Ikea Pulls Meatballs Over Horse DNA (2024)

February 25, 2013

Swedish furniture giant Ikea has withdrawn some of its meatballs in 14 European countries after horse meat was discovered in the Swedish-made product in the Czech Republic.

On February 25, Czech inspectors said they had found horse DNA in meatballs made in Sweden for Ikea while testing samples collected at the company's branch in the city of Brno.

The meatballs were labeled as containing beef and pork.

Ikea spokeswoman Ylva Magnusson said meatballs from the same batch have been pulled from shelves in Sweden, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, France, Britain, Portugal, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Cyprus, Greece, and Ireland.

She said other shipments of meatballs were not affected.

The scandal over mislabeled horse meat began in Europe last month, after horse DNA was found in frozen burgers labeled as beef in British and Irish supermarkets.

It has led to a series of product withdrawals and sparked government investigations into the food-processing industry.

Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP

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June 21, 2024

Hungary, led by the Donald Trump-friendly Prime Minister Viktor Orban, has announced a new motto for when it takes over the European Union's rotating presidency next month: "Make Europe Great Again."

The decision by Budapest to use the motto that emulates Trump's "Make America Great Again" slogan, has been met with incredulity among EU officials, who see it, as one told RFE/RL, as "jaw-dropping."

"We know them, and we are not stupid, so we see it for what it is: trolling, by lack of any substantive policy," said another diplomatic source from a Western EU nation.

In announcing the slogan, the Hungarian presidency made no mention of Trump or the motto emblazoned on the red hats of almost every one of his supporters, saying it was inspired by the "world-famous Hungarian invention, the Rubik's cube," a puzzle created by Erno Rubik half a century ago.

But Trump and Orban enjoy a close political relationship that both have played up over the years.

In March, the Hungarian politician known for his populist, right-wing views visited Trump at his Mar-a-Lago U.S. compound where the former president said there's "no better leader" than Orban.

Countries are allowed to adopt a slogan for their EU presidency -- Hungary officially takes its seat on July 1 -- and they rarely consult with the other 26 EU member states if they do.

One official from the European Parliament admitted to RFE/RL that "everyone was first shocked. We thought it was a joke but then everyone said the same: classic Orban."

"Classic Orban" has come to mean a thorn in the side of Brussels in recent years.

Orban, who has governed Hungary with a parliamentary supermajority since 2010, has angered many leaders in the EU with perceived attacks on democracy and the bloc's founding principles and inclusivity, his opposition to sanctions on Russia and military aid for Ukraine, and his close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

His Fidesz party campaigned heavily during European parliamentary elections earlier this month on Hungarians' fears of being drawn into the war in neighboring Ukraine.

Fidesz won 11 of Hungary's 21 European Parliament seats, but that is one fewer than it previously held as Peter Magyar, a former Orban loyalist mounted a more EU-friendly challenge with a new party, Respect and Freedom (Tisza), that took seven seats.

These days the EU presidency is largely symbolic. Since 2009 there is a permanent President of the European Council, currently held by the Belgian Charles Michel, who chairs the important EU summits of leaders.

Officials from the presidency holder are essentially tasked with chairing ministerial meetings and diplomatic working groups in Brussels.

While a country often tries to add a certain "accent" to its presidency by pushing a particular political file, the main task tends to be one of an honest broker, trying to forge compromises between EU member states.

Many diplomats have said they doubt Budapest will be able to impact policy too much since the agenda for the second half of 2024 will be dominated by filling the bloc's tops jobs and getting a new European Commission, the EU's executive body, in place by the end of the year.

One official told RFE/RL that while the Hungarian motto "is of course provocative...luckily, Hungary doesn't have the influence in the EU that Orban thinks and wants."

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June 21, 2024

DUSHANBE -- The former chairman of Tajikistan's parliament, which was known as the Supreme Council until the early 1990s, has reportedly been detained on unspecified charges.

Several sources told RFE/RL on June 21 that Akbarshoh Iskandarov was summoned to the Prosecutor-General's Office for questioning on June 13 and 14 and has been held in custody since the second visit.

They added that about 50 people in total were summoned to the Prosecutor-General's Office at the time, all of whom were released but ordered not to leave Dushanbe.

Neither Tajik officials nor Iskandarov's relatives would comment on the situation.

The 73-year-old veteran politician briefly served as the acting president of the Central Asian nation in the wake of uprisings in the early 1990s that led to a devastating five-year civil war that started in 1992.

Recently, Iskandarov worked at the Tajik Science Academy's Institute of Philosophy, Political Sciences, and Law.

In the past, he served as Tajikistan's ambassador to Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and Turkmenistan.

RFE/RL's Tajik Service sent an official query to the Prosecutor-General's Office asking for comments regarding the case but did not receive a response.

A day earlier, several other sources told RFE/RL that Tajik authorities had detained former Foreign Minister Hamrohkhon Zarifi on unspecified charges last week.

One source close to law enforcement said Zarifi was suspected of financial crimes related to the construction of the Foreign Ministry's new building.

Zarifi served as the tightly controlled former Soviet republic’s foreign minister from 2006 to 2013. From 2015 until his retirement in 2018, Zarifi served as Tajikistan's ambassador to Japan.

Last week, investigators also arrested lawmaker Saidjafar Usmonzoda on a charge of "usurping power." No further explanation of the charge was given, and it remains unclear if the arrests are linked.

On June 14, Tajik Prosecutor-General Yusuf Rahmon publicly said that "Usmonzoda and other individuals" are suspected of attempted power seizure.

Rahmon did not specify who the "others" were.

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June 21, 2024

SOFIA -- Caretaker Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev and Russia-friendly President Rumen Radev will jointly represent Bulgaria at the NATO summit in Washington next month that is likely to discuss plans for further aid to Ukraine in its fight against the Kremlin's forces.

The announcement appears to be somewhat of an awkward compromise of a dispute between Bulgaria's Council of Ministers and the presidency just ahead of the June 21 deadline for delegations to register for the July 9-11 NATO gathering.

As a parliamentary republic, Bulgaria traditionally would be represented by the head of government, the prime minister.

However, Glavchev, serving in a caretaker role, asked parliament to decide whether he or the president should go to the summit.

The parliament, led Boyko Borisov's GERB party, declined to make a decision in the dispute, leading Glavchev to announced that both will attend.

"It was decided that the National Assembly will not take a position. Glavchev should decide for himself what he intends to do -- whether he should go, whether the president should go," said Tsoncho Ganev, deputy chairman of the parliament, according to BTA.

Radev has long taken what critics say is a Kremlin-friendly position following Russia’s February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

He has argued that sending military aid to Kyiv only prolongs the conflict and that those supporting further aid to Ukraine are "warmongering."

Radev's attendance was supported by the pro-Russia Socialist and Revival parties.

The president's backers say Radev, as commander-in-chief of the military, should represent Bulgaria at a NATO summit, while opponents say that role is only effective during time of war.

Delyan Peevski, head of the liberal Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) party, said Glavchev should represent Bulgaria to prevent Radev from pressing any pro-Russia positions at the summit.

"Radev should not be allowed to use this highest NATO forum to spread Russian propaganda and instill fear in Bulgarian society, which we have witnessed in scandalous cases," said Peevski, who has been sanctioned by the United States and Britain for alleged corruption but positions himself as a guarantor of "Bulgaria's unwavering value of belonging to Euro-Atlanticism."

Former Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov of the reformist We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria coalition, also called for Glavchev to represent the country at the summit.

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June 21, 2024

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June 21, 2024

BISHKEK -- A court in Bishkek has sentenced Kyrgyz activist and Social Democratic Party member Alga Kylychev to 10 years in prison on a charge of hostage-taking, which he vehemently denies, calling it politically motivated.

Bailiffs immediately arrested Kylychev after a judge at the Alamudun district court in the northern Chui region pronounced the ruling on June 21.

The charge against Kylychev stems from 2019 events in a Bishkek suburb, where former President Almazbek Atambaev and his supporters clashed with law enforcement officers at Atambaev's Koi-Tash compound.

The violence broke out after the former president refused to obey three summons to appear at the Interior Ministry for questioning about the 2013 release of notorious crime boss Aziz Batukaev.

Kylychev told RFE/RL after he was arrested that none of the prosecutors' witnesses confirmed that he was in the Koi-Tash compound during the deadly clashes.

"I consider it as a political ruling," Kylychev said, adding that if his life is in danger while he is in custody, the authorities should be held responsible for that.

According to Kylychev, his incarceration is retaliation by authorities for his refusal to take part in the "illegal exoneration" of another former president, Kurmanbek Bakiev, who fled the country in 2010 following deadly anti-government protests and was sentenced to life in absentia in 2014.

The standoff between security forces and Atambaev's supporters in 2019 resulted in the death of a senior security officer and more than 170 injuries -- 79 of them sustained by law enforcement officers.

Authorities launched a probe into the deadly standoff and charged Atambaev and 13 of his supporters with murder, attempted murder, threatening or assaulting representatives of the authorities, hostage-taking, and the forcible seizure of power.

In 2020, Atambaev was sentenced to 11 years in prison for his role in the illegal release of Batukaev.

In February last year, Atambaev was released due to his deteriorated health and allowed to travel to Spain to receive treatment. He has not returned.

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UpdatedJune 21, 2024

The European Union will start accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova next week, the EU's Belgian presidency announced on June 21, a move that will mark a watershed moment for the two countries' aspirations to eventually join the bloc.

"The EU Council adopted the general EU positions, including negotiating frameworks, for accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova, it said in a message on X, adding, "This opens the way for launching the negotiations on Tuesday, June 25, in Luxembourg.

The EU Council groups representatives of the governments of the 27 states that make up the bloc.

The official opening of the negotiations with Ukraine will take place first, at 3:30 p.m., followed by Moldova at 6 p.m., the message said.

The announcement comes two weeks after the European Commission, the bloc's executive arm, recommended opening the process, saying the two countries are sufficiently prepared to engage in negotiations with the EU -- an arduous journey that could take years.

Ukraine and Moldova submitted their candidacies shortly after the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and obtained candidate status in June 2022, gaining the conditional green-light for the start of negotiations in December.

Shortly after the announcement by the Belgian EU presidency, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy hailed the move, saying on X that he was "grateful" for the bloc's "robust political will."

"Millions of Ukrainians, and indeed generations of our people, are realizing their European dream. Ukraine is returning to Europe, where it has belonged for centuries, as a full-fledged member of the European community," he said, while also hailing Moldova's inclusion in the accession talks.

Moldovan President Maia Sandu said on X that she had signed the document that envisaged the opening of membership talks with the bloc.

Shortly after the announcement by the Belgian EU presidency, Moldovan President Maia Sandu said on X that she had signed the document that envisaged the opening of membership talks with the bloc.

"Today, I signed the Decree on initiating Moldova's EU accession negotiations. Becoming an EU member is our path to peace, prosperity, and a better life for all citizens," Sandu wrote.

"Wishing our delegation every success as they officially launch negotiations in Luxembourg next week."

Pro-Western Sandu, under whom Moldova made an abrupt U-turn from Russia to Europe, is up for reelection later this year after handing an upset defeat to Moscow-backed incumbent Igor Dodon in 2020.

With Sandu at the helm, neutral Moldova also strongly condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine, firmly aligning itself with Kyiv while tightening its ties with its Western neighbor, EU and NATO member Romania, with whom Moldova shares a common language and history.

Sandu has said Moscow plans to undermine the former Soviet republic's stability and throw it off its path toward European integration ahead of the presidential elections and a referendum on membership in the European Union scheduled simultaneously in the fall.

In reaction to Brussel's announcement, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on June 21 that pursuing EU integration was a sovereign matter for Chisinau, but said there were "many Moldovans" who also desired close ties to Russia.

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UpdatedJune 21, 2024

Ukraine's National Police said on June 21 that two Kazakh nationals are suspected of shooting a noted Kazakh opposition activist and journalist Aidos Sadyqov in Kyiv earlier this week.

According to a statement from the National Police, the suspected attackers are Altai Zhaqanbaev, born in 1988, and Meiram Qarataev, born in 1991. The two suspects were added to the international wanted list, with a Kyiv court issuing arrest warrants for them.

The statement added that investigators found Zhaqanbaev and Qarataev arrived in Ukraine on June 2 from Poland. They rented an apartment and bought a car in Kyiv, after which they surveyed Sadyqov's everyday routine.

"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.

Investigations are underway to find out who ordered the attempt on Sadyqov's life.

Sadyqov, an outspoken critic of Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev and his government, is currently in intensive care fighting for his life.

His wife Natalya Sadyqova, who is also a journalist, was in the vehicle during the attack but was unharmed.

Sadyqova said in a video statement on YouTube on June 21 that one of the suspects, Qarataev, is a police officer serving in Kazakhstan's northern Qostanai region.

The Kazakh Interior Ministry issued a statement right after Sadyqova's YouTube video was published, saying that "Qarataev was dismissed from the organs attached to the ministry in January 2019 and currently is not a police officer."

Earlier 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 stands to be a beneficiary of the shooting "because the Kazakh opposition has been fully cleansed." She 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.

The Sadyqovs, along with their children, moved to Kyiv in 2014 after Kazakh authorities launched a case against Natalya, who worked as a journalist for the independent Respublika newspaper at the time. She was accused of slander.

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.

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June 21, 2024

Russia's Ambassador to Seoul, Georgy Zinoviev, was summoned to the South Korean Foreign Ministry on June 21 to protest a defense deal signed earlier this week by Russian President Vladimir Putin with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Putin and Kim signed a "comprehensive strategic partnership" on June 19 during the Russian president's first visit in 24 years to the secretive Stalinist state, South Korea's archfoe.

Though full details of the deal are not known, the agreement calls for mutual assistance in the event of an attack by a third country and is intended to take cooperation between the two states to a new level.

First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun delivered Seoul's position on the pact and military cooperation between Russia and North Korea to Zinoviev, the Foreign Ministry said.

Kim urged Russia to "act responsibly," telling Zinoviev that Moscow's pledge of military aid for the North endangers Seoul's security.

He told Zinoviev that the move would have "negative impact" on relations between Russia and South Korea, the ministry said, adding that the Russian diplomat had promised to convey Seoul's message to Moscow.

In response, Zinoviev "emphasized that threats and attempts to intimidate the Russian Federation are unacceptable. The ambassador said that cooperation between Russia and North Korea is not aimed at third countries," the Russian Embassy in Seoul said in a post on X.

Putin has said Russia does not rule out military and technical cooperation with Pyongyang, or supplying it with weapons, moves that would violate UN sanctions against North Korea.

The office of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has condemned the deal as a threat to national security in violation of UN Security Council resolutions.

Seoul also said that, in response, it would consider sending weapons to Ukraine, which Putin said would be a "big mistake."

The White House said the North Korea-Russia pact is unsurprising and a sign of Russia's desperation.

In a phone call on June 20 with South Korea's Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned the deal and said that Washington supports Seoul's responses to the security threat prompted by the treaty, the Foreign Ministry in Seoul said in a statement.

With reporting by AP, Reuters, and Yonhap

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UpdatedJune 21, 2024

At least six people were killed in Russian shelling and missile strikes on Ukrainian targets as Moscow claimed Kyiv had launched a "mass" drone attack on occupied Crimea and several regions inside Russia.

Five civilians were killed and 11 others were wounded by Russian shelling of civilian areas in Donetsk, which was targeted 22 times over the past 24 hours, the head of the regional military administration, Vadym Filashkin, reported on June 21. Private houses, nonresidential buildings, and an industrial facility were damaged by the shelling, Filashkin added.

In the southern region of Kherson, one person was killed and one was wounded by Russian shelling and air strikes from across the Dnieper River, regional Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported.

A total of 15 settlements were struck in the region, including the regional capital, Kherson, Prokudin said, adding that a number of private houses were destroyed by the shelling.

The northeastern region of Kharkiv, which has been under constant Russian fire for the past several months, was again struck overnight and one person was wounded, regional Governor Oleh Synyehubov said.

The regions of Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhya, and Sumy also came under attack, local officials reported.

Russia's Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said that its air defense systems shot down 114 Ukrainian drones over occupied Crimea and the Russian regions of Krasnodar, Bryansk, and Volgograd in what it said was a "massive" attack early on June 21 that killed one person and wounded four others.

The Ilsky oil refinery in the Seversk district of Krasnodar was hit by falling debris that ignited a fire which was put out by firemen, regional Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said on Telegram.

Drone debris also fell near a bus station in Krasnodar, hitting a boiler installation and killing an employee, Kondratyev added.

The ministry also said its forces repelled a drone attack on a military airfield in Yeisk, in the Krasnodar region, adding that local authorities reported no damage or casualties. However, the Crimean WindTelegram channel said several fires could be seen at the airfield in Yeisk, which is located by the Sea of Azov, some 35 kilometers from the Ukrainian shore.

Ukraine's General Staff, meanwhile, reported that over the past two nights, its forces "successfully hit" a number of objects in Russia and occupied Crimea, including oil refineries, radar stations, and drone storage sites.

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June 21, 2024

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June 20, 2024

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June 20, 2024

Two people were killed and three injured in the town of Cetinje in Montenegro when an explosive device attached high in a tree was remotely detonated, police said on June 20.

The director of the Montenegrin police, Aleksandar Radovic, confirmed that the two deceased men, Petar Kaluđerovic and Dragan Roganovic, were members of organized criminal groups.

Radovic's deputy, Lazar Scepanovic, told reporters the attackers had monitored the victims' habits and knew they used armored cars.

The improvised explosive device used in the attack was placed 7 meters up in the tree, Scepanovic said. It targeted four people as they entered a sports center, he said.

Kaluderovic died at the scene, while Roganovic passed away in the hospital.

The injured are Tanasije Taso Jovanovic and Mihajlo Borozan, who were with Kaluderovic and Roganovic, and a passerby, Desanka Vujovic. All three injured men were transported to a hospital in Montenegro where they were treated for their injuries and their lives were not in danger.

Scepanovic said the attack is believed to be retaliation by a rival criminal group.

Radovic said the police had "intelligence that this could happen“ and "unfortunately, it came true."

He said the fight against organized crime is not easy, but the state will prevail, not crime.

State prosecutor Danka Ivanovic Deric said evidence had been collected at the site of the attack and police officers, forensic experts, and an explosives expert conducted the investigation.

The two men who were killed were known by the police force. Kaluderovic, 20, was arrested in April along with three others, including Borozan, on suspicion of illegal possession of weapons and explosive devices.

The police department said its officers had searched several properties in Cetinje "used by members of organized criminal groups and persons of security interest, and related individuals." At the time, the investigative judge ordered their detention but it was not clear why they were no longer in jail.

The other man killed in the explosion, Roganovic, was injured in December 2017 in Cetinje when he was shot while exiting a car. Roganovic had been the bodyguard of gang member Goran Radoman, who was killed in Belgrade in February 2015.

Radoman was one of the first victims in the war between rival gangs that have been operating in Montenegro for years. The clashes started in 2014 when around 250 kilograms of cocaine disappeared in Valencia.

The total number of murders in mafia clashes in Serbia and Montenegro since 2012 is 193, according to data from the Black Book, a joint project of the investigative network KRIK and RFE/RL.

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June 20, 2024

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June 20, 2024

A Pakistani man who was visiting the country's Swat Valley as a tourist on June 20 was beaten to death and his body set on fire by an angry mob after he was accused of blasphemy.

The mob severely beat the man, identified as a resident of Punjab Province, and dragged his burning naked body through the streets, according to reports about the incident and authorities who spoke with RFE/RL.

Swat police chief Zahid Ullah said police officers initially rescued the man from the people who attacked him and sheltered him at a police station in Madian.

According to a local journalist in Madian, the mob broke down the gate of the police station and entered the building. They then poured gasoline on the man and set him on fire before dragging his lifeless body as they continued to beat him.

The rioters also burned three police cars and set fire to the police station, the journalist said.

The incident started when a number of people accused the man of having burned pages of the Koran in his bag and started a fight with him.

When it was announced through mosque loudspeakers that a "blasphemer" had been rescued by police, a crowd converged on the police station.

Local residents said police officers opened fired on the crowd and 11 people were injured. Police have not commented on the accusation.

Residents and health authorities said three injured people have been taken to the hospital.

The situation in and around Madian is reportedly tense. Authorities have invoked their power under Section 144 of Pakistani law to restrict people's movement and can shoot anyone who disobeys.

Swat Valley, nicknamed the Switzerland of Pakistan, is frequently visited by tourists from all over the country. It is especially popular in the summer season, when people go there to escape high temperatures.

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June 20, 2024

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on June 20 that it is time for a "new security architecture" for Asia as he wrapped up a short visit to Vietnam.

Putin signed 11 public agreements and memorandums of understanding with Vietnamese President To Lam while in Hanoi. Lam said he and Putin made other deals that are not publicly available.

The agreements centered on energy, education, science, and technology -- sectors the United States and other countries have targeted when sanctioning Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

The two countries also agreed to work on a roadmap for a nuclear science and technology center in Vietnam.

Russia's TASS news agency quoted Putin as saying, "We are firmly committed to deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership with Vietnam, which remains among the priorities of Russia’s foreign policy."

Lam said Putin has contributed to global "peace, stability, and development." Vietnam has remained neutral on Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and this marked Putin's first trip to Vietnam since 2017.

In Vietnam, Putin also met with Communist Party General-Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, according to the official Vietnam News Agency.

The United States has been working to strengthen and build partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region, including with Vietnam.

Prior to Putin's visit, a U.S. Embassy spokesperson in Vietnam said "no country should give Putin a platform to promote his war of aggression and otherwise allow him to normalize his atrocities."

The U.S. State Department announced on June 20 it will send Assistant Secretary of State and former ambassador to Vietnam Daniel Kritenbrink to Hanoi this week.

Putin kicked off his four-day trip to Asia in North Korea on June 17.

Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a robust defense pact in Pyongyang. The pact was described as a comprehensive strategic partnership and ensures mutual assistance in the event of an attack by a third country.

Speaking in Hanoi on June 20, Putin also said he "does not rule out" sending weapons to North Korea.

The White House said the North Korea-Russia pact is unsurprising and a sign of Russia's desperation.

South Korea responded with a statement that Seoul would consider sending weapons to Ukraine, which Putin said would be a "big mistake."

Putin also said Russia is thinking about changing its nuclear doctrine, which states Russia may use nuclear weapons in response to a nuclear attack or in the event of a conventional attack that poses an existential threat to the state.

But he said there was no need for Russia to carry out a preemptive nuclear strike.

Pentagon spokesman Air Force Major-General Pat Ryder, responding to Putin's comments on its nuclear doctrine, said, "It's certainly irresponsible for countries that maintain these capabilities to make those types of comments."

With reporting by AP, AFP, and Reuters

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June 20, 2024

The Minsk City Court on June 20 sentenced an adviser to exiled Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya to 20 years on multiple charges. Franak Vyachorka was sentenced in absentia for charges including conspiracy to seize power, organization of mass disorders, creation of an extremist group, and defamation of the country's authoritarian ruler, Alyaksandr Lukashenka. The Belarusian Prosecutor-General's Office said the court also ordered Vyachorka to pay a fine of 60,000 rubles ($18,340). Vyachorka, who resides abroad, wrote on Facebook that the court rejected his request to take part in the trial over a video link. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Belarus Service, click here.

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UpdatedJune 20, 2024

WASHINGTON -- The United States will "reprioritize" planned deliveries of Patriot air-defense missiles to get them to Ukraine faster, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on June 20 as Washington works to fill Kyiv's "desperate need" for more air-defense capabilities.

The decision means that the deliveries of "missiles rolling off the production line" will go to Ukraine and other countries will have to wait for missiles they ordered.

"This will ensure that we'll be able to provide Ukraine with the missiles they need to maintain their stockpiles at a key moment in the war," Kirby said, describing the decision as "difficult but necessary."

The decision also affects missiles used in the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS) as well as missiles used in the Patriot systems, Kirby said, stressing that only missiles are involved in the decision.

The other components -- radar systems and launchers -- currently are not available, Kirby said.

"Right now, we just don't have eligible systems coming off the production line. So, it was something we looked at. But right now, the focus is really going to be on the missiles themselves."

U.S. defense contractor RTX, formerly Raytheon, makes the radar systems and launchers for both the Patriot and the NASAMS. The missiles for the two systems are made by Raytheon and other companies.

Mark Cancian, an analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Washington think tank, told RFE/RL recently that it could take as long as two years to produce a new Patriot system.

Kirby said the first shipments headed to Ukraine will happen before the end of the summer. The total deliveries will cover an estimated 16 months of Ukraine's needs. He declined to say which countries agreed to reprioritize deliveries, though he said the decision will not have an impact on missile deliveries to Taiwan.

Kirby's comments came after Russia attacked Ukraine with missiles and drones overnight, damaging energy infrastructure and prompting more power blackouts. Ukraine's national power company, Ukrenerho, said on June 20 that four regions were targeted in the attacks.

Ukraine's largest private energy company, DTEK, said it was the seventh mass attack on the company's thermal power plant in the last three months. The latest wave of Russian strikes has also increased the number of scheduled power outages for domestic consumers, Ukrenerho said.

The Ukrainian Finance Ministry recently cut its outlook for economic expansion this year due to the energy shortage caused by Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure. Western nations last week announced a $50 billion loan for Ukraine, part of which will go toward helping rebuild the nation's energy system.

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