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 Fri, 07 Aug 2026 18:43:52 +0200 Pangea CMS – RFE/RL For much of Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukrainian officials arrived in Washington seeking weapons, ammunition, and financial support. Last week, however, the message was markedly different as Kyiv looked to be more a partner than a beggar. https://www.rferl.org/a/senate-briefing-ukrainian-commanders-drone-war-lessons-us-iran/33824145.html https://www.rferl.org/a/senate-briefing-ukrainian-commanders-drone-war-lessons-us-iran/33824145.html Fri, 07 Aug 2026 12:47:18 +0200 News AnalysisFeaturesIranRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories Oleksiy Yukov spent years trawling the sprawling Ukrainian countryside for the remains of fallen soldiers, whom he identified so that families could hold dignified burials. Now, Yukov is being laid to rest after being killed during one of his missions to exhume bodies near the front line. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-war-russia-oleksiy-yukov-fallen-soldiers-remains/33823497.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-war-russia-oleksiy-yukov-fallen-soldiers-remains/33823497.html Fri, 07 Aug 2026 11:19:52 +0200 UkraineFeaturesRussiaRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories Russian officials make no secret of what a new law signed by President Vladimir Putin is intended to do: strip basic legal rights from many Russians living outside the country, and scare them into silence. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-law-foreign-agent-consular-restriction-exile/33823432.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-law-foreign-agent-consular-restriction-exile/33823432.html Thu, 06 Aug 2026 13:40:50 +0200 RussiaFeaturesUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories Interviews with residents and police units in Kherson were constantly interrupted by Russian drone attacks. Recent targets include a mechanic riding his bike to work and a garbage truck. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-kherson-russian-drones-human-safari/33822793.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-kherson-russian-drones-human-safari/33822793.html Thu, 06 Aug 2026 12:16:17 +0200 UkraineFeaturesRussiaRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories Ukraine's failure to intercept a single Russian missile during a large-scale overnight attack this week has raised fresh concerns over Kyiv's dwindling supply of air-defense interceptors as Moscow escalates its ballistic missile strikes on the nearly defenseless capital and other regions. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-patriots-russia-shortage-us-stockpile/33823317.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-patriots-russia-shortage-us-stockpile/33823317.html Thu, 06 Aug 2026 11:00:13 +0200 News AnalysisFeaturesRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories A bipartisan coalition in the US Senate is working to keep momentum behind a sweeping sanctions package targeting Russia and Iran, with lawmakers from both parties arguing that the legislation would send a broader message about American resolve against authoritarian powers. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-russia-iran-sanctions-bill-vote-war/33822958.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-russia-iran-sanctions-bill-vote-war/33822958.html Thu, 06 Aug 2026 07:34:10 +0200 FeaturesIranRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories Influential Republican Senator Rick Scott talks to RFE/RL about why he believes sanctions against Russia should be passed immediately, why Ukraine's military innovations matter for the United States, and why defeating Russia is central to deterring an increasingly coordinated authoritarian bloc. https://www.rferl.org/a/putin-thug-senator-rick-scott-congress-russia-ukraine/33821929.html https://www.rferl.org/a/putin-thug-senator-rick-scott-congress-russia-ukraine/33821929.html Wed, 05 Aug 2026 01:03:31 +0200 FeaturesRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories Three officials from Afghanistan’s Taliban government are visiting Moldova after they were granted visas. The move has triggered an uproar in the European country. https://www.rferl.org/a/taliban-moldova-afghanistan-controversy/33821883.html https://www.rferl.org/a/taliban-moldova-afghanistan-controversy/33821883.html Tue, 04 Aug 2026 19:26:40 +0200 AfghanistanFeaturesMoldovaThe Rundown Stories The growing strategic partnership between China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea is a defining security challenge facing the US and its allies. Rear Admiral (Ret.) Mark Montgomery speaks to RFE/RL about says the West continues to underestimate both the scale of this alignment and the risks it poses. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-russia-china-ukraine-north-korea-montgomery/33821449.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-russia-china-ukraine-north-korea-montgomery/33821449.html Tue, 04 Aug 2026 08:43:00 +0200 FeaturesIranRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories Retired Vice Admiral Robert Harward, a former deputy commander of US Central Command, tells RFE/RL that Iran is playing for time as it draws out talks to end the war with the United States. https://www.rferl.org/a/robert-harward-iran-us-talks/33820999.html https://www.rferl.org/a/robert-harward-iran-us-talks/33820999.html Mon, 03 Aug 2026 17:37:01 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown Headline A renewed exchange of military strikes and threats between the US and Iran has raised fresh fears of a wider Middle East war. But Jacob Stoil, research professor of Middle East security studies at the US Army War College, argues the more important story may be what has not happened. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-stoil-army-war-college-interview/33819707.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-stoil-army-war-college-interview/33819707.html Sat, 01 Aug 2026 10:25:00 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East Afghanistan's Badakhshan Province has been the scene of a spate of attacks in recent weeks carried out by armed opposition groups that have waged a low-level insurgency against the Taliban in recent years. https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-taliban-badakhshan-opposition-attacks/33819192.html https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-taliban-badakhshan-opposition-attacks/33819192.html Fri, 31 Jul 2026 16:08:31 +0200 AfghanistanFeaturesThe Rundown Stories US President Donald Trump has confirmed that he will send his envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, to Kyiv in the coming weeks. RFE/RL spoke with Kurt Volker about the significance of their visit. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-war-russia-kyiv-visit-us-envoys-witkoff-kushner/33819200.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-war-russia-kyiv-visit-us-envoys-witkoff-kushner/33819200.html Fri, 31 Jul 2026 15:34:20 +0200 UkraineFeaturesRussiaRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories Former Trump White House official Allison Minor says Iran's latest attacks exposed the limits of the traditional US security guarantee in the Gulf. She argues Washington should shift toward a regional security model built on shared capabilities, integration, and stronger partnerships. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-gulf-security-us-role-allison-minor-interview/33818576.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-gulf-security-us-role-allison-minor-interview/33818576.html Thu, 30 Jul 2026 20:08:49 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East Ukrainians who've taken refuge in Poland from the Russian invasion say they’re increasingly under threat, targeted by xenophobic, racist attacks. The fears come as tensions between Kyiv and Warsaw fester due to grievances dating back to World War II. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-poland-war-refugees-hate-crimes/33818435.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-poland-war-refugees-hate-crimes/33818435.html Thu, 30 Jul 2026 18:42:47 +0200 UkraineFeaturesRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories In what appeared to be the first time Tehran initiated an attack against US targets since the war in the Persian Gulf began in late February, Iran fired ballistic missiles at American bases in Jordan late on July 28. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-jordan-jordan-trump-war/33817712.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-jordan-jordan-trump-war/33817712.html Wed, 29 Jul 2026 17:14:48 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown Headline As Beijing threatens to widen its net beyond its borders to pursue anyone who “undermines ethnic unity,” Chinese-born majority Muslim Turkic minorities in neighboring Kazakhstan are feeling the pressure. https://www.rferl.org/a/kazakhstan-china-ethnic-unity-law-human-rights/33816706.html https://www.rferl.org/a/kazakhstan-china-ethnic-unity-law-human-rights/33816706.html Wed, 29 Jul 2026 14:24:05 +0200 KazakhstanFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesChina As the new school year approaches, Central Asian migrant parents face a stark choice: bring their children to Russia and risk them being unable to enroll because of stricter Russian language rules or leave them behind. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-migration-migrants-kyrgyzstan-tajikistan-uzbekistan-central-asia/33816803.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-migration-migrants-kyrgyzstan-tajikistan-uzbekistan-central-asia/33816803.html Wed, 29 Jul 2026 08:54:25 +0200 FeaturesKazakhstanKyrgyzstanRussiaTajikistanTurkmenistan UzbekistanThe Rundown Stories US Congressman Joe Wilson tells RFE/RL's Balkan Service that Serbia should stop purchasing Russian energy and distance itself from Moscow, Beijing and Tehran if it wants to be fully integrated into Western institutions. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-wilson-serbia-russia-integration-osce/33816956.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-wilson-serbia-russia-integration-osce/33816956.html Wed, 29 Jul 2026 08:50:22 +0200 FeaturesRussiaSerbiaThe Rundown Stories As the US Senate prepared to vote on a sweeping bipartisan sanctions package targeting Russia and Iran, Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a co-sponsor of the legislation, said the measure reflects renewed bipartisan resolve to squeeze the Kremlin war machine and reinforce support for Ukraine.  https://www.rferl.org/a/us-senate-whitehouse-sanctions-russia-iran/33816935.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-senate-whitehouse-sanctions-russia-iran/33816935.html Tue, 28 Jul 2026 21:22:21 +0200 FeaturesIranRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories