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 Mon, 06 Apr 2026 05:16:21 +0200 Pangea CMS – RFE/RL Days after the film ‘Mr. Nobody Against Putin’ Won an Oscar for best documentary, a Russian court banned it, and prosecutors labeled its director a “foreign agent.” What does he think about it? “You couldn’t dream up a better advertising campaign." https://www.rferl.org/a/pavel-talankin-mr-nobody-film-putin-interview/33723253.html https://www.rferl.org/a/pavel-talankin-mr-nobody-film-putin-interview/33723253.html Sat, 04 Apr 2026 11:32:21 +0200 FeaturesRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Headline The flow of volunteer humanitarian aid from the United States to Ukraine -- a critical lifeline for frontline communities -- is coming under mounting strain, as disruptions linked to the Iran conflict ripple through global shipping networks. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-conflict-disrupts-private-us-humanitarian-aid-ukraine/33724043.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-conflict-disrupts-private-us-humanitarian-aid-ukraine/33724043.html Fri, 03 Apr 2026 13:30:02 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown Stories In a non-descript warehouse on the perimeters of a Munich-area airport, a joint venture is marrying Ukrainian expertise with German capital, building drones for Ukraine’s military – and eventually global markets. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-germany-drone-production/33723276.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-germany-drone-production/33723276.html Fri, 03 Apr 2026 11:56:53 +0200 FeaturesRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Headline As Russia faces a manpower shortage in 2026, reports surface of intoxicated men increasingly being tricked into signing military contracts at local enlistment offices. https://www.rferl.org/a/drunk-sign-here-russia-recruits-intoxicated-men-as-military-manpower-crisis-peaks/33722376.html https://www.rferl.org/a/drunk-sign-here-russia-recruits-intoxicated-men-as-military-manpower-crisis-peaks/33722376.html Thu, 02 Apr 2026 13:20:18 +0200 RussiaFeaturesUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Headline 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 It's not just oil and gas. Iran’s shipping blockade is also holding up supplies of other key commodities and causing price spikes on global markets that will affect everyone. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-hormuz-blockade-chokes-global-trade-oil-gas-trump/33722449.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-hormuz-blockade-chokes-global-trade-oil-gas-trump/33722449.html Wed, 01 Apr 2026 17:18:02 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown HeadlineMiddle East Retired general and strategist Mick Ryan explains the military lessons that Beijing is taking from the war in Iran and what it means for US-China competition and Chinese designs on Taiwan. https://www.rferl.org/a/china-iran-taiwan-trump-xi-military-invasion-mick-ryan/33721581.html https://www.rferl.org/a/china-iran-taiwan-trump-xi-military-invasion-mick-ryan/33721581.html Wed, 01 Apr 2026 07:29:00 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesMiddle EastChina Iran is using tactical delay as a strategy in talks to end US and Israeli strikes that have decimated Tehran's military capabilities amid a continued buildup of US forces in the Middle East, retired US Army General Joseph L. Votel told RFE/RL in an interview on March 30. https://www.rferl.org/a/33721515.html https://www.rferl.org/a/33721515.html Tue, 31 Mar 2026 16:04:25 +0200 IranNewsFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East Iran announced the execution of two political prisoners on March 31, a day after the death penalty was also carried out on two others, in a sign that the clerical authorities are stepping up a crackdown on internal opposition in the country. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-us-war-executions-repression/33721498.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-us-war-executions-repression/33721498.html Tue, 31 Mar 2026 16:03:42 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown HeadlineMiddle East 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 Iran is firing several dozen missiles at targets across the Middle East, down from hundreds in the first days of the war. But experts say Tehran’s hit rate is increasing. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-ballistic-missiles-us-israel/33721304.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-ballistic-missiles-us-israel/33721304.html Tue, 31 Mar 2026 13:03:42 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesNews Analysis 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 Iran is inviting children 12 and older to sign up under a new program “for combatants defending the homeland,” with applicants directed to mosques and registration booths. Iran has a track record of recruiting children for security and even combat roles, and used child soldiers in the war with Iraq. https://www.rferl.org/a/33718169.html https://www.rferl.org/a/33718169.html Fri, 27 Mar 2026 22:37:16 +0100 IranFeaturesThe Rundown Stories US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping will now meet in Beijing in mid-May for a rescheduled summit. Dennis Wilder, a former China adviser to former presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, explains how the war in Iran is affecting ties between Beijing and Washington. https://www.rferl.org/a/china-iran-war-trump-xi-summit-venezuela-cuba-dennis-wilder/33717993.html https://www.rferl.org/a/china-iran-war-trump-xi-summit-venezuela-cuba-dennis-wilder/33717993.html Fri, 27 Mar 2026 14:16:28 +0100 ChinaFeaturesIranThe Rundown HeadlineThe Rundown Stories Three days of Ukrainian drone attacks on ports and refineries in Russia’s Leningrad region have led to what one analyst called “the most serious threat” to Russian oil exports since the beginning of the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-strikes-russia-oil-exports/33717215.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-strikes-russia-oil-exports/33717215.html Thu, 26 Mar 2026 18:12:51 +0100 UkraineFeaturesRussiaRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories After a bitter winter, there’s been uptick in battlefield operations by both Ukraine and Russia in recent weeks. Ukraine says it defeated a major mechanized Russian assault last week – but it’s unclear if that attack signaled the start of a spring offensive. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-war-battlefield-spring-offensive/33717112.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-war-battlefield-spring-offensive/33717112.html Thu, 26 Mar 2026 17:43:06 +0100 UkraineFeaturesRussiaRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories As the war approaches its one-month mark, ordinary Iranians describe sleepless nights, constant fear, and a country being destroyed. Some want it to end. Others are holding out for victory. Nearly all are exhausted. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-toll-war-israel-us--testimonies/33717086.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-toll-war-israel-us--testimonies/33717086.html Thu, 26 Mar 2026 16:48:08 +0100 IranFeaturesThe Rundown HeadlineMiddle East A persistent and widening gap between trade data from Kyrgyzstan and China is raising concerns, exposing weaknesses in customs tracking, transit trade oversight, and potential corruption risks across a key Central Asian trade corridor. https://www.rferl.org/a/china-kyrgyzstan-trade-export-statistics-transparency-corruption-central-asia/33716141.html https://www.rferl.org/a/china-kyrgyzstan-trade-export-statistics-transparency-corruption-central-asia/33716141.html Thu, 26 Mar 2026 15:38:19 +0100 ChinaFeaturesKazakhstanKyrgyzstanThe Rundown Stories US lawmakers from both parties sharply condemned Russia’s mass abduction of Ukrainian children during a congressional hearing on March 25, presenting a united front in support of accountability for what witnesses described as one of the gravest ongoing crimes of the war. https://www.rferl.org/a/washington-response-russia-ukrainian-children-abductions/33717197.html https://www.rferl.org/a/washington-response-russia-ukrainian-children-abductions/33717197.html Thu, 26 Mar 2026 15:03:08 +0100 FeaturesRussiaUkraineThe Rundown Stories RFE/RL spoke with Landon Derentz, former White House energy director during the first Trump administration and now vice president for energy and infrastructure at the Atlantic Council, about how global energy markets are interpreting the war with Iran -- and what may come next. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-trump-derentz-oil-markets/33717091.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-trump-derentz-oil-markets/33717091.html Thu, 26 Mar 2026 13:27:32 +0100 IranNewsFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East