to refrain from hostilities against oil infrastructure , agencies reported as senior officials from countries backing the warring parties converged in the German capital .
The draft communique reportedly described Tripoli-based state oil company NOC as the only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Tribesmen loyal to Haftar have reportedly blocked off all oil ports in eastern Libya .
A cease-fire between the rival Libyan forces had been scheduled to enter into force on January 12 , but has been shaky at best .
Last week , Haftar left talks in Moscow without signing a cease-fire deal proposed by Moscow and Ankara .
Libya has been plagued with violence and unrest since a NATO-backed campaign ousted longtime dictator Muammar Qaddafi in 2011 .
UN experts and diplomats say Russian military contractors in recent months have deployed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also received air support from the U.A.E .
and backing from Jordan and Egypt .
Moscow denies direct military involvement .
With reporting by Reuters , AP , dpa , and AFP


rferl--2020-01-20--Ex-Army Interpreter Accused Of Spying For Iran Goes On Trial In Germany

A trial for a German-Afghan national suspected of spying for Iranian intelligence is set to commence on January 20 in the city of Koblenz in Germany .
Identified as Abdul Hamid S. according to Germany privacy laws , the 51-year-old former interpreter and adviser for the German armed forces , or Bundeswehr , was arrested a year ago in the Rhineland region of western Germany and accused of providing information to Iranian intelligence for many years .
Prosecutors specifically accuse him of passing on 19 classified documents to Iranian intelligence .
Iran has denied ever having contact with the former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 40-year-old spouse has been charged as an accessory but has not been detained .
A spokesman for Iran ’ s Foreign Ministry has told German broadcaster Deutsche Welle that the suspect ’ s arrest was an attempt by “ enemies ” of Iran to sabotage the Islamic republic ’ s relations with the EU .
German magazine Der Spiegel has reported that he had access to sensitive information , including possible details of troop deployments in Afghanistan , and that he worked for Iran ’ s MOIS intelligence agency .
The Bundeswehr is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ troops on patrol in Afghanistan to facilitate communication with locals .
News agency dpa reported that the trial will be conducted behind closed doors and is scheduled to last until March 31 .
Based on reporting by Deutsche Welle , dpa , and Der Spiegel


rferl--2020-01-20--Iran Considers Dual Nationals On Downed Ukrainian Airliner To Be Iranians

Iran regards dual citizens aboard a Ukrainian plane that was shot down this month as Iranian nationals , Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Musavi said on January 20 .
Air-defense forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps ( IRGC ) shot down Ukrainian Airlines Flight PS752 shortly after takeoff on January 8 , killing all 176 people on board .
Iran has said the downing was an accident .
Canada had 57 nationals on board the plane -- many of them with dual Canadian-Iranian citizenship .
Iran does not recognize dual nationality .
`` We have informed Canada that Tehran considers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plane crash as Iranian citizens ... .
Iran is mourning their deaths , '' Musavi told a televised weekly news conference .
As protests erupted in Iran over the plane disaster , the British envoy to Tehran , Rob Macaire , was detained for three hours on January 11 .
Iranian officials said Macaire was at an `` illegal '' rally , while the envoy said he was attending a vigil for victims .
Britain condemned the ambassador 's detention .
`` Iran respects all foreign diplomats in Iran as long as they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Musavi said .
Based on reporting by Reuters and AP


rferl--2020-01-20--Putin Replaces Prosecutor-General Chaika

Russian Prosecutor-General Yury Chaika is leaving his post , the Kremlin announced on January 20 .
President Vladimir Putin advanced @ @ @ @ @ Deputy Chairman Igor Krasnov for consideration for the job in the upper chamber of parliament @ @ @ @ @ the Kremlin press service said .
According to officials , Yury Chaika , who is @ @ @ @ @ post he has occupied since 2006 for another unspecified job .
Putin 's proposal takes @ @ @ @ @ the lower chamber of parliament , the State Duma , overwhelmingly approved little-known tax chief @ @ @ @ @ prime minister .
Mishustin ’ s predecessor , Dmitry Medvedev , and his government resigned @ @ @ @ @ state-of-the-nation speech on January 15 to call for a referendum on substantial constitutional amendments that @ @ @ @ @ 's powers .
Some observers suspect that Putin 's surprise constitutional shakeup could help keep @ @ @ @ @ in power beyond the end of his fourth presidential term in 2024 .
Based on @ @ @ @ @ Novosti , and Interfax

Russia's top prosecutor, Yury Chaika, who as one of the most powerful law enforcement figures in the country oversaw a raft of politically charged criminal investigations, will leave his position after nearly 14 years in office.
The Kremlin said on January 20 that President Vladimir Putin had nominated Igor Krasnov, who has served as deputy chairman of the Investigative Committee, to replace Chaika as prosecutor-general.
Russia's upper house of parliament must formally vote on Krasnov's nomination, though an affirmative vote is all but guaranteed.
Krasnov is little-known outside of Russian law enforcement circles. However, the Investigative Committee, which has been run by Putin ally Aleksandr Bastrykin since it was created in 2007, is considered a rival law enforcement agency that has clashed in the past with the Prosecutor-General's Office.
Chaika, 68, was serving as justice minister in June 2006 when he was named to the position of prosecutor-general, taking over for Vladimir Ustinov.
Just three days before Chaika took office, prosecutors announced they had reopened a dormant investigation into a furniture-smuggling ring that came to be known as the Three Whales case.
The case, which implicated officers with the local and federal branches of the Federal Security Service, Russia's leading security agency, became an embarrassment for the agency.
In December 2015, Chaika and his family were the focus of an investigation by Kremlin gadfly and anti-corruption lawyer Aleksei Navalny, who accused Chaika's two sons of using the cover of their father's subordinates to illegally enrich themselves.
Chaika rejected the allegations, calling them "a hatchet job" financed by William Browder, an American-born British citizen who was a prominent investor in Russia before he was banned from the country in 2005.
Browder employed a Russian lawyer and auditor named Sergei Magnitsky, who helped uncover a scheme that stole $230 million in Russian tax refunds using falsely registered companies linked to Browder.
Magnitsky died in a Moscow prison in 2009, accused of committing the fraud he helped uncover.
His death led to the passage of the 2012 U.S. law called the Magnitsky Act, which initially punished Russian judges, law enforcement officials, tax investigators, and others linked to the death. The law was later broadened to include Russians deemed by the United States to have committed human rights abuses, and a related law called the Global Magnitsky Act was passed in 2016.
In 2017, one of Chaika's sons, Artyom, was put under sanctions under the broadened law.
The original Magnitsky Act infuriated the Kremlin, which responded by passing a law banning the adoption of Russian children by U.S. citizens.
Russian officials also supported a secretive lobbying campaign in Washington, D.C. that aimed to undermined the Magnitsky law.
In June 2016, Chaika's name emerged in connection with a Trump Tower meeting between President Donald Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., and a Russian lawyer with close ties to Chaika's office.
At the meeting, which was also attended by Trump's then-campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, the Russian lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya, tried to discuss the Magnitsky Act and the ban on U.S. adoptions of Russian children.
But Trump officials said they quickly lost interest.
At the time of the meeting, Veselnitskaya also represented Prevezon Holdings, a Russian company accused by U.S. prosecutors of partially benefiting from the Magnitsky tax-theft scheme.
In January 2019, U.S. officials unsealed an indictment charging her with lying to U.S. authorities about her cooperation with Chaika's office during the Prevezon investigation.


rferl--2020-01-20--Iran Foreign Minister Zarif To Skip Davos Forum Amid Tensions With U.S.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif will skip the World Economic Forum which kicks off in the Swiss resort of Davos on January 21 , Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Musavi told a news conference on January 20 .
The annual gathering has been overshadowed by escalating tensions between Iran and the United States .
U.S. President Donald Trump is scheduled to attend the summit .
Zarif had been scheduled to attend the four-day gathering after receiving a personal invitation , Musavi said .
`` They changed the original program they had for him , the program that had been agreed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ else , '' Musavi said .
`` Either way , this trip unfortunately will not happen , '' he told a news conference in Tehran .
Trump is scheduled to depart late on January 20 for Davos .
Tensions between Iran and the United States have worsened since 2018 when Trump withdrew from a landmark nuclear deal between Iran and world powers .
The two countries appeared to be on the brink of war after a U.S. drone strike killed one of Iran 's top military commanders , Qasem Soleimani , on January @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fired missiles at U.S. troops stationed in neighboring Iraq .
Hours later , Iran 's armed forces shot down a Ukrainian airliner , killing all 176 people on board , in what Iran said was an accident .
Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP


rferl--2020-01-20--Ukraine’s Zelenskiy Says Will Attend Auschwitz Commemoration In Israel

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said he will attend events marking the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz Nazi death camp taking place in Jerusalem on January 22-23 .
In an interview with The Times of Israel published on January 19 , Zelenskiy said he will attend the commemoration even though he isn ’ t scheduled to speak .
“ The most important thing for each country is to honor the memory of its Holocaust victims .
It ’ s very important to go , whether we [ leaders ] speak or not , ” Zelenskiy said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ believes he should speak at the anniversary event .
“ I know the Israeli side has a different format ; we were not invited to speak .
I think I should [ speak ] , but I will go anyway , ” Zelenskiy said .
Himself a Jew , Zelenskiy cited Ukrainian statistics that said every fourth Jew who was killed in the Holocaust during World War II was from what is modern-day Ukraine .
“ But so many people who died in this tragedy [ of the Holocaust ] were Ukrainian Jews @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 150,000 Ukrainian Jews were executed , ” Zelenskiy added .
He said initially he wasn ’ t sure whether he would attend the events because of the Ukrainian passenger airliner that Iran shot down in Tehran earlier this month .
All 11 Ukrainian bodies aboard Flight PS752 were flown to Kyiv on January 19 .
An estimated 1.1 million people died at Auschwitz-Birkenau during Nazi Germany 's brutal World War II occupation of Poland .
Most of them were European Jews but the victims of the death camp also included Polish resistance members @ @ @ @ @ @ @ war .
Based on reporting by The Times of Israel

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said he will attend events marking the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz Nazi death camp taking place in Jerusalem on January 22-23.
In an interview with The Times of Israel published on January 19, Zelenskiy said he will attend the commemoration even though he isn’t scheduled to speak.
“The most important thing for each country is to honor the memory of its Holocaust victims. It’s very important to go, whether we [leaders] speak or not,” Zelenskiy said.
However, the Ukrainian president said he believes he should speak at the anniversary event.
“I know the Israeli side has a different format; we were not invited to speak. I think I should [speak], but I will go anyway,” Zelenskiy said.
Himself a Jew, Zelenskiy cited Ukrainian statistics that said every fourth Jew who was killed in the Holocaust during World War II was from what is modern-day Ukraine.
“But so many people who died in this tragedy [of the Holocaust] were Ukrainian Jews -- starting with Babyn Yar, where 150,000 Ukrainian Jews were executed,” Zelenskiy added.
He said initially he wasn’t sure whether he would attend the events because of the Ukrainian passenger airliner that Iran shot down in Tehran earlier this month. All 11 Ukrainian bodies aboard Flight PS752 were flown to Kyiv on January 19.
An estimated 1.1 million people died at Auschwitz-Birkenau during Nazi Germany's brutal World War II occupation of Poland.
Most of them were European Jews but the victims of the death camp also included Polish resistance members, Roma, and Soviet prisoners of war.
Based on reporting by The Times of Israel


rferl--2020-01-20--Kosovo's Vetevendosje Party Nominates Leader Kurti For PM

Kosovo 's Self-Determination Movement ( Vetevendosje ) , the party that won most votes in October parliamentary elections , has nominated its leader , Albin Kurti , for the post of prime minister .
Vetevendosje informed President Hashim Thaci of its decision in a letter on January 20 .
According to the constitution , once Thaci approves Kurti 's nomination , the prime minister designate has 15 days to put together a government .
Kurti 's upstart Vetevendosje party emerged with a plurality of 26 percent in the October elections that upset entrenched allies of Thaci , a former Kosovo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only 29 seats in the 120-seat legislature .
Vetevendosje and the second-place finisher , center-right opposition Democratic League ( LDK ) , which won 28 seats , have been negotiating for months to form a government .
Talks reportedly stalled over government posts and a unified choice to defeat Thaci 's likely reelection bid in 2021 .
Thaci and Kurti held talks on January 6 , but the Vetevendosje chief then failed to propose a candidate to lead the government .
Kosovo has been recognized by more than 110 states since declaring independence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to face diplomatic and institutional hurdles stemming from nonrecognition by Serbia , Russia , and a handful of European Union states .
Talks on normalizing diplomatic relations with Serbia were derailed in 2018 by Pristina 's imposition of 100-percent tariffs on Serbian goods in response to Belgrade 's continued lobbying for countries to reverse their recognition of Kosovo .
International hopes on restarting those talks -- potentially leading to UN recognition for Kosovo and clearing other obstacles -- appear pinned on the next government .
Thaci said in November that dialogue between Pristina @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` without any conditionality . ''
With additional reporting by AP and Reuters

Kosovar President Hashim Thaci has mandated Albin Kurti, the leader of Kosovo's Self-Determination Movement (Vetevendosje), to form a government.
Thaci's decision came shortly after Vetevendosje, the party that won the most votes in October parliamentary elections, sent a letter to the president on January 20 announcing that it has nominated Kurti for the post of prime minister.
According to the constitution, the prime minister designate has 15 days to put together a government.
Kurti's upstart Vetevendosje party emerged with a plurality of 26 percent in the October elections that upset entrenched allies of Thaci, a former Kosovo Liberation Army commander, but still won only 29 seats in the 120-seat legislature.
Vetevendosje and the second-place finisher, center-right opposition Democratic League (LDK), which won 28 seats, have been negotiating for months to form a government. Talks reportedly stalled over government posts and a unified choice to defeat Thaci's likely reelection bid in 2021.
Thaci and Kurti held talks on January 6, but the Vetevendosje chief then failed to propose a candidate to lead the government.
Kosovo has been recognized by more than 110 states since declaring independence from Serbia in 2008, but continues to face diplomatic and institutional hurdles stemming from nonrecognition by Serbia, Russia, and a handful of European Union states.
Talks on normalizing diplomatic relations with Serbia were derailed in 2018 by Pristina's imposition of 100-percent tariffs on Serbian goods in response to Belgrade's continued lobbying for countries to reverse their recognition of Kosovo.
International hopes on restarting those talks -- potentially leading to UN recognition for Kosovo and clearing other obstacles -- appear pinned on the next government.
Thaci said in November that dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade on normalizing ties should continue "without any conditionality."
With additional reporting by AP and Reuters


rferl--2020-01-20--Iran Says It Still Respects 2015 Nuclear Deal

Iran still observes a landmark 2015 nuclear deal with world powers despite rolling back its commitments to the pact , Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Musavi told a news conference in Tehran on January 20 .
`` Tehran still remains in the deal ... .
The European powers ' claims about Iran violating the deal are unfounded , '' Musavi said .
Iran had said earlier this month that it no longer considered itself bound by the agreement , from which the United States withdrew in 2018 while reimposing harsh economic sanctions on the country .
Tehran has gradually reduced some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Germany , Britain , and France announced earlier this month that they had triggered the so-called dispute mechanism in the agreement known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action ( JCPOA ) .
The European states -- signatories of the JCPOA along with China , Russia , the European Union , and , formerly , the United States -- said that while the mechanism could lead to UN sanctions against Iran , they were not joining Washington 's yearlong `` maximum pressure '' campaign designed to change Tehran 's behavior .
`` Whether @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will depend on other parties and whether Iran 's interests are secured under the deal , '' Musavi said .
Under the deal , Iran agreed to curb its nuclear activities in exchange for relief from international sanctions .
President Donald Trump in 2018 withdrew the United States from the deal , arguing that the terms were not tough enough to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons , agreeing curbs to its ballistic-missile program , and ending its support for `` proxy '' groups across the Middle East .
Washington , which wants @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , has since reimposed crippling sanctions on the Iranian economy .
On January 19 , Ali Larijani , the speaker of Iran 's parliament , warned European powers against taking `` for any reason '' an `` unfair '' approach to the dispute mechanism in the nuclear deal .
Tehran would `` seriously reconsider our cooperation '' with the International Atomic Energy Agency ( IAEA ) as a result , Larijani , who is also a former chief nuclear negotiator for Tehran , was quoted as saying by state TV .
With reporting @ @ @ @ @ @ @


rferl--2020-01-20--Afghan Officials: Taliban Kills Six Members Of Same Family

The Taliban has killed six members of the same family , including an infant girl , in a remote village @ @ @ @ @ , Afghan officials say .
The Taliban denied involvement , saying the attack on January @ @ @ @ @ personal dispute .
However , local Afghan officials said January 19 the family was sentenced @ @ @ @ @ for immoral acts before being shot dead , said Jawed Bedar , a spokesman for @ @ @ @ @ The infant girl 's mother and twin sister survived , but both of the child @ @ @ @ @ amputated , Bedar said .
Afghan security forces deployed to the village early January 19 @ @ @ @ @ survivors to the hospital .
Bedar said the Taliban attacked the government troops when they @ @ @ @ @ were killed in the ensuing gun battle .
The Taliban now controls or holds sway @ @ @ @ @ .

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


rferl--2020-01-19--One Ukrainian Soldier Killed, 10 Wounded In Donbas

One Ukrainian soldier was killed and 10 were wounded over a span of 24 hours on January 18 in the country ’ s eastern Donbas war zone , the Ukrainian military reported .
A daily briefing by the military headquarters the following day said Ukrainian forces faced six attacks along the front line that included the use of drones , armored-fighting vehicles , 120-millimeter mortars , grenade launchers , and heavy-caliber machine guns .
Another Ukrainian serviceman was killed on January 15 from sniper fire in a conflict with Russia-backed separatists that started in April 2014 and which has killed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year , Russian President Vladimir Putin gave the order to forcibly seize the Crimean Peninsula from Kyiv , prompting the West to impose sanctions .
Some 130 Ukrainian military personnel were killed in 2019 and the beginning of January , the Prosecutor-General ’ s Office said on January 17 .
In the Donetsk region , 101 service personnel were killed and 31 in the Luhansk region .
A total of seven Ukrainian troops have been killed since the beginning of this year and another 28 were wounded , the Defense Ministry reported .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ end the war , which has internally uprooted 1.5 million people from their homes and caused a humanitarian crisis in the easternmost regions of Donetsk and Luhansk .
Since ascending the presidency in May 2019 , Zelenskiy has implemented measures with Russia to deescalate , including two prisoner exchanges and the mutual withdrawal of forces and weapons from three flash points along the 400-kilometer front line .
Russia has denied direct involvement in the conflict and says any Russians fighting in the Donbas territories are volunteers .


rferl--2020-01-19--Tehran Says 'No Plan' To Send Downed Plane’s Black Boxes To Ukraine

As the coffins of the 11 Ukrainians who were killed when Iran 's military mistakenly shot down a passenger airliner in Tehran arrived in Kyiv on January 19 , the lead Iranian investigator into the tragedy said Iran would n't send the flight recorders abroad for analysis .
Hassan Rezaifer was quoted by the state-run IRNA news agency as saying “ the flight recorders from the Ukrainian Boeing are in Iranian hands and we have no plans to send them out.
” Meanwhile , Canada on January 19 made another request for Tehran to immediately transfer the black boxes to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ repeated Canada ’ s position that the black boxes be sent as quickly as possible either to Ukraine or France so it can be done somewhere [ where ] the expertise exists and it can be done in a transparent manner , ” Canadian Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said after he spoke with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif .
However , Rezaifer said Iran is still working with the flight recorders and that they may be sent to Ukraine or France .
“ But as of yet , we have made no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Ukrainian capital Kyiv , President Volodymyr Zelenskiy , Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk , and other senior Ukrainian officials participated in a solemn ceremony after the 11 flag-draped coffins arrived carrying the bodies of nine Ukraine International Airlines crew members and two passengers killed along with 165 other people when Flight PS752 went down on January 8 .
Iranian officials have said that air defenses on high alert during heightened tensions after Iranian missile strikes made an error and fired antiaircraft missiles at the Boeing 737-800 .
Ukrainians and officials from the four @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disaster have demanded a `` thorough , independent , and transparent '' investigation .
Rezaifer had been quoted by the Tasnim news agency as saying on January 18 that French , American , and Canadian experts would work with the equipment after it was sent to Kyiv because Iranian authorities had been unable to read the black-box data .
`` If this effort is unsuccessful , then the black box will be sent to France , '' he had added , according to Tasnim .
Senior Iranian officials called for punishment of those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Revolutionary Guards Corps ( IRGC ) shot down the plane .
The foreign ministers of Afghanistan , Britain , Canada , Sweden , and Ukraine issued a joint statement after a meeting in London on January 17 to pressure Iran to give a full accounting .
Most of the victims on the flight were Iranians or dual citizens , many of them students returning to studies abroad or families returning home after visiting relatives in Iran .
The incident came shortly after Iran launched missiles at military bases in Iraq that hosted U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a response to a January 3 U.S. air strike that killed top Iranian military commander Major General Qassem Soleimani near Baghdad 's international airport .
After initially denying it shot down the plane , Tehran eventually admitted that its forces “ unintentionally ” struck the airliner with a missile after it said it veered toward a sensitive military site .
Thousands of Iranians took to the streets to protest their government 's actions , prompting public calls for punishment of the individuals responsible for the mistake .
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country 's armed forces in a rare sermon at Tehran ’ s Mosalla Mosque on January 17 .
He accused Iran 's enemies of using the plane crash to question the Islamic republic , the armed forces , and the IRGC , which he said `` maintained the security '' of Iran .
Based on reporting by RFE/RL 's Ukrainian Service , AP , Reuters , and AFP

As the coffins of the 11 Ukrainians who were killed when Iran's military mistakenly shot down a passenger airliner in Tehran arrived in Kyiv on January 19, the lead Iranian investigator into the tragedy said Iran wouldn't send the flight recorders abroad for analysis.
Hassan Rezaifer was quoted by the state-run IRNA news agency as saying “the flight recorders from the Ukrainian Boeing are in Iranian hands and we have no plans to send them out.”
Meanwhile, Canada on January 19 made another request for Tehran to immediately transfer the black boxes to either France or Ukraine.
“I repeated Canada’s position that the black boxes be sent as quickly as possible either to Ukraine or France so it can be done somewhere [where] the expertise exists and it can be done in a transparent manner,” Canadian Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said after he spoke with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif.
However, Rezaifer said Iran is still working with the flight recorders and that they may be sent to Ukraine or France.
“But as of yet, we have made no decision,” he said.
In the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk, and other senior Ukrainian officials participated in a solemn ceremony after the 11 flag-draped coffins arrived carrying the bodies of nine Ukraine International Airlines crew members and two passengers killed along with 165 other people when Flight PS752 went down on January 8.
Iranian officials have said that air defenses on high alert during heightened tensions after Iranian missile strikes made an error and fired antiaircraft missiles at the Boeing 737-800.
Ukrainians and officials from the four other countries that lost nationals in the disaster have demanded a "thorough, independent, and transparent" investigation.
Rezaifer had been quoted by the Tasnim news agency as saying on January 18 that French, American, and Canadian experts would work with the equipment after it was sent to Kyiv because Iranian authorities had been unable to read the black-box data.
"If this effort is unsuccessful, then the black box will be sent to France," he had added, according to Tasnim.
Senior Iranian officials called for punishment of those responsible after air-defense forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) shot down the plane.
Joint Statement
The foreign ministers of Afghanistan, Britain, Canada, Sweden, and Ukraine issued a joint statement after a meeting in London on January 17 to pressure Iran to give a full accounting.
Most of the victims on the flight were Iranians or dual citizens, many of them students returning to studies abroad or families returning home after visiting relatives in Iran.
The incident came shortly after Iran launched missiles at military bases in Iraq that hosted U.S. forces, in an attack that was a response to a January 3 U.S. air strike that killed top Iranian military commander Major General Qassem Soleimani near Baghdad's international airport.
After initially denying it shot down the plane, Tehran eventually admitted that its forces “unintentionally” struck the airliner with a missile after it said it veered toward a sensitive military site.
Thousands of Iranians took to the streets to protest their government's actions, prompting public calls for punishment of the individuals responsible for the mistake.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called for national unity and defended the country's armed forces in a rare sermon at Tehran’s Mosalla Mosque on January 17.
He accused Iran's enemies of using the plane crash to question the Islamic republic, the armed forces, and the IRGC, which he said "maintained the security" of Iran.
Based on reporting by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, AP, Reuters, and AFP


rferl--2020-01-21--Protesters In Bosnian Capital Hold Rally Over Choking Air Pollution

Protesters in Sarajevo on January 20 assembled to draw attention to dangerously high levels of air pollution in the capital of Bosnia-Herzegovina .
Some of the demonstrators among the dozens who gathered outside Sarajevo ’ s government building wore face masks amid the thick fog mixed with fine particle pollution that has for weeks settled over the city .
They urged the authorities to take action and said they wanted to raise public awareness of the decades-old problem that has troubled the city situated in a valley among the mountains .
The air quality index in recent weeks has surpassed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ several times .
Sarajevo Canton authorities have started implementing emergency measures , urging residents not to burn coal and wood and banned the use of vehicles run on diesel fuel .
On January 17 , authorities said they will offer free rides on public transportation to help reduce exhaust emissions .
Foreign ambassadors , some wearing masks , also held a meeting on January 20 with the Sarajevo authorities to discuss air quality .
Earlier in the month , the Swedish embassy said on social media that pollution in the city was so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of its own when it comes to bad air quality.
” Recommendations by city authorities for people to wear protective masks outdoors has been met by criticism as some residents have noted on social media that the government hasn ’ t purchased such masks for city workers , such as police and public transport workers .
Other cities in Bosnia like Ilijas and Tuzla also suffer from hazardous levels of damaging airborne particles .
Peoples ' behaviors must change too to address the problem and the problem won ’ t go away overnight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the protesters , as cited by AP .
“ A lot of people refuse to change their routine , ” he said .
“ They do n't want us to stop the traffic or cancel classes [ because of pollution ] , so we need to work to raise awareness.
” He added that that masks and air purifiers will be provided to the most vulnerable categories of people in the city , especially for children , in the next few days .
With reporting by Balkan Insight , AP , N1 , @ @ @

Protesters in Sarajevo have assembled to draw attention to dangerously high levels of air pollution in the capital of Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Some of the demonstrators among the dozens who gathered outside Sarajevo’s government building on January 20 wore face masks amid the thick fog mixed with fine particle pollution that has for weeks settled over the city.
They urged the authorities to take action and said they wanted to raise public awareness of the decades-old problem that has troubled the city situated in a valley among mountains.
The air-quality index in recent weeks has surpassed the European Union’s safety norms several times.
Sarajevo Canton authorities have started implementing emergency measures, urging residents not to burn coal and wood and banned the use of vehicles running on diesel fuel.
On January 17, authorities said they will offer free rides on public transportation to help reduce exhaust emissions.
Foreign ambassadors, some wearing masks, also held a meeting on January 20 with the Sarajevo authorities to discuss air quality.
Earlier in the month, the Swedish Embassy said on social media that pollution in the city was so bad it was "in a category of its own when it comes to bad air quality."
Recommendations by city authorities for people to wear protective masks outdoors has been met by criticism as some residents have noted on social media that the government hasn’t purchased such masks for city workers, such as police and public transport workers.
Other cities in Bosnia, such as Ilijas and Tuzla, also suffer from hazardous levels of damaging airborne particles.
Peoples' behaviors must change too to address the problem and it won’t go away overnight, local government head Edin Forto told the protesters, as cited by AP.
"A lot of people refuse to change their routine,": he said. "They don't want us to stop the traffic or cancel classes [because of pollution], so we need to work to raise awareness."
He added that that masks and air purifiers will be provided to the most vulnerable categories of people in the city, especially for children, in the next few days.
With reporting by Balkan Insight, AP, N1, and Sarajevo Times