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 Thu, 23 Apr 2026 13:41:18 +0200 Pangea CMS – RFE/RL While diplomatic efforts struggle to stabilize access to the Strait of Hormuz amid tensions between the United States and Iran, Eurasian trade is increasingly being redirected toward overland alternatives, with the Middle Corridor emerging as a key diversification route in Eurasian logistics. https://www.rferl.org/a/central-asia-caucasus-hormuz-middle-corridor/33736371.html https://www.rferl.org/a/central-asia-caucasus-hormuz-middle-corridor/33736371.html Mon, 20 Apr 2026 17:43:42 +0200 IranFeaturesKazakhstanKyrgyzstanTajikistanTurkmenistan UzbekistanThe Rundown Stories Marking the 1,500th day of the full-scale invasion, Russia launched a massive wave of air strikes across Ukraine during the night of April 3–4. https://www.rferl.org/a/zelenskyy-russia-easter-escalation/33724676.html https://www.rferl.org/a/zelenskyy-russia-easter-escalation/33724676.html Sat, 04 Apr 2026 12:37:21 +0200 NewsRussiaUkraineThe Rundown Stories After publicly calling for the release of the Kazakh rights movement Atazhurt, Bagdat Togysbayev was detained for five days by police. But what struck him as odd wasn't being behind bars, it was how his phone worked afterward. https://www.rferl.org/a/kazakhstan-phone-unlocking-activist-crackdowns/33719830.html https://www.rferl.org/a/kazakhstan-phone-unlocking-activist-crackdowns/33719830.html Tue, 31 Mar 2026 15:14:32 +0200 KazakhstanFeaturesThe Rundown Stories Nearly four years after Iran unveiled a drone factory in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, its operations -- and even its existence -- remain shrouded in uncertainty. Experts and officials question whether the facility ever produced drones or served more as a symbolic gesture of Iranian military influence. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-tajikistan-drone-factory-mystery-/33719984.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-tajikistan-drone-factory-mystery-/33719984.html Tue, 31 Mar 2026 08:36:44 +0200 IranFeaturesRussiaTajikistanThe Rundown Stories 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 Kazakh voters appear to have approved a controversial new constitution in a March 15 referendum that critics say could further concentrate power in the presidency. https://www.rferl.org/a/kazakhstan-controversial-constitutional-referendum-media-restrictions/33707171.html https://www.rferl.org/a/kazakhstan-controversial-constitutional-referendum-media-restrictions/33707171.html Sun, 15 Mar 2026 16:38:55 +0100 NewsKazakhstanThe Rundown Stories Two weeks of US-Israeli air strikes have displaced millions inside Iran, raising fears in neighboring countries about a possible refugee spillover that could potentially turn into a humanitarian crisis. https://www.rferl.org/a/iranian-refugee-influx-central-asia-us-iran/33707155.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iranian-refugee-influx-central-asia-us-iran/33707155.html Sun, 15 Mar 2026 13:56:34 +0100 IranFeaturesAfghanistanArmeniaAzerbaijanIraqTajikistanTurkmenistan UzbekistanThe Rundown Stories The United States has designated Afghanistan a “state sponsor of wrongful detention,” accusing the unrecognized Taliban government of holding American citizens as bargaining chips. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-designates-afghanistan-state-sponsor-wrongful-detention-taliban/33700635.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-designates-afghanistan-state-sponsor-wrongful-detention-taliban/33700635.html Tue, 10 Mar 2026 16:17:22 +0100 NewsAfghanistanThe Rundown Stories Across Turkmensahra, a poor and isolated region in northeastern Iran along the Caspian Sea and the border with Turkmenistan, war brings tight security, price hikes, and a mixture of hope and concern about what the future may bring for a long marginalized Sunni minority. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-turkmen-minority-war-hope-trepidation/33700396.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-turkmen-minority-war-hope-trepidation/33700396.html Tue, 10 Mar 2026 11:28:07 +0100 IranFeaturesTurkmenistan The Rundown Stories Like many Central Asian citizens in Iran, Kyrgyz nationals are facing life under US-Israeli strikes. Two citizens spoke to RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service of their experiences: some remain in Tehran, watching explosions from their homes, while others have been evacuated to Baku after long, tense journeys. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-us-israeli-krygyz-citizen-tehran/33696153.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-us-israeli-krygyz-citizen-tehran/33696153.html Thu, 05 Mar 2026 15:45:21 +0100 IranFeaturesAzerbaijanKyrgyzstanTajikistanThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East The conflict in Iran is sending shock waves across Central Asian economies, with Turkmenistan particularly exposed due to its heavy reliance on Iranian imports, especially food and household items, according to residents and firsthand market reports from Ashgabat and Balkan.  https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-economy-central-asia-turkmenistan/33695124.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-economy-central-asia-turkmenistan/33695124.html Wed, 04 Mar 2026 15:33:59 +0100 IranFeaturesTurkmenistan UzbekistanThe Rundown Stories European Union sanctions envoy David O’Sullivan arrived in Bishkek for high-level meetings with Kyrgyz officials amid concerns that some financial channels and trade flows in Kyrgyzstan are being used to circumvent sanctions against Russia. https://www.rferl.org/a/eu-sanctions-envoy-kyrgyzstan-russia-sanctions-circumvention/33688855.html https://www.rferl.org/a/eu-sanctions-envoy-kyrgyzstan-russia-sanctions-circumvention/33688855.html Thu, 26 Feb 2026 18:31:38 +0100 NewsKyrgyzstanThe Rundown Stories Thousands of Central Asian families have been left searching for husbands drafted into the Russian Army and lost in the war in Ukraine, trapped between grief, bureaucracy, and silence. Their wives carry the unbearable weight of hope and fear, as well as the financial burden of making ends meet. https://www.rferl.org/a/kyrgyz-citizens-missing-in-ukraine-war-russia-recruitment/33686962.html https://www.rferl.org/a/kyrgyz-citizens-missing-in-ukraine-war-russia-recruitment/33686962.html Tue, 24 Feb 2026 15:13:50 +0100 KyrgyzstanFeaturesRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories Months after Russia’s language and registration rules took effect, thousands of Central Asian children remain shut out of schools, forcing families to return home and leaving education gaps behind. https://www.rferl.org/a/migrant-children-return-central-asia-russia-school-rules/33682251.html https://www.rferl.org/a/migrant-children-return-central-asia-russia-school-rules/33682251.html Mon, 23 Feb 2026 08:54:27 +0100 FeaturesKyrgyzstanRussiaTajikistanUzbekistanThe Rundown Stories Kazakhstan will hold a referendum on a sweeping new constitution that reshapes parliament, expands presidential powers, and addresses the status of the Russian language. Officials call the process inclusive, but critics say it consolidates authority under Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev and sidelines dissent. https://www.rferl.org/a/kazakhstan-constitutional-referendum-toqaev-power-language-russian-status/33675122.html https://www.rferl.org/a/kazakhstan-constitutional-referendum-toqaev-power-language-russian-status/33675122.html Wed, 11 Feb 2026 16:32:19 +0100 KazakhstanFeaturesThe Rundown Stories The EU’s new sanctions target two Uzbek companies tied to businessman Rustam Muminov, who is sanctioned for supplying cotton pulp for Russian gunpowder and ammunition production. Evidence suggests his network dominates Uzbekistan’s cotton cellulose exports to Russia. https://www.rferl.org/a/uzbekistan-eu-sanctions-cotton-russian-military/33674429.html https://www.rferl.org/a/uzbekistan-eu-sanctions-cotton-russian-military/33674429.html Tue, 10 Feb 2026 18:06:12 +0100 UzbekistanFeaturesThe Rundown Stories Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov dismissed Kamchybek Tashiev as chairman of the State Committee for National Security (SCNS) on February 10 and appointed Jumgalbek Shabdanbekov as acting chairman amid rising political tensions in the Central Asian nation. https://www.rferl.org/a/kyrgyzstan-president-reshuffle-reshuffle-political-tensions/33674256.html https://www.rferl.org/a/kyrgyzstan-president-reshuffle-reshuffle-political-tensions/33674256.html Tue, 10 Feb 2026 14:35:37 +0100 NewsKyrgyzstanThe Rundown Stories Under a proposed 20th European Union sanctions package against Russia, expected to be adopted by the end of the month, Kyrgyzstan could face certain export restrictions for the first time. https://www.rferl.org/a/kyrgyzstan-eu-sanctions-russia-circumvention/33671180.html https://www.rferl.org/a/kyrgyzstan-eu-sanctions-russia-circumvention/33671180.html Tue, 10 Feb 2026 14:30:45 +0100 KyrgyzstanFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesEurope Bishkek is hosting the B5+1 Forum this week, bringing together officials and business leaders from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and the United States to explore investment opportunities and deepen economic ties. https://www.rferl.org/a/bishkek-hosts-b5-1-forum-as-central-asia-eyes-stronger-economic-ties-with-us/33669433.html https://www.rferl.org/a/bishkek-hosts-b5-1-forum-as-central-asia-eyes-stronger-economic-ties-with-us/33669433.html Wed, 04 Feb 2026 13:43:59 +0100 NewsKazakhstanKyrgyzstanTajikistanTurkmenistan UzbekistanThe Rundown Stories