Features

With Leak Of Private Video, The Dirty Tricks Begin In Key Belgrade Election Battle

An intimate video of an opposition candidate for Belgrade city assembly appeared on social media this week, in a campaign that international observers say is characterized by "unprecedented" fearmongering and attacks on the opposition.

Gangsta Tears? After Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan Strikes At Organized Crime

We've seen Kyrgyzstan's top crime boss gunned down by security services and a reputed godfather in Uzbekistan arrested. But experts warn it could take years to understand the consequences of the campaigns targeting organized crime in both countries.

With Aid In Doubt And Advances Slow, Ukraine Struggles In The War's 'New Phase'

At a triage site near the deadly battle for Avdiyivka, the wounded come in waves -- sometimes dozens of soldiers in a single day. With Kyiv's counteroffensive stymied and U.S. aid drying up, Ukraine's fate is uncertain as another winter of full-scale war sets in.

'Very Creepy': LGBT Russians Respond To A Shocking Supreme Court Ruling

Here's what some people from Russia's already beleaguered LGBT community had to say in response to a Supreme Court ruling declaring the "international LGBT social movement" extremist.

Taliban's Quest For Self-Sufficiency Faces Challenges

In its quest for self-sufficiency, Afghanistan's Taliban government is building large infrastructure projects while frantically trying to exploit the country's vast natural resources. However, experts see the group's need for more legitimacy, recognition, and sanctions as significant impediments.

Anti-War Priest Vows To Launch New Kazakh Orthodox Church To Escape Moscow And Its 'Propaganda'

A defrocked Russian Orthodox priest in Kazakhstan says he'll build an autocephalous church that's not subordinate to the Moscow Patriarchate and Russian propaganda. Iakov Vorontsov, forced out after joining hundreds of other clergy to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine, says he just wants peace.

Offhand Remark Or Political Theater? Putin's Announcement Belies Kremlin’s Penchant For Pageantry

For months or even years, there’s been almost no doubt that Russian President Vladimir Putin would announce his intention to secure another term in a March 2024 election. The announcement came on December 8, but not in the way most expected it to. Maybe that was the point.

Locator Map: Russian Gas Flows To Europe

The Week's Best: 10 Stories And Videos You Shouldn't Miss

We know you're busy and probably don't have the time to read all of our coverage each and every day. Here are some of the highlights produced in English by RFE/RL's vast team of correspondents, multimedia editors, and visual journalists over the past seven days.

The Azadi Briefing: Concerns Mount For Women In Taliban Detention  

Afghan women's rights activists and the United Nations are continuing to express concerns about the treatment of women incarcerated for exercising their right to protest the Taliban's hard-line policies.  

The Week In Russia: Blaming The People For The 'Regime's Ideology'

The Russian state ratchets up what Human Rights Watch calls its "perverse persecution" of LGBT people. The Kremlin gets a wartime "gift" from a divided U.S. Congress. And a new presidential election draws closer.

The Ukrainian Fingerprints On A Shadowy Assassination Campaign On Russian Soil

For at least 18 months, Ukraine has been waging a not-so-secret sabotage campaign in Russia, targeting everything from border-town pipelines to the Kremlin itself. Then there's a shadowy assassination campaign that has targeted Ukrainians and Russians, with responsibility all but falling on Ukraine.

With Wagner In Disarray, Russian Diplomat With Spy Links Surfaces In Central African Republic

An RFE/RL investigation found that a former Russian envoy to the EU whom European diplomats say works for Russian intelligence is coordinating between Wagner forces and local police in the Central African Republic following the mysterious death of Kremlin-connected warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin.

Romanian Same-Sex Couples Become Talking Point Ahead Of Key Elections

A comment by an otherwise progressive politician in Romania that she had voted ‘yes’ in a referendum to ban same-sex marriage has sparked controversy and highlighted how controversial the issue is in the Eastern European country ahead of crucial elections.

Does Kazakhstan Want To Stop Violence Against Women Or Just Control The Message?

After perhaps the most high-profile case of spousal murder in the country's history, lawmakers insist they are working to strengthen the laws governing violence against women. But parallel efforts to muzzle women's groups raise the question of whether the status quo will see any change.