Коментуючи заяви опонентів про «вкрадені вибори», Кобахідзе заявив, що у них просто «не вистачило гідності змиритися з черговою поразкою»
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Category: Цікаві новини
Українське і світове життя. Новини – оперативне інформаційне повідомлення, яке містить суспільно важливу та актуальну інформацію, що стосується певної сфери життя суспільства загалом чи окремих його груп. В журналістиці – окремий інформаційний жанр, який характеризується стислим викладом ключової інформації щодо певної події, яка сталася нещодавно
У Болгарії тривають сьомі за останні чотири роки парламентські вибори
Попередні опитування свідчать, що жодна партія не зможе отримати парламентську більшість
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Bulgarians’ 7th vote in 3 years unlikely to break political deadlock
SOFIA, Bulgaria — Bulgarians were voting Sunday in the seventh general election in more than three years with little hope that a stable government will be formed to stop the country’s slide into political instability.
Voter fatigue and disillusionment with politicians have created an environment where radical political voices, aided by Moscow’s widespread disinformation, are successfully undermining public support for the democratic process and boosting the popularity of pro-Russian and far-right groups.
The never-ending election spiral has a serious impact on Bulgaria’s economy and its foreign policy. The country risks losing billions of euros in EU recovery funds because of the lack of reforms. Full integration into the open-border Schengen area and joining the eurozone are likely to be delayed further.
Polling stations opened at 7 a.m. local time Sunday. Initial exit poll results will be announced after polls close at 8 p.m., and preliminary results are expected on Monday.
According to latest opinion polls, Bulgarians’ lack of confidence in elections will result in record low voter turnout. Gallup World Poll data show only 10% of Bulgarians trust the integrity of their elections, the lowest proportion in the EU, where the average is 62%.
Some observers have called the past few years a period of “revolving-door governments,” which has additionally fueled voters’ apathy.
There was no clear winner in the latest vote, held in June, and the seven groups elected to the fragmented legislature were unable to put together a viable coalition. Observers suggest that Sunday’s vote will produce more of the same.
These early elections are not expected to break a protracted political stalemate, Teneo, a political risk consultancy, said in a report last week.
Although former Prime Minister Boyko Borissov’s center-right GERB party is set to win a plurality of seats, it will likely struggle to form a majority government in a fragmented parliament, Teneo predicted.
“As a result, a technocratic government or another early election are the most likely outcomes. Political instability and a surging budget deficit are key challenges to Bulgaria’s accession to the eurozone,” the consultancy said.
The Balkan country of 6.7 million has been gripped by political instability since 2020, when nationwide protests erupted against corrupt politicians that had allowed oligarchs to take control of state institutions.
Bulgaria is one of the poorest and most corrupt European Union member states. Attempts to fight graft are an uphill battle against an unreformed judiciary widely accused of serving the interests of politicians.
Despite a fall in support for GERB in recent elections, it is tipped to finish first with a quarter of the votes. It will be a hard task for Borisov, however, to secure enough support for a stable coalition government.
Analysts believe that the main pro-Russia party in Bulgaria, Vazrazhdane, could emerge as the second-largest group in parliament. The far-right, ultra-nationalist and populist party demands that Bulgaria lift sanctions against Russia, stop helping Ukraine, and hold a referendum on its membership in NATO.
The reformist, pro-EU We Continue the Change/Democratic Bulgaria bloc is likely to come in third.
The Movement for Rights and Freedoms, which traditionally represented Bulgaria’s large ethnic Turkish minority, recently split into two rival factions, one around party founder Ahmed Dogan, and the other behind U.S.-sanctioned businessman and former media tycoon Delyan Peevski. Both factions are likely to enter parliament, gaining between 7% and 9% each.
Up to four smaller groups could also pass the 4% threshold for entering parliament, which would even more complicate the forming of a government.
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Despair in Tbilisi as Georgian Dream leads in election results
Tbilisi, Georgia — The streets of Tbilisi echoed with despair on Sunday as preliminary results pointed to a decisive lead for the ruling Georgian Dream party in Saturday’s election.
With 99% of the precincts reporting, Georgian Dream had secured 54.2% of the vote, reinforcing its grip on a nation polarized over its political future. Most of the leaders of the opposition parties say the vote, seen as a referendum on Georgia’s path toward deeper Western alignment or closer ties with Russia, was rigged.
Judging by the preliminary results, the opposition struggled to mount a strong challenge. Initial counts show the Coalition for Changes at 10.8%, Unity-National Movement at 10%, Strong Georgia at 8.7%, and Giorgi Gakharia’s For Georgia party at 7.7%.
As exit polls were announced, both the ruling party and opposition initially declared victory, though the official results quickly favored Georgian Dream securing its fourth term with more votes than it received in the last election.
“Such cases are rare worldwide, where the same party achieves such success under challenging circumstances,” Bidzina Ivanishvili said, shortly after the first exit polls were announced. The oligarch is seen as Georgian Dream’s true leader.
Soon after, Hungary’s Victor Orban congratulated the Georgian Dream, and Margarita Simonian, editor-in-chief of the Russian state-controlled broadcaster RT, wrote on Telegram: “Georgians won, well done.”
“This is election theft, a constitutional coup, and Georgian Dream will answer for it according to Georgian law,” said Nika Gvaramia, one of the leaders of the Coalition for Changes. He said his coalition had uncovered a “technological scheme” used to manipulate the election results.
“We promised to protect your votes, and I apologize for not identifying this complex scheme earlier,” Gvaramia said.
Elene Khoshtaria, another member of the Coalition for Changes and leader of the Droa party, echoed Gvaramia.
“We are firm and principled in our stance that this election was stolen, and we won’t accept it. We are moving to continuous protest, organized and coordinated, starting tomorrow. The protest will be in the streets, and we will announce the time and place,” she said.
Unity-National Movement also sees the elections as stolen.
“Oligarch Ivanishvili stole the victory from the Georgian people and thereby stole the European future. On behalf of the Unity-National Movement, we declare that we do not accept the results of the elections,” Tina Bokuchava, party leader, said.
Some of the independent observers also criticized the reported outcome.
“Based on analysis of the pre-election environment, widespread manipulation on election day, and unprecedented pressure on voters, we believe that the preliminary results released by the CEC do not reflect the true will of Georgian citizens. We will continue to demand the annulment of these results,” said Londa Toloraia of the NGO coalition “My Voice.”
Many of the analysts in the country cite fraud as the source of the ruling party’s success.
Other observers also argue that Georgian Dream’s success stemmed not only from its strengths but also from the opposition’s weaknesses. Because of internal conflicts, a lack of coherent policies, and shifting political allegiances, opposition parties failed to offer a compelling alternative to the ruling party.
“I voted for a change … by a process of elimination,” a 20-year-old first-time voter told VOA on the condition of anonymity. It was a sentiment many echoed.
“The opposition appears bankrupt, having relied on the hope that a) Georgian Dream would collapse on its own, or b) the West would ultimately bring down Ivanishvili’s regime. Consequently, they failed to conduct a genuine campaign, with even fewer events than in previous elections,” said Levan Ramishvili, associated professor of political philosophy and international relations at Tbilisi-based Free University.
“Adding to this is the West’s lack of moral clarity, characterized by hesitation, ambiguity, and a ‘leading from behind’ approach — granting EU candidate status one moment, suspending it the next; imposing sanctions, but only on marginal figures,” he said.
Leading up to the election, the United States and European Union voiced concerns, citing a perceived drift from democratic principles and closer ties to Russia.
“The picture is very clear now — despite pressure, intimidation, violence and vote-buying, they lost the capital and Rustavi and lost by catastrophic landslide abroad. But in regions where there were less oversight and people are more vulnerable and dependent on the state won with Kadyrov-style numbers of 80-90%. [The] international community cannot possibly agree that this is fair and square. Legitimizing this would mean granting major geopolitical victory to Russia,” said Giorgi Kandelaki, project manager at the Soviet Past Research Laboratory.
Analysts and opposition figures warned that Ivanishvili is guiding the country toward Russia, tightening control over the media and independent institutions.
Earlier this year, the government passed a controversial “foreign agent” law, modeled on Russian legislation. It targets NGOs and media outlets that receive foreign funding, mainly from the West. The law led to widespread protests in the country and a subsequent brutal response from the government.
Like their leaders, many of the opposition voters question the legitimacy of Georgian Dream’s lead.
“Nobody around me voted for them. How did they get a million votes?” asked Davit, a man in his 30s. Another said, “The government you elect is the government you deserve,” expressing frustration with fellow Georgians, while a third added, “They’ve sold out the country for a 300 GEL (around $120) salary.”
Georgian Dream’s core supporters include “budget voters,” public sector workers and social assistance recipients, especially in rural areas where employment options are limited. The party relies on these voters, many of whom fear the loss of a job or benefits if the party loses.
“The election that was held was neither fair nor free,” said the Free University’s Ramishvili. “Since the 2018 presidential election, Georgian Dream has built a powerful electoral machine that relies heavily on bribery, intimidation of vulnerable voters, and fear of war. This machine operates by using both administrative and budgetary resources for partisan purposes, as well as outright bribery.”
Over the years, Georgian Dream has forged strong alliances with wide range of political actors and groups, from pro-Russian socially conservative groups to street hooligans, and chiefly with the highly popular, Georgian Orthodox Church.
“Last week, my priest officially asked us from the pulpit to vote for Georgian Dream,” said Rusudan, a middle-aged voter. “He even said anyone voting for the opposition would lose the right to communion.”
This message, repeated in the churches across the country, has bolstered Georgian Dream’s support among religious and traditionalist voters over the years.
The ruling party framed the election as a choice between war and peace, labeling critics at home and abroad as part of a “global war party,” a term borrowed from Kremlin narratives. For a country scarred by wars with Russia in the 1990s and again in 2008, this message resonated strongly.
Meanwhile, the opposition cast the election as a referendum on ending up under Russian influence.
“Amid rising Russian aggression and a hesitant West unable to defend its values, anti-Western and anti-liberal forces are growing stronger in our region. These groups skillfully exploit the West’s failure to protect its principles, citing Russia’s unpunished aggression against neighboring countries as an example,” Ramishvili said.
For now, Georgian Dream celebrates its apparent victory. But many Georgians, particularly younger urbanites, feel increasingly disillusioned. As results are confirmed, Georgia faces deep divisions and an uncertain path forward.
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Curfew extended in French Caribbean territory amid power blackout
paris — French authorities maintained a night curfew amid fresh unrest on the Caribbean territory of Guadeloupe on Saturday as they battled to restore power they accused striking energy workers of sabotaging.
Guadeloupe and the nearby French island of Martinique have seen weeks of often violent protests over the cost of living. A night curfew has been in force in Martinique for 16 days because of unrest there.
French authorities kept Guadeloupe under curfew for a second night “to guarantee safety and tranquility” after the island’s power was completely cut on Friday.
But pillagers took advantage of the blackout to ransack Guadeloupe’s commercial center Pointe-a-Pitre.
Looters busted through the windows of several stores with an excavator, in images filmed and published on social media, with some 50 people then piling in to snatch the contents.
“This is the second time in three years that my shop has been gutted,” said jewelry shop owner Carole Venutolo, her voice choked with grief and anger.
Police said they were fired on with live ammunition, with bullets twice hitting one of their vehicles.
The EDF power company said that two-thirds of the 380,000 people hit by a blackout had electricity again. Authorities accused striking workers of blocking the Jarry power station’s engines and cutting electricity to the island.
Regional government chief Guy Losbar said he was “outraged” by the workers’ actions.
Authorities in Martinique, which has a population of about 350,000, said that despite the curfew around 50 masked “troublemakers” had set up burning roadblocks in two districts.
On previous nights, shots have been fired, trucks stolen and petrol stations looted, authorities said.
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Zelenskyy says North Korean troops poised to join war, cancels UN chief’s visit
KYIV, Ukraine — North Korean troops are poised to be deployed by Russia on the battlefield in Ukraine as early as this weekend, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed Friday.
Western officials have warned that North Korean units joining the fight would stoke the almost three-year war and bring geopolitical consequences as far away as the Indo-Pacific region.
The possibility has alarmed leaders and deepened diplomatic tensions.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Friday that the top national security advisers for the United States, Japan and South Korea met and “expressed grave concern” about North Korea’s troop deployments for potential use with Russia on the battlefield against Ukraine.
Kirby said that the national security advisers from the three countries “call on Russia and the DPRK to cease these actions that only serve to expand the security implications of Russia’s brutal and illegal war beyond Europe and into the Indo-Pacific.”
“It is possible that there are now more than 3,000 troops from North Korea that have been dispatched to Russia for outfitting and for training,” Kirby said on a call with reporters.
Kirby said the U.S. government did not have firm intelligence assessments on where the troops were going “but we believe it is certainly possible” and “perhaps even likely” that some of the North Korean troops would be deployed to the Kursk region of Russia, where Ukraine has held some territory since capturing it in August. But he cautioned that he did not know in what capacity and to what purpose the North Korean troops would be deployed.
A senior official in the Ukrainian presidential office told The Associated Press on Friday that Zelenskyy had canceled a planned visit to Kyiv by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the matter, said the visit was supposed to come after this week’s summit in the Russian city of Kazan of the BRICS bloc of developing economies, which Guterres attended.
A photograph of Guterres shaking hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the summit triggered an outcry in Ukraine.
Zelenskyy, in a post on Telegram, said Ukrainian intelligence had determined that “the first North Korean military will be used by Russia in combat zones” between Sunday and Monday.
He said on Telegram that the deployment was “an obvious escalating move by Russia.” He didn’t provide any further details, including where the North Korean soldiers may be sent.
Russia has been conducting a ferocious summer campaign along the eastern front in Ukraine, gradually compelling Kyiv to surrender ground. But Russia has struggled to push Ukrainian forces out of its Kursk border region following an incursion almost three months ago.
North Korean units were detected on Wednesday in Kursk, according to Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate, known by its acronym GUR.
The soldiers had undergone several weeks of training at bases in eastern Russia and had been equipped with clothes for the upcoming winter, GUR said in a statement late Thursday.
It estimated the number of North Korean soldiers sent by Pyongyang to Russia at around 12,000, including some 500 officers and three generals.
GUR provided no evidence for its claims.
Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans said Friday on the social platform X that intelligence reports indicated the North Korean soldiers “will probably first be deployed in Kursk.”
The deployment of North Korean forces under a military pact between Moscow and Pyongyang brings a new dimension to the conflict, which is Europe’s biggest war since World War II and has cost tens of thousands of lives on both sides, including many civilians.
The U.S. said Wednesday that 3,000 North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia and are training at several locations, calling the move very serious.
Zelenskyy said a week ago that his government has intelligence information that 10,000 troops from North Korea are being readied to join Russian forces fighting against his country. He said that a third nation wading into the hostilities would turn the conflict into a “world war.”
North Korea had already been supplying ammunition to Russia under a defense pact, but putting boots on the ground could severely complicate a war that has inflamed international politics, with most Western countries supporting Kyiv.
Putin, meanwhile, has looked for support among BRICS countries.
He has neither confirmed nor denied that North Korean troops were in Russia.
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«Абстракцій і слів замало»: Зеленський пояснив партнерам, як зупинити розгортання війни
«Світ може зупинити розгортання війни. Для цього потрібні кроки і вони прописані у плані перемоги України»
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Зеленський дозволив іноземцям служити в ЗСУ на офіцерських посадах
До підписання цього законопроєкту, іноземці мали право служити лише на рядових і сержантських посадах
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Experts: Apple’s removal of news apps in Russia sets ‘dangerous precedent’
WASHINGTON — Analysts warn that Apple’s removal of two apps from an independent media site from its Russian App Store sets a “dangerous precedent.”
The affected apps are for Current Time, a Russian-language network produced by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, or RFE/RL, in cooperation with VOA, and a Kyrgyz-language news app.
RFE/RL and VOA are independent media outlets funded by the U.S. Congress.
In a letter to RFE/RL, Apple said the action was in response to content that is deemed illegal in Russia. Apple added that in Russia, RFE/RL is labeled an “undesirable” organization.
RFE/RL President Stephen Capus said he is concerned about Apple’s compliance with Roskomnadzor, Russia’s media regulatory agency.
“We hope this decision — which is part of a trend to deny people in authoritarian countries access to uncensored information — will be reversed,” Capus said in a statement shared with VOA.
Digital rights experts condemned the move.
“These trends set a dangerous precedent in which tech companies could inadvertently aid state-sponsored information censorship,” Matt Mahmoudi of Amnesty Tech told VOA.
When tech companies comply with foreign government requests, it could be because they “place profit margins over their obligations under international law,” according to Mahmoudi. These bans violate the U.N. right to free expression, he said.
Apple did not immediately respond to VOA’s request for comment.
The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists, or CPJ, called on Apple to reinstate the apps.
Such bans “restrict access to vital information and embolden authoritarian regimes seeking to silence independent media in countries like Russia,” said CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator, Gulnoza Said.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, analysts have documented how Moscow has used internet blocks along with laws around false information about the war and so-called “undesirable” organizations to block independent media.
Access to independent news is limited, with websites, including RFE/RL and VOA, blocked. In February, Russia also designated RFE/RL an “undesirable organization.” The designation means that an entity is seen as a threat to national security. These organizations and their audiences can face penalties as a result.
Separately, Russia experienced a mass YouTube outage in August. The platform is one of the few remaining sites where audiences can access independent information.
The country has long experienced slow playback speeds, making video-watching nearly impossible.
Russia at the time blamed YouTube’s parent company Google. But investigative reporters found Russia’s state regulator responsible. YouTube also rejected claims that it was responsible for the slowdown.
The Russian Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to VOA’s request for comment.
To circumvent censorship, audiences often rely on Virtual Private Networks, or VPNs, to access banned apps, according to Anastasia Zhyrmont of the digital civil rights group Access Now.
Last month, Apple was criticized after it banned 98 VPN services from its Russian App Store. The media regulator in July had publicly requested 25 be removed.
“The trend is very concerning,” Zhyrmont told VOA. “VPNs are essential for users in restrictive environments, especially in Russia.”
Some media sites that Russia has banned use technologies embedded in apps to circumvent the firewalls and bans. The news website Meduza, which is blocked inside Russia, uses data obfuscation technology to reach Russian audiences without a VPN, according to a representative from their tech team.
“It is cat-mice game — they’re trying to block our tech, and we’re trying to come up with something new,” the representative, who asked not to be named for security reasons, told VOA in an email.
Zhyrmont wants Apple to offer transparency on its decision to remove the news apps from the Russian market and on what Roskomnadzor’s requests looked like.
Until then, she said, “There’s an agreement between digital rights experts and human rights defenders that all that is happening is an act of censorship.”
Russia scores 20 out of 100 on the Freedom on the Net index, where 0 shows the most restrictive digital environments.
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Major Vatican meeting sidelines talks of women priests, deacons
Rome — A major Vatican meeting gathering clerics and laity across the globe to discuss the future of the Catholic Church closes this weekend, thwarting discussion of women becoming priests or deacons in the world’s largest Christian denomination.
But that didn’t stop a half-dozen Catholic women from “ordination” in a secret ceremony in Rome that was not authorized by the Vatican.
Jesuit Father Allan Deck, a professor at the Los Angeles-based Loyola Marymount University, told VOA that the Catholic Church under Pope Francis’ leadership recognizes the need for adaptability to realize its spiritual mission in the world at this time of significant change.
“Not the first time that the church in its 2,000-year history has experienced very significant shifts,” he said. “The church, in order to accomplish its mission, has to engage people, circumstances and times. And it has to be capable of development, while at the same time remaining faithful to its mission and to the revelation that has been communicated to it. This is hard. This is what’s happening.”
While Catholic women participated over the past month in what many consider the most significant Catholic gathering since the 1960s — called the “synod on synodality” — many of their number were let down by a Vatican decision to sideline talk of the ordination of female priests or deacons, instead referring the matter to a future study group.
Bridget Mary Meehan, an American co-founder of the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests, told VOA that her organization has performed 270 ordinations of women in 14 countries since its creation in 2002.
“We wanted to share with Pope Francis that it is time to build a bridge between the international women priests’ movement and the Vatican,” she said. “We are on the same page as he is about a synodal church. We believe all are called, all are equal and all are co-responsible for the mission of the church — to be the face of Christ in the world in loving and compassionate service. One of these ways is ordained ministry.”
Advocates say women play a huge role in daily Catholic ministries — also called the diakonia — in education, pastoral care and hospitals worldwide. In some places, women are especially active because there are no priests, such as in the Amazon. But often their leadership is not recognized.
Meehan “ordained” six Catholic women from France, Spain and the United States on a barge on Rome’s Tiber River earlier this month to acknowledge their central role in ministry around the world.
“We did it because we felt that it’s time for us, after 22 years of serving the church in the diakonia ministry, to really share the good news that women are being ordained by Catholic communities who want to call them forward to ministry among them,” Meehan said.
“It’s like a renewal of ministry that is already in the midst of the Catholic Church. It’s already occurring,” she said.
Although Pope Francis has appointed more women to top jobs at the Vatican than any of his predecessors, he has ruled out female priests or deacons ministering in the Catholic Church.
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Russian attacks on central Ukraine, Kyiv kill 5
Russian missile strikes killed three people including a child in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro while a teenager and another person died in attacks on Kyiv and the surrounding region, officials said Saturday.
Overnight strikes on Dnipro wounded 19 others and damaged multiple buildings, said Sergiy Lysak, the governor of the central Dnipropetrovsk region.
A two-story residential building was destroyed, he said.
Images shared by Lysak showed rescuers working in a pile of rubble, while another showed what appeared to be a hospital room with its windows blown out.
“Three people were killed in Dnipro, including a child. Nineteen were injured, four of them children. Eight are hospitalized,” Lysak said.
Separate night attacks on the capital Kyiv and surrounding region left two people dead, including a teenage girl who was killed in a drone strike, according to regional authorities.
Ukrainian cities including Kyiv have been subjected to deadly drone and missile attacks throughout Russia’s invasion.
Kyiv has been asking for more air defenses from its allies ahead of what is likely to be its toughest winter yet, as Moscow ramps up strikes on energy infrastructure.
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Georgia votes in an election that could take it toward the EU or into Russia’s orbit
Georgians headed to the polls Saturday in a ballot many citizens see as a make-or-break vote on the opportunity to join the European Union.
The pre-election campaign in the South Caucasus nation of 3.7 million people has been dominated by foreign policy and marked by a bitter fight for votes and allegations of a smear campaign. Some Georgians complained of intimidation and being pressured to vote for the ruling party, Georgian Dream, while the opposition accused the party of carrying out a “hybrid war” against its citizens.
Ahead of the parliamentary election, Bidzina Ivanishvili — a shadowy billionaire who set up Georgian Dream and made his fortune in Russia — vowed again to ban opposition parties should his party win.
Georgian Dream will hold opposition parties “fully accountable under the full force of the law” for “war crimes” committed against the people of Georgia, Ivanishvili said at a pro-government rally in the capital Tbilisi Wednesday. He did not explain what crimes he believes the opposition has committed.
Georgians will elect 150 lawmakers from 18 parties. If no party wins the 76 seats required to form a government for a four-year term, the president will invite the largest party to form a coalition.
Many believe the election may be the most crucial vote of their lifetimes; it will determine whether Georgia gets back on track to EU membership or embraces authoritarianism and falls into Russia’s orbit.
“It’s an existential election,” Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili said.
Georgians want “European integration, want to move forward and want policies which will bring us a better, more stable, future,” Qristine Tordia, 29, told The Associated Press shortly after voting in the capital, Tbilisi.
Around 80% of Georgians favor joining the EU according to polls and the country’s constitution obliges its leaders to pursue membership in that bloc and NATO.
But Brussels put Georgia’s bid for entry to the EU on hold indefinitely after the ruling party passed a “Russian law” cracking down on freedom of speech in June. Many Georgians fear the party is dragging the country towards authoritarianism and killing off hopes it could join the EU.
The opposition parties have ignored Zourabichvili’s request to unite into a single party but have signed up to her “charter” to carry out the reforms required by the EU to join.
Zourabichvili told the AP on Thursday she believed most Georgians would mobilize to vote “despite some instances of intimidation, despite the use of state resources … and the use of financial resources” by the government.
Georgian Dream took out billboards across the country contrasting black-and-white images of destruction in Ukraine with colorful images of life in Georgia alongside the slogan, “Say no to war — choose peace.”
The governing and opposition parties told voters they would pursue EU membership even though laws passed by Georgian Dream have put that hope on hold.
“The EU decided to stop Georgia’s integration process unilaterally,” said Vakhtang Asanidze, who spoke to AP at a pro-government rally in Tbilisi. He said he saw no reason why Georgia could not join the EU in spite of the laws.
At the EU summit last week, EU leaders said they have “serious concerns regarding the course of action taken by the Georgian government.”
While Georgian Dream has adopted laws similar to those used by the Kremlin to crack down on its critics, voters at the pro-government rally said they did not view the election as a choice between Russia or Europe.
“We remember everything about Russia, including Abkhazia and South Ossetia,” said Latavra Dashniani at the rally, referring to Russia’s occupation of 20% of Georgian territory after the two countries fought a short war in 2008.
Voting for the ruling party, she said, would ensure Georgia enters Europe “with dignity,” alluding to its conservative values, including opposition to rights for LGBTQ+ people.
Polls opened in the parliamentary election at 8 a.m. local time and will close 12 hours later.
Georgian Dream stands against three coalitions: the Unity National Movement, the Coalition for Changes Lelo, and Strong Georgia.
The Gakharia for Georgia party, set up by former prime minister Giorgi Gakharia, said it will not go into an alliance with anyone but will support the opposition to form a government.
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Україна і Болгарія почали переговори щодо безпекової угоди – ОП
«Україна вже уклала 27 угод на виконання спільної декларації «Групи семи». Дуже важливо мати такий документ з Болгарією як нашим стратегічним партнером у Чорноморському регіоні»,
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Kurdish attack in Ankara could derail prospects for peace talks, analysts say
A Kurdish militant group on Friday claimed responsibility for an attack on a major state-run defense company in Turkey’s capital, an action that analysts say could complicate prospects for renewed peace talks between the Turkish government and the country’s Kurdish minority.
Two assailants set off explosives and opened fire Wednesday at the aerospace and defense company TUSAS in Ankara, killing five people and wounding 22, Turkey’s interior ministry said.
The Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, said in a statement Friday that the attack on the defense firm was for its role in producing weapons used in attacks against Kurdish civilians.
The PKK has been designated a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union. The Kurdish militant group has engaged in a four-decade armed conflict with the Turkish government for greater Kurdish rights in Turkey.
Unmanned aerial vehicles, designed and assembled by TUSAS, have been instrumental in Turkey’s fight against Kurdish militants.
Wednesday’s attack came a day after Devlet Bahceli, leader of Turkey’s far-right nationalist party and a close ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, suggested the possibility of granting parole to PKK’s imprisoned leader, Abdullah Ocalan, if the Kurdish group laid down its arms.
A peace process between the two sides that started in 2013 collapsed in 2015.
Yerevan Saeed, director of the Global Kurdish Initiative for Peace at American University in Washington, said the attack in Ankara represented a significant strategic blunder for the PKK.
“This incident highlights a concerning lack of strategic vision at this important time,” he told VOA. “While the Turkish government’s initiative to restart peace talks could be seen as a tactical maneuver, the Kurdish armed group must avoid providing the state with any justification to abandon the dialogue, which could in turn diminish international sympathy for the Kurdish cause.”
Shortly after the Ankara attack, Turkey’s military struck Kurdish militant targets in Iraq and Syria that Turkish officials said belonged to offshoots of the PKK. The Turkish state-run Anadolu Agency said Friday that 120 targets had been struck in Iraq and Syria since Wednesday.
Erdogan, on a flight back from the BRICS summit in Russia, told reporters Friday that the perpetrators of the Ankara attack had infiltrated from Syria, and he vowed to continue efforts to combat terrorism.
In Kurdish-controlled Syria, some of the strikes hit power grids and water pump stations, causing outages of water and electricity in several cities in northeast Syria. Reporters for VOA Kurdish in the region visited several sites that had been damaged in the strikes.
Sinan Ciddi, a Turkey expert at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington, said Turkish citizens would demand “a strong military response” from the government for the Ankara bombing.
He told VOA that “the terror attack also reduces the chances for renewed negotiations between Erdogan and the PKK for a peace process.”
‘No military solution’
Amy Austin Holmes, a professor at the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University, said in every peace process there are spoilers who want to sabotage it.
“There is no military solution to what is an inherently political and social issue of equal citizenship. President Erdogan and the Kurdish movement both recognize this,” she told VOA. “In order for the dialogue process not to be derailed by the PKK’s attack in Ankara, and Turkey’s bombardment of northern Syria and Iraq, cooler heads need to prevail.”
Henri Barkey, professor of international relations at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, said the PKK-claimed attack made no sense.
“The only thing I can think of is that operations such as this one take months to prepare, so these guys had orders and it was never called off because they may have been under a blanket-of-communication order,” he said.
“This is bad for the PKK given that a process is supposed to start and that they could not prevent it from happening,” he added. “The other half of the explanation is that there may be divisions in the organization and the group in charge of this chose not to stop it.”
But other analysts, like Brussels-based Kurdish affairs researcher Hosheng Ose, believe that regardless of the attack in Ankara and the strikes on Iraq and Syria, there seems to be a decision within the Turkish political establishment to reach a settlement with the country’s Kurds.
“There are elements within both the Turkish state and the PKK that oppose any prospects for peace, but I don’t believe that will have any effect on what the Turkish government wants to achieve,” he told VOA.
“Turkey is really concerned with the recent developments across the Middle East, and it wants to ensure that no Kurdish group would play a role that could threaten Turkey’s long-term objectives,” said Ose.
This story originated in VOA’s Kurdish Service.
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Here’s a look at Musk’s contact with Putin and why it matters
WASHINGTON — Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of major government contractor SpaceX and a key ally of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, has been in regular contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin for the last two years, The Wall Street Journal reported.
A person familiar with the situation, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter, confirmed to The Associated Press that Musk and Putin have had contact through calls. The person didn’t provide additional details about the frequency of the calls, when they occurred or their content.
Musk, the world’s richest person who also owns Tesla and the social media platform X, has emerged as a leading voice on the American right. He’s poured millions of dollars into Trump’s presidential bid and turned the platform once known as Twitter into a site popular with Trump supporters, as well as conspiracy theorists, extremists and Russian propagandists.
Musk’s contacts with Putin raise national security questions, given his companies’ work for the government, and highlight concerns about Russian influence in American politics.
Here’s what to know:
What they talked about
Musk and Putin have spoken repeatedly about personal matters, business and geopolitics, The Journal reported Thursday, citing multiple current and former officials in the United States, Europe and Russia.
During one talk, Putin asked Musk not to activate his Starlink satellite system over Taiwan as a favor for Chinese President Xi Jinping, whose ties to Putin have grown closer, The Journal reported. Putin and Xi have met more than 40 times since 2013.
Russia has denied the conversations took place. In 2022, Musk said he’d spoken to Putin only once, in a call 18 months earlier focused on space.
The Chinese Embassy in Washington said Friday that it was “not aware of the specifics” of any requests made by Putin on China’s behalf.
There was no immediate response to messages left with X and Tesla seeking Musk’s comment.
What the talks mean for national security
Musk’s relationship with Putin raises national security questions given the billions of dollars in government contracts awarded to SpaceX, a critical partner to NASA and government satellite programs.
Trump also has vowed to give Musk a role in his administration if he wins next month.
The head of any large defense contractor would face similar questions if they held private talks with one of America’s greatest adversaries, said Bradley Bowman, a former West Point assistant professor and Senate national security adviser who now serves as senior director of the Center on Military and Political Power at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington-based defense think tank.
Bowman said the timing of the calls as reported by The Journal and Musk’s changing views on Ukraine was a “disturbing coincidence.”
“The policy of the U.S. government is to try to isolate Vladimir Putin, and Elon Musk is directly undercutting that,” Bowman said. “What is Putin doing with Musk? Putin is trying to reduce his international isolation and impact American foreign policy.”
The request from Putin on Starlink as a favor to China is also likely to get attention, given U.S. support for Taiwan and concerns about the growing partnership between the Kremlin and Beijing.
Musk, whose Tesla operates Gigafactory Shanghai, has developed a close relationship with China’s top leaders. His remarks about China have been friendly, and he has suggested Taiwan cede some control to Beijing by becoming a special administrative region.
Moscow has growing ties to other American adversaries. The U.S. has accused Russia of sending ballistic missiles to Iran and said North Korea sent troops to Russia, possibly for combat in Ukraine.
On Ukraine, Musk’s views have shifted since he initially supported Kyiv following Russia’s invasion in 2022 and provided it with his Starlink system for communications.
Musk then refused to allow Ukraine in 2023 to use Starlink for a surprise attack on Russian soldiers in Crimea.
He also floated a proposal to end the war that would have required Ukraine to drop its plans for NATO membership and given Russia permanent control of Crimea, which it seized in 2014. The plan infuriated Ukrainian leaders.
One person familiar with the talks between Musk and Putin told The Journal that there is no evidence the contact between Musk and Putin represents a security problem for the U.S.
Asked about Musk’s contacts with Putin, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters Friday that he had no information to share.
The CIA, Pentagon and National Security Agency had no comment. The State Department didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
Musk’s close ties to Trump
Musk recently appeared at a Trump rally, sporting a Make America Great Again hat and delivered an ominous warning that if Trump lost the race, “this will be the last election.”
Last year, Musk mocked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s request for aid for his country with a meme and said in February that the U.S. should cut its assistance because Ukraine couldn’t win.
Trump, who has praised Putin’s leadership and criticized the NATO alliance and U.S. aid for Ukraine, has raised questions about what he would be willing to concede if he’s elected in a negotiation over Ukraine’s future.
U.S. intelligence officials and private tech analysts have concluded that Russia is working to covertly support Trump with disinformation and propaganda targeting his Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris. Since he took over X, it has become a leading online source of Russian propaganda and disinformation aimed at Americans.
Trump has faced scrutiny over his own recent contacts with Putin, outlined in a new book by Watergate journalist Bob Woodward.
Woodward quoted an unnamed Trump aide who said the former president and Putin may have had as many as seven conversations since Trump lost reelection in 2020.
Before one of the calls, the aide said they were asked to leave Trump’s office to give the two privacy.
The Trump campaign and the Kremlin have denied those calls occurred.
In response to questions about Musk and Putin, Trump campaign press secretary Karoline Leavitt called the billionaire “a once-in-a-generation industry leader” whose ideas could benefit “our broken federal bureaucracy.”
“As for Putin, there’s only one candidate in the race that he did not invade another country under, and it’s President Trump,” Leavitt said in a statement. “President Trump has long said that he will re-establish his peace through strength foreign policy to deter Russia’s aggression and end the war in Ukraine.”
Russia confirms one conversation
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Friday rejected The Journal’s report as “absolutely false information.”
Peskov said Putin and Musk once held a “medium-length phone conversation” prior to 2022 that was “as more of an introductory nature” and that the two talked about “visionary technologies, technological solutions for the future.”
“After that, Musk had no contacts with Putin,” Peskov said, dismissing The Journal’s article as political.
“The election has entered its home stretch, and of course the opponents stop at nothing,” Peskov said. “Remember that a week ago they were saying that Putin allegedly talks to Trump all day long. Now he allegedly talks to Musk all the time. It’s all untrue.”
Ukraine’s military intelligence told the AP that they would “refrain from commenting” about communication between Putin and Musk.
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Zelenskyy: North Korean troops are poised for deployment
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday that Russia is expected to deploy North Korean soldiers to combat as early as Sunday.
In a statement posted to his official X social media account, Zelenskyy said the prediction is based on military intelligence he received in a Friday briefing from armed forces Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi.
Zelenskyy called the move a “clear escalation by Russia,” adding that “the world can clearly see Russia’s true intentions: to continue the war.”
Calling for a “principled and strong response” from global leaders, Zelenskyy said, “North Korea’s actual involvement in combat should not be met with indifference or uncertain commentary, but with tangible pressure on both Moscow and Pyongyang, to uphold the U.N. Charter and to hold them accountable for this escalation.”
Responding Thursday to a Ukraine intelligence report that the North Korean troops were in Russia’s Kursk region, Russian President Vladimir Putin said it was up to Moscow to decide how they might be deployed, including possibly sending them to fight on the front lines against Ukraine. He did not deny a U.S. claim that North Korea has dispatched some 3,000 troops to fight alongside Russian forces.
On Friday, North Korean state broadcaster KCNA carried a statement by Vice Foreign Minister Kim Jong Gyu, who would not comment directly on reports of the deployment, but said if there were such a thing, “I think it will be an act conforming with the regulations of international law.”
Ukraine has argued North Korean participation in the war violates international law; U.S. officials earlier this week called such a deployment a major escalation. But Putin argued the West had escalated the war in Ukraine by sending NATO officers and instructors to help Kyiv defend itself against Russian aggression.
Meanwhile, in an interview with Russian television Friday, Putin spoke about possible cease-fire negotiations with Ukraine, saying Russia was ready to seek compromises. He said Turkey had presented a number of peace initiatives to both Russia and Ukraine, which he claimed Ukraine has rejected.
Regarding possible compromises, Putin said: “Any outcome must be in Russia’s favor. … This outcome should be based upon the realities which are taking shape on the battlefield. Without any doubt, we are not going to make any concessions. There will be no exchange [of territory], whatsoever.”
Putin blamed Ukraine for what he described as “irrational behavior” in negotiations, saying, “It is not possible to build any plans on this basis.”
Bio lab construction
In an exclusive report Friday, The Washington Post said satellite images from the past two years have shown substantial construction at a site-restricted military facility northeast of Moscow that was once a major research center for biological weapons.
The report said the site has a history of experiments that included viruses that cause smallpox, Ebola and hemorrhagic fevers.
The satellite imagery of the Russian site, called Sergiev Posad-6, shows construction vehicles renovating the Soviet-era laboratory and breaking ground on 10 new buildings, totaling more than 250,000 square feet, with several of them bearing hallmarks of biological labs designed to handle extremely dangerous pathogens.
The report said there has been no sign such weapons are being used in the Ukraine conflict, but the construction is being closely watched by U.S. intelligence agencies and bioweapons experts.
Ukraine’s Kyiv Independent reported Friday the apparent deployment of North Korean troops could be at least in part a result of Russia’s losses on the battlefield.
In a report on its Facebook social media account, the Ukraine General Staff of the armed forces reported Russia has lost 685,910 troops since the beginning of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. This includes, the general staff report said, 1,630 casualties over a 24-hour period ending Friday.
Ukraine has closely guarded its battlefield troop casualties, even from Western allies, but a U.S. official in September estimated Ukraine has likely seen an estimated 57,500 troops killed and 250,000 wounded, according to a report by The New York Times.
Battlefield casualties are difficult to verify, and Russia has made claims that Ukrainian casualties are much higher than those indicated by Ukrainian and U.S. estimates.
Some information for this report was provided by The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse.
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Міністри фінансів США і Франції обговорюють перекриття імпорту Росією західних товарів
Серед питань на порядку денному Єллен назвала розблокування «заморожених російських суверенних активів» для допомоги Україні
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North Korea eyes Russian military assistance in exchange for Ukraine troop deployment, say experts
washington — North Korea is likely anticipating Russian technical assistance to perfect its nuclear and missile programs in exchange for sending its troops to support Russia in the Ukraine war, U.S. experts say.
On Wednesday, the U.S. government confirmed for the first time the presence of at least 3,000 North Korean troops in Russia. Last Friday, South Korea’s intelligence agency said North Korea had sent 1,500 special forces troops to Russia for training and likely deployment for combat in the war in Ukraine.
Seoul has expressed grave concerns about the development.
“North Korea will expect a generous payoff from Moscow in return for its troop contribution,” Hwang Joon-kook, South Korean ambassador to the United Nations, said Monday at a United Nations Security Council Briefing on Ukraine. “It could be either military or financial assistance; it could be nuclear weapons-related technology.”
Weapons upgrades
North Korea has recently been more open about showing its nuclear and missile ambitions. State media outlets last month released photos showing leader Kim Jong Un visiting what they said was a uranium enrichment facility.
The Kim regime has exported dozens of ballistic missiles and more than 18,000 containers of munitions and munitions-related material to Russia since its invasion of Ukraine, according to the U.S. State Department.
Bruce Bennett, a senior defense analyst at the Rand Corporation, told VOA Korean on Wednesday that Kim Jong Un is now in a position where he can “leverage Russia to get much more” by deploying his own soldiers to the Ukraine war.
“As they were doing their nuclear tests, they would have discovered that some things didn’t work,” Bennett said. “I think Kim has got a lot of technology he would like to get from Russia.”
Robert Peters, research fellow for nuclear deterrence and missile defense at the Heritage Foundation, said sending in North Korean troops “could be a token of goodwill on the part of Kim,” and Kim’s expectation would be that “the quid pro quo is Russian technical assistance.”
“The ultimate goal for Kim is a revitalized alliance with Russia that helps North Korea catch up its missile program and its nuclear program with those in the West,” Peters told VOA Korean Tuesday on the phone. “I think that’s part of his game.”
Peters added that Kim could ask Russian President Vladimir Putin to provide technical assistance for effective miniaturization of nuclear warheads that could go on the tip of intercontinental ballistic missiles, or ICBMs, targeting the United States.
Sung-Yoon Lee, a fellow with the Wilson Center’s Indo-Pacific Program, told VOA Korean in an email that he believes Russia likely promised “to provide Pyongyang with sensitive nuclear technology like nuclear-powered submarines, military satellites, and ICBM reentry into the earth’s atmosphere” in return for North Korea sending troops to the war in Ukraine.
Economic benefits
Another benefit for North Korea is that its troops might be paid in hard currency that can be exchanged internationally.
“The financial benefits from this initial deployment may seem relatively small, but they are comparatively important for North Korea,” Troy Stangarone, director of the Center for Korean History and Public Policy at Wilson Center, told VOA Korean via email Thursday.
“If Russia is compensating North Korea at the same rate as new Russian recruits, we could expect Pyongyang to earn a little less than $10 million a month from the 3,000 troops that are reported to have already been deployed.”
Stangarone says that amount would be equal to about 40% of North Korea’s legal exports to China over the course of a full year. China is North Korea’s main trading partner, with some studies saying China makes up as much as 95% of North Korea’s total trade.
Robert Abrams, a retired U.S. Army four-star general who served as commander of U.S. Forces Korea from 2018 to 2021, said the deployment of North Korean soldiers will not be a military game changer for Russia. But, he said, it shows “the depth of commitment by Kim Jong Un to be a strategic partner of Russia.”
“Russia is losing 10,000 soldiers about every 10 days, so this deployment of 10,000 North Korean soldiers will not noticeably change the outcome,” Abrams told VOA Korean via email Wednesday.
“However, this deployment of North Korean soldiers has significant symbolism for both North Korea and Russia; this is an obvious outcome of the recent North Korea-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership agreement.”
Putin and Kim signed their partnership treaty in June, vowing to challenge the U.S.-led world order.
The new treaty mandates Russia and North Korea to immediately provide military assistance using all available means if either of them is attacked by a third country.
Putin did not deny the presence of North Korean soldiers in Russia during a Thursday press conference at the BRICS summit in the Russian city of Kazan.
“We have never doubted at all that the North Korean leadership takes our agreements seriously,” Putin said. “What and how we will do within the framework of this article [of the agreement] is our business.”
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Зеленський провів Ставку: йшлося про новий формат засідання та визволення з полону цивільних
Глава держави повідомив, що «доручив ГУР разом із СБУ особливо зайнятись питаннями щодо визволення з російського полону цивільних осіб»
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ЗМІ: Зеленський відхилив візит Ґутерріша до України після його поїздки на саміт до Росії
Раніше цей можливий візит Ґутерріша до України не анонсувався
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EU Commission chief promises Bosnia flood aid, support for reform on membership path
SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Friday promised support for Bosnia as the troubled Balkan country struggles with reform needed to advance toward membership in the European Union.
Von der Leyen was in Bosnia as part of a trip this week to aspiring EU member states in the Western Balkans to assure them that EU enlargement remains a priority for the 27-nation bloc. From Bosnia, von der Leyen went on to neighboring Serbia.
The Western Balkans countries — Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia — are at different stages in their applications for EU membership. The countries have been frustrated by the slow pace of the process, but Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has propelled European leaders to push the six to join the bloc.
Bosnia gained candidate status in 2022 while EU leaders in March agreed in principle to open membership negotiations, though Bosnia must still do a lot of work.
“We share the same vision for the future, a future where Bosnia-Herzegovina is a full-fledged member of the European Union,” said von der Leyen at a joint press conference with Bosnian Prime Minister Bojana Kristo. “So, I would say, let’s continue working on that. We’ve gone a long way already, we still have a way ahead of us but I am confident that you’ll make it.”
Last year EU officials offered a 6-billion-euro (about $6.5 billion) growth plan to the Western Balkan countries in an effort to double the region’s economy over the next decade and accelerate their efforts to join the bloc. That aid is contingent on reforms that would bring their economies in line with EU rules.
The Commission on Wednesday approved the reform agendas of Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia following a green light from EU member states. That was a key step to allow payments under the growth plan upon completion of agreed reform steps.
“The accession process is, as you know, merit-based … we do not look at a rigid data but we look at the merits, the progress that a country is making,” said von der Leyen. “The important thing is that we have an ambitious reform agenda, like the other five Western Balkan countries also have. We stand ready to help you to move forward.”
Long after a 1992-95 ethnic war that killed more than 100,000 people and left millions homeless, Bosnia remains ethnically divided and politically deadlocked. An ethnic Serb entity — one of Bosnia’s two equal parts joined by a common government — has sought to gain as much independence as possible.
Upon arrival in Bosnia, von der Leyen on Thursday first went to Donja Jablanica, a village in central Bosnia that was devastated in recent floods and landslides. The disaster in early October claimed 27 lives and the small village was virtually buried in rocks from a quarry located on a hill above.
Von der Leyen said the EU is sending an immediate aid package of 20 million euros ($21 million) and will also provide support for reconstruction later on.
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РФ: Центробанк підняв ключову ставку до максимального за 20 років рівня
У поясненні регулятора сказано, що причиною цього рішення стало зростання інфляції суттєво вище за прогнозоване
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