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- By RFE/RL
EU To Give Ukraine 500 Million Euros More In Military Aid, Borrell Says
The European Union's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, says the bloc will provide an extra 500 million euros worth of military aid to Ukraine.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a meeting of foreign ministers from the Group of Seven leading industrialized nations (G7) in northern Germany on May 13, Borrell said the military support would be for heavy weapons such as tanks and artillery and take EU aid for Ukraine to about 2 billion euros.
"A new impetus for military support. (It will be) more pressure on Russia with economic sanctions and continuing the international isolation of Russia and countering misinformation," he said.
He also said he was confident that an agreement could be reached in the coming days on an embargo on Russian oil.
"I am sure we will have an agreement. We need it and we will have it. We have to get rid of the oil dependency from Russia," he said.
"If there is no agreement at the level of ambassadors, then on Monday [May 16] the ministers when they gather they have to provide the political impetus."
British Foreign Minister Liz Truss called for more weaponry to be delivered to Ukraine.
"It's very important at this time that we keep up the pressure on [Russian President] Vladimir Putin by supplying more weapons to Ukraine, by increasing the sanctions," Truss said on the sidelines of the meeting.
"G7 unity has been vital during this crisis to protect freedom and democracy and we'll continue to work together to do just that," Truss said.
With reporting by Reuters and dpa
More News
- By AFP
Pakistani Man Who Allegedly Filmed Sister's 'Honor' Killing Arrested
A Pakistani man who allegedly filmed his brother strangling their sister to death has been arrested as part of the latest "honor" killing that has outraged the country, police said on March 31. Maria Bibi, 22, was killed on March 17, allegedly by her brother Muhammad Faisal and in the presence of her father, Abdul Sattar, in Punjab Province. A video filmed by the woman's other brother, Shehbaz, appears to show Faisal strangling her on a bed in the family home while their father sat nearby. Much of Pakistani society operates under a strict "code of honor," with women beholden to male relatives over choices around education, employment, and marriage.
- By Current Time
Russia Launches 'Counterterrorism Operation' In Daghestan; 3 Detained
Three people have been detained after Russia launched what it described as a “counterterrorism operation” in the southern region of Daghestan, Russian state news agencies reported, quoting the National Anti-Terrorism Committee (NAC).
Russian law enforcement has carried out sweeping checks of immigrants in the country after gunmen on March 22 killed 144 people at a concert hall near Moscow. Four of the suspected gunmen are Tajik citizens.
"Security agencies detained three bandits who were planning a number of terrorist offenses. During the inspection of the places where the criminals were detained, automatic weapons, ammunition, and an improvised explosive device ready for use were found," the NAC said in a statement on March 31.
The committee said the suspects had been apprehended after what it described as special forces of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) had cordoned off several apartments in residential areas of Makhachkala, the regional capital, and Kaspiysk, one of the republic’s biggest cities.
The committee said there were no casualties and that the operation was continuing. No further details were released.
The reported raid comes as Russia rounds up hundreds of foreigners for deportation amid rising xenophobia following the deadly attack at Crocus City Hall on March 22.
Courts in St. Petersburg this week ruled to deport 418 foreign citizens while another 48 must leave on their own accord, spokeswoman Daria Lebedeva said in a post on Telegram.
The foreigners were rounded up in Russia’s second-largest city during broad searches of vehicles along major thoroughfares.
Other cities are carrying out checks of migrant workers as well.
Russia hosts millions of migrant workers from Central Asia who are employed in a variety of occupations, including construction, street cleaning, retail, and the restaurant industry.
The terrorist attack has sparked an increase in xenophobic remarks and attacks, prompting some to return home now.
Shakhnoza Nodiri, deputy head of Tajikistan's Ministry of Labor, Migration, and Employment, said on March 30 that the ministry has received “a lot of calls” from people who “want to leave.”
However, their departure could worsen Russia’s already tight labor market, experts say.
Russia’s unemployment rate is at a post-Soviet record low of 2.9 percent as the Kremlin recruits hundreds of thousands of men for its war in Ukraine.
The tight labor market is driving inflation higher, threatening economic stability, experts say.
- By RFE/RL
Zelenskiy Vows Ukraine Will 'Endure' Amid Relentless Russian Missiles, Drones
Ukraine suffered another night of Russian bombardment, with drones and missiles targeting civilian sites, including energy infrastructure, at several sites across the country, Kyiv’s military said, as a defiant Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy vowed his country will "endure" despite the ongoing Russian onslaught.
Russia has recently increased its attacks on Ukrainian energy installations, with significant damage reported, sparking fears in Ukraine of a repeat of the power outages they experienced in the winter of 2022-23 when Russia targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, causing frequent blackouts.
Ukraine's largest private energy firm, DTEK, said on March 30 that five of its six plants had been damaged or destroyed, with 80 percent of its generating capacity lost, and that repairs could take up to 18 months.
“Now there is no night or day when Russian terror does not try to break our lives. Last night, they again fired missiles and Shahed drones against people. But we defend ourselves, we endure, our spirit does not give up and knows that it is possible to avert death. Life can prevail,” Zelenskiy wrote in a social media post published on March 31 to coincide with the Easter holiday.
Earlier, the Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russia had launched a total of 16 missiles and 11 drones at Ukraine in the overnight attack. It said the air force had managed to destroy nine of the drones and nine of the missiles.
One person was reported killed in a Russian overnight strike on energy infrastructure in the Lviv region, in western Ukraine, local officials said.
A 19-year-old man was killed in the Kharkiv region, the local governor said, after a projectile hit a gas station.
The latest strikes damaged energy infrastructure in the Odesa region and an agricultural facility in the Kherson region as well. Eight Shahed drones were shot down in the Odesa region by Ukrainian air-defense units, authorities said, with debris from falling drones triggering a fire at a local power plant.
Blackouts were reported in the region. The fire was extinguished, and no injuries were reported, the military said.
In the Kherson region, the Ukrainian military said a dormant agricultural facility was struck in a Russian aerial assault. No injuries were reported.
The latest Russian attack comes as news emerged on March 31 that Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree on routine spring conscription, calling up 150,000 citizens for military service.
WATCH: In the early days of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian forces took the city of Bucha, near Kyiv, and killed hundreds of civilians, according to Ukrainian officials. The troops then withdrew on March 31, 2022. Residents of Bucha are still working to identify all the victims while also pushing for the atrocities committed there to be acknowledged internationally as war crimes.
In July, Russia's lower house of parliament voted to raise the maximum age at which men can be conscripted to 30 from 27. The new legislation came into effect on January 1.
Compulsory military service has long been a sensitive issue in Russia, where many men go to great lengths to avoid being handed conscription papers during the twice-yearly call-up periods.
Conscripts cannot legally be deployed to fight outside Russia and were exempted from a limited mobilization in 2022 that gathered at least 300,000 men with previous military training to fight in Ukraine -- although some conscripts were sent to the front in error.
In September, Putin signed an order calling up 130,000 people for the autumn campaign and last spring Russia planned to conscript 147,000.
Meanwhile, France will deliver hundreds of old armored vehicles and new surface-to-air missiles to Ukraine, French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu said on March 31.
In an interview with La Tribune Dimanche, Lecornu said that President Emmanuel Macron, following talks with Zelenskiy, had asked him to prepare a new aid package, which will include old but still functional French equipment.
With reporting by Reuters
Bulgaria, Romania Hail Schengen Zone Entry, Eye Full Accession
SOFIA/BUCHAREST -- Romania and Bulgaria have formally joined -- at least partially -- Europe’s visa-free Schengen travel zone as of March 31, a move widely hailed in both countries as well as the EU after years of painful negotiations.
Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov on March 31 described the event as a “big victory” for his nation of 6.6 million people.
"Bulgaria is at a historic moment, joining the Schengen Area, and this is not just a political cliché," said Denkov, who submitted his resignation this month but remains in office until a new government is formed.
"After 2007 and Bulgaria's accession to the EU, this is the biggest success of Bulgarian diplomacy, Bulgarian institutions, and Bulgarian politicians," he said.
Deputy Prime Minister Maria Gabriel also called the day a "historic moment."
"Bulgaria is becoming a community of millions of people traveling freely, with benefits for business, tourism, and culture. Let's all move forward together to the ultimate goal of abolishing checks at land borders," she said.
Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said it is a “well-deserved achievement” for his country of 19 million people.
“We have a clear and firmly assumed government plan for full accession to the Schengen Area by the end of the year,” he stated.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement on March 30 that “this is a great success for both countries. And a historic moment for the Schengen Area -- the largest area of free movement in the world.”
“Together, we are building a stronger, more united Europe for all our citizen,” she added.
As of midnight, there is now free movement for those arriving and departing on flights and by boat to both countries, but not by road. That’s because Austria objected, arguing opening land routes to both Romania and Bulgaria could make it easier for migrants to enter other EU states.
Denkov said a "suitable political moment" was being sought to determine when to drop checks at land borders.
"Maybe after the elections in Austria [in the autumn] or for the European Parliament [June 9]," he said.
Both Bulgaria and Romania, which started negotiations to enter Schengen back in 2011, are hoping land borders will be opened by the end of 2024.
Created in 1985, the Schengen Area allows more than 400 million people to travel freely without internal border controls. It now includes 29 European countries -- 25 EU member states plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.
Romania and Bulgaria are the only EU member states not to have full Schengen benefits.
Croatia -- which joined the bloc in 2013, six years after Romania and Bulgaria entered in 2007 -- was accepted fully in the Schengen zone in January 2023.
Romania has said that it will carry out random checks to guard against false travel documents and to combat human trafficking.
For Romania, the change will impact work at its 17 commercial airports, which in 2023 handled nearly 25 million passengers, RFE/RL’s Romanian Service reports. More than 70 percent of all flights are to other Schengen nations, airport representatives told RFE/RL.
The country's Otopeni airport near the capital, Bucharest, serves as the biggest hub for Schengen flights.
While the move has been welcomed in both countries, the remaining border checks on roadways has angered others, namely truck drivers, who face long waits at borders with their EU neighbors.
Earlier this month, one of Romania's main road transport unions, the National Union of Road Transporters from Romania (UNTRR), called for "urgent measures" to get full Schengen integration, deploring the huge financial losses caused by the long waits.
"Romanian haulers have lost billions of euros every year, just because of long waiting times at borders," UNTRR Secretary-General Radu Dinescu said.
According to the union, truckers usually wait eight to 16 hours at the border with Hungary and from 20 to 30 hours at the Bulgarian border, with peaks of three days.
Bulgarian businesses have also voiced anger over what they deem as slow progress.
"Only 3 percent of Bulgarian goods are transported by air and sea, the remaining 97 percent by land," said Vasil Velev, president of the Bulgarian Industrial Capital Association (BICA), in comments quoted by the AFP news agency.
With reporting by AP and AFP
Serbian President Taps Defense Minister To Form New Government
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has tapped Defense Minister Milos Vucevic to form a new government following contested parliamentary elections last December. Vucevic, the leader of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), has been simultaneously serving as defense minister and deputy prime minister since October 2022. The SNS and its coalition partners won 129 seats out of 250 in the December elections, narrowly securing a majority. The opposition accused the SNS of widespread voter fraud and organized large-scale protests. Serbian authorities rejected the allegations and calls to annul the results. The new parliament began functioning on February 6 and must approve a new government within 90 days. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Balkan Service, click here.
- By RFE/RL
Russia Accelerates Deportations As Many Tajik Migrants Leave On Own Accord
Russia is deporting hundreds of foreigners for immigration violations in the wake of the deadliest terrorist attack in nearly two decades.
Meanwhile, many Tajik migrant workers are leaving the country on their own accord, fearing an increase in xenophobia.
Russian law enforcement has carried out sweeping checks of immigrants in the country after gunmen on March 22 killed 144 people at a concert hall near Moscow. Four of the suspected gunmen are Tajik citizens.
Courts in St. Petersburg this week ruled to deport 418 foreign citizens while another 48 must leave on their own accord, spokeswoman Daria Lebedeva said in a post on Telegram.
The foreigners were rounded up in Russia’s second-largest city during broad searches of vehicles along major thoroughfares.
Other cities are carrying out checks of migrant workers as well.
Russia hosts millions of migrant workers from Central Asia who are employed in a variety of occupations, including construction, street cleaning, retail, and the restaurant industry.
The terrorist attack has sparked an increase in xenophobic remarks and attacks, prompting some to return home now.
Shakhnoza Nodiri, deputy head of Tajikistan's Ministry of Labour, Migration, and Employment, said on March 30 that the ministry has received “a lot of calls” from people who “want to leave.”
However, their departure could worsen Russia’s already tight labor market, experts say.
Russia’s unemployment rate is at a post-Soviet record low of 2.9 percent as the Kremlin recruits hundreds of thousands of men for its war in Ukraine.
The tight labor market is driving inflation higher, threatening economic stability, experts say.
Russia Adds Two Managers Of LGBT Nightclub To 'Terrorist' List
Russia has added the art director and administrator of an Orenburg nightclub to its list of terrorists and extremists amid accusations the venue promoted so-called "nontraditional sexual relationships." Diana Kamilianova and Aleksandr Klimov were arrested earlier this month for allegedly creating a branch of an “extremist” organization. Russia late last year outlawed what it called the “international LGBT movement,” claiming it was an “extremist” organization. Members of the gay community said the ruling would give the authorities the power to go after any organization or business that supports the LGBT community. Since the ruling, many gay clubs around the country have shut down or changed their format amid police pressure. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here.
- By dpa
Iranian Judiciary Rejects Allegations Over Death Of Young Woman
Iranian justice authorities have rejected a report that a 20-year-old woman had been questioned by the intelligence services a day before she died at home. The circumstances surrounding the death of Sara Tabrizi were under investigation, the Mizan news agency -- which is run by the country's judiciary -- reported on March 30. It said that her father had found her lifeless body at home. Tabrizi's death is reported to have occurred roughly a week ago in Shahriar, west of Tehran. Political activists have accused the judicial authorities of applying pressure on Tabrizi over recent months.
2 Soldiers Killed In Attack In Pakistan's Balochistan Province
Two soldiers were killed and four injured in an attack in Pakistan’s tumultuous southwestern province of Balochistan on March 31, officials told RFERL’s Radio Mashaal.
Balochistan has seen an uptick in violence since the beginning of 2024 with more than a dozen attacks killing about 50 people. Scores more have been injured.
On March 20, one person was killed and 14 others injured in a bombing in Balochistan.
Javed Domki, the district administrator, said an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated alongside vehicles carrying oil and gas workers as well as members of the military.
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), which has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States, claimed responsibility for the attack.
The BLA, which was formed in 2000, is seeking to create an independent Balochistan state and regularly carries out attacks against government forces in the region.
The March 30 attack targeted members of Pakistan’s Mari Petroleum Company. The BLA believes that Pakistan’s central government is exploiting the province’s mineral resources.
Balochistan, the largest province of Pakistan, is rich in natural resources like gold, copper, oil, and natural gas. However, it is also the country’s poorest, feeding resentment among the Baloch people who inhabit the region.
- By AP
Ambassadors Lay Flowers At Site Of Moscow Concert Hall Massacre
Foreign diplomats in Russia laid flowers on March 30 at the site of last week’s attack on a suburban Moscow concert hall that killed 144 people. Those in attendance included ambassadors from the United States, EU countries, Africa, and Latin America. Russian state news agency RIA Novosti noted that the attendees included representatives of “unfriendly states.” Russian state news agency TASS reported that the number of people wounded in the attack was 551, quoting figures from the Moscow regional department of the Emergency Situations Ministry. Previous figures have been much lower and it did not explain the discrepancy.
Death Toll Rises To 10 As Torrential Rains, Landslides Strike Pakistan's Northwest
The death toll has risen to 10 people, with a least 12 others injured, over the past 48 hours as heavy rains and landslides have wreaked havoc in Pakistan’s northwestern Kyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, officials said on March 31. Khateer Ahmed, head of the regional rescue service, earlier told RFE/RL that four children under the age of 10 were among the dead. The incidents took place in Peshawar, Nowshera, Shangla, Bannu, and Bajaur districts. Crops and houses were reported to be heavily damaged in several areas across the province. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal, click here.
Zelenskiy Dismisses More Advisers In Reshuffle As Russian Attacks Intensify
KYIV -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy dismissed a top aide and several advisers in an ongoing reshuffle on March 30 as Russia launched new drone and missile attacks that killed at least two people.
Zelenskiy dismissed Serhiy Shefir from his post of first assistant to the president and also let go three advisers and two presidential representatives overseeing volunteer activities and soldiers’ rights.
Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine
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It follows the dismissal of Oleksiy Danilov, the secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, on March 26. Zelenskiy appointed Oleksandr Lytvynenko, the chief of the foreign intelligence service, to head the council.
In February, Zelenskiy replaced the head of the armed forces, Valeriy Zaluzhniy, amid a dispute over mobilization. Shefir is a longtime acquaintance of Zelenskiy and a co-founder of their production company, Kvartal-95.
No reason was given immediately for the March 30 shake-up that comes hours after the Ukrainian Air Force said Russian forces fired four missiles into eastern Ukraine overnight, as well as 12 Shahed drones across the country.
It said nine of the drones were shot down by Ukraine in the Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, Odesa, and Poltava regions. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
Two people were killed in Russian shelling in the eastern town of Krasnohorivka, which lies directly on the front line in Donetsk Province, regional Governor Vadym Filashkin said.
“The town was under enemy fire during the night and morning,” Filashkin wrote on social media on March 30 and urged civilians living there to evacuate.
Russia has launched an air-strike campaign focusing on Ukraine's energy sector over the past week, firing 190 rockets, 140 Shahed drones, and 700 anti-aircraft missiles in what Zelenskiy earlier described as a “dramatic increase in Russia’s air terror.”
Ukrainian energy company Centrenerho said on March 30 that the Zmiyiv Thermal Power Plant, one of the largest thermal power plants in the Kharkiv region, was completely destroyed by Russian shelling last week, leaving tens of thousands of people without electricity.
Ukraine's largest private power firm, DTEK, lost about 50 percent of its capacity after being hit by Russian attacks, Ukrainian power distributor Yasno said this week.
Officials in Poltava said on March 30 that there had been “several hits” to an infrastructure facility in the central region, but did not say whether it was an energy facility.
Russian forces are also “actively trying” to advance on the front lines, with 72 combat clashes taking place in the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk provinces over the past day, the Ukrainian military said in its daily bulletin on the morning of March 30.
Ukrainian forces repelled at least 40 Russian assaults near the cities of Avdiyivka, Bakhmut, and Lyman in the Donetsk region and Bilohorivka in the Luhansk region, according to the bulletin.
“Ukrainian defenders pushed back 16 attacks in Lyman…and Bilohorivka, where the enemy -- with the support of aviation -- tried to break through the defenses of our troops," the military said.
Ukraine has been forced onto a defensive footing on the front lines in the past few months, as Kyiv struggles with ammunition shortages amid delays to a $60 billion aid package from the United States.
Russia has significantly ramped up air and ground strikes since the beginning of the year, taking advantage of Ukraine’s dwindling weapons stockpiles amid a hold-up of critical U.S. military aid. Congress has been unable to pass an additional $60 billion in Ukraine aid since October due to partisan disagreements over aspects of the bill that deal with protecting the U.S. southern border from migrants.
In an interview with The Washington Post published on March 29, Zelenskiy warned that Ukrainian forces will have to retreat “step by step, in small steps,” if Kyiv doesn’t receive the U.S. military aid that has been blocked by political disputes in Congress.
"If there is no U.S. support, it means that we have no air defense, no Patriot missiles, no jammers for electronic warfare, no 155-milimeter artillery rounds," Zelenskiy said, adding that his country is “trying to find some way not to retreat."
With reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP
British Police Investigate Stabbing Of Iran International TV Host
A television host for the London-based Iran International news network has been stabbed outside his home in the city in an attack that British police said was being investigated by specialist counterterrorism officers.
Pouria Zeraati, 36, was attacked on March 29 in Wimbledon, southwest London, by a group of men who fled the scene in a car, said Iran International, which is critical of Iran’s government.
Zeraati is being treated at a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. In a photograph posted on his Twitter account following the attack, Zeraati is pictured in his hospital bed smiling and flashing the ‘peace’ sign.
No arrests have yet been made. Police said it was not immediately clear why Zeraati was attacked, adding that they were “keeping an open mind as to any motivation” behind the assault.
London police said its Counter Terrorism Command had been assigned to the case because there had been a number of threats directed towards the network’s journalists “in recent times.”
In November 2022, two British-Iranian journalists working for Iran International were warned by British police of "credible" threats to their lives from Iranian security forces.
The channel had been reporting extensively on the nationwide anti-government protests that erupted in September of that year following the death of a young woman in police custody. Tehran accused the network of inciting the rioters.
Three months later, in February 2023, the network was forced to temporarily move its operations to Washington amid rising threats to its employees.
Iranian Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib said at the time that Iran International had been identified by Tehran as a "terrorist" organization.
Hannah Neumann, a member of the European Parliament, blamed the Iranian government for the attack on Zeraati.
“The long arms of the brutal Iranian regime. We all need to urgently do our homework to protect those who seek refuge here from transnational threats and violence,” she wrote on X.
The Iranian embassy in London immediately denied any involvement in the incident but dismissed Zeraati as a “so-called journalist.”
Zeraati hosted his own program called Last Word and has interviewed many influential politicians, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel is a sworn enemy of Iran.
Karim Sajadpour, an analyst at the Washington-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, called the attack a “wake-up call” for the United States and Europe.
“Iran is actively trying to kill reporters and activists in the West and nearly succeeded in the middle of London,” he said in a March 30 tweet.
In 2021, U.S. prosecutors charged four Iranians with the attempted abduction of an Iranian-American journalist and activist living in Brooklyn.
The journalist had been critical of Tehran. The Iranian government was behind that plot, the United States said.
Vucic Says Serbia's Response To Kosovo Joining Council Of Europe Will Be Strong
Serbia's reaction to the possible admission of Kosovo to the Council of Europe will be strong and responsible, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said in an address on March 29.
Vucic declined to say exactly what Serbia's reaction will be but said Belgrade remains willing to negotiate.
"We will continue to talk. I am ready to listen to the opinion of the Assembly and the government. We will prepare and wait," said Vucic.
Vucic on March 28 rejected assessments that Serbia is abandoning its European path after announcing a possible exit from the Council of Europe if that organization accepts Kosovo, a former province of Serbia whose independence Belgrade does not recognize.
In his speech, he assessed that a European initiative to bring Kosovo into the Council of Europe comes without conditions for Pristina, he said.
"Even though the European sanctions against Kosovo are formally in force due to non-implementation of the [Brussels] Agreement, in the past year Pristina has participated in all Western international forums," said Vucic.
Vucic was referring to a 2013 deal struck by the country in Brussels to normalize relations some five years after Kosovo declared independence from Serbia, especially a commitment to establish an association of Serb municipalities to represent the majority-Serb communities.
Vucic announced on March 22 that Serbia will leave the Council of Europe after more than 20 years of membership if Kosovo is admitted.
His idea was supported by former Prime Minister Ana Brnabic, who is now the speaker of the parliament.
"Admission of Kosovo to the Council of Europe would violate the statute of that institution and jeopardize its role in the protection of human rights and the rule of law," said Ana Brnabic.
The Council of Europe, an independent European organization, was founded in London in 1949 and deals with the protection of human rights, democracy, and the rule of law.
There are 46 member countries, including the 27 states of the European Union. The members are signatories to the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights.
- By AFP
Russia's FSB Says 3 People From Central Asian Country Arrested After Attack Foiled
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said on March 29 that it had arrested three people from "a Central Asian country" who were plotting an attack in the south of the country. A statement quoted by Russian news agencies said the FSB had "put an end to the terrorist activities” of three people who were planning to blow up a device in a public place in the Stavropol region. Russian television showed images of several men pinned to the ground by FSB agents. RIA Novosti said materials for a bomb had been found in the home of one of the suspects.
- By RFE/RL
U.S. Ambassador Issues Rare Statement On Warning Before Russia's Crocus Massacre
The U.S. ambassador to Russia on March 29 issued an unusual diplomatic statement refuting Russian government claims about information that the United States shared with Russia ahead of the terrorist attack last week on a concert hall outside Moscow that killed more than 140 people.
Ambassador Lynne Tracy said several Russian officials had “misrepresented and publicly dismissed” the usefulness of information passed on to Russian security services earlier this month related to threats from the Islamic State, which claimed responsibility for the attack soon after it was over.
In the statement, Tracy reiterated that the information shared with Russian authorities was in writing and was specific, timely, and credible.
She said United States sent the information out of a “longstanding ‘duty to warn’ policy” that enables the sharing of information when there is a threat to innocent civilians. This is a practice that the United States follows not just with allies but also “with countries with whom we may have deep disagreements, including Russia,” she said.
The United States will continue to share such information and will also “continue to respond” to Russian government requests for assistance related to the investigation of the Crocus City Hall terrorist attack, she added.
The State Department later on March 29 emphasized that Washington had “shared clear and timely information with Russian authorities to help prevent the attack and save innocent lives.” Spokesman Matthew Miller said Russia's attempts to shift the blame to others are “absurd.”
Aleksandr Bortnikov, head of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), on March 26 reiterated President Vladimir Putin’s claim that not only Ukraine but the West had a role in the deadly attack.
Without offering any evidence, Bortnikov alleged that Western spy agencies also could have been involved in the attack even as he acknowledged receiving the information from the United States early in March about a potential terrorist attack.
Islamic State has said several times that it was responsible for the attack, and the United States and other Western governments have said it was "abundantly clear” that Islamic State was solely responsible.
Tracy said the attack was “cruel and barbaric” and has resulted in a difficult and painful time for Russia.
“Our hearts go out to those who are grieving from this senseless tragedy,” she said, adding that the United States “categorically condemns terrorism in all its forms.”
Zelenskiy Appoints Danilov To Be Ukraine's Ambassador To Moldova
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on March 29 appointed former secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksiy Danilov to serve as Ukraine’s ambassador to Moldova. Zelenskiy said Danilov, whom he dismissed from the National Security and Defense Council on March 26, “will continue his work in the diplomatic direction.” Moldova is "an extremely important state” for Ukraine “both from the point of view of security challenges in the region and from the point of view of bilateral cooperation,” he said. Zelenskiy earlier on March 29 dismissed Mark Shevchenko from the post of ambassador to Moldova. To read the original story on RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service, click here.
Serbian University Blockaded For Second Day By Group Demanding Dismissal Of Professor
A protest to demand the dismissal of a professor at a university in Serbia entered its second day on March 29 as other faculty members and students of the school held a rally to demand an end to the blockade.
A group believed to be mostly young men has blocked the entrance to the Faculty of Philosophy in Novi Sad, barricading its doors, which are plastered with Serbian flags and statements attributed Professor Dinko Gruhonjic, whose dismissal the group is demanding.
Gruhonjic, who is also a journalist, has recently been targeted by both right-wing groups and representatives of the ruling coalition in Serbia.
The protesters accuse Gruhonjic of committing “hate speech” by glorifying the commander of the Jasenovac camp in a video that has been circulating on social networks for weeks. The school says the video has been edited and is false.
During World War II, tens of thousands of Serbs, Jews, Roma, and anti-fascist Croats were killed at Jasenovac camp -- known as Croatia's Auschwitz. The camp was run by Croatia's Nazi-allied Ustase regime.
The number of protesters inside the Faculty of Philosophy is unknown. A statement issued on March 28 by the group said they planned to continue the barricade until the faculty makes an announcement.
Student vice rector Damjan Vakanjac said in the statement that if the faculty had not been "deaf to our demands," the protest would not have taken place.
Vakanjac and Student Parliament President Ivana Macak called for the blockade after the group sent an ultimatum demanding Gruhonjic resign.
The protesters initially gathered on March 28 in front of the Faculty of Philosophy and then entered the building about 30 minutes later, locking the entrance with chains and a padlock and blocking the door with chairs. Police entered the building but left without commenting to the media about the situation or taking any concrete actions.
Gruhonjic joined a group of about 100 professors and students at the March 29 rally in front of the school to call for an end to the blockade.
Gruhonjic told RFE/RL he is focused on protecting himself and his family because of "constant death threats” over the past 20 days.
"If this continues, we will probably have to move out of the country at some point because we are being threatened with murder," he said, speaking in front of the faculty building.
The Public Prosecutor's Office in Novi Sad told RFE/RL that it is conducting a preliminary investigation regarding threats against Gruhonjic.
The dean of the Faculty of Philosophy in Novi Sad, Ivana Zivancevic Sekerus, said the blockade had
denied professors the right to work and the students the right to study.
"This is no longer the matter of one professor, this is the matter of all professors and students," said Zivancevic Sekerus, who took part in the rally.
Nevena Jevtic, an assistant professor at the Faculty of Philosophy in Novi Sad, said the school had been "left in the lurch" by all the institutions that the administration reached out to on March 28. But professors at the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade and the Faculty of Science and Mathematics in Novi Sad expressed support for their colleagues and asked for an immediate reaction from authorities.
With reporting by Mila Manojlovic
Moscow Court Charges Journalist Who Covered Navalny's Trials
A court in Moscow on March 29 formally charged Russian journalist Antonina Favorskaya with participating in an extremist organization in connection with alleged posts to websites and social media platforms tied to the foundation founded by late opposition politician Aleksei Navalny.
The reporter for SOTAvision media outlet was charged during a closed-door hearing at the Basmanny Court of Moscow. According to investigators, she collected materials, filmed and edited videos, and created publications for Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK).
Favorskaya covered Navalny’s court hearings for years and filmed the last video showing the Kremlin critic alive on February 15 at a court hearing that he took part in over video link from an Arctic prison. The next day, Navalny suddenly died in the prison.
Kira Yarmysh, spokeswoman for Navalny’s widow, Yulia Navalnaya, said on March 28 after Favorskaya was ordered held in pretrial detention that the journalist did not post videos on the website of the FBK, which was labeled an extremist organization in 2021.
“The media write that Antonina Favorskaya was accused of publishing 'posts on FBK platforms.' Favorskaya did not publish anything on FBK, but even if we discard the falsity of the accusation, its essence remains -- the journalist is accused of journalistic activity,” Yarmysh said on X, formerly Twitter.
Favorskaya was scheduled to be released from prison on March 27 after serving 10 days in jail on a charge of disobedience to police orders filed after she was detained on March 17 in a cafe after visiting Navalny’s grave.
Favorskaya is one of several Russian journalists targeted by authorities as part of a sweeping crackdown against dissent in Russia that is aimed at opposition figures, journalists, activists, and members of the LGBT community.
Favorskaya denies the new charges, which could result in a six-year prison sentence if she is convicted.
According to Mediazona, she managed to tell reporters on March 29 that she was being tried for an article about how the Federal Penitentiary Service tortured Navalny.
The journalist's home was also searched after her arrest, and at her March 29 court appearance, she said that four rubber ducks were confiscated. The seizure of the ducks, a symbol of anti-corruption protests in 2017, showed the “absurdity of this whole process,” she said.
- By RFE/RL
One Year Later, Family Of U.S. Reporter Imprisoned In Russia Still Seeks 'Certainty'
A year after the arrest of Evan Gershkovich in Russia, the Wall Street Journal reporter’s family pledged to continue to fight for release from a Moscow prison where he is being held on espionage charges the White House and his employer say are fabricated.
Gershkovich became the first U.S. journalist arrested on spying charges in Russia since the Cold War when he was detained on March 29, 2023, by the Federal Security Service (FSB), which said he had been trying to obtain military secrets.
The Wall Street Journal and the U.S. government have vehemently rejected the espionage charges, saying he was merely doing his job as an accredited reporter when he was arrested.
Gershkovich saw his detention extended to June 30 earlier this week by the Moscow City Court. The Kremlin said on March 29 it had no information on when the 32-year-old’s trial will begin. If found guilty, he faces up to 20 years in jail.
"We never anticipated this situation happening to our son and brother, let alone a full year with no certainty or clear path forward," his family said in a letter published by the Wall Street Journal on March 29 to mark the anniversary.
"But despite this long battle, we are still standing strong."
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement on March 29 that "to date, Russia has provided no evidence of wrongdoing for a simple reason: Evan did nothing wrong. Journalism is not a crime."
Born in the United States to Soviet emigres, Gershkovich reported from Russia for six years before being detained in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg.
Leon Panetta, former director of the CIA, said the United States must play a "tough game" with Russian President Vladimir Putin in order to get Gershkovich released.
"We have got to play a tough game with Putin to make sure he’s not going to get away with this kind of game." Panetta said on Fox News.
Gershkovich will ultimately be released through a prisoner swap, Panetta predicted, saying the United States could "develop some leverage" for such a deal by arresting Russian spies in the United States "so that [Putin] has a reason to come to the bargaining table."
State Department spokesman Vedant Patel, also speaking on Fox News, said the United States engages daily with the "highest levels of the Russian government" in its effort to win Gershkovich's release, but he said it was "important not to talk about the deliberations in public."
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has also stressed the importance of silence about any negotiations, but Wall Street Journal Associate Editor Paul Beckett, who is leading the newspaper’s efforts to free Gershkovich, said talks involving Gershkovich on any level keep his supporters “optimistic that something can be done.”
Russian authorities accuse Gershkovich of collecting state secrets about the military industrial complex at the behest of the U.S. government.
Wall Street Journal Associate Editor Paul Beckett, who is leading the newspaper’s efforts to free Gershkovich, told Current Time in an interview broadcast on March 29 that the reporter is “holding up OK under very difficult circumstances.”
“He's in his cell for 23 hours a day. He has an hour outside in the courtyard, which is about the same size as his cell. So we've just been very grateful that he's been able to maintain his equilibrium,” Beckett said of Gershkovich’s incarceration in Moscow’s Lefortovo prison.
Beckett said that besides one hour of courtyard time per day, Gershkovich has been in constant correspondence with his family, including swapping lines from shows that they enjoyed together, and weekly meetings with his lawyers.
Earlier on March 28 in Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was asked about reports of a possible prisoner exchange involving Gershkovich, and he stressed the importance of silence about any negotiations.
But Beckett said talks involving Gershkovich on any level keep his supporters "optimistic that something can be done."
Gershkovich is one of two American reporters currently being held by Russian authorities. The other is Alsu Kurmasheva, an RFE/RL journalist who holds dual Russian-American citizenship.
Kurmasheva, 47, was arrested in Kazan last October and charged with failing to register as a foreign agent under a punitive Russian law that targets journalists, civil society activists, and others. She’s also been charged with spreading falsehoods about the Russian military and faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
RFE/RL and the U.S. government say the charges are reprisals for her work as a journalist for RFE/RL in Prague. She had traveled to Russia to visit and care for her elderly mother and was initially detained while waiting for her return flight on June 2 at Kazan airport, where her U.S. and Russian passports were confiscated.
Gershkovich has been designated as wrongfully detained by the U.S. government. Kurmasheva, however, has not despite pleas from RFE/RL and Kurmasheva’s family.
The Wall Street Journal on March 28 published a story about her detention and the difficulties her husband, Pavel Butorin, who also works for RFE/RL in Prague, and their two daughters, aged 12 and 15, have had without her and their efforts to have her designated as wrongfully detained.
The designation would mean her case would be assigned to the office of the Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs in the State Department, raising the political profile of her situation and allowing the Biden administration to allocate more resources to securing her release. The designation currently applies only to Gershkovich and another American held in Russia, Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine and corporate security executive who is serving a 16-year prison sentence on espionage charges.
Other events being held to mark the one-year anniversary of Gershkovich’s detention include a 24-hour read-a-thon of his work by his Wall Street Journal colleagues at the newspaper’s headquarters in New York and swimming events at Brighton Beaches in New Zealand, South African, Canada, the United States and Britain.
The beaches were chosen in recognition of his family’s connection to Brighton Beach in Brooklyn, New York, which is home to a large Russian immigrant community. Gershkovich's parents emigrated from the Soviet Union, separately, in 1979.
Tajikistan Detains Several People In Connection With Deadly Moscow Attack
DUSHANBE -- Tajik authorities detained nine people this week in connection with the March 22 deadly attack on a concert hall near Moscow, local media reported on March 29, citing a security source.
All nine were reportedly detained by the state security service in the Vahdat district on the outskirts of Dushanbe on March 25, and brought to the capital. They are allegedly also suspected of having connections with the Islamic State group, which has claimed responsibility for the terrorist attack.
A separate source in Dushanbe told RFE/RL on March 29 there were several youths among the detainees.
On March 26, a source at Tajik law enforcement agencies told RFE/RL that six people were arrested in Vahdat on suspicion of plotting a terrorist attack but didn't provide further details.
Russia's Investigative Committee said on March 28 that it had detained another suspect in relation with the attack on the Crocus City Hall venue in the Moscow suburb of Krasnogorsk which killed more than 140 people. The committee didn’t provide details of the suspect’s identity or alleged actions, but said he was detained in suspicion of being involved in financing the attack.
Russian authorities have previously said that 11 suspects had been arrested, including four men who allegedly carried out the attack. Those four -- identified as Tajik citizens Muhammadsobir Faizov, Saidakram Rajabalizoda, Dalerjon Mirzoev, and Faridun Shamsiddin appeared in a Moscow court on March 24 on terrorism charges.
Another Tajik, Lutfulloi Nazrimad, 23, appeared on March 29 in the Basmanny Court of Moscow for a closed-door hearing. According to Kommersant, Nazrimad was detained on March 23. He pleaded guilty to disturbing public order and was sentenced by the Preobrazhensky District Court to administrative arrest for 15 days.
The Islamic State-Khorasan, a faction of the Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the massacre, but Russian officials have persistently claimed -- without presenting evidence -- that Ukraine and the West had a role in the attack.
Kyiv denies involvement and Ukrainian officials claim that Moscow is pushing the allegation as a pretext to intensify its fighting in Ukraine.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Russia's charge of Ukrainian involvement in the attack was "nonsense and propaganda" and reiterated that the United States had passed detailed information to Russian security services about an extremist attack in Moscow in advance of the March 22 assault.
"It is abundantly clear that [Islamic State] was solely responsible for the horrific attack in Moscow last week," Kirby said on March 28. "In fact, the United States tried to help prevent this terrorist attack and the Kremlin knows this."
With reporting by Reuters and AP
- By AFP
Armenian Banks To Ditch Russian Cards Over U.S. Sanctions
Armenian banks on March 29 said they would stop processing transactions made by Russian Mir payment cards due to Western sanctions imposed on Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine. In September 2022, the U.S. Treasury Department threatened foreign banks with secondary sanctions for servicing Mir cards, a Russian card payment system. The Union of Banks of Armenia said the country's commercial banks "will stop servicing Mir cards as of March 30, because of the risk of secondary sanctions." An exception will be made for Mir cards issued by the Armenian subsidiary of Russia's state-controlled VTB Bank, it added.
- By AFP
Pakistani Official Says China Halts Work On Two Projects After Deadly Attack
Chinese contractors have halted construction on two major dam projects in Pakistan after a suicide bomber killed five Chinese engineers and a Pakistani driver this week, a provincial official told AFP on March 29. The companies have demanded that Pakistan authorities come up with new security plans before reopening the sites where around 1,250 Chinese nationals are working, the official said. The security of Chinese workers is a major concern to both countries, with nationals frequently targeted by militants hostile to outside influence.
Ukrainian Forces Will Have To Retreat Without U.S. Aid, Zelenskiy Says
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says that if Ukraine does not get promised U.S. military aid that has been blocked by political disputes in Congress, its forces will have to retreat "in small steps."
"If there is no U.S. support, it means that we have no air defense, no Patriot missiles, no jammers for electronic warfare, no 155-milimeter artillery rounds," he told The Washington Post in an interview published on March 29.
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.
"It means we will go back, retreat, step by step, in small steps," he said. "We are trying to find some way not to retreat."
If the front line remains stable, he said Ukraine can arm and train new brigades to conduct a new counteroffensive later this year. But if the line breaks, "the Russians could go to the big cities."
The interview was the latest in a series that Zelenskiy has conducted with Western media outlets to urge Congress to pass a massive bill containing billions of dollars in military aid that the Biden administration proposed six months ago.
Zelenskiy spoke by phone with U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (Republican-Louisiana) on March 28 to appeal for the "critically important" aid, saying it was needed to help Kyiv fend off escalating Russian attacks.
The U.S. Senate last month passed a supplementary spending bill that allocates some $60 billion in aid to Ukraine, but Johnson has not brought the bill up for a vote in the House of Representatives, where his party holds only a slim majority and includes right-wing Republicans who want to force Congress to prioritize border security.
Zelenskiy briefed Johnson on the battlefield situation, specifically the "dramatic increase in Russia's air terror" in the call, noting that in the past week Ukrainian cities and communities had been hit by 190 rockets, 140 Shahed drones, and 700 anti-aircraft missiles.
The sweeping missile and drone strikes -- the biggest of which came on March 22 -- have already caused major damage to Ukraine’s energy sector, forcing Kyiv to halt power exports and rely on imports. DTEK lost about 50 percent of its capacity after being hit by Russian attacks, Ukrainian power distributor Yasno said this week.
Russia missiles and drones earlier on March 29 hit three DTEK thermal power plants, damaging facilities, the company said, as Moscow’s forces launched fresh attacks on Ukraine’s energy sector.
"The equipment was severely damaged. After the attack ended, the power engineers promptly started to repair the damage," the company said on the Telegram messaging app.
Ukrainian power grid operator Ukrenerho reported earlier that Russian forces “struck again at energy facilities in a massive and combined attack” overnight, damaging “thermal and hydroelectric power plants in the central and western regions."
Ukrenerho added that emergency shutdowns were applied in the country's southeastern Dnipropetrovsk Province, while power facilities were also hit in the Poltava and Cherkasy regions.
In the morning on March 29, Ukrainian television reported that explosions were heard in the Ivano-Frankivsk and Khmelnytskyi regions and the city of Dnipro as Russian cruise missiles were spotted in Ukrainian air space.
At least five people, including a 5-year-old, were wounded in Russian strikes on the Kamianske district near Dnipro that targeted both infrastructure and private homes, regional officials said.
Two of the wounded -- one in serious condition -- were hospitalized, while three others including the child were receiving outpatient treatment, said Serhiy Lysak, head of the Dnipropetrovsk regional military administration. Three summer houses were destroyed, and four houses were partially damaged in the attack, Lysak added.
The Ukrainian military said its air-defense forces had destroyed 58 drones from a total of 60 launched by Russia overnight, along with 26 of 39 missiles.
In neighboring Poland, Polish and allied aircraft were activated early on March 29 after Russia launched missile strikes on Ukraine, the Operational Command of the country’s armed forces said.
"Polish and allied aircraft are operating in Polish airspace, which may result in increased noise levels, especially in the southeastern part of the country," the Command said on the social media platform X. The southeastern part of Poland borders Ukraine.
With reporting by Reuters
- By RFE/RL
U.S. Again Dismisses Russian Assertion Of Ukrainian Link To Concert Hall Attackers
The White House has again dismissed Russia's allegation that Ukraine was involved in the attack on the Crocus City concert hall and said that the United States had passed clear and detailed information to Russian security services about an extremist attack in Moscow in advance of the attack.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on March 28 that Russia's charge of Ukrainian involvement in the attack was “nonsense and propaganda."
Kirby spoke shortly after Russia's Investigative Committee said it had uncovered evidence that the four gunmen who carried out the attack on March 22, which killed more than 140 people were linked to Ukraine.
"It is abundantly clear that [Islamic State] was solely responsible for the horrific attack in Moscow last week," Kirby said, reiterating the U.S. position, which is shared by France. "In fact, the United States tried to help prevent this terrorist attack and the Kremlin knows this."
The written message to Russia's security services was passed on March 7 at 11:15 a.m. and was one of multiple advance warnings that the United States provided to Russian authorities about the potential for extremist attacks on concerts and large gatherings in Moscow, Kirby said.
The messages were passed "following normal procedures and through established channels that have been employed many times previously,” he said, emphasizing his rebuke of Russian officials by comparing them to "manure salesmen" who "carry their samples in their mouths."
Islamic State has said several times that it was responsible for the attack, and IS-affiliated media channels have published graphic videos of the gunmen inside the venue.
Despite the IS claim of responsibility and the information released by the United States, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other Russian officials have persisted in trying to implicate Ukraine. Russia's Investigative Committee claimed on March 28 that suspects in the attack had "links with Ukrainian nationalists."
"As a result of work with the detained terrorists, an examination of technical devices seized from them and analysis of financial transactions, evidence of their links with Ukrainian nationalists has been obtained," the Investigative Committee said in a statement.
It alleged that the suspects had received "significant amounts of money and cryptocurrency from Ukraine" and said another man "involved in financing the terrorists" had been identified and detained and investigators would ask the court to remand him in custody. No other details were provided.
With reporting by Reuters, dpa, AFP, and RFE/RL's Russian Service
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