EU Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi said that the European Union is committed to the rapid implementation of the region's growth strategy after meeting in Tirana on July 17 with top government officials from five Balkan countries that want to become members of the EU.

Varhelyi said Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama invited him to Tirana to discuss ways to speed up the economic and social integration of the Western Balkans into the EU. “We are committed to the rapid implementation of this convergence plan," Varhelyi .

Rama with the prime ministers of Albania, Serbia, North Macedonia, and Montenegro and the chairman of Bosnia-Herzegovina’s Council of Ministers to prepare for a summit scheduled to take place on October 16 on progress toward European Union integration. The government of Kosovo was not represented at the meeting because Prime Minister Albin Kurti is participating in an international symposium in Greece. Albania will host the October summit as part of the Berlin Process, an initiative of Germany and France to encourage the Balkan countries in their path toward EU membership. Rama expects the summit "to have a meaningful outcome for the Western Balkans and serve as a further step” in facilitating the interactions between the countries of the region with the EU. Dimitar Kovacevski, the prime minister of North Macedonia, said the key topics discussed on July 17 at the informal meeting were the EU plan for the accelerated integration of the Western Balkan countries, which is based on several basic pillars. The first is how to accelerate the countries' alignment with the EU's common market. "The second is the increase of funds for financing important regional projects, the third is the increase of economic cooperation and integration of the countries of the Western Balkans, and the fourth is the acceleration of key reforms in each of these countries," Kovacevski said. He pointed out that it is an ambitious plan that everyone will work on together. The Western Balkan countries are already working on putting into effect agreements that were signed at a meeting in Berlin last year on the mutual recognition of things such as diplomas, Kovacevski said.

With reporting by AP

Women in the western Afghan city of Herat say they have been harassed and threatened by members of the Taliban’s notorious morality police for not wearing the hijab, or Islamic head scarf.

The complaints come a week after the Taliban deployed more members of the morality police across Afghanistan’s third-largest city, according to local residents who spoke to RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi. Soon after seizing power in 2021, the Taliban ordered all women in public to cover their faces by wearing an all-encompassing burqa or a niqab that is common in the Arab Gulf states. The militant group said punishments, including arrest or even jail time, could be imposed on violators. One woman, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution, said she was traveling with her father by car when they were stopped by members of the morality police. She said the car was impounded and they were ordered to show up at the Ministry of Public Affairs for questioning after she was accused of not wearing a hijab. Another woman who spoke on condition of anonymity said members of the morality police forced her out of a taxi, accusing her of improperly wearing the hijab. “The taxis don’t pick up women anymore,” she said. The morality police are overseen by the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice and enforce the Taliban’s religious edicts, including its strict dress code and gender segregation in society. During the Taliban’s first stint in power in the 1990s, the force was notorious for publicly beating offenders, including women. The Taliban has imposed severe restrictions on women’s appearances, freedom of movement, and their right to work and education since it regained power in August 2021. Rights campaigners have accused the hard-line Islamist group of trying to erase women from public life and imprison them in their homes. In a new issued on July 17, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said the Taliban had further increased restrictions on women and girls in recent months. UNAMA said it had “recorded instances where the de facto authorities took steps to enforce previously announced limitations on women’s freedom of movement and participation in employment.” The agency said it also “recorded instances when the [Taliban] interfered in NGOs led by women, or employing them.”

The Gaj educational institute, a provider of supplemental educational materials and university entrance exam books in Iran, has been shut down after reports that one of its exams being used by schools included mentions of protests that have rocked the country and poems critical of the regime.

Ahmad Mahmodzadeh, the head of the Nongovernmental Schools Organization, on July 17 that the institute had set exam questions with an apparent pro-protest bias, leading to its closure.

Mahmodzadeh didn't give details on the questions that appeared on the exam, but he added that the education minister has issued a directive calling for a cessation of all advertisements for the Gaj institute across all media. However, in December, the Farhikhtegan newspaper claimed that the institute had selected what it called "targeted and dark" poems to use in a literature exam. The newspaper cited the use of verses by Mohammad Farrokhi Yazdi, a noted dissident poet and journalist from the era of the era, in its criticism. One excerpt from a poem included in the exam read: "The bloodshed of Zahhak in this kingdom has surged; Where is Kaveh who would raise leather on a stick as a purge?" Zahhak is an infamous king in Persian mythology, depicted with two snakes on his shoulders that fed on human brains. Often referenced in contemporary Iranian discourse, Zahhak symbolizes despotism and is a rallying point for rebellion and Kaveh the blacksmith is a legendary figure in Iranian mythology known for leading a revolt against this tyrannical ruler. Amid an escalation of nationwide protests following the September 2022 death of Mahsa Amini, Iran's schools, particularly girls' schools, became focal points for unrest. The Gaj institute, which has a rich history of producing educational materials ranging from preschool to university entrance exam levels, also ran preparatory tests for students in addition to its publishing activities. The shutdown of such a significant private institution coincides with the government's shuttering of some businesses that have expressed support for the protesters, particularly those supporting strikes. In a similar crackdown last December, the prominent Cheshmeh Publications bookstore in Tehran was closed by judicial order. Restrictions have also been tightened at other educational institutions, with teachers under increased pressure and many students facing severe disciplinary actions for participating in protests. As the first anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death approaches, the government has stepped up its crackdown on women's and girls' right to freedom of dress, officially from July 16.

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

Britain has sanctioned 14 Russian officials, including two government ministers, for what it says is their role in Russia's forced relocation of tens of thousands of Ukrainian children since the start of Moscow's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in February last year.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) in March issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin, accusing him of being responsible for the illegal deportation of children from Ukraine, which constitutes a war crime.

The Ukrainian government says it has identified almost 20,000 children who have been deported or separated from their parents or guardians during the war.

Among those added to the list of sanctions on July 17 are Russian Education Minister Sergei Kravtsov and Culture Minister Olga Lyubimova, the British government said in a statement. "In his chilling program of forced child deportation, and the hate-filled propaganda spewed by his lackeys, we see Putin’s true intention -- to wipe Ukraine from the map," British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said.

"Today’s sanctions hold those who prop up Putin’s regime to account, including those who would see Ukraine destroyed, its national identity dissolved, and its future erased," Cleverly said. Several regional officials, including Vladimir Solodov, the governor of Russia's remote Far Eastern region of Kamchatka, as well as Moscow-installed officials from Ukraine's eastern regions that are currently under Russian occupation, were also added to the sanctions list for their role in the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children.

Earlier this month, Grigory Karasin, the chief of the international committee in Russia's upper house of parliament -- the Federation Council -- said it had brought some 700,000 children from Ukrainian conflict zones into Russia for their own "protection." Last month, the European Union added 71 people and 33 entities to those banned from the EU and froze any assets they hold in EU jurisdiction for involvement in the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia.

The ICC's arrest warrant in Putin's name leaves in doubt his physical participation in a summit next month of the BRICS countries -- Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. The summit will be hosted by South Africa, a country that is a member of the ICC and would be expected to arrest Putin if he sets foot in the country.

South Africa hasn't condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine, saying it remains impartial.

Neither Ukraine nor Russia are ICC members.

The ICC also that a warrant had also been issued for Maria Lvova-Belova, a Russian children's rights official who allegedly directed the removal of Ukrainian children to Russia.

With reporting by Reuters

Ukrainian forces are continuing their offensive in the Melitopol and Berdyansk areas of the southern Zaporizhzhya region while recapturing some territory in the eastern region of Donetsk, the Ukrainian military said early on July 17.

"Over the past week, as a result of offensive actions in total (east and south), almost 18 square kilometers were liberated," Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar , adding that in the Bakhmut area of Donetsk Ukrainian forces managed to recapture some territory.

Malyar said that the total amount of territory recaptured by Ukrainian troops since the start of their counteroffensive totals more than 210 square kilometers.

Russian forces spearheaded by Wagner mercenaries took Bakhmut in May after months of heavy fighting, but Ukrainian troops have recently been making gains to the north and south of the devastated city.

Malyar said that, over the past week, some 7 square kilometers were liberated around Bakhmut, where a total of more than 30 square kilometers have been recaptured by Kyiv's forces.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in its daily report early on July 17 that Russian troops are concentrating their main military operations in the Bakhmut, Avdiyvka, Kupyansk, and Maryinka directions in Donetsk.

It said that Ukrainian troops Russian attempts at storming their positions in Donetsk and that 28 close-combat battles were fought there over the past 24 hours in the east.

The latest fighting came as Russian forces struck Ukraine's eastern region of Kharkiv three times on July 16.

Oleh Synehubov, head of the Kharkiv regional military administration, to stay inside as an air alert was sounded after dark.

Synehubov said earlier on Telegram that one civilian was killed in the second attack, which Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said took place around 7 p.m.

Synehubov said three men had been hospitalized with shrapnel wounds and that one person was treated at the scene.

According to Ukraine, the Russian military four S-300 missiles from the Belgorod region in Russia. Two of the missiles exploded in the air, while the other two struck -- one at a stadium and the other on a road in the city.

With reporting by Reuters and BBC

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin said on July 17 that damage caused to a major rail and road bridge linking Russia with the Crimean Peninsula will be completely repaired by November 1, while President Vladimir vowed "a response" to the attack, which killed two people and seriously injured their child.

Khusnullin said one part of the road on the bridge was destroyed and will have to be rebuilt, but there is no damage to the bridge pylons.

Speaking in a televised meeting with Putin, Khusnullin said road traffic would resume in one direction by September 15 and in both directions by November 1. The bridge had to be rebuilt once before after an attack in October.

Putin, who ordered the bridge built after Russia seized and forcibly annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, called the attack a terrorist act and said he wanted proposals on ensuring the security of the bridge.

The Russia-installed governor of Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov, earlier that an "emergency" had occurred on the bridge as reportedly taken at the scene circulated on social media showing a twisted section of roadway with a portion missing.

Russia's National Anti-Terrorism Committee said the attack was carried out by two Ukrainian drones, without providing further details, while the Investigative Committee said it had opened a criminal case into "an act of terrorism."

Ukraine did not claim responsibility for the incident, but Ukrainian media reported that security services had deployed maritime drones. The damage caused to the bridge could have an impact on Moscow's ability to supply its troops in southern Ukraine, and reveals that Russian infrastructure is vulnerable to the drones -- small, fast remote-controlled boats packed with explosives. A spokesman for the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), Artem Dekhtyarenko, said details of the attack on the bridge after Ukraine defeats Russia. "So far, we are watching with interest how one of the symbols of the Putin regime once again failed to withstand the military load," Dekhtyarenko told RBC-Ukraine. Russia's claims that Ukraine carried out the attack could not be independently verified. They were described in comments to Ukrainian media by Natalya Humenyuk, a Ukrainian military spokeswoman, as a potential provocation, "which the occupiers of Crimea rush to report very loudly [and] are a typical way of solving problems by authorities of Crimea and the aggressor state."

In a separate statement , Humenyuk said that the reports should be treated with skepticism since occupation authorities have recently strengthened the security of the bridge and added that the situation could be used by Russia as a bargaining chip in a deal to allow passage of Russian and Ukrainian grain.

"[The Russians] concentrated their efforts as much as possible on all kinds of protection of this objective," Humenyuk .

Hours after the blast the Kremlin said Russia wouldn't extend a grain deal allowing the export of Ukrainian grain in the Black Sea.

The UN-brokered deal that allows the safe Black Sea export of Ukrainian grain was due to expire at midnight on July 17.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia's refusal to extend the accord had nothing to do with the incident on the Crimea Bridge and was linked with the failure of the deal to fulfill the conditions related to Russia. He did not give details, but Moscow has often complained that hurdles remained to its exports of grain and fertilizers, even though they did not fall directly under sanctions implemented by the West.

The 19-kilometer road-and-rail bridge opened in 2018 and is an important transportation route between Russia and Ukraine's Crimea region. It consists of two parallel structures, one for road traffic and one for railway traffic.

The bridge was partially closed after a major explosion in October damaged its structure in what Moscow claimed was a terrorist act.

Earlier this month, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar appeared to acknowledge Ukraine was involved in the previous attack, marking the 500th day of the war that "273 days ago, [we] launched the first strike on the Crimean bridge to disrupt Russian logistics."

Following that incident, Russia rebuilt the bridge, with Putin notably driving a car across the structure on December 5 following extensive repairs.

With reporting by Reuters, AFP, and AP

The Russian state has taken control of shares in the Russian subsidiary of French food producer Danone, according to a decree signed by President Vladimir Putin on July 16.

The decree also said that the state is taking control of the shares in Baltika Breweries that are owned by the Danish multinational corporation Carlsberg Group.

The decree says the Russian state would "temporarily" manage shares belonging to Danone Russia and the shares that Carlsberg owns in Baltika, a leading brewing company in Russia with approximately 30 percent of the market share.

Carlsberg Group last year announced plans to withdraw from the Russian market within weeks of the start of Russia's full-scale military invasion of Ukraine. It employed 8,400 people at the time. Last month the multinational brewer said it had found a buyer for the business subject to regulatory approval but did not disclose the name.

Danone was one of the few multinationals to have remained in Russia since the offensive began. It announced in October that it planned to withdraw from most of its business in the country and take a write-off of up to 1 billion euros ($980 million).

Neither Danone nor Carlsberg has commented on the decree Putin signed on July 16.

A large number of major Western companies have pulled out of Russia since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 2022.

The Kremlin warned in April after the Russian subsidiaries of Finnish energy group Fortum and its former German subsidiary Uniper were taken under state control that Moscow could seize more Western assets in retaliation for what it called the illegal seizure of Russian assets abroad.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters then that the decree did not concern ownership, just the power to manage the assets.

With reporting by Reuters, AFP, and dpa

Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry has criticized Moscow, saying it "did not ensure full implementation" of an agreement that instituted a cease-fire between Azerbaijan and neighboring Armenia in September 2020.

In a statement on July 17, the ministry added that Moscow "did nothing" to stop Armenia from sending military supplies to Yerevan-backed separatists in Azerbaijan's breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The statement came one day after Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met in Brussels with Armenia Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian for EU-sponsored talks aimed at ending the decades-old conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh. It was the sixth meeting between the two men over the last two years.

The meeting was hosted by European Council President Charles Michel, who issued a following the meeting describing the talks as "frank, honest, and substantive."

Michel called for an end to "violence and harsh rhetoric" and said he had extended an invitation to both leaders "for another meeting in Brussels after the summer."

The long-simmering conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh led to a six-week war in 2020 in which nearly 7,000 soldiers were killed on both sides. The fighting resulted in Armenia and ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh losing control over parts of the region and seven adjacent districts.

Under the Moscow-brokered cease-fire, Russia deployed peacekeepers to the 5-kilometer-wide Lachin Corridor, the only land link between Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia.

However, Baku recently closed the corridor, provoking fears of a humanitarian crisis with Armenia warning of food shortages in the region.

Azerbaijan said it took the step after "various types of contraband" were allegedly found in Red Cross vehicles traveling from Armenia. The Red Cross issued a statement saying that four hired drivers had, without the organization's knowledge, tried to transport commercial goods into Nagorno-Karabakh in their own vehicles bearing the emblem of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The men were fired, the ICRC said.

Thousands of people on July 14 took to the streets in Stepanakert, the capital of Nagorno-Karabakh, to protest the blockade.

Despite the blockade, de facto Nagorno-Karabakh health officials said 11 patients in serious condition had been evacuated to Armenia by the Red Cross through the Lachin Corridor.

With reporting by AFP

Russian forces struck the Kharkiv region for a third time late on July 16, the governor said, as Russia reported an apparent retaliatory strike on towns in the Belgorod region bordering Ukraine.

Oleh Synehubov, head of the Kharkiv regional military administration, told people to stay inside as an was sounded after dark. Synehubov said earlier on Telegram that one civilian was killed in the second attack, which Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said took place around 7 p.m. Synehubov said three men had been hospitalized with shrapnel wounds and one person was treated at the scene. According to the Ukrainian military, the Russian military launched four S-300 missiles in Russia. Two of the missiles exploded in the air, while the other two struck a stadium and a road in the city. The governor of the Belgorod region said that Ukrainian forces had shelled the town of Shebekino, about 5 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, with Grad missiles, killing a woman riding her bike. Vyacheslav Gladkov said the Grad missiles had struck a market area, damaging a building and two cars. The woman died of injuries she received from shrapnel, Gladkov said on Telegram. He said Ukrainian shelling of two other Belgorod settlements on July 16 caused no casualties but damaged three homes in Gorkovsky, and warehouses, a water tower, and other infrastructure in Ilek-Penkovka. There was no comment on the attack from Ukraine.

Valeriy Shershen, spokesman for the Tavria defense forces, earlier on July 16 that Ukrainian troops had advanced more than 1 kilometer along the front line in the Berdyansk direction. The spokesman emphasized that intensive fighting is ongoing there.

"Ukrainian units are entrenched at the borders, conduct aerial reconnaissance, demine the territories, and continue to perform fire missions," he said on Ukrainian television.

Shershen added that Russian troops continue to storm the positions of Ukrainian forces near Avdiyivka and Maryinka. The Russian Army carried out 22 attacks during the day, most of them in the Maryinka area.

Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar said Kyiv's troops were fending off Russian attacks near the two cities in the Donetsk region. She also commented on fighting in the direction of Kupyansk in the Kharkiv region, saying Russian forces have been attacking the two cities for two days in a row.

"We are on the defensive," Malyar said. "There are fierce battles. The positions of both sides change dynamically several times a day."

Malyar also said the two armies were pummeling one another around the city of Bakhmut.

Serhiy Cherevatiy, spokesman for the Ukrainian military in the eastern region, said Ukrainian forces "have firmly held the initiative" in the Bakhmut direction for several weeks.

"We move somewhat measuredly. We clear hundreds of meters every day, and kilometers every week," Cherevatiy said on Ukrainian television.

The battles are a continuation of the counteroffensive Kyiv launched last month to retake Russian-occupied territory. The military’s claims of success could not be independently verified.

Russian troops again shelled the Kherson region, wounding two people who were in their yard, the regional military administration reported.

"In the village of Rozlyv, the Russian Army targeted private houses. A 54-year-old woman and a 49-year-old man were injured," the said, adding that they were treated at the scene.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview with state television that Ukraine's counteroffensive was "not succeeding" and that attempts to break through Russian defenses had failed.

Putin also criticized the U.S. provision of cluster munitions to Ukraine, saying "we reserve the right to take reciprocal action" if such weapons are used against Russian forces.

"The Russian Federation has a sufficient stock of various types of cluster munitions. So far this has not been done," Putin in the interview, claiming this was the case despite "the known shortage of ammunition in a certain period of time."

Ukraine did not respond to Putin's comments.

Kyiv and Western intelligence agencies have determined Moscow has used them since shortly after it launched its massive invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Cluster munitions have been banned by more than 100 nations globally.

The New York Times reported the previous day that Kyiv has changed its tactics in the counteroffensive to reduce the loss of advance Western-provided weaponry and is now focused on attacking with artillery and long-range missiles.

The Russian Defense Ministry on July 16 reported that it had "repelled" an attack using aerial and sea-based drones that apparently targeted the Russian Black Sea Fleet at the port of Sevastopol, in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian region of Crimea.

RFE/RL cannot independently verify reports from regions of heavy fighting or that are under Russian occupation.

As the fighting intensified, a UN-brokered deal to export Ukrainian grain through Black Sea ports neared expiration.

The last ship approved to travel under the grain-exporting deal left dock on July 16. Since June 27, Russia has refused to register any new shipments under the agreement, which is set to expire on July 17.

On July 14, a UN spokesman said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was awaiting a response from Putin on a proposal to extend the deal. The proposal reportedly included an offer to reconnect a subsidiary of Russia’s Rosselkhozbank to the SWIFT international payments system.

Putin said on July 15 that he had not seen the proposal.

Russia has repeatedly threatened to cancel the agreement, which was last extended for two months on May 17, while pushing for an array of concessions.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP

Another Russian general has reportedly been fired in the latest shake-up in the military since Wagner mercenary group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin launched a short-lived mutiny three weeks ago.

Major General Vladimir Selivyorstov, who commanded the 106th Airborne Division, has been dismissed by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Telegram channels close to Russia’s security services reported on July 15.

The Telegram channels did not give an official reason for his firing though one claimed Selivyorstov had been known to disagree with decisions made by headquarters.

Selivyorstov’s dismissal comes amid upheaval in the Russian armed forces following Prigozhin’s June 23-24 mutiny against Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov over their management of the war in Ukraine.

The weak military response to the mutiny -- which represented the biggest threat to President Vladimir Putin’s 23-year grip on power -- has raised questions about the loyalty of senior officials in the armed forces to the Kremlin for its failed invasion of Ukraine. The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this week that at least 13 high-ranking Russian military officials were detained following Prigozhin’s mutiny.

One prominent official, General Sergei Surovikin, who briefly served as overall commander for the Ukraine war and is believed to be a close ally of Prigozhin, has not been seen or heard from since the mutiny erupted on June 24.

Major General Ivan Popov, the commander of the 58th Combined Arms Army deployed in Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhya region, said on July 12 that he was fired after complaining to Gerasimov about the failure to rotate troops.

Popov also said his forces were being hampered by problems with counterbattery radar and artillery reconnaissance.

As for Selivyorstov, Telegram channel CHEKA-OGPU said Tula Governor Aleksei Dyumin sought to defend him during a trip to Moscow on July 14. The 106 Airborne Division is based in Tula.

Putin’s former chief security guard, Dyumin is often cited as a possible replacement to Shoigu should the president decide to dismiss him. Dyumin briefly served as deputy defense minister under Shoigu in 2015-2016.

However, experts say Putin is likely to stick with loyalists Shoigu and Gerasimov at least for the foreseeable future lest it appear he caved under pressure from Prigozhin.

A long convoy transporting Wagner troops entered Belarus from Russia on July 15, the independent Belarusian military monitoring project Belaruski Hayun reported.

The column included at least 60 vehicles, including pickups, large trucks, vans, and at least three buses, and was escorted by Belarusian traffic police, Belaruski Hayun said in a .

The convoy was headed in the direction of Tsel, a village 90 kilometers southeast of Minsk where a tent encampment capable of holding as many as 15,000 people had recently been set up by the Belarusian authorities.

The video footage of the alleged convoy comes a day after the Belarusian Defense Ministry television channel showed Wagner instructors training Belarusian territorial defense forces in Tsel.

Neighboring Lithuania, meanwhile, said its border services are monitoring developments.

A spokesman for Lithuania’s State Border Guard Service told the news portal Delfi on July 15 that border security with Belarus had already been strengthened because of "illegal migration and the NATO summit."

The fate of Wagner troops has been enveloped in a deep fog since its founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, led a short-lived mutiny on June 23-24 in the biggest threat to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s 23 years in power.

Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka claimed he helped end the mutiny by agreeing with Prigozhin and Putin to host the Wagner troops in Belarus.

Days after Lukashenka’s statement, a tent camp began going up in Tsel, a former garrison for members of a Belarusian missile brigade.

Wagner troops played a key role in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, helping take Bakhmut after nearly 10 months of intense fighting. The mercenary group lost 20,000 men in the process, according to Prigozhin.

The Wagner leader gained popularity among Russian military bloggers for his frank comments on the course of the war.

He often publicly criticized Russia’s military leadership in crude terms. Putin sought to reign him in by agreeing to subordinate Wagner to the Defense Ministry.

To protest that decision, Prigozhin launched his mutiny.

What happens next with Wagner troops and Prigozhin is unclear.

Wagner had 25,000 fighters under its command, Prigozhin claimed at the time of his mutiny. However, that number has not been verified.

Russia is facing manpower issues and can’t afford to disband Wagner, which is considered one of the most experienced and disciplined units, military experts said.

Putin on July 14 said Wagner troops could keep fighting in Ukraine but without Prigozhin as their leader. Wagner forces did not appear to be fighting in a major capacity at the moment, the Pentagon said a day earlier.

While some have speculated that Wagner troops could try to invade Ukraine from Belarus, military experts said that Russia would need a force of 30,000 or more to have any chance of succeeding with such a venture.

Lukashenksa said on June 27 that he would like Wagner troops to train his own forces, but he gave no indication how many of the mercenaries he would be willing to host on his soil.

Amid speculation that could be a threat to his own hold on power, he , "We will keep a close eye on them."

With reporting by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has called for the continued operation of the Black Sea grain export deal after Russia suspended its participation in it, saying that he has agreed with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to work with "responsible states to restore food security and food supply via the Black Sea routes."

Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address that the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which Russia withdrew from earlier on July 17, could operate without Moscow's participation and said Russia's decision gives the world an opportunity to show that "blackmail" cannot determine who has enough food to eat.

He said earlier through a spokesman that Ukraine is prepared to continue grain exports without Russian participation and that Ukraine had been “approached by companies that own ships” and “they said that they are ready.”

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba condemned Russia's move after meetings in New York with U.S. and European diplomats, saying the grain initiative has been "vital" to preventing global food prices from rising.

"Ukraine and [the] U.S. will spare no effort to ensure export of Ukrainian grains to Africa, Asia, and beyond," Kuleba said on Twitter.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby also blasted Moscow for pulling out of the deal and said the decision would “harm millions of vulnerable people around the world.” The United States will continue to work with other countries to ensure movement of grain out of Ukraine but is not considering using U.S. military assets to help protect grain shipments, Kirby said. He also said the use of Turkish vessels to facilitate the movement of Ukrainian grain was not a viable solution. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said officials were talking with Russia and that he hoped the deal would be extended, while Guterres expressed deep disappointment over Russia's withdrawal from the deal, which he said had been "a lifeline for global food security and a beacon of hope in a troubled world."

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken joined other Western diplomats in criticizing Russia's decision, calling it "unconscionable." "The result of Russia's action today weaponizing food," Blinken told reporters on July 17. It will make food "harder to come by in places that desperately need it, and have prices rise." U.S. Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield earlier that Russia's exit from the unprecedented wartime deal was an "act of cruelty," while European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described Russia's suspension as a "cynical move" and said the EU would continue to try to secure food for poor countries.

The deal, brokered by the United Nations and Turkey one year ago, helped alleviate a global food crisis by allowing grain to flow from Ukraine to countries in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Moscow refused to extend the agreement beyond the July 17 expiration of a two-month extension agreed in May, complaining that promises to free up its own shipments of food and fertilizers had not been kept. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced that Russia was halting its participation in the deal, adding that Moscow will return to the deal after its demands are met. “When the part of the Black Sea deal related to Russia is implemented, Russia will immediately return to the implementation of the deal,” Peskov said. Asked whether an attack on a bridge connecting the Crimean Peninsula to Russia was a factor in the decision on the grain deal, the Kremlin spokesman said it was not. Russia's UN mission said no more talks on the deal are planned, RIA Novosti reported.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, reacting to Russia's withdrawal during a visit to the UN headquarters, demanded that Putin "refrain from once again using hunger as a weapon in this brutal war of aggression." The French Foreign Ministry condemned Russia's suspension and demanded that Moscow stop its "blackmail" on world food security. "Russia is solely responsible for blocking navigation in this maritime space and imposes an illegal blockade on Ukrainian ports,” the ministry said in a statement.

With reporting by Reuters, AFP, and dpa