Daisy Sindelar is the vice president and editor in chief of RFE/RL.
Dual bombings in the Russian city of Volgograd have left more than 30 people dead and scores more injured. Why has Volgograd -- and not Moscow or Sochi -- become the repeated target of terror attacks?
An Uzbek dissident occupying the Geneva mansion of Gulnara Karimova, the powerful daughter of Uzbek President Islam Karimov, says he has discovered more than 60 valuable works of art he believes were stolen from Uzbekistan's state museums. The find appears to be the latest blow to Karimova, who has come under criminal scrutiny at home and abroad.
Ukraine's Euromaidan protests were sparked by Viktor Yanukovych's surprise rejection of closer ties with Europe. So some demonstrators expressed frustration when Yanukovych this week signed a $15-billion deal with Russia that appears to make the prospect of EU integration even more distant. Others, however, say they're more determined than ever to stay the course.
Ukraine's Euromaidan protesters have pledged to stay the course until their political demands are met. So what are their chances? RFE/RL looks at the outcomes of two protests that achieved their aims in Georgia and Serbia -- and two, in Russia and Belarus, that didn't.
Vladimir Putin’s annual state of the union address – held each year on Russia’s Constitution Day, December 12 -- has never been known for its entertainment value. But a growing cadre of observers on Twitter has given Russia-watchers a new, bite-sized way to digest the annual event. RFE/RL looks at some of this year's best tweets, many compiled by Russia’s online television station Dozhd-TV.
Who is the man that Russian President Vladimir Putin has appointed to head Russia's massive new media agency? Dmitry Kiselyov is many things -- opinionated, controversial, and rabidly pro-Kremlin. The one thing he's not, say critics, is a journalist.
RFE/RL looks at the politicians and street organizers driving Ukraine's "Euromaidan" protests following President Viktor Yanukovych's decision to reject an EU trade deal under pressure from Moscow.
On December 2-7, members of the United Nations' cultural agency UNESCO are meeting in the Azerbaijani capital Baku to consider which traditions, rituals, and crafts to add this year to its list of endangered Intangible Cultural Heritage. This year's applicants include everything from Mongolian yurt-making to Turkish coffee to polo played in Azerbaijan.
Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka took to the TV airwaves last week to publicly criticize, then fire, a handful of top-ranking officials for failing to modernize an unprofitable timber mill. Those dismissed include the 66-year-old former governor of Minsk Oblast, Barys Batura, who has spent decades in government service and was widely viewed as a compliant presidential ally. So why did he get the ax?
Katsyaryna Onakhava devoted her life to raising 11 biological and adopted children in western Belarus. But then she killed herself, leaving behind many questions about the problems faced by stand-in parents.
Gulnara Karimova is the most recognizable person in Uzbekistan. But has her celebrity helped shed light on one of the world's most repressive regimes? And will it matter when she's gone?
Do different countries have different relationships with food? Definitely, says Moscow-born writer Anya von Bremzen, who says hunger, ration cards, and Brezhnev-era mayonnaise all helped shape the Soviet palate.
Gay-rights opponents say Elton John will bring a "hotbed of sodomy" to Russia and are urging a boycott of his December concerts. So why do Russians find their own pop stars so normal?
Authorities in the Czech Republic are expected to rule this week on whether to grant political asylum to Tatiana Paraskevich, a former associate of Kazakh oligarch and opposition figure Mukhtar Ablyazov. Paraskevich's family fears that without asylum, she will be returned to Kazakhstan, where activists say she may face torture or jail.
Azerbaijan is preparing for a presidential election on October 9 in which the autocratic incumbent, Ilham Aliyev, is widely expected to win a third term. Nonetheless, this may be the first Azerbaijani election where the opposition has had a surprising impact in an otherwise routine race.
Artist Petro Wodkins pretended to negotiate secret art deals on behalf of Tajik President Emomali Rahmon -- and found that many Western galleries were willing to put scruples and transparency aside when there are millions to be made.
Male survivors of the Nazi Holocaust endured years of terror, starvation, and enslavement before World War II came to an end. But a surprising new study says they lived longer as a result.
As concerns grow about the forced labor and wasteful water use that goes into producing much of the world's cotton, one designer may have come up with a stylish and sustainable alternative.
Over 150,000 people have applied to be the first human colonists on Mars. But what does it take to make the cut? Organizers say they're putting a premium on teamwork, smarts – and a good sense of humor.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is mandated to uphold democratic values. So some are asking why its linked to an Azerbaijani trial that critics are calling a blow to free speech.
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