https://www.rferl.org Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty is an international news organization serving Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Russia, the Middle East and Balkan countries https://www.rferl.org/Content/responsive/RFE/en-US/img/logo.png https://www.rferl.org en Copyright 2026 - RFE/RL, Inc. 60 Fri, 17 Apr 2026 01:09:58 +0200 Pangea CMS – RFE/RL British authorities say they have tracked three Russian submarines operating near the United Kingdom in what officials described as a suspected intelligence-gathering mission targeting critical undersea cables and energy infrastructure, according to reporting by international media. https://www.rferl.org/a/britain-russia-submarines-healey-undersea-infrastructure-tension/33728781.html https://www.rferl.org/a/britain-russia-submarines-healey-undersea-infrastructure-tension/33728781.html Thu, 09 Apr 2026 21:50:46 +0200 NewsRussiaThe Rundown Stories Beijing and Islamabad back de-escalation efforts as war-driven shipping delays in the Strait of Hormuz strain energy flows and global trade. https://www.rferl.org/a/china-pakistan-trump-peace-hormuz-iran-talks-war-oil/33721530.html https://www.rferl.org/a/china-pakistan-trump-peace-hormuz-iran-talks-war-oil/33721530.html Tue, 31 Mar 2026 15:23:33 +0200 IranNewsPakistanThe Rundown StoriesMiddle EastChina China has warned over an "uncontrollable situation" amid the escalating Strait of Hormuz crisis and urged all sides to halt military operations as the war involving Iran enters a critical phase and threatens global energy supplies. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-china-hormuz-iran-israel-war-trump/33713422.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-china-hormuz-iran-israel-war-trump/33713422.html Mon, 23 Mar 2026 11:51:56 +0100 IranNewsThe Rundown StoriesChina A district court in Warsaw approved Ukraine’s request to extradite Russian archaeologist Aleksandr Butyagin, a prominent scholar accused by Kyiv of illegally conducting excavations in annexed Crimea and damaging cultural heritage sites. https://www.rferl.org/a/poland-court-approval-extradition-russia-archaeologist-butyagin-ukraine-crimea-heritage/33709812.html https://www.rferl.org/a/poland-court-approval-extradition-russia-archaeologist-butyagin-ukraine-crimea-heritage/33709812.html Wed, 18 Mar 2026 16:25:12 +0100 NewsRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories Possible prisoner releases in Belarus before a visit by a senior U.S. envoy may hint at modest progress in talks with Alexander Lukashenko, but a real end to repression will require sustained international pressure, says Nobel Laureate Ales Byalyatski. https://www.rferl.org/a/nobel-laureate-byalyatski-interview-pressure-lukashenko-political-prisoners/33708776.html https://www.rferl.org/a/nobel-laureate-byalyatski-interview-pressure-lukashenko-political-prisoners/33708776.html Tue, 17 Mar 2026 18:29:24 +0100 BelarusFeaturesThe Rundown Stories All 23 Georgian crew members aboard a Malta-flagged tanker struck by Iran of the Iraqi coast have been rescued, a relative of one of the sailors told RFE/RL's Georgian Service. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-iraq-oil-tanker-georgia-crew-attack-blaze-casulaties/33702837.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-iraq-oil-tanker-georgia-crew-attack-blaze-casulaties/33702837.html Thu, 12 Mar 2026 12:02:10 +0100 IranNewsGeorgiaIraqThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed a US submarine sank ‌an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka as military officials said Iran is firing fewer missiles at targets around the Gulf region due to its decimated capabilities to wage war. https://www.rferl.org/a/hegseth-iran-us-missiles-ship/33695174.html https://www.rferl.org/a/hegseth-iran-us-missiles-ship/33695174.html Wed, 04 Mar 2026 17:32:27 +0100 IranNewsThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East Farmers in Uzbekistan's Sirdaryo region say local authorities are stripping them of productive land under the guise of debt enforcement, clearing the way for foreign investors, primarily from China. https://www.rferl.org/a/uzbekistan-farmers-sirdaryo-foreign-investors-land-seizures-china/33673252.html https://www.rferl.org/a/uzbekistan-farmers-sirdaryo-foreign-investors-land-seizures-china/33673252.html Sat, 14 Feb 2026 11:25:38 +0100 UzbekistanFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesChina Tensions are rising again in Uzbekistan’s eastern Andijon Region, where farmers say they are being coerced into “voluntarily” surrendering their land to local authorities -- plots many believe will later be transferred to Chinese investors. https://www.rferl.org/a/china-uzbekistan-land-farmers-agriculture-investment-controversy/33654800.html https://www.rferl.org/a/china-uzbekistan-land-farmers-agriculture-investment-controversy/33654800.html Sun, 25 Jan 2026 14:33:42 +0100 UzbekistanFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesChina China’s active economic presence in Tajikistan that has increased in recent years has encountered workers' protests, environmental tensions, and security fears. https://www.rferl.org/a/labor-disputes-security-fears-china-tajikistan-zarafshon-gold-mines/33647889.html https://www.rferl.org/a/labor-disputes-security-fears-china-tajikistan-zarafshon-gold-mines/33647889.html Wed, 21 Jan 2026 08:59:28 +0100 TajikistanFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesChina Kazakhstan’s prosecution of 19 Atazhurt activists over a Xinjiang-related protest has escalated into one of the country’s most sweeping cases against rights defenders, highlighting growing Chinese influence and a sharp squeeze on dissent at home. https://www.rferl.org/a/kazakhstan-china-xinjiang-activism-uyghur-xi-atazhurt-rights/33654001.html https://www.rferl.org/a/kazakhstan-china-xinjiang-activism-uyghur-xi-atazhurt-rights/33654001.html Mon, 19 Jan 2026 18:06:46 +0100 KazakhstanFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesChina A Russian soldier convicted of executing a captured Ukrainian serviceman has been handed a life sentence, the first time Ukraine has imprisoned a person on such charges. https://www.rferl.org/a/first-russian-soldier-life-prison-shooting-ukraine-war-crime/33583863.html https://www.rferl.org/a/first-russian-soldier-life-prison-shooting-ukraine-war-crime/33583863.html Fri, 07 Nov 2025 11:31:18 +0100 NewsRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories Volodymyr Mykolayenko, the former mayor of the Ukrainian city of Kherson, spent more than three years in Russian captivity. Now 65, he is thin, frail, and recovering, but ready to help rebuild his war-torn hometown. https://www.rferl.org/a/mayor-kherson-mykolayenko-captivity-ukraine-russia-pow-exchange/33541948.html https://www.rferl.org/a/mayor-kherson-mykolayenko-captivity-ukraine-russia-pow-exchange/33541948.html Mon, 29 Sep 2025 12:48:41 +0200 UkraineFeaturesRussiaRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories Several European Union defense ministers are urgently holding talks on a "drone wall" after a cascade of mysterious drones violated EU member-states' airspace https://www.rferl.org/a/drone-wall-uav-denmark-norway-poland-romania-russia-ukraine-hybrid-war/33541567.html https://www.rferl.org/a/drone-wall-uav-denmark-norway-poland-romania-russia-ukraine-hybrid-war/33541567.html Fri, 26 Sep 2025 15:22:51 +0200 RussiaNewsRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown StoriesEurope Poland has reopened its border with Belarus after a nearly two-week closure tied to the Russia–Belarus “Zapad-2025” military exercises, with Beijing playing a quiet but important role in the decision. https://www.rferl.org/a/poland-belarus-border-reopening-china-trade-routes/33540943.html https://www.rferl.org/a/poland-belarus-border-reopening-china-trade-routes/33540943.html Thu, 25 Sep 2025 17:50:24 +0200 NewsBelarusThe Rundown Stories The European Commission is aware of Russia’s attempts to influence Moldova’s September 28 parliamentary elections, Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos told RFE/RL during a visit to Sarajevo on September 23 https://www.rferl.org/a/moldova-russia-parliamentary-election-arrests-provocation-marta-kos-european-commission-maia-sandu/33539603.html https://www.rferl.org/a/moldova-russia-parliamentary-election-arrests-provocation-marta-kos-european-commission-maia-sandu/33539603.html Thu, 25 Sep 2025 13:42:31 +0200 MoldovaRussiaThe Rundown Stories Russia is reviving Intervision, a Soviet-era song contest once pitched as an alternative to Eurovision. Officials frame it as cultural exchange, but critics see a Cold War throwback aimed at projecting Moscow’s influence. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-revives-intervision-song-contest-eurovision-alternative/33531813.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-revives-intervision-song-contest-eurovision-alternative/33531813.html Thu, 18 Sep 2025 00:18:07 +0200 RussiaFeaturesThe Rundown Stories The Afghan Taliban’s demolition of a memorial of Alisher Navoi in Mazar-e Sharif sparked outrage among Uzbeks. The move was reversed after backlash, with promises to rebuild. The incident reveals how Taliban's rigid ideology can yield to diplomacy and economic ties, especially with Uzbekistan. https://www.rferl.org/a/alisher-navoi-mazarisharif-memorial-afghanistan-taliban-uzbekistan/33513401.html https://www.rferl.org/a/alisher-navoi-mazarisharif-memorial-afghanistan-taliban-uzbekistan/33513401.html Thu, 04 Sep 2025 00:01:33 +0200 UzbekistanAfghanistan As the world marks the Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, the vanishing of exiled Belarusian diplomat Anatol Kotau in Turkey echoes a grim legacy. From Minsk to abroad, Lukashenko's regime is accused of reviving the dark tactic: when critics speak out, they vanish. https://www.rferl.org/a/anatol-kotau-disappearance-belarus-legacy-vanishings-melnikava-zakharanka-hanchar-zavadsky-krasouski-/33514429.html https://www.rferl.org/a/anatol-kotau-disappearance-belarus-legacy-vanishings-melnikava-zakharanka-hanchar-zavadsky-krasouski-/33514429.html Sat, 30 Aug 2025 00:01:51 +0200 BelarusFeaturesCrisis In BelarusThe Rundown Stories European, US, and UN leaders condemned Russia's overnight missile and drone barrage against Kyiv, with Britain and the European Union summoning Russian diplomats to express outrage, which killed civilians and damaged EU and British Council offices. https://www.rferl.org/a/european-union-britain-france-condemnation-airstrike-russia-ukrtaine-casulaties-war/33515529.html https://www.rferl.org/a/european-union-britain-france-condemnation-airstrike-russia-ukrtaine-casulaties-war/33515529.html Thu, 28 Aug 2025 15:18:42 +0200 NewsRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories