The European Commission, the executive body of the European Union, recommended opening accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova, saying they are sufficiently prepared for the formal opening of the process, which would eventually lead to their becoming members of the European Union.

The commission told EU ambassadors that both Kyiv and Chisinau have fully fulfilled the outstanding reform steps needed to start official talks.

"We consider that all the steps have been met by the two countries," a commission spokeswoman told reporters on June 7.

"Now the decision is in the hands of the member states."

In Ukraine's case, the reform steps included the fight against corruption, de-oligarchization, and the protection of national minorities, officials told RFE/RL.

Moldova meanwhile has fulfilled criteria on judicial reform, de-oligarchization, and the fight against corruption, the officials added.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal hailed the commission's move.

"Thank you for the positive assessment of our European integration progress. The announced conclusion of the EC states that Ukraine continues systematic efforts to join the EU and has completed all additional reform steps," Shmyhal said.

SEE ALSO:

Live Briefing: Russia Invades Ukraine

He added that Kyiv is now waiting for the next step from its European partners -- the actual start of membership negotiations this month.

"The Ukrainian people are choosing every day the right to be part of the European family in the war against the Russian aggressor," he added.

Brussels appears to be encouraging the two countries to continue on their path to Europe ahead of a transition period in the bloc, which will acquire a new European Parliament in voting this weekend.

The 27-nation bloc will also have a new commission, and will be led from next month for the rest of 2024 by Hungary, whose Prime Minister Viktor Orban is on friendly terms with Russian President Vladimir Putin and has systematically opposed or undermined the EU's moves to sanction Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine.

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

With reporting by RFE/RL's Rikard Jozwiak

BISHKEK -- Eleven former and current reporters for the Temirov Live investigative group in Kyrgyzstan have gone on trial in Bishkek on a charge of "calling for mass riots," which the journalists and rights groups have rejected as politically motivated.

Judge Kylychbek Istamkulov of the Lenin district court started the trial behind closed doors on June 7.

Four of the journalists on trial -- Makhabat Tajibek-kyzy, Azamat Ishenbekov, Aktilek Kaparov, and Aike Beishekeeva -- have been held in pretrial detention since January 16.

The other seven journalists were transferred to house arrest amid an outcry by domestic and international human rights groups over the case. The arrests were made after police searched the journalists’ homes and offices.

In April, the Kyrgyz Ombudsman's Institute said guards physically attacked Tajibek-kyzy and two of her cellmates in detention center No.1 in Bishkek.

Prosecutors said at the time that they had launched a preliminary investigation into Tajibek-kyzy's complaint.

Tajibek-kyzy is the wife of prominent investigative journalist Bolot Temirov, the founder of Temirov Live who was deported to Moscow in November 2022 after a court ruled that he illegally obtained Kyrgyz citizenship.

Temirov, who held Kyrgyz and Russian passports, rejected the accusation and insisted that the probe against him was launched after he published the results of an investigation suggesting corruption among top Kyrgyz officials.

Kyrgyz-based and international human rights groups have urged the former Soviet republic’s government to immediately release Temirov Live’s journalists and drop all charges against them.

Kyrgyzstan's free press and civil society have traditionally been the most vibrant in Central Asia, but that has changed amid a deepening government crackdown.

In early April, President Sadyr Japarov signed into law a controversial bill that allows authorities to register organizations as "foreign representatives," which critics say mirrors a repressive Russian law on "foreign agents" that Moscow uses to muzzle free press and NGOs.

Uzbek authorities labeled a Karakalpak group as extremist and banned it in February, the Turkmen Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights said citing Moscow-based human rights defender Vitaly Ponomaryov.

According to a statement from Ponomaryov, the Alga Qaraqalpaqstan (Forward Karakalpakstan) group was banned on February 22.

The group is an unregistered political party with thousands of members that promotes the independence of Karakalpakstan from Uzbekistan.

Karakalpaks are a Central Asian Turkic-speaking people. Their region used to be an autonomous area within Kazakhstan before becoming autonomous within the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic in 1930 and then part of Uzbekistan in 1936.

The fact that the group was banned became known during the trial of Karakalpak activist Parahat Musapbarov, who was sentenced to 6 years in prison in late May on a number of charges, including taking part in the activities of the banned group.

Karakalpak activists have been under pressure in Uzbekistan since mass rallies in Karakalpakstan's capital, Nukus, in July 2022. Thousands of people protested Tashkent's plans to change the constitution in a way that would have undermined the republic's right to self-determination.

SEE ALSO:

The Kazakh-Uzbek 'Tandem': Good For Central Asia, Not So Good For Karakalpak Activists

The protests were violently dispersed. Uzbek authorities said at the time that 21 people died during the protests, but the Austrian-based Freedom for Eurasia human rights group said at least 70 people were killed during the unrest.

In January last year, an Uzbek court sentenced 22 Karakalpak activists to prison terms on charges that included undermining the constitutional order for taking part in the protests.

In March 2023, another 39 Karakalpak activists accused of taking part in the protests in Nukus were convicted, with 28 of them sentenced to prison terms of between 5 and 11 years. Eleven defendants were handed parole-like sentences.

The violence forced Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev to make a rare about-face and scrap the proposal to change the constitution.

The Iranian government has issued strict guidelines for media conduct in the run-up to Iran's presidential election, which was called after the recent death of former President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash.

According to the newly published regulations, any content deemed to be aimed at discouraging voter turnout or promoting election boycotts, as well as organizing any form of unlicensed protest gatherings, strikes, or sit-ins, is now classified as "criminal."

The rules mimic previous mandates and carry severe punishments, including the potential for as many as 74 lashes, for those found in violation.

The initiative is part of the intense effort by the Iranian government to control the political narrative and suppress dissent amid historically low election enthusiasm due to the widespread disqualifications of candidates and aggressive suppression by authorities of any opposition.

Under Clause 74 of Iran’s presidential election law, all media outlets --including print, broadcast, and online platforms -- are prohibited from publishing anything deemed to be negative content about election candidates or suggesting that any group or individual withdraw from the race.

Violations can lead to severe repercussions, including the temporary shutdown of the offender's media operations and physical punishment for its managers and possibly the authors of such articles.

The guidelines also extend to social media, where the publication of any content deemed as insulting or slanderous against the regime, or that which stirs public discord or spreads false information, is forbidden.

The law specifies that no private complainant is required for the prosecution of these offenses, suggesting a proactive approach by the state in monitoring and regulating election-related discourse.

These developments occur amid a backdrop of increasing control over media and public opinion by the Iranian authorities, who have long used broad and vaguely defined charges to crack down on political activists and civil society.

The recent guidelines also underscore the government's intent to tighten its grip on all forms of expression and ensure a controlled electoral environment, sparking concerns among international observers about the state of freedom of speech and fair electoral practices in Iran.

In recent elections, the authorities severely limited the playing field by disqualifying most moderate and reformist candidates, which may have contributed to the low voter participation seen in recent balloting.

Rights groups have complained of an intensified clampdown on public expressions of discontent since Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and several others died in the helicopter crash in a mountainous region of northwestern Iran in mid-May while returning from an official visit to Azerbaijan.

Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda

China, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan have signed an agreement on a new railway project to connect the three nations that Chinese President Xi Jinping called "strategic" for his country and Central Asia. Officials from the three countries signed the agreement in Beijing on June 6. In a sign of the importance of the project, Xi, and his Kyrgyz and Uzbek counterparts, Sadyr Japarov and Shavkat Mirziyoev, took part in the signing ceremony via video link. They stressed the project’s importance for the China-initiated Belt and Road initiative, which aims to connect Chinese markets with Europe. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service, click here.

A series of explosions were reported in Ukraine's Russian-occupied city of Luhansk on June 7. Russian media reports said a residential building collapsed after Ukrainian armed forces shelled the city with ATACMS missiles. The reports cited Russian-installed officials as saying that 22 people, including an eight-year-old child, were injured, while an unknown number of people were trapped under the building's rubble as rescue teams worked at the site. Some reports said parts of the city do not have electricity and telephone communications. Ukrainian officials have not commented on the reports. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here.

A court in Russia’s Far Eastern region of Primorye has sentenced a Jehovah's Witness to 6 years and 2 months in prison amid a continued crackdown on the religious group. The press service for the region's courts said on June 7 that a court in the town of Luchegorsk sentenced the believer, whose identity was not disclosed, on a charge of organizing an extremist group. Russia banned the Jehovah’s Witnesses in 2017 and designated the religion an extremist organization. Rights watchdogs and Western governments have condemned Russia's crackdown on religious minorities. To read the original story from RFE/RL's Siberia.Realities, click here.

Russia's Investigative Committee said on June 7 that two people have been detained over the collision of two trams that killed one person and injured more than 140 others in the Siberian city of Kemerovo. One of the detained, Pavel Maltsev, is a former deputy mayor of the city and current director of the Kemerovo Electric Transportation Company. The second suspect is a company technician. The two are accused of allowing a disabled tram to operate. On June 6, a video circulated on the Internet showing a tram moving at an extremely high speed, its doors falling off and several people falling out onto a highway. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Siberia.Realities, click here.

The peace Europe has enjoyed since the end of World War II has been erased by the aggression of Russia, which invaded Ukraine in 2022, and is a threat to the entire continent, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said.

"We live in times when Europe again stopped being a continent of peace," Zelenskiy told the French parliament in Paris on June 7 ahead of a crucial meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden later in the day.

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine

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"We live in times when Nazism is returning again, unfortunately. Now in Europe again cities are being destroyed and villages are being burned to ashes. In Europe again we have filtration camps, deportations, and hatred that became a new cult in Russia."

Biden and Zelenskiy, who both attended 80th anniversary commemorations of the D-Day landings in Normandy this week, have not yet met in person since the U.S. House of Representatives approved $61 billion in military aid for Ukraine after months of delay prompted by Republican bickering.

In a speech during the D-Day commemorations on June 6, Biden said the free world stands with Ukraine and won't cave in to Russian aggression, drawing a parallel with the Allies' fight to liberate Europe from Nazi Germany's subjugation in World War II.

The United States and NATO "will not walk away" and abandon Ukraine, Biden said.

"Make no mistake: We will not bow down, we cannot surrender to the bullies; it is simply unthinkable. If we do, freedom will be subjugated, all Europe will be threatened," Biden said in Colleville-sur-Mer at a ceremony hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron and attended by Zelenskiy and other heads of state.

Neither Russian President Vladimir Putin nor any other officials from Russia were invited to the commemoration.

"Ukraine has been invaded by a tyrant, they're fighting with extraordinary courage, suffering great losses but never backing down," Biden said describing Putin as a "tyrant bent on domination."

The U.S. president, meanwhile, hailed NATO as "the greatest military alliance in the world" and said it is "more determined than ever to keep peace."

Ukraine's longstanding bid to join the 32-member alliance is likely to figure high on the agenda of the talks with Zelenskiy, after Biden told Time magazine in an interview that he did not support NATO membership for Ukraine -- a position at odds with that of NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg -- which is likely to raise questions from the Ukrainian leader.

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U.S. President Joe Biden marked the 80th anniversary of D-Day on June 6 by saying that "we will not walk away" from the defense of Ukraine and allow Russia to threaten more of Europe.

In the wide-ranging June 4 interview with Time, Biden said that "peace looks like making sure Russia never, never, never, never occupies Ukraine. That's what peace looks like."

But, he added, "It doesn't mean NATO, [that] they are part of NATO."

"It means we have a relationship with them like we do with other countries, where we supply weapons so they can defend themselves in the future. But...I am not prepared to support the NATOization of Ukraine."

Zelensky was to meet with Biden in Paris from 12 p.m. local time before talks in the evening from around 7 p.m. with Macron.

Following pleas from Ukraine to allow its forces to defend itself against attacks originating from Russian territory, and after pressure from some European leaders, Biden last week reversed Washington's position and gave Ukraine the go-ahead to use U.S. weapons to strike inside Russia for the limited purpose of defending the eastern city of Kharkiv.

Germany, where Zelenskiy is scheduled to address lawmakers next week, announced a similar change in policy shortly afterward.

Ahead of Biden's meeting with Zelenskiy, Stoltenberg has reiterated NATO's position that Ukraine has the right to strike inside Russia in self-defense.

"This is a war of attack that Russia has begun against a peaceful, democratic neighboring country, Ukraine, that at no point has been a threat to Russia," Stoltenberg said after a meeting with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in Stockholm on June 7.

"There is no question that Ukraine has the right to hit targets on Russian territory," Stoltenberg said.

After meeting with Zelesnkiy, Biden will return to Normandy later on June 7 to give a speech at 4 p.m. on defending freedom and democracy at the Pointe du Hoc, the promontory where German bunkers were attacked by U.S. Army rangers in a daring assault on June 6, 1944.

Belarusian rights defender Andrey Stryzhak wrote on Facebook on June 6 that an opposition activist, whose identity was not disclosed, has been stripped of their Belarusian citizenship for criticizing the government of authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka. It is the first known case of citizenship being revoked since the beginning of the 2020 protests against Lukashenka's regime over the official results of a disputed election, in which he was declared the winner. Stryzhak told the Novaya Gazeta.Evropa newspaper that the activist is currently in “a safe place.” Belarus recently adopted a law allowing for the annulment of the citizenship of those convicted of extremist charges or residing abroad. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here.

Russia launched 50 drones and five cruise missiles on nine Ukrainian regions on June 7, but the large attack was almost completely repelled by Ukraine's air defenses, air force commander Lieutenant General Mykola Oleschuk said in a statement. "Forty-eight attack drones and five Kh-101/Kh-555 cruise missiles were shot down in the Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhya, Kirovohrad, Mykolayiv, Kherson, Odesa, Kharkiv, Kyiv, and Khmelnytskiy regions," Oleshchuk said. In the Kyiv region, the attack caused a fire at an industrial facility, regional Governor Ruslan Kravchenko said, adding that there had been no casualties. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, click here.

The United States has imposed visa restrictions against dozens of Georgian officials over the adoption of a "foreign agent law," which sparked weeks of mass protests and criticism that it mirrors similar repressive legislation used by the Kremlin to stifle dissent and derails Georgia's Euro-Atlantic path.

The move, announced by State Department spokesman Matthew Miller on June 6, comes following the promulgation of the bill by Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on June 3 after lawmakers from the ruling Georgian Dream party had overridden a veto of the legislation by President Salome Zurabishvili.

Hundreds of people have been arrested during weeks of protests against the piece of legislation. Some of the protesters who were detained during demonstrations, which were met with tear gas, water cannons, and allegedly rubber bullets that injured opponents and journalists, could face years in prison on criminal charges.

"This first tranche of visa restrictions comprises members of the Georgian Dream party, members of parliament, law enforcement, and private citizens," Miller told journalists.

"This includes individuals responsible for or complicit in, and immediate family members of those responsible for or complicit in undermining democracy in Georgia, such as by undermining freedoms of peaceful assembly and association, violently attacking peaceful protesters, intimidating civil society representatives, and deliberately spreading disinformation at the direction of the Georgian government," Miller said.

SEE ALSO:

Opponents Of Georgia's 'Foreign Agent' Law Accuse Government Of Targeting Them In Campaign Of Intimidation

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken first warned that sanctions would be imposed after the lawmakers' initial approval of the bill last month, and announced a review of all U.S. assistance to Georgia.

Washington, which has been one of the main backers of Georgia's integration into Western institutions, gave Tbilisi $390 million in aid over the past several years.

“These actions risk derailing Georgia's European future and run counter to the Georgian Constitution and the wishes of its people,” said Miller, without identifying those targeted, due to visa confidentiality laws.

He said “a few dozen” people were sanctioned for their role in the pushing the law and the crackdown on protesters.

"It remains our hope that Georgia's leaders will reconsider their actions and take steps to move forward with their nation's long-stated democratic and Euro-Atlantic aspirations," Miller told reporters. "But if they do not, the United States is prepared to take additional actions."

Opposition lawmaker Levan Khabeishvili, the head of the leading opposition United National Movement (UNM) party, hailed the U.S. move and said the adoption of the law will also be followed by economic repercussions.

“Lawmakers who voted for the 'Russian Law' and police officers who dispersed peaceful demonstrators came under sanctions, and this is just the beginning. What kind of investor will enter or stay in such a country?! Under [Georgian Dream founder Bidzina] Ivanishvili, economic collapse is inevitable! The destructiveness of Ivanishvili’s team is hitting the pockets of Georgian citizens. Thank you to the United States of America for supporting the Georgian people!”

Politician and entrepreneur Mamuka Khazaradze, the leader of Lelo for Georgia, a centrist political party, said that, by sanctioning the "treacherous" Georgian Dream politicians, the United States was backing the Georgians' Western aspirations.

SEE ALSO:

The Next Front In The Battle Over Georgia's 'Foreign Agent' Law 

“America has once again reaffirmed its unwavering support for the Georgian people," Khakaradze wrote on social media, urging his compatriots to use their vote at upcoming parliamentary elections in October to bring in change.

"The United States of America has taken action. The first wave of sanctions against the treacherous government is approaching. However, we must remember that the more the [Georgian] Dream government moves away from democracy and closer to Russia, the more it will damage the country and our international interests. This is not allowed! This is a betrayal of the future! So now it’s our turn again -- we need to put in even more effort to finally secure the victory in October!”

In a first government reaction to the sanctions, Culture Minister Thea Tsulukiani called Washington's move a "mistake" and called for it to rescind it.

“We can say with confidence that this is another mistake that, unfortunately for them and for us, the United States is making in relations with its strategic partner...the U.S. desperately needs to reset this relationship,” Tsulukiani said.

Papuashvili said on June 3 that the Justice Ministry will work out the tools for the implementation of the law in 60 days after which all NGOs and media groups that receive financial support from abroad will be obliged to register and report their finances for 2023.

French President Emmanuel Macron says France will provide Ukraine with Mirage combat aircraft to help the country defend against Russia's aggression. Macron told France's public broadcaster on June 6 that a new cooperation with Ukraine to be announced on June 7 will include the sale of the French-made Mirage 2005, which will "allow Ukraine to protect its soil, its airspace" against Russian attacks. France will also start training Ukrainian pilots, Macron said. His comments came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy joined world leaders in France to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion.

The United States is urging China to attend a planned summit on Ukraine this month in Switzerland, a U.S. State Department spokesperson told reporters on June 6. The spokesperson said China has attended previous summits and "their presence was helpful. We think their presence would be helpful here." Beijing, which has close ties with Moscow, has so far said it will stay away from the June 15-16 summit, saying the attendance of both sides is a prerequisite for any substantive peace conference. Russia has not been invited. Kyiv says more than 100 countries have accepted its invitation to the summit, which Moscow has said will be meaningless without Russia.

The family of Hossein Shanbehzadeh said they do not know where the Iranian literary editor and activist is after security officers arrested him for unknown reasons in the northwestern city of Ardabil.

The case highlights the tightening grip on freedom of expression in Iran by hard-line Islamists.

Shanbehzadeh’s detention on June 4 followed a viral response to a tweet by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in which the activist simply posted a period. The reply garnered more attention than Khamenei’s original tweet, which featured a photo with the Iranian national volleyball team.

In a statement released on June 6, Shanbehzadeh’s family said they were concerned for his well-being amid the severe accusations being leveled against him.

“Our primary concern is for Hossein's health, as we are unaware of the arresting authority and his place of detention," the family said while criticizing Iranian authorities for denying him basic legal rights, such as access to a lawyer and family contact.

The family’s statement came after the prosecutor of Ardabil reported the arrest of a "fugitive and a suspect sought by the Intelligence Ministry" whom it labeled as an "Israeli spy."

While the prosecutor did not directly name Shanbehzadeh, the Tasnim News Agency, which is linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), identified him as the detainee.

Shanbehzadeh, known for his sharp criticism of the Iranian regime, has been a well-known activist in the digital realm. Operating under a pseudonym on social media platform X, he has been a vocal advocate for free expression. He has also edited influential literary works, including Naguib Mahfouz's Heritage And Life With Him.

In 2019, Shanbehzadeh faced imprisonment for "insulting the sanctities and the leader of the Islamic republic" due to his critical comments about Iran’s leadership on social media.

A Russian nuclear-powered submarine will visit Havana next week, Cuba's communist authorities said on June 6. The nuclear submarine Kazan, which will not be carrying nuclear weapons, and three other Russian naval vessels -- the missile frigate Admiral Gorshkov, an oil tanker, and a salvage tug -- will dock in the Cuban capital from June 12-17, Cuba's Revolutionary Armed Forces Ministry said. The unusual deployment of the powerful Russian submarine so close to the United States comes amid major tensions over the war in Ukraine. During the Cold War, the deployment of Soviet nuclear missile sites on the island triggered the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

A Polish soldier stabbed by a migrant at the border with Belarus has died, the country's army command said on June 6. The soldier, identified only by his first name, Mateusz, was stabbed through a 5-meter-high metal fence while he was patrolling the border, local media said. The Polish Army also reported two other attacks on troops at the border last week, with one soldier stabbed by a knife affixed to a stick and another suffering facial injuries after being attacked with a broken bottle. Poland has accused Russia of orchestrating an influx of migrants into Poland through Kremlin ally Belarus.

ASTANA -- Kazakhstan's Supreme Court has canceled a seven-year prison sentence handed to a man in a high-profile trial related to the death of a 4-year-old girl during deadly unrest in Kazakhstan in January 2022.

The Supreme Court's officials told RFE/RL on June 6 that the case was sent to a court of appeals for assessment, adding that the decision was made at a hearing held behind closed doors.

The man who was sentenced in the case, Arman Zhuman, a member of the military, had been initially acquitted of a charge of abuse of power in November, but amid public outcry he was retried and on March 28 sentenced to seven years in prison.

Aikorkem Meldekhan, 4, was shot dead in the Central Asian nation's largest city, Almaty, by what the court concluded was military personnel, when she and other members of her family were in a car on their way to a grocery store on January 7, 2022.

The vehicle was sprayed with at least 20 bullets, also wounding Aikorkem's 15-year-old sister.

Zhuman's lawyer, Oksana Musokhranova, told RFE/RL that her client's defense team is working on his full acquittal.

Aikorkem's father, Aidos Meldekhan, condemned the Supreme Court's ruling, questioning the hearing's being held behind closed doors.

"Our stance has not changed. We demand the charge to be changed into murder, and all persons involved into the crime to be held responsible," Aidos Meldekhan said.

At least 238 people, including 19 law enforcement officers, are believed to have been killed during the January 2022 unrest.

At the time, President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev gave police and military troops the controversial order to "shoot to kill without warning." He justified the move by saying "20,000 extremists trained in foreign terrorist camps" had seized Almaty airport and other buildings.

No evidence of foreign-trained terrorists was ever presented.

The order sparked an outcry, and Aikorkem's picture turned into an image symbolizing the victims of the crackdown, many of whom were killed -- some under torture -- by police, security forces and military personnel, including troops of the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization, whom Toqaev invited into the country "to restore law and order."

German customs investigators and the public prosecutor's office took action on June 6 against the suspected illegal export of luxury cars to Russia. The customs investigation office in the western city of Essen and the public prosecutor's office in Bochum announced that they suspected that managers of a car dealership in Bochum sold a large number of luxury vehicles worth over 5 million euros ($5.44 million) to Russia, violating the existing export embargo. Authorities suspect the dealers pretended that the cars had been legally exported to other countries, when in reality they were sent to Russia. Investigators searched and seized evidence from two properties.

Hungary's state-owned Corvinus and French co-investor Vinci Airports has acquired Budapest airport from its main shareholder, AviAlliance, and minority shareholders, AviAlliance said in a statement on June 6. The acquisition cost 3.1 billion euros ($3.37 billion) with an extension of 1.44 billion euros worth of previously issued loans, the Hungarian Economy Ministry said in a statement. Corvinus became the majority owner of the airport with 80 percent, while Vinci holds 20 percent. The ministry said the Hungarian government and the French co-investor "will work to ensure that Budapest airport will become one of the best airports not only in the region but in the world." Prior to the sale, AviAlliance, owned by Canada's Public Sector Pension Investment Board, had been the main shareholder in Budapest airport.

Ukraine's hydroelectric company Ukrhydroenerho said on June 6 it had initiated international arbitration seeking damages for Russia's destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam and power station in June 2023. The state-run company declined to say where it had begun the arbitration process but said it had estimated the damage at 2.5 billion euros ($2.7 billion). The Nova Kakhovka dam was captured by Russia at the start of Moscow's full-scale invasion in February 2022. Kyiv has blamed Russian forces for blowing it up on the night of June 6, 2023, flooding swathes of arable land and hundreds of houses, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without drinking water, and depriving the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant of water needed to cool its reactors.

U.S. President Joe Biden, marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day, said the free world stands with Ukraine and won't cave in to Russian aggression, drawing a parallel with the Allies' fight to liberate Europe from Nazi Germany's subjugation in World War II.

The United States and NATO "will not walk away" and abandon Ukraine, Biden said in a speech at commemorations in Normandy on June 6 to mark the anniversary of the 1944 Allied landing in Normandy, a turning point that contributed decisively to Adolf Hitler's ultimate defeat in 1945.

"Make no mistake: We will not bow down, we cannot surrender to the bullies; it is simply unthinkable. If we do, freedom will be subjugated, all Europe will be threatened," Biden said in Colleville-sur-Mer at a ceremony hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron in honor of the dwindling number of surviving World War II veterans and attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Britain's King Charles III, and other heads of state and dignitaries.

• RFE/RL
• AP
• Reuters

U.S. President Joe Biden marked the 80th anniversary of D-Day on June 6 by saying that "we will not walk away" from the defense of Ukraine and allow Russia to threaten more of Europe.

Neither Russian President Vladimir Putin nor any other officials from Russia were invited to the commemoration.

"Ukraine has been invaded by a tyrant, they're fighting with extraordinary courage, suffering great losses but never backing down," Biden said describing Putin as a "tyrant bent on domination."

The U.S. president, meanwhile, hailed NATO as "the greatest military alliance in the world" and said it is "more determined than ever to keep peace."

Drawing again a parallel with World War II, Biden said America's "isolation was not the answer 80 years ago and it's not the answer today," a thinly veiled reference directed at some Republican politicians who are sceptical of U.S. support for Ukraine.

"We must remember that the fact that they were heroes here that day does not absolve us of what we have to do today. Democracy is never guaranteed. Every generation must preserve it, defend it, and fight for it. That's the test of the ages."

Macron, speaking at Omaha Beach, also drew a parallel with the war in Ukraine and thanked the Ukrainian people for their bravery in the face of the Russian full-scale invasion launched in 2022.

"Faced with the return of war on our continent...faced with those who purport to change borders by force to rewrite history, let us be worthy of those who landed here," Macron said.

The ceremony was held near Omaha Beach, the code name of one of the two U.S. forces' landing spots, where American troops suffered more than 2,500 deaths -- more than half the total of 4,414 Allied troops killed on D-Day.

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• EPA-EFE
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France is set to host world leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, to mark the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy. Russia has not been invited to the June 6 commemorations due to its ongoing war in Ukraine. The ceremonies honor soldiers who fought and died in the 1944 Allied landings that contributed to the defeat of Nazi Germany. But over the years, the gatherings have taken on a diplomatic dimension with heads of state coming together to address burning geopolitical issues.

D-Day, the start of the landing in Normandy codenamed Operation Overlord, was the largest amphibious assault in history, with 156,115 troops from 12 countries taking part.

Biden called it a "powerful illustration of how alliances, real alliances, make us stronger," adding it was "a lesson that I pray we Americans never forget."

In a message posted on social media, Zelenskiy said, "This event and today are a reminder of the courage and determination shown for the sake of freedom and democracy."

"Allies defended the freedom of Europe then, Ukrainians defend the freedom of Europe now. Unity won then, true unity is capable of winning even now," Zelenskiy added.

Zelenskiy is due to hold talks with Biden and Macron during his trip to France.

A French man has been detained in Moscow on suspicion of collecting information related to the activities of Russia's armed forces, the Russian Investigative Committee said on June 6.

The Investigative Committee said he "carried out targeted collection of information in the field of military and military-technical activities of the Russian Federation," which, according to Russian law, is considered a crime, although less serious than espionage.

The Investigative Committee also said the detainee should have submitted documents to include himself in the register of "foreign agents" but did not do so.

It said the man repeatedly visited Russia, including Moscow, where he held meetings with Russian citizens.

The data he collected can "be used against the security of the state,” the committee said, adding that the man detained will be charged and any pretrial restrictions will be decided in the near future.

The Investigative Committee didn't identify the man, but TASS gave his name as Laurent Vinatier, an employee of the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD), a Geneva-based NGO.

HD confirmed Vinatier's detention in a statement released to the Associated Press.

"We are aware that Laurent Vinatier, an adviser at the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD), has been detained in Russia," the statement said. "We are working to get more details of the circumstances and to secure Laurent’s release."

REN-TV also identified Vinatier as the man who was detained, citing sources. It gave his age as 48.

The arrest was announced just as France hosted world leaders on the 80th anniversary of D-Day. Russia wasn't invited to the ceremony.

French President Emmanuel Macron told French television that the French citizen was "in no way...working for France" and that he "works for a Swiss NGO founded by former UN chief Kofi Annan."

The arrest comes after Macron raised the possibility of deploying French troops in Ukraine. Moscow has warned that if France takes such a step, its soldiers would be legitimate targets.

Serbian authorities have transferred Belarusian journalist, filmmaker, and political activist Andrey Hnyot from jail to house arrest, according to self-exiled Belarusian opposition politician Paval Latushka. Latushka published a video on June 6 of Hnyot thanking those who contributed to his release, saying that his possible extradition to Belarus was pending. Hnyot was arrested in Belgrade on October 30, 2023, based on an Interpol warrant issued at the request of Minsk for alleged tax evasion. Hnyot left Belarus for Thailand in 2020 after criticizing the Belarusian regime and participating in protests following disputed presidential elections that handed victory to authoritarian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Belarus Service, click here.

A court of appeals in Kazakhstan's largest city, Almaty, has rejected an appeal filed by journalist Zhamila Maricheva against a fine she was ordered to pay for her online article supporting RFE/RL's Kazakh Service, known locally as Radio Azattyq.

Last month a court in Almaty ordered Maricheva to pay 73,840 tenges ($164) for "distributing false information."

The charge stems from an article she posted on her ProTenge Telegram channel in January where she raised issues faced by Radio Azattyq in obtaining official accreditation from the Foreign Ministry, which had sparked fears that the government was trying to stifle independent media.

Maricheva praised Radio Azattyq for what she called its professionalism, stressing the importance of the broadcaster's programs in Kazakhstan.

Another Kazakh journalist, Askhat Niyazov, reposted Maricheva's article at the time and was charged with slander.

A court in late April acquitted Niyazov and closed the case, stressing that there was nothing criminal in Niyazov's actions.

Maricheva has maintained her innocence, insisting that police violated her rights on April 24 by detaining her for questioning while she was jogging instead of officially summoning her to a police station.

In January 2023, the Kazakh Foreign Ministry denied accreditation to 36 Radio Azattyq journalists. Some of the correspondents had not been able to extend their accreditation since late 2022.

The situation was exacerbated when a group of Kazakh lawmakers approved a draft bill that would allow the tightly controlled former Soviet republic's authorities to refuse accreditation to foreign media outlets and their reporters on grounds of national security.

RFE/RL reached an agreement with the Kazakh Foreign Ministry over the accreditations on April 23.