Directed by the Chinese director Zhang Yimou, also in charge of the opening ceremony on February 4, the closing ceremony had begun at 20 hours local (13 hours in Belgium) in the Bird’s Nest, the stadium built for the Summer Games in 2008.
The Olympic flame, lit by the Chinese athletes Dinigeer Yilamujiang and Jiawen Zhao, was then extinguished, putting an end to these Olympic Games 2022, during which 109 gold medals were given in fifteen different sports. The Olympics 2022 took place in a sanitary bubble and without spectators, except some guests, because of the pandemic of Covid-19. They gathered 2,911 athletes representing 91 Olympic committees.
“I declare the Winter Games of the XXIV Olympiad in Beijing 2022 closed”. With these words of the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Thomas Bach, the first Winter Games after the coronavirus pandemic were closed.
The 91 nations paraded in the Olympic enclosure. The parade of flags was followed by the athletes, after the entry of officials and the national anthem of the host country. A great time for the athletes.
(Photo: REUTERS / Joe Penney)A church is seen guarded by soldiers behind sandbags, in Maiduguri, Nigeria May 23, 2014. Christian houses of worship are guarded by military soldiers at all times in Maiduguri.
The World Council of Churches has expressed deep concern about the worsening security situation in Nigeria, and the impact on the people and churches of the country and has called on the support of the international community.
“Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), and criminal kidnappers have continued to commit crimes and atrocities against the people of Nigeria for over a decade,” said WCC acting general secretary Rev. Ioan Sauca in a statement on Feb. 18.
“Despite the efforts of the Federal and State authorities in Nigeria to control the situation, these crimes and atrocities continue largely unabated.”
Nigeria is just one of the states in the northern part of Africa that is facing such turmoil and countries in the Sahel region including Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Nige according to UN agencies.
The WCC head said that the lives and property of Nigerians have continued to be in danger, and poverty and hunger are increasing because farmers are not able to access their farms.
“More and more children are out of school because of parents’ fears that they may be kidnapped or killed by bandits who attack schools and abduct students and teachers,” said Sauca.
“The WCC has received reports of thousands of people brutally murdered in their homes, houses and livelihoods destroyed, women raped and assaulted by abductors, and many people – including school children, women and religious leaders – kidnapped and their families obliged to pay heavy ransoms for their return.”
Among other victims, the Christian communities of Nigeria are losing many people and properties to the ongoing attacks by terrorists and criminals.
“It is noteworthy that one of the Governors from the Northeast has recently been moved by the deteriorating situation to appeal for more seriousness in fighting the insurgents, especially ISWAP, before it is too late, and has urged the Federal Government to seek international assistance to restore security in the country,” said Sauca.
“The World Council of Churches therefore calls on the international community to offer every possible support and assistance to the Nigerian authorities and people to bring an end to the killings, kidnappings and looting, to restore security, and to enable Nigeria schoolchildren to go to school without fear and the people of Nigeria to carry on their lives and livelihoods in safety and dignity.”
President Michel on EU’s position on the crisis around Ukraine and Russia at the Munich Security Conference
Good morning, it’s a real pleasure to be here with all of you and to exchange views on important matters.
The security situation in Europe
But first, allow me to recall the EU’s position on the current crisis around Ukraine and Russia, along with a few additional comments.
We, Europeans, are fully united. Within the EU and with our transatlantic allies and with our strategic partners, such as Japan, for instance. This is the paradox of the Kremlin’s actions. They hoped to sow division, to weaken our Alliance, to divide us. In fact, they have done exactly the opposite. Our unity has been cemented, both within the EU and across the Atlantic. This was crystal clear during our last informal European Council meeting two days ago in Brussels, and in the last phone call together with Joe Biden and other transatlantic leaders on Friday evening.
Of course, the big question remains: does the Kremlin want dialogue? A few days ago, their words offered a very small ray of hope. But their actions take the form of continued military build-up, with serious incidents in Donbas, including today.
We cannot forever offer an olive branch while Russia conducts missile tests and continues to amass troops. One thing is certain: if there is further military aggression, we will react with massive sanctions. The cost for Russia must be, and will be, severe. But let’s be frank, it will also be a cost for us, in Europe.
We staunchly support Ukraine, its sovereignty, its territorial integrity and its democracy. The people of Ukraine made the free choice of democratic values, rule of law and reform, and this has great value. But this democratic choice is perceived by the Kremlin as an existential threat due to its potential spill-over effect in the entire region. The Russian goal of weakening Western and European support for Ukraine is a miscalculation because it only galvanises our resolve.
In the very short term we have decided to mobilise €1.2 billion of macro-financial assistance to Ukraine, and I have proposed to launch an international donors conference in order to shore up the macro-economic stability of Ukraine and to support their economic reforms. But in my opinion we should also deepen the political and economic rapprochement with Ukraine, together with the European Union.
The EU on the global stage
The EU is a much more powerful global actor than we think. Our strength is anchored in our prosperity, our economic power and our capacity to use it in order to influence the world.
In the last two years we have taken major decisions to reinforce our global position. The EU is one of the three major economies and trading blocs in the world and during the pandemic we have taken critical decisions to reinforce our position. To shore up our economies we took a historic leap, adopting a massive recovery plan financed by common borrowing. In my view, one of the most important decisions the EU has taken in the last decade is this budgetary and recovery funds decision: politically, economically, but also geopolitically.
We also took decisive action on COVID vaccines and we are the global leader in the cutting-edge mRNA technology. We also became the number one exporter of doses, while managing to import ingredients from several dozen countries.
There is something else that is very important: our regulatory power, often called the ‘Brussels effect’. Our standards, inspired by our European values, tend to become global standards. And this is true in many sectors. For instance, in the chemicals sector our standards have become global standards. In the digital field, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) had a similar effect, and we are working on our Digital Services Act and our Digital Markets Act.
The EU is also – we shouldn’t forget it – a global trading power and a partner everyone wants to trade with. Our trade deals strengthen our economic base and are underpinned by our fundamental values.
In 2019 we took a fundamental decision when we decided to become the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. This put us at the forefront of global climate action and climate diplomacy, and others followed. We are also the first major bloc to put forward a concrete plan to reach climate neutrality – this is called ‘Fit for 55’.
We are also trying to be very active in our neighbourhood. Last year, with Western Balkan partners, we reaffirmed our commitment to the enlargement process and decided to adopt a €30 billion investment package for the region. And we further committed to our Eastern Partnership, both politically and financially.
A few days ago we hosted our EU-African Union summit in Brussels. This was a major event for our two continents. We agreed to renew our strategic partnership, in a new spirit of mutual respect and shared values. Because there is something that is crucial: Africa’s stability and prosperity is in Europe’s strategic interest. We are changing how we work with Africa, to try to build together a new paradigm, and mobilising public and private investment to support Africa’s development in key sectors such as infrastructure, green and energy technologies, digital and health. We are renewing our strategic partnership and making a positive proposal to Africa, as China and Russia compete with their own proposals and vision. But I am convinced that our EU principles of transparency, accountability and governance offer the best guarantees to our African partners.
To exert greater influence, we need to be less dependent. The pandemic has shed light on our strategic dependencies, which is why Commissioner Thierry Breton has just set out a plan to boost EU production of microchips, for instance, and reduce our dependency on foreign suppliers. But we are also over-dependent in another area: hydrocarbons. Our climate strategy is precisely to depart from fossil fuels, but managing this transition will be a challenge, a difficult one, from both a competition and a geopolitical point of view.
The EU has a powerful hand to play across our external relations: in trade, development, competition, regulation and migration, for instance. Not to mention our common foreign and security policy. We have the tools to be effective and the means to act, but too often, let’s recognise, we act with a silo mentality. In my opinion we need to be much more coherent. By linking our policies and tools, and working more closely across sectors, we can and will maximise our impact and achieve our strategic objectives.
Much has been said in recent months on the security dimension of the EU’s strategic sovereignty, and the current crisis with Russia has only confirmed what many EU leaders have been saying. First, that NATO is the backbone of Europe’s defence and Russia’s attempt to divide has only reinforced the unity of the Alliance. Second, strong partners make strong allies. That is why the EU and its member states are trying to strengthen our capabilities. We are now in the process of agreeing our European Strategic Compass proposed by the High Representative and in March we will have an important summit in Brussels on this important question. We are also preparing a new EU-NATO statement that should be adopted very soon.
President Michel on challenges for democracies at the Munich Security Conference
The liberal democracy
Finally, a word on the global attack on our liberal democracies.
Je voudrais dire quelques mots sur ce qui est peut-être l’enjeu, le défi majeur pour notre génération politique et certainement au sein des démocraties libérales partout dans le monde. Nous voyons bien qu’il ne s’agit pas seulement de mobiliser des moyens militaires ou des alliances de sécurité. Et cette crise avec la Russie met en lumière ce que nous voyons depuis des années déjà : cette pression parfois de l’intérieur, souvent de l’extérieur, sur les institutions démocratiques, sur l’état de droit, sur la liberté, sur ces principes de confiance et de transparence.
Nous voyons bien que l’enjeu pour nous est de s’interroger comment nous, représentants de ces démocraties libérales qui ont généré depuis des décennies de la liberté, de la prospérité, du progrès partagé, comment faisons-nous face aux méthodes des régimes autoritaires, qui ne respectent pas les règles du droit international, qui décident d’utiliser pas seulement la force militaire, mais également la force hybride au travers de cyber-attaques, et qui nous attaquent nous, ou attaquent nos amis et nos partenaires. C’est certainement une responsabilité historique et morale pour tous les démocrates partout dans le monde.
Je crois que pour faire face à cet enjeu nous devons agir sur trois sujets : d’une part il faut être plus rapide, ce qui est difficile, parce que la démocratie suppose la consultation, le débat, pour former des décisions là où les régimes autoritaires peuvent d’une manière rapide et facile jouer avec la vie de leurs citoyens, manipuler les opinions. C’est donc un enjeu pour lequel on doit être extrêmement engagés, plus de rapidité, dans le respect de nos procédures démocratiques de délibération, qui sont au cœur de la confiance et de la transparence.
Deuxième élément, il nous faut plus d’unité. Et là, je suis optimiste parce que les dernières semaines ont montré que le meilleur agent unificateur du lien transatlantique s’appelle Vladimir Poutine. C’est lui en quelques semaines qui nous a amenés, dans un sursaut de force et d’unité, à agir ensemble de manière extrêmement étroite avec une qualité de coopération que l’on n’avait pas observé depuis des nombreuses années.
Et puis, troisième élément, je le répète, il faut de la cohérence, il faut mettre notre action en cohérence avec notre discours.
Nous mesurons bien que cet enjeu-là est un enjeu sérieux. Mais j’ai confiance, parce que je crois que les valeurs de la démocratie, les valeurs de l’état de droit sont fondés sur la transparence, sur la confiance, sur la légitimité, sur l’adhésion des citoyens, sur leur dignité, sur les libertés personnelles, sur le respect pour chacune et chacun d’entre eux. Et cela fait la différence entre les démocraties et les autres régimes politiques. C’est pour cela, je le crois, nous allons y faire face. Et les régimes démocratiques, les libertés, à la fin, l’emporteront.
Russia will likely attack Ukraine before February 21, 2022, as we discuss here. The Kremlin has deployed sufficient military forces and set informational conditions to conduct offensive operations including limited incursions into unoccupied Ukraine, a comprehensive air and missile campaign, and large-scale mechanized drives on Kyiv and other major Ukrainian cities.
ISW’s Russia Team is launching a new product line, Ukraine Conflict Updates, in light of this forecast. This daily synthetic product covering key events related to renewed Russian aggression against Ukraine will replace ISW’s previous “Indicators and Thresholds for Russian Military Operations in Ukraine and/or Belarus,” which we maintained from November 12, 2021, through February 17, 2022. That document will no longer be updated.
Key Takeaways February 19
Russian and Belarusian forces carried out the final day of active tactical exercises as part of the Joint Russian-Belarusian “Union Resolve 2022” exercise, scheduled to end on February 20. Russian forces currently remain scattered across several Belarusian training grounds and will likely require until at least February 20 to concentrate in southern Belarus if Russia intends to leverage them in an attack on Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko oversaw Russia’s “GROM” nuclear triad exercises, currently being held earlier in the year than previous annual iterations—likely to deter any significant NATO response to possible Russian aggression against Ukraine.
Chairman of the Russian State Duma (Parliament) Vyacheslav Volodin announced the Duma will hold a session on February 22 to discuss and respond to what the Kremlin is calling a forced mass exodus of Russian citizens from the Luhansk and Donetsk People’s Republics (LNR and DNR).
The Russian-backed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics began the general mobilization of military-age male citizens amid increasingly frantic claims (amplified by Kremlin media) of an impending Ukrainian offensive against Donbas, including the publication of a faked Ukrainian offensive plan.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky notably left Ukraine to attend the Munich Security Conference in person, and urged Western states to take imminent action against Russian escalations.
US and NATO officials emphasized unity and collective defense among member states against Russian escalations at the Munich Security Conference in Germany but announced no new policies.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi stated Russia’s security concerns should be respected but urged all states to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty, marking a possible break in China’s previous full support for Russia in the current Ukraine crisis.
Key Events February 18, 3pm EST – February 19, 2pm EST
Military Events
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko oversaw Russia’s ongoing “GROM” nuclear triad exercises from the Kremlin situation center on February 19 in a likely effort to deter NATO.[1]The Kremlin typically conducts its annual GROM nuclear triad exercises in early fall and is likely holding them early to deter any NATO response to possible Russian offensive actions against Ukraine. Russian readouts did not specify the nature of Putin or Lukashenko’s roles in the GROM exercises beyond observation.
Russian Air Force elements test-launched Kinzhal hypersonic missiles in unspecified locations. A Russian Northern Fleet submarine in the Barents Sea launched a strategic missile at the Kura Missile Testing Site in Kamchatka Krai. Additional Northern and Black Sea Fleet elements launched Kalibr cruise missiles and Zirkon hypersonic missiles at sea and air targets. Strategic Missile Force elements in the Kapustin Yar test site launched Iskander cruise missiles at unspecified targets. Likely Strategic Missile Force elements at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Arkhangelsk Oblast also launched Yars intercontinental missiles at targets in the Kura Missile Test Site, Kamchatka Krai. Unspecified Russian elements also launched cruise missiles from strategic missile carriers at targets in the Kura Missile Test Range in Kamchatka Krai and the Pemboi Missile Test Range in the Komi Republic.
Western Military District Commander Colonel-General Alexander Zhuravlev oversaw field training by the meteorological service of the WMD on February 19.[2]Meteorologists prepared weather reports for aviation flights through the deployment of meteorological stations and mobile autonomous complexes. Servicemen used geostationary satellites to compile weather data and analyzed the hydrometeorological context of the area. This information was used to plan and execute flight exercises. It is unclear why the Russian Ministry of Defense separately reported on Zhuravlev’s attendance at a meteorological exercise. The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) last reported Zhuravlev attending exercises by the 1st Guards Tank Army in Moscow on February 10.[3]
Three hundred Russian 49th Combined Arms Army reconnaissance personnel and 60 vehicles conducted a tactical counter-reconnaissance exercise at the Kobu-Bashi Training Ground in Karachay-Cherkessia, Russia on February 19.[4] The Russian reconnaissance units protected Russian units during combat and provided communications, information, and command and control support during the exercise.
Unspecified Russian Southern Military District battalion tactical groups (BTGs) practiced new methods of long-range fire using tank and artillery units at the Prudboy Training Ground, Volgograd Oblast, Russia, on February 19.[5] T-90A tanks and ATGM crews participated in the exercise.
Over 500 operators of the Black Sea Fleet coastal missile systems participated in an exercise to defend the Crimean Peninsula and Caucasian coast from mock missile strikes on February 19.[6] Crews launched missiles at sea targets from designated positional areas and identified surface targets in Crimea and Krasnodar Krai. The exercise was part of a wider series of ongoing Russian naval exercises involving over 10,000 servicemembers.
Russian Activity
Chairman of the Russian State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin announced on February 19 that the Duma will hold a session to discuss and respond to what the Kremlin is calling a forced mass exodus of Russian citizens from the Luhansk and Donetsk People’s Republics (LNR and DNR) on February 22.[7]Duma member Viktor Vodolatsky claimed that nearly 36,000 people have arrived in Rostov from the LNR and DNR, 70 percent of whom volunteered to move.[8] The LNR opened 61 checkpoints to facilitate the evacuation.[9] Twenty-six Russian regions will receive refugees, including the Moscow region, Orlovsk, Tulsk, Kaliningrad, Yaroslav, Bryansk, Astrkhan, and South Ossetia.[10] The Voronezh region was subsequently placed on high alert to accommodate refugee movements.[11] In response to the alleged mass exodus, the United Russia party stated that they are providing support for the DNR and LNR in the form of charities, volunteer organizations, and legal aid.[12]
Russian rhetoric on February 19 increasingly framed the situation as a manifestation of a Ukrainian genocide against Donbas, enabled by the West.[13] Chairman of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin accused participants of the Munich Security Conference of ignoring what he claimed is an ongoing genocide against citizens of the Donbas region, and Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova similarly claimed the West is blatantly overlooking ”crimes against humanity” in Donbas.[14] Vice Speaker of Federation Council Konstantin Kosachev additionally accused the United States and its allies of encouraging a Ukrainian offensive against Donbas that is causing a mass exodus of Russian citizens and targets civilian infrastructure of the LNR and DNR.[15]
Kremlin-sponsored media reported that Ukrainian paramilitary groups shelled Rostov Oblast on February 19, possibly to imply that Ukraine may use the Donbas crisis to attack Russia.[16]Russian Police reported an initial explosion in the Mityakinskaya village in Tarasovsky District, Rostov Oblast. The Russian Federal Investigative Committee launched a criminal investigation into another multiple-launch-rocket-system shelling in Mityakinskaya, Rostov Oblast, that reportedly damaged two vacant residential buildings on February 19.[17] The Committee also opened a criminal investigation after Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) Militia Head Denis Sinenkov’s car exploded on February 18. The DNR accused and detained reported Ukrainian agent Anton Matsanyuk for mining Sinekov’s vehicle. Russian media reported that Matsanyuk admitted to tracking the car and mining it with Ukrainian explosives. Russian media added that Matsanyuk organized a terrorist group to recruit Donetsk residents to carry out provocations in the city.[18]
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian discussed the conflict in Donbas during a phone call on February 19.[19]Lavrov reiterated Kremlin claims that the Ukrainian government is hindering progress toward a peaceful solution by failing to abide by the Minsk II Accords, refusing to recognize the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics (DNR and LNR) as legitimate parties in the conflict, and refusing to grant the DNR and LNR special constitutional status within Ukraine. Lavrov accused Ukraine of building up military forces on the line of contact, militarizing the population, and inciting armed provocations in Donbas. Lavrov emphasized the need for international formats like the Normandy Format, of which France is a member, and the lack of acceptable alternatives to the Minsk agreements. Lavrov likely asked Le Drian to pressure Ukraine into engaging in international formats under Russian terms.
Russia’s delegation refused to attend a meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group to discuss de-escalating tensions in eastern Ukraine on February 19.[20]The group’s chair, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) representative Mikko Kinnunen, said that Russian representatives “linked their attendance to certain [unspecified] political preconditions.” The Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) and Luhansk People’s Republic (LNR) delegations also refused to participate in the Trilateral Contact Group meetings on February 18.
Russian President Vladimir Putin issued Russia’s annual callup of military reservists for service in the Armed Forces, Rosgvardia, and state and federal security agencies on February 18—earlier than the normal annual callup in March or April.[21]The decree entered force immediately on February 18 but did not specify when reservists will enter training. The callup is not itself abnormal but has been issued earlier in the year than usual, with most callups issued in March or April.[22] Russian reservists will likely support Russian militarization efforts and force posturing against Ukraine.
Proxy Activity
The Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) claimed it obtained a Ukrainian plan for a five-day offensive to forcibly regain control of Donbas and push Russian-speaking populations to Russia on February 19.[23] The DNR claimed that Ukrainian forces will strike in three stages, with the Ukrainian 30th Mechanized, 17th Tank, 95th Air Assault, and 26th Artillery Brigades attacking proxy positions from Kramatorsk and Debaltseve, Donetsk Oblast. The DNR added that Ukrainian forces will then advance from Alchevs’k, Luhansk Oblast, and Yenakijeve, Donetsk Oblast, up to the Russian border in three days. The DNR claimed that Ukrainian forces will also launch an offensive from Shyrokyne, Donetsk Oblast, and that Ukrainian sea troops advance from Novoazovs’k to Illovais’k and Ulyanivs’ke in Donetsk Oblast on February 21. The DNR added that Ukrainian forces on the Luhansk front will then move to Khrustalnyi, Luhansk Oblast. The DNR claimed that the Ukrainian 26th, 43rd, and 55th Artillery Brigades will conduct massive artillery, air, and drone strikes against civilian facilities, while establishing a blockade around Donetsk, Luhansk, Horlivka, and Alchevs’k. The DNR added that Ukraine and UK instructors have created misinformation videos featuring an actor playing a Russian defector who admits to chemical weapon terrorist attacks against Ukrainian targets to provide a pretext for Ukrainian invasion.[24]
The Luhansk People’s Republic (LNR) is amplifying reports that Ukrainian forces are attempting to harm LNR and DNR evacuees, claiming that police safely disarmed a mined car under a bridge on an evacuation highway to Russia in Molodohvardiis’k, Luhansk Oblast.[25] The LNR claimed Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups likely caused at least three gas pipeline explosions in Luhansk, resulting in several fires in the city.[26] The LNR claimed that Ukrainian forces fired 120 mortars in Pervomais’k, Metalist, and Slov’yanoserbs’k, Luhansk Oblast.[27]
The DNR claimed Ukrainian forces wounded an elderly civilian with shelling in Pikuzy, Donetsk Oblast.[28] The DNR accused the Ukrainian 25th Brigade of shelling a water pumping station in Vasylivka, Donetsk Oblast, resulting in loss of electricity and the cessation of the station’s operation.[29] The DNR issued another conflicting report that Ukraine’s 24th Separate Assault unit of the Right Sector damaged the Donetsk Filter Station.[30] The DNR claimed that the inoperability of the station jeopardizes water supplies for over 40 settlements on both sides of the line of contact. The DNR also claimed to receive anonymous information about the mining of two hotels and four residential complexes in Donetsk, Donetsk Oblast.[31] The DNR accused Ukrainian forces of disseminating leaflets among civilians to instigate panic.[32]
The LNR denounced media reports that proxy republics want to abandon the Minsk II Accords but restated proxy disinterest in scheduling any further Trilateral Contact Group meetings considering Kyiv’s provocations.[33] The LNR added that the LNR and DNR will host a Trilateral Contact Group meeting if Ukraine sends specific proposals for final decisions on conflict settlement.
The Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics (LNR and DNR) issued general mobilization decrees on February 19.[34]The LNR decree called for a general mobilization of male citizens aged 18 to 55, claiming that the Ukrainian Armed Forces intensified their shelling and military buildup at the line of contact.[35] The DNR similarly adopted a unanimous decree for general mobilization and announced that the DNR government would immediately shift its economy to a wartime footing.[36]
Belarusian Activity
Russian and Belarusian forces carried out the final day of active tactical exercises as part of the Joint Russian-Belarusian “Union Resolve 2022” exercise, scheduled to end on February 20, at various training grounds across Belarus on February 19.[37] Russian forces currently remain scattered across several Belarusian training grounds and will likely need until at least February 20 to concentrate in southern Belarus if Russia intends to leverage them in an attack on Ukraine. Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin observed the day’s main exercises at Obuz-Lesnovsky (near Baranovichi in Western Belarus, 90 miles from the Ukrainian border), which included final joint tactical actions of the Belarusian Western Operational Command, the Russian Pacific Fleet Naval Infantry, and joint Belarusian-Russian aviation crews.[38] The Belarusian MoD advertised that over 120 international media representatives attended exercises at Obuz-Lesnovsky in order to underline the Union State’s desire to be transparent and cooperative with the international media.[39] Russian Naval Infantry from the Eastern Military District also practiced tactical airborne landings and helicopter reconnaissance at Obuz-Lesnovsky.[40] The Belarusian MoD reported that Belarusian Signal Corps elements withdrew their forces and assets back to their points of permanent deployment after providing communications support during Union Resolve exercises.[41] An unspecified Belarusian mechanized brigade participated in mock combat at the Gozkhy training ground (Western Belarus, about 175 miles north of the border with Ukraine). An unspecified Belarusian mechanized brigade worked with Russian marines to pursue a mock enemy and restore an advantageous border position at Baranovichi (Western Belarus, about 120 miles north of the Ukrainian border). Joint Belarusian-Russian special forces carried out anti-sabotage and reconnaissance measures at Maryina Gorka (Central Belarus, about 230 miles from the Ukrainian border).
Several Russian units participated in exercises near the Ukrainian border, but the center of gravity of exercises remained in Western Belarus, and Russian units have not deployed to assembly areas in Belarus. Unspecified Belarusian special operations forces and Russian airborne and motorized rifle units practiced restoring combat capacity and conducted live-fire exercises at the Brestsky training ground (Southwestern Belarus, less than 30 miles from the Ukrainian border). Russian missile units carried out unspecified combat duties at Gomel (Southeastern Belarus, less than 30 miles north of the Ukrainian border). Belarusian missile forces carried out reconnaissance and combat in an area controlled by a mock enemy at Pinsk (Southern Belarus, about 40 miles from the Ukrainian border) and redeployed to a new combat area at Polessky (Southern Belarus, about 45 miles from the Ukrainian border).
Ukrainian Activity
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Western states to take imminent action against the Russian military buildup at the Munich Security Conference (MSC) in Munich, Germany, on February 19.[42]Zelensky called on Western countries to publicize the sanctions they plan to impose on Russia in the event of an escalation and urged countries to make no deals “behind Ukraine’s back.” Zelensky blamed western states for their “indifference” to the Russian military buildup at Ukraine’s border during his speech. Zelensky also invoked the 1994 Budapest Memorandum that granted security assurances for Ukraine‘s territorial integrity from Russia, the United States, and the United Kingdom in exchange for its denuclearization. Zelensky called for a meeting of the four signatory states and stated that a failure to hold such a meeting would put the entire package of measures “in doubt,” possibly insinuating a Ukrainian need to regain nuclear weapons. Zelensky also called on NATO to clarify Ukraine’s accession timeline. Additionally, Zelensky held bilateral meetings with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, US Vice President Kamala Harris, and international financial institutions representatives during the visit.[43] Separately, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba participated in the G7 Foreign Ministers meeting at the Munich Security Conference on February 19.[44] Kuleba said Ukraine and the United States would spare no diplomatic effort to protect Ukraine after meeting US State Secretary Antony Blinken.[45] Kuleba also held a meeting with German Foreign Minister Annalena Burbock and French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian to discuss Russia’s disinformation campaigns and the security situation in Ukraine.[46]
The Ukrainian government provided several updates on February 19 on continued Russian proxy and propaganda activity to draw Ukraine into a military provocation, including the deployment of Wagner forces to Donbas.[47] The Ukrainian Operational and Tactical Group East claimed on February 19 that Wagner Group operatives are in Donbas to conduct provocative offensives, mainly by detonating explosives in residential buildings.[48] including Defense Council Secretary Oleksiy Danilov, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov, Deputy Minister for the Integration of Occupied Territories Iryna Vereschuk, and Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Lieutenant General Yevhen Moisyuk visited the Donbas line of contact to further demonstrate Ukraine’s nonaggression, dedication to a political-diplomatic solution, and combat Russian propaganda efforts to portray Ukraine as the aggressor in Donbas.[49] Ukraine’s State Security Service (SBU) said that proxy shelling and Russian propaganda efforts constitute a hybrid war against Ukraine and reiterated that Russian propaganda claims are fake and aim to destabilize Ukraine. The SBU reiterated that Ukraine will not give in to these provocations and that SBU officers remain on high alert against a possible Russian escalation.[50] The Ukraine Defense Ministry also reported that Russian proxy forces in Pikuzy tried to pass off a proxy shelling as Ukrainian on February 19 to further promote Russian propaganda efforts.[51]
US Activity
US Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with several NATO and European leaders at the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, on February 18-19.[52] US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian to discuss ongoing diplomacy with and deterrence against Russia on February 19.[53] US Vice President Kamala Harris met with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Munich on February 18. Harris and Stoltenberg discussed reinforcements to NATO allies, including sending further US troops to Europe and providing $650 million in defense assistance to Ukraine. Harris also met with the leaders of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia on February 18. Harris addressed the Munich Security Conference on February 19.[54] Harris said that Russia is directly threatening European security in Ukraine with provocations and disinformation. Harris reaffirmed the US’ commitment to NATO’s Article 5 and the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity. Harris said the US remains committed to diplomacy, but the US will impose financial sanctions and export controls on Russia and bolster NATO’s eastern flank in the event of an invasion. The US will also target “those who are complicit and those who aid and abet this unprovoked invasion.” Harris announced that the US recently deployed an additional 6,000 troops to Romania, Poland, and Germany, and put an additional 8,500 troops in the US on a heightened state of readiness. Harris concluded that NATO remains unified in the face of Russian aggression.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visited Poland and Lithuania on February 18-19 to discuss defense cooperation, arms sales to Poland, and deterring Russian aggression.[55]Austin held one-on-one meetings with Polish President Andrzej Duda and Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak to discuss military cooperation and Russia’s military activities in and around Ukraine and Belarus in Warsaw, Poland, on February 18. Blaszczak thanked Austin for reinforcing NATO’s eastern flank by deploying additional US troops in Poland.[56] Austin announced that the US Defense Department approved the sale of 250 M1A2 Abrams tanks to the Polish Armed Forces.[57] Austin traveled to Vilnius, Lithuania to meet with Estonian Defense Minister Kalle Laanet, Latvian Defense Minister Artis Pabriks, and Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis to discuss Russia’s military buildup and Baltic requests for additional US force deployments to the region on February 19.[58] Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda requested the US deploy additional troops to the region following the meeting.
US President Joe Biden discussed coordinated responses to the Ukraine crisis with transatlantic leaders by phone on February 18.[59] Biden spoke with the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Romania, the UK, the European Commission, and NATO. Biden emphasized that the United States and its NATO allies are “in lockstep” and that the crisis has enhanced the “determination, unity, and resolve” of the European Union and NATO. Biden decried Russia’s disinformation campaign as an attempt to falsely justify aggression against Ukraine. Biden condemned the buildup of Russian troops around Ukraine’s borders and emphasized US and allied resolve to defend NATO territory and impose economic sanctions should Russia engage in aggressive action against Ukraine. Biden reiterated that NATO will not send troops to fight in Ukraine but reaffirmed their commitment to Ukrainian sovereignty and their support for the Ukrainian population. Biden said that Secretary of State Antony Blinken is scheduled to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on February 24 at an unspecified location in Europe but warned that the door to diplomacy will close if Russia engages in military action before then.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said Russia could decide to attack Ukraine “in short order” on February 18.[60] Austin said that Russia is prepared to “conduct a successful invasion.” Austin continued that this is likely not a bluff due to the mustering of combat aviation, medical support, and logistical support.
NATO and EU Activity
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg condemned Russia’s continued military buildup near Ukraine’s borders and discussed NATO’s diplomatic proposals to Russia at the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, on February 19.[61] Stoltenberg participated in a session at the Munich Security Conference alongside several other European leaders on February 19. Stoltenberg emphasized NATO’s readiness to engage in “substantive dialogue” with Moscow and called for Russia to withdraw its forces from Ukraine’s borders during his speech. Stoltenberg said he reiterated his offer to host new NATO-Russia Council meetings to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on February 17 and gave Lavrov several written proposals on increasing transparency of military activities and engaging on arms control. Stoltenberg also criticized China for the first time for joining Russia’s public calls to prevent NATO’s expansion at a time of rising “strategic competition” and reiterated the alliance’s unity to defend and protect all member states.
European Union and NATO members emphasized their unity and resolve in opposing Russian aggression and supporting Ukraine during the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, from February 18-19.[62] Bilateral meetings between EU and NATO member states focused on the regional security implications of Russia’s military deployments to Belarus and Ukraine‘s border.[63] European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen reaffirmed NATO and European opposition to Russia’s military buildup and called on Moscow to engage in dialogue to peacefully resolve the situation.[64] Leyen and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock emphasized Europe’s commitment to decreasing its dependency on Russian natural gas. Baerbock announced that Germany is prepared to pause the Nord Stream 2 project if Russia attacks Ukraine.[65] European leaders stated the European Commission, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada have developed a robust package of economic sanctions to impose on Russia should Russia invade Ukraine and that an invasion would prompt political, economic, and strategic consequences.[66] French and German Foreign Ministers Jean-Yves Le Drian and Annalena Baerbock condemned ceasefire violations in the Donbas and expressed concern about Russia staging incidents to create a pretext for military escalation.[67]
Other International Organization Activity
N/A
Individual Western Allies’ Activity
The Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers reaffirmed their commitment to Ukrainian sovereignty and condemned Russian aggression on February 19.[68] The foreign ministers urged Russia to withdraw military forces from Ukraine’s borders, engage in diplomacy, and fulfill commitments to implement the Minsk Agreements in a joint statement. The G7 foreign ministers also threatened financial and economic sanctions against Russia if Russia pursues further military aggression against Ukraine.
Estonia, France, and Germany issued warnings for citizens to avoid travel to Ukraine and for citizens in Ukraine to leave immediately due to escalating Russian military threats on February 19.[69]NATO additionally relocated staff from Kyiv to offices in Lviv and Brussels on February 19.[70] German Airline Lufthansa additionally announced on February 19 that it will suspend flights to Kyiv, Ukraine between February 21 and 28 but is maintaining flights to Lviv in Western Ukraine as of February 19.[71]
The UK government assessed on February 18 that Russia was involved in a February 15 and 16 cyberattack on Ukraine.[72]Likely Russian hackers conducted a distributed denial of service (DDoS) cyberattack against the Ukrainian Defense Ministry (MoD), Ukrainian banks, and Ukrainian non-profit organizations on February 15. The UK stated that Russia’s Main Intelligence Directorate was involved in the DDoS attacks against Ukraine. The UK said the attack demonstrates Russia’s continued aggression and disregard for Ukrainian sovereignty.
UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss attended an Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) meeting on Ukraine and called for de-escalation and dialogue on February 18.[73]Truss criticized Russia’s decision to not attend the OSCE meeting on Ukraine on February 18. Truss called on Russia to engage in dialogue and withdraw troops from Ukraine’s border. Ukraine previously requested the February 18 meeting with all participating OSCE states, citing ”unusual military activities” by Russia.[74] The Kremlin claimed its drills were part of combat training plans and declined the invite.[75]
Other International Activity
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that implementing the 2015 Minsk II Agreement is the only way out of the Ukraine crisis and stated that all states’ sovereignty—including Ukraine’s—must be respected in a possible rebuke to Russia in a video address to the Munich Security Conference on February 19.[76]Yi stated that Russian concerns, including on eastward NATO expansion, should be heeded but that Ukraine should not be a frontline for conflict. Yi added that Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected and protected under a multilateral system. Yi criticized “certain major countries” for stoking confrontation by warning of an imminent invasion.
Available for pre-order. Item will ship after April 14, 2022
This book examines and investigates the legitimacy of the European Union by acknowledging the importance of variation across actors, institutions, audiences, and context.
Case studies reveal how different actors have contributed to the politics of (re)legitimating the European Union in response to multiple recent problems in European integration. The case studies look specifically at stakeholder interests, social groups, officials, judges, the media and other actors external to the Union. With this, the book develops a better understanding of how the politics of legitimating the Union are actor-dependent, context-dependent and problem-dependent.
This book will be of key interest to scholars and students of European integration, as well as those interested in legitimacy and democracy beyond the state from a point of view of political science, political sociology and the social sciences more broadly.
5. Beyond support: Public opinion and EU legitimacy – Joris Melman
6. Dublin is dead: A study in delegitimation – Radu Triculescu
Part 3: Legitimation by media and parliaments
7. Whose voice is louder? Politicisation and legitimation in state aid policy – Elena Escalante Block
8. Legitimation strategies and national parliaments: The case of anti-corruption – Emilija Tudjarovska
9. Toothless observers or comprehensive players? National parliaments and the European Semester- Ivana Skazlic
Part 4: Legitimation by governments, courts and external actors
10. A Two-Way Street: Flexible and Rigid Legitimation across Actors and Policies in the EU – Julien Bois and José Piquer
11. Post-Crisis Legitimacy in the EU’s Economic and Monetary Union: The Cases of European Fiscal Policy Coordination and Banking SupervisionPhilipp Lausberg
12. Normative power Europe? Lessons in legitimacy, conditionality and complianceTiffany Williams
Part 5: Theoretical conclusions on legitimation and legitimacy
13. Polycrisis and Resilience in the EU: Covid-19 and avenues for future studiesJarle Trondal, Marianne Riddervold and Akasemi Newsome
14. The many actors of direct and indirect legitimacyChristopher Lord
15. Concluding Implications for EU Policy, Law and Institutions
Dirk De Bièvre, Peter Bursens, Christopher Lord, Jarle Trondaland Ramses A. Wesse
Editor(s)
Biography
Christopher Lord is Professor at ARENA Centre for European Studies, University of Oslo, Norway, and Scientific Co-ordinator of the PLATO network.
Peter Bursens is Jean Monnet Chair and Professor of Political Science at the Department of Political Science of the University of Antwerp, Belgium.
Dirk De Bièvre is Professor of International Politics at the University of Antwerp, Belgium.
Jarle Trondal is a Professor at University of Agder, Department of Political Science and Management, and a Professor at the University of Oslo, ARENA Centre for European Studies, Norway.
Ramses A. Wessel is Professor of European Law and Head of the Department of European and Economic Law at the University of Groningen, Netherlands.
Zambian President Mr Hakainde Hichilema was received by Pope Francis at the Vatican on Saturday morning. Following the audience with the Holy Father, President Hichilema met with the Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and Monsignor Mirosław Wachowski, the Undersecretary for Relations with States.
“I am glad to be here, and I am grateful to the Vatican and the establishment for giving us this opportunity to meet the Pope early in our presidency -we are still less than six months into office. We are really grateful,” said Mr Hichilema. He ascended to office in an August 2021 landslide vote that catapulted his UPND political party into government for the first time ever.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Vatican News on the sidelines of his visit to the Vatican, Mr Hichilema, a devout Adventist, spoke highly of his encounter with Pope Francis. He said he informed the Holy Father that his government respects the freedom of worship for all Churches and prioritises unity among Zambia.
“We as a government will embrace all religious organisations in our country. They all have space, and they all have the right to basically promote their evangelical work,” said the Zambia President.
I am a beneficiary of free education
Mr Hichilema said he was impressed that Pope Francis is aware and well informed about the development policies that his government has embarked upon. He praised Pope Francis for his progressive views on development in Africa.
“The Pope is aware of our educational policies of offering education to all, including those that are disadvantaged. I told the Pope that I am a beneficiary of free education. Born in a village and education made the difference,” Mr Hichilema explained.
Education will be fundamental to changing Zambian society, he said. While encouraging private education for those who can afford it, the Zambian President is keen that his country should also care for disadvantaged school children.
Education for all is priority
For now, the UPND government that Mr Hichilema leads has abolished all school fees from primary to secondary school. The overall aim, in future, is to also provide free tertiary education at college and university level.
Asked why the strong emphasis, Mr Hichilema replied: “A society without education skills -how can you develop it? How can you produce food more efficiently without agricultural knowledge?”
An inclusive cabinet sends a message of unity
Regarding unity in Zambia, Hichilema told Vatican News that his government values and is pushing unity in diversity among all Zambians because it is the decent thing to do. The government, he said, must be a reflection of that diversity. For this reason, he continued, his government is composed of ministers from all ten provinces of Zambia.
Zambia has 72 tribes and many more dialects -the result of a complex history in patterns of Bantu migrations.
Hichilema further pledged to distribute the country’s resources equally among the country’s regions.
“We want to unite the people of Zambia through equity, fair treatment of all regions. It is through this platform that we want to continue binding and bonding ourselves as one Zambia, one nation and one people,” he reiterated.
Corruption takes away resources from the poor
Hakainde Hichilema, a Zambian businessman, farmer and politician, says he has hit the ground running. His concluding remarks were on corruption across the world but particularly in Zambia.
“Corruption is something we must abhor. Corruption takes away resources from those who need them the most: Young people, the sick, the aged. We must restore integrity in our country. We must know that public office is not for self-aggrandisement. It is for service to the people,” said Zambia’s sixth president since the country gained independence from Britain in 1964.
According to the Turkish government, there are around 3.7 million Syrians under temporary protection in Turkey.
The Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said in some regions, the Syrian population accounts for over 25 percent of the total.
Turkey has accepted millions of Syrians fleeing a civil war since 2011. In many camps in southeastern Turkey, near the Syrian border, immigrants were initially welcomed under an open door policy.
In the past three years, nearly half a million Syrians have been voluntarily sent back to northern Syria controlled by the Turkish army.
Listen to Nathan Morley’s report
Migrant situation desperate
Elsewhere, the migration situation in the region remains desperate. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said this week that 245 illegal migrants were returned to Libya after being rescued off the coast last week.
In the second week of February alone, 245 migrants were rescued at sea and returned to Libya. IOM also said that since the beginning of the year, 34 illegal migrants died and 87 others went missing off the Libyan coast on the Central Mediterranean route.
So far this year, a total of 1,721 illegal migrants have been rescued and returned to Libya, including 150 women and 53 children.
Libya is a preferred staging point for migrants who want to cross the Mediterranean Sea to European shores.
ⒸFaithAndFreedomSummitNGO Coallition All rights reserved.
About blasphemy laws; violence against religious minorities; kidnapping, forced conversion and marriages of non-Muslim girls
HRWF (19.02.2022) – On the eve of the 8th Meeting of the Istanbul Process against religious intolerance, stigmatisation, discrimination, incitement to violence and violence against persons based on religion or belief hosted by Pakistan, EU Special Representative for Human Rights Eamon Gilmore delivered some welcoming remarks on behalf of the EU on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of Human Rights Council Resolution 16/18.
Human Rights Without Frontiers interviewed former EU Special Envoy Jan Figel to share his views about the situation of religious freedom in Pakistan as during his mandate he had vigorously and successfully stood up for the case of Asia Bibi, a Christian sentenced to death by hanging on alleged blasphemy charges. After years spent on the death row, she was acquitted in 2018 by the Supreme Court on the grounds of insufficient evidence. She now lives in Canada.
HRWF: Pakistan is a beneficiary of the GSP+ scheme, which grants a privileged access for its products to the EU market, but members of the European Parliament and civil society organizations in Europe are pressing Brussels to suspend this status due to egregious violations of human rights in Pakistan. What is their main area of concern?
Jan Figel: Pakistan has been benefitting from trade preferences under the GSP+ program since 2014. The overall economic incentives from this unilateral trade advantage for the country are considerable, reaching billions of Euros. But almost every year the European Parliament adopts a critical resolution or statement on various crimes, human rights violations or judicial abuses. The GSP+ status came with the obligation for Pakistan to ratify and implement 27 international conventions, including commitments to guarantee human rights and religious freedom. This is a frequent and vast problem in Pakistan. The latest GSP+ assessment of Pakistan in 2020 by the Commission expressed a variety of serious concerns on the human rights situation in the country, notably the lack of progress in limiting the scope and implementation of the death penalty.
One of the most striking issues has been the continued use of the blasphemy laws in Pakistan since 1986 after they were adopted by the former military regime. Regrettably, civilian governments have not had enough goodwill, or courage, afterwards to get rid of these stringent provisions that are frequently misused against a neighbour or an opponent to settle personal scores. Almost 1900 persons have been charged in total so far, with the highest numbers in recent years. In 2019 the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief Ahmed Shaheed mentioned the case of Asia Bibi in his annual Report as one of the examples of a revival of anti-blasphemy and anti-apostasy laws and the use of public order laws to limit any expression deemed offensive to religious communities.
As a Special Envoy for the Promotion of Freedom of Religion or Belief outside the EU (2016-2019) I followed the case of Asia Bibi very closely and was involved with Pakistani authorities, repeatedly and intensively. The EU showed here its positive influence; it was an excellent example of effective diplomacy and soft power. Regrettably, this important effort has not been continued, there is no Special Envoy for FoRB outside the EU anymore. Obviously, FoRB is not a priority today as it was under Juncker´s Commission.
HRWF: To what extent are religious minorities victims of human rights violations and discrimination in Pakistan?
Jan Figel: Religious minorities face many types of social and religious discrimination. Such discrimination is also observed at the official level in state and public employment as well as in private sector jobs. Minorities are disliked, ignored and sidelined. Even in schools, children face such challenges. My Pakistani friends quite often tell me about their painful experiences.
Discrimination of religious minorities became a usual, daily phenomenon in Pakistan, both officially and socially in the larger society. State condemnation of violence and discrimination of religious minorities especially against Hindus and Christians is, regrettably, only a lip service. We all know that slogans and hollow statements can never replace sincere commitments, continued efforts and justice for all. They are just meant to appease the international audience.
The most severe situation concerns Ahmadis, who claim their Islamic identity and belonging, but this is not recognized by the State. Members of this community are openly and constitutionally discriminated against and they are frequently attacked by violent mobs. The government repeatedly showed its impotence to protect religious minorities who are regularly harassed: mainly Christians, Hindus, Shias, Ahmadis and Sikhs.
HRWF: Can you give some examples of recent incidents targeting religious minorities?
Jan Figel: There are too many examples to share, unfortunately. Here are some of them. In 2020 Saleem Masih, a 22-year-old man in the city of Kasur, in Punjab province, was tortured to death by local landlords after they accused him of ‘polluting’ the water he bathed in. His only fault was that he was a Christian He was tortured to death for taking a dip in a village tube well in Pakistan.
Tabitha Gill, a Christian nurse in Karachi, was beaten in January 2021 by her Muslim colleagues who accused her of blasphemy.
Recently, Salma Tanveer, a Muslim woman and a mother of five children, was sentenced to death in September 2021 after spending nine years in prison.
Aneeqa Ateeq, a 26-year-old Muslim woman, was also sentenced to death in January 2022.
Some radical Muslims killed a Shia sect cleric Maulana Khan for alleged blasphemy in autumn 2020 in Karachi.
Blasphemy incidents affect Muslims and non-believers as well. It is critically high time to look closely at these issues and correct this whole unjust system.
A Sri Lankan factory manager was beaten to death and set ablaze by a mob over blasphemy accusations in Sialkot city, in Punjab, in December last.
Recently, in February, a crowd snatched a man accused of blasphemy at a police station in Khanewal, also in the Punjab Province. He was beaten and hanged. As journalist Waqar Gillani puts it, there is an unending tale of horror in Pakistan…
One must wonder where the rule of law is. On which side do the police stand?
Punjab Governor Salman Taseer was shot dead by an official bodyguard in 2011 because he criticized the blasphemy laws and demanded Asia Bibi to be pardoned. Shortly after Taseer was gunned down, Shabaz Bhatti, the Federal Minister for Minorities and the only Christian in the Cabinet was shot dead.
Peace in society is the fruit of justice. Justice delayed is justice denied, I repeated during my missions to Pakistan in Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore and Ravalpindi. Justice needs more than labels, slogans or words – it needs action, decisions and perseverance.
HRWF: Is there some truth in the kidnapping and forced conversion stories of about 1000 Pakistani girls per year?
Jan Figel: Rights groups say that every year in Pakistan as many as 1,000 minority girls are forcibly converted to Islam, often after being abducted or tricked. According to Amarnath Motumal, the vice-chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, an estimated 20 or more Hindu girls are abducted and forcefully converted every month, although exact figures are impossible to gather.
In a shocking decision, the Lahore High Court has recently ruled in favour of a Muslim perpetrator who forcibly abducted, converted to Islam and married an underage Christian girl called Maria Shahbaz. The 14-year-old girl was abducted in Faisalabad in April 2020.
So, it is a majority Muslim dominance issue. The formal law does not allow marriage before 18 years. Such child conversions and marriages are therefore illegal. Recently, Pakistan has tried to pass a law against forced conversions but later the Government gave in to the pressure of religious extremists and in September the bill was deferred.
The national holiday of the Republic of Bulgaria on March 3 (national holiday since 1990). On March 3 [February 19, old style], 1878 was signed the San Stefano Peace Treaty between Russia and the Ottoman Empire, which ended the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878 (tenth in a series of Russo-Turkish wars), which was called by the Bulgarians “Liberation war”, as it led to the liberation of Bulgarians from the Ottoman Empire and the creation of the Third Bulgarian kingdom. On the eve of the Bulgarian national holiday we open a forgotten page in the history of the Liberation of Bulgaria in the 19th century, related to the participation of Muslims from the Caucasus in the Russian army in liberating the fraternal Orthodox Bulgarian people from sultan’s oppression.
During the years of the Russo-Turkish War of Liberation from 1877-1878, the Russian army was mainly recruited from South Russia to the North Caucasus (South Caucasus is in Ottoman Turkey), including Cossacks (Don and Cuban), Chuvash, Ingush , Chechens, Kumits, even Circassians. The formation of the Tersko-Mountain Cavalry Regiment was successfully completed by November 25, 1876. During the formation of the regiment, the military leadership set itself the task of giving it the external attributes of a regular cavalry. A uniform form of clothing has been introduced for all staff. Circassian uniforms are supposed to be black, without trimmings, white beshmets, black tops with white tops, with soft Asian boots, and the epaulets are blue, with the letters T-G.
The regiment was created by the population of the Terek region in the Caucasus and consists mainly of Ingush and Ossetians, but there are also Russians, Georgians and Chechens. Two divisions were created for the regiment – Ossetian and Ingush, and each of them was exceptionally allowed to march with his own flag. On December 1, the individual flags of the divisions were awarded in a solemn atmosphere: for loyalty and devotion to Russia to the Ingush people in 1841, and to the Ossetian – in 1845. Interestingly, the Ingush flag was completely scarlet and very similar. today’s Turkish, while Ossetian is sky blue. Each flag is raised in line with all the honors awarded to the flags and standards of the army statute. In addition, each hundred has its own distinctive sign that serves as its flag.
On December 7, 1876, the Terek-Mountain Cavalry Irregular Regiment, consisting of troops “especially capable of the actions of the small war in mountainous countries”, set off on the Rostov-Vladikavkaz railway to Chisinau, where the headquarters of the Danube army, and arrives there on December 15. In addition to this regiment, the Cuban and Terek squadrons, the Vladikavkaz Cavalry Cossack Regiment, two hundred platoon members of the Kuban Cossack Army and the 2nd Kuban Cossack Regiment set out in the convoy of His Majesty from the Tersk and Kuban regions in the Danube Army.
On May 24, 1877, the Commander-in-Chief of the Caucasian Army ordered the commander of the troops from the Terek region to proceed with the formation of the 2nd Terek-Mountain Cavalry Irregular Regiment with a 400-strong composition: one hundred Kabardians, Balkars, Ossetians and Ingush. Adjutant Colonel Wittgenstein was appointed regiment commander. At the same time he was the commander of the Terek cavalry and irregular brigade, consisting of the Chechen and Kabardino-Kumik cavalry irregular regiments.
The composition of the Chechen regiment is also international. In it, along with the Chechens, the Russians Flor Ekimov, Vasily Frolov, Ivan Antipov, Trofim Kurkin also serve; the Germans Karl Taichmann, Wolf Dorfstein; Ingush Asav Kuriev, Tokh Bekov, Tomi Doltmurziev and others, Ossetians – Zaur Thostov, Peter Khutsistov, mountain Jews – Shamil Uruskhanov, Uruskhan Shamayev. Thus, in addition to the Don Cossacks, the Terek Cossacks took an active part in the Russo-Turkish War of the 1970s in the following Cossack troops:
Combined Caucasian Cossack Division
Cuban 2nd Regiment
Don-Cossack 30th Regiment
Vladikavkaz-Ossetian Cossack Regiment
Tersko-upper-mountain cavalry and regular regiment
As early as 1810, a treaty was signed in the Vladikavkaz fortress for the voluntary accession of Ingushetia to Russia. The significance of this event for the historical destiny of the Ingush people is difficult to assess. Becoming part of Russia forever saves the mountaineers from the age-old threat of their physical destruction by Shah’s Persia and the Ottoman Empire. Russia, standing at a much higher level of socio-economic and cultural development, has a beneficial effect on the whole way of life of the Ingush. The Russian government and its Caucasian administration attach great importance in their plans to combat the expansion of the Ottoman Empire and Shah’s Iran in the Caucasus to the organization of military units with representatives of the mountain peoples and their attraction to their country. In the 1980s, the tsarist government for the protection of the Caucasus began to create military detachments of mountaineers.
When the Russo-Turkish War of 1828-1829 began, General Paskevich, Commander-in-Chief of the Caucasus Army, wrote: . ” In this war, along with the militia from the Caucasus, with the mountaineers from Dagestan, the Chechen cavalry led by Bey-Bulat Taimiev also took part. At the beginning of this war, Paskevich summoned Bey-Bulat with 60 Chechens to Tiflis (Tbilisi). From Tiflis in the active army 33 people go to them. Chechen cavalry take part in the march of Russian troops to Erzurum (Arzrum).
The Ingush, like other peoples of the Caucasus, took part in the Crimean War of 1853-1856. Together with Azerbaijanis, Armenians, Georgians, Chechens, Dagestanis, Kabardians and Ossetians, they actively fought against the Turks in the Caucasus. front. Among those awarded a memorable bronze medal at the end of the war were 325 Ingush, regular cavalry and 80 temporary militia officers who took part in the fighting “against the rebellious mountaineers and against the Turks at the Caucasus Battle Theater …”.
The fighting in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878, as well as during the previous wars between Russia and the Ottoman Empire in the XIX century, unfolded on two fronts – the Balkans and the Caucasus (Asia Minor). Irregular (militia) units formed by representatives of the peoples of the North Caucasus are also fighting on these two fronts in the Russian army. From the first to the last day of the war, the Tersko-Mountain Cavalry Irregular Regiment, consisting of 400 Ossetians and Ingush, took part in the Balkan Front. On the Caucasian front, the 2nd and 3rd Dagestan, Chechen, Kabardino-Kumik cavalry and irregular regiments, numbering 600 sabers, took part in the fighting.
In the Terek region, “almost the entire population expressed a desire to join the militia.” In the first days of the call, volunteers were recruited more than necessary to create a regiment. 345 Ossetians and 324 Ingush expressed a desire to join the regiment in the first week of its formation. All in all, 504 people need to be recruited (480 horsemen, 8 cadets, 16 curators). According to the established temporary marching staff, it consists of 15 officers, 8 cadets, 16 curators, 480 horsemen, 5 trumpeters, 4 clerks, 1 doctor, 2 paramedics, and 1 Asian baker. The commander of the Vladikavkaz district, Colonel PF Ponkratov, was appointed commander of the Tersko-Mountain Regiment, cornet adjutant – cornet Zheleznyakov, and regimental cashier and quartermaster – cornet Kosobryukhov. Instead of the previously expected Staff Captain Bekmurzy Kubatiev, Captain Arslan-Murza Esiev became Commander of the Ossetian Division, and Lieutenant Colonel Banukho Bazorkin was entrusted with the command of the Ingush Division. Cornet Agu-Bekir Dudarov and Lieutenant Totradze Zembatov were appointed commanders of the Ossetian hundreds, and Lieutenant Botako Uzhahov and Major Banuho Dolgiev were appointed commanders of the Ingush hundreds.
The following were enlisted as subaltern officers (junior officers) in the regiment: in the 1st (Ossetian) division – ensigns (flag bearers) Miserbi Gutiev, Gidanov, Dzhambulat Cherekov, Getagas Thostov, Alexander Dzugaev, Genarduko Abisalov and Temu (Ingush) Division – Lieutenant Magi Nauruzov, Ensigns Doh Malsagov, Kerim Bogatyrev, Artagan Malsagov, Captain Nikolai Aldiev, Lieutenant Genarduko Esenov, Lieutenants Umar Sampiev and Gani Dzhemiev.
On September 24, 1877, the Ingush division was sent to the XIII Army Corps by the Active Army, which is part of the Eastern (Ruse) detachment. He was attached to the eighth cavalry division of the Sinankoi Corps Detachment. On October 12, together with the Cossacks of the 36th Don Regiment, he took part in repelling a Turkish attack near the villages of Nisovo, Ruse region and in reconnaissance battles behind the Beli Lom River. On October 18, he carried out a reconnaissance in the area of the villages of Svalenik, Ljubljana and Sadina. In early November, Turkish troops intensified their activities in the Cherni Lom area. The Ingush division took part in the battles near the village of Katselovo and showed exceptional courage. From November 12 to 17, the division fought in the area of Tserovets and Katselovo in aid of the Life Guards Ataman Cossack Regiment. front line and conduct reconnaissance.
However, many Caucasians are also fighting on the opposing side – both in the Caucasus itself and in the Caucasian diaspora. According to the Cuban historian ED Felitsin, 13,586 people emigrated from Kuban to Turkey from 1871 to 1883, including 11,417 Adyghe and 1,809 Abaza. In 1878, the most numerous were Abkhazian volunteers in the Ottoman army. . The Russo-Turkish war closed the door to their homeland forever through these emigrants from the Caucasus. A total of nearly 50,000 Abkhazians have been deported or emigrated due to collaboration with Turkish authorities. This vast expat community actively assisted the Hashemite dynasty in establishing the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
The researcher from the Adygea Republican Institute for Humanitarian Studies Samir Hopko gives us a reference to the Russian headquarters for the Caucasian cavalry in the ranks of the Ottoman army of the Balkan Battle Theater: in Western Bulgaria – 9250 swords, in Eastern Bulgaria – 5000 swords, in the area of Babadag – 1800 sabi. In his diary, General PD Zotov described in the division of Hassan Sabli Pasha – 800 Caucasians, in the division of Shefnet Pasha – 1000 Caucasians, in the division of Zefi Pasha – 2200 fighters of Caucasian nationalities. In general, the Caucasian cavalry far outnumbers the regular Turkish cavalry. For example, in October 1877 in the region of Pleven-Lovech operated 5,000 Caucasian cavalry and 40 squadrons of cavalry from the regular Turkish army (against 118 squadrons of Russian cavalry). There are also Caucasians among the senior officers in the Ottoman headquarters: Rauf Pasha, Deli Khosrev Pasha, Cherkez Hassan, Cherkez Osman Pasha, Shefket Pasha, Cherkez Ibrahim Pasha, Dilaver Karzeg Pasha, Cherkez Dilaver Pasha, Fuad Pasha, Suleiman Pasha, Mehme Pasha . According to Skobelev’s report, Osman Pasha’s army in Pleven numbered 28,000, of which 20,000 were regular infantry and 8,000 Caucasian cavalry (cf. Collection of Materials on the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878, on the Balkan Peninsula, St. Petersburg, 1898, no. II, pp. 268).
According to Nemirovich-Danchenko, there are 1,000 Caucasian volunteers at the headquarters of Suleiman Pasha’s army. In Russian military reports, we find that Caucasians are much better armed than Turks and Russians. In the battle of Shipka, they were described as magnificent snipers. The Cossack colonel Dukmasov, Skobelev’s adjutant, pays special attention to the tactical maneuvers of the Caucasians in his memoirs. He was particularly impressed by the attack of two regiments of the Sultan’s Guard. We also find extensive information about the Caucasians in the letters of Count NP Ignatiev, a former Russian ambassador to Istanbul who was at the imperial headquarters during the war.
After the appointment of General Dondukov-Korsakov as Imperial Russian Commissioner in Bulgaria, the division was handed over to him. On May 24, the Ingush Division left the XIII Army Corps. Until August 28, 1878, the division held positions in the Rhodopes, after which it was included in the Burgas detachment. On October 5 he was loaded on ships and two days later arrived in Sevastopol. He left for Vladikavkaz, where he was disbanded on November 23, 1878.
Adjutant General Dondukov-Korsakov praised Ingush’s participation in the Russo-Turkish War. On September 2, 1878, he issued a special order in Plovdiv thanking the Tersko-Mountain Cavalry Regiment.
After the end of the work of the Berlin Congress (June-July 1878) it was decided to reduce the number of Russian troops temporarily stationed in Bulgaria. Among them is the Tersko-Mountain Regiment, which on August 28 was removed from a position in the Rhodope Mountains and included in the Burgas detachment. On October 5 the regiment was loaded on steamers in Burgas and two days later arrived in Sevastopol, after which they were warmly welcomed in Vladikavkaz, on October 23, 1878 it was disbanded and its cavalry dispersed to their homes.
Blown in glory, the Tersko-Mountain Cavalry Irregular Regiment returns to its homeland. The chests of many of the warriors are decorated with orders and medals, with St. George’s crosses for bravery. Many awards and thanks were received by the regimental commander Colonel PF Pankratov. The military leadership for bravery and composure in battle repeatedly distinguished him among other unit commanders, he was entrusted with the command of the united flying detachments, participants in the front line. The documents of the regimental headquarters preserved in the archives testify that PF Pankratov was a just and caring commander. Even in the conditions of the poorly organized quartermaster service of the active Danube Army, he finds the means and opportunities to ensure that his horsemen are warmly dressed and shod, emphasizing that this is the “first condition for health”.
In the above ranks are produced: the participant in the Crimean War, distinguished in the storming of the Turkish fortress of Silistra, Ensign Timurko Borov; Lieutenant Batako Uzhakhov. With the Order of St. Vladimir, 4th degree was awarded Captain Nikolai Aldiev. During the founding of the Ingush Division in the Lower Danube Detachment, he was the military commander of the city of Izmail, and from January 1878 he served as a division commander. On the eve of the recall of the Tersko-Mountain Regiment in the homeland, Captain Aldiev, by order of the headquarters of the active army, was sent to the Don Cossack Regiment №4 and continued his service in southern Bulgaria. Adjutant General Adjutant General AM Dondukov-Korsakov gave an excellent assessment of the Tersko-Mountain Regiment. In his order, issued on September 2, 1878 in the city of Philippopolis (Plovdiv), he said the following:
“In parting with you, brave horsemen of the Tersko-Gorski cavalry-irregular regiment, I consider it my heartfelt duty to express my sincere gratitude to you for your worthy service. The Ingush division was under the command of the XIII Corps for most of the past campaign under my command, and all the time he served in the front in the detachments and in all his deeds with examples of self-sacrifice, courage and all military valor. glory and respect from all your colleagues. The awards and flag received by the Ingush Division will testify upon returning home, how much is appreciated … the worthy service of the Ingush in the last campaign; your elders and your relatives will welcome you with pride when you return to the villages, having fulfilled their duty with dignity and proved the eternal devotion of the Ingush people to the Fatherland. For my part, I am happy and I will proudly remember that under my leadership there were such exemplary young men as the glorious Ingush Division. I consider it the most pleasant duty to pay a well-deserved tribute and the most sincere gratitude to the glorious regimental commander Colonel Pankratov, so brilliantly fulfilling all the orders given to him during the war, who was one of my most active combat collaborators in my command. of the XIII Corps. To the division commanders Major Esiev and to Captain Aldiev, to the commanders of hundreds, Ensign Thostov, Lieutenant Zembatov, Lieutenant Uzhahov and Ensign Malsagov, I express my sincere and warm gratitude for the valiant and diligent service. To my brave colleagues – all the ranks of the Tersko-Mountain Cavalry Irregular Regiment, for which I will forever cherish the most precious memory – with all my heart I wish you new glory, happiness and all the best. “
Isn’t it magical to enter a room and the scent of sandalwood, jasmine or bergamot announces your arrival? Which, we admit, is a little difficult to achieve if your perfume disappears after just a few hours. This is a common problem with pure fragrances. There are a few tricks to make your perfume last longer than usual.
1. Apply to the points with a strong pulse. In fact, there is a functional reason why we tend to apply the perfume on certain points with increased heart rate. The skin is thinnest at these points, which means it is closer to your blood and body heat. When the aroma warms up, the aromatization process begins.
2. Do not rub your wrists into each other. Once applied to key points, you can instinctively rub your wrists or elbows together to absorb the scent (especially if your skin is quite moist). But experts advise not to do it. This just makes the top notes burn a little faster. If you want to mix two scents together – or want to wipe off some of the juice – try patting your wrists instead of rubbing them.
3. Spray your heart. Since applying perfume to areas with thinner skin helps to radiate the aroma, why not apply it where your heart rate is strongest? The scent will travel upwards, your heart will act as a diffuser.
4. Spray after showering. Spray perfume immediately after a bath, as the scent opens after steaming the skin. When you come out of the shower, your skin and body temperature are high. Your skin is clean and free of sweat and excess oil, which can buffer the scent.
5. Keep your skin well hydrated. If you prefer an evening shower, but want your morning scent to last all day; you don’t have to jump in the shower to improve your perfume. Body oil, body lotion or moisturizing balm will also help keep the scent longer. Just apply the product of your choice on the areas you want to spray and spraying moisture should help the perfume leave a stronger mark.
6. Layer your fragrances. If you use an aromatic body oil or lotion, placing it under the perfume can improve the aroma and keep your skin hydrated, which makes both fragrances last longer.
7. Spray on clothes. When using perfume water, spray your clothes rather than your skin. The fabrics hold on to the aroma – and the memories associated with it.
8. Choose perfume water. You have probably seen one of the two placed on the labels of perfumes: eau de toilette and eau de parfum. EDPs have a higher concentration of fragrance, which makes them usually stronger and longer lasting.
9. Or use perfume oil. Roll-on perfume oils are generally much more concentrated, as you apply them directly to the pulse points instead of spraying them in the air.
10. Check the base notes. All your base notes will last longer. While the top notes of floral and citrus fruits are the ones you usually feel right away, but disappear the fastest.
