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 Thu, 24 Sep 2026 01:18:06 +0200 Pangea CMS – RFE/RL The United States has invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend the Group of 20 summit in Miami in December, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on September 23, as the Trump administration is seeking steps to reduce fighting in Ukraine. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-invites-putin-to-g20-summit-in-miami-rubio-says/33863024.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-invites-putin-to-g20-summit-in-miami-rubio-says/33863024.html Wed, 23 Sep 2026 20:02:18 +0200 News The Kremlin-linked ruling party, United Russia, just won big in the country's parliamentary elections. The data, however, tells a different story. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-s-ruling-party-again-benefits-from-millions-of-statistically-anomalous-votes/33862988.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-s-ruling-party-again-benefits-from-millions-of-statistically-anomalous-votes/33862988.html Wed, 23 Sep 2026 18:47:11 +0200 Russia Kyiv came under a massive daytime Russian drone attack on September 23, with strikes reported across several districts. At least two people were killed and 22 injured, local officials said. Several strikes were also reported near the capital’s central railway station. https://www.rferl.org/a/russian-drone-strikes-on-kyiv-kill-at-least-2/33862914.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russian-drone-strikes-on-kyiv-kill-at-least-2/33862914.html Wed, 23 Sep 2026 16:33:33 +0200 Ukraine An Afghan migrant has told RFE/RL's Radio Azadi that his stepmother and four sisters died of thirst and hunger while attempting a dangerous journey to Iran after economic hardship forced the family to leave Afghanistan again. Their deaths highlight the risks faced by Afghans using irregular migration routes across remote desert border areas, where rights groups say other migrants have also died in recent days. https://www.rferl.org/a/afghan-migrant-deaths-iran/33862877.html https://www.rferl.org/a/afghan-migrant-deaths-iran/33862877.html Wed, 23 Sep 2026 15:38:20 +0200 Videos In the wake of intelligence reports that Russia may be planning an attack on NATO, questions have arisen over whether European officials have contingency plans ready to deal with such an event. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-provocations-warnings-possible-attack-europe-contingency-plans/33860983.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-provocations-warnings-possible-attack-europe-contingency-plans/33860983.html Wed, 23 Sep 2026 15:14:55 +0200 Features At least 17 Afghans died of extreme dehydration in mid-September after crossing Iran through Pakistan, according to a human rights organization. Among them were a mother and her four daughters. https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-iran-migrants-thirst-deaths/33862797.html https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-iran-migrants-thirst-deaths/33862797.html Wed, 23 Sep 2026 14:30:32 +0200 Afghanistan The United States is set to unveil the next stage of TRIPP, a planned transport corridor through southern Armenia that Washington says could open new trade routes linking the South Caucasus and Central Asia with Western markets. https://www.rferl.org/a/tripp-azerbaijan-armenia-transit-corridor-trump/33862805.html https://www.rferl.org/a/tripp-azerbaijan-armenia-transit-corridor-trump/33862805.html Wed, 23 Sep 2026 13:58:11 +0200 News US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi met in New York on September 22 following days of signals that US-Iranian talks would take place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. The meeting sparked a backlash from Iranian hard-liners. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-us-meeting-araqchi-witkoff-hardliners/33862712.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-us-meeting-araqchi-witkoff-hardliners/33862712.html Wed, 23 Sep 2026 12:03:48 +0200 Iran Russia’s efforts to cultivate clout in Africa’s Sahel have been a mixed bag of successes and setbacks. Across the continent, however, on the Indian Ocean island of Madagascar, Moscow is making another quiet push for influence. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-gru-madagascar-africa-corps/33861111.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-gru-madagascar-africa-corps/33861111.html Wed, 23 Sep 2026 10:51:49 +0200 Russia 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 Wed, 23 Sep 2026 07:10:00 +0200 Iran US President Donald Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on September 22. Trump said he believes that both Ukraine and Russia "want to see the war end," and raised the possibility of meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 summit in December. Zelenskyy said Ukraine is pushing for an agreement with Russia on halting attacks on energy infrastructure. https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-zelenskyy-un-ukraine-russia-war-negotations/33861351.html https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-zelenskyy-un-ukraine-russia-war-negotations/33861351.html Wed, 23 Sep 2026 01:38:54 +0200 Ukraine US President Donald Trump has said a “massive deal” is being discussed with Belarus, under which it would provide cheaper potash supplies than Canada. But questions since the announcement have swirled over whether Belarus can replace the world's largest potash producer to meet US needs. https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-canada-us-potash-fertilizer-russia/33861251.html https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-canada-us-potash-fertilizer-russia/33861251.html Tue, 22 Sep 2026 19:17:18 +0200 Belarus The crises in the Middle East are creating a growing challenge for Saudi Arabia: how it gets its oil to global markets. Shipping costs are rising, oil has topped $105 a barrel, and global inventories are being rapidly drained. https://www.rferl.org/a/hormuz-iran-bab-al-mandab-suez/33861224.html https://www.rferl.org/a/hormuz-iran-bab-al-mandab-suez/33861224.html Tue, 22 Sep 2026 17:22:01 +0200 Videos An RFE/RL investigation links Russian sniper Artem Dementyev to killings and shootings of civilians during the 2022 occupation of Bucha. Ukrainian investigators say ballistic evidence, surveillance footage, and witness testimony point to his involvement in at least five killings and torture. https://www.rferl.org/a/ballistics-tie-russian-sniper-to-killings-of-ukrainian-civilians/33861047.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ballistics-tie-russian-sniper-to-killings-of-ukrainian-civilians/33861047.html Tue, 22 Sep 2026 13:33:52 +0200 Ukraine The US and Ukrainian presidents have each expressed cautious optimism regarding a potential timeline for the end of the Russia-Ukraine war. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-zelenskyy-trump-meeting-new-york-unga/33860971.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-zelenskyy-trump-meeting-new-york-unga/33860971.html Tue, 22 Sep 2026 13:25:19 +0200 News In this week's Wider Europe, RFE/RL Europe Editor Rikard Jozwiak drills down on two issues: sanctioning Russia's military industry and Canada’s "associate membership" of the EU. https://www.rferl.org/a/33860934.html https://www.rferl.org/a/33860934.html Tue, 22 Sep 2026 11:54:08 +0200 Wider Europe Reza Valizadeh, a dual US-Iranian citizen and former journalist for RFE/RL's Radio Farda, is marking two years behind bars in Iran. https://www.rferl.org/a/reza-valizadeh-iran-journalist-political-prisoner/33860588.html https://www.rferl.org/a/reza-valizadeh-iran-journalist-political-prisoner/33860588.html Tue, 22 Sep 2026 11:41:23 +0200 Iran Reza Valizadeh, a former journalist for RFE/RL's Radio Farda, has been incarcerated in Tehran's Evin prison for two years. The dual US-Iranian citizen is serving a 10-year sentence for “collaborating with a hostile government,” a conviction his supporters and press-freedom groups reject. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-prison-journalist-reza-valizadeh/33860591.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-prison-journalist-reza-valizadeh/33860591.html Tue, 22 Sep 2026 10:24:06 +0200 Iran The European Union looked set to remove Russian-Uzbek oligarch Alisher Usmanov and Russian-Israeli oligarch Mikhail Fridman from its sanctions list while prolonging the asset freezes and visa bans for the near 3,000 other individuals and entities on the blacklist by an unprecedented three years. https://www.rferl.org/a/eu-remove-sanctions-russian-oligarchs-usmanov-fridman/33860522.html https://www.rferl.org/a/eu-remove-sanctions-russian-oligarchs-usmanov-fridman/33860522.html Mon, 21 Sep 2026 17:59:38 +0200 News As inflation soars in Iran amid country's protracted war with the United States, Iranians are cutting back on food, giving up everyday comforts, and putting plans for the future on hold. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-inflation-war-economy/33859839.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-inflation-war-economy/33859839.html Mon, 21 Sep 2026 14:52:09 +0200 Iran