Dariya Ali-zade is a correspondent for Current Time, the Russian-language network led by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA.
These are some of the men who launched an armed incursion from Ukraine into Russia's Belgorod region on May 22. Ukraine has denied any involvement in the incident. Note: This video was updated to reflect errors in translation. A reference to Russia's FSB has also been corrected to the Russian Army.
Russian journalism experienced extreme highs and lows in the 2021: on the plus side, a Nobel Peace Prize for newspaper editor Dmitry Muratov. But the downside saw an escalating government crackdown on independent media.
Former Russian security officer Aleksandr Litvinenko died in London 15 years ago of radiation poisoning. His widow has been working ever since to make sure his life and murder are not forgotten.
The first administrative cases have been filed in Russia against individuals designated under the so-called "foreign agent" laws. People who have been targeted tell RFE/RL about the consequences of the designation, such as a treadmill of legal obligations and the constant threat of prosecution.
A government commission will decide whether to release dozens of beluga and killer whales whose captivity in tiny pens in the Russian Far East drew outrage from Moscow to Hollywood. Even animal rights activists are divided over the best way to return the animals to the wild.
The director of one of Russia’s famed, state-funded circuses alleges that a plan to build a new arena on Moscow’s outskirts is an attempt by Cirque du Soleil to undermine the Russian circus. But the site's developer and Canada-based Cirque du Soleil deny the circus director's charges.
