https://www.rferl.org/z/651 RFE/RL journalists report the news in 23 countries where a free press is banned by the government or not fully established. We broadcast in 27 languages to 22 countries, including Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Russia. https://www.rferl.org/Content/responsive/RFE/en-US/img/logo.png https://www.rferl.org/z/651 en Copyright 2026 - RFE/RL, Inc. 60 Sat, 18 Jul 2026 15:31:46 +0200 Pangea CMS – RFE/RL EU diplomats hoped Viktor Orban's departure would ease approval of new Russia sanctions. Instead, the bloc's latest package has been steadily stripped back as member states clashed over Russian fish, travel visas, and an oil price cap, among other issues. https://www.rferl.org/a/eu-watered-down-emmental-russia-sanctions-package/33806031.html https://www.rferl.org/a/eu-watered-down-emmental-russia-sanctions-package/33806031.html Sat, 18 Jul 2026 12:45:58 +0200 News AnalysisFeaturesRussiaRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Headline As Russia's war against Ukraine reshapes Europe's security landscape, Estonia is closely watching the Kremlin's next moves. In an interview with RFE/RL, Estonia's Undersecretary for Internal Security Joosep Kaasik discusses why Tallinn believes prevention is Europe's best defense. https://www.rferl.org/a/estonia-russian-fighters-schengen-joosep-kaasik/33806356.html https://www.rferl.org/a/estonia-russian-fighters-schengen-joosep-kaasik/33806356.html Sat, 18 Jul 2026 10:37:06 +0200 RussiaFeaturesThe Rundown Stories With the US and Iran launching fresh strikes in the Middle East, the Strait of Hormuz is back under the spotlight. Naval strategist Joshua Tallis says restoring commercial confidence -- not military force alone -- will determine when shipping returns to normal. https://www.rferl.org/a/hormuz-strait-confidence-naval-tallis-us-iran/33805855.html https://www.rferl.org/a/hormuz-strait-confidence-naval-tallis-us-iran/33805855.html Sat, 18 Jul 2026 00:28:06 +0200 IranNewsFeaturesThe Rundown Stories Tens of thousands of Iranians have flocked to sign an online petition with a rare but pointed message to the country's hard-liners: Go fight the war against the United States yourselves. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-anti-war-message-hardliners-rare-petition/33805712.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-anti-war-message-hardliners-rare-petition/33805712.html Fri, 17 Jul 2026 13:29:54 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown Stories What’s unusual about the arrest of Denis Obrezko is how relatively rare it is for Russian hackers to be detained abroad these days. What’s also unusual: Obrezko used to work for Russia’s FSB. And it also appears he was careless. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-hacker-fsb-thailand-dutch-us-cyber-fraud/33805051.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-hacker-fsb-thailand-dutch-us-cyber-fraud/33805051.html Fri, 17 Jul 2026 08:37:54 +0200 RussiaFeaturesThe Rundown Stories As tensions between the US and Iran intensifies, with renewed military strikes and growing arguments around the Strait of Hormuz, global attention has focused on regional security, commercial shipping, and the risk of wider escalation. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-us-conflict-elizabeth-trudeau-interview/33804935.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-us-conflict-elizabeth-trudeau-interview/33804935.html Thu, 16 Jul 2026 14:38:54 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown Stories Since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan five years ago as international military forces withdrew, the country's economy has sputtered, inflation has spiked, and international investment has all but dried up, leaving ordinary Afghans reliant on remittances from abroad to survive https://www.rferl.org/a/remittances-lifeline-afghanistan/33804312.html https://www.rferl.org/a/remittances-lifeline-afghanistan/33804312.html Thu, 16 Jul 2026 11:39:04 +0200 AfghanistanFeaturesThe Rundown Stories The announcement on July 14 that French Rafale fighter jets will soon be received by Kyiv represents another step away from its legacy Soviet aircraft fleet, experts say. https://www.rferl.org/a/rafale-fighter-jets-ukraine-russia-war-france-air-force/33804326.html https://www.rferl.org/a/rafale-fighter-jets-ukraine-russia-war-france-air-force/33804326.html Wed, 15 Jul 2026 20:48:10 +0200 UkraineFeaturesRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown StoriesEurope Iran has executed some 40 political prisoners since mass protests rocked the country in January. Twelve more may be about to join them, and they were all put on death row by one man: Mohammad Reza Tavakoli, honored by the judiciary as an “exemplary judge.” https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-judge-mohammad-reza-tavakoli-death-sentences/33804350.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-judge-mohammad-reza-tavakoli-death-sentences/33804350.html Wed, 15 Jul 2026 19:21:13 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown Stories Across Central Asia, opposition movements have steadily disappeared from public life. Some leaders have been jailed, others forced into exile, while new parties have struggled to gain a foothold. What happened to the region's opposition -- and is there still space for alternative political voices? https://www.rferl.org/a/central-asia-opposition-kyrgyzstan-kazakhstan-uzbekistan-tajikistan-turkmenistan/33804263.html https://www.rferl.org/a/central-asia-opposition-kyrgyzstan-kazakhstan-uzbekistan-tajikistan-turkmenistan/33804263.html Wed, 15 Jul 2026 17:10:32 +0200 FeaturesKazakhstanKyrgyzstanTajikistanTurkmenistan UzbekistanThe Rundown Stories Despite renewed US strikes on Iran and attacks around the Gulf, veteran Middle East scholar Francis Gregory Gause argues that diplomacy is still alive, and that both Washington and Tehran are once again maneuvering to strengthen their positions before an eventual return to negotiations. https://www.rferl.org/a/middle-east-expert-francis-gregory-gause-iran-mou-iran/33804176.html https://www.rferl.org/a/middle-east-expert-francis-gregory-gause-iran-mou-iran/33804176.html Wed, 15 Jul 2026 12:34:16 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown Stories New satellite images appear to show that several strategically important sites in Russia's far north have had air defense batteries removed as the Kremlin struggles to counter Ukrainian drone attacks elsewhere in the country. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-air-defense-removal-arctic-satellite-photos-ukraine-war/33803628.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-air-defense-removal-arctic-satellite-photos-ukraine-war/33803628.html Tue, 14 Jul 2026 21:54:05 +0200 RussiaFeaturesUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories As the US and Iran exchange new strikes, military analyst Jonathan Schroden explains why wars often become more violent before peace, how the Strait of Hormuz has become the conflict's strategic centre, and why drones are reshaping naval warfare. https://www.rferl.org/a/jonathan-schroden-us-iran-conflict-hormuz-blockade/33803676.html https://www.rferl.org/a/jonathan-schroden-us-iran-conflict-hormuz-blockade/33803676.html Tue, 14 Jul 2026 21:04:13 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown Stories In this week's briefing, Rikard Jozwiak focuses on the EU enlargement “Super Tuesday” and Ukrainian civil detainees held by Russia. https://www.rferl.org/a/wider-europe-briefing-the-eu-s-super-tuesday/33803341.html https://www.rferl.org/a/wider-europe-briefing-the-eu-s-super-tuesday/33803341.html Tue, 14 Jul 2026 11:53:46 +0200 Wider EuropeFeaturesMoldovaRussiaUkraineMontenegroThe Rundown Stories Zelenskyy gave no explanation for the unexpected shuffle of his Cabinet. But the popularity of Ukraine’s one-and-only wartime president is slipping, as war-weary voters tire of political scandals, as well as the unrelenting Russian invasion. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-zelenskyy-politics-government-cabinet-shuffle-svyrydenko/33802810.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-zelenskyy-politics-government-cabinet-shuffle-svyrydenko/33802810.html Mon, 13 Jul 2026 17:42:51 +0200 FeaturesUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Headline Iran's cafes are navigating economic hardship and growing official scrutiny as they struggle to survive. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-tehran-cafe-culture-young-people/33799555.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-tehran-cafe-culture-young-people/33799555.html Sun, 12 Jul 2026 12:13:13 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown Stories Ukrainian farmers, already struggling after nearly five years of all-out war, say a massively upscaled Russian campaign to pound his country’s vital agricultural sector is threatening this year's harvest. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-targets-ukrainian-harvest-crops-wheat-war/33800899.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-targets-ukrainian-harvest-crops-wheat-war/33800899.html Sat, 11 Jul 2026 13:45:24 +0200 FeaturesRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories With bridges cut and a drone blitz on shipping, Russian-occupied Crimea is reeling from a relentless Ukrainian campaign of targeted drone strikes. Vladimir Putin has said the peninsula he seized in 2014 has a “sacred meaning” – but life there is becoming increasingly intolerable. https://www.rferl.org/a/no-gas-no-lights-no-comms-no-tourists-ukraine-s-crimea-blockade-starts-to-bite/33801579.html https://www.rferl.org/a/no-gas-no-lights-no-comms-no-tourists-ukraine-s-crimea-blockade-starts-to-bite/33801579.html Sat, 11 Jul 2026 13:11:11 +0200 FeaturesRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Headline Schemes, the investigative unit of RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service, has identified a Russian prison doctor accused of subjecting Ukrainian inmates to physical, psychological, and sexual abuse. https://www.rferl.org/a/russian-prison-sexual-abuse-ukraine-torture/33801065.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russian-prison-sexual-abuse-ukraine-torture/33801065.html Fri, 10 Jul 2026 18:42:56 +0200 FeaturesRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Headline Iran staged an extravagant, weeklong funeral procession for slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Absent from the events was his son, Mojtaba, the new supreme leader. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-mojtaba-khamenei-irgc-funeral/33800891.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-mojtaba-khamenei-irgc-funeral/33800891.html Fri, 10 Jul 2026 13:28:13 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown Stories