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 team of correspondents, multimedia editors, and visual journalists over the past seven days.
Steps Too Far As Moscow, Washington Cross 'Red Lines' Over Ukraine?
The United States appears to have done a volte face by allowing Ukraine to use donated missiles deeper into Russian territory. Russia has significantly loosened its threshold for a nuclear response to even a conventional attack. Why now, 1,000 days into Russia's invasion of Ukraine and just two months before U.S. President Joe Biden leaves office? By Michael Scollon
ALSO READ: Could U.S. Long-Range Missiles Tip The Balance In The Ukraine War?
How Russian Forces Hunted Down A Ukrainian Shopkeeper In Bucha Bloodbath
This is the exclusive story of a Ukrainian shopkeeper turned territorial defense volunteer whose body was found, with his hands bound and a bullet wound in his head, at the site of an abandoned Russian headquarters in Bucha. Oleksiy Pobihay was among hundreds of Ukrainians massacred by occupying Russian forces in March 2022. Using phone intercepts, previously unpublished videos, documents, and witness statements, RFE/RL has pieced together the story of Pobihay's life and death. By Dmytro Dzhulay, RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, and Ray Furlong
In Russia's War Economy, The Warning Lights Are Blinking
Russia’s economy has been going gang-busters for more than two years now as the government floods the country with funds to wage war on Ukraine. Now the warning lights are blinking, experts say. By Mike Eckel
The Ghosts Of Prague's Communist Past
Thirty-five years after the Velvet Revolution threw off Soviet-backed communist rule in Czechoslovakia, we visited some of the sites in Prague where monuments once stood and propaganda posters loomed over passersby. By Amos Chapple
The Far-Right Firebrand Too Dangerous To Run For Romania's Presidency
To her fans Diana Iovanovici-Sosoaca is "the mother of the nation." For the Romanian state, the nationalist member of the European Parliament is a danger to democracy. So much so she has been barred from running in the November 24 presidential election. By Alison Mutler
How Ukraine Lost $24 Million: Sanctioned Businessman's Assets Go To Private Buyers
Sanctions failed to stop the selloff of Russian-owned assets in Ukraine worth $24 million to private companies rather than the state, Schemes, the investigative unit of RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service, found. The Justice Ministry says it is examining what happened and gathering evidence. By Olya Ivlieva and Schemes
Eco-Friendly Flies In Kazakhstan Devour Food Waste In Fight Against Garbage Pollution
An environmentally conscious biotechnologist in Kazakhstan has raised an army of trash-eating black soldier flies to help clean up the country's struggling waste management industry. By Maqpal Mukankyzy, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service, and Austin Malloy
ALSO READ: Kazakhstan's 'Eco-Entrepreneurs' Battle Indifference To Promote Sustainability
How Iran Is Using Mental Illness As A Tool Of Repression
A clinic is being launched in Iran to “treat” women who violate the country’s hijab law. Experts say the clinic in the capital, Tehran, is the latest attempt by Iranian authorities to use mental health diagnoses to silence critics. By Fereshteh Ghazi and Kian Sharifi
'We Are Scared': Frontline Ukrainian Residents Prepare To Leave Amid Russian Strikes On Kupyansk
The Russian Army is positioned only a few kilometers from Kupyansk, a city in Ukraine's Kharkiv region where some 4,000 people still live. Current Time correspondent Borys Sachalko spoke with locals about how they manage to live in the embattled city amid daily Russian attacks. One local woman said that her family had decided to evacuate as Russian forces inch closer to the city. By Borys Sachalko, Current Time, and Austin Malloy
'No More Emotions': Frontline Ukrainian Soldiers Reflect On 1,000 Days Of War
As their country marks 1,000 days of war, Ukrainian soldiers on the front line spoke with Current Time correspondent Borys Sachalko about the ongoing conflict with Russia. Dmytro, a Ukrainian soldier who has been fighting since Moscow's 2022 invasion, said when the war started he had no fear, but now, after years of fighting, he feels like he has no more emotions. By Borys Sachalko, Current Time, and Austin Malloy
