Here are some of the highlights produced by RFE/RL's team of correspondents, multimedia editors, and visual journalists over the past seven days, including content from Gandhara, the RFE/RL website focusing exclusively on developments in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
'Graveyard' City: Mariupol Survivor Recalls Horror Of Losing Son, Husband During Russian Siege
Safe in Lithuania but grieving for her decimated family, Mariupol survivor Anzhelika Medvedyeva describes the flattened Ukrainian city as a "graveyard." Her son and husband, who died before her eyes, were among the thousands of civilians killed in Russia's assault on the port city. By Inna Kuznetsova
Last Road From Lysychansk: Thousands Urged To Evacuate Ukrainian City
Ukrainian authorities have asked the 15,000 residents of Lysychansk to evacuate immediately, but there is only one road out and many refuse to take it. Even with shells falling nearby, people insist they and their children will stay. By Current Time
Escape From Orenburg: A Russian Defense Engineer's Flight To Europe
"I had to wade -- take off my clothes and cross the water to the other side." How a Russian engineer resigned from his defense-industry job and fled to Lithuania on foot via Belarus in the dead of the night. By Idel.Realities
One Certainty For Afghans: The Taliban And Taxes
Afghans are being hit hard by an economic crisis that has disrupted essential services and left them struggling to make ends meet. But the country's Taliban leaders, limited to domestic revenue to fund the annual budget, are finding ways to squeeze citizens even more. By RFE/RL's Radio Azadi and Radio Mashaal
Young Iranian Women Still Being Forced Into 'Virginity Tests' Ahead Of Marriage
Thousands of young women and girls in Iran continue to be subjected to "virginity tests" before marriage despite there being no medical basis for such examinations. Those who fail the tests can be forced to undergo hymen reconstruction or, in some cases, have been the subject of "honor killings." By RFE/L's Radio Farda
Is Ukraine Losing The War? Depends On How You Look At It.
Bridges are blown in a key Donbas city. Russian forces are advancing. About 100-200 Ukrainian soldiers are dying every day. Amid withering Russian artillery and rocket fire, the tide of war is turning against Ukraine. Kyiv says the only way to turn it back is to get more Western weapons faster. By Mike Eckel
Meditation Drums And Caribbean Kidnappings: Meet Russia's 'Governor' In Ukraine's Kherson
The Moscow-appointed head of Ukraine's Kherson region said weeks after Russia's invasion that his "soul" was Ukrainian. Now he has a fast-tracked Russian passport. By Carl Schreck and Yury Baranyuk
Ukraine's Combat Medics Fight To Save Lives On The Front Lines
With Russian artillery pounding Ukrainian positions near the city of Novoluhanske in eastern Ukraine, shrapnel wounds are all too common. Helmet-camera footage reveals how Ukrainian combat medics risk their lives to treat the wounded and evacuate casualties from the battlefield in Ukraine's Donetsk region. By Maryan Kushnir, RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, and Stuart Greer
The Rosatom Exemption: How Russia's State-Run Nuclear Giant Has Escaped Sanctions
The West has sanctioned Russian natural gas, oil, and coal since Vladimir Putin launched his unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. Not blacklisted is the Russian nuclear fuel provided by Rosatom, the Russian state-run colossus with deep global energy ties. By Tony Wesolowsky
Excitement, Unease As Armenians Await Turkish Border 'Reopening'
Talks to "normalize" relations between Ankara and Yerevan are ongoing, but some villagers near the shared border are already preparing for long-abandoned crossing points to reopen. By Amos Chapple
