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Will Tizard

Also by Will Tizard

January 11, 2024
Abducted By Russia, Ukrainian Teen Finds His Way Home Almost A Year Later

Denys Berezhniy was a student when Kherson was under Russian occupation. Russian authorities announced to his class that they were being taken to occupied Crimea for a two-week "health" camp visit. It took nearly a year for Berezhniy to get back home.
December 22, 2023
Drone Strike Penetrates Ukraine's Defenses To Hit Kyiv Apartment

Residents of a Kyiv apartment building heard a Russian attack drone heading for their building on December 22 and scrambled to survive. Dozens of drones targeted the Ukrainian capital, causing injuries. The strike in the Solomenskiy district terrorized families but no fatalities were reported.
December 19, 2023
Ethnic Hungarians In Ukraine Hope For EU Membership

Ukraine's ethnic Hungarian minority of roughly 100,000 is concentrated in the western border region around the city of Berehove. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said this minority is oppressed, a claim Berehove's mayor rejects. Orban has blocked $55 billion in EU military aid to Ukraine.
December 14, 2023
Serbian Activists Protest Russian Court Ruling Against LGBT Community

Serbian activists protested on December 13 in front of the Russian Embassy in Belgrade in solidarity with the LGBT community in Russia, where the Supreme Court ruled that the "international LGBT movement" was "extremist" on November 30.
December 13, 2023
Political Murals Make A Splash In Belgrade

Street artist Jana Danilovic uses her work to raise consciousness about issues that may not be "on the community's agenda." She's an activist who has made a colorful impact on the Serbian capital, with artwork dealing with issues such as ecology, marginalized groups, and gender-based violence.
December 12, 2023
Dancing Iranian Pensioner Spawns Imitators, Riles Regime

An Iranian pensioner who published videos of himself dancing has spawned imitators across the country -- but he was reportedly summoned for questioning and his Instagram page was temporarily closed down. Now its popularity has doubled to some 400,000 followers.
December 09, 2023
Kherson Residents Brace For Winter As Crews Repair Shelling Damage

As Kherson residents brace for winter, emergency services are scrambling to repair artillery damage to roofs and windows. Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has hit this region hard, but home dwellers are determined to rebuild and carry on. Some 33,000 windows were replaced in the last year.
December 07, 2023
Afghan Freestyle Soccer Master Makes His Play In Iran

Whether spinning a dozen soccer balls at once or balancing one on a pole while riding a motorcycle, Jamshid Naimi believes he's bound for stardom. For now, he's an Afghan refugee who shows off his freestyle skills on the streets of Iran. But one day he hopes to become famous.
December 05, 2023
Bosnians Living Near Coal Mines Fear Illegal Digging, Landslides

Bosnians living near open-pit coal mines are fearful that vast excavations are destabilizing their land and that digging may be illegally extending under people's property. Mines lay in areas prone to landslides but coal companies maintain they are following Bosnian law..
November 29, 2023
Ukrainian Truckers Still Stuck At Polish Border After Weeks Of Blockades

A group of Polish truckers is in its fourth week of blockading freight vehicles at four checkpoints on the Ukrainian border. Some 4,000 trucks are stuck on roads and drivers are struggling to keep warm while parked in huge lines. The protesters claim Ukrainian cargo companies are competing unfairly.
November 28, 2023
Ukrainian Sappers Focus On Frontline Roads

Minefields laid by occupying Russian forces have posed a major challenge for the Ukrainian military near the front lines. Although hundreds of thousands of mines put Ukrainian troops and civilians at risk, the explosives are also being used against the enemy -- but the work requires risky forays.
November 27, 2023
Ancient Afghan Monuments In Herat Are Crumbling After Earthquakes

A 12th-century mosque is visibly cracked, with ornate tiles falling to the ground in Herat, Afghanistan. Neglected, ancient monuments were damaged by 6.3-magnitude earthquakes in October, in which more than 1,000 people died. The Taliban government appears indifferent.
November 23, 2023
Mackerel And Pearl Barley: Michelin Chef Cooks For Troops While Fighting Mice In Donetsk Trenches

Ukrainian soldier Kostyantyn is a renowned chef who has cooked in Michelin-starred restaurants in Europe for years. Now he's running an army field kitchen in the Donetsk region, feeding troops. He creates impressive menus for the entire 22nd Brigade while fighting an epic mouse-population boom.
November 21, 2023
Afghan Bodybuilder Breaks Down Over His Hungry Family's Sacrifices

Afghan Ali Reza Asahi says his path to the gold medal in the World Bodybuilding Championships in Seoul on November 9 was paved with pain. The 50-year-old father and husband, who won in the over-40 category, says he had to eat what little protein his family could afford while his family did without.
November 13, 2023
Bulgarian-Born Palestinian Mother Recounts 'Terrifying' Escape From Gaza With Children

Samar Chinino's first thought when war broke out in her home in Gaza on October 7 was to get her child away from the window. Her experience in past conflicts helped her to keep her family safe until they could get out, through Egypt. They made it to Bulgaria, where Chinino was born. Now the Palestinian-Bulgarian mother finds herself making do in a safe but unexpected new home, Sofia.
November 09, 2023
Thousands Of Desperate Afghans Make Risky Journeys Into Iran To Find Work

Thousands of Afghans -- often undocumented -- flock into Iran to find work. Laborers in the capital of Nimruz Province, Zaranj, take huge risks. The UN estimates 2.6 million Afghans live in Iran. Many came to escape persecution and economic crises after the Taliban seized power in 2021.
November 08, 2023
Afghan Returnees Describe Dire Conditions In Their Homeland

Thousands of Afghans forced to return to Afghanistan after a crackdown in Pakistan say they face life in makeshift camps without proper sanitation or water. The returnees were only allowed to bring $175 of their own money with them.
November 02, 2023
Afghans Paying A 'Huge Sum Of Money' To Leave Pakistan Amid Crackdown

Afghan refugees flood the Pakistani border on November 2, where tens of thousands are crossing into Afghanistan. Some 1.7 million undocumented Afghans in Pakistan face arrest and forced deportation. RFE/RL's Wasim Sajjad says many Afghans have been forced to pay truck drivers large amounts of cash.
November 01, 2023
Thousands Of Afghan Refugees Leave Pakistan As Deadline Expires

Afghan refugees in Pakistan crossed into Afghanistan as a November 1 deadline to leave the country took effect. Islamabad has vowed to deport an estimated 1.7 million undocumented Afghans. International humanitarian groups have called on Pakistan to stop the forced expulsions.
October 31, 2023
Afghan Refugees Leave Pakistan As Mass Deportation Deadline Looms

Afghan refugees in Pakistan flooded across the border to return home on October 31, a day ahead of a deportation deadline. Pakistani authorities have ordered an estimated 1.7 million undocumented Afghans to leave voluntarily or face deportation. But many say they will face danger from the Taliban.

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