Several sources close to law enforcement in Tajikistan told RFE/RL over the weekend that police in the Central Asian nation's southern city of Kulob had arrested noted journalist Ahmad Ibrohim on bribe-related charges. According to the sources, the 62-year-old editor-in-chief of the Paik (Message) independent newspaper was arrested on August 12 after he allegedly offered a bribe to an official in exchange for re-registration of his media outlet. Tajik officials are yet to announce the arrest. In recent years, several Tajik journalists, rights activists, and opposition politicians have been handed lengthy prison terms on charges seen by rights groups as trumped-up and politically motivated. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Tajik Service, click here.

Russian media cited sources close to the Moscow city police department on August 18 as saying that dozens of migrant workers were officially summoned to enlistment centers following police raids over the weekend. The raids were held to locate illegal immigrants and check if naturalized Russian citizens from former Soviet republics comply with a recently adopted law that obliges new Russian passport holders to go through military registration. Since January, police raids on labor migrants from Central Asia have increased across Russia. Some detained labor migrants have been forcibly brought to military enlistment centers where they were forced to sign contracts for deployment in Ukraine. To read the original story by Current Time, click here.

Two rights groups have reported that eight people were executed in two Iranian prisons in the early hours of August 19. Haalvsh, a group that monitors rights violations against Iran's Baluch ethnic minority, said three Baluchis and two Afghan nationals were hanged in a prison in the central city of Yazd. Their charges varied from murder to carrying illicit drugs. Separately, the Oslo-based Iran Human Rights reported that three men had been executed in a prison in the southern city of Shiraz for similar charges. The group said Iran had executed at least 376 people this year. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Radio Farda, click here.

The office of Russia's Prosecutor General on August 19 said it had banned a foundation launched by American movie star George Clooney and his human rights lawyer wife Amal Clooney. In a press release, it said the Clooney Foundation for Justice had been designated as an "undesirable" organization for carrying out extensive work to discredit Russia, actively supporting false patriots, backing banned terrorist and extremist groups, and advancing criminal probes against Russia's top leadership. The foundation along with several other NGOs appealed to the UN Human Rights Committee, accusing Russia of violating the rights of Ukrainians killed in a 2022 missile attack on Vinnytsya. To read the full story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here.

Montenegrin police announced on August 18 that it had detained Roman Ziemian, a Polish national wanted by Poland and South Korea for multimillion-dollar fraud. Ziemian, who cofounded the digital currency trading platform FutureNet, allegedly defrauded users out of around $21 million. The 51-year-old was detained in Montenegro capital, Podgorica, on August 17. Ziemian was previously apprehended in Italy in 2022 and was placed under house arrest before he escaped. To read the full story by RFE/RL’s Balkan Service, click here.

Ukraine has confirmed that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit on August 23. On August 19, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's office confirmed an earlier announcement by the Indian Foreign Ministry and provided a date. Modi and Zelenskiy will discuss bilateral and multilateral cooperation and several yet-to-be-specified documents will be signed, according to the president's office. The visit comes after Modi's visit last month to Moscow, where he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Zelenskiy criticized that meeting, saying on July 6 that it was "a huge disappointment and a devastating blow to peace efforts to see the leader of the world’s largest democracy embracing the bloodiest criminal in the world.” To read the original story on RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service, click here.

A court in Russia's Far East city of Vladivostok on August 19 rejected the appeal filed by the lawyer of U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Gordon Black against his sentence of three years and nine months in a general regime penal colony on charges of theft and threat to kill.

Black, who had been on active duty in South Korea, was arrested in May in Vladivostok, where he traveled to meet a Russian woman he was romantically involved with.

Black, 34, was accused of theft and making death threats against the woman, who had filed a complaint with prosecutors.

On June 19, a Vladivostok court found him guilty and sentenced him to three years and nine months prison.

Black's lawyer said on August 19 that the regional court's decision would be appealed.

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Dual U.S.-Russian Citizen Sentenced To 12 Years For Treason In Yekaterinburg

During the hearing, Black's defense argued that the first trial court had been unfair and mischaracterized his actions.

According to the court, Black had been living with Russian woman Aleksandra Vashchuk in Vladivostok since April. In May, they had a fight, during which the defendant grabbed the girl by the neck, "which she perceived as a real threat to her life."

Since he had no money, Black took 10,000 rubles ($112) from Vashchuk's wallet, which he spent on paying for a hotel room, where he was detained.

The Associated Press reported that Black was finishing his service in South Korea and was supposed to return to Texas when he instead traveled to Russia.

Black is one of several U.S. citizens held in Russia on a variety of charges.

Dual Russian-American citizen Ksenia Karelina was sentenced to 12 years in prison on August 15 after a Russian court found her guilty of treason for donating $51 to a charity supporting Ukraine.

A group of Russian antiwar activists held a gathering in the Montenegrin city of Budva on August 18 in memory of opposition leader Aleksei Navalny and to express their opposition to Russia's war in Ukraine.

One of the organizers of the gathering, a man who identified himself only as Artem, said the demonstrators also wanted to show support for Russian political prisoners.

"We are here to pay respect to Navalny for everything he has done for our country and to say that we support Ukraine," he told RFE/RL.

Authorities allowed the gathering on the main square in Budva with the condition that there be no banners or musical performances, the organizers said. Some of those gathered ignored the condition and carried pictures of Navalny and banners saying "Russia without Putin, stop the war."

They also showed photos of 20 Russian political prisoners who they say were killed or died in prisons.

Navalny, the most prominent among them, had been convicted in trials that he and his associates judged to be politically motivated before he died on February 16 in a prison in Russia’s Arctic under suspicious circumstances. Many Russians living in Montenegro turned out then to pay their respects to him.

Those gathered on August 18 said there are still around 1,600 political prisoners in Russia, quoting data from the civil sector.

A protest participant who gave his name only as Vasily said he and the others wanted to assure them that they are not alone.

"We do not forget you and we are proud of you, [proud] of people who have the courage to publicly say what they think," Vasily told RFE/RL.

Vasily also said he believes that the only chance for change in his country is Putin's departure from the political scene.

Another participant, Russian dissident and artist Marat Gueljman, said that a change of government is the only hope for Russians in the country.

Gueljman said three years ago, Putin's power in Russia was "incredibly strong” and no one could have guessed then that the army of another country could be on Russian territory and that thousands of people would be in prison for opposing Putin.

"So, with this war, Putin made a mistake. No one can destroy the system better than the people who built it. Putin will destroy that system," Gueljman said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in Azerbaijan for a two-day state visit, the Kremlin’s press service said on August 18.

Russian television broadcast images of Putin's plane arriving in Baku in the evening.

Putin is due to hold talks with his Azerbaijani counterpart, Ilham Aliyev, on bilateral relations and "international and regional problems" during his visit, the Kremlin said.

One of the main topics to be discussed will be the further development of the “Russia-Azerbaijan strategic partnership and alliance," the Kremlin’s press service said. Other “relevant international and regional issues” are also expected to be discussed.

According to the Kremlin, a joint statement and several other documents will be signed. RIA Novosti reported that in addition to signing the documents Aliyev and Putin will also make statements to the press.

Putin is expected to comment on peace negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which have been taking place following years of conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh.

Yerevan and Baku have been negotiating a peace treaty since Azerbaijan retook control of the Nagorno-Karabakh region in September 2023 in a lightning offensive.

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A Constitutional Amendment That Could Lead To Peace Between Armenia And Azerbaijan

A traditional ally and partner of Russia, Armenia recently has turned toward improving its ties with the West and putting on ice its relations with Moscow, which Yerevan has blamed for failing to support it in its conflict with Azerbaijan.

Moscow, which regards both former Soviet republics to be in its sphere of influence, has been perturbed by Armenia’s efforts to deepen its ties with Western countries, especially the United States.

Also on Putin's schedule is a wreath-laying on August 19 at the tomb of Heydar Aliyev, the father of the current leader, who was president from 1993 to 2003.

Putin last visited Azerbaijan in September 2018. During that visit, he watched the judo world championship and participated in the ninth plenary session of the Russia-Azerbaijan interregional forum.

The Caucasus country is a close partner of Moscow but also a major energy supplier to Western countries.

Azerbaijan is not a signatory to the Rome Statute, which established the International Criminal Court, meaning Putin is able to travel to the country without fearing arrest under the international warrant issued for him by the court for war crimes in Ukraine.

With reporting by AFP

One of Russia’s most active volcanoes has erupted, spewing plumes of ash 5 kilometers into the sky over the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia's Far East. The Shiveluch volcano began sputtering shortly after a powerful earthquake struck off Kamchatka’s east coast early on August 18, according to volcanologists from the Russian Academy of Sciences who warned that another, even more potent earthquake may be on the way. The academy’s Institute of Volcanology and Seismology released a video showing the ash cloud over Shiveluch stretching more than 490 kilometers southeast of the volcano. The Ebeko volcano on the Kuril Islands also spewed ash into the sky, the institute said. It did not explicitly say whether the earthquake touched off the eruptions.

Top officials of the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan marked 105 years of of the country's independence on August 18 by demanding mutual respect from the international community.

Afghanistan gained its independence in August 1919 after the signing of the Anglo-Afghan Treaty, which ended British control over the country’s foreign affairs.

Afghanistan currently remains unrecognized internationally, largely because of the restrictions the Taliban-led government has placed on women since it returned to power in August 2021.

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'Systematic Discrimination': Taliban's Drastic Cut In Salaries Of Female State Employees Triggers Anger

The anniversary of the signing of the Anglo-Afghan Treaty was marked at a meeting of top Taliban leaders in Kabul broadcast live by the Taliban-controlled National Radio and Television.

Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob, the Taliban's acting defense minister, told the meeting that the government wants strong relations with the world based on mutual respect but will never give in to pressure.

He also said the Taliban, which seized power after the U.S.-backed government collapsed and its leaders fled into exile, will never allow the Islamic State and other destructive groups to create chaos in Afghanistan.

"Whether they are Daesh (Islamic State) or other rebels, they should hear…that we have not surrendered to anyone's power at any cost. By any name, we have established the Islamic system in this land. We will defend it till death and the last century."

The international community has previously expressed concern about the presence of the extremist Islamic State group in Afghanistan, while the Taliban has said it is the only group capable of ruling and establishing security in the country.

SEE ALSO:

At Least 1.4 Million Afghan Girls Banned From Attending School Since Taliban Takeover, UNESCO Says

Hamid Karzai, who served as the first elected president of Afghanistan from 2004 to 2014, marked the anniversary of the signing of the treaty by calling on the Taliban to allow girls and women to attend school and university.

“I call on the caretaker Islamic government to open the doors of schools and universities in the country as soon as possible so that girls equipped with the jewels of knowledge can play their part in the development of the country alongside their brothers,” Karzai said on X. “Education and national unity are the forces that will keep the country strong.”

Since returning to power in August 2021, the Taliban has banned girls and women from studying beyond primary school.

The United Nations said on August 15 that at least 1.4 million girls in Afghanistan have been denied access to secondary education and this has almost wiped out two decades of steady progress for education in Afghanistan, leaving the future of an entire generation in jeopardy.

Hungary has responded to a letter sent by Nordic and Baltic countries expressing concern about Budapest’s decision to make it easier for Russian and Belarusian citizens to enter Hungary.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on August 18 that the letter sent to EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson showed an alarming level of “disregard for fact.”

"We regret to see that our colleagues from Nordic and Baltic countries continue to pursue their campaign of lies directed against Hungary,” Szijjarto said on Facebook.

The letter, signed by ministers of eight Nordic and Baltic countries and sent to Johansson on August 15, expressed concern that Hungary’s decision “may constitute a serious security risk to all Member States.”

All eight countries -- Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, and Sweden -- are in Europe’s Schengen zone in which travelers can cross internal borders without having to show their passports or other documents.

Estonian Foreign Minister Marhus Tsahkna posted the letter on X on August 16, saying that easing entry for Russians and Belarusians “is not justified when Russia continues its war in #Ukraine & is intensifying hybrid actions against EU.”

The letter said this includes “sabotage, acts of violence, provocations at borders and instrumentalization of migrants.” It said all eight countries concluded at the NATO summit in July that “these actions constitute a threat to our security.”

But Szijjarto disagreed, saying in his response on August 18 that including Russian and Belarusian citizens in Hungary’s National Card program does not pose any security risk to the Schengen area because the Belarusian and Russian citizens who arrive in Hungary must still undergo thorough checks to enter and stay in the country.

“Any claims to the contrary are outright lies from our Nordic and Baltic colleagues who have been blinded by their adherence to the pro-war camp," Szijjarto said.

SEE ALSO:

EU Voices Concern, Asks Hungary For Clarifications On Plan To Ease Entry For Russians, Belarusians

Budapest published details of its National Card program last month after it took over the European Union's rotating presidency.

The program is a new fast-track visa system for citizens of eight countries, including Russia and Belarus, to enter Hungary. Budapest has said many of those who enter would be employed in the construction of a nuclear power plant that is contracted to Russia’s Rosatom.

Johansson voiced concern about the decision earlier this month in a letter addressed to Hungarian Interior Minister Sandor Pinter asking Budapest for clarifications. She said Russia is a security threat for the European Union and pointed to the need of "more, not less vigilance."

Russian citizens do not face a ban on entering the EU and the Schengen Area, which also includes non-EU members Norway, Switzerland, and Iceland, if they possess a valid visa and have no ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Belarus has deployed nearly one-third of its troops to the border with Ukraine, the country’s authoritarian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka told Russia’s state-run Rossia-1 television channel on August 18. He said the decision was made in response to Ukraine allegedly maintaining 120,000 soldiers near the border with Belarus and amassing more forces. Lukashenka also insisted that Kyiv had raised the stakes by launching a surprise offensive in Russia’s Kursk region. To read the full story by RFE/RL’s Russian Service, click here.

Suggestions that Ukrainian authorities supported by Poland were behind planning and executing the sabotage attack on the Nord Stream gas pipelines in 2022 are groundless, the Polish president's aide said on August 18. Germany's former intelligence chief, August Hanning, told Die Welt this week that he believed there were agreements between the presidents of Poland and Ukraine to carry out the attack. But Mieszko Pawlak, head of the international policy bureau at the office of Polish President Andrzej Duda said the comments were “groundless insinuations.”

Senad Ramovic, who was linked to the man that carried out a June 29 attack on the Israeli Embassy in Belgrade, was killed by Serbian police in the village of Hotkovo, near Novi Pazar, on August 17 after opening fire on officers. His death was announced by Interior Minister Ivica Dacic on August 18. Ramovic was the landlord of Milos Zujovic, who wounded a policeman outside the embassy in June before being shot dead, the Serbian Interior Ministry said. Ramovic was previously sentenced to 13 1/2 years in prison for terrorism, linked to a 2007 shoot-out with police. To read the full story by RFE/RL’s Balkan Service, click here.

The commander of Ukraine’s air force says a second bridge in Russia’s Kursk region has been struck as Kyiv tries to weaken Russia’s combat operations in the area.

“Minus one more bridge,” Air Force Commander Mykola Oleschuk wrote on Telegram on August 18. “The air force continues to deprive the enemy of logistical capabilities with precise air strikes, which significantly affect the course of hostilities.”

Moscow has not yet commented on the strike, which came nearly two weeks into Ukraine's surprise counteroffensive into Russia’s Kursk region, altering the dynamics of the two-and-a-half-year war and causing 120,000 people to flee.

Russian military bloggers previously posted an image of the first bridge that was hit. It spans the Seym River near the village of Zvannoye in Kursk.

According to Russian security officials, the destruction of that bridge cut off part of the Glushkov district, making it more difficult for the civilian evacuation out of the region.

On August 16, the Russian Foreign Ministry accused Ukraine of using American long-range rockets to destroy a key bridge in the Glushkov district in the Kursk region, killing in the process "volunteers" helping to evacuate civilians.

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Analyst: Ukraine Seeks 'Strategic Shift' In Kursk

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Analysts say taking out bridges over the Seym is crucial for Ukraine to ensure a secure flank to its offensive in Kursk by making it difficult for Moscow to supply its troops south of the river.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the Ukrainian operation in Kursk "is still inflicting losses on the Russian Army and the Russian state, their defense industry, and their economy."

He said in his evening address on August 18 that his top military commander, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskiy, told him that the situation at the front is showing "good results" in all directions.

In addition, he said there were "good and necessary results in the destruction of Russian equipment near Toretsk," a town in the Donetsk region north of the regional capital.

Ukraine's main task now is "to destroy as much Russian potential as possible and conduct maximum counterattack work." This "also applies to the creation of a "buffer zone" thanks to the operation in the Kursk region, he added.

Aleksei Kulemzin, the Russian-appointed mayor of the occupied city of Donetsk, said a man and a woman were killed by Ukrainian shelling on August 18, according to Reuters. The claim could not be independently verified and there was no immediate comment from Ukraine.

Fighting elsewhere in the Donetsk region prompted Iryna Vereshchuk, Ukrainian deputy prime minister and minister of reintegration of the temporarily occupied territories, to urge citizens of Pokrovsk, Myrnohrad, and Selydove to evacuate.

"The situation remains difficult in the Pokrovsk area. Therefore, I appeal to the residents of settlements in the immediate vicinity of the front line...please evacuate. If you are not involved in the defense of settlements, then you should leave for safer regions," Vereshchuk said.

In Russia, debris from a drone downed in the Rostov region caused a fire at a diesel fuel storage facility in an industrial warehouse in the early hours of August 18, regional Governor Vasily Golubev wrote on Telegram.

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine

RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's full-scale invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war in Ukraine, click here.

He said firefighting units were putting out the fire in the Proletarsk district and added that there were no casualties.

The General Staff of the Ukrainian military said its forces hit a facility in the Rostov region where oil and oil-products used by the Russian military are stored. At least two fires have been recorded on the territory of the facility, the General Staff said.

In Ukraine, authorities in the Kharkiv region said a 52-year-old woman was injured in Kupyansk as a result of shelling by the Russian Army. Private homes were also damaged, the local prosecutor-general's office said.

In addition, a nearby village was shelled, damaging equipment belonging to a utility company. There were no casualties, the press service of the prosecutor-general's office said.

According to preliminary data, the Russian Army used rocket-propelled grenades in the attack.

The Russian Defense Ministry said its air defenses had intercepted five Ukrainian drones overnight over Belgorod, Kursk, and Rostov. Kyiv does not usually comment on reports of drone attacks.

Meanwhile, the head of Kyiv’s military administration, Serhiy Popko, said on August 18 that Russia had launched its third ballistic missile against the Ukrainian capital this month.

He added that Russian forces had then launched a cruise missile toward Kyiv.

Popko said on Telegram that the Russians had likely used a KN-23-type North Korean ballistic missile to target the Ukrainian capital.

The head of Kyiv's regional military administration, Ruslan Kravchenko, said two private houses were destroyed in the attack and dozens of other homes were damaged. There were no injuries reported, he said.

Ukraine's air force said earlier that it had downed eight drones and five missiles in total over the Kyiv, Sumy, and Poltava regions.

With reporting by dpa and Reuters

Ukraine's Prosecutor-General's Office has opened an investigation into the alleged beheading of a Ukrainian soldier participating in the Russia incursion.

A video circulating on social media on August 16 showed a Russian soldier beside a pole with a severed head, allegedly of a Ukrainian soldier.

The Telegram channel DeepState identified the Russian soldier in the video as a member of the 155th Marine Brigade, which is deployed near the Kolotilovka checkpoint in the Belgorod region.

According to DeepState, Ukrainian forces were fighting in the area on August 12. It is not the first time in the 30-month war that Russian soldiers have posted such videos.

SEE ALSO:

Ukrainian Prosecutor Says Russian Troops Beheaded Ukrainian Soldier

The desecration of soldiers' bodies, including mutilation and beheadings, is a war crime.

A 7.0-magnitude earthquake has struck off the northeastern coast of Russia, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). The epicenter was located approximately 103 kilometers east of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, a coastal city with a population of about 165,000. The quake had a depth of 29 kilometers and occurred in the early hours of August 18 local time, the USGS said on its website. According to CNN, the U.S. Tsunami Warning System said hazardous tsunami waves were possible within 300 kilometers of the epicenter along the coasts of Russia. Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky is the capital of the Kamchatka region, a cold and sparsely populated peninsula about 2,600 kilometers west of Alaska.

As mass protests in Belgrade against the development of a lithium mine rattle Serbia's leadership, officials are looking to blame the West.

Washington, for its part, said the protests are just an example of democracy at work, shrugging off accusations it somehow has a hand in it the events.

"Peaceful protest and the right of citizens to demonstrate and speak freely is an important part of democracy," the State Department said in a response to an RFE/RL request for comment to accusations in Belgrade and Moscow.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic earlier this week accused demonstrators who opposed the multibillion-dollar lithium-mining project of being part of Western-backed "hybrid" warfare against his government, without giving any evidence.

Moscow has accused the West of being behind the protests, while Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin thanked the Russian security agencies for warning his government about alleged "preparations for mass unrest and an attempted coup."

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Serbian Official Thanks Russia For Unrest Warning Day After Arrest Of Protesters

Serbia and Russia maintain close ties even as Belgrade seeks to join the European Union. The United States last year designated Vulin for sanctions for his ties to the Kremlin.

In a response to RFE/RL on August 17, the State Department said any assertion that the United States supports anti-government protests in Serbia "is false."

"We are not surprised that Russia, in contrast, has instrumentalized protests to pursue its own agenda in Serbia, as it does around the globe," the State Department told RFE/RL on August 17.

The protesters demand a halt to Anglo-Australian metals and mining giant Rio Tinto's $2.4 billion lithium project in Jadar in western Serbia over fears it could pollute nearby land and water.

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Serbian Police Disperse Protesters Opposed To Lithium Mining

In 2022, the Serbian government rejected the project in the wake of massive public protests amid concerns over its impact on the environment.

But it reinstated the plan on July 16 this year, days after the Balkan state's Constitutional Court said the government had acted unconstitutionally when it withdrew permits for Rio Tinto.

Jadar has the capacity to supply 90 percent of Europe's current lithium needs and make Rio Tinto one of the world's leading lithium producers. Serbia is seeking to process the lithium locally and use it for the production of batteries for electric vehicles (EVs).

Such large-scale mining projects often trigger protests in Western countries by local residents who fear the ecological devastation outweighs any potential economic gains. In the United States, citizens have sought to stop lithium projects in Nevada and North Carolina.

Serbia is no different. Citizens fear the Jadar mine will pollute water and land resources in a country that already suffers from significant environmental degradation, a legacy of communist rule.

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'We Can Barely Open A Window': Residents Grapple With Pollution From Chinese Copper Mine In Serbia

Lithium is typically mined through a process called brine mining, which involves extracting lithium from underground saltwater reserves, opening up the possibility of water contamination.

The Serbian lithium project could play a critical role in Western EV supply chains as Washington and Brussels seek to reduce dependency on rival China.

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Germany's Scholz Praises Lithium-Mining Deal With Serbia, Says Environment Will Be Protected

The United States and Europe have put policies in place to significantly increase the number of EVs on the road in the coming years as they seek to reach emission targets.

As a result, global lithium demand is expected to surge. China is currently the third-largest producer of lithium after Australia and Chile but the largest lithium refiner and producer of batteries for EVs, giving it signficant influence over markets.

The project would also be a boon to Western investors in Rio Tinto.

The chatbot ChatGPT has been used by a network of Iranian accounts to generate texts aimed at influencing the U.S. presidential election, according to the ChatGPT developer OpenAI. "We banned accounts linked to an Iranian influence operation using ChatGPT to generate content focused on multiple topics, including the U.S. presidential campaign," the company said in a statement on August 16. "We identified and took down a cluster of ChatGPT accounts that were generating content for a covert Iranian influence operation identified as Storm-2035," the statement said.

The Afghan Taliban's acting prime minister, Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund, who is on a UN sanctions list, is receiving medical treatment in a hospital in the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.), officials said. U.A.E. President Muhammad bin Zayed al-Nahyan visited the Taliban leader "to inquire about his health," a spokeswoman for the U.A.E. Foreign Ministry said on social media, without providing many details. Akhund did not attend Taliban ceremonies in Kabul on August 14 that marked the third anniversary of the group's return to power in Afghanistan.

Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov arrived in Kabul on August 17 in the first high-level visit by an Uzbek delegation since the Taliban returned to power three years ago, ousting a Western-backed government. Aripov will take part in bilateral meetings to discuss trade between the two neighboring countries, the Taliban-led Ministry for Industry and Commerse said on X, sharing a photo of the Uzbek delegation arriving at Kabul's airport. No country has officially recognized the Taliban-led government in Kabul. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Radio Azadi, click here.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said Ukrainian forces are continuing to make progress in Russia's Kursk region after launching a major cross-border offensive 11 days ago that caught the Kremlin's military leadership off-guard and altered the dynamics of the 30-month war.

Following an update from Ukraine's top military commander, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskiy, Zelenskiy said in a post on Telegram on August 17 that Ukraine had been "strengthening" its positions in the Kursk region and stabilizing more territory under its control.

Ukrainian forces have penetrated deep into Russian territory after sweeping over the border in a surprise attack on August 6, capturing dozens of settlements.

The surprise incursion, coming as Russia continues to advance in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, seemingly strengthens Kyiv's hand in any future peace negotiations.

WATCH: Ukrainian troops near the city of Toretsk say they believe Russia will have to redirect resources back to its own territory, but they have yet to see a letup in the fighting.

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Ukrainian Forces Near Donetsk Hope For Tide To Turn After Kursk Incursion

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Russia claims to have annexed four Ukrainian regions -- Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhya -- in addition to the Crimean Peninsula. If Ukraine can continue to hold parts of Kursk and neighboring Russian regions, it could potentially seek to swap it for the allegedly annexed regions, experts say.

The Kremlin has been embarrassed by the incursion, the first foreign occupation of its territory since World War II, and has accused NATO of helping Ukraine plan the attack, an allegation Washington denies.

The Kremlin, which frames the war as one between Russia and the West, has often hinted at escalation in what analysts say is an attempt to intimidate Washington so it refrains from supplying Ukraine with powerful weapons, such as long-range precision rockets and F-16s.

As Ukrainian forces continued their surprising advance in Kursk, Russia's Foreign Ministry accused Ukraine of using U.S.-made long-range rockets to destroy a key bridge in the Glushkov district in the Kursk region, killing in the process "volunteers" helping to evacuate civilians.

"For the first time, the Kursk region was hit by Western-made rocket launchers, probably American HIMARS," ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said late on August 16.

According to Russian security officials, the destruction of the bridge cut off part of the district, making it more difficult for civilian evacuation out of the region. Ukraine’s incursion has so far led to the evacuation of more than 120,000 civilians, according to Russian authorities.

By comparison, Russia's invasion of Ukraine has forced as many as 7 million Ukrainians to flee their homes. Russia has also killed thousands of civilians through drone and missile strikes on nonmilitary sites like homes, shopping centers, and railroad stations.

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine

RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's full-scale invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war in Ukraine, click here.

Kyiv claims to have taken control of 82 settlements over an area of 1,150 square kilometers since its surprise cross-border incursion on August 6.

The United States so far deems the incursion a protective move that justifies the use of U.S. weaponry, according to officials in Washington.

Nonetheless, Ukraine still faces Western restrictions on the use of some weapon systems inside Russia, including long-range missiles like the U.S.-made ATACMS. The Biden administration views the use of ATAMCS inside Russia as escalatory. There has been no indication from Western capitals that Ukraine has violated those rules during the course of the war.

The Times of London reported on August 17 that the United States is also blocking Britain from supplying its powerful, long-range Storm Shadow cruise missile. The U.K. sent a corresponding request to the United States more than a month ago, but has not yet received a response, the paper reported.

In a post later in the day, Zelenskiy expressed regret that the U.K. was restricting the use of Storm Shadows, saying long-range strike capability "is really a matter of principle for us." The Storm Shadow, which has a payload of 400 kilograms, can devastate targets more than 300 kilometers away. Kyiv wants to use them to strike Russian air bases that house fighter jets pounding Ukrainian troops and cities.

"It is crucial that our partners remove barriers that hinder us from weakening Russian positions in the way this war demands. Long-range capabilities are the answer to the most critical strategic questions of this war," he wrote.

Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on August 16 urged Washington and London to allow Ukraine to attack Russian territory with ATACMS and Storm Shadow missiles.

In a separate setback for Ukraine, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung reported on August 17 that Germany has halted any new financial and military aid to Ukraine due to budgetary constraints.

In an August 5 letter to Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and seen by the news outlet, Finance Minister Christian Lindner said new aid allocations can only be made if financing is guaranteed.

"Starting today, Olaf Scholz and the coalition government under his leadership are freezing financial and thus military support for Ukraine," Ingo Gadehens, a member of the opposition Christian Democrats, told the news outlet.

Aid that had previously been promised will be delivered. Going forward, funds for Ukraine will be allocated from the profits generated by Russia's frozen assets, the outlet reported.

Energy Facilities Targeted

Meanwhile, Russia's Defense Ministry accused Ukraine on August 17 of planning to attack the Kursk nuclear power plant and blame it on Moscow.

Russia would respond harshly in the event of such "provocation," Interfax news agency quoted the ministry as saying.

Meanwhile, Russian-installed officials at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine said on August 17 that a Ukrainian drone dropped an explosive charge on a road outside the plant, endangering staff who use the road.

Moscow and Kyiv have repeatedly accused each other of sabotaging the operation of the plant, which was occupied by Russia soon after it launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Last week, Zelenskiy accused Russia of causing a fire at a cooling tower of the plant, while Russian officials said Kyiv was deliberately trying to destroy the plant and sow "nuclear terror."

Non-nuclear energy facilities have been targeted by both sides during the war, with Russia damaging half of Ukraine power facilities and Ukraine damaging more than a dozen Russian refineries, some more than once.

Kyiv and Moscow were to hold "indirect talks" next week in Doha on halting attacks on energy infrastructure but it has been postponed due to the Kursk incursion, The Washington Post reported on August 17, citing people familiar with the developments.

Russia Plans More Evacuations

Ukrainian forces on August 17 damaged another bridge over the Seim River, limiting the ability of Russia to supply its troops south of the river. Another road bridge and a pontoon bridge remain but are coming under Ukrainian fire.

Ukraine is seeking to capture the town of Korenevo, south of the river, to strengthen its position in Kursk.

Earlier this week, Ukraine announced the capture of Sudzha, a town with a population of 5,000, the biggest to fall so far in the incursion. Korenevo is slightly bigger in size.

Zelenskiy said Ukraine will establish a command office in Sudzha to coordinate aid and military affairs.

Russian forces have so far struggled to mount an effective response to the incursion, which is widely seen as a major morale boost for Ukraine.

Ukrainian forces have already captured hundreds of Russian troops, who Kyiv plans to use in a prisoner swap, Zelenskiy said on August 17.

"By this morning, our country's 'exchange fund' has been replenished. I thank all our soldiers and commanders who are capturing Russian military personnel, thereby advancing the release of our warriors and civilians held by Russia," he posted on social media.

Authorities in Russia's Belgorod region bordering Ukraine and Kursk have said they will evacuate five villages starting next week.

"From August 19, we are closing access to five settlements, removing residents and helping them bring out their property," regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov announced on Telegram.

WATCH: Skepticism prevailed in the Ukrainian border city of Sumy when locals were asked about government plans to accept refugees from Russia's Kursk region.

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Will Ukraine Embrace Russian Refugees? Border Residents Are Not Excited

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Russian Strike, Ukraine Hack

As it sought to beat back Ukrainian forces in Kursk, Russia continued its bombardment of Ukraine.

In the northeastern Sumy region, at least two people were wounded in a Russian missile strike early on August 17, according to emergency services.

The missile hit a parking lot near a high-rise apartment building, setting at least 10 vehicles on fire and shattering the windows and damaging the façade of the nearby buildings, Ukrainian officials said.

Overnight, Ukraine's air defenses shot down all 14 Russian drones launched in an overnight strike, the Ukrainian Air Force said in a statement early on August 17.

The Shahed drones were downed over six Ukrainian regions in the south and center of the country, including areas near the capital, Kyiv, according to the statement posted on Telegram.

Meanwhile, Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate said its cyber-specialists together with the hacker group VO Team had successfully infiltrated an Internet provider to an enterprise belonging to Russia's nuclear weapons program.

In an August 17 statement, the directorate said they hacked Chelyabinsk Internet provider Vega, whose clients include the All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Technical Physics, disabling 1,173 switches and 10 servers.

"The information on the Vega servers has been destroyed. A number of strategic enterprises of the city were left without Internet and communication services for almost a week," the intelligence service reported.

RFE/RL could not confirm the information.

With reporting by RFE/RL's Ukrainian and Russian services

Ukraine's air defenses shot down all 14 Russian drones launched in an overnight strike, the Ukrainian Air Force said in a statement early on August 17. The Shahed drones were downed over six Ukrainian regions in the south and center of the country, including areas near the capital, Kyiv, according to the statement posted on Telegram. There were no immediate reports of casualties from Russia's drone and missile attack overnight. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, click here.

Russia's Foreign Ministry said on August 16 that it had summoned Italy's ambassador to Moscow over what it said was "illegal border crossing" by a team of correspondents from Italian state broadcaster RAI who reported this week from Ukrainian-held parts of Russia's Kursk region. The Foreign Ministry said "strong protest was expressed to the ambassador in connection with the actions of the RAI film crew that "illegally entered the territory of the Russian Federation." The Italian Foreign Ministry told Reuters that the ambassador, Cecilia Piccioni, had explained to Russian authorities that RAI and its news teams "plan their activities in a totally independent and autonomous way."