We know you're busy and probably don't have the time to read all of our coverage each and every day. That's why we've put together The Week's Best. 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.
'I Realize I May Never Come Back': Moldovan Mercenaries Join Russian Units In Ukraine
People living in two largely pro-Russian regions of Moldova are signing up to fight with the Kremlin's invading forces in Ukraine. By RFE/RL's Moldovan Service and Tony Wesolowsky
Named And Shamed: The Russian Troops Laying Banned Land Mines In Ukraine
A new report by Schemes, the investigations unit of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, reveals the names and identities of Russian soldiers responsible for laying antipersonnel mines in Ukraine. The mines are banned under an international agreement, which Ukraine is party to but Russia is not. By Valeria Yehoshyna, Kira Tolstyakova, Heorhiy Shabayev, Schemes, RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, and Ray Furlong
Shaky Times: Residents Of Kazakhstan's Biggest City Learning To Live With Earthquakes
After experiencing two nerve-rattling quakes in as many months, people living in Kazakhstan's former capital are beginning to look with fondness at less seismically active parts of the country. There are also fears that city and national authorities are unprepared for "the big one." By Chris Rickleton and RFE/RL's Kazakh Service
Between Two Mountains, An Armenian Search For Identity
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian recently posted an innocuous-seeming photo on his Instagram page: a snowy mountain with the caption "Aragats. The highest peak of the Republic of Armenia." In normal times, it might just have been an innocuous bit of trivia. But in today's Armenia, it is a direct challenge to the nation's identity. By Joshua Kucera
Horses Starve To Death In Kazakhstan Amid Heavy Snowfall
Horse corpses litter the pastures in Kazakhstan, as farmers struggle to feed them due to heavy snow. In the central Ulytau region, locals reported that hundreds of horses had starved to death. The Kazakh government has faced criticism for not taking action to support the farmers. By Nurgul Tapaeva, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service, and Baktygul Chynybaeva
'Eye For An Eye' Taliban Justice Restored In Afghanistan
The increasing number of public executions being carried out under the Taliban marks a return to the Islamist group's infamous approach to meting out justice and underscores its renewed commitment to its strict interpretation of Shari’a law. But the retributive executions carried out in the open are under fire by critics who say they are more about spreading fear and don't fit with widely accepted Islamic notions and practices and are a violation of international law. By RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi and Abubakar Siddique
Jingalov Hats: The Flatbread Creating A Lifeline For Armenia's Karabakh Refugees
A recipe founded on hardship in the Nagorno-Karabakh region is becoming a street-food staple across Armenia at the same time as it makes waves in the United States. By Amos Chapple
'I Live In Navalny's Russia': Muscovites Speak Their Minds As They Say Farewell On Social Media
When Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny was laid to rest in Moscow on March 1, thousands gathered outside the cemetery. Since then, thousands more have defied official warnings and paid their respects at his grave. And many took to social media to say farewell. By RFE/RL's Russian Service
Broken Symbols: Bulgarian Communist-Era Statues Located At Warehouse
Parts of statues from a massive and contentious communist-era monument in Sofia have been located outside a warehouse in a village near the Bulgarian capital. The statues were removed from the Monument to the Soviet Army. Soviet monuments in several parts of Central and Eastern Europe have been attacked or dismantled since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. By RFE/RL's Bulgarian Service and Dilyana Teoharova
Persian-Style Weddings In Uzbekistan: Throwing Money Into The Air
In the Bukhara region of Uzbekistan, members of the country's ethnic Persian minority organize lavish weddings, spending thousands of dollars on the event. People will spend years in Russia working as migrant laborers to save up for these nuptials before returning to Uzbekistan. By Adilet Bektursunov, Current Time, and Baktygul Chynybaeva
