rferl--2020-10-02--Armenia Willing To Engage In OSCE Peace Talks Over Nagorno-Karabakh

Armenia says it is willing to engage in peace talks as international leaders continue to call for an immediate end to fighting with Azerbaijani forces over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh amid concerns the flare-up in violence may grow into a full-blown war drawing in regional powers .
The Foreign Ministry in Yerevan said in a statement on October 2 that it welcomed a joint call the previous day from France , Russia , and the United States -- the co-chairs of the so-called Minsk Group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe ( OSCE ) -- for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forces fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh .
The trio also called on the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to `` commit without delay to resuming substantive negotiations , in good faith and without preconditions , under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs . ''
`` We welcome the fact that the Minsk Group co-chairs at the level of their leaders reacted to the use of force in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone by way of strong condemnation , '' the Armenian statement said .
`` Armenia remains committed to the peaceful resolution of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ engage with the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair countries to reestablish a cease-fire regime based on the 1994-1995 agreements , '' it added .
Armenian and Azerbaijani forces have shown little willingness to halt the fighting since it erupted on September 27 .
The sides have reported the deaths of nearly 200 people , including many civilians , in heavy clashes involving the use of armed drones , tanks , helicopters , and multiple-rocket systems along much of the Line of Contact that separates the ethnic Armenian forces who control Nagorno-Karabakh from Azerbaijan 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worst eruption of violence since a 1994 cease-fire ended a war over the disputed territory , has threatened to draw in Russia , a member of a security alliance with Armenia , and NATO-member Turkey .
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on October 2 warned his Azerbaijani and Armenian counterparts against the risks of an `` internationalization '' of the conflict .
Le Drian also told the ministers in a telephone call that a failure to halt the fighting would `` bring the risk of an out-of-control escalation , '' his office @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the toll on the civilian population are unacceptable .
There can be no military solution to the conflict , nor any external interference , '' the European Council said in a statement early on October 2 following a summit in Brussels .
The EU said it supported the co-chairs of the Minsk Group , which has tried to mediate the conflict since the early 1990s .
The upsurge of violence has threatened to draw in Russia , a member of a security alliance with Armenia , and NATO-member Turkey .
In a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on October 1 that his country would continue to provide `` all types of support '' to Azerbaijan as he criticized the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs for failing to resolve the long-running dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh .
`` Given that the United States , France , and Russia as OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs have neglected the problem for nearly 30 years , it is not acceptable for them to call for a cease-fire in the face of negative developments today , '' Erdogan told parliament .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the disputed territory .
Azerbaijan and Armenia have been locked in a conflict over the mountainous region since the waning years of the Soviet Union .
They fought a war that ended in 1994 with an uneasy cease-fire and an estimated 30,000 killed .
Since then , Nagorno-Karabakh has been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces .
The potential for robust Turkish military involvement in the conflict is being watched closely by Russia , which is already on opposing sides with the NATO member in conflicts in Libya and Syria .
Russia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to both Azerbaijan and Armenia .
It also has a military base in Armenia .
Turkey 's involvement is also raising attention in Europe , with French President Emmanuel Macron accusing Ankara this week of `` reckless and dangerous '' statements backing Azerbaijan .
Following the first day of the EU leaders summit early on October 2 , Macron again accused Turkey of sending Syrian `` jihadists '' to Azerbaijan and demanded NATO address its ally 's actions .
`` A red line has been crossed , which is unacceptable , '' Macron @ @ @ @ @ @ @ partners to face up to the behavior of a NATO member . ''
`` France 's response is to ask Turkey for an explanation on this point , '' he said .
Armenia and Russia have also alleged Turkey has sent Syrian fighters to Azerbaijan , something Ankara and Baku have denied .
Macron was speaking after a summit in Brussels at which EU leaders agreed to threaten Turkey with sanctions over its gas drilling in Cypriot waters and maritime disputes with Greece .
Already battered relations between the EU and Ankara deteriorated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ research ship with a naval escort to work in contested waters , with Athens responding with war games backed by France .
France is also at odds with Turkey over the conflict in Libya , where Ankara has backed the UN-recognized government in Tripoli with military supplies , advisers , and thousands of Syrian rebel mercenaries from areas Turkey has carved out in northern Syria in military interventions .
With reporting by AFP , AP , Sabah , and Reuters

Armenia on October 2 said it is willing to engage in peace talks through the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) as international leaders continued to call for an immediate end to fighting with Azerbaijani forces over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
There are concerns that this week's flare-up in violence around the breakaway territory could grow into a full-blown war between the archfoes and draw in regional powers Russia and NATO-member Turkey.
The Foreign Ministry in Yerevan said in its statement that it welcomed a joint call the previous day from France, Russia, and the United States -- the so-called Minsk Group mediating peace efforts since a shaky cease-fire was reached in the early 1990s -- for an immediate cessation of hostilities between forces fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh.
The trio also called on the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to "commit without delay to resuming substantive negotiations, in good faith and without preconditions, under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs."
The ministry said it remained committed to the peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and was “ready to engage with the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries to reestablish a cease-fire regime based on the 1994-1995 agreements.”
Armenia on October 2 accused Azerbaijani forces of striking Nagorno-Karabakh's capital, Stepanakert. RFE/RL’s Armenian Service reported that four people were injured but no one was killed.
The report quoted Armenian Defense Ministry spokesman Artsrun Hovhannisian as saying there was a lot of damage to the city’s infrastructure, including the building of the emergency services.
Hikmat Haciyev, foreign affairs aide to the Azerbaijani president, told reporters that if Armenia "wants to see an end of this escalation of the situation," it "must end its occupation" of Nagorno-Karabakh.
White House national security adviser Robert O’Brien met on October 2 in Geneva with Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev for discussions on a number of topics, including Nagorno-Karabakh.
“We had business-like and constructive dialogue and, while we have differences, I am optimistic that the United States and Russia can make progress in key areas that will ultimately benefit both the American and Russian people,” O’Brien tweeted.
Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognized as Azerbaijani territory, but it and a handful of adjoining regions are controlled by ethnic Armenian separatists with close ties to Yerevan.
Azerbaijan and Armenia have been locked in a conflict over the mountainous region since the waning years of the Soviet Union. They fought a war that ended in 1994 with an uneasy cease-fire and an estimated 30,000 killed.
Since the recent fighting erupted on September 27, Armenian and Azerbaijani forces have shown little willingness to halt the violence.
The potential for robust Turkish military involvement in the conflict is being watched closely by Russia, which is already on opposing sides with the NATO member in conflicts in Libya and Syria.
The Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by telephone with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian on October 2 and "insisted on the need to immediately stop the hostilities and resume political-diplomatic efforts" to settle the dispute in line with the Minsk Group appeal.
Both men "agreed to continue contacts in various formats," it said.
Putin and Pashinian both expressed "serious concern" over reports of foreign fighters in Nagorno-Karabakh "conflict zone," the Kremlin said.
Armenia and Russia have previously alleged that Turkey has sent Syrian fighters to Azerbaijan, something Ankara and Baku have denied.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights on September 30 claimed "reliable sources" informed it of the deaths of a "Syrian fighter of Turkish-backed factions in Azerbaijan" in the fighting.
By October 2, the group said at least 28 Syrian rebels had been killed in the Azerbaijani-Armenian fighting.
In a signal Turkey has no intention to de-escalate, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on October 1 that his country would continue to provide “all types of support” to Azerbaijan as he criticized the Minsk Group for failing to resolve the long-running dispute.
“Given that the United States, France, and Russia as OSCE Minsk Group cochairs have neglected the problem for nearly 30 years, it is not acceptable for them to call for a cease-fire in the face of negative developments today,” Erdogan told parliament. He demanded Armenian “occupiers” first leave the territory.
In Washington, Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, urging him to “engage” with the leaders of Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to encourage an immediate cease-fire and a return to negotiations.
“Given the possibility that this conflict could engulf the region and draw in other external actors, it is imperative that the U.S. use its diplomatic leverage to bring about an immediate cease-fire,” the senators wrote in the letter, which was released on October 2 by Senator Bob Menendez (Democrat-New Jersey), the top Democrat on the committee.
With reporting by AFP, AP, Interfax, and Reuters


rferl--2020-10-02--Lebanon Asks Interpol To Arrest Russian Captain, Ship Owner Over Beirut Blast

Lebanon has asked Interpol to issue arrest warrants for the Russian captain and owner of the vessel that brought a shipment of ammonium nitrate behind a massive explosion at Beirut port in August .
Lebanon 's state news agency NNA said October 1 that public prosecutors have asked Interpol to issue warrants against the two Russians as part of a widening probe into what caused the explosion , which killed nearly 200 people , wounded thousands , and devastated downtown Beirut .
Authorities have blamed the August 4 explosion on nearly 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrate -- a material used @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was stored in poor conditions at Beirut 's port for years .
Many questions remain about why and how the cargo was abandoned in Beirut amid allegations of negligence against Lebanese authorities .
Nearly 20 people have been detained in Lebanon after the blast , including port and customs officials .
The Rhosus , a Moldovan-flagged cargo ship sailing from Georgia to an explosives factory in Mozambique , is widely understood to have brought the fertilizer to Beirut in 2013 during an unscheduled detour .
NNA did not give the names of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but Russian national Boris Prokoshev was the captain who sailed the vessel to Beirut in 2013 .
Prokoshev is believed to be in Russia .
Igor Grechushkin , a Russian businessman residing in Cyprus , is believed to have been the owner .
Grechushkin was questioned by police at the request of Interpol 's Lebanon office in August .
The Rhosus never ended up leaving Beirut due to a legal dispute over port fees and ship defects .
In October 2014 , the ammonium nitrate was moved to a warehouse at Beirut @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It remained there until the explosion .
The ship sank near the port in February 2018 .
Based on reporting by AFP , AP , and Reuters .

Lebanon has asked Interpol to issue arrest warrants for the Russian captain and owner of the vessel that brought a shipment of ammonium nitrate behind a massive explosion at Beirut port in August.
Lebanon's state news agency NNA said October 1 that public prosecutors have asked Interpol to issue warrants against the two Russians as part of a widening probe into what caused the explosion, which killed nearly 200 people, wounded thousands, and devastated downtown Beirut.
Authorities have blamed the August 4 explosion on nearly 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrate -- a material used in fertilizer but also explosives -- that was stored in poor conditions at Beirut's port for years.
Many questions remain about why and how the cargo was abandoned in Beirut amid allegations of negligence against Lebanese authorities. Nearly 20 people have been detained in Lebanon after the blast, including port and customs officials.
The Rhosus, a Moldovan-flagged cargo ship sailing from Georgia to an explosives factory in Mozambique, is widely understood to have brought the fertilizer to Beirut in 2013 during an unscheduled detour.
NNA did not give the names of the two men sought by the Interpol warrant, but Russian national Boris Prokoshev was the captain who sailed the vessel to Beirut in 2013. Prokoshev is believed to be in Russia.
Igor Grechushkin, a Russian businessman residing in Cyprus, is believed to have been the owner. Grechushkin was questioned by police at the request of Interpol's Lebanon office in August.
The Rhosus never ended up leaving Beirut due to a legal dispute over port fees and ship defects.
In October 2014, the ammonium nitrate was moved to a warehouse at Beirut's port that holds impounded materials. It remained there until the explosion.
The ship sank near the port in February 2018.
Based on reporting by AFP, AP, and Reuters.


rferl--2020-10-02--Belarus Introduces Own Blacklist After EU Agrees Sanctions On Officials Over Election, Crackdown

MINSK -- Belarus says it is introducing a list of people barred from entering the country in retaliation against EU plans to impose sanctions on dozens of individuals in Belarus responsible for fraud in the August presidential election and a brutal crackdown on protesters and opposition members who have taken to the streets saying the vote was rigged .
The Foreign Ministry made the announcement on October 2 , accusing the EU of imposing the `` punitive measure '' on Belarus because the country `` did not comply with a set of ultimatum requirements that no self-respecting sovereign state would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the blacklist will not be made public , in accordance with `` the established civilized diplomatic practice . ''
After hours of talks in Brussels , EU leaders were able to overcome a diplomatic stalemate created by Cyprus and agreed in the early hours of October 2 on delayed sanctions on about 40 Belarusian officials .
European Council President Charles Michel told reporters that a special procedure would be launched to place sanctions on the officials with asset freezes and travel bans .
Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka , who claims to have won @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is not on the sanctions list .
EU diplomats have said he may be added at a later date .
The EU has rejected the result of the vote that returned Lukashenka to power for a sixth term and condemned a widening crackdown on protesters , media , and the opposition .
The Kremlin , which has endorsed Lukashenka , described the imposition of EU sanctions as a sign of `` weakness . ''
But spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Lukashenka 's absence from the sanctions lists was more of a positive signal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ EU of any opportunity to maintain dialogue with Belarus . ''
Britain and Canada have already sanctioned Belarusian officials , including Lukashenka .
`` That we could now agree to those sanction is an important signal because it strengthens the hand of those who are protesting for freedom of opinion in Belarus , '' German Chancellor Angela Merkel told journalists on October 2 after the EU summit in Brussels .
A German government spokeswoman said earlier on October 2 that Merkel will meet with Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya in Berlin on October 6 , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ talks with French President Emmanuel Macron in Vilnius .
Tsikhanouskaya , who supporters say won the presidential election , took refuge in neighboring Lithuania following the vote .
She announced on September 30 that she had begun creating a shadow cabinet , saying `` Alyaksandr Lukashenka 's regime is not just illegitimate , but also is not capable of carrying out its duties . ''
Speaking to reporters in Brussels , European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen vowed `` no impunity for those who are responsible for the crackdown on demonstrators and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was important to show the EU remained `` credible , '' after tiny Cyprus blocked the Belarus sanctions -- agreed to in August -- over a separate dispute with Turkey about maritime borders and energy resources in the eastern Mediterranean that has also drawn the ire of Greece .
Cyprus demanded the EU act consistently when responding to the violation of core principles and demanded sanctions on Turkey .
EU sanctions require unanimous consent from member states , making the Cyprus hold up on Belarus a blow to EU 's image .
To @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , EU leaders agreed on a strong statement of support for Cyprus , as well as for Greece , and a warning that Turkey could face sanctions if it continues drilling in disputed waters .
A summit in December is now expected to assess any progress with Turkey on issues in the eastern Mediterranean .
“ It is now Turkey that has to prove that it wants to go the constructive road with us , and this is the offer tonight .
But we are very clear that in the opposite case we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” von der Leyen said after the meeting .
Already battered relations between the EU and Ankara deteriorated further in July when Turkey sent a research ship with a naval escort to work in contested waters , with Athens responding with war games backed by France .
Turkey and Greece have since agreed to resume long-stalled talks as Germany in particular presses for a diplomatic resolution to the stand-off between the two NATO members .
Merkel said she hoped for a `` constructive agenda with Turkey , provided that efforts to reduce @ @ @ @ @ @ @ refugee policy and trade .
With reporting by AFP , AP , Reuters , Tagesschau , and Interfax

MINSK -- The United States and EU on October 2 slapped sanctions on Belarusian officials responsible for fraud in the August presidential election and a brutal crackdown on protesters and opposition members, drawing a sharp response from Belarus and its ally Russia.
Belarus immediately retaliated with its own list of people barred from entering the country, accusing the European Union of imposing the "punitive measure" on Belarus because it "did not comply with a set of ultimatum requirements that no self-respecting sovereign state would satisfy."
After nearly six weeks of diplomatic wrangling, EU leaders were able to overcome a stalemate created by Cyprus and agreed at a summit in Brussels on October 2 to sanction 40 Belarus officials.
The leaders also urged the EU’s executive arm, the European Commission, “to prepare a comprehensive plan of economic support for democratic Belarus.”
Crisis In Belarus Read our coverage as Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka continues his brutal crackdown on NGOs, activists, and independent media following the August 2020 presidential election.
The EU sanctions target Belarus officials in the Interior Ministry and police and security services for a crackdown on protesters and the opposition, as well as election officials blamed for falsifying the August 9 election results that gave strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka a sixth term as president. Lukashenka is not on the sanctions list, but EU diplomats have said he may be added at a later date.
Among those hit by the travel bans and asset freezes are Interior Minister Yury Karayeu, who the EU described as responsible for “repression and intimidation” in the wake of the election, including the arrest and ill‐treatment of peaceful demonstrators as well as intimidation and violence against journalists.
Central Election Commission chief Lidia Yermoshina was also sanctioned for misconduct during the election and “falsification of election results.”
“This sends a strong message of EU support to the democratic right of the Belarusian people to elect their president through free and fair elections, and our condemnation of repression and violence against people exercising their fundamental rights,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said.
In a coordinated move, the United States slapped sanctions on eight Belarusian officials, including the interior minister, the Treasury Department said.
“The Belarusian people’s democratic aspirations to choose their own leaders and peacefully exercise their rights have been met with violence and oppression from Belarusian officials,” said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. “The United States and our international partners stand united in imposing costs on those who have undermined Belarusian democracy for years.”
Britain and Canada have already sanctioned Belarus officials, including Lukashenka.
Belarus quickly responded with tit-for-tat sanctions against the EU, although it was vague on those targeted on its blacklist.
The Foreign Ministry advised the embassies of its western neighbors Poland and Latvia to reduce their staffs and summoned the ambassadors of the two countries.
In tandem with the moves against Latvia and Poland, the Belarusian Foreign Ministry said it was revoking the accreditation of all foreign media, claiming it was a long-considered move aimed at streamlining the process.
As of October 5, the ministry said that journalists working for foreign media organizations in the country must reapply with a revamped accreditation commission.
It said priority during the accreditation process will be given to citizens of the country where a media outlet is based, a move which could severely limit Belarusians from working for foreign outlets, including Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
The Kremlin, which has endorsed Lukashenka, described the imposition of EU sanctions as a sign of “weakness.”
But spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Lukashenka's absence from the sanctions lists is more of a positive signal because blacklisting him would “deprive the EU of any opportunity to maintain dialogue with Belarus."
Following through on the threat of sanctions against Belarus was a crucial test for the EU, after tiny Cyprus blocked their implementation -- agreed to in August -- over a separate dispute with Turkey about maritime borders and energy resources in the Eastern Mediterranean that has also drawn the ire of Greece.
Speaking to reporters early on October 2 after the first day of the summit, European Council President Charles Michel said it was important to overcome the Cypriot veto to show the EU remained “credible” in responding to election and human rights abuses in Belarus.
Cyprus had demanded the EU act consistently when responding to the violation of core principles and demanded sanctions on Turkey. EU sanctions require unanimous consent from member states, making the Cyprus hold up on Belarus a blow to EU's image.
To overcome the embarrassing diplomatic row with Cyprus, EU leaders agreed on a strong statement of support for Cyprus, as well as for Greece, and a warning that Turkey could face sanctions if it continues drilling in disputed waters. A summit in December is now expected to assess any progress with Turkey on issues in the Eastern Mediterranean.
"That we could now agree to those sanctions is an important signal because it strengthens the hand of those who are protesting for freedom of opinion in Belarus," German Chancellor Angela Merkel told journalists on October 2 after the EU summit in Brussels.
A German government spokeswoman earlier said that Merkel will meet with Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya in Berlin on October 6, a week after the Belarusian opposition leader held talks with French President Emmanuel Macron in Vilnius.
Tsikhanouskaya, whose supporters say won the presidential election, took refuge in neighboring Lithuania following the vote. She announced on September 30 she has begun creating a shadow cabinet, saying "Alyaksandr Lukashenka's regime is not just illegitimate, but also is not capable of carrying out its duties."
With reporting by AFP, AP, Reuters, Tagesschau, and Interfax


rferl--2020-10-02--Parents Of Antigay Ultranationalist Who Died In Russian Jail Allege Foul Play

The parents of a prominent antigay ultranationalist whose death in custody last month was ruled a suicide have alleged that their son was killed or driven to suicide and vowed to file a police complaint in the case .
Thirty-six-year-old Maksim Martsinkevich -- a leader of the neo-Nazi group Format 18 who was known as Tesak ( Machete ) -- was found dead in a solitary-confinement cell in the west-central Russian city of Chelyabinsk on September 16 and his body transported to Moscow .
His parents were quoted by Kommersant Daily on October 2 as saying the morgue in Moscow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ see the body before burial but that it might show traces of violence .
His lawyers rejected an Investigative Committee finding that it was suicide , saying their client had never been suicidal .
Martsinkevich 's parents said an independent expert said postmortem photos and videos did not point to suicide .
Martsinkevich 's father has said two of his son 's toenails were missing and there was a possible indication he had been administered an injection .
Officials hinted he may have been driven to suicide by a confession in connection with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for which Martsinkevich faced a possible life sentence .
Martsinkevich had since said in prison that he had abandoned his neo-Nazi views .
In addition to his Format 18 activities , Martsinkevich founded a homophobic group called Occupy Pedophilia whose aim was to `` cure '' homosexuals .
Russian authorities opened an investigation against him after several videos showing Martsinkevich and his followers humiliating and beating gays circulated on the Internet in 2013 .
Martsinkevich fled to Cuba but authorities there arrested him for a visa violation in January 2014 and repatriated him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a court in Moscow found Martsikevich guilty of robbery and hooliganism and sentenced him to 10 years in prison .
Before that , Martsinkevich had been convicted three times on extremism charges .
Kremlin critics have said the government used Martsinkevich 's group to counter opposition protests .

The parents of a prominent antigay ultranationalist whose death in custody last month was ruled a suicide have alleged that their son was killed or driven to suicide and vowed to file a police complaint in the case.
Thirty-six-year-old Maksim Martsinkevich -- a leader of the neo-Nazi group Format 18 who was known as Tesak (Machete) -- was found dead in a solitary-confinement cell in the west-central Russian city of Chelyabinsk on September 16 and his body transported to Moscow.
His parents were quoted by Kommersant Daily on October 2 as saying the morgue in Moscow refused to allow independent forensics experts to see the body before burial but that it might show traces of violence.
His lawyers rejected an Investigative Committee finding that it was suicide, saying their client had never been suicidal.
Martsinkevich's parents said an independent expert said postmortem photos and videos did not point to suicide.
Martsinkevich's father has said two of his son's toenails were missing and there was a possible indication he had been administered an injection.
Officials hinted he may have been driven to suicide by a confession in connection with an ethnically charged killing in the mid-2000s for which Martsinkevich faced a possible life sentence.
Martsinkevich had since said in prison that he had abandoned his neo-Nazi views.
In addition to his Format 18 activities, Martsinkevich founded a homophobic group called Occupy Pedophilia whose aim was to "cure" homosexuals.
Russian authorities opened an investigation against him after several videos showing Martsinkevich and his followers humiliating and beating gays circulated on the Internet in 2013.
Martsinkevich fled to Cuba but authorities there arrested him for a visa violation in January 2014 and repatriated him to Russia.
In late December 2018, a court in Moscow found Martsikevich guilty of robbery and hooliganism and sentenced him to 10 years in prison.
Before that, Martsinkevich had been convicted three times on extremism charges.
Kremlin critics have said the government used Martsinkevich's group to counter opposition protests.
With reporting by Kommersant


rferl--2020-10-02--Russian Journalist Dies After Self-Immolation Following Police Search

NIZHNY NOVGOROD , Russia -- A Russian journalist , Irina Slavina , has died after setting herself on fire in the city of Nizhny Novgorod following a police raid on her apartment in an apparent search for evidence linking her to an opposition group .
Before staging the self-immolation act in front of the city police headquarters on October 2 , Slavina posted a statement on Facebook , saying `` Blame the Russian Federation for my death . ''
The local branch of the Emergency Situations Ministry confirmed to RFE/RL that a woman had died after setting herself on fire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but refused to identify the victim .
The independent Koza Press news website , where Slavina was an editor , identified Slavina as the woman involved in the incident .
A day earlier , Slavina said on Facebook that police had searched her apartment and confiscated a computer , notebooks , mobile phones , and memory sticks .
She wrote that they were looking for evidence linking her with the opposition Open Russia group .
Last month police detained Andrei Pivovarov , the executive director of Open Russia , on charges of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ giving notice .
Russian authorities consider Open Russia a so-called “ undesirable ” organization and have repeatedly targeted the group and its leadership .
Slavina also was fined several times for her articles and for participating in unsanctioned pickets .

NIZHNY NOVGOROD, Russia -- A Russian journalist, Irina Slavina, has died after setting herself on fire in the city of Nizhny Novgorod following a police raid on her apartment in an apparent search for evidence linking her to an opposition group.
Before staging the self-immolation act in front of the city police headquarters on October 2, Slavina posted a statement on Facebook, saying "Blame the Russian Federation for my death."
The local branch of the Emergency Situations Ministry confirmed to RFE/RL that a woman had died after setting herself on fire next to police headquarters in Nizhny Novgorod, but refused to identify the victim.
The independent Koza Press news website, where Slavina was an editor, identified Slavina as the woman involved in the incident.
A day earlier, Slavina said on Facebook that police had searched her apartment and confiscated a computer, notebooks, mobile phones, and memory sticks.
She wrote that they were looking for evidence linking her with the opposition Open Russia group.
Last month police detained Andrei Pivovarov, the executive director of Open Russia, on charges of organizing or holding a public event without giving notice.
Russian authorities consider Open Russia a so-called “undesirable” organization and have repeatedly targeted the group and its leadership.
Slavina also was fined several times for her articles and for participating in unsanctioned pickets.


rferl--2020-10-02--The Azerbaijanis And Armenians Demanding Peace Instead Of War

Aytaj Shukur 's father was traumatized after fighting in Azerbaijan 's 1990s war with Armenia for control of Nagorno-Karabakh , @ @ @ @ @ for peace since fighting broke out again last week .
In Armenia , too , @ @ @ @ @ calling for negotiations and diplomacy instead of shells and bullets .

Aytaj Shukur's father was traumatized after fighting in Azerbaijan's 1990s war with Armenia for control of Nagorno-Karabakh, so she has been campaigning for peace since fighting broke out again last week. In Armenia, too, voices are making themselves heard calling for negotiations and diplomacy instead of shells and bullets.


rferl--2020-10-02--Belarus Cancels Accreditations Of All Foreign Journalists Amid Protests

The Belarusian Foreign Ministry has canceled the accreditations of all foreign journalists in the country , saying the move was made as part of a reforming of the country 's regulations and procedures for the media .
In a statement on October 2 , the ministry said the accreditations are immediately considered invalid , and that journalists working for foreign media organizations in the country must reapply with a revamped accreditation commission that will start operating on October 5 .
According to the statement , the move has been in the works for some time and will make it `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accreditations .
However , the statement stresses that the changes were introduced as `` our sovereign right '' to `` protect ourselves '' in accordance with `` the concept of the information security of the Republic of Belarus . ''
Meanwhile , many international news organizations , including RFE/RL , have correspondents in Belarus who are Belarusian nationals .
“ We are deeply disappointed , but not surprised , by this decision of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to annul all foreign media accreditations , especially in light of the harassment RFE/RL @ @ @ @ @ @ @ media outlets , have endured in the past three months , ” acting RFE/RL President Daisy Sindelar said in a statement on October 2 .
News outlets from around the world have been covering ongoing opposition protests in Belarus challenging the official results of an August 9 presidential election that handed incumbent Alyaksandr Lukashenka a landslide victory .
The protesters say the results were falsified and that opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya won the most votes .
Lukashenka , who has refused to step down and has rejected the opposition 's calls for dialogue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ September 23 , sparking outrage at home and abroad .
Western governments have refused to recognize Lukashenka as the legitimate leader of Belarus and have called on him to peacefully transfer power .
“ This action sends a clear signal to all Belarusians that the Lukashenka government has no interest in giving them what they want -- access to different perspectives from those put forth by the government itself .
RFE/RL will continue to use every available avenue to provide our audiences in Belarus the uncensored news , responsible discussion , and open @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sindelar added .

The Belarusian Foreign Ministry has canceled the accreditations of all foreign journalists in the country, saying the move was made as part of a reforming of the country's regulations and procedures for the media.
In a statement on October 2, the ministry said the accreditations are immediately considered invalid, and that journalists working for foreign media organizations in the country must reapply with a revamped accreditation commission that will start operating on October 5.
According to the statement, the move has been in the works for some time and will make it "easier" for foreign journalists to obtain accreditations.
However, the statement stresses that the changes were introduced as "our sovereign right" to "protect ourselves" in accordance with "the concept of the information security of the Republic of Belarus."
Meanwhile, many international news organizations, including RFE/RL, have correspondents in Belarus who are Belarusian nationals.
“We are deeply disappointed, but not surprised, by this decision of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to annul all foreign media accreditations, especially in light of the harassment RFE/RL journalists, and those of other foreign media outlets, have endured in the past three months,” acting RFE/RL President Daisy Sindelar said in a statement on October 2.
News outlets from around the world have been covering ongoing opposition protests in Belarus challenging the official results of an August 9 presidential election that handed incumbent Alyaksandr Lukashenka a landslide victory.
The protesters say the results were falsified and that opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya won the most votes.
Lukashenka, who has refused to step down and has rejected the opposition's calls for dialogue, had himself secretly sworn in on September 23, sparking outrage at home and abroad.
Western governments have refused to recognize Lukashenka as the legitimate leader of Belarus and have called on him to peacefully transfer power.
“This action sends a clear signal to all Belarusians that the Lukashenka government has no interest in giving them what they want -- access to different perspectives from those put forth by the government itself. RFE/RL will continue to use every available avenue to provide our audiences in Belarus the uncensored news, responsible discussion, and open debate they so clearly desire,” Sindelar added.


rferl--2020-10-02--Moscow International Film Festival Excludes Movie About Nagorno-Karabakh Amid Clashes

The 42th Moscow International Film Festival has excluded a movie about the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh due to safety concerns after fighting broke out between Azerbaijani and Armenian forces in the disputed region .
The festival 's program director Kirill Razlogov said on October 1 that the film , Gates To Heaven , was excluded from the festival 's program at the last minute since it is about journalists covering a four-day war in Nagorno-Karabakh in 2016 .
Razlogov said that Azerbaijan 's Ambassador to Russia had asked the festival 's administration to exclude the film from the program earlier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
However , after fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh broke out on September 27 and then worsened , it was decided to take the film out of the program , Razlogov added .
The two sides have reported the death of nearly 200 people , including many civilians , in heavy clashes involving the use of armed drones , tanks , helicopters , and multiple-rocket systems along much of the Line of Contact that separates the ethnic-Armenian forces who control Nagorno-Karabakh from Azerbaijan 's troops .
The clashes , considered the worst eruption of violence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over the disputed territory , has threatened to draw in Russia , a member of a security alliance with Armenia , and NATO member Turkey .
Azerbaijan and Armenia have been in conflict since 1988 , when mostly Armenian-populated Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region announced its secession from Azerbaijan .
In the course of the 1992-1994 armed conflict , Azerbaijan lost control over Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions .
Negotiations on a peaceful settlement of the conflict conducted by the OSCE Minsk Group , which is chaired by the United States , France , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ solution .
The annual Moscow International Film Festival was supposed to be held in April , but due to coronavirus pandemic it was moved to October 1-8 .
Based on reporting by Ekho Moskvy , TASS , and Interfax

The 42th Moscow International Film Festival has excluded a movie about the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh due to safety concerns after fighting broke out between Azerbaijani and Armenian forces in the separatist region.
The festival's program director Kirill Razlogov said on October 1 that the film, Gates To Heaven, was excluded from the festival's program at the last minute since it is about journalists covering a four-day war in Nagorno-Karabakh in 2016.
Razlogov said that Azerbaijan's Ambassador to Russia had asked the festival's administration to exclude the film from the program earlier, but his request had been rejected.
However, after fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh broke out on September 27 and then worsened, it was decided to take the film out of the program, Razlogov added.
The two sides have reported the death of nearly 200 people, including many civilians, in heavy clashes involving the use of armed drones, tanks, helicopters, and multiple-rocket systems along much of the Line of Contact that separates the ethnic-Armenian forces who control Nagorno-Karabakh from Azerbaijan's troops.
The clashes, considered the worst eruption of violence since a 1994 cease-fire ended a war over the breakaway territory, has threatened to draw in Russia, a member of a security alliance with Armenia, and NATO member Turkey.
Azerbaijan and Armenia have been in conflict since 1988, when mostly Armenian-populated Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region announced its secession from Azerbaijan.
In the course of the 1992-1994 armed conflict, Azerbaijan lost control over Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions.
Negotiations on a peaceful settlement of the conflict conducted by the OSCE Minsk Group, which is chaired by the United States, France, and Russia, have failed to bring a solution.
The annual Moscow International Film Festival was supposed to be held in April, but due to coronavirus pandemic it was moved to October 1-8.
Based on reporting by Ekho Moskvy, TASS, and Interfax


rferl--2020-10-02--Renowned Film School In Revolt Against Hungarian Authorities

Staff and students at a renowned Hungarian theater and film school are in open revolt after the government transferred control @ @ @ @ @ a board of trustees that critics say is filled with allies of right-wing , nationalist @ @ @ @ @ Management and staff have resigned , a strike has been called , and students have @ @ @ @ @ weeks .
Budapest 's University of Theater and Film Arts was attended by illustrious alumni @ @ @ @ @ .

Staff and students at a renowned Hungarian theater and film school are in open revolt after the government transferred control to a private foundation and a board of trustees that critics say is filled with allies of right-wing, nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Management and staff have resigned, a strike has been called, and students have been blockading the entrance for weeks. Budapest's University of Theater and Film Arts was attended by illustrious alumni like Casablanca director Michael Curtiz.


rferl--2020-10-02--U.S., EU Slap Sanctions On Belarus Over Election, Crackdown

MINSK -- The United States and EU on October 2 slapped sanctions on Belarus officials responsible for fraud in the August presidential election and a brutal crackdown on protesters and opposition members , drawing a sharp response from Belarus and its ally Russia .
Belarus immediately retaliated with its own list of people barred from entering the country , accusing the European Union of imposing the `` punitive measure '' on Belarus because it `` did not comply with a set of ultimatum requirements that no self-respecting sovereign state would satisfy . ''
After nearly six weeks of diplomatic wrangling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a stalemate created by Cyprus and agreed at a summit in Brussels on October 2 to sanction 40 Belarus officials .
The leaders also urged the EU ’ s executive arm , the European Commission , “ to prepare a comprehensive plan of economic support for democratic Belarus.
” The EU sanctions target Belarus officials in the Interior Ministry and police and security services for a crackdown on protesters and the opposition , as well as election officials blamed for falsifying the August 9 election results that gave strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka a sixth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the sanctions list , but EU diplomats have said he may be added at a later date .
Among those hit by the travel bans and asset freezes are Interior Minister Yury Karayev , who the EU described as responsible for “ repression and intimidation ” in the wake of the election , including the arrest and ill‐treatment of peaceful demonstrators as well as intimidation and violence against journalists .
Central Election Commission chief Lidia Yermoshina was also sanctioned for misconduct during the election and “ falsification of election results.
” “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ support to the democratic right of the Belarusian people to elect their president through free and fair elections , and our condemnation of repression and violence against people exercising their fundamental rights , ” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said .
In a coordinated move , the United States slapped sanctions on eight Belarus officials , including the interior minister , the Treasury Department said .
“ The Belarusian people ’ s democratic aspirations to choose their own leaders and peacefully exercise their rights have been met with violence and oppression from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Steven Mnuchin .
“ The United States and our international partners stand united in imposing costs on those who have undermined Belarusian democracy for years.
” Britain and Canada have already sanctioned Belarus officials , including Lukashenka .
Belarus quickly responded with tit-for-tat sanctions against the EU , although it was vague on those targeted on its blacklist .
The Foreign Ministry advised the embassies of its western neighbors Poland and Latvia to reduce their staffs and summoned the ambassadors of the two countries .
In tandem with the moves against Latvia and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it was revoking the accreditation of all foreign media , claiming it was a long-considered move aimed at streamlining the process .
As of October 5 , the ministry said that journalists working for foreign media organizations in the country must reapply with a revamped accreditation commission .
It said priority during the accreditation process will be given to citizens of the country where a media outlet is based , a move which could severely limit Belarusians from working for foreign outlets , including Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty .
The Kremlin , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of EU sanctions as a sign of “ weakness.
” But spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Lukashenka 's absence from the sanctions lists is more of a positive signal because blacklisting him would “ deprive the EU of any opportunity to maintain dialogue with Belarus . ''
Following through on the threat of sanctions against Belarus was a crucial test for the EU , after tiny Cyprus blocked their implementation – agreed to in August -- over a separate dispute with Turkey about maritime borders and energy resources in the Eastern Mediterranean that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Speaking to reporters early on October 2 after the first day of the summit , European Council President Charles Michel said it was important to overcome the Cypriot veto to show the EU remained “ credible ” in responding to election and human rights abuses in Belarus .
Cyprus had demanded the EU act consistently when responding to the violation of core principles and demanded sanctions on Turkey .
EU sanctions require unanimous consent from member states , making the Cyprus hold up on Belarus a blow to EU 's image .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cyprus , EU leaders agreed on a strong statement of support for Cyprus , as well as for Greece , and a warning that Turkey could face sanctions if it continues drilling in disputed waters .
A summit in December is now expected to assess any progress with Turkey on issues in the Eastern Mediterranean .
`` That we could now agree to those sanctions is an important signal because it strengthens the hand of those who are protesting for freedom of opinion in Belarus , '' German Chancellor Angela Merkel told journalists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Brussels .
A German government spokeswoman earlier said that Merkel will meet with Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya in Berlin on October 6 , a week after the Belarusian opposition leader held talks with French President Emmanuel Macron in Vilnius .
Tsikhanouskaya , whose supporters say won the presidential election , took refuge in neighboring Lithuania following the vote .
She announced on September 30 she has begun creating a shadow cabinet , saying `` Alyaksandr Lukashenka 's regime is not just illegitimate , but also is not capable of carrying out its duties .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Reuters , Tagesschau , and Interfax


rferl--2020-10-03--Russian Activists Warn Of 'Ecological Catastrophe' With Kamchatka Marine-Life

Authorities in Russia ’ s Far East are warning people to avoid beaches on the coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula @ @ @ @ @ marine life .
Videos of the mass die-off appeared on social media on October 2 @ @ @ @ @ fish , and other marine creatures littering at least three beaches on the Avacha Bay @ @ @ @ @ skin irritation following contact with the water .
Activists believe the die-off was caused by @ @ @ @ @ .
Officials said the results of an analysis of water samples would be available on @ @ @ @ @ branch of the Greenpeace environmental group called the incident “ an ecological catastrophe ” and @ @ @ @ @ , the Defense Ministry , and the Prosecutor General ’ s Office to investigate the @ @ @ @ @ .
The Russian Defense Ministry issued a statement on October 3 saying the Pacific Fleet @ @ @ @ @ incident .

Authorities in Russia’s Far East are warning people to avoid beaches on the coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula after a mass die-off of marine life.
Videos of the mass die-off appeared on social media on October 2, showing dead seals, fish, and other marine creatures littering at least three beaches on the Avacha Bay.
Surfers reported eye and skin irritation following contact with the water.
Activists believe the die-off was caused by a release of petroleum products.
Acting Natural Resources Minister Aleksei Kumarkov said that after checking water samples, experts found an excess of oil products, phenol, and other substances, according to the Russian branch of the Greenpeace environmental group.
"The extent of the pollution has not yet been determined, but the fact that dead animals are found all over the coast confirms the seriousness of the situation," Greenpeace said in a press release on October 2.
The organization said many people who have been in contact with water also show symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, weakness, high fever, which may indicate phenol poisoning.
Officials said the results of an analysis of water samples would be available on October 5.
Greenpeace called the incident “an ecological catastrophe” and urged the Natural Resources Ministry, the Defense Ministry, and the Prosecutor General’s Office to investigate the incident and undertake a clean-up.
The Russian Defense Ministry issued a statement on October 3 saying the Pacific Fleet played no role in the incident.
With reporting by dpa and Reuters


rferl--2020-10-03--Armenia, Azerbaijan Signal Willingness To Engage With Minsk Group On Nagorno-Karabakh

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has urged Russia , the United States , and France -- the so-called Minsk Group mediating peace efforts in the conflict around the disputed Azerbaijani region of Nagorno-Karabakh since a shaky cease-fire was reached in the early 1990s -- to continue efforts to resolve the conflict .
“ I think these three countries should continue working together on settling the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict , but on the condition that they remain neutral , ” Aliyev said in an interview with Al Jazeera on October 3 .
The comments come one day after the Armenian Foreign Ministry said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ day from the Minsk Group for an immediate cessation of hostilities between forces fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh .
Also on October 2 , Armenia said it was willing to engage in peace talks through the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe ( OSCE ) as international leaders continued to call for an immediate end to fighting with Azerbaijani forces over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh .
There are concerns that this week 's flare-up in violence around the disputed territory could grow into a full-blown war between the archfoes and draw in regional @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his Al Jazeera interview , Aliyev said Baku was “ concerned about various statements that have been made over the past few days that indicate that the neutrality position [ of the Minsk Group ] has changed.
” The Minsk Group called on the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to `` commit without delay to resuming substantive negotiations , in good faith and without preconditions , under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group cochairs . ''
Armenia on October 2 accused Azerbaijani forces of striking Nagorno-Karabakh 's capital , Stepanakert .
RFE/RL @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people were injured but no one was killed .
The report quoted Armenian Defense Ministry spokesman Artsrun Hovhannisian as saying there was a lot of damage to the city ’ s infrastructure , including a building of the emergency services .
Armenia also claimed it had shot down three Azerbaijani aircraft on October 3 .
Azerbaijan ’ s Defense Ministry denied the claim , saying “ not a single combat aircraft of the Azerbaijani Air Force was shot down.
” Hikmat Haciyev , foreign affairs aide to the Azerbaijani president , told reporters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wants to see an end of this escalation of the situation , '' it `` must end its occupation '' of Nagorno-Karabakh .
White House national security adviser Robert O ’ Brien met on October 2 in Geneva with Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev for discussions on a number of topics , including Nagorno-Karabakh .
“ We had business-like and constructive dialogue and , while we have differences , I am optimistic that the United States and Russia can make progress in key areas that will ultimately benefit both the American and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tweeted .
Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognized as Azerbaijani territory , but it and a handful of adjoining regions are controlled by ethnic Armenian separatists with close ties to Yerevan .
Azerbaijan and Armenia have been locked in a conflict over the mountainous region since the waning years of the Soviet Union .
They fought a war that ended in 1994 with an uneasy cease-fire and an estimated 30,000 killed .
Since the recent fighting erupted on September 27 , Armenian and Azerbaijani forces have shown little willingness to halt the violence .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including many civilians , in heavy clashes involving armed drones , tanks , helicopters , and multiple-rocket systems along much of the so-called Line of Contact that separates the ethnic Armenian forces who control Nagorno-Karabakh from Azerbaijan 's troops .
The potential for robust Turkish military involvement in the conflict is being watched closely by Russia , which is already on opposing sides with the NATO member in conflicts in Libya and Syria .
The Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by telephone with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian on October 2 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ immediately stop the hostilities and resume political-diplomatic efforts '' to settle the dispute in line with the Minsk Group appeal .
Both men `` agreed to continue contacts in various formats , '' it said .
Putin and Pashinian both expressed `` serious concern '' over reports of foreign fighters in Nagorno-Karabakh `` conflict zone , '' the Kremlin said .
Armenia and Russia have previously alleged that Turkey has sent Syrian fighters to Azerbaijan , something Ankara and Baku have denied .
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights on September 30 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the deaths of a `` Syrian fighter of Turkish-backed factions in Azerbaijan '' in the fighting .
By October 2 , the group said at least 28 Syrian rebels had been killed in the Azerbaijani-Armenian fighting .
In a signal Turkey has no intention to de-escalate , Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on October 1 that his country would continue to provide “ all types of support ” to Azerbaijan as he criticized the Minsk Group for failing to resolve the long-running dispute .
“ Given that the United States , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Group cochairs have neglected the problem for nearly 30 years , it is not acceptable for them to call for a cease-fire in the face of negative developments today , ” Erdogan told parliament .
He demanded Armenian “ occupiers ” first leave the disputed territory .
With reporting by AFP , AP , Interfax , and Reuters

Azerbaijani troops have captured several villages in fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh, President Ilham Aliyev said on October 3 after another day of clashes with ethnic Armenian forces over the breakaway region.
Aliyev said seven villages in the Terter, Jabrail, and Fuzuli districts had been “liberated,” and declared he would restore the historical name of Madagiz, another village Aliyev said had been captured, RFE/RL’s Azerbaijani Service reported.
"From October 3, 2020, I am restoring the historical name #Madagiz. From now on it will be called #Sugovushan," Aliyev said on Twitter.
Armenian Defense Ministry spokesman Artsrun Hovhannisian did not confirm that villages had been captured but said there had been heavy fighting.
“The duration of the continuous battle was six to seven hours,” Hovhannisian said, according to RFE/RL’s Armenian Service. “These were rather heavy and difficult battles, and it is clear that all this is not easy for our troops.”
He said positions change frequently during intense fighting, adding, “Who specifically, at what moment and which side is in what position, I do not think that this is such an important fact. We have repeatedly noted that we will not talk about positions and lines of defense separately.”
Hovhannisian said the Armenian forces shot down drones and destroyed armored vehicles. He said the enemy “lost” hundreds of fighters on October 3, but there was no independent confirmation.
Both sides of the conflict regularly exaggerate losses inflicted on their opponent as part of parallel information war.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said in an address on October 3 that the scale of the attack was unprecedented.
"We are experiencing, perhaps, the most decisive moment in our millennial history," Pashinian said, adding: "Today, more than ever, we are determined to defend our identity, our homeland, our right."
"As of now, we already have sustained significant human losses -- both military and civilian. Large numbers of military equipment are no longer usable, but the adversary still has not been able to resolve any of its strategic issues," he said.
Pashinian said he spoke by phone on October 2 with commanders and other officers who are on the front line. He said about 150 high-ranking Turkish military personnel “are at the command posts of various levels of the armed forces of Azerbaijan and are in charge of military operations.” Pashinian was referring to allegations Turkey has provided material military support to Azerbaijani forces.
The fighting sides have reported nearly 200 deaths, including many civilians in a week of fighting. This includes 19 Azerbaijani civilians, according Prosecutor-General Kamran Aliyev.
The clashes have taken place along much of the so-called Line of Contact that separates the ethnic Armenian forces from Azerbaijan's troops.
There are concerns that the violence could grow into a full-blown war between the archfoes and draw in regional powers Russia and NATO-member Turkey.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on October 3 rejected “superficial” demands for a cease-fire. Such demands “will not be useful this time,” Cavusoglu said, according to state-run Anadolu news agency.
Turkey has vowed to provide Azerbaijan with continued support and has conditioned a cease-fire on Armenia’s withdrawal from Nagorno-Karabakh.
The fighting on October 3 was a continuation of a flare-up of violence in the separatist region that began on September 27.
Since then Armenian and Azerbaijani forces have shown little willingness to halt the violence, but each recently sent tentative signals about proposed peace talks.
In an interview with Al Jazeera broadcast earlier on October 3, Aliyev urged Russia, the United States, and France -- the so-called Minsk Group that has spearheaded peace efforts over Nagorno-Karabakh since the early 1990s -- to continue efforts to resolve the conflict.
“I think these three countries should continue working together on settling the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, but on the condition that they remain neutral,” Aliyev said in the interview.
Hikmat Haciyev, foreign affairs aide to the Azerbaijani president, told journalists on October 3 that Azerbaijan has “clearly and unequivocally expressed its constructiveness in negotiations process” and called on the international community to impose more political and diplomatic pressure on Armenia to withdraw its troops.
The comments came one day after the Armenian Foreign Ministry said it welcomed a joint call the previous day from the Minsk Group for an immediate cessation of hostilities between forces fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh.
Also on October 2, Armenia said it was willing to engage in peace talks through the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) as international leaders continued to call for an immediate end to fighting with Azerbaijani forces over the breakaway region Nagorno-Karabakh.
The Minsk Group has called on the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to "commit without delay to resuming substantive negotiations, in good faith and without preconditions, under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group cochairs."
Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognized as Azerbaijani territory, but it is controlled by ethnic Armenian separatists with close ties to Yerevan. Armenian forces hold control over seven regions adjacent to Nagorno-Karabakh.
Azerbaijan and Armenia have been locked in a conflict over the mountainous region since the waning years of the Soviet Union. They fought a war that ended in 1994 with an uneasy cease-fire and an estimated 30,000 killed.
With reporting by AFP, AP, Interfax, and Reuters


rferl--2020-10-03--Vote-Buying, Russia, And Criminal Finances Take Center Stage As Kyrgyzstan Voters Head To Polls

Voters in Kyrgyzstan are set to cast their ballots in parliamentary elections on October 4 after a campaign highlighted by allegations of vote-buying and a rift over the how much influence Moscow has over its closest ally in Central Asia .
Sixteen political parties are competing for seats in the 120-member Jogorku Kenesh ( the Supreme Council ) in the election , with pro-government parties Birimdik and Mekenim Kyrgyzstan expected to be frontrunners in the race , ahead of opposition groups Ata-Meken and Respublika .
Kyrgyzstan ’ s electoral laws stipulate that no single party can take more than 65 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from a trend in Central Asia where ruling parties dominate rubberstamp parliaments .
Since the early 1990s , Kyrgyzstan has been called an “ island of democracy ” in Central Asia .
Still , like all of the country 's election campaigns , this one has had its share of controversies .
But it has also shown once again how very different the country 's elections are compared with its authoritarian , undemocratic neighbors .
Criticism of President Sooronbai Jeenbekov and the Kyrgyz government has been heard frequently on the campaign trail and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on prime-time television almost every night on a range of topics and with pro-government and opposition candidates taking part .
Smaller parties have accused Birimdik , widely considered loyal to Jeenbekov , of using administrative resources to promote its candidates , an allegation the party denies .
The president ’ s brother Asylbek Jeenbekov and several high-ranking members of the current parliament are among the party ’ s candidates .
Mekenim Kyrgyzstan is closely associated to the wealthy and influential Matraimov family .
The clan ’ s figurehead , Raiymbek Matraimov , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ target of large protests in November and December last year , with demonstrators demanding a probe into allegations of corruption and massive outflows of cash from the country .
Some of the new parties in Kyrgyzstan are , according to professor and columnist Asel Doolotkeldieva , only a cover for `` long-standing , informal elite political and economic networks . ''
Meanwhile , Birimdik party chairman , Marat Amankulov , drew criticism and even a protest rally after a video – from several months ago – emerged that shows him saying it was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and “ return ” to Russia ’ s fold .
In the leaked video , Amankulov added that the Moscow-led Eurasian Economic Union , which includes post-Soviet states Armenia , Belarus , Kazakhstan , and Kyrgyzstan , should become a single country .
Hundreds of protesters gathered in Bishkek on September 27 , calling on election authorities to bar Amankulov and his party from running in the election .
Amankulov said his comments were taken out of context .
The protest in Bishkek came a day before President Jeenbekov held a meeting with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Black Sea resort of Sochi .
In the meeting with the Russian leader , Jeenbekov spoke of `` forces '' that “ try to drive a wedge into the [ Kyrgyz-Russia ] relationship and strategic partnership.
” “ We won ’ t let them succeed because the support of Russia for us is the main thing , it ’ s very important , ” Jeenbekov said .
Russia hosts hundreds of thousands of migrant workers from the impoverished former Soviet nation of some 6.5 million .
The COVID-19 pandemic and measures to contain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Russia , reduced remittances , and led to a rise in unemployment in Kyrgyzstan .
The election campaign was also marred by allegations of violence when at least 12 people were hospitalized , and several vehicles set on fire after a scuffle between supporters of Mekenim Kyrgyzstan and Birimdik in the southern Osh Province .
The brawl occurred during a Mekenim Kyrgyzstan party meeting with voters in Aravan district on September 20 , when a group of people – described by local media as Birimdik supporters – interrupted the event .
Police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the fight .
On October 1 , the Respublika party claimed that one of its activists had been stabbed to death by a supporter of another unspecified political party in the southern district of Uzgen on September 30 .
The party said that another campaign member was beaten up in Naryn Province , while the head of the party ’ s election campaign in Panfilov district in Chuy Province had come “ under an explicit pressure.
” Respublika said in a statement that its members and supporters had faced pressure and physical attacks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The election comes as Kyrgyz authorities warn of a rise in COVID-19 infections , with some regions re-imposing restrictions on people ’ s movements .
Political parties mostly defied warnings by health authorities and held large gatherings with supporters .

Kyrgyz opposition parties have announced that they will not recognize the official results of the October 4 parliamentary elections, after preliminary figures showed that four parties -- three of them with close ties to the government -- are set to gain seats in the 120-member Jogorku Kenesh (Supreme Council).
Shortly after the polls closed at 8 p.m. local time, opposition supporters gathered for peaceful rallies in the capital, Bishkek, and the northwestern city of Talas to protest what they described as widespread irregularities in the vote. Protesters later dispersed, but opposition leaders said more rallies will take place on October 5.
Out of the 16 parties in the race, pro-government Birimdik, Mekenim Kyrgyzstan, and the Kyrgyzstan parties, as well as the opposition Butun Kyrgyzstan party, have surpassed the 7-percent threshold to enter the parliament. The final results are expected on October 5.
Opposition Ata-Meken party leaders called the vote "the dirtiest elections" in the country's history. The party officials said they have recorded mass irregularities in all polling stations across the country.
They said the party was to submit their findings and demand the election authorities to annul vote-count results in some districts of the southern Osh Province.
Opposition monitors said that they noticed minibuses transporting the same groups of people to several polling stations to cast ballots. In some areas, they have reportedly seen people holding apparent lists of candidates to give to voters.
Reforma party leader Klara Sooronkulova said that she was attacked by an unknown man at a polling station in Osh.
"There were no signs of the government, state, or police there," Sooronkulova said, adding that all polling station in Osh have been controlled by “members of criminal groups.”
Supporters of Reforma and Social Democrat parties gathered in Bishkek for several hours in the evening on October 4, for what they called a peaceful protest. Opposition Respublika party supporters staged a protest rally in Talas.
By noon, the Central Election Commission (CEC) received 21 complaints, mainly about voters being ferried in buses to polling stations, people escorting voters into polling stations, and watching them casting their ballots.
The CEC said it is investigating complaints that members of criminal groups are putting pressure on voters.
"Criminals are putting pressure on our citizens; the state does not allow violation of citizens' rights. The complaints are being investigated," Tynchtykbek Shainazarov, a member of the CEC, told RFE/RL at a news conference in Bishkek.
Shainazarov was speaking after Ata-Meken candidate Zhanarbek Akaev complained about violations during the vote, including the appearance of athletic-looking men in villages where they were pressuring voters.
Kyrgyzstan’s electoral laws stipulate that no single party can take more than 65 seats in the legislature, a departure from a trend in Central Asia where ruling parties dominate rubberstamp parliaments.
'Island Of Democracy'
Since the early 1990s, Kyrgyzstan has been called an “island of democracy” in Central Asia. Still, like all of the country's election campaigns, this one has had its share of controversies. But it has also shown once again how very different the country's elections are compared with its authoritarian, undemocratic neighbors.
RFE/RL correspondents reported that in some areas, people waiting outside the polling stations on October 4 were marking what appeared to be lists of names and handing envelopes to voters.
In Talas, an RFE/RL correspondent reported that a woman in the voters' queue hit her camera and demanded that she stop filming.
In Osh, two journalists from the independent news outlet Kloop.kg, reported that athletic-looking men attacked them, beat their cameraman, and took their phones, while police officers there ignored the incident until they were urged to intervene.
The election campaign was also marred by allegations of violence when at least 12 people were hospitalized, and several vehicles set on fire after a scuffle between supporters of Mekenim Kyrgyzstan and Birimdik in the southern Osh Province.
On October 1, the Respublika party claimed that one of its activists had been stabbed to death by a supporter of another unspecified political party in the southern district of Uzgen on September 30.
Criticism of President Sooronbai Jeenbekov and the Kyrgyz government has been heard frequently on the campaign trail and in the many debates that are held on prime-time television almost every night on a range of topics and with pro-government and opposition candidates taking part.
Smaller parties have accused Birimdik, widely considered loyal to Jeenbekov, of using administrative resources to promote its candidates, an allegation the party denies. The president’s brother Asylbek Jeenbekov and several high-ranking members of the current parliament are among the party’s candidates.
Mekenim Kyrgyzstan is closely associated to the wealthy and influential Matraimov family.
The clan’s figurehead, Raiymbek Matraimov, a former top customs official, was the target of large protests in November and December last year, with demonstrators demanding a probe into allegations of corruption and massive outflows of cash from the country.
Some of the new parties in Kyrgyzstan are, according to professor and columnist Asel Doolotkeldieva, only a cover for "long-standing, informal elite political and economic networks."
Meanwhile, Birimdik party chairman, Marat Amankulov, drew criticism and even a protest rally after a video -- from several months ago -- emerged that shows him saying it was time for Kyrgyzstan to reconsider its independence and “return” to Russia’s fold.
In the leaked video, Amankulov added that the Moscow-led Eurasian Economic Union, which includes post-Soviet states Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, should become a single country.
Russia hosts hundreds of thousands of migrant workers from the impoverished former Soviet nation of some 6.5 million. The COVID-19 pandemic and measures to contain it have dried up work for migrants in Russia, reduced remittances, and led to a rise in unemployment in Kyrgyzstan.
The election comes as Kyrgyz authorities warn of a rise in COVID-19 infections, with some regions reimposing restrictions on people’s movements.
Political parties mostly defied warnings by health authorities and held large gatherings with supporters.
Election officials said that almost 54 percent of the 3.5 million registered Kyrgyz voters cast their ballots in 2,475 polling stations, including 45 abroad.
The election is being monitored by more than 270 observers from 43 countries and 33 international organizations.


rferl--2020-10-03--Former Ukrainian President Poroshenko Hospitalized With COVID-19 Related Pneumonia

Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has been hospitalized with bilateral pneumonia after he tested positive for COVID-19 , his wife said on October 3 .
Poroshenko is in a hospital in Kyiv , his wife , Maryna Poroshenko , said in a video posted on Facebook .
`` Despite the fact that my husband has bilateral pneumonia , he is strong-willed and is demonstrating this in the fight against the disease , '' his wife said .
The 55-year-old former president announced on September 29 he had tested positive for the coronavirus and said he was receiving treatment at home @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is associated with an increased risk of developing complications from the coronavirus .
A billionaire confectioner , Poroshenko is currently a member of parliament and leader of the European Solidarity party .
He led Ukraine after Russia 's 2014 annexation of the Crimean Peninsula and the outbreak of conflict with Moscow-backed separatists in the east of the country .
In 2019 , he lost the presidential elections to Volodymyr Zelenskiy .
Ukraine , with a population of some 40 million , has reported more than 222,000 cases of coronavirus and more than 4,300 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Zelenskiy 's wife both contracted the virus but have recovered .

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--2020-10-03--Lawyer: French-Iranian Researcher Released With Ankle Bracelet

Iran has temporarily released French-Iranian academic Fariba Adelkhah , who has been in jail for more than a year over security breaches , her lawyer said on October 3 .
`` Fariba Adelkhah has come out [ of prison ] on leave with an electronic ankle bracelet , '' Said Dehghan said in a tweet , without providing other details .
Adelkhah is now with her family in Tehran , Dehghan told AFP , adding that `` we hope that this temporary release will become final . ''
Adelkhah , a prominent anthropologist and specialist in Shi ’ ite Islam @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , was arrested in June 2019 .
She is a citizen of Iran and France , but Tehran does not recognize dual nationality .
Adelkhah was sentenced on May 16 to five years in prison for `` gathering and conspiring against national security . ''
French President Emmanuel Macron said in June that Adelkhah had been `` arbitrarily arrested in Iran '' and called her detainment `` unacceptable . ''
Iran had rejected previous calls to release Adelkhah , saying the demands amounted to interference in Tehran 's internal affairs .
Adelkhah 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who was detained with her , was released in March in a prisoner exchange between Iran and France .
Marchal was swapped for engineer Jalal Ruhollahnejad , but there had been little indication that Adelkhah would be released in a similar manner .
Based on reporting by AFP and Reuters

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


rferl--2020-10-03--Azerbaijan Claims String Of Villages In Nagorno-Karabakh Region; Armenia Calls Attack Unprecedented

Azerbaijani troops have captured several villages in fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh , President Ilham Aliyev said on October 3 after another day of clashes with ethnic Armenian forces over the disputed region .
Aliyev said seven villages in the Terter , Jabrail , and Fuzuli districts had been “ liberated , ” and declared he would restore the historical name of Madagiz , another village Aliyev said had been captured , RFE/RL ’ s Azerbaijani Service reported .
`` From October 3 , 2020 , I am restoring the historical name # Madagiz .
From now on it will be called @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Twitter .
Armenian Defense Ministry spokesman Artsrun Hovhannisian did not confirm that villages had been captured but said there had been heavy fighting .
“ The duration of the continuous battle was six to seven hours , ” Hovhannisian said , according to RFE/RL ’ s Armenian Service .
“ These were rather heavy and difficult battles , and it is clear that all this is not easy for our troops.
” He said positions change frequently during intense fighting , adding , “ Who specifically , at what moment and which side @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not think that this is such an important fact .
We have repeatedly noted that we will not talk about positions and lines of defense separately.
” Hovhannisian said the Armenian forces shot down drones and destroyed armored vehicles .
He said the enemy “ lost ” hundreds of fighters on October 3 , but there was no independent confirmation .
Both sides of the conflict regularly exaggerate losses inflicted on their opponent as part of parallel information war .
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said in an address on October 3 that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` We are experiencing , perhaps , the most decisive moment in our millennial history , '' Pashinian said , adding : `` Today , more than ever , we are determined to defend our identity , our homeland , our right . ''
Pashinian said he spoke by phone on October 2 with commanders and other officers who are on the front line .
He said about 150 high-ranking Turkish military personnel “ are at the command posts of various levels of the armed forces of Azerbaijan and are in charge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to allegations Turkey has provided material military support to Azerbaijani forces .
The fighting sides have reported nearly 200 deaths , including many civilians in a week of fighting .
This includes 19 Azeri civilians , according Prosecutor-General Kamran Aliyev .
The clashes have taken place along much of the Line of Contact that separates the ethnic Armenian forces from Azerbaijan 's troops .
There are concerns that the violence could grow into a full-blown war between the archfoes and draw in regional powers Russia and NATO-member Turkey .
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” demands for a cease-fire .
Such demands “ will not be useful this time , ” Cavusoglu said , according to state-run Anadolu news agency .
Turkey has vowed to provide Azerbaijan with continued support and has conditioned a cease-fire on Armenia ’ s withdrawal from Nagorno-Karabakh .
The fighting on October 3 was a continuation of a flare-up of violence in the long-running disputed region that began on September 27 .
Since then Armenian and Azerbaijani forces have shown little willingness to halt the violence , but each recently sent tentative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an interview with Al Jazeera broadcast earlier on October 3 , Aliyev urged Russia , the United States , and France – the so-called Minsk Group that has spearheaded peace efforts over Nagorno-Karabakh since the early 1990s – to continue efforts to resolve the conflict .
“ I think these three countries should continue working together on settling the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict , but on the condition that they remain neutral , ” Aliyev said in the interview .
Hikmat Haciyev , foreign affairs aide to the Azerbaijani president , told journalists on October @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unequivocally expressed its constructiveness in negotiations process ” and called on the international community to impose more political and diplomatic pressure on Armenia to withdraw its troops .
The comments came one day after the Armenian Foreign Ministry said it welcomed a joint call the previous day from the Minsk Group for an immediate cessation of hostilities between forces fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh .
Also on October 2 , Armenia said it was willing to engage in peace talks through the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe ( OSCE ) as international leaders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to fighting with Azerbaijani forces over the breakaway region Nagorno-Karabakh .
The Minsk Group has called on the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to `` commit without delay to resuming substantive negotiations , in good faith and without preconditions , under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs . ''
Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognized as Azerbaijani territory , but it is controlled by ethnic Armenian separatists with close ties to Yerevan .
Armenian forces hold control over seven regions adjacent to Nagorno-Karabakh .
Azerbaijan and Armenia have been locked in a conflict @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years of the Soviet Union .
They fought a war that ended in 1994 with an uneasy cease-fire and an estimated 30,000 killed .
With reporting by AFP , AP , Interfax , and Reuters


rferl--2020-10-03--Renowned Film School In Revolt Against Hungarian Authorities