https://www.rferl.org Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty is an international news organization serving Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Russia, the Middle East and Balkan countries https://www.rferl.org/Content/responsive/RFE/en-US/img/logo.png https://www.rferl.org en Copyright 2026 - RFE/RL, Inc. 60 Sun, 09 Aug 2026 09:00:56 +0200 Pangea CMS – RFE/RL As the conflict in the Persian Gulf continues to impact and shape the region, journalists from RFE/RL's Central Newsroom and Iranian service, Radio Farda, deliver ongoing updates and analysis. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-live-blog-trump-middle-east/33803414.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-live-blog-trump-middle-east/33803414.html Sun, 09 Aug 2026 04:00:00 +0200 Iran Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s first visit to Belgrade since being elected in 2019 has produced few significant results while underlining Serbia’s ongoing efforts to maintain ties with both Moscow and the West. https://www.rferl.org/a/serbia-seeks-to-maintain-balancing-act-as-zelenskyy-visits-belgrade/33824814.html https://www.rferl.org/a/serbia-seeks-to-maintain-balancing-act-as-zelenskyy-visits-belgrade/33824814.html Sat, 08 Aug 2026 15:16:55 +0200 News A shortage of shelters in Kyiv has left some residents complaining they have nowhere to hide amid intensifying Russian missile and drone attacks. https://www.rferl.org/a/shelter-shortage-kyiv-ukraine-russian-missile-attacks/33824765.html https://www.rferl.org/a/shelter-shortage-kyiv-ukraine-russian-missile-attacks/33824765.html Sat, 08 Aug 2026 12:37:18 +0200 Features The Russian state entices men to fight in the war on Ukraine by offering high wages and relatively generous benefits. But relatives and activists say the military often avoids paying what it owes by declaring soldiers AWOL despite the likelihood that they have been killed, captured, or gone missing. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-awol-fake-military-deception-missing/33823408.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-awol-fake-military-deception-missing/33823408.html Sat, 08 Aug 2026 09:44:34 +0200 Russia The US Senate on August 7 overwhelmingly approved legislation aimed at tightening economic pressure on Russia over its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ukraine-senate-trump-graham-sanctions/33824412.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ukraine-senate-trump-graham-sanctions/33824412.html Fri, 07 Aug 2026 22:53:16 +0200 News Before-and-after satellite images released by Vantor reveal the extent of the damage to Wildberries warehouses across Russia. Dubbed the "Russian Amazon," at least 20 facilities belonging to the country's largest online retailer have been targeted by a Ukrainian drone campaign since mid-July. https://www.rferl.org/a/wildberries-russia-satellite-ukraine-war-drones/33824084.html https://www.rferl.org/a/wildberries-russia-satellite-ukraine-war-drones/33824084.html Fri, 07 Aug 2026 15:08:13 +0200 Photo Galleries As regional security tensions continue to mount amid the protracted conflict between Iran and the US, the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey came together on August 7 to sign a joint defense agreement in order to "strengthen collective deterrence against any act of aggression." https://www.rferl.org/a/saudi-turkey-pakistan-defense-agreement-iran-war/33824220.html https://www.rferl.org/a/saudi-turkey-pakistan-defense-agreement-iran-war/33824220.html Fri, 07 Aug 2026 14:42:03 +0200 Iran Oleksiy Yukov spent years trawling the sprawling Ukrainian countryside for the remains of fallen soldiers, whom he identified so that families could hold dignified burials. Now, Yukov is being laid to rest after being killed during one of his missions to exhume bodies near the front line. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-war-russia-oleksiy-yukov-fallen-soldiers-remains/33823497.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-war-russia-oleksiy-yukov-fallen-soldiers-remains/33823497.html Fri, 07 Aug 2026 11:19:52 +0200 Ukraine Oleksiy Yukov devoted his life to finding and recovering the remains of fallen soldiers on the battlefields of Ukraine. Just days after RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service filmed him on one of his missions, Yukov's wife announced that he had died near the front lines. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-war-fallen-soldiers-search-mission/33823670.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-war-fallen-soldiers-search-mission/33823670.html Thu, 06 Aug 2026 22:23:01 +0200 Ukraine Russian officials make no secret of what a new law signed by President Vladimir Putin is intended to do: strip basic legal rights from many Russians living outside the country, and scare them into silence. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-law-foreign-agent-consular-restriction-exile/33823432.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-law-foreign-agent-consular-restriction-exile/33823432.html Thu, 06 Aug 2026 13:40:50 +0200 Russia Interviews with residents and police units in Kherson were constantly interrupted by Russian drone attacks. Recent targets include a mechanic riding his bike to work and a garbage truck. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-kherson-russian-drones-human-safari/33822793.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-kherson-russian-drones-human-safari/33822793.html Thu, 06 Aug 2026 12:16:17 +0200 Ukraine As Russian drones terrorize the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, RFE/RL follows the police units trying to shoot them down. Residents whose homes have been hit explain why they continue living in one of Ukraine's most dangerous cities. https://www.rferl.org/a/living-under-russian-drones-in-kherson/33823399.html https://www.rferl.org/a/living-under-russian-drones-in-kherson/33823399.html Thu, 06 Aug 2026 12:14:32 +0200 Ukraine A bipartisan coalition in the US Senate is working to keep momentum behind a sweeping sanctions package targeting Russia and Iran, with lawmakers from both parties arguing that the legislation would send a broader message about American resolve against authoritarian powers. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-russia-iran-sanctions-bill-vote-war/33822958.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-russia-iran-sanctions-bill-vote-war/33822958.html Thu, 06 Aug 2026 07:34:10 +0200 Features In an interview with RFE/RL, US Senator John Curtis, a Republican from Utah, said there is strong bipartisan support for new legislation sanctioning Russia, stressing that a Russian victory in Ukraine would have negative repercussions elsewhere in the world. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-senator-john-curtis-russia-ukraine/33822950.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-senator-john-curtis-russia-ukraine/33822950.html Wed, 05 Aug 2026 21:51:52 +0200 Russia Reports of suspected hate-motivated attacks against Ukrainians in Poland have risen sharply in recent months. Some Ukrainians say they no longer feel safe speaking their language in public. This comes amid growing political tensions and a historical dispute that analysts say is fueling anti-Ukrainian sentiment. https://www.rferl.org/a/why-some-ukrainians-are-afraid-to-speak-their-language-in-poland/33822909.html https://www.rferl.org/a/why-some-ukrainians-are-afraid-to-speak-their-language-in-poland/33822909.html Wed, 05 Aug 2026 19:59:44 +0200 Videos Russia launched a massive overnight attack on Kyiv and the surrounding region with ballistic missiles and drones. At least 17 people were killed, including eight near a train station outside Brovary. The strikes also destroyed major warehouse owned by Ukrainian retailer Epicentr. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-launches-deadly-ballistic-missile-drone-attack-on-kyiv-region/33822670.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-launches-deadly-ballistic-missile-drone-attack-on-kyiv-region/33822670.html Wed, 05 Aug 2026 13:03:48 +0200 Ukraine German authorities are investigating two "very serious security incidents" at the Leipzig/Halle airport that temporarily suspended and diverted flights, raising suspicions of Russian involvement after similar incidents in recent years. https://www.rferl.org/a/german-police-probe-leipzig-airport-suspicious-flying-object/33822656.html https://www.rferl.org/a/german-police-probe-leipzig-airport-suspicious-flying-object/33822656.html Wed, 05 Aug 2026 13:01:41 +0200 News BROVARY, Ukraine -- Russian overnight drone and ballistic missile strikes killed at least 17 people in the Kyiv region, as Ukraine warned of critical air defense shortages and urged its allies to hasten deliveries of urgently needed air defense missiles. https://www.rferl.org/a/russian-drone-and-missile-barrage-on-ukraine/33822483.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russian-drone-and-missile-barrage-on-ukraine/33822483.html Wed, 05 Aug 2026 07:50:58 +0200 News In an interview with RFE/RL, Republican Senator Rick Scott said Russian President Vladimir Putin did not anticipate the strength of US support for Ukraine's war effort, adding that a new sanctions bill is meant to hold Russia accountable. https://www.rferl.org/a/united-states-senator-rick-scott-russia-putin/33821933.html https://www.rferl.org/a/united-states-senator-rick-scott-russia-putin/33821933.html Wed, 05 Aug 2026 01:37:01 +0200 Russia Influential Republican Senator Rick Scott talks to RFE/RL about why he believes sanctions against Russia should be passed immediately, why Ukraine's military innovations matter for the United States, and why defeating Russia is central to deterring an increasingly coordinated authoritarian bloc. https://www.rferl.org/a/putin-thug-senator-rick-scott-congress-russia-ukraine/33821929.html https://www.rferl.org/a/putin-thug-senator-rick-scott-congress-russia-ukraine/33821929.html Wed, 05 Aug 2026 01:03:31 +0200 Features