Wing 'Patriots For Europe' Alliance
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RFE/RL's Hungarian Service RL's Hungarian Service
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on June 30 announced alongside allies from Austria and the Czech Republic the imminent launch of a new political alliance that he vowed would "quickly" dominate the European political right.
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RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on June 30 announced alongside allies from Austria and the Czech Republic the imminent launch of a new political alliance that he vowed would "quickly" dominate the European political right.

Speaking at a press conference in Vienna flanked by "Patriots For Europe" signs, the national populist and strident Brussels critic added that "This will happen within days, and after that the sky is the limit."

Orban's right-wing Fidesz party has dominated Hungarian politics with a supermajority since 2010, but it has appeared isolated since quitting the center-right European People’s Party (EPP) group in the European Parliament under a threat of expulsion in 2021.

Despite an apparent setback for Orban's own Fidesz party in early June's European elections amid a challenge from party defector Peter Magyar's new movement at home, many right-wing parties in the European Union rode a surge of popularity to boost their gains in the European Parliament.

Orban was flanked at the announcement in Vienna by Austrian Freedom Party (FPO) President Herbert Kickl and the billionaire former Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis, who heads the ANO party.

"Today we are creating a political formation that I believe will multiply and very quickly become the largest faction of the European right," Orban said in a video of the event shared on Facebook and other social media.

But the Patriots For Europe project must first win further support, since those three allies so far fall short of the 23 representatives from at least seven member states required to form an official grouping in the European Parliament.

Budapest's influence will be amplified this week and for the remainder of 2024 as Hungary holds the six-month rotating EU Presidency.

It has announced that its goals include giving more space to more critical perspectives of the EU's mission and work.

Orban has hammered Brussels as his government imposed controversial laws on LGBT speech and clashed with the bloc over perceived backsliding on democratic and media freedoms.

He has also cozied up to Moscow diplomatically and economically while resisting EU and other sanctions imposed on Russia to punish its unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022 and refusing to join NATO and other Western efforts to help arm Kyiv.

"I think everybody is more or less aware that we are a very characteristically right-wing government," longtime Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto told a recent gathering. "We don't really like leaving doubts in this regard or any other."

Szijjarto added, "We serve as the evidence that, no, liberal mainstream is not the only way to go forward."

There is a "conservative, patriotic, right-wing, Christian Democratic way as well," that Fidesz represents, he said.

Hungary has been embroiled in rule-of-law and LGBT- and migrant-rights disputes with Brussels that have left tens of billions of euros in EU funds withheld despite an awkward compromise in January that released billions more in funds despite misgivings about judicial independence there.

Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya said she is pleased that 30 people have been pardoned in Belarus and released from jail but noted that the move barely makes a dent in the number of people imprisoned in the country "in politically motivated cases."

"I am very happy about the release of a number of political prisoners," Tsikhanouskaya said on August 16 on Telegram. "I am glad that families will finally be reunited -- and those who have not seen each other for weeks, months, and years will finally have the opportunity to hug and talk."

But she said the reality is that detentions in Belarus continue and the number of political prisoners is growing.

"More than 1,400 people are still behind bars in politically motivated cases. And there are those who will decide not to agree to the terms, and those who will never be offered them," she said. "Therefore, we will continue to be their voices and do everything in our power to ensure that each of these people is released as soon as possible."

A statement posted on the website of authoritarian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka's office earlier on August 16 said he signed a decree pardoning 14 women and 16 men who had been convicted of "crimes of a protest nature." Some of those pardoned have serious illnesses or are retirement age, the statement said.

The Vyasna human rights center earlier this week said it had received evidence that political prisoners throughout the country were being forced to write petitions for clemency to Lukashenka.

Vyasna reported last month that representatives of the Prosecutor-General's Office went to colony No. 1 in Novopolotsk every day and force political prisoners to write petitions for clemency.

In addition to her message on Telegram, Tsikhanouskaya posted a statement on her website saying that she talks about political prisoners in Belarus at every international meeting she attends.

"You know that this issue is particularly personal for me. The regime has kept my husband, Syarhey Tsikhanouski, out of public sight for 527 days. Our children ask about their father every day, and all I can do is comfort them with the hope that he will soon come back home," she said.

Tsikhanouskaya, 41, is a former teacher who ran for president in Belarus in 2020 after her husband was barred by the regime from doing so and imprisoned.

While the official results handed Lukashenka victory and his sixth consecutive term in office, the opposition and many Western governments and organizations say the poll was rigged and that Tsikhanouskaya was the actual winner.

She was forced to flee to Lithuania during a brutal crackdown on a wave of pro-democracy protests that erupted after the election.

Romanian gymnast Ana Maria Barbosu was awarded the bronze medal in the women's floor exercise at the Paris Olympics on August 16 in a ceremony in Bucharest amid controversy over who finished third in the competition.

"This result came after many years of work in the gym," Barbosu said, adding that the situation is "tough" for all the three gymnasts involved in the controversy, which arose after the bronze medal was awarded to U.S. gymnast Jordan Chiles after her coach appealed her score at the end of the competition on August 5.

"It's a tough situation for us, with so many uncertainties and overwhelming emotions. I hope everyone understands that we did nothing wrong at the Olympics. And that the Olympic spirit is more important than any misunderstanding between the authorities," she added.

Octavian Morariu, Romania's representative in the IOC, and Mihai Covaliu, president of the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee, awarded Barbosu in the Bucharest ceremony.

"Today only one thing happened: Justice was done.... Well done, Ana Maria," Morariu said.

On the night of the competition Chiles's score was increased to 13.766 from 13.666 after her coach appealed her marks, and this moved her into third place, knocking Barbosu off the podium and leaving Barbosu in tears.

Days later the Court of Arbitration (CAS) ruled that the inquiry was made past the 1-minute limit allowed under the rules of the International Gymnastics Federation, thus reinstating Chiles's original 13.666 score. The ruling bumped Barbosu back into the bronze position.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed on August 11 that Chiles must return the medal, but it is still unknown if Chiles has done so.

The medal that Barbosu received on August 16 is another medal sent by the IOC for the ceremony in Bucharest.

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While the IOC said it would respect the CAS ruling, USA Gymnastics said in a statement on August 12 that it would "continue to pursue every possible avenue and appeal process, including to the Swiss Federal Tribunal, to ensure the just scoring, placement, and medal award for Jordan."

Chiles herself has called the CAS panel's decision that she must return the medal "unjust" and has said she would "make every effort to ensure that justice is served."

USA Gymnastics said in a statement quoted by the Washington Post on August 14 that it had time-stamped video proving Landi initiated the inquiry 47 seconds after Chiles's score was posted. USA Gymnastics said the footage was not available to the organization at the time of the hearing, and said that it was given less than 24 hours' notice of the hearing.

USA Gymnastics said it was notified by the CAS on August 12 that its rules do not allow for the award to be reconsidered "even when conclusive new evidence is presented," adding that it was "deeply disappointed by the notification."

Since the CAS ruling, reports have surfaced that the chair of the panel appointed by the court to rule on the decision about the bronze medal originally awarded to Chiles included an official with ties to Romania. The reports cited documents that show Hamid Gharavi, a lawyer, previously represented Romania in international disputes.

Agents of the FBI have raided and searched the Virginia home of Dmitri Simes, a prominent political commentator and author who hosts a current-affairs program on Russia’s state-run Channel One television, the newspaper Rappahannock News reported on August 16.

The FBI told the paper the search began on August 13 but declined to comment further, RFE/RL's Russian Service reported.

Simes told the paper he is currently out of the country, but was "puzzled and concerned" by the FBI's action. He told the Russian state news agency TASS on August 16 that the reports that FBI agents were at his home were true, although he had not been officially notified.

Simes was born in Moscow in 1947 and emigrated to the United States in 1973. He served as an informal adviser to former U.S. President Richard Nixon and regularly traveled with Nixon to the Soviet Union and other Eastern bloc countries.

In 1994, Nixon named him to head the Center for the National Interest, which at the time was called the Nixon Center for Peace and Freedom. Simes retired from the position in 2022.

Simes also advised the 2016 presidential campaign of Donald Trump and arranged an important 2016 foreign-policy speech in which Trump outlined a vision for greater cooperation with Russia.

Simes's name was mentioned more than 100 times in a 2019 report by U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller entitled Report On The Investigation Into Russian Interference In The 2016 Presidential Election.

Simes moderated a question-and-answer session with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in 2023.

Earlier this month, Fox News reported that FBI agents had raided the New York home of Scott Ritter, a former UN weapons inspector in Iraq who has been a frequent contributor to Russian government media including RT and Sputnik. An FBI spokesperson told Fox the search was part of an "ongoing" investigation.

Ritter has supported Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine and in January he addressed thousands of Chechen soldiers on a central square in the Chechen capital, Grozny.

In June, U.S. authorities seized Ritter's passport and prevented him from travelling to the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

With reporting by TASS

Ukraine's top military commander, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskiy, said on August 16 that Kyiv's forces continue to advance in the Kursk region.

"The troops of the offensive group continue to fight, they have advanced in some directions from 1 to 3 kilometers toward the enemy. In general, the situation is under control. All measures are being carried out according to the plan," he said in a briefing with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy over video link.

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine

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Syrskiy reported fighting in the area of Malaya Loknya, some 11.5 kilometers from Ukrainian border.

The claims could not be independently verified.

Ukrainian forces also destroyed a key bridge in the Kursk region on August 16, pro-Kremlin media outlets report. According to Russian security officials, the destruction of the bridge cut off part of a local district making it more difficult for civilian evacuation out of the region.

Ukrainian troops launched the cross-border incursion on August 6 in an apparent attempt to divert the Russian military forces away from the front line. But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned on August 15 that Pokrovsk and other nearby towns in the Donetsk region of Ukraine were "facing the most intense Russian assaults."

The General Staff of the Ukrainian military, reporting on the situation within Ukraine, said the number of clashes on the front increased to 99 by the end of the day on August 16, and many of them were in the Pokrovsk area.

Military authorities in the city of Pokrovsk urged civilians to speed up their evacuation because Russian troops are "advancing at a fast pace." They said on Telegram that with every passing day "there is less and less time to collect personal belongings and leave for safer regions.”

Ukrainian forces fought battles in other areas, including Kupyansk, Kramatorsk, and Siverskiy, the General Staff said.

In addition to Pokrovsk, the enemy attacked in nine other areas, including in Kharkiv, the General Staff said, noting that some battles there also were ongoing.

Ukraine's human rights commissioner, Dmytro Lubinets, told RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service on August 16 that Kyiv will not create special camps for Russian civilians who want to evacuate amid an ongoing incursion in Russia's Kursk and Belgorod regions.

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The Ukrainian government said its advance was meant to establish a "security zone" inside Russia to put an end to incessant strikes by the Russian military from the two regions bordering Ukraine targeting civilian and infrastructure facilities.

Lubinets said that he did not envisage any threats to the security of the civilian population from the Russian region on the territory of Ukraine and that he thinks the number of civilians willing to evacuate to Ukraine will be limited.

"We do not expect that there will be a large number of people willing to come to us, if any. But I am definitely not worried about the fact that it will be dangerous for the civilian population from Kursk region.... We have offered each and every resident of Kursk the option to evacuate from this territory if they wish," Lubinets said.

"Ukraine will open humanitarian corridors. Either to the territory controlled by the Russian Federation, or to the territory of independent Ukraine. It should be the personal choice of any citizen who is currently there from among the civilians. We are definitely not going to violate their rights."

Lubinets has said the Ukrainian military strictly adheres to the obligations stipulated by the Geneva and Hague Conventions.

Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said Ukraine has set up storage facilities in the Sumy region for humanitarian aid meant for Russian civilians.

He didn't specify how many of the storage facilities had been set up or where they are, but a video on the ministry's Telegram account showed a large inflatable tent and Ukrainian military personnel carrying parcels and packing food.

During a trip to the Sumy region, which borders Russia's Kursk region, Klymenko said about 150 food parcels had been sent to civilians in the area. Citizens "abandoned by Russia" are mostly elderly people, people with disabilities, and families with children, he said, adding that they need food, water, and medicine."

The approach contrasts with the treatment that some Ukrainians who fled their homes said they were subjected to. They reported being forced to undergo "filtration" -- Moscow's alleged campaign to catch and punish perceived enemies or others deemed somehow unreliable from among the war's refugees. There also have been accusations that Ukrainians ensnared in the occupation forces' vetting were killed, "disappeared," or forcibly deported to Siberia and other Russian destinations.

Moscow has denied committing atrocities and routinely blames Ukrainian forces for civilian deaths and other abuses in a war that Russian censorship prohibits from being described as a "war" at all.

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On August 15, Russian presidential aide and Security Council head Nikolai Patrushev told the Izvestia newspaper that the Ukrainian incursion into Russia's western Kursk region launched on August 6 was "planned with the help of NATO and Western special services," repeating a claim made by numerous Russian officials in recent days.

Patrushev said assertions by the United States and other Western countries that they were not involved "are not true."

In a reaction to the events in Kursk and Belgorod regions, the supreme commander of NATO forces in Europe, U.S. General Christopher Cavoli, said Russia's reaction to the Ukrainian advance into its territory had so far been sluggish and messy.

"Russia is still trying to pull together a response to Ukraine's incursion. So far, it has only been a rather slow and scattered reaction. This is partly because Russia hasn't established who has the authority. The Ministry of Defense is responsible for military actions inside Ukraine, but not within Russia, right? So, it should be the Ministry of Internal Affairs," Cavoli said at an event at the Council on Foreign Relations on August 15.

Russian authorities closed the Kerch Bridge, which links Russia with Ukraine's occupied Crimea region, for more than four hours in the early morning hours after explosions were heard in the area.

A backlog of vehicles numbered about 2,000 waiting to cross the span early on August 16.

The blasts caused slight damage in the city of Kerch and were believed to be the result of a Ukrainian drone attack. The pro-Russian Telegram channel Crimean Wind published single footage purporting to show an explosion and claiming it had caused "a large fire."

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 19-kilometer-long Kerch Bridge, with spans for both vehicular and rail traffic, was opened in 2018 and serves as an important supply route for Russian forces occupying parts of southern Ukraine. It was damaged by Ukrainian attacks in October 2022 and July 2023 and has frequently been closed during security incidents.

Russia's Defense Ministry said on August 15 that its air defenses had "repelled" an overnight attack that included 12 U.S.-provided ATACMS missiles and targeted the Kerch Bridge. All the missiles were reportedly "destroyed," the ministry said.

The claim could not be independently verified.

Three drones were reportedly shot down near the port city of Sevastopol, which is home to Russia's Black Sea Fleet.

In all, the ministry said on August 15 it had "neutralized" 5 Ukrainian flying drones and five sea-based drones overnight.

"Mi-8 and Ka-29 helicopters from the Black Sea Fleet's marine air force destroyed five unmanned boats heading toward the Crimean Peninsula," the ministry's statement said.

There were social-media reports of blasts near the Chornomorsk district and the Crimean capital, Simferopol.

There were no reports of serious damage, and the Ukrainian military did not comment on the reports.

Elsewhere, authorities in the Siberian region of Irkutsk said that one crew member of a Tu-22M3 bomber that crashed during a training exercise on August 14 had died. Three others were rescued and have been hospitalized, Irkutsk region Governor Igor Kobzev wrote on Telegram.

The cause of the crash was not reported by Russian authorities.

The European Union has told Serbia that maintaining ties with Russia during its war of aggression against Ukraine is not compatible with EU values and the accession process.

"The European Union has been crystal clear with our partners: Relations with Russia cannot be business as usual after Russia's unprovoked and unjustified aggression against Ukraine," an EU statement said on August 15 in response to an RFE/RL inquiry.

Brussels also said that the EU "wants to count on all candidate countries as reliable European partners for common principles, values, security, and prosperity."

The reaction followed meetings between Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin and Kremlin officials in Moscow this week along with claims of intelligence cooperation with Russia.

Vulin has met several government officials during a four-day visit to Moscow, including First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov on August 15.

"Relations between the two countries, despite numerous challenges, are at a high level," according to a statement from the Serbian government after the meeting.

Vulin and Manturov “reviewed the outcomes of the discussions between the Serbian Vice Prime Minister and Russian ministers…and agreed that, despite the good cooperation, there is room for further improvement," the statement said.

Vulin also met on August 15 with Russian Energy Minister Sergei Tsivilyov and expressed gratitude for natural gas deliveries that he said ensure Serbia's energy security.

Serbia is entirely dependent on Russian gas but has taken the first steps toward energy diversification.

Vulin met on August 14 with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow to discuss "further improving the Serbian-Russian strategic partnership," the Serbian government said in a statement.

He repeated that he is proud that Serbia is "not part of the anti-Russian hysteria" and has not joined the Western sanctions on Moscow imposed in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

At the start of his visit Vulin thanked Russian security structures "for the warning about preparations for mass unrest and attempts at a coup" in Serbia.

The government has described recent mass protests against lithium mining as a "coup attempt," and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic accused unnamed Western countries of being behind the protests.

Vucic said warnings from Russian services had arrived in Serbia before a mass protest on August 11 advising that the ultimate goal of the demonstration was the overthrow of the country's leadership.

The Serbian government and the Security Information Agency (BIA) have not responded to RFE/RL's request for information that was provided to Belgrade by Russian services.

There has also been no answer to the question of what evidence supports the claim that the lithium protests are an attempt to overthrow the government and that they are supported by Western countries.

Organizers have repeatedly denied that the protest aimed to overthrow the government.

"Government changes through elections; if anyone expected to come to power on our backs, they were mistaken. The aim of the protest is to gather people and show the world how many are against the lithium mining project," Nebojsa Petkovic of the organization We Will Not Give Up Jadar, told RFE/RL.

The organization was formed in the village of Gornje Nedeljice in western Serbia, where multinational giant Rio Tinto plans begin mining for lithium.

Opposition to the project has come from citizens who believe it could have negative environmental impacts.

Petkovic said We Will Not Give Up Jadar "is not funded by foreigners but by the people of Serbia who donate."

Romanian gymnast Ana Maria Barbosu will be awarded the bronze medal in the women's floor exercise on August 16 in a ceremony in Bucharest, but the controversy over who finished third in the competition at the Paris Olympics is far from settled.

The Romanian Olympics Sports Committee announced the ceremony in a press release on August 13, saying that Octavian Morariu, a member of the International Olympic Committee for Romania, and Mihai Covaliu, president of the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee, will present the medal to Barbosu.

The event will take place on the esplanade of the Olympic House on August 16 starting at 3:30 p.m. Bucharest time.

The controversy arose after the medal was awarded to U.S. gymnast Jordan Chiles after her coach appealed her score at the end of the competition on August 5.

Chiles's score was increased to 13.766 from 13.666 after U.S. coach Cecile Landi appealed a deduction that Chiles had received on one element, known as a tour jete full. The appeal, known as an inquiry in gymnastics, wiped away the deduction, moved Chiles into third, and knocked Barbosu off the podium.

Days later the Court of Arbitration (CAS) ruled that the inquiry was made past the 1-minute limit allowed under the rules of the International Gymnastics Federation, thus reinstating Chiles's original 13.666 score. The ruling bumped Barbosu back into the bronze position.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed on August 11 that Chiles must return the medal, but it is still unknown if Chiles has done so or if Barbosu will be receiving a new one.

Chiles called the CAS panel's decision that she must return the medal “unjust” and a “significant blow” in a message posted on social media on August 15.

“I am now confronted with one of the most challenging moments of my career,” Chiles posted. “Believe me when I say I have had many. I will approach the challenge as I have others -- and will make every effort to ensure that justice is done. I believe that at the end of this journey, the people in control will do the right thing.”

She also said that "unprompted racially driven attacks on social media" had added to the heartbreak, calling them "wrong and extremely hurtful."

While the IOC said it would respect the CAS ruling, USA Gymnastics said in a statement on August 12 that it would "continue to pursue every possible avenue and appeal process, including to the Swiss Federal Tribunal, to ensure the just scoring, placement, and medal award for Jordan."

USA Gymnastics said in a statement quoted by the Washington Post on August 14 that it had time-stamped video proving Landi initiated the inquiry 47 seconds after Chiles's score was posted. USA Gymnastics said the footage was not available to the organization at the time of the hearing, and said that it was given less than 24 hours' notice of the hearing.

USA Gymnastics said it was notified by the CAS on August 12 that its rules do not allow for the award to be reconsidered "even when conclusive new evidence is presented," adding that it was "deeply disappointed by the notification."

Since the CAS ruling, reports have surfaced that the chair of the panel appointed by the court to rule on the decision about the bronze medal originally awarded to Chiles included an official with ties to Romania. The reports cited documents that show Hamid Gharavi, a lawyer, previously represented Romania in international disputes.

Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny, said on August 15 that a three-page document provided by Russian authorities offered no convincing explanation for his death in prison six months ago.

Navalnaya said in a video posted on YouTube that she had received "the first and only" official document on the cause and circumstances of Navalny's death: a three-page document stating it had not been the result of a crime and there were consequently no grounds for a criminal investigation.

Navalnaya, who lives in exile, said everyone wants to know what really happened: how Navalny died, who was with him at the time, what medical aid was provided, and other questions such as whether there were attempts to save him and why it took so long to release his body.

“There are still a thousand questions hanging in the air,” she said.

Navalny died on February 16 in an Arctic prison where he was serving a lengthy sentence on what he and his supporters said were politically motivated charges.

Navalnaya said lawyers for Navalny have been seeking autopsy results, medical documents, and video footage from his cell and the courtyard and medical office of the prison "and after six months, this is all we've been given -- a half-page of explanation."

The document attributes his death to a "combined illness," including a gall-bladder infection, a slipped disc, and staphylococcus infection, with cardiac arrhythmia ultimately causing death.

"When I first saw these pathetic three pages, I couldn't believe my eyes," Navalnaya said. "It's another pathetic attempt to cover up what really happened: a murder."

Navalnaya noted that every third Russian had illnesses of the kind described in the document but did not die from them. In addition, Navalny underwent a comprehensive medical examination when he entered the prison that had turned up no evidence of such ailments.

She also recalled how the day before his death he was seen in a video attending a court hearing and "feeling fine, smiling, even joking with the judge," she said.

The document, which has been posted in full on Navalny's website, was signed by investigative official Aleksandr Varapayev. Varapayev was the official in the Russian Investigative Committee who refused to hand over Navalny's body to his mother unless she agreed to hold his funeral in private. According to Russian media reports, Varapayev was promoted after the events.

Leonid Volkov, an opposition activist who was close to Navalny, also criticized the official document. The investigators took six months to formulate their version of events, and it revealed nothing, he wrote on Telegram.

Navalnaya remains under an arrest warrant in Russia that was upheld on August 7 by a Moscow City Court. She is charged with taking part in an extremist group's activities and was added to Russia's wanted list in July.

The arrest warrant was issued less than two weeks after Navalnaya was elected to head the Human Rights Foundation, a New York-based nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and protecting human rights around the world.

Kosovar President Vjosa Osmani said on August 15 the country must ensure that the main bridge in Mitrovica, which divides the northern city into an Albanian-majority southern side and a Serb-majority northern side, is opened in a way that does not provoke conflict with Kosovo's international partners.

The country’s prime minister, Albin Kurti, announced at the beginning of August plans to open the bridge to vehicle traffic, a move that was opposed by members of both NATO and Quint, an informal decision-making group consisting of the United States, France, Germany, Italy, and Britain.

The announcement sparked protests by Serbs in northern Kosovo, who expressed concerns that the move would increase ethnic tensions and impact their safety.

Kosovo and Serbia reached an agreement about the bridge in Brussels in 2014 and the European Union funded its revitalization worth 1.5 million euros. The bridge was supposed to open in 2017, but it is currently open only for pedestrians.

The U.S. ambassador to Pristina, Jeffrey Hovenier, has said that, while the United States believes the bridge should ultimately be open to vehicles, "this is not the time," due to security concerns.

"We believe there's a real risk associated with taking this action right now," he said in an interview with RFE/RL's Kosovo Service on August 13, citing potential violence and threats to NATO soldiers, including Americans.

The European Union has repeated its stance that the issue of opening of the bridge in Mitrovica should be resolved within the framework of official dialogue.

Osmani said that the bridge in Mitrovica "must absolutely be opened."

“But we must ensure that when it is opened, it remains open permanently, [and] that its opening doesn’t lead to a much greater NATO presence there,” she told reporters on August 15 during a visit to the southern town of Viti.

NATO forces have been operating in Kosovo to maintain peace and stability since 1999, when the Western military alliance intervened to stop escalating violence being perpetrated by Serbian forces against ethnic Albanians in what was then a province of Serbia.

Kosovo went on to declare independence in 2008, but neither Serbia, nor its traditional ally Russia have recognized its sovereignty.

Soldiers from NATO's mission to Kosovo, KFOR, are currently stationed on the bridge in Mitrovica, while members of the Kosovo Police patrol nearby.

“Is it in Kosovo's interest to see conflict between Kosovo police and an American soldier? I don't believe there is any Albanian who would agree with that. We have no reason for a conflict with our allies. They have saved us," Osmani added.

KFOR has said it could "adjust" its presence "as needed and will not hesitate to act in response to any significant security developments and in accordance with our UN mandate."

Kurti has defended the plans to open the bridge, saying his government will continue consultations with international partners.

Osmani, however, dismissed the EU position that the issue of opening of the bridge in Mitrovica should be resolved within the official dialogue with Serbia.

“I oppose in every way the discussion of the bridge opening in Brussels. We have no reason to ask Serbia," she said.

Osmani was elected president in 2021 with the support of Kurti's party, Vetevendosje (Self-Determination), but the two have recently disagreed on issues like the level of coordination with Kosovo's international allies.

Kosovo's plan to open the bridge in Mitrovica comes amid rising tensions in the Serb-majority north of the country.

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Earlier in August, the Kosovar authorities closed down nine branches of the Serbian post office in the north after determining that they were operating illegally and without a license, a move that was criticized by the United States and the European Union, which have mediated Serbia-Kosovo relations for over a decade.

There are an estimated 120,000 ethnic Serbs living in Kosovo, mostly in the north, and many still receive benefits or pensions from Serbia.

Bulgarian President Rumen Radev has signed into law a recently adopted amendment banning LGBT "promotion" in schools despite calls to veto it from Bulgarian intellectuals as rights groups staged a protest against the measure on August 15.

The law, which bans "propaganda, promotion, or incitement" in the education system of "ideas and views related to nontraditional sexual orientation and/or gender identity other than the biological one," will be published in the August 16 issue of Bulgaria’s State Gazette.

Hundreds of Bulgarian academics urged President Rumen Radev in an open letter to veto the amendment.

The changes aim to tackle "a problem that does not exist" in Bulgaria's school system, the letter says, and would instead "normalize political attacks" on the LGBT community.

The Council of Europe commissioner for human rights, Michael O'Flaherty, had also called on Radev not to sign the law, adding that he was "deeply concerned" by the ban.

Radev did not comment on the calls, but his press service said he "has expressed his attitude to the changes" by signing them into law.

Hundreds of people demanded Radev's resignation at a protest in Sofia on August 15, chanting "Fascism kills, power covers up" and "Shame on you."

The protesters initially demanded the president veto the "disgraceful" bill, but after it became clear that Radev signed it into law, the protesters demanded his resignation and its repeal.

"We are here because we will not tolerate falling into the black hole of fascism," said one of the protesters, addressing the crowd in front of the presidency.

A counterprotest of the pro-Russian party Vazrazhdane took place simultaneously at a different venue in the capital.

The separate protests took place under an increased police presence.

The amendment was proposed by the pro-Russian far-right Revival party and passed with 159 votes in favor, 20 against, and 10 abstentions.

Lawmakers also voted on another amendment to the education law, which defines "nontraditional sexual orientation" as "different from the generally accepted and established notions...[of] attraction between persons of opposite sexes."

The text also passed but with a smaller majority.

Supporters of the amendments have said they reflect the spirit of Bulgaria's constitution, which stipulates marriage is only between a man and a woman and is based on Orthodox Christian values.

The Bulgarian Orthodox Church welcomed the amendments in a statement published on August 8.

But many rights groups have criticized the move, calling it "an attack" on children's rights.

"The proponents of the law, the Revival party, and all those who voted in favor of the law claim that this is to protect young people," LGBT advocacy group ILGA-Europe said in a statement.

"However, the truth is that this is an attack on the rights of children, particularly LGBTI children," the statement said.

Domestic and international LGBT groups have said the wording of the Bulgarian legal changes has similarities to "LGBT propaganda" laws in Russia and Hungary, which have been criticized by rights groups for violating freedom of expression and promoting discrimination and abuse against LGBT people.

Researchers and human rights organizations routinely place Bulgaria among the worst countries in Europe for its record on LGBT rights.

A Russian court in Yekaterinburg has sentenced dual U.S.-Russian citizen Ksenia Karelina to 12 years in prison after convicting her of treason for transferring $51 to a Ukrainian aid charity in early 2022.

The verdict was rendered on August 15 by Sverdlovsk regional court Judge Andrei Mineyev after prosecutors had sought a 15-year prison term for Karelina, who is also known by her marital surname Khavana.

Karelina’s lawyer, Mikhail Mushailov, said his client admitted making the donation, but planned to appeal the verdict.

The verdict came one day after a Moscow court gave a U.S. citizen identified as Joseph Tater a 15-day jail term for "petty hooliganism."

Karelina, 33, moved to the United States in 2015, married a U.S. citizen, and received U.S. citizenship in 2021.

The U.S. State Department is aware of Karelina’s verdict, spokesman Vedant Patel said, adding that Russia "has a track record of…not recognizing their (dual nationals') American citizen status and frankly being uncooperative when it comes to…meeting their obligations under consular conventions."

She was arrested in Yekaterinburg in January on suspicion of petty hooliganism.

On February 7, however, treason charges were filed against her after investigators learned that on the second day of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, she had transferred $51 to Razom, a Ukrainian aid group that helps civilians affected by the war.

Patel reiterated that donating to a nonprofit, NGO, or supporting the Ukrainian cause and its people, especially on American soil, is not a crime. Patel also strongly condemn the Kremlin's "escalating domestic repression."

Lawyer Mushailov said prosecutors found evidence of the donation on her mobile phone.

In February, Razom co-founder Dora Chomiak appealed to the U.S. government to "continue doing everything possible to demand that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin free all those unjustly detained in Russia."

Mineyev was the same judge who in July sentenced U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich to 16 years in prison on espionage charges.

The Wall Street Journal correspondent was then included in a large prisoner exchange on August 1 that also included RFE/RL journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, and several imprisoned Russian dissidents.

According to rights groups, nearly 900 Russians have been convicted of treason, espionage, or cooperation with foreign governments since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

At least 1.4 million girls in Afghanistan have been denied access to secondary education since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, UNESCO, the United Nations' cultural agency, said on August 15.

"In just three years, the de facto authorities have almost wiped out two decades of steady progress for education in Afghanistan, and the future of an entire generation is now in jeopardy," the agency said in a statement.

It comes as the Taliban marked three years since its forces seized Afghanistan's capital, Kabul, on August 15, 2021, after the U.S.-backed government collapsed and its leaders fled into exile.

Since the Taliban's return to power, women have been squeezed from public life -- banned from many jobs as well as parks and gyms -- and barred from secondary and higher education.

The restrictions amount to what the United Nations has described as "gender apartheid."

There are now nearly 2.5 million girls deprived of their right to education, representing 80 percent of Afghan school-age girls, UNESCO said. This represents an increase of 300,000 since the previous count carried out by the UN agency in April 2023.

"As a result of bans imposed by the de facto authorities, at least 1.4 million girls have been deliberately denied access to secondary education since 2021," UNESCO said.

Access to primary education has also fallen sharply, with 1.1 million fewer girls and boys attending school, the agency added. It blamed the drop on the authorities' decision to ban female teachers from teaching boys as well as the lack of incentive for parents to send children to school.

The agency is "alarmed by the harmful consequences of this increasingly massive drop-out rate, which could lead to a rise in child labor and early marriage."

Enrolment in higher education is equally concerning, the statement said, adding that the number of university students had decreased by 53 percent since 2021.

UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay urged the international community to remain mobilized "to obtain the unconditional reopening of schools and universities to Afghan girls and women."

Lack of access to education has been among the main points of criticism by Afghans toward the Taliban authorities.

"There are those who are not literate enough, and more importantly, a part of society, women, are deprived of education, and this is a big problem for the people of Afghanistan," a male resident of the northern Balkh Province who preferred not to be named due to security concerns, told RFE/RL's Radio Azadi.

"The issues of education -- women's education and work -- and their participation at national and international level have been completely nullified and pushed to the sidelines," a female resident of Kabul, who also preferred not to be named, said.

The Taliban celebrates their return to power both in mid-August around the date Kabul fell and at the end of the month, when the last U.S.-led international troops left Afghanistan.

The withdrawal, agreed by the United States and the Taliban on February 29, 2020, allowed the radical Islamist movement's return to power 20 years after being ousted by U.S. forces following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States.

The Taliban government remains unrecognized by any other state.

WATCH: Rights groups have documented targeted killings, disappearances, and extrajudicial arrests of hundreds of former Afghan service personnel, while RFE/RL has spoken to two women who say they live in fear due to their past roles in the military.

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International aid organizations have warned that millions of Afghans struggle in "one of the world's largest and most complex humanitarian crises, three years after the change in power."

"Heavily dependent on humanitarian aid, Afghans are trapped in cycles of poverty, displacement, and despair," a statement by 10 aid groups -- including Save the Children, World Vision, Islamic Relief Worldwide, and the International Rescue Committee -- said on August 13.

Women and girls are among the most seriously affected by this humanitarian crisis, Human Rights Watch has said. The Taliban has created "the world's most serious women's rights crisis," the organization said on August 11.

With reporting by AFP

A former RFE/RL correspondent in Turkmenistan has died at his home in the northern Turkmen city of Koneurgench following a long illness that supporters say was brought on by pressure from the authorities over his journalistic activity.

Hudaiberdy Allashov died on August 13 at the age of 35 and was buried the following day, RFE/RL's Turkmen Service, known as Azatlyk in Turkmen, reported.

Using the pseudonym Mekan Tashliyev, Allashov worked with RFE/RL for three months in 2016. Among other topics, he reported on the government's use of forced labor to harvest cotton in the Dashoguz area, food shortages, and wage arrears among state officials.

In December 2016, he and his mother were arrested and accused of possession of chewing tobacco, which is illegal in the authoritarian former Soviet republic. RFE/RL reported that authorities in Dashoguz had learned Allashov's identity the day of his arrest.

Sources told RFE/RL that he was tortured by police in Koneurgench, including with electric shocks. Police also questioned his wife and two young children.

In February 2017, Allashov and his mother were given three-year suspended prison sentences, following calls by diplomats and rights groups for their release. Fearing for his safety, Allashov stopped working with RFE/RL.

Allashov was arrested again in October 2019 and was beaten during several hours of interrogation. His mother, Kurbantach Arazmedova, fell ill under the stress of her son's arrest and died in a hospital of a heart attack.

During police interrogation in November 2019, Allashov said, he was told that the authorities would not leave him alone "until they drove him to his grave."

Allashov was arrested again in December 2023 and told by police that this time he would be imprisoned "for a long time." But following action by rights groups and diplomats, he was given a 15-day jail sentence.

Allashov is survived by his wife and two minor children.