themoscowtimes--2020-09-27--Tens of Thousands March in Belarus Despite Police Detentions

Belarusian police on Sunday detained around 200 people as tens of thousands took to the streets in support of protest figure Svetlana Tikhanovskaya days after the country 's strongman president staged a secret inauguration .
The opposition movement calling for an end to President Alexander Lukashenko 's regime has kept up a wave of large-scale demonstrations since his disputed election win last month , with around 100,000 or more people taking to the streets every weekend .
AFP correspondents estimated a similar turnout on Sunday as crowds built up in Minsk despite rain .
Tens of thousands of protesters including @ @ @ @ @ @ @ marched through the capital , with some demonstrators sporting cardboard crowns .
`` We have elected our president , '' said protester Eleonora Naumova , holding a portrait of Lukashenko 's opposition rival Tikhanovskaya .
`` We do n't want to live in a concentration camp , '' the 48-year-old designer said .
Another protester , 36-year-old Sergei Mikhailov , said he wanted Belarus to become free and safe .
Wearing a makeshift crown from Burger King , he said : `` If every impostor here can be crowned so why not me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cannon were deployed on the streets ahead of the protest , several metro stations in central Minsk were closed , and the Palace of Independence , Lukashenko 's residence , was heavily guarded by riot police and barriers .
Interior ministry spokeswoman Olga Chemodanova told AFP that `` around 200 '' people were detained across Belarus .
Police used tear gas in the second largest city of Gomel and stun grenades in the eastern city of Mogilev , Viasna rights group said .
The interior ministry 's Chemodanova denied that police used stun @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enforcement used `` riot control '' equipment .
Ahead of Sunday 's march the top opposition Telegram channel , Nexta Live , which has more than two million subscribers , urged Belarusians to stage a symbolic `` people 's inauguration of the real president '' Tikhanovskaya .
Tikhanovskaya , who claimed victory over Lukashenko in the August 9 election and has taken shelter in EU member Lithuania , said she supported the demonstrators .
`` Today is the 50th day of our protests , '' she said in a video address .

Belarusian police on Sunday detained around 200 people as tens of thousands took to the streets in support of protest figure Svetlana Tikhanovskaya days after the country's strongman president staged a secret inauguration.
The opposition movement calling for an end to President Alexander Lukashenko's regime has kept up a wave of large-scale demonstrations since his disputed election win last month, with around 100,000 or more people taking to the streets every weekend.
AFP correspondents estimated a similar turnout on Sunday as crowds built up in Minsk despite rain.
Tens of thousands of protesters including prominent athletes, drummers and a choir marched through the capital, with some demonstrators sporting cardboard crowns.
"We have elected our president," said protester Eleonora Naumova, holding a portrait of Lukashenko's opposition rival Tikhanovskaya.
"We don't want to live in a concentration camp," the 48-year-old designer said.
Another protester, 36-year-old Sergei Mikhailov, said he wanted Belarus to become free and safe.
Wearing a makeshift crown from Burger King, he said: "If every impostor here can be crowned so why not me too?"
Armoured vehicles and water cannon were deployed on the streets ahead of the protest, several metro stations in central Minsk were closed, and the Palace of Independence, Lukashenko's residence, was heavily guarded by riot police and barriers.
Interior ministry spokeswoman Olga Chemodanova told AFP that "around 200" people were detained across Belarus.
Police used tear gas in the second largest city of Gomel and stun grenades in the eastern city of Mogilev, Viasna rights group said.
The interior ministry's Chemodanova denied that police used stun grenades but confirmed that members of law enforcement used "riot control" equipment.
50th day of protests
Ahead of Sunday's march the top opposition Telegram channel, Nexta Live, which has more than two million subscribers, urged Belarusians to stage a symbolic "people's inauguration of the real president" Tikhanovskaya.
Tikhanovskaya, who claimed victory over Lukashenko in the August 9 election and has taken shelter in EU member Lithuania, said she supported the demonstrators.
"Today is the 50th day of our protests," she said in a video address.


themoscowtimes--2020-09-27--Clashes Between Azerbaijan and Armenia Separatists Leave at Least 23 Dead

Arch foes Armenia and Azerbaijan on Sunday accused each other of initiating deadly clashes that claimed at least 23 lives over a decades-long territorial dispute and threatened to draw in regional powers Russia and Turkey .
The worst clashes since 2016 have raised the spectre of a fresh war between long-standing rivals Azerbaijan and Armenia which have been locked for decades in a territorial dispute over the Armenia-backed breakaway region of Nagorny Karabakh .
Sixteen Armenian separatist fighters were killed and more than 100 wounded in fighting , rebel officials said .
`` We are tired of Azerbaijan ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ death to resolve the problem once and for all , '' Artak Bagdasaryan , 36 , told AFP in Yerevan , adding that he was waiting to be conscripted into the army .
Karabakh separatists said one Armenian woman and a child were killed , while Baku said that an Azerbaijani family of five died in shelling launched by Armenian separatists .
Armenian defense ministry spokesman Artsrun Hovhannisyan claimed Karabakh rebel forces killed `` some 200 Azerbaijani troops and destroyed 30 enemy artillery units and 20 drones '' .
Azerbaijan said it has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ helps control transport communications between Yerevan and the enclave .
A major confrontation between Muslim Azerbaijan and majority Christian Armenia threatened to embroil regional players Moscow and Ankara and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan called on global powers to prevent Turkey from getting involved in the conflict .
`` We are on the brink of a full-scale war in the South Caucasus , '' Pashinyan warned .
Azerbaijan 's `` authoritarian regime has once again declared war on the Armenian people '' , he added .
France , Germany , Italy , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ceasefire , '' while Pope Francis prayed for peace .
Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the military flareup with Pashinyan and called for `` an end to hostilities '' .
`` The Russian side expressed serious concern over the resumption of large-scale clashes , '' the Kremlin said .
But Azerbaijan 's ally Turkey blamed Yerevan for the flare-up and promised Baku its `` full support '' .
`` The Turkish people will support our Azerbaijani brothers with all our means as always , '' Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan tweeted .

Arch foes Armenia and Azerbaijan on Sunday accused each other of initiating deadly clashes that claimed at least 23 lives over a decades-long territorial dispute and threatened to draw in regional powers Russia and Turkey.
The worst clashes since 2016 have raised the spectre of a fresh war between long-standing rivals Azerbaijan and Armenia which have been locked for decades in a territorial dispute over the Armenia-backed breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Sixteen Armenian separatist fighters were killed and more than 100 wounded in fighting, rebel officials said.
Both sides also reported civilian casualties.
"We are tired of Azerbaijan’s threats, we will fight to the death to resolve the problem once and for all," Artak Bagdasaryan, 36, told AFP in Yerevan, adding that he was waiting to be conscripted into the army.
Karabakh separatists said one Armenian woman and a child were killed, while Baku said that an Azerbaijani family of five died in shelling launched by Armenian separatists.
Armenian defense ministry spokesman Artsrun Hovhannisyan claimed Karabakh rebel forces killed "some 200 Azerbaijani troops and destroyed 30 enemy artillery units and 20 drones."
Azerbaijan said it has captured a strategic mountain in Karabakh that helps control transport communications between Yerevan and the enclave.
A major confrontation between Muslim Azerbaijan and majority Christian Armenia threatened to embroil regional players Moscow and Ankara and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan called on global powers to prevent Turkey from getting involved in the conflict.
'Sacred homeland'
"We are on the brink of a full-scale war in the South Caucasus," Pashinyan warned.
Azerbaijan's "authoritarian regime has once again declared war on the Armenian people," he added.
France, Germany, Italy, and the EU swiftly urged an "immediate ceasefire," while Pope Francis prayed for peace.
Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the military flareup with Pashinyan and called for "an end to hostilities."
"The Russian side expressed serious concern over the resumption of large-scale clashes," the Kremlin said.
But Azerbaijan's ally Turkey blamed Yerevan for the flare-up and promised Baku its "full support."
"The Turkish people will support our Azerbaijani brothers with all our means as always," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan tweeted.


themoscowtimes--2020-09-28--Nobel Winner Alexievich Leaves Belarus for Treatment – Friend

The 72-year-old author , who has been summoned for questioning by investigators after joining the opposition 's Coordination Council , has gone to Germany for planned treatment , her friend Mariya Voiteshonok told AFP .
Belarusian writer Svetlana Alexievich has left the country for treatment in Germany , her friend told AFP Monday , after the Nobel Literature Prize winner faced official pressure for supporting the opposition .
`` She will return to Belarus in a month .
She is not dropping her activities as a Coordination Council member , '' Voiteshonok said .
She added that Alexievich also planned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ awarded a literary prize .
The announcement of her departure comes as President Alexander Lukashenko has jailed or forced out most of the country 's prominent opposition activists .
Known for her Russian-language books with witness accounts of the Soviet era , including World War II and the Chernobyl disaster , Alexievich has always publicly opposed Lukashenko .
When she won the Nobel Literature Prize in 2015 , her books were not even published in Belarus .
She has played a symbolic role as an opposition figure , not attending Coordination Council meetings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who summoned her for questioning as a witness after opening a criminal probe into the opposition 's alleged attempt to seize power .
Earlier this month , she complained of intimidation after unidentified men gathered outside her block of flats and rang her door bell .
Diplomats from several European countries joined her in her flat as a gesture of support .
Her assistant , Tatiana Tyurina , told Belarusian independent news site Tut.by that the writer 's departure was not linked to the criminal case .
Asked if Alexievich was emigrating , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ course not .
She went off to deal with her personal and literary business . ''
Several members of the Coordination Council are in prison awaiting trial after being charged in the probe .
Lukashenko held a secret inauguration ceremony after claiming 80 % of the vote in Aug. 9 elections , despite a huge wave of public support for the main opposition contender , Svetlana Tikhanovskaya , who has fled to Lithuania .

The 72-year-old author, who has been summoned for questioning by investigators after joining the opposition's Coordination Council, has gone to Germany for planned treatment, her friend Mariya Voiteshonok told AFP.
Belarusian writer Svetlana Alexievich has left the country for treatment in Germany, her friend told AFP Monday, after the Nobel Literature Prize winner faced official pressure for supporting the opposition.
"She will return to Belarus in a month. She is not dropping her activities as a Coordination Council member," Voiteshonok said.
She added that Alexievich also planned to visit Italy where she has been awarded a literary prize.
The announcement of her departure comes as President Alexander Lukashenko has jailed or forced out most of the country's prominent opposition activists.
Known for her Russian-language books with witness accounts of the Soviet era, including World War II and the Chernobyl disaster, Alexievich has always publicly opposed Lukashenko.
When she won the Nobel Literature Prize in 2015, her books were not even published in Belarus.
She has played a symbolic role as an opposition figure, not attending Coordination Council meetings.
She refused to testify to investigators who summoned her for questioning as a witness after opening a criminal probe into the opposition's alleged attempt to seize power.
Earlier this month, she complained of intimidation after unidentified men gathered outside her block of flats and rang her door bell. Diplomats from several European countries joined her in her flat as a gesture of support.
Her assistant, Tatiana Tyurina, told Belarusian independent news site Tut.by that the writer's departure was not linked to the criminal case.
Asked if Alexievich was emigrating, Tyurina said: "No, of course not. She went off to deal with her personal and literary business."
Several members of the Coordination Council are in prison awaiting trial after being charged in the probe.
Lukashenko held a secret inauguration ceremony after claiming 80% of the vote in Aug. 9 elections, despite a huge wave of public support for the main opposition contender, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who has fled to Lithuania.


themoscowtimes--2020-09-28--Death Toll Rises as Armenia-Azerbaijan Fighting Enters Second Day

Armenia and Azerbaijan have been locked in a territorial dispute over the ethnic Armenian region of Nagorny Karabakh for decades , with deadly fighting flaring up earlier this year and in 2016 .
Azerbaijani and Armenian forces battled for a second day on Monday after dozens were killed in an outbreak of heavy fighting that has raised fears of an all-out war between the longtime enemies .
The region declared its independence from Azerbaijan after a war in the early 1990s that claimed 30,000 lives but is not recognized by any country — including Armenia — and is still considered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Defense officials in both countries said intense clashes continued after erupting on Sunday along the frontlines of the region .
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Monday ordered partial military mobilization and General Mais Barkhudarov vowed to `` fight to the last drop of blood in order to completely destroy the enemy and win . ''
The Armenian separatists announced that 15 more of their fighters had been killed and Azerbaijan increased its civilian toll from rebel shelling near Terter by one to six , bringing the total reported fatalities on both sides @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the other for the latest fighting , world leaders have urged calm as fears rise of a full-scale conflict that could draw in regional powers Russia and Turkey .
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters Monday that Russia was monitoring the situation closely and that the current priority was to `` stop the hostilities , not to deal with who is right and who is wrong . ''
The Karabakh defense ministry said on Monday that 32 of its fighters had been killed in the latest clashes .
Eight civilian fatalities have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ six and a woman and child on the Armenian side .
Azerbaijan has not announced military casualties but Armenian defense ministry spokeswoman Shushan Stepanyan claimed that `` dozens of corpses of Azerbaijani soldiers '' lay on territory won back overnight .
She said heavy fighting continued on Monday morning along the frontline and claimed Armenian forces had won back positions taken Sunday by Azerbaijan .
Azerbaijani forces `` are striking enemy positions ... and have taken several strategic positions around the village of Talysh , '' the defense ministry said .
`` The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Armenian military officials said Azerbaijani forces were continuing to attack rebel positions using heavy artillery , while Azerbaijan 's defense ministry accused separatist forces of shelling civilian targets in the town of Terter .
Baku claimed to have killed 550 separatist troops , a report denied by Armenia .
The escalation has stirred an outpouring of patriotic fervor in both countries .
`` We have been waiting for this day for so long .
The fighting must not stop until we force Armenia to return our lands , '' Vidadi Alekperov , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ AFP .
`` I 'll happily go to the battlefield . ''
In Yerevan , 67-year-old Vardan Harutyunyan said Armenia had been anticipating the attack .
`` The ( Karabakh ) question can only be resolved militarily .
We are not afraid of a war , '' he said .
Fighting between Muslim Azerbaijan and majority-Christian Armenia threatened to embroil regional players Russia , which is in a military alliance with Yerevan , and Turkey , which backs Baku .
Armenia accused Turkey of meddling in the conflict and sending mercenaries to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the United States , the European Union and Russia have urged a ceasefire .
Armenia and Karabakh declared martial law and military mobilization Sunday , while Azerbaijan imposed military rule and a curfew in large cities .
Talks to resolve the conflict — one of the worst to emerge from the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union — have been largely stalled since a 1994 ceasefire agreement .
Analysts told AFP on Sunday international brokers needed to step up their efforts to prevent an even worse escalation .
France , Russia and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as the `` Minsk Group '' but the last big push for a peace deal collapsed in 2010 .

Fierce fighting raged between Azerbaijani and Armenian forces on Monday, sparking bellicose rhetoric from regional power Turkey despite international pleas for a halt in fighting between the longtime enemies. Armenia and Azerbaijan have been locked in a territorial dispute over the ethnic Armenian region of Nagorno-Karabakh for decades, with deadly fighting flaring up earlier this year and in 2016.
The region declared its independence from Azerbaijan after a war in the early 1990s that claimed 30,000 lives but is not recognized by any country — including Armenia — and is still considered part of Azerbaijan by the international community. Fighting between Muslim Azerbaijan and majority-Christian Armenia could embroil regional players such as Russia, which has a military alliance with Armenia, and Turkey, which backs Azerbaijan. Karabakh's defense ministry said 27 fighters were killed in fighting Monday — after previously reporting 28 — bringing their total military losses to 58. The overall death toll rose to 67 including nine civilian deaths: seven in Azerbaijan and two on the Armenian side. Azerbaijan has not reported any military casualties, but Armenian separatist officials released footage showing burnt-out armored vehicles and the bloodied and charred remains of soldiers in camouflage it said were Azerbaijani troops. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Monday ordered partial military mobilization and General Mais Barkhudarov vowed to "fight to the last drop of blood in order to completely destroy the enemy and win." With each side blaming the other for the latest fighting, world leaders have urged calm as fears rise of a full-scale conflict. The UN Security Council was to meet on Tuesday at 5:00 pm (2100 GMT) for emergency talks on Karabakh behind closed doors, diplomats told AFP. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia was monitoring the situation closely and that the current priority was to "stop the hostilities, not to deal with who is right and who is wrong."


themoscowtimes--2020-09-28--New Armenia-Azerbaijan Fighting a Long Time in the Making

When wide-scale fighting broke out over the weekend between Azerbaijani and Armenian forces , it did not come as a surprise .
For the last three months , tensions between the two sides have been rising steadily .
All signs appeared to be pointing to the conclusion that Azerbaijan was preparing the ground for the most serious attempt yet to right what it sees as a deep injustice : the seizure of a large part of its territory , and the resulting displacement of more than 600,000 ethnic Azerbaijanis , by Armenian forces during a war as the Soviet Union @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clash on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan erupted into the conflict ’ s heaviest fighting in years .
Both sides blamed the other for starting the fighting , and more than two months on it remains unclear what actually sparked it .
The majority opinion among regional experts is that it was probably an accident that got out of hand and that neither side intended to start it .
But the burst of fighting seemed to accelerate processes that had been long developing .
Days after the skirmishes started , a massive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Baku following the funeral of a military officer killed in the battle .
The demonstration , with tens of thousands of Azerbaijanis chanting pro-war slogans , brought into the open a widespread nationalist , anti-government sentiment in the country .
Many Azerbaijanis blame their government for being full of talk when it comes to taking back Karabakh , but with little action to show for it .
Azerbaijan ’ s authoritarian government brooks no dissent but it also is deeply sensitive to public opinion .
It has repeatedly made concessions on economic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
While government officials tried to portray the demonstrations as largely patriotic and pro-government , they surely were aware , and frightened , of the truth .
The July fighting also brought a shift in the delicate geopolitics of the conflict .
While Turkey had always been a supporter of Azerbaijan , that support was relatively shallow ; Azerbaijan still got the majority of its weapons from Russia .
Following the July conflict Turkey ’ s involvement became much deeper than it had previously been , with unprecedentedly bellicose rhetoric coming from Ankara @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sides .
Ankara appeared to see the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict as yet another arena in which to exercise its growing foreign policy ambitions , while appealing to a nationalist , anti-Armenian bloc in Turkey ’ s domestic politics .
Turkey ’ s tighter embrace , in turn , gave Baku the confidence to take a tougher line against Russia , Armenia ’ s closest ally in the conflict but which maintains close ties with both countries .
Azerbaijan heavily publicized ( still unconfirmed ) reports about large Russian weapons shipments to Armenia just following @ @ @ @ @ @ @ personally complained to his Russian counterpart , Vladimir Putin .
Other — also unconfirmed — reports fanned in the pro-government Azerbaijani press accused Georgia of allowing Serbian arms shipments to transit its territory en route to Armenia .
Whether or not any of these reports were true , the strategy appeared to be to throw up diplomatic complications for Armenia to get arms resupplies .

When wide-scale fighting broke out over the weekend between Azerbaijani and Armenian forces, it did not come as a surprise.
For the last three months, tensions between the two sides have been rising steadily. All signs appeared to be pointing to the conclusion that Azerbaijan was preparing the ground for the most serious attempt yet to right what it sees as a deep injustice: the seizure of a large part of its territory, and the resulting displacement of more than 600,000 ethnic Azerbaijanis, by Armenian forces during a war as the Soviet Union collapsed.
In July, an as-yet-unexplained clash on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan erupted into the conflict’s heaviest fighting in years. Both sides blamed the other for starting the fighting, and more than two months on it remains unclear what actually sparked it. The majority opinion among regional experts is that it was probably an accident that got out of hand and that neither side intended to start it.
But the burst of fighting seemed to accelerate processes that had been long developing.
Days after the skirmishes started, a massive, unprecedented demonstration demanding war broke out in Baku following the funeral of a military officer killed in the battle. The demonstration, with tens of thousands of Azerbaijanis chanting pro-war slogans, brought into the open a widespread nationalist, anti-government sentiment in the country. Many Azerbaijanis blame their government for being full of talk when it comes to taking back Karabakh, but with little action to show for it.
Azerbaijan’s authoritarian government brooks no dissent but it also is deeply sensitive to public opinion. It has repeatedly made concessions on economic issues when social media discontent breaks out. While government officials tried to portray the demonstrations as largely patriotic and pro-government, they surely were aware, and frightened, of the truth.
The July fighting also brought a shift in the delicate geopolitics of the conflict. While Turkey had always been a supporter of Azerbaijan, that support was relatively shallow; Azerbaijan still got the majority of its weapons from Russia.
Following the July conflict Turkey’s involvement became much deeper than it had previously been, with unprecedentedly bellicose rhetoric coming from Ankara and repeated high-level visits between the two sides. Ankara appeared to see the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict as yet another arena in which to exercise its growing foreign policy ambitions, while appealing to a nationalist, anti-Armenian bloc in Turkey’s domestic politics.
Turkey’s tighter embrace, in turn, gave Baku the confidence to take a tougher line against Russia, Armenia’s closest ally in the conflict but which maintains close ties with both countries. Azerbaijan heavily publicized (still unconfirmed) reports about large Russian weapons shipments to Armenia just following the fighting, and President Ilham Aliyev personally complained to his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.
Other — also unconfirmed — reports fanned in the pro-government Azerbaijani press accused Georgia of allowing Serbian arms shipments to transit its territory en route to Armenia. Whether or not any of these reports were true, the strategy appeared to be to throw up diplomatic complications for Armenia to get arms resupplies.


themoscowtimes--2020-09-28--Belarus Opposition Leader Calls for Macron to Mediate

Tikhanovskaya told AFP that French President Emmanuel Macron could be `` one of the mediators '' and could involve his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in a dialogue between government and opposition .
Opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya on Monday urged France 's president to mediate in the political crisis in Belarus and called for EU sanctions against businesses that support President Alexander Lukashenko 's government .
`` The protests are not going to stop , '' she said in an interview in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius where she fled after running against Lukashenko in an election on Aug. 9 .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which they have lived all these years .
They will fight more and more against the system . ''
Tens of thousands of people took to the streets on Sunday in the 50th day of unprecedented protests against Lukashenko 's 26-year rule which have been met with a violent crackdown .
Tikhanovskaya , 38 , said she had requested a meeting with Macron during his two-day visit to Lithuania , which starts later on Monday .
The French president would be her most high-profile meeting so far since the election and the protests @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has previously met with leaders in neighboring Poland and Lithuania , which have taken a lead in European diplomacy on Belarus , and with EU foreign ministers in Brussels .
Tikhanovskaya said the French leader was known as a mediator in international crises and voiced hope that he could `` influence '' Putin .
The Russian leader is Lukashenko 's main ally and has supported him financially , while also calling for stronger integration with Russia and a process of constitutional reform in Belarus .
`` Now is the moment when Belarus needs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said , adding that there should be `` no more blood '' in Belarus .
`` Of course we would prefer to solve this problem by ourselves but we see that all these atrocities are continuing and the Belarusian people are suffering , '' Tikhanovskaya said .
At a summit in Brussels next week , EU leaders are set to debate personal sanctions against Lukashenko and other high-profile figures seen as responsible for a violent crackdown .
Tikhanovskaya said the bloc could go further and also adopt `` sanctions against firms , individual @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' But she emphasized that the EU should stop short of general economic sanctions as `` ordinary people will suffer most '' from them .
She also stressed that EU countries should ignore any deals being made by Lukashenko since `` they can be reviewed in the future because now he is not the voice of the Belarusian people . ''
Tikhanovskaya only joined the political fray after her husband Sergei — a popular blogger — was barred from registering as a presidential candidate and was arrested for allegedly plotting to overthrow the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ days after the presidential election after claiming victory and accusing Lukashenko of rigging the vote .
She was reunited with her children but her husband is still in prison and is considered a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International .
Tikhanovskaya said she was not yet ready to talk about the circumstances in which she fled from Belarus but her supporters said she came under intense pressure that left her little choice .
`` All I can say is that I went to the Central Electoral Commission at around 3:00 p.m. and at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ border into Lithuania .
For the moment I can not give any more detail than that ... but it 's clear that my departure was not voluntary , '' she told AFP .
Asked if she had thought about giving up the political fight to focus on freeing her husband and looking after her family , she said : `` I can not stop what I 'm doing and give up .
There are too many innocent people in prison .
`` Only our victory will get these people out of prison — @ @ @ @ @ @ @

Tikhanovskaya, who fled to Vilnius after claiming victory in a disputed election, told AFP on Monday she had requested a meeting and called on Macron to help mediate in the crisis.
French President Emmanuel Macron is ready to meet with Belarus opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya on a visit to Lithuania, a government spokesman said Monday, in what would be a major show of support for the activist.
"The protests are not going to stop," the 38-year-old said in an interview, adding that Belarus "badly needs" a dialogue between government and opposition in order to ensure there is "no more blood."
A French government spokesman said Macron would meet with Tikhanovskaya "if she asks" during his three-day visit to Lithuania and Latvia starting Monday — the first by a French head of state to the Baltic region in two decades.
In her interview, Tikhanovskaya said Macron could encourage Russian President Vladimir Putin, a key ally of Belarusian strongman president Alexander Lukashenko, to take part in the dialogue.
Ahead of his arrival in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, Macron said it was clear that Lukashenko "has to go" after 26 years in power in the former Soviet republic.
He added he was impressed with the courage of protesters, who on Sunday staged their 50th day of demonstrations against Lukashenko since his disputed election win last month.
Belarusian police on Sunday detained around 200 people as tens of thousands took to the streets days after Lukashenko staged a secret inauguration.
Tikhanovskaya, whose blogger husband remains in a Belarus prison, also on Monday called for EU sanctions against businesses that support Lukashenko's government.
But she emphasized that the EU should stop short of general economic sanctions as "ordinary people will suffer most" from them.
Highest-profile meeting yet?
The French president would be Tikhanovskaya's most high-profile meeting with an international leader so far since the election and the protests which she has helped inspire.
She has previously met with leaders in neighboring Poland and Lithuania, which have taken a lead in European diplomacy on Belarus, and with EU foreign ministers in Brussels.
The EU is considering personal sanctions against Lukashenko and other high-profile figures seen as responsible for the violent crackdown.
Lukashenko has also jailed or forced out most of the country's prominent opposition activists.


themoscowtimes--2020-09-28--Veteran Russian Human Rights Leader Yury Orlov Dies at 96

Orlov co-founded the Soviet branch of Amnesty International before founding the Moscow Helsinki Group with other dissidents in 1976 .
The organization got its name from its mission to monitor Soviet compliance with the 1975 Helsinki Accords , an agreement that included guarantees of basic freedoms and aimed to improve ties between the Communist bloc and the West .
Yury Orlov , a Soviet physicist , dissident and founder of Russia ’ s oldest human rights organization the Moscow Helsinki Group , died at age 96 on Sunday , the rights group said Monday .
“ He lived a long @ @ @ @ @ @ @ physics to the last and continuing to stand by the human rights movement , ” the Moscow Helsinki Group said on its website .
It did not specify the cause of Orlov ’ s death .
Orlov first encountered Soviet political repression in 1956 , when a prestigious physics institute fired him and banned him from scientific work in Moscow after he gave a pro-democracy speech .
According to Cornell University , Orlov spent the next 16 years in Armenia , where he designed an electron-synchrotron particle accelerator and became the head of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1977 , the KGB arrested Orlov in Moscow and sent him to a gulag labor camp for “ anti-Soviet agitation and propaganda , ” according to his biography .
He received the first of his several Nobel Peace Prize nominations while in exile in Siberia .
Orlov was freed in 1986 , stripped of Soviet citizenship and deported to the United States as part of a prisoner swap involving U.S. journalist Nicholas Daniloff and Soviet spy Gennady Zakharov .
He arrived at Cornell in December 1987 , working there as senior scientist and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ passing .
He became an American citizen in 1993 and , according to Cornell , was barred under Russian law from membership in the Moscow Helsinki Group as a “ foreigner.
” Orlov ’ s passing comes less than two years after another driving force behind the Soviet civil rights movement , Lyudmila Alexeyeva , died at age 91 in December 2018 .

Orlov co-founded the Soviet branch of Amnesty International before founding the Moscow Helsinki Group with other dissidents in 1976. The organization got its name from its mission to monitor Soviet compliance with the 1975 Helsinki Accords, an agreement that included guarantees of basic freedoms and aimed to improve ties between the Communist bloc and the West.
Yury Orlov, a Soviet physicist, dissident and founder of Russia’s oldest human rights organization the Moscow Helsinki Group, died at age 96 on Sunday, the rights group said Monday.
“He lived a long and active life, teaching his beloved physics to the last and continuing to stand by the human rights movement,” the Moscow Helsinki Group said on its website.
It did not specify the cause of Orlov’s death.
Orlov first encountered Soviet political repression in 1956, when a prestigious physics institute fired him and banned him from scientific work in Moscow after he gave a pro-democracy speech. According to Cornell University, Orlov spent the next 16 years in Armenia, where he designed an electron-synchrotron particle accelerator and became the head of a laboratory and a professor.
In 1977, the KGB arrested Orlov in Moscow and sent him to a gulag labor camp for “anti-Soviet agitation and propaganda,” according to his biography. He received the first of his several Nobel Peace Prize nominations while in exile in Siberia.
Orlov was freed in 1986, stripped of Soviet citizenship and deported to the United States as part of a prisoner swap involving U.S. journalist Nicholas Daniloff and Soviet spy Gennady Zakharov.
He arrived at Cornell in December 1987, working there as senior scientist and professor of physics and government until his passing.
He became an American citizen in 1993 and, according to Cornell, was barred under Russian law from membership in the Moscow Helsinki Group as a “foreigner.”
Orlov’s passing comes less than two years after another driving force behind the Soviet civil rights movement, Lyudmila Alexeyeva, died at age 91 in December 2018.


themoscowtimes--2020-09-28--What Is Russia's Role in the Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict?

Fighting between the ex-Soviet republics over a decades-long territorial dispute threatens to embroil regional players Russia and Turkey .
The United States , Europe , Russian President Vladimir Putin and the UN secretary general have all called for an end to hostilities .
At least 39 troops and civilians have been killed over the past two days in the worst clashes between foes Armenia and Azerbaijan since 2016 .
Here ’ s a brief explainer on the Nagorno-Karabakh flare-up — and Russia ’ s role in the conflict : — Why are they fighting ?
Armenia and Azerbaijan have clashed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mountainous region of fewer than 150,000 people declared independence from Azerbaijan .
An ensuing war killed 30,000 and displaced hundreds of thousands before ending in a ceasefire in 1994 .
Violent outbreaks between Armenian and Azeri forces have continued ever since .
The origins of the conflict date back to 1921 , when Soviet authorities added the predominantly ethnic Armenian territory to Azerbaijan .
Russia , a major powerbroker in the region , maintains close economic ties with both Armenia and Azerbaijan and has adopted a cautious stance toward the recent flare-ups .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s orbit as a member of Russia-led regional military and economic blocs CSTO and EEU , while Azerbaijan is not .
Russian support and military guarantees are critical to Armenia , whose defense budget is overshadowed by Azerbaijan 's arms spending .
Additionally , Armenia hosts a Russian military base near its second-largest city .
On the other side , Muslim-majority , Turkic-speaking Azerbaijan is openly backed by its influential ally Turkey .
Ankara is at odds with Yerevan over the Armenian Genocide during World War I and has kept its border @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has also tried to pitch itself to European countries as an alternative energy supplier to Russia .
— What has Russia done in response to similar clashes in the past ?
Russia brokered the initial ceasefire in May 1994 and put an end to the Four-Day War in April 2016 , a conflict that killed at least 110 people .
Russia , France and the U.S. have mediated peace efforts as the `` Minsk Group '' but the last big push for a peace deal collapsed in 2010 .
Russia has also supplied @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. dollars worth of weapons , including infantry fighting vehicles , missile launchers and ammunition .

Fighting between the ex-Soviet republics over a decades-long territorial dispute threatens to embroil regional players Russia and Turkey. The United States, Europe, Russian President Vladimir Putin and the UN secretary general have all called for an end to hostilities.
At least 39 troops and civilians have been killed over the past two days in the worst clashes between foes Armenia and Azerbaijan since 2016.
Here’s a brief explainer on the Nagorno-Karabakh flare-up — and Russia’s role in the conflict:
— Why are they fighting?
Armenia and Azerbaijan have clashed over Nagorno-Karabakh since 1988, when the mountainous region of fewer than 150,000 people declared independence from Azerbaijan.
An ensuing war killed 30,000 and displaced hundreds of thousands before ending in a ceasefire in 1994. Violent outbreaks between Armenian and Azeri forces have continued ever since.
The origins of the conflict date back to 1921, when Soviet authorities added the predominantly ethnic Armenian territory to Azerbaijan.
— Which side is Russia backing?
Russia, a major powerbroker in the region, maintains close economic ties with both Armenia and Azerbaijan and has adopted a cautious stance toward the recent flare-ups. However, Armenia is deeper within Moscow’s orbit as a member of Russia-led regional military and economic blocs CSTO and EEU, while Azerbaijan is not.
Russian support and military guarantees are critical to Armenia, whose defense budget is overshadowed by Azerbaijan's arms spending. Additionally, Armenia hosts a Russian military base near its second-largest city.
On the other side, Muslim-majority, Turkic-speaking Azerbaijan is openly backed by its influential ally Turkey. Ankara is at odds with Yerevan over the Armenian Genocide during World War I and has kept its border with Armenia closed since 1993.
Azerbaijan has also tried to pitch itself to European countries as an alternative energy supplier to Russia.
— What has Russia done in response to similar clashes in the past?
Russia brokered the initial ceasefire in May 1994 and put an end to the Four-Day War in April 2016, a conflict that killed at least 110 people.
Russia, France and the U.S. have mediated peace efforts as the "Minsk Group" but the last big push for a peace deal collapsed in 2010.
Russia has also supplied both Armenia and Azerbaijan with billions of U.S. dollars worth of weapons, including infantry fighting vehicles, missile launchers and ammunition.
AFP contributed reporting.


themoscowtimes--2020-09-28--How Nornickel Became the Arctic’s Biggest Polluter

Ecologists often joke that Europe owes its clean skies to the dirty sky of Norilsk — and there ’ s more than a shred of truth in this assertion .
The Nornickel mining and metallurgical company supplies metals to 37 countries , where they are used in the production of electric cars , electricity stations and solar panels .
But in the process of extracting all these environmentally valuable metals , Nornickel systemically pollutes the surrounding nature with sulfur dioxide ( SO2 ) .
Toxic in high doses , this gas causes choking , coughing , pulmonary edema , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the frequency of respiratory tract diseases .
Sulfur dioxide makes up 98 % of all the company ’ s emissions ( according to data from Nornickel itself ) .
It is formed during the processing of sulfide ores , in which metals are combined with sulfur .
According to Igor Shkradyuk , coordinator of the environmental industry program at the Center for the Protection of Wild Nature , it is difficult to understand from the mining company ’ s reports what precise proportion is currently recovered , but more than 80 % of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Emissions amount to around 2 million tons per year — that is , more than half of all sulfur dioxide emissions in Russia ( 3.6 million tons in 2018 , according to a state report by the Ministry of Natural Resources ) , or twice the total amount of emissions from the United States , ( according to 2018 data from Greenpeace ) .The factories in Norilsk are the world ’ s largest stationary source of man-made sulfur dioxide , according to Greenpeace data .
These represent only the systemic pollution we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accidents and violations which are not reflected in the statistics .
A good example of this is an unscheduled check carried out by Russian environmental watchdog Rosprirodnadzor after the spill of 21,000 tons of diesel fuel from a tank owned by the Norilsk-Taimyr Energy Company ( NTEK ) in May 2020 , which was the largest man-made disaster in the Arctic to date .
According to forecasts by McKinsey & Co. , demand for high-quality Class 1 nickel — precisely the type produced by Nornickel – is set to grow .
By 2030 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ million tons to 3.5–4 million tons , primarily due to the growth of electric car production .
The question is , what will be the cost of this growth to the environment ?
The indigenous peoples of northern Russia have asked Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk not to buy Nornickel products until independent experts have been able to estimate the total damage inflicted by the company ’ s activity on the Taimyr Peninsula and the Murmansk Region , but the company itself will not pay out compensation to these indigenous peoples and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , however , has promised a “ gigantic long-term contract ” to anyone who is able to mine nickel without serious damage to the environment .
Environmentalists have expressed doubts about Nornickel 's choice of technology to reduce its sulfur dioxide emissions : The company has opted for a cheaper solution that requires the mass onsite storage of products resulting from the mining process .
Nornickel President Vladimir Potanin has previously questioned the reliability of more advanced technology and pointed to Norilsk 's geography and inaccessibility as meaning that some other options – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ acid which can then be sold — are unfeasible .
“ Don ’ t believe them when they try to convince you that it ’ s technologically impossible to ensure the cleanliness of emissions from nickel production , ” a Finnish diplomat told Russian journalists several years ago .
This diplomat hailed originally from the town of Harjavalta , where there was also a nickel plant .
Under pressure from local residents and the authorities , the firm rolled out a new emissions system in the mid 1990s which captures 99 % of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ As Shkradyuk explains , at that time it was also a full-cycle plant , just like the one in Norilsk .
In 2007 Nornickel bought part of this plant .
Today , according to a representative of the company , only the final stage of the process — metal refining — now takes place there , so the negative effect on the environment is insignificant .
Building a clean factory is not cheap : half of the cost of construction goes on water and air purification systems , says Shkradyuk .
If there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to spend twice as much money on building a plant , then it simply won ’ t do this .
Nornickel is an extremely profitable company and invests tens of billions of rubles annually in the protection of the environment — 39.5 billion rubles ( $ 500million ) in 2019 .
This sum could be even larger , were it not for disagreement between shareholders .
“ I have always been a supporter of the idea that part of the profits should be allocated not for dividends , but to the Norilsk Nickel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we have an obligation to carry out many environmental activities , ” explained Potanin ( his Interros Holding Company owns a 34.6 % stake ) in an interview with the Komsomolskaya Pravda tabloid in April .
Potanin also suggested postponing the payment of dividends in 2020 , so as not to anger people in a crisis and create a reserve fund .
However , the suggestion did not find support from the second largest shareholder , UC Rusal ( 27.8 % ) , previously controlled by the industrialist Oleg Deripaska .
The company @ @ @ @ @ @ @ service its own debt .
UC Rusal had net profits of $ 960 million in 2019 , and a net debt of $ 6.5 billion , with interest payments on the debt making up $ 553 million .
After the fuel spill , Potanin repeated his suggestion , but once again it did not find support .
As a result , in the first six months of 2020 Nornickel paid out interim dividends for nine months of 2019 ( $ 1.6 billion ) , as well as final dividends for 2019 ( $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nornickel spend on the catastrophe ?
Rosprirodnadzor estimated the total damage caused by the recent disaster at 148 billion rubles ( $ 1.9 billion ) and filed a lawsuit .
Nornickel described the move as premature , but earmarked $ 2.1 billion for the clean-up and damage compensation .
Swiftly adopted amendments to the Tax Code mean the compensation will go into the federal budget .
As economist Natalya Zubarevich noted during a discussion organized by the WWF , this is an extremely cynical move , since the clean-up has not yet been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up in a completely different place .
At the same time , the main source of revenue for the budget of the Krasnoyarsk Territory — corporate income tax — fell by 22 % in the first half of 2020 in comparison with the same period in the previous year .
There is a need to revive “ flagged ” environmental payments , so that compensation for damages does not become a means of replenishing the budget in difficult economic times , but is directed instead toward the recovery of ecosystems , environmental modernization @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the source of the negative activity , according to ecologist Yevgeny Shvarts who has been working as independent director at Norilsk Nickel since 2019 .
Nornickel Senior Ecology Vice President Andrei Bugrov told VTimes that he has already flown twice to Norilsk , and is cooperating with experts , officials , industry and public organizations .
But one appointment will not solve the problem , said Bugrov .
A total of 10 billion rubles ( $ 130 million ) has already been spent on cleaning up after the disaster , with another 13 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says Bugrov .
Recovery of the remaining pollutants will continue throughout 2021 and 2022 , as the draft of the liquidation plan makes clear .
The plan covers only issues for the monitoring and remediation of oil spills , but Greenpeace experts say this is insufficient .
“ If we ’ re going to save the water bodies that have suffered , then [ they need to be protected ] from other sources of pollution too , ” said Greenpeace 's program and expertise director Ivan Blokov during a discussion in the civic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ NGOs to give feedback on laws and regulations .
“ What is important are changes on a systemic level , ” he said .
One federal official has expressed concern that the company responsible for the post-accident clean-up is NTEK , which is directly to blame for the leak : will its actions be subject to the proper oversight ?
In the Arctic , recovering spilled fuel is particularly challenging , says Georgy Safonov , director of the Center of Environmental Economics and Natural Resources at Moscow ’ s Higher School of Economics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the fragile ecosystem of the Arctic is extremely dangerous and will be felt for a very long time .
While in the Gulf of Mexico hydrocarbon-absorbing bacteria can be used , in the cold climate of the Arctic these simply do not exist , he explains .
Not only will these systemic problems not be solved in a year , but the external challenges will increase .
One of these is the melting of the permafrost .
When in the mid-20th century industrial plants began to be constructed in the Arctic zone , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ annual temperature would increase so quickly , says Safonov .
All of those factories , gas and oil pipelines , roads and power lines did not take the melting of the permafrost into account .
There is no doubt , he warns , that catastrophes like those in Norilsk will occur with increasing frequency in the near future as a result of warming , unless all companies working in the Arctic take rapid steps to modernize with climatic factors in mind .
This article was originally published in Russian by our partner outlet @

Ecologists often joke that Europe owes its clean skies to the dirty sky of Norilsk — and there’s more than a shred of truth in this assertion. The Nornickel mining and metallurgical company supplies metals to 37 countries, where they are used in the production of electric cars, electricity stations and solar panels. But in the process of extracting all these environmentally valuable metals, Nornickel systemically pollutes the surrounding nature with sulfur dioxide (SO2). Toxic in high doses, this gas causes choking, coughing, pulmonary edema, and (according to the WHO) increases the frequency of respiratory tract diseases. Sulfur dioxide makes up 98% of all the company’s emissions (according to data from Nornickel itself). It is formed during the processing of sulfide ores, in which metals are combined with sulfur. According to Igor Shkradyuk, coordinator of the environmental industry program at the Center for the Protection of Wild Nature, it is difficult to understand from the mining company’s reports what precise proportion is currently recovered, but more than 80% of sulfur dioxide definitely escapes into the atmosphere. Emissions amount to around 2 million tons per year — that is, more than half of all sulfur dioxide emissions in Russia (3.6 million tons in 2018, according to a state report by the Ministry of Natural Resources), or twice the total amount of emissions from the United States, (according to 2018 data from Greenpeace).The factories in Norilsk are the world’s largest stationary source of man-made sulfur dioxide, according to Greenpeace data. These represent only the systemic pollution we know about, but there are also accidents and violations which are not reflected in the statistics. A good example of this is an unscheduled check carried out by Russian environmental watchdog Rosprirodnadzor after the spill of 21,000 tons of diesel fuel from a tank owned by the Norilsk-Taimyr Energy Company (NTEK) in May 2020, which was the largest man-made disaster in the Arctic to date. Counting on Musk According to forecasts by McKinsey & Co., demand for high-quality Class 1 nickel — precisely the type produced by Nornickel – is set to grow. By 2030 it will rise from the current 2.2 million tons to 3.5–4 million tons, primarily due to the growth of electric car production. The question is, what will be the cost of this growth to the environment?
The indigenous peoples of northern Russia have asked Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk not to buy Nornickel products until independent experts have been able to estimate the total damage inflicted by the company’s activity on the Taimyr Peninsula and the Murmansk Region, but the company itself will not pay out compensation to these indigenous peoples and will not finance remediation. Musk himself, however, has promised a “gigantic long-term contract” to anyone who is able to mine nickel without serious damage to the environment. Environmentalists have expressed doubts about Nornickel's choice of technology to reduce its sulfur dioxide emissions: The company has opted for a cheaper solution that requires the mass onsite storage of products resulting from the mining process. Nornickel President Vladimir Potanin has previously questioned the reliability of more advanced technology and pointed to Norilsk's geography and inaccessibility as meaning that some other options – such as using emissions to create sulfuric acid which can then be sold — are unfeasible. The clean and the dirty “Don’t believe them when they try to convince you that it’s technologically impossible to ensure the cleanliness of emissions from nickel production,” a Finnish diplomat told Russian journalists several years ago. This diplomat hailed originally from the town of Harjavalta, where there was also a nickel plant. Under pressure from local residents and the authorities, the firm rolled out a new emissions system in the mid 1990s which captures 99% of all sulfuric emissions from the plant. As Shkradyuk explains, at that time it was also a full-cycle plant, just like the one in Norilsk. In 2007 Nornickel bought part of this plant. Today, according to a representative of the company, only the final stage of the process — metal refining — now takes place there, so the negative effect on the environment is insignificant.
Building a clean factory is not cheap: half of the cost of construction goes on water and air purification systems, says Shkradyuk. If there are no strict rules obligating a business to spend twice as much money on building a plant, then it simply won’t do this. Nornickel is an extremely profitable company and invests tens of billions of rubles annually in the protection of the environment — 39.5 billion rubles ($500million) in 2019. This sum could be even larger, were it not for disagreement between shareholders. “I have always been a supporter of the idea that part of the profits should be allocated not for dividends, but to the Norilsk Nickel investment program. All the more since we have an obligation to carry out many environmental activities,” explained Potanin (his Interros Holding Company owns a 34.6% stake) in an interview with the Komsomolskaya Pravda tabloid in April. Potanin also suggested postponing the payment of dividends in 2020, so as not to anger people in a crisis and create a reserve fund. However, the suggestion did not find support from the second largest shareholder, UC Rusal (27.8%), previously controlled by the industrialist Oleg Deripaska. The company needs dividends from Nornickel in order to service its own debt. UC Rusal had net profits of $960 million in 2019, and a net debt of $6.5 billion, with interest payments on the debt making up $553 million. After the fuel spill, Potanin repeated his suggestion, but once again it did not find support. As a result, in the first six months of 2020 Nornickel paid out interim dividends for nine months of 2019 ($1.6 billion), as well as final dividends for 2019 ($1.3 billion). How much will Nornickel spend on the catastrophe? Rosprirodnadzor estimated the total damage caused by the recent disaster at 148 billion rubles ($1.9 billion) and filed a lawsuit. Nornickel described the move as premature, but earmarked $2.1 billion for the clean-up and damage compensation. Swiftly adopted amendments to the Tax Code mean the compensation will go into the federal budget. As economist Natalya Zubarevich noted during a discussion organized by the WWF, this is an extremely cynical move, since the clean-up has not yet been completed, but the money has ended up in a completely different place. At the same time, the main source of revenue for the budget of the Krasnoyarsk Territory — corporate income tax — fell by 22% in the first half of 2020 in comparison with the same period in the previous year. There is a need to revive “flagged” environmental payments, so that compensation for damages does not become a means of replenishing the budget in difficult economic times, but is directed instead toward the recovery of ecosystems, environmental modernization and technological upgrades in the company — the source of the negative activity, according to ecologist Yevgeny Shvarts who has been working as independent director at Norilsk Nickel since 2019.


themoscowtimes--2020-09-28--Six Months Into Pandemic, Migrant Workers in Russia Live in Makeshift Camps as They Wait to Go Home

KULLAR , DAGESTAN — Along the Caucasus Highway in Russia ’ s southern republic of Dagestan , about 30 kilometers from the border with Azerbaijan , hundreds of Azerbaijani migrants are sleeping in tents for weeks at a time as they try to return home .
Although Azerbaijan ’ s land border with Russia is officially closed , the country allows between 400 and 500 of its citizens to cross every Tuesday .
While up to 360 people are allowed to stay in a tent camp near the village of Kullar supported by Russia ’ s Emergency Situations Ministry , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can around the village , some without a roof over their heads , according to rights groups .
“ Next week I ’ ll be completely out of money , ” Yusif Kurinov , 32 , a seasonal construction worker who travels to Dagestan ’ s largest city of Makhachkala each year , told The Moscow Times at the Kullar camp .
“ That ’ s why I decided it ’ s time to go back.
” Hundreds of thousands of migrant workers travel to Russia every year from neighboring former Soviet republics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Federal Security Service ( FSB ) figures , 2.4 million labor migrants came to Russia in the first half of last year alone .
But this year , Russia ’ s coronavirus lockdown , which lasted from mid-March until early June , hit migrant workers particularly hard .
According to a poll conducted by the Moscow-based Group for Migration and Ethnicity Research , 75 % of migrants lost their incomes — whether through layoff or forced unpaid leave — compared to 48 % of Russian workers during that period .
And so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they believe they will be able to cross by land — despite those borders still being closed .
Most of them are Uzbeks and Kyrgyz who acted on rumors they could return home through Kazakhstan .
Up to 4,500 Uzbeks are living in a makeshift tent city in the southern city of Kinel in the Saratov region .
Local officials have set up tents for 1,000 people , while local volunteers and Moscow ’ s Uzbek diaspora are supporting the rest .
Hundreds more have also gathered in the southern region of Rostov @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the camps and head home through Kazakhstan earlier this month , 100-150 people continue to arrive at the camp in Kinel each day , according to the Novaya Gazeta newspaper , despite efforts to stem the flow .
“ We have repeatedly warned compatriots in Russia through official channels about fake messages spreading in social networks and messengers about the opening of the Russian-Kazakh state border , ” Shakriyor Turgunboyev , spokesperson for the Uzbek Embassy in Russia , told The Moscow Times .
Still , rights groups say the migrants ’ home @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them .
“ Azerbaijan is not doing enough , ” Afik Allakhverdiyev of the Moscow-based Autonomous Ethnic-Cultural Organization of Azerbaijanis , said of the trickle of returnees via Dagestan .
“ A month from now this situation is going to get a lot worse.
” The Embassy of Azerbaijan in Russia did not respond to a request for comment for this article .
Allakhverdiyev said that with the arrival of fall , some seasonal jobs will come to an end .
By his count , there are already 3,000 Azerbaijanis trying to get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are arriving at the Kullar camp each week , he said .
Even in normal times migrants mostly rely on their embassies , rights groups and volunteers from their diaspora for support .
But as colder weather sets in , Allakhverdiyev believes it will be harder to take care of new arrivals .
“ Temperatures will fall below zero and it will be impossible to get all these people warm clothes and blankets , or places to stay other than the camp , ” he said , adding that volunteers around the nearby @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as many people as they can .
Conditions are even worse in Kinel .
New arrivals who can ’ t afford to buy tents build them from sticks and tarpaulins , according to Human Rights Watch .
The international rights group also reported that living conditions are cramped , there are too few latrines and the camp lacks medical care .
“ The conditions are absolutely inhumane , ” Valentina Chupik , a Moscow-based human rights lawyer who operates a hotline for migrants , told The Moscow Times after visiting the camp .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ flights and trains home from big cities before people are forced to go to border camps .
In Uzbekistan ’ s case , however , the resumption of commercial flights earlier this month put an end to the embassy charters , Turgunboyev of the Uzbek Embassy said , though he noted that Uzbek authorities have repatriated 65,047 citizens since the beginning of the pandemic .
Chupik believes the state of affairs could fuel misinformation surrounding land border crossings .
She noted that some in the migrants ’ diasporas have preyed on the workers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cross by land cheaply before selling them bus tickets to destinations with no way through .
That ’ s how nearly 2,000 Kyrgyz ended up in the Republic of Bashkortostan in mid-September .
“ It ’ s our own fault : We believed some people over the phone , ” one migrant told a local news outlet last week .
“ We wanted to save money because plane tickets are very expensive , but it turns out that we ’ ve already spent the same amount on food and a hotel room so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Misinformation and uncertainty over the future as the pandemic continues to keep the world in its grip is fueling the situation .
Since Russia ’ s economy reopened in late spring , work had mostly returned to normal levels for migrant workers , Evgeni Varshaver , head of the Group for Migration and Ethnicity Research , said .
But as signs grow that a second coronavirus wave is threatening Russia , uncertainty over the reintroduction of quarantine measures is fueling speculation that employment could once again be affected .
Yet while some migrant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ others remain just as desperate to get to Russia .
With the average salary in Russia five times that of Tajikistan , the need to find work in the neighboring country is still urgent .
So last week , when flights resumed between the capital of Dushanbe and Minsk , dozens lined up to buy tickets .
From Belarus they hope to cross to Russia via the countries ’ land border , although they haven ’ t yet received permission to re-enter .
“ I don ’ t know if I ’ ll @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” one Dushanbe resident hoping to get to Russia told Radio Free Europe ’ s local website .
“ The price of the ticket doesn ’ t matter .
If I have to , I ’ ll ask for a loan from friends .
”

KULLAR, DAGESTAN — Along the Caucasus Highway in Russia’s southern republic of Dagestan, about 30 kilometers from the border with Azerbaijan, hundreds of Azerbaijani migrants are sleeping in tents for weeks at a time as they try to return home. Although Azerbaijan’s land border with Russia is officially closed, the country allows between 400 and 500 of its citizens to cross every Tuesday. While up to 360 people are allowed to stay in a tent camp near the village of Kullar supported by Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry, over 1,000 others are sleeping wherever they can around the village, some without a roof over their heads, according to rights groups. “Next week I’ll be completely out of money,” Yusif Kurinov, 32, a seasonal construction worker who travels to Dagestan’s largest city of Makhachkala each year, told The Moscow Times at the Kullar camp. “That’s why I decided it’s time to go back.” Hundreds of thousands of migrant workers travel to Russia every year from neighboring former Soviet republics in search of better wages. According to Federal Security Service (FSB) figures, 2.4 million labor migrants came to Russia in the first half of last year alone. But this year, Russia’s coronavirus lockdown, which lasted from mid-March until early June, hit migrant workers particularly hard. According to a poll conducted by the Moscow-based Group for Migration and Ethnicity Research, 75% of migrants lost their incomes — whether through layoff or forced unpaid leave — compared to 48% of Russian workers during that period.
“Next week I’ll be completely out of money,” a seasonal construction worker said. “That’s why I decided it’s time to go back.” Evan Gershkovich / MT
And so migrant workers have flocked to places where they believe they will be able to cross by land — despite those borders still being closed. Most of them are Uzbeks and Kyrgyz who acted on rumors they could return home through Kazakhstan. Up to 4,500 Uzbeks are living in a makeshift tent city in the southern city of Kinel in the Saratov region. Local officials have set up tents for 1,000 people, while local volunteers and Moscow’s Uzbek diaspora are supporting the rest. Hundreds more have also gathered in the southern region of Rostov. While thousands received permission to leave the camps and head home through Kazakhstan earlier this month, 100-150 people continue to arrive at the camp in Kinel each day, according to the Novaya Gazeta newspaper, despite efforts to stem the flow. “We have repeatedly warned compatriots in Russia through official channels about fake messages spreading in social networks and messengers about the opening of the Russian-Kazakh state border,” Shakriyor Turgunboyev, spokesperson for the Uzbek Embassy in Russia, told The Moscow Times. Still, rights groups say the migrants’ home countries should be doing more to repatriate them. “Azerbaijan is not doing enough,” Afik Allakhverdiyev of the Moscow-based Autonomous Ethnic-Cultural Organization of Azerbaijanis, said of the trickle of returnees via Dagestan. “A month from now this situation is going to get a lot worse.”
MT
The Embassy of Azerbaijan in Russia did not respond to a request for comment for this article. Allakhverdiyev said that with the arrival of fall, some seasonal jobs will come to an end. By his count, there are already 3,000 Azerbaijanis trying to get home, while more and more people are arriving at the Kullar camp each week, he said. Even in normal times migrants mostly rely on their embassies, rights groups and volunteers from their diaspora for support. But as colder weather sets in, Allakhverdiyev believes it will be harder to take care of new arrivals. “Temperatures will fall below zero and it will be impossible to get all these people warm clothes and blankets, or places to stay other than the camp,” he said, adding that volunteers around the nearby city of Derbent have already taken in as many people as they can. Conditions are even worse in Kinel. New arrivals who can’t afford to buy tents build them from sticks and tarpaulins, according to Human Rights Watch. The international rights group also reported that living conditions are cramped, there are too few latrines and the camp lacks medical care. “The conditions are absolutely inhumane,” Valentina Chupik, a Moscow-based human rights lawyer who operates a hotline for migrants, told The Moscow Times after visiting the camp.
With the camps overflowing, some resort to making tents out of tarpaulins. Evan Gershkovich / MT
She believes embassies should be organizing charter flights and trains home from big cities before people are forced to go to border camps. In Uzbekistan’s case, however, the resumption of commercial flights earlier this month put an end to the embassy charters, Turgunboyev of the Uzbek Embassy said, though he noted that Uzbek authorities have repatriated 65,047 citizens since the beginning of the pandemic. Chupik believes the state of affairs could fuel misinformation surrounding land border crossings. She noted that some in the migrants’ diasporas have preyed on the workers’ poverty by telling them they can cross by land cheaply before selling them bus tickets to destinations with no way through. That’s how nearly 2,000 Kyrgyz ended up in the Republic of Bashkortostan in mid-September. “It’s our own fault: We believed some people over the phone,” one migrant told a local news outlet last week. “We wanted to save money because plane tickets are very expensive, but it turns out that we’ve already spent the same amount on food and a hotel room so we have a place to shower.”
Rights groups worry that cramped living situations and a lack of medical care could exacerbate the spread of the coronavirus. Evan Gershkovich / MT
Misinformation and uncertainty over the future as the pandemic continues to keep the world in its grip is fueling the situation. Since Russia’s economy reopened in late spring, work had mostly returned to normal levels for migrant workers, Evgeni Varshaver, head of the Group for Migration and Ethnicity Research, said. But as signs grow that a second coronavirus wave is threatening Russia, uncertainty over the reintroduction of quarantine measures is fueling speculation that employment could once again be affected. Yet while some migrant workers are desperate to get home, others remain just as desperate to get to Russia. With the average salary in Russia five times that of Tajikistan, the need to find work in the neighboring country is still urgent. So last week, when flights resumed between the capital of Dushanbe and Minsk, dozens lined up to buy tickets. From Belarus they hope to cross to Russia via the countries’ land border, although they haven’t yet received permission to re-enter. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to get a ticket,” one Dushanbe resident hoping to get to Russia told Radio Free Europe’s local website. “The price of the ticket doesn’t matter. If I have to, I’ll ask for a loan from friends.”


themoscowtimes--2020-09-28--Germany’s Merkel Visited Navalny in Hospital During Novichok Recovery

Merkel ’ s visit before Navalny was discharged from Berlin ’ s Charité clinic last week serves as a signal to the Kremlin that Berlin will “ not give in and will find out the truth , ” Der Spiegel wrote .
It follows French reports that said President Emmanuel Macron was “ furious ” with Russian President Vladimir Putin ’ s alleged claim that Navalny may have poisoned himself .
German Chancellor Angela Merkel paid a secret visit to prominent Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny while he was hospitalized in Berlin following his poisoning by Novichok , the German news @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The secret visit to Navalny is a further sign of how much the Chancellor is committed to Navalny and will not be ready to let the case rest for the time being , ” Der Spiegel wrote .
The outlet did not indicate when Merkel visited Navalny or how it obtained information of her visit .
Navalny later confirmed that Merkel visited him in the hospital and spoke to his family , adding that “ it should not be called ‘ secret ’ , ” but “ a private meeting and conversation.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on a flight in Siberia on Aug. 20 and was airlifted to Berlin in a coma two days later .
He is currently undergoing rehab in what his aides call a faster than expected recovery .
Germany says its lab findings backed by French and Swedish scientists “ unequivocally ” show that he was poisoned by a nerve agent from the Soviet-era Novichok family .
The results of the international chemical weapons watchdog OPCW ’ s investigation are expected this week , according to Der Spiegel .
“ For the German government , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ neurotoxin is a clear indication that Russian state agencies are behind the murder plot , ” Der Spiegel wrote .
Russia denies that Navalny was poisoned , with officials claiming in the past week that Russia has never manufactured Novichok and that Germany may have “ staged ” his poisoning .
According to a Sept. 23 Business Insider report on Macron ’ s phone talks with Putin this month , the “ disastrous ” exchange may have “ helped unite Europe against him .
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Merkel’s visit before Navalny was discharged from Berlin’s Charité clinic last week serves as a signal to the Kremlin that Berlin will “not give in and will find out the truth,” Der Spiegel wrote. It follows French reports that said President Emmanuel Macron was “ furious ” with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s alleged claim that Navalny may have poisoned himself.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel paid a secret visit to prominent Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny while he was hospitalized in Berlin following his poisoning by Novichok, the German news magazine Der Spiegel reported Sunday.
“The secret visit to Navalny is a further sign of how much the Chancellor is committed to Navalny and will not be ready to let the case rest for the time being,” Der Spiegel wrote.
The outlet did not indicate when Merkel visited Navalny or how it obtained information of her visit.
Navalny later confirmed that Merkel visited him in the hospital and spoke to his family, adding that “it should not be called ‘secret’,” but “a private meeting and conversation.”
The Russian opposition leader fell violently ill on a flight in Siberia on Aug. 20 and was airlifted to Berlin in a coma two days later. He is currently undergoing rehab in what his aides call a faster than expected recovery.
Germany says its lab findings backed by French and Swedish scientists “unequivocally” show that he was poisoned by a nerve agent from the Soviet-era Novichok family. The results of the international chemical weapons watchdog OPCW’s investigation are expected this week, according to Der Spiegel.
“For the German government, the mere use of the globally outlawed neurotoxin is a clear indication that Russian state agencies are behind the murder plot,” Der Spiegel wrote.
Russia denies that Navalny was poisoned, with officials claiming in the past week that Russia has never manufactured Novichok and that Germany may have “staged” his poisoning.
According to a Sept. 23 Business Insider report on Macron’s phone talks with Putin this month, the “disastrous” exchange may have “helped unite Europe against him.”