Ukrainian Journalist Aseyev Sentenced To 15 Years In Penal Colony
Donetsk media reported today that RFE/RL Ukrainian Service contributor Stanislav Aseyev was found guilty by the Appeals Chamber of the Supreme Court of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic of “organizing an extremist community,” “espionage and incitement to espionage,” and public actions “aimed at violating territorial integrity.” He was sentenced to 15 years in a penal colony. The ruling dates from August.
VISUAL REPORTS
Who Is Stanislav Aseyev?
In August 2018, the bipartisan U.S. Congressional Press Freedom Caucus called for Aseyev’s release and described him as "one of the few independent journalists to remain in the region under separatist control to provide objective reporting."
Woman In Ukraine Sees Abducted Husband On YouTube, Fears For His Life
Nearly two years after being abducted by Russia-backed separatists in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk, Oleksandr Tymofiyev has appeared in a YouTube video. His wife holds out little hope for his release.
As Staff Faces Intimidation, TB Clinic's Demise Exposes Russia's Provincial Decline
Even before the predawn raid by riot police, the dispute over efforts to close Tuberculosis Treatment Center Number 4 was emblematic of the crisis that medical professionals say is ravaging Russia's health-care system and accelerating the decline of its villages.
Azerbaijani Capital Rocked By Weekend Of Protests
Two days of unauthorized protests in Baku were met with violence by the authorities. The demonstrations, forcing the closure of metro stations, city streets, and internet service in some districts, were the largest since President Ilham Aliyev came to power in 2003.
OTHER NEWS
Facebook Suspends Russian Instagram Accounts Targeting U.S. Voters
Facebook says it has suspended a series of Instagram accounts originating in Russia whose operators posed as people inside the United States and targeted Americans with divisive political messages ahead of next year's presidential election. It also suspended three separate networks operated from Iran. Facebook said the Russian network "showed some links" to Russia's Internet Research Agency (IRA).
Czech Intel Chief Says Russian Spy Network Was Meant For Cyberattacks
The head of the Czech counterintelligence service says a Russian espionage network that his agency dismantled last year was meant to be used for cyberattacks against the Czech Republic and its foreign allies.
NATO Leadership To Visit Ukraine In Show Of ‘Support’
NATO’s leadership will visit Ukraine for two days on October 30-31 in a show of support for the nation’s sovereignty and the ongoing reform process, according to the head of Ukraine’s NATO Liaison Office.
Putin Pushes Critical Voices Out Of Russia's Human Rights Council
Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a major reshuffle of the Human Rights Council, including its chief and others seen as supportive of recent anti-government protests. An October 21 presidential decree says veteran head Mikhail Fedotov will be replaced by ruling United Russia party senior member Valery Fadeyev.
Scientists Confirm ‘First Light’ From Russian-German Telescope
The German head of a Russian-German effort to map the universe from deep space says the project's German telescope is fully functioning after a three-month journey to its orbit 1.5 million kilometers from Earth.
Russia’s Top Ten Percent Owns 83% Of Country’s Wealth
The 2019 Global Wealth report by the investment banking company Credit Suisse has found that Russia has 246,000 “dollar millionaires,” compared to 14,000 in 2010. In addition, 83% of the country’s personal wealth belongs to the richest 10%.The report attributes the high concentration of wealth to the fact that an estimated 110 adult Russians are billionaires. (in Russian, Current Time TV)
Retooled Chernobyl At Center Of Bold Ukrainian Alternative Energy Plan
Chernobyl is again churning out energy. In the shadows of the shuttered nuclear power plant that was the scene to the world's worst nuclear disaster more than 30 years ago, rows of solar panels have been erected, producing enough energy to light up hundreds of homes.
Song Mocking Ex-Central Bank Chief Sparks Outrage In Ukraine
A song appearing to make fun of an arson attack on the home of former National Bank chief Valeria Hontareva has hit all the wrong notes.
HRW Urges Azerbaijan To Release Protesters And Investigate Police Abuse
Human Rights Watch has urged Azerbaijani authorities to release all the protesters who were detained after police violently dispersed two peaceful protests in central Baku over the weekend, and to investigate any allegations of ill-treatment by law enforcement. Police rounded up dozens of peaceful activists, beating and roughing them up while forcing them onto buses and into police cars, the group said in an October 22 statement.
RSF Tells Kazakhstan To Stop Persecuting Journalists
Reporters Without Borders has urged Kazakhstan to quash a prison sentence handed to journalist Amangeldy Batyrbekov on criminal libel charges last month, calling the ruling the latest example of how the country "persecutes" journalists.
14 Kazakhs Returned From Syria Face Terrorism Charges
Fourteen Kazakh citizens accused of fighting alongside the Islamic state extremist group in Syria have gone on trial in Kazakhstan's capital, Nur-Sultan, on charges of involvement in terrorist activities, recruitment, promoting terrorism, and committing "other serious crimes." The country’s National Security Committee last week said 595 Kazakh citizens, including more than 400 children, had been returned as part of an operation to repatriate them.
Kazakh Offshore Development Projects Lose Major Investors
Kazakhstan's effort to tap into its offshore oil and gas wealth has taken a hit with the withdrawal of major foreign investors from two Caspian Sea projects.
The Nazarbaevs Go Wild As Kazakhstan Burns
Kazakhs could be excused in recent weeks for thinking they were stuck in a rerun of Lifestyles Of The Rich And Famous -- or perhaps the rich and infamous. Former President and still-in-control elder statesman Nursultan Nazarbaev and some of his relatives have been making the news in a way that will certainly not help the family's reputation.
POLL: Half Of All Russians Say Nothing Depends On Them
A Levada Center poll conducted in September - October 2019 finds that 58% of Russians believe they have no influence on what is happening in the country, while 38% believe they can influence events one way or another. On a personal level, 98% of respondents believe they can influence the situation in their family, and 62% said they can influence the situation at work. (Russian Service)
PHOTOGALLERY: Hungary Under Communism
PRESSROOM: ‘Everyone Knew From The Radio’: RFE/RL: Reporting 1989