Claire Bigg covers Russia, Ukraine, and the post-Soviet world, with a focus on human rights, civil society, and social issues.
Under new local legislation passed by Kyiv authorities, stores in the Ukrainian capital must now separately label Russian-imported goods. A similar initiative is already in place in three other Ukrainian cities, where special brigades have been deployed to check compliance.
A man identified as German Professor Lorenz Haag has been widely quoted in Russian media as praising the Kremlin and defending Russia's actions in Ukraine. The "professor's" credentials, however, are a matter of serious doubt.
People displaced by the fighting in eastern Ukraine are facing increasing difficulty finding accommodation in other regions, signaling a shift in attitudes toward internally displaced persons (IDPs).
A lawsuit has kicked off in Kazakhstan over a poster featuring Russian poet Aleksandr Pushkin and Kazakh composer Qurmanghazy Saghyrbaiuly kissing. The poster has sparked an antigay campaign in the country, with one politician claiming blood tests can be used to identify homosexuals.
Russian media are quoting an "OSCE expert" as claiming hundreds of bodies have been exhumed from mass graves in eastern Ukraine and are accusing Ukrainian troops of brutalizing the local population. The "expert," however, has never worked for the OSCE.
Jailed Azerbaijani human rights defender Anar Mammadli, the recipient of the 2014 Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize, has tirelessly denounced the deepening crackdown on human rights in Azerbaijan.
Ukrainian singer Anastasia Prykhodko has been targeted by a mudslinging campaign on Russian television. Prykhodko, who shot to fame in Russia, has been performing for Ukrainian troops in the country's strife-torn east.
As the conflict simmers in eastern Ukraine, supporters from both camps fight on in a war of words. The result is a torrent of new slurs -- often cryptic, at times inventive, always insulting. Here are some of the most common terms.
Crimea blogger Yelizaveta Bohutskaya says freedoms are dwindling in the annexed peninsula, which she fled this week after her home was raided by security forces.
After renewed fighting erupted near Ukraine's southeastern cities of Donetsk and Mariupol, residents in neighboring Zaporizhzhya are making preparations should the conflict reach their province.
As children across the world prepare to head back to school, those displaced by the fighting in eastern Ukraine are bracing for their first day of school -- far away from home.
Russians suffering from cystic fibrosis are breathing a sigh a relief after their country lifted its ban on special food supplements, vital to the survival of many patients.
A Ukrainian artist who displayed antiseparatist installations in the streets of Donetsk has been missing for over a week. Serhiy Zakharov's friends say he is being held by the insurgents and fear for his life.
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev's Twitter account has been briefly hacked, resulting in a string of fake posts -- including an announcement that he is resigning in shame at the government's actions.
In a bizarre development in the conflict over Ukraine, some Russian pilots appear to be making anti-Ukrainian comments to airline passengers.
An Armenian man has died in Azerbaijan after crossing the border in mysterious circumstances. The incident has sparked a bitter dispute between the two rival countries.
As deadly fighting continues to rage in eastern Ukraine, activists on both sides of the conflict are stepping up efforts to funnel equipment, basic necessities, and even fighters to the front lines.
Russian lawmakers have approved a surprise bill that bans advertising on cable and satellite television -- a major setback for independent television stations.
Crimea is suffering a disastrous tourist season in the wake of the peninsula's annexation by Russia. The lack of vacationers deals a harsh blow to Crimea's already flailing economy.
Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has long dismissed Belarusian as an inferior language. But this week, he surprised the nation by giving his first speech in Belarusian in 20 years.
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