World News

22:48 30.11.2025

Belgium Slams EU Plan to Use Frozen Russian Assets for Ukraine Текст: Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever has renewed his criticism of an EU proposal to use frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine, calling the plan “fundamentally wrong” and warning it could expose Belgium to severe legal and financial risks, according to a letter seen by AFP. In the four-page letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, De Wever urged officials not to venture “into uncharted legal and financial waters” as Brussels pushes to tap immobilized Russian central bank assets to secure a 140 billion euro ($162 billion) loan for Ukraine. Belgium is central to the debate because most of the assets are held at Euroclear, the Brussels-based financial clearinghouse. De Wever has repeatedly argued that the plan could leave Belgium vulnerable to reprisals from Russia unless other EU members agree to share the risks. “I will never commit Belgium to sustain on its own the risks and exposures,” he wrote, adding that he would support the plan at the Dec. 18 EU summit only if binding guarantees from member states are in place at the time of the decision. His warning comes as von der Leyen prepares to unveil legal texts detailing the proposed “reparations loan,” under which Ukraine would repay the funds only after Russia compensates it for war damages. EU officials insist the legal risks for Belgium are minimal, an argument De Wever dismissed in his letter. “Let me use the analogy of a plane crash: aircraft are the safest way of transportation and the chances of a crash are low, but in the event of a crash, the consequences are disastrous,” the prime minister wrote. Calls to seize the immobilized assets have intensified following the leak of an American peace plan that suggests unfreezing the funds as one of the terms for ending the war in Ukraine. Supporters say the EU must act now or risk losing control of the assets in a U.S.-backed settlement. Amid Belgian pushback, von der Leyen has outlined alternative ways to finance Ukraine, including joint EU borrowing. The Commission has warned, however, that such options would be more costly for member states already under fiscal strain.

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever has renewed his criticism of an EU proposal to use frozen Russian assets to...

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20:47 30.11.2025

Moscow Rehab Center Owner Arrested Following Abuse Accusations Текст: Russian law enforcement authoritiessaidFriday that they arrested the owner of a private rehab center outside Moscow following accusations that minors there were subjected to physical abuse, one of whom was hospitalized in critical condition. Anna Khobotova, a self-described psychotherapist, lawyer and human rights advocate,runsa network of rehabilitation centers for troubled adolescents in and around Moscow, the Sverdlovsk region and the Rostov region. The centers claim to treat a wide range of issues, including behavioral problems, mental health disorders, screen addiction and substance abuse. Khobotova gained widespread media attention this week after police investigators said a 16-year-old resident of her Moscow region rehab was hospitalized with multiple injuries to his head, torso and limbs, as well as marks consistent with being bound at the wrists and ankles. The center’s administrator waschargedwith torture, illegal detention of minors and other crimes. An 18-year-old resident of the center was placed under house arrest until Jan. 22, 2026, on accusations of participating in the abuse. Police in central Russia’s Sverdlovsk region have alsolauncheda criminal investigation into the illegal detention of minors after discovering a similar privately run rehab center there. The Sverdlovsk region Interior Ministrysaidthe children, who showed no signs of physical abuse during an initial visual examination, would be placed in a nearby state-run child center while doctors conduct a more thorough assessment. It did not indicate whether it was pursuing criminal charges. According to the Kommersant business newspaper, one of the Sverdlovsk center’s teenage residents claimed that they had been beaten and deprived of food. On Friday, the Moscow region branch of Russia’s Investigative Committee said it had arrested the “organizer” of the rehab center and was questioning her as part of the criminal case. It did not refer to Khobotova by name. Russia’s Interior Ministryissuedan arrest warrant for Khobotova, 37, on Thursday without disclosing the charges against her.

Russian law enforcement authoritiessaidFriday that they arrested the owner of a private rehab center outside Moscow following accusations that minors...

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18:47 30.11.2025

Russia Blacklists Human Rights Watch as ‘Undesirable’ Текст: Russia’s Justice Ministry on FridaydesignatedHuman Rights Watch as an “undesirable” organization. The designation bans the U.S.-headquartered nonprofit from operating in Russia. Under Russian law, individuals found to be affiliated with “undesirable” organizations face up to four years in prison, while organization leaders risk up to six years. In an interview, the influential body said it was not surprised by the designation and vowed to continue its work remotely. We are actually going to work even harder to expose the staggering crackdown by the Kremlin on Russian civil society and to report on Russian crimes in Ukraine, Tanya Lokshina, senior associate director of the groups Europe and Central Asia division, told AFP. HRW was among a number of international organizations and foreign NGOs whose local offices Russian authoritiesshut downin the first months of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine over alleged legal violations. Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office, which usually announces “undesirable” designations, has not issued any statement on HRW’s blacklisting. Founded in 1978 and with a presence in more than 90 countries, HRW has documented human rights violations in Russia for around 30 years. It hasaccusedthe Russian military of committing war crimes in Ukraine. Russia introduced its “undesirable” law in 2015, using it to crack down on independent media, opposition groups and foreign organizations. Hundreds of organizations are currently blacklisted, including The Moscow Times. AFP contributed reporting.

Russia’s Justice Ministry on FridaydesignatedHuman Rights Watch as an “undesirable” organization. The designation bans the U.S.-headquartered nonprofit from operating in Russia....

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