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 Sat, 04 Apr 2026 01:17:29 +0200 Pangea CMS – RFE/RL In light of the unprecedented market uncertainty stemming from Iran's effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic importance of Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan's energy reserves has never been greater. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-hormuz-oil-central-asia-/33713691.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-hormuz-oil-central-asia-/33713691.html Tue, 24 Mar 2026 13:15:19 +0100 FeaturesNewsIranKazakhstanKyrgyzstanTajikistanTurkmenistan UzbekistanThe Rundown Stories Central Asians living in Ukraine have brought some ancestral traditions to help those facing freezing winter and power cuts. Russian air assaults may have caused widespread power outages, but more cities are now featuring warm yurts and friendly hosts offering hot dishes from Central Asia. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-kazakh-uzbek-central-asian-yurt-plov-invincibility-freezing-winter-kyiv/33674509.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-kazakh-uzbek-central-asian-yurt-plov-invincibility-freezing-winter-kyiv/33674509.html Wed, 11 Feb 2026 08:03:08 +0100 UkraineKazakhstanUzbekistanVideo ArchiveVideosThe Rundown Stories President Vladimir Putin has issued a decree that requires many foreign men who seek permanent residency or citizenship to join the Russian military, RFE/RL has found. The unusual measure is pushing migrants who have built lives in Russia to choose between conscription and leaving the country. https://www.rferl.org/a/putin-decree-russian-citizensip-residence-permit/33621628.html https://www.rferl.org/a/putin-decree-russian-citizensip-residence-permit/33621628.html Fri, 12 Dec 2025 16:54:13 +0100 RussiaFeaturesUkraineRussia Invades UkraineSystema: Investigating RussiaThe Rundown Headline A drone strike on an oil-loading facility off Russia’s Black Sea coast has ignited a diplomatic spat between Ukraine and Kazakhstan, exposed the Central Asian country’s reliance on a single oil pipeline for exports, and possibly endangered gasoline supplies in Europe. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukrainian-drone-strike-russia-kazakh-oil-exports/33612902.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukrainian-drone-strike-russia-kazakh-oil-exports/33612902.html Fri, 05 Dec 2025 07:20:40 +0100 Russia Invades UkraineFeaturesKazakhstanRussiaUkraineThe Rundown Stories Thousands of teachers, health workers, and other civil servants have been mobilized to pick cotton across Central Asia, despite official pledges to end forced labor. https://www.rferl.org/a/forced-labor-central-asia-cotton-harvest/33578833.html https://www.rferl.org/a/forced-labor-central-asia-cotton-harvest/33578833.html Sun, 02 Nov 2025 13:22:50 +0100 FeaturesTajikistanTurkmenistan UzbekistanThe Rundown Stories Thousands of Central Asians are believed to have joined Russian forces in Ukraine. The Ukrainian state project I Want To Live recently released a list of Central Asian men who have either been killed or gone missing in Ukraine. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ukraine-centralasia-kazakhs/33572133.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ukraine-centralasia-kazakhs/33572133.html Tue, 28 Oct 2025 08:49:08 +0100 RussiaFeaturesKazakhstan Police in Kyrgyzstan are conducting raids targeting the women who wear the niqab, a face veil that is banned in the Muslim-majority country. Police have issued $230 fines to dozens of women, while hundreds of others were given warnings for violating the ban. https://www.rferl.org/a/kyrgyzstan-crackdown-niqab-islam-women/33515551.html https://www.rferl.org/a/kyrgyzstan-crackdown-niqab-islam-women/33515551.html Tue, 02 Sep 2025 00:01:06 +0200 KyrgyzstanFeaturesThe Rundown Stories Kyrgyzstan has removed two more statues of Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin and ditched his name from many streets and schools as the country continues to shed its Soviet legacy. A Russian lawmaker, meanwhile, urged Moscow to punish Kyrgyzstan for its “unfriendly action.” https://www.rferl.org/a/kyrgyzstan-russia-lenin-statues-soviet/33514203.html https://www.rferl.org/a/kyrgyzstan-russia-lenin-statues-soviet/33514203.html Fri, 29 Aug 2025 00:01:07 +0200 KyrgyzstanFeaturesRussiaThe Rundown Headline In many families in Central Asia, corporal punishment is not only common, it is the norm. Slaps for poor grades, ear-pulls for disobedience, beatings "to instill discipline" -- these all remain embedded in the parenting culture. https://www.rferl.org/a/child-abuse-central-asia-corporal-punishment/33507263.html https://www.rferl.org/a/child-abuse-central-asia-corporal-punishment/33507263.html Sun, 24 Aug 2025 00:01:00 +0200 TajikistanFeaturesKazakhstanKyrgyzstanTurkmenistan UzbekistanThe Rundown Stories Central Asian migrants in Russia face a new wave of crackdown, entry denials, and deportation as Moscow reported a 20 percent increase in the number of expulsions in comparison to 2024. https://www.rferl.org/a/central-asians-wave-crackdown-russia/33508446.html https://www.rferl.org/a/central-asians-wave-crackdown-russia/33508446.html Fri, 22 Aug 2025 00:03:29 +0200 RussiaFeaturesTajikistanThe Rundown Stories Russia continues to recruit Central Asian migrants and convicts to fill the ranks of its depleting armed forces in Ukraine. Russian authorities use various methods -- from enticements to coercion -- to enlist Central Asians to the Kremlin's ongoing war. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ukraine-invasion-central-asia-migrants-convicts-recruit/33507394.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ukraine-invasion-central-asia-migrants-convicts-recruit/33507394.html Thu, 21 Aug 2025 00:01:00 +0200 FeaturesKazakhstanKyrgyzstanRussiaTajikistanTurkmenistan UkraineUzbekistanRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories From 1925, when the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic was declared a part of the Soviet Union, one photographer was able to capture the “radical social surgery” enacted by the Bolsheviks that forever changed the Central Asian state. https://www.rferl.org/a/uzbekistan-soviet-takeover-max-penson-photos-centenary/33480098.html https://www.rferl.org/a/uzbekistan-soviet-takeover-max-penson-photos-centenary/33480098.html Tue, 22 Jul 2025 00:02:42 +0200 UzbekistanPhoto GalleriesThe Rundown Stories In Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, teenage girls are commonly forced to marry before reaching adulthood, in spite of laws setting the minimum age of marriage at 18. RFE/RL spoke to two teenagers who were coerced into marriage against their will, forcing them to give up their educations. https://www.rferl.org/a/underage-marriage-kyrgyzstan-tajikistan-child-rights/33467754.html https://www.rferl.org/a/underage-marriage-kyrgyzstan-tajikistan-child-rights/33467754.html Fri, 18 Jul 2025 00:14:07 +0200 TajikistanFeaturesKyrgyzstanThe Rundown Stories In spite of international laws banning marriage for minors, girls in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan are commonly forced to marry as young teens. One Tajik woman described leaving school at 17 to work for her husband's family, while a young Kyrgyz woman said she was kidnapped by her suitor at just 16. https://www.rferl.org/a/kyrgyzstan-tajikistan-underage-marriage-girls-women-rights/33467736.html https://www.rferl.org/a/kyrgyzstan-tajikistan-underage-marriage-girls-women-rights/33467736.html Fri, 18 Jul 2025 00:12:49 +0200 TajikistanKyrgyzstan