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, 29 May 2026 16:55:36 +0200 Pangea CMS – RFE/RL After Ukraine’s tourism industry was decimated by the Russian invasion, tour operators in Ukraine are catering towards travellers who want to see the impacts of the war firsthand. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-war-dark-tourism-russia-invasion/33767624.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-war-dark-tourism-russia-invasion/33767624.html Fri, 29 May 2026 10:22:25 +0200 UkraineFeaturesPhoto GalleriesPicksRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories Dramatic images of glowing projectiles streaking down from space on May 24 marked the latest combat use of Russia's Oreshnik missile against Ukraine. Here is how the missile works, and why some of its payloads don't explode. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ukraine-missile-oreshnik-kinetic-strike-war-invasion/33766001.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ukraine-missile-oreshnik-kinetic-strike-war-invasion/33766001.html Tue, 26 May 2026 18:45:56 +0200 FeaturesRussiaUkrainePicksRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Headline Some experts believe the recent emergence of fiber-optic drones piloted by Hezbollah militants indicates Russia is feeding Iran intelligence about drone warfare, others believe a more worrying potential is more likely. https://www.rferl.org/a/israel-iran-fiber-optic-drones-russia-ukraine-war/33761841.html https://www.rferl.org/a/israel-iran-fiber-optic-drones-russia-ukraine-war/33761841.html Thu, 21 May 2026 20:28:57 +0200 FeaturesIranRussiaUkraineThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East A major military museum in the western German city of Koblenz is denying entry to nationals from 26 countries, causing tense scenes with some visitors who arrive with children. https://www.rferl.org/a/germany-military-museum-bans-ukrainians-russians-security-risk/33756719.html https://www.rferl.org/a/germany-military-museum-bans-ukrainians-russians-security-risk/33756719.html Sat, 16 May 2026 13:28:17 +0200 FeaturesAfghanistanArmeniaAzerbaijanBelarusGeorgiaIranKazakhstanKyrgyzstanMoldovaRussiaTajikistanTurkmenistan UkraineUzbekistanTatar-BashkirPakistanPicksThe Rundown Stories A loosening of rules for tourists entering Turkmenistan has been noticed by travellers and tour agencies but locals say the sudden liberalization is not extending to Turkmen citizens. https://www.rferl.org/a/turkmenistan-tourism-thaw-locals-travel-visas-repression/33757731.html https://www.rferl.org/a/turkmenistan-tourism-thaw-locals-travel-visas-repression/33757731.html Fri, 15 May 2026 17:03:06 +0200 Turkmenistan The Rundown Stories Migrant workers from India, Bangladesh, and elsewhere are taking up manual labor jobs inside the warring countries as Moscow and Kyiv struggle to offset shortages in their labor forces. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ukraine-migrant-workers-india-demographic-crisis/33754530.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ukraine-migrant-workers-india-demographic-crisis/33754530.html Mon, 11 May 2026 18:44:06 +0200 FeaturesRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories The absence of Mount Ararat from Armenia's new biometric passports is the latest effort from Yerevan to decouple Armenians from the iconic Turkish landmark that has long been used by Armenia as a national symbol. https://www.rferl.org/a/armenia-passport-mount-ararat-conflict/33751105.html https://www.rferl.org/a/armenia-passport-mount-ararat-conflict/33751105.html Wed, 06 May 2026 14:48:11 +0200 FeaturesArmeniaAzerbaijanThe Rundown Stories Arrests and confiscated terminals are being reported in Turkmenistan as locals set up secret Starlink connections to access the internet in the authoritarian country. https://www.rferl.org/a/starlink-internet-turkmenistan-raids-police-restriction/33746166.html https://www.rferl.org/a/starlink-internet-turkmenistan-raids-police-restriction/33746166.html Thu, 30 Apr 2026 16:04:45 +0200 Turkmenistan FeaturesThe Rundown Stories Why a sprawling war memorial that was opened on April 26 commemorates only a fraction of the estimated thousands of troops Pyongyang lost in Russia. https://www.rferl.org/a/north-korea-ukraine-russia-war-memorial-opening-casualties/33744304.html https://www.rferl.org/a/north-korea-ukraine-russia-war-memorial-opening-casualties/33744304.html Tue, 28 Apr 2026 15:36:32 +0200 Russia Invades UkraineFeaturesRussiaUkrainePhoto GalleriesPhoto GalleriesThe Rundown Stories Satellite imagery sourced by RFE/RL shows two major Christian monuments have been demolished in recent weeks inside Azerbaijan's Nagorno-Karabakh region. https://www.rferl.org/a/cathedral-church-demolished-nagorno-karabakh-azerbaijan-armenia-conflict/33743489.html https://www.rferl.org/a/cathedral-church-demolished-nagorno-karabakh-azerbaijan-armenia-conflict/33743489.html Mon, 27 Apr 2026 17:37:01 +0200 FeaturesArmeniaAzerbaijanThe Rundown Stories Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin has touted the creation of 175 “museums” inside schools in the Russian capital dedicated to the invasion of Ukraine. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ukraine-invasion-moscow-school-war-museums/33741672.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ukraine-invasion-moscow-school-war-museums/33741672.html Fri, 24 Apr 2026 20:32:52 +0200 RussiaNewsFeaturesUkrainePicksRussia Invades Ukraine First-person-view (FPV) drones controlled via fiber-optic cables have proved nearly impossible to counter since emerging in 2024 in the war in Ukraine. But recent battlefield images suggest both Russia and Ukraine have developed systems that may offer an answer to the threat. https://www.rferl.org/a/anti-drone-technology-russia-invasion-ukraine-elka-fpv-threat/33737266.html https://www.rferl.org/a/anti-drone-technology-russia-invasion-ukraine-elka-fpv-threat/33737266.html Wed, 22 Apr 2026 08:24:30 +0200 UkraineFeaturesRussiaRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories As Russia returns to the Venice Biennale for the first time since Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the event is embroiled in a defunding feud with the EU. Ukrainian artist Zhanna Kadyrova says her team will not protest Russia's participation, but focus on its own message. https://www.rferl.org/a/venice-biennale-russia-return-eu-funding-feud-ukraine-protest/33734585.html https://www.rferl.org/a/venice-biennale-russia-return-eu-funding-feud-ukraine-protest/33734585.html Tue, 21 Apr 2026 10:14:00 +0200 RussiaFeaturesUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories Before-and-after images capture the breakneck demolition and development drive that is leaving some locals of the Tajik capital unable to recognize their own city. https://www.rferl.org/a/dushanbe-tajikistan-demolition-architecture-development-soviet/33732917.html https://www.rferl.org/a/dushanbe-tajikistan-demolition-architecture-development-soviet/33732917.html Sat, 18 Apr 2026 16:42:51 +0200 TajikistanPhoto GalleriesPicksPhoto GalleriesThe Rundown StoriesChina The US military said it would begin a blockade of ships traveling to and from Iranian ports following the failure of peace talks with Iran on the weekend. Former sailors who navigated tankers through the Strait of Hormuz during the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s say today’s crisis echoes that conflict. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-hormuz-us-israel-persian-gulf-tanker-oil-blockade-mine-strait-hormuz/33731366.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-hormuz-us-israel-persian-gulf-tanker-oil-blockade-mine-strait-hormuz/33731366.html Mon, 13 Apr 2026 19:02:13 +0200 IranIraqVideo ArchiveVideos Despite a fragile US-Iranian cease-fire, only a few ships carrying oil and gas are making it through the Strait of Hormuz as hundreds of vessels remain stuck in the Persian Gulf. Former sailors who navigated tankers during the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s say the current crisis echoes that conflict. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-strait-of-hormuz-oil-tanker-captain/33730121.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-strait-of-hormuz-oil-tanker-captain/33730121.html Sat, 11 Apr 2026 22:22:41 +0200 IranVideo ArchiveVideos Sailors who survived the 1980s tanker war in the Persian Gulf in which scores of merchant sailors were killed say the current crisis over the Strait of Hormuz risks a descent into another all-out maritime conflict. https://www.rferl.org/a/tanker-war-1980s-survivors-hormuz-strait-iran-us/33729502.html https://www.rferl.org/a/tanker-war-1980s-survivors-hormuz-strait-iran-us/33729502.html Fri, 10 Apr 2026 21:17:16 +0200 IranFeaturesPicks Recent images from around the world show far-reaching impacts of the fuel crisis caused by the war in the Middle East. https://www.rferl.org/a/energy-crisis-photos-war-israel-us-iran-fuel-oil-gas/33728553.html https://www.rferl.org/a/energy-crisis-photos-war-israel-us-iran-fuel-oil-gas/33728553.html Thu, 09 Apr 2026 18:42:08 +0200 Photo GalleriesPhoto Galleries Amid reports Iran and the US are considering charging vessels a “toll” to transit the Strait of Hormuz, maritime insiders says such a move could backfire if other countries decide to charge ships for passing through natural maritime chokepoints. https://www.rferl.org/a/strait-of-hormuz-tolls-maritime-law/33727801.html https://www.rferl.org/a/strait-of-hormuz-tolls-maritime-law/33727801.html Thu, 09 Apr 2026 09:57:12 +0200 FeaturesIranPicksThe Rundown Stories Images chart the transformation of a desolate coral island in the Persian Gulf into Tehran’s primary oil export hub. Kharg Island has become a key target in the US-Israeli war with Iran. https://www.rferl.org/a/kharg-island-iran-us-israel-war-history/33722515.html https://www.rferl.org/a/kharg-island-iran-us-israel-war-history/33722515.html Wed, 01 Apr 2026 20:35:33 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown Stories