text:
Moscow Adds Buryat Activist To Its Wanted List
The Russian Interior Ministry on February 10 added Aleksandra Garmazhapova, a noted Kremlin critic and the founder of the foundation A Free Buryatia, to its wanted list on unspecified charges. Garmazhapova's foundation has openly condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine and assists men mobilized to the war from their native Siberian region of Buryatia to return. The group also promotes wide autonomy for Buryatia and Russia's other ethnic regions. Russian authorities labeled Garmazhapova "a foreign agent" last fall. She is currently not in Russia. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here.
More News
- By RFE/RL
EU Approves New Sanctions To Limit 'Russia's Criminal Actions Against Ukraine'
The European Union's 27 members agreed on a new package of sanctions against Russia over its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with the target being "high-value sectors" including energy, finance, and trade.
The package, the bloc's 14th against Russia, also seeks to make it more difficult for third parties to circumvent all of the measures put in place against Moscow since February 2022, when Russian troops poured over the border, setting off Europe's worst conflict since World War II.
"Our sanctions have already significantly weakened the Russian economy and prevented Putin from accomplishing his plans to destroy Ukraine, although he still continues the illegal aggression targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure," said Josep Borrell, the EU's foreign policy chief.
"The 14th package of sanctions demonstrates our unity in supporting Ukraine and seeking to limit Russia's criminal activities against Ukrainians, including efforts to circumvent EU measures."
The package includes restrictive measures on additional 116 individuals and entities "responsible for actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine," the bloc said, adding that it was also "equipping itself with additional tools to crack down on circumvention."
Since Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than two years ago, the United States, Britain, the European Union, Australia, Canada, and Japan have imposed thousands of sanctions on Russia.
The main target of the measures has been Russian finances, especially the networks that fund Moscow's war effort.
Amid the grinding conflict that's claimed tens of thousands of lives, the companies, entities, and individuals connected to Russia's defense and security sector have been added to ever-growing lists compiled by Brussels, Washington, and their partners meant to curb Moscow's capacity on the battlefield.
But as the war enters its third year, a growing body of evidence shows Moscow can circumvent many of these sanctions and get key items for its military from third countries despite Western attempts to stop those efforts.
The EU's sanctions list now includes more than 2,200 entities and individuals.
In the energy sector, the bloc said reloading services for Russian LNG in EU territory for the purpose of transshipment operations to third countries is banned.
The new package outlaws the use of the System for Transfer of Financial Messages (SPFS), a specialized financial-messaging service developed by the central bank of Russia to neutralize the effect of restrictive measures.
It also forces EU operators transferring industrial know-how for the production of battlefield goods to third-country commercial counterparts to include contractual provisions to ensure that such know-how will not be used for goods intended for use in Russia.
Earlier this month, the United States issued new sanctions targeting hundreds of individuals and companies for helping Moscow circumvent Western blocks on obtaining key technology, including seven Chinese-based companies.
- By Current Time
Russia Blames U.S. For Ukrainian Missile Strike On Occupied Crimea
Russia has said the United States was responsible for a Ukrainian missile strike on the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula.
The Russian Defense Ministry said that the June 23 strike involved five longer-range missiles that the United States began supplying to Ukraine this year.
Four of the ATACMS missiles were downed by Russian air defenses, according to the Defense Ministry, while it said the fifth detonated in midair.
Russia said that falling debris from the missiles near the southwestern port city of Sevastopol killed four people, including two children, and injured 151. Sevastopol's Russian governor, Mikhail Razvozhayev, said that five people died.
Video footage aired by Russian media and posted on social media showed vacationers running to safety and injured people being evacuated from a beach said to be on the north side of the city, which is a popular tourist destination and home to the Russian Black Sea Fleet.
Russia seized and illegally annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and installed a local government, although the territory is still officially part of Ukraine.
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.
Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Kyiv has vowed to restore control of its territory and has targeted key Russian military and naval installations in Crimea.
Amid outrage in Russia following the incident, the Russian Defense Ministry accused the United States of culpability, claiming that U.S. specialists had set the missiles' flight coordinates based on information gathered from U.S. satellites.
"Responsibility for the deliberate missile attack on the civilians of Sevastopol is borne above all by Washington, which supplied these weapons to Ukraine, and by the Kyiv regime, from whose territory this strike was carried out," the ministry said.
The Defense Ministry vowed to respond to the attack, without elaborating.
Neither the United States nor Ukraine has commented on the attack, which came as Russia continues to pound Ukrainian energy infrastructure and strike the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, near the border with Russia.
At least two people were killed and more than 50 were injured on June 22 when an apartment building was struck by a Russian bomb. On June 23, the air strikes on the city continued, killing one person.
Russian military bloggers sharply criticized the Russian Defense Ministry and occupying authorities in Crimea following the missile strike near Sevastopol, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
In a June 23 report, the ISW said that "Russian sources criticized Russian authorities for not using air-raid sirens to alert civilians to seek shelter."
The U.S. think tank also said that Russian authorities were criticized for "failing to detect and destroy all the missiles before they approached Sevastopol."
North Macedonia's Parliament Elects New Right-Wing Government
North Macedonia's parliament on June 23 approved a new coalition government led by Hristijan Mickoski's right-wing nationalist VMRO-DPMNE party.
A total 77 lawmakers in the 120-seat parliament voted in favor of the new government; 22 voted against. The remaining 21 lawmakers were absent during the balloting.
Including the 46-year-old Mickoski as prime minister, there will be 24 ministers in the government, five of whom will be deputy prime ministers.
Sixteen of the cabinet members are from the VMRO-DPMNE-led coalition Your Macedonia, six from the coalition Vredi block of Albanian opposition parties, and two from the political party Znam.
Mickoski's VMRO-DPMNE received 43 percent of the vote on May 9, winning 58 seats -- three short of a governing majority -- and driving out the Social Democrats (SDSM) after seven years in power.
Mickoski then struck a deal to form a government with the ethnic Albanian parties and the left-wing nationalist Znam party, which together have 20 seats.
In his closing remarks before the vote, Mickoski told the parliament that the citizens of North Macedonia "are fed up with bickering" and "need work, dedication, accountability, and concrete projects."
He pledged to raise standards in the first 100 days and announced tax cuts, an increase in pensions, a 250 million euro ($267 million) project for municipalities, new foreign investments, and front against corruption.
After the government was elected, Mickoski and his cabinet made a statement in which the leader of VMRO-DPMNE used the constitutional name Republic of North Macedonia.
Referring to the word North as a "shameful adjective," he said he would "do everything I can as long as I live to right this injustice," but added that he is "powerless at this point" and must "capitulate…and say it."
Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, the president of North Macedonia, angered opposition leaders when she refused to use the country's full official name at her inauguration on May 12.
Mickoski in his speech referred to the negotiating framework with the EU and the need for constitutional amendments to continue the accession process.
Mickoski, a former professor, has pledged to continue his efforts to shepherd North Macedonia into the European Union, but VMRO-DPMNE's questioning of key agreements with neighboring Bulgaria and Greece -- both which can block North Macedonia's accession -- could affect North Macedonia's chances.
Defending the composition and program of the new government, deputies in the ruling majority described the vote as "huge" and "historic."
The opposition in turn criticized the new government, saying its platform is far from the promises made by VMRO-DPMNE during the election campaign. SDSM deputies criticized it as manipulative and expressed doubts that the promised projects would come to fruition.
The new government's first working day will be June 24 when the new prime minister and ministers are expected to take office. Mickoski announced a "furious start to projects," including the promotion of new investments.
Tajik Scientist Released In Australia After Being Jailed On Charge Of Inciting Terrorism
A Tajikistan-born scientist and former researcher at the University of Western Australia has been released after serving a 3 1/2-year prison sentence for inciting terrorism.
Abdusalom Odinazoda confirmed in an interview on June 23 with RFE/RL that his sentence concluded on June 19. He was released on June 22.
Australian authorities alleged that Odinazoda had shared numerous videos on his YouTube channel between January 2019 and his arrest at the end of 2020 in which he advocated for the overthrow of the Tajik government and the establishment of a caliphate.
Odinazoda told RFE/RL that authorities investigated 16 of his videos and concluded they contained "terrorist propaganda."
Court records indicate that Odinazoda extensively discussed the influence of the Taliban in Afghanistan and the Islamic State extremist group in Syria. These videos garnered more than 1.6 million views, largely from people located in Russia and Tajikistan.
Odinazoda at the time of his sentencing in August 2022 was considered by the authorities in Western Australia to be one of the state's most dangerous people.
He was due to stand trial on three charges in 2023, but prosecutors dropped two of the charges after Odinazoda agreed to plead guilty to one count of inciting terrorism.
In the interview with RFE/RL, Odinazoda did not fully accept the accusation that he incited terrorism, but he admitted to having crossed a "red line" at that time.
Odinazoda stated his intention to continue his activities on social networks but expressed a commitment to exercising greater caution.
Prior to his arrest in December 2020, Odinazoda, 56, worked as a biochemist at the University of Western Australia for a decade.
"Given my criminal record, there is no possibility of returning to university employment. Currently, I rely on state aid provided to unemployed individuals," he said.
Odinazoda emigrated to Australia years ago and obtained citizenship. He briefly returned to Tajikistan for work but subsequently returned to Australia. He is also sought in Tajikistan on charges of "extremism."
Gunmen Kill More Than A Dozen Police, Others Including Priest, In Attacks In Russia's Volatile Daghestan
At least 19 people were killed, including civilians and police officers, when gunmen opened fire at two Orthodox churches, at least one synagogue, and a police station in separate attacks in the cities of Derbent and Makhachkala in Russia's North Caucasus region of Daghestan.
Four of the victims were civilians, according to investigators, while earlier reports had suggested that 15 police officers were killed in the June 23 attacks.
Sixteen people were hospitalized, according to the regional Interior Ministry, including 13 police officers and three civilians.
Regional Governor Sergei Melikov, in a video statement posted on Telegram early on June 24, said that among the civilians killed was 66-year-old Father Nikolai, who served for more than 40 years in the Orthodox church in Derbent.
Melikov said that six "bandits" were "liquidated" by security forces.
Russia's National Anti-Terrorism Committee declared the security operation over by the morning of June 24.
Among those detained was Magomed Omarov, the head of the central Sergokala district and secretary of the local branch of the United Russia party, whose home was searched. Omarov was expelled from the party for actions discrediting the organization, United Russia's press service in Daghestan said.
Three of the attackers who were killed have been identified, according to Interfax, which quoted an unidentified source as saying two of Omarov's sons and one of his nephews were among the slain attackers.
The attacks came just three months after 145 people died and hundreds were injured when Islamic State (IS) extremists opened fire in a crowded concert hall on the outskirts of Moscow, Russia's worst terrorist attack in years.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility by IS or any other groups for the attacks in the volatile North Caucasus region on June 23.
"This is a day of tragedy for Daghestan and the whole country," Melikov said after officials announced three days of mourning for the region.
According to a local religious organization in the majority Muslim region, the attacks occurred on a religious holiday in the Russian Orthodox Church.
"The radicals want to pit us against each other with all their might and burn interfaith bridges. But they won't succeed," the organization said.
The chairman of the public council of Russia's Federation of Jewish Communities, Boruch Gorin, said on Telegram that synagogues in both cities caught fire during the attacks.
"Two are killed: a policeman and a security guard," Gorin said.
Derbent is home to an ancient Jewish community and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The attack on the police station occurred in Makhachkala, the capital of Daghestan, 125 kilometers north of Derbent.
Unknown assailants attacked a traffic police post, and according to the Interior Ministry of Daghestan, two assailants were killed in Makhachkala, whose airport in October was shut down for several days when a mob shouting anti-Jewish epithets stormed it after the arrival of a flight from Israel.
Anti-Jewish protests broke out in several cities in the region after the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas, which has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union.
Months later, after the deadly March 22 massacre at the Crocus City Hall concert venue near Moscow, Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) detained four people in Daghestan suspected of providing financing and weapons to participants.
Responsibility for that attack was claimed by an offshoot of IS known as Islamic State-Khorasan. Russian investigators said the assault was carried out by four men, all Tajik nationals.
Russian authorities arrested 11 Tajik citizens and a Kyrgyzstan-born Russian citizen in connection with the attack, Russia's worst terrorist attack in two decades.
- By Reuters
Albanian Forward Daku Gets 2-Game Suspension After Leading Offensive Chants At Euro 2024
Albania forward Mirlind Daku has been suspended for two games for leading his team's fans in offensive chants about Serbia and North Macedonia at Euro 2024. Daku used a megaphone for joining in the chanting of slogans against the two countries following his side's 2-2 draw with Croatia on June 19 in Hamburg. He later apologized. UEFA said in a statement on June 23 that the Daku had violated the basic rules of decent conduct. It added that an investigation into potential racist and discriminatory conduct by fans at the match was ongoing.
Police In Pakistan's Swat District Arrest 22 Following Mob Killing, Rioting
Twenty-two people have been arrested in the restive Swat District of Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province following mob violence and the killing of a local tourist accused of blasphemy. Bacha Hazrat, the head of the Swat Police investigative unit, said on June 23 that those arrested are being investigated for murder and terrorist acts in connection with the killing and the subsequent storming of a local police station on June 20. Hazrat also said that a charge of blasphemy had been filed against the victim, who was beaten and set alight after he was accused of defiling a local shrine. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal, click here.
- By Current Time
Anniversary Of Prigozhin Mutiny Marked By Detention Of Media Ally
On the anniversary of the mutiny carried out in Russia by the late mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Federal Security Service (FSB) has detained a top manager of his purported "troll factory." Ilya Gorbunov, a former top manager of Patriot media, was detained on June 22 in St. Petersburg, according to the local newspaper Fontanka. Gorbunov has reportedly been accused of extorting money from a member of the Public Chamber and former director of the St. Petersburg television channel. Gorbunov was allegedly responsible for covering the march on Moscow by Prigozhin's Wagner mercenary force on June 23, 2023. To read the original story by Current Time, click here.
Metropolitan Ionafan, Imprisoned By Ukraine For Supporting Russia, Being Sent To Moscow
Metropolitan Ionafan of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), who was sentenced to five years in prison in August for his support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine, has reportedly been released and will be sent to Moscow following the intervention of Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill.
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.
The development regarding Ionafan of the UOC, formerly known as the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP), was announced on June 22 by the Russian Orthodox Church.
The separate Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) gained its ecclesiastical independence from the UOC-MP and the Russian Orthodox Church in 2019. Following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, authorities in Kyiv have accused some UOC-MP clerics of supporting Moscow in the war.
Metropolitan Ionafan, or Anatoliy Yeletskykh, was accused last year of distributing pro-Russian leaflets to his congregation, posting statements on his diocese's website declaring the primacy of the UOC-MP over the OCU, and of supporting the Russian invasion.
Ionafan was sentenced on August 8 to five years in prison after a court in the Ukrainian city of Vinnytsya found him guilty on four counts, including calling for the violation of Ukraine's territorial integrity, taking actions against Ukraine's constitutional order, and the premeditated violation of citizens' rights.
Ionafan was the first working UOC diocese head to be sentenced to a prison term in Ukraine in relation to the war. A former metropolitan, Iosaf, was previously sentenced to three years' imprisonment for distributing pro-Russian propaganda.
Ionafan had been under house arrest following his appeal of his sentence and reportedly suffered a stroke during his incarceration. On June 18, an appeals court upheld his original sentence.
The UOC-MP said that Ionafan had lost his Ukrainian citizenship and would "soon arrive in Moscow," without providing further details of his release.
Russia Targets Kyiv Region As Moscow Says 4 Killed In Attacks On Sevastopol, Belgorod
Russia launched three missiles targeting Kyiv region in an early morning strike on June 23 after at least two civilians were killed when a residential building was struck by a Russian bomb in the northeastern city of Kharkiv a day earlier.
Ukraine's Air Force said that two of the three missiles fired at the Kyiv region on June 23 were downed. It was unclear whether the third missile caused any injuries or damage.
The strike came on the same day that Russian officials announced that Ukraine had launched dozens of drones and missiles targeting Russian-occupied territory on Crimea and the southern Russian city of Belgorod.
Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Moscow-installed governor of Sevastopol on the occupied Crimean Peninsula, said three people were killed and more than 100 injured in the strike on the peninsula. Razvozhayev said missile fragments fell near a beach on the north side of Sevastopol in a park.
Russia's Defense Ministry said Ukraine fired five long-range missile systems known as ATACMS, short for Army Tactical Missile System. It said four were shot down and the fifth exploded in midair.
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.
In Russia's southwestern Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, one person was killed and three were injured by Ukrainian drones, said regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov.
More than 30 drones were reportedly destroyed over Russia's western Bryansk, Smolensk, Lipetsk, and Tula regions, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
No casualties were reported by Russian authorities in the two regions.
The General Staff of Ukraine's' Armed Forces said on June 23 in its afternoon report on fighting that Russian troops made 81 attempts to advance, most of them in the areas around Kupyansk and Pokrovskiy, where 17 attacks were ongoing as of 4 p.m. local time.
Russia's attacks on Kyiv and Kharkiv earlier on June 23 came a day after Russia launched a large-scale missile and drone attack on Ukraine's battered energy infrastructure. The strikes damaged power transmission systems in the southeastern Zaporizhzhya and western Lviv regions, Ukrenerho said.
Ukrenerho said the attack was the eighth large-scale strike targeting the country's energy grid over the past three months. Rolling electricity blackouts will be imposed nationwide throughout June 24 as a result of the attack, Ukrenerho announced.
The Ukrainian Interior Ministry said on June 22 that three people were killed in the Kharkiv bombing and at least 56 were injured. The State Emergency Service on June 23 issued revised the figures downward to two killed and 53 injured, including three children.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who has called in recent days for measures to protect Ukraine's energy system, said during his nightly televised address on June 22 that Russia has dropped more than 2,400 guided bombs on Ukraine this month, including about 700 on Kharkiv alone.
Zelenskiy repeated his plea for additional air defenses from his Western allies and for decisions that would allow Ukraine to destroy Russian combat aircraft "where they are."
With reporting by Reuters, AP, dpa, and AFP
Thousands Gather In Sofia For Annual LGBT Celebration
Thousands of people gathered in central Sofia on June 22 for the annual LGBT Pride celebration in the Bulgarian capital. "I would define Pride as a celebration of freedom and acceptance. An opportunity and an invitation to be ourselves, not to judge, not to hate, and to love a little more," host Karina Okolies said during the opening of a concert at the event. The LGBT community in Bulgaria has been subject to frequent homophobic attacks in recent years. Earlier this year, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) obliged Bulgaria to provide legal recognition for same-sex relationships. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Bulgarian Service, click here.
- By Reuters
Thousands Join Budapest Pride March To Protest Anti-LGBT Policies
Carrying rainbow flags and dancing through the streets, thousands of Hungarians celebrated the annual Budapest Pride parade on June 22 and vowed to keep protesting the government's anti-LGBT policies. Prime Minister Viktor Orban, in power since 2010, promotes a Christian-conservative agenda and in 2021 banned the "promotion of homosexuality" among under-18s despite strong criticism from rights groups and the EU. Gay marriage is not recognized in Hungary and only heterosexual couples can legally adopt children. Orban's government has redefined marriage as the union between one man and one woman in the constitution and has limited gay adoption.
North Macedonia's Parliament Begins Debates Ahead Of Vote On New Government
North Macedonia's parliament on June 22 began debates ahead of voting on the formation of a new government in the NATO-member nation. The right-wing nationalist VMRO-DPMNE party won a clear victory in both presidential and parliamentary elections on May 9, raising concerns of colder relations with Balkan neighbors and more difficult membership negotiations with the European Union. In line to become prime minister after voting concludes on June 23 is Hristijan Mickoski, 46, a former professor who has vowed to continue North Macedonia's efforts to join the EU, although he has suggested he might seek a renegotiation of terms over issues relating to the small nation's ethnic Bulgarian minority, moves that likely would anger Sofia. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Balkan Service, click here.
Kazakh Authorities Say Suspect Arrested In Attempt In Kyiv On Activist's Life
One of two suspects wanted in connection with the attempted murder in Kyiv of Kazakh opposition activist and journalist Aidos Sadyqov was arrested by Kazakh authorities after turning himself in, Kazakhstan's Prosecutor-General's Office said on June 22.
Sadyqov, an outspoken critic of Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev and his government, was shot on June 18 while he was in his car in the Ukrainian capital and is currently in intensive care. His wife, Natalya Sadyqova, who is also a journalist, was in the vehicle during the attack but was unharmed.
Ukrainian police said investigators established that Sadyqov was shot by two Kazakh suspects -- Altai Zhaqanbaev, born in 1988, and Meiram Qarataev, born in 1991 -- who were added to an international wanted list.
The Kazakh Prosecutor-General's Office said in a statement on June 22 that Zhakanbaev on June 21 "contacted the internal affairs bodies of the Republic of Kazakhstan on his own and was questioned about the circumstances of the case. On the same day, he was arrested on suspicion of committing this crime."
The statement did not say where the arrest took place or in whose custody Zhakanbaev was, adding that it would not release more details "in the interest of the investigation."
It said investigations are under way "to determine the location" of the second suspect, Meiram Qarataev.
Sadyqova has said that Qarataev worked as a police officer in the northern Qostanai region. The Kazakh Interior Ministry, however, claimed that Qarataev had been sacked from the police force in 2019.
Ukraine's Interior Ministry said Zhaqanbaev and Qarataev arrived in Ukraine on June 2 from Poland, renting an apartment and buying a car in Kyiv, after which they surveyed Sadyqov's daily routines.
"On June 18, one of the suspects approached [Sadyqov's] car and shot him, while his accomplice was near the building to act as a lookout. After that, they fled the crime scene," the statement said, adding that the two suspects then left Ukrainian territory via the Ukrainian-Moldovan border.
It was not immediately known who may have ordered the attempt on Sadyqov's life.
The Sadyqovs, along with their children, moved to Kyiv in 2014 after Kazakh authorities launched a case against Sadyqova, who worked as a journalist for the independent Respublika newspaper at the time. She was accused of slander.
On June 19, Sadyqova told RFE/RL that, hours before the attack, she and her husband had issued a new video titled Toqaev Is Putin's Puppet on their YouTube channel.
The video criticizes Toqaev's "pro-Russian politics" and looks at the activities of Russian oligarchs and agents of influence in Kazakhstan, some of whom obtained Kazakh citizenship after Russia launched its ongoing invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
She added that Toqaev would have stood to gain from her husband's killing but did not present any evidence that connected the president in any way to the shooting.
Toqaev's spokesman, Berik Uali, said on June 21 that the Kazakh president "had ordered law enforcement entities to find the two suspects' whereabouts and undertake corresponding measures."
"Kazakhstan's side is ready to cooperate with Ukraine's law enforcement structures, including via Interpol," Uali said.
Sadyqov used to lead a branch of the opposition Azat Social Democratic Party in his native Aqtobe region in Kazakhstan's northwest until 2010. He later headed a group that was a major force for establishing a union to defend the rights of Kazakh workers at the Chinese-owned CNPC-Aktobemunaygaz oil company.
Iran's Supreme Court Overturns Rapper's Death Sentence
Iran's Supreme Court has overturned popular rapper Toomaj Salehi's death sentence, his lawyer said on June 22.
In April, Salehi was sentenced to death by a court in Isfahan on a new charge, "corruption on Earth," as he was serving a six-year prison sentence for his involvement in the 2022 protests that rocked Iran for months.
"As expected, the Supreme Court avoided an irreparable judicial error," Salehi's lawyer, Amir Raisian, wrote on X. "The death sentence was overturned and, based on the appeal decision of the Supreme Court, the case will be referred to a parallel branch for reconsideration."
Salehi, 33, was initially arrested in October 2022 after making public statements in support of the protests that had erupted the previous month following the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who died while in police custody for allegedly wearing her head scarf improperly.
After spending much of his pretrial detention in solitary confinement, he was sentenced to six years in prison but released after the Supreme Court, on appeal, found "flaws in the original sentence." His case was sent back to a lower court for reexamination and possible retrial.
He was temporarily released on bail in November after spending over a year in prison, including 252 days in solitary confinement, but then was rearrested shortly after publicly talking about his alleged torture in prison in a video.
Raisian said on June 22 that the Supreme Court also annulled the previous six-year sentence because "it is in excess of legal punishment."
Salehi gained prominence for lyrics that rail against corruption, widespread poverty, executions, and the killing of protesters in Iran.
His songs also point to a widening gap between ordinary Iranians and the country's leadership, accusing the authorities of "suffocating" the people without regard for their well-being.
- By RFE/RL
Ex-Marine Paul Whelan Urges U.S. To Step Up Efforts To Free Him From Russian Prison
Former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, who is serving a 16-year prison sentence in Russia on charges he and the U.S. government have rejected as politically motivated, has asked the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden to step up pressure on Russia to secure his release and that of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich.
Whelan, 54, was arrested in Moscow in December 2018 on espionage charges and sentenced to 16 years in prison in May 2020 following a trial that was condemned by the United States as a "mockery of justice."
As he marked 2,000 days in Russian detention, Whelan on June 21 told CNN by phone from prison that the U.S. government should take more decisive action to secure his and Gershkovich's release, possibly in a prisoner exchange.
"The U.S. needs to go out and do something, fill up Guantanamo Bay [detention facility] with Russian officials, arrest Russian spies -- do something that makes the Kremlin sit up and take notice and say, 'OK, yeah, right. Now it's time that we're gonna get Evan [Gershkovich] and Paul back and then we want back what you've got of ours, and we'll call it a day,'" Whelan told CNN.
Gershkovich became the first U.S. journalist arrested on spying charges in Russia since the Cold War when he was detained in March 2023 and charged with trying to obtain military secrets. He and his employer have vehemently denied the charges as politically motivated.
Gershkovich, who like Whelan has been designated by the U.S. government as "wrongfully detained," is being held in pretrial detention and is due to go on trial on June 26.
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 in 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.
Unlike Whelan and Gershkovich, Kurmasheva has yet to be designated as "wrongfully detained."
Such a designation would ensure that her case would be assigned to the office of the Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs in the U.S. State Department, raising the political profile of her situation and allowing the Biden administration to allocate more resources to securing her release.
- By Current Time
Russia Prosecutes Artists, Historian For Alleged 'Foreign Agent' Violations
Moscow's Prosecutor-General's Office has demanded that Russia's Investigative Committee open criminal cases against three women who have been on placed on the "foreign agent" register: singer Monetochka, actress Yana Troyanova, and historian Tamara Eidelman. Monetochka, whose real name is Elizaveta Gyrdymova, is accused of continuing to distribute materials on social networks without indicating that she is on the "foreign agent" list. Troyanova is accused of inciting hatred or enmity on the basis of nationality after giving an interview to Novaya Gazeta Europe. Eidelman is accused of "voicing clear disrespect" for Russia's military in her regular YouTube history program. To read the original story by Current Time, click here.
Former Regional Governor In Russia Released After Serving 8-Year Term
The former governor of Russia's Kirov region, Nikita Belykh, was released from prison on June 21 after serving an eight-year prison term on a bribe-taking charge that he has rejected.
Belykh's lawyer, Andrei Grokhotov, said his client will attend a hearing in five days into an appeal filed by prosecutors and Belykh's defense team regarding a court ruling last year on a different case against the former governor.
In late December, a court in the Kirov region sentenced Belykh to an additional 2 1/2 years in prison on a charge of abuse of power but spared him from serving the punishment citing the statute of limitations.
Meanwhile, prosecutors sought an additional 12 years for Belykh on two charges of abuse of power, but the judge acquitted Belykh of the more serious of the two charges due to lack of evidence, handing him only a 2 1/2-year sentence on the lesser of the two charges. Statute of limitations deadlines also mean he won't serve that prison term.
The 12 years requested by prosecutors would have included the time Belykh had already served, meaning the additional charges filed against Belykh in 2021 would have added about four years to his prison time.
However, Belykh's eight-year prison term was not changed.
One of the highest-ranking officials to be arrested in office since President Vladimir Putin was first elected in 2000, Belykh maintained his innocence, saying he is the victim of a provocation by law enforcement authorities.
Once a leader of a liberal opposition party, the Union of Right Forces, Belykh was one of the few provincial governors in Russia not closely allied with Putin.
Before serving as Kirov governor, Belykh was a deputy governor of Perm Oblast and a lawmaker in the Perm Oblast Legislative Assembly.
He conducted several political campaigns in opposition to Putin's policies and was sharply criticized by liberals, such as former ally Boris Nemtsov -- who was assassinated in February 2015 -- when he accepted the appointment in 2009 by then-President Dmitry Medvedev.
Putin fired Belykh in July 2016, shortly after his arrest.
Russia Adds Director Roman Kachanov, Others To 'Foreign Agent' List
Russia's Justice Ministry has added prominent film director Roman Kachanov, who has condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine, to its "foreign agent" list, the ministry's website said. The ministry also added to the list St. Petersburg regional politician Nikita Kirillov, political strategist Sergei Antonov, and St. Petersburg municipal deputy Vladimir Volokhonsky, who had been previously included by Rosfinmonitoring on a list of "extremists and terrorists." Another new name on the list is French political scientist Laurent Vinatier, who was arrested in Moscow earlier this month and is now in pretrial detention on a charge of violating the "foreign agent" law. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here.
Kyiv Reports 'Massive' Attack Targeting Energy Infrastructure; 3 Killed In Kharkiv
Ukraine's Energy Ministry and the national grid operator Ukrenerho say the country's battered energy infrastructure was targeted again in a large-scale Russian missile and drone attack early on June 22.
Separately, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said that at least three people were killed and at least 38 injured in a Russian bomb attack on a civilian site in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city some 30 kilometers from the Russian border.
"There are dead and wounded. The strike hit a residential building," Terekhov wrote on Telegram.
Regional Governor Oleh Synyehubov said on Telegram that "doctors are fighting for the lives of four of the patients -- two women and two men, who are in serious condition."
The latest series of strikes damaged power transmission systems in the Zaporizhzhya and Lviv regions, Ukrenerho said in a statement on Telegram, adding that two employees needed hospitalization after sustaining injuries in the attack in the Zaporizhzhya region.
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.
The Energy Ministry said that, because of the attack, the overhead power lines in eastern Ukraine were disconnected, which led to a decrease in energy supply in the region.
Ukrenerho said the attack was the eighth large-scale strike targeting the country's energy grid over the past three months.
Ukraine's military, meanwhile, said its air defense systems shot down 12 of 16 missiles and all 13 drones launched by Russia overnight.
Russia's Defense Ministry has not commented on the attack, which was the second one in as many days.
In the June 21 attack, five residents of the Donetsk region were killed and seven others were wounded, the head of the regional military administration, Vadym Filashkin, announced on June 22 on Telegram.
Over the past several months, Russia has systematically targeted Ukraine's critical energy infrastructure, causing enormous damage and triggering rolling blackouts affecting the civilian population.
According to estimates, about half of Ukraine's power-generating capacity has been destroyed.
Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address of June 22 that Russia has fired 2,400 guided bombs against Ukraine this month, including some 700 against Kharkiv alone.
The president repeated his constant plea for additional air defenses from his Western allies.
"We need strong decisions from our partners so that we can destroy Russian terrorists and Russian combat aircraft where they are," he said. "We are grateful for the approved [weapons] packages, but we need them in full supply and on the battlefield – without delays."
Zelenskiy said during a June 20 meeting with senior Ukrainian military officials that he hopes to develop a renewable energy infrastructure to offset the energy crisis caused by the Russian attacks.
In return, Ukrainian drones have struck deeper inside Russia, damaging energy facilities critical for Moscow's military effort, mainly oil installations.
On June 22, Russia's Defense Ministry said its air defense systems downed five Ukrainian drones over the Sea of Azov and the Bryansk and Smolensk regions. It did not say if the Ukrainian attack had caused any damage or injuries.
On June 21, Ukraine's military said its long-range attack drones had struck four oil refineries and radar stations inside Russia.
The claim could not be independently verified.
Balkan Nations Work To Restore Electrical Supplies Following Major Power Outage
Authorities in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia, and Albania are working to stabilize electrical supplies following a major power outage on June 21. Montenegrin Energy Minister Sasa Mujovic said the shutdown was caused by a sharp increase in electricity consumption due to high temperatures, but also by the heat itself. Electricity distribution systems are interconnected in countries across the Balkans. Enver Kreso, the former director of the Electric Power Industry of Bosnia-Herzegovina, told RFE/RL that "if the problem persists, there will be big consequences. Hospitals are switching to generators, traffic is in trouble, the consequences can be very big. There will be problems with communications, but also with water supply," Kreso said. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Balkan Service, click here.
Russian Citizen Detained In Montenegro At U.S. Request Over Alleged Election Interference
A Russian citizen has been detained in Montenegro at the request of U.S. authorities on suspicions of having illegally interfered in the 2020 U.S. election, according to Russian and Montenegrin media on June 21. The person detained was identified only as "A.M." Montenegro's Justice Ministry declined to comment on the matter when contacted by RFE/RL. The DAN media portal of Montenegro reported that Justice Minister Andrej Milovic approved the "temporary detention" of the Russian citizen for alleged illegal interference in the U.S. election and unlawful financing in the United States.
Pakistani Security Forces Killed In Bomb Attack Claimed By Tehrik-e Taliban
Pakistan's military said at least five soldiers in a troop convoy were killed by a roadside bomb in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province near the Afghan border in an attack claimed by the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a longtime ally of the Afghan Taliban. The attack comes after the group announced a unilateral cease-fire on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr holiday from June 17-19. The region has seen an increase in the number of deadly attacks in the past year attributed to the TTP. Relations between Afghanistan's Islamist rulers and Pakistan have been tense since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, with Islamabad blaming the Taliban for sheltering the TTP. Residents of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have protested against the lack of security provided by Islamabad and against the actions of extremists. To read the original story by Radio Mashaal, click here.
- By AFP
No Afghan 'Reintegration' Without Progress On Rights, Says UN
Restrictions on women's rights continue to prevent Afghanistan's "reintegration" into the international community, a senior UN official said on June 21, adding that the Taliban's participation in talks in Doha on June 30-July 1 is not legitimization of the isolated hard-liners' government. Since their 2021 return to power, Taliban authorities have not been formally recognized by any nation and apply a rigorous interpretation of Islam, leading to suppression of women's freedoms that the UN has described as gender apartheid. Restrictions on women and girls, particularly in education, "deprive the country of vital human capital" and lead to a brain drain that undermines the impoverished country's future, Roza Otunbayeva, head of the UN mission in the country, UNAMA, told the Security Council.
- By RFE/RL
U.S. Sanctions Senior Kaspersky Officials Day After Setting Plans To Bar Antivirus Sales
The United States imposed sanctions on 12 members of the Kaspersky Lab leadership team on June 21, a day after announcing plans to bar sales of antivirus software made by the Russian firm, citing cybersecurity risks. The U.S. Treasury targeted the company's chief operating officer, Andrei Tikhonov, although the chief executive and the company itself weren't directly sanctioned. The action "underscores our commitment to ensure the integrity of our cyber domain and to protect our citizens against malicious cyber threats," the Treasury said. A State Department statement said the company is "subject to jurisdiction, control, or direction of the Russian government, which could exploit the privileged access to obtain sensitive data." Kaspersky denied it is a threat to U.S. security.
RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.
If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.
To find out more, click here.
Editors' Picks
Top Trending
Tajik Parliament's Upper Chamber Approves Bill Banning Hijab
2Mob In Pakistan Drags Burning Body Of 'Blasphemer' Through Streets In Swat Valley
3Several Dead In Russian Strikes On Ukraine; Kyiv Launches Counterattacks
4Live Briefing: Russia Invades Ukraine
5The Remote Villages Where Ethnic Russians And Ukrainians Live Together In The Shadow Of War
6Russia Targets Kyiv Region As Moscow Says 4 Killed In Attacks On Sevastopol, Belgorod
7Gunmen Kill More Than A Dozen Police, Others Including Priest, In Attacks In Russia's Volatile Daghestan
8How Russia Exports Ukrainian Grain As Its Own: An Investigation
9Russian Citizen Detained In Montenegro At U.S. Request Over Alleged Election Interference
10Bulgaria's GERB Party Has Won The Elections. But Will Anyone Work With Them?


text:
Ray Dolby, whose inventions revolutionized the way audiences listen to entertainment, has died. He was 80 years old.
NPR's Mandalit del Barco reports the sound pioneer - whose name became synonymous with sound - died at home in San Francisco.
MANDALIT DEL BARCO, BYLINE: Thank Ray Dolby for inventing the system that surrounds you with sound at the movie theater and in your headphones.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: (Whispering) Surround you.
BARCO: Dolby was a prolific inventor of so many innovations used in the film and recording industries. He started out in high school, working for the Ampex Corporation in the San Francisco Bay Area. There, Dolby worked on the company's first audiotape recorder in 1949. Then in the 1950s, he became the chief designer of the first videotape recorder that was practical. He got degrees in electrical engineering and physics, and acted as a technical advisor to the United Nations in India.
Then, in 1965, Dolby started his own audio company, Dolby Laboratories. That's where he came up with noise-reducing technology that got rid of annoying hiss on recordings. Here he is talking to the Audio Engineering Society.
RAY DOLBY: I had to spend a lot of time traveling and giving endless demonstrations to skeptical engineers all over the world who had been taught that noise reduction was impossible and that only charlatans came along once in a while with the promise of noise reduction.
BARCO: Ray Dolby was a billionaire and a member of the Forbes 400. During his career, he held more than 50 patents, and received several Emmy awards, a Grammy and two Oscars for scientific and technical achievement.
Mandalit del Barco, NPR News.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

subset: commoncrawl


text: The Porsche Shop offers shirts for men with a high-quality fit. The shirts are slim-fitting but nevertheless comfortable. If you are looking for a casual leisure shirt or a stylish business shirt, you are sure to find what you want in the selection from the Porsche Shop. Unicoloured or checked: our men's shirts are an essential item for every wardrobe. They form the basis of any outfit and can be combined in many different ways. Our high-quality men's shirts guarantee a well-groomed appearance.


text:
Slayer - Repentless , Ludwigsburg 2015 - Konzertplakat
- SIZE - The poster was printed in the size: DIN A1 ( ca. 61cm x 82cm / appx. 23inch x 33inch )
- TOP QUALITY - The quality of the posters is constantly controlled and the posters are stored flat and dry at a constant temperature
- GREAT GIFT IDEA - The perfect poster from a sensational LIVE CONCERT EVENT is a real piece of music history and a great wall decoration
- Here you can choose the best concert posters from approx. 5.000 posters of the last 60 years
- All concert posters are in perfect condition compared to their age


text:
Mass Notification Horns (Omni-Directional)
Mass Notification Horns (Omni-Directional)
Kahlenberg designs and manufactures emergency evacuation signaling products for use in wide area warning and mass notification systems. These warning horns are omni-directional for 360 degree sound coverage. A wide range of warm weather and cold arctic climate heated versions with explosion proof control solenoid valves are available. Designed to operate indoors in hazardous conditions as well as in the most severe outdoor applications, these mass notification horns are used in coal yards, chemical plants, refineries, open pit mines and industrial facilities as well as in public spaces such as campuses and golf courses for general warning, tornado warning, fire alarm and evacuation. The largest of these are used as tsunami warning devices. They are simply constructed and extremely reliable as compared to more complicated means of sound production.
Custom built wireless remote controlled evacuation and warning systems are also available that are stand alone, self powered units, independent of any external power connection.


text:
Women in Somalia have been forced to bear the brunt of the drought now taking place in the Horn of Africa region. The United Nations has delcared famine in two areas in the south of the country., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.
Somalia Famine Killed 260,000, Report Estimates
By JASON STRAZIUSO
NAIROBI, Kenya -- The 2011 Somali famine killed an estimated 260,000 people, half of them age 5 and under, according to a new report to be published this week that more than doubles previous death toll estimates, officials told The Associated Press.
The aid community believes that tens of thousands of people died needlessly because the international community was slow to respond to early signs of approaching hunger in East Africa in late 2010 and early 2011.
The toll was also exacerbated by extremist militants from al-Shabab who banned food aid deliveries to the areas of south-central Somalia that they controlled. Those same militants have also made the task of figuring out an accurate death toll extremely difficult.
A Western official briefed on the new report – the most authoritative to date – told AP that it says 260,000 people died, and that half the victims were 5 and under. Two other international officials briefed on the report confirmed that the toll was in the quarter-million range. All three insisted they not be identified because they were not authorized to share the report's contents before it is officially released.
The report is being made public Thursday by FEWSNET, a famine early warning system funded by the U.S. government's aid arm USAID, and by the Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit - Somalia, which is funded by the U.S. and Britain.
A previous estimate by the U.K. government said between 50,000 and 100,000 people died in the famine. The new report used research conducted by specialists experienced in estimating death tolls in emergencies and disasters. Those researchers relied on food and mortality data compiled by the Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit.
Because of the imprecise nature of the data available, the toll remains only an estimate.
When asked about the report, Somalia Health Minister Maryan Qasim Ahmed said she didn't want to comment until she read it because of questions she had about the accuracy of the figures.
Sikander Khan, the head of UNICEF in Somalia, also said he needed to look at the report's methodology before commenting specifically. But he said generally that the response to the famine was problematic because it depended on political dynamics. He said the international community needs to change the way it classifies famines.
"You lose children by the time people realize it's met the established definition of famine," he said.
Marthe Everard, the World Health Organization's country director for Somalia, said she has not yet seen the report but would not be surprised by such a high death toll.
"The Somalis themselves were shocked about the number of women and children dying," she said, adding later: "It should give us lessons learned, but what do we do with it? How do we correct it for next time?"
Much of the aid response came after pictures of weak and dying children were publicized by international media outlets around the time the U.N. declared a famine in July 2011.
"By then you are too late," Everard said.
A report last year by the aid groups Oxfam and Save the Children found that rich donor nations waited until the crisis was in full swing before donating a substantial amount of money. The report also said aid agencies were slow to respond.
Quicker action wouldn't have prevented the deaths in areas controlled by al-Shabab. The militant group prevented many men from leaving the famine-hit region and allowed no emergency food aid in.
Thousands of Somalis walked dozens or hundreds of miles to reach camps in Kenya and Ethiopia. Countless numbers of families lost children or elderly members along routes that became known as roads of death.