Zelenskiy Warns 'War' Coming To Russia After Drone Attack Closes Moscow's Vnukovo Airport (www.rferl.org)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has warned that it was “inevitable” that “war” would come to Russia after authorities there were forced to temporarily close a busy Moscow airport following an overnight drone attack on the capital.
China Introduces Strict Rules In Xinjiang On Islam, Other Religions (www.rferl.org)
In a move set to tighten government control over practicing religion in China’s western Xinjiang Province, the Muslim-majority region will introduce a set of regulations that – among other things – will require all new places of worship to reflect “Chinese characteristics and style.”...
Estonia Says Russia Is Preparing For A Military Confrontation With The West (www.rferl.org)
Financial Times: “Russia intends to double the number of its troops stationed along its border with the Baltic states and Finland as it prepares for a potential military conflict with NATO within the next decade, according to Estonia’s foreign intelligence service.”
Ukraine Awaits Delivery Of First F-16 Jets In Coming Days As Kyiv Seeks To Counter Russian Air Superiority (www.rferl.org)
KYIV – Ukraine will likely receive it first shipment of advanced F-16s in the next few days, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte told President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in a phone call as Kyiv seeks to disrupt Russia’s air superiority over Ukrainian skies amid continued battles on December 23 in the east and south of the country....
Russian Anti-War Activist Sentenced To Six Years In Prison For Internet Posts (www.rferl.org)
A court in the Russian city of St. Petersburg sentenced anti-war activist Olga Smirnova to six years in prison on August 30 on a charge of spreading fake news about the armed forces. Smirnova was also banned from administering websites for three years. Prosecutors asked for a seven-year sentence....
West Must Be Prepared For War With Russia, NATO Official Warns Ahead Of Major Military Drills (www.rferl.org)
Russian Parliament To Consider Seizing Property Of Citizens Who Criticize War (www.rferl.org)
The head of Russia’s parliament said he plans to submit legislation next week that would allow the state to seize the property of “scoundrels” who criticize the war in Ukraine....
Guard At One Of Putin's Palaces Flees To Ecuador, Criticizes War And Kremlin Leader (www.rferl.org)
A guard at one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s residences in occupied Crimea has fled to Ecuador, calling the Kremlin leader a war criminal....
Tajikistan Set To Outlaw Islamic Hijab After Years Of Unofficial Ban (www.rferl.org)
After graduating from medical school, Salomat had to settle for working as a masseuse at a Dushanbe beauty salon because hospitals in Tajikistan don’t allow the Islamic hijab, which she wears....
Kazakhstan To Cull Thousands Of Once-Endangered Antelope As Numbers Rebound (www.rferl.org)
Zelenskiy proposes bill allowing Ukrainian citizenship for foreign fighters (www.rferl.org)
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy marked Ukraine’s Day of Unity with the introduction of a draft law that allows multiple citizenships, a move that would make it possible for foreign fighters and ethnic Ukrainians outside the country to hold Ukrainian passports while not giving up other citizenship....
'A Spectacle, A Farce, A Rigged Clown Show': Russia Watches As Putin Cruises Toward A Fifth Term (www.rferl.org)
With all political opposition eliminated and Russia firmly in the grip of what analysts call “mature authoritarianism,” the country prepares for a March presidential vote devoid of competition and, if the Kremlin has its way, ushers Vladimir Putin into another six-year term without surprises.
With Zelenskiy At NATO HQ, U.S. Announces Fresh $200 Million Military Aid Package For Ukraine (www.rferl.org)
The United States said it would give Ukraine a new military aid package worth $200 million as President Volodymyr Zelenskiy traveled to NATO’s headquarters in Belgium to press for more support for his war-ravaged country ahead of the onset of the cold season....
Iran's Repression Of Baha'is Amounts To 'Crime Against Humanity,' Says Rights Watchdog (www.rferl.org)
Putin Fears Navalny Funeral Could Trigger Mass Demonstrations, Khodorkovsky Says (www.rferl.org)
The government of Russian President Vladimir Putin is likely refusing to release the body of opposition leader Aleksei Navalny, who died suspiciously in prison on February 16, because it fears a massive outpouring of grief and support just ahead of the March presidential election, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, a leading Russian...
Death Toll From Russian Bombing Of Kharkiv Hardware Store Climbs To 16* (www.rferl.org)
kyivindependent.com/update-14-killed-in-russian-s…...
'Simply Medieval': Russian Soldiers Held In Pits And Cellars For Refusing To Fight In Ukraine (www.rferl.org)
A Russian soldier on July 13 was convicted of insubordination. An independent Russian news outlet reports he was among a group of conscripts held in a cellar for refusing to fight in Ukraine.
U.S. Ambassador Issues Rare Statement On Warning Before Russia's Crocus Massacre (www.rferl.org)
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....
More than 42,000 Russian troops killed in Ukraine since launch of full-scale invasion (www.rferl.org)
At least 42,284 Russian military personnel have been killed since the start of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, according to research by journalists from Mediazona and the BBC Russian Service who have established the deceased soldiers’ identities....
Kyrgyzstan Calls On Citizens Not To Travel To Russia (www.rferl.org)
Russia Overtakes Saudi Arabia To Become Largest Supplier Of Oil To China (www.rferl.org)
Russia last year overtook Saudi Arabia to become the largest supplier of oil to China, Reuters reported, citing Chinese import data....
Iranian Authorities Seize Sakharov Prize Awarded To Honor Mahsa Amini, Rights Groups Say (www.rferl.org)
Iranian authorities have seized the prestigious Sakharov Prize that was awarded by the European Parliament to honor Mahsa Amini, whose September 2022 death in custody sparked nationwide anti-government protests and who came to symbolize battle for human rights for Iranian women....
Cruise Ship With Russian Tourists Leaves Georgian Port Amid Public Protests (www.rferl.org)
The Astoria Grande cruise ship, carrying some 800 passengers including Russians, was forced to leave the Georgian Black Sea port of Batumi on July 27 upon arriving there the same day from the Russia port of Sochi, after groups of Georgians protested its presence there.