Alsu Kurmasheva of Radio Free Europe-Radio Liberty

Wednesday’s Coverage: Kyiv Uses US Long-Range Missiles, Destroys 9 Russian Helicopters

Map: Institute for the Study of War

UPDATE 1358 GMT:

Kazakhstan, a former Soviet republic and up to now an ally of Moscow, has halted the export of 106 specific products to Russia.

Much of the international community has urged the country to halt the re-export of products that could enable Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukraine President’s office, reacted:

UPDATE 0754 GMT:

Visiting Pyongyang, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has played up to his North Korean hosts with a verbal assault on the US, Japan, and South Korea.

Like our North Korean friends, we are seriously worried about the intensification of military activity of the United States, Japan and South Korea in the region and by Washington’s policies.

We oppose this unconstructive and dangerous line.

Isolated from much of the international community and facing Ukraine’s counter-offensive, Russia is turning to North Korea for support, hosting Kim Jong-Un’s visit last month. Lavrov said on Wednesday, “We can say confidently that these relations have reached a qualitatively new, strategic level.”

A series of countries, including the US, are monitoring whether Pyongyang sends military assistance to Moscow.

Lavrov arrived in North Korea as Vladimir Putin was meeting Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing. The encounter brought no apparent breakthrough for the Russians, with Xi avoiding any commitment over Ukraine.

UPDATE 0653 GMT:

The European Commission has issued an update on Ukraine’s candidacy for accession to the European Union.

The Commission’s report said Ukraine is in full compliance wit the EU’s requirements for a visa-free travel regime. However, additional measures are needed to counter corruption and instances of weapons and drugs smuggling, including efforts against organized crime.

The report also emphasizes that Ukraine adhere international documents and standards for human rights.

UPDATE 0629 GMT:

Russia has carried out airstrikes on the east (left) bank of the Dnipro River, appearing to confirm that Ukrainian forces have established a significant presence there for the first time.

The Russians struck the village of Pishchanivka in the Kherson region, said the Ukraine General Staff.

Russian military bloggers posted earlier this week that units from Ukraine’s 35th and 36th Marine Brigades, supported by artillery and drone strikes, captured Poima and were fighting for Pishchanivka to the south, 3 to 4 km from the Dnipro

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Russia has seized another US journalist as a potential political prisoner.

Alsu Kurmasheva, a dual Russian-American national and editor with Radio Free Europe-Radio Liberty, has been charged with failing to register as a foreign agent. She is being held at a temporary detention center and will “most likely” be transferred to pre-trial detention.

At the end of March, Russian security services took away Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershovich as he was researching an article in Yekaterinburg near the Ural Mountains.

He has been held in pre-trial detention since then. Last week his appeal for release was denied by a Russian court for the third time.

“Russia Must Release Her Immediately”

Kurmasheva, who lives in Prague, entered Russia on May 20 because of a family emergency. She was held at the airport in Kazan, east of Moscow, before her return flight on June 2. Both her US and Russian passports were confiscated and she was fined for failing to register her American passport with Russian authorities. The criminal charges were announced on October 18, and she was detained immediately.

She faces up to five years in prison if convicted.

Kurmasheva has covered the situation of ethnic minorities in Tatarstan and Bashkortostan, includling efforts to preserve the Tatar language, even as Russian authorities have stepped up pressure on Tatars in recent years.

A colleague of Kurmasheva explained, “Alsu was detained simply because she is an employee of Radio Liberty. In fact, now any independent journalist in Russia risks the same thing.”

The Committee to Protect Journalists said it is “deeply concerned” by the charges. Gulnoza Said, CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator, called on Russian authorities to “release her immediately and drop all charges against her….Journalism is not a crime and Kurmasheva’s detention is yet more proof that Russia is determined to stifle independent reporting.”

RFE/RL Acting President Jeffrey Gedmin said, “Alsu is a highly respected colleague, devoted wife, and dedicated mother to two children….[She] needs to be released so she can return to her family immediately.”