We know you're busy and probably don't have the time to read all of our coverage each and every day. That's why we've put together The Week's Best. Here are some of the highlights produced in English by RFE/RL's vast team of correspondents, multimedia editors, and visual journalists over the past seven days.
With the danger of ongoing Russian attacks, some students in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv started the academic year with classes located in metro stations. Following Russia's full-scale invasion, many Ukrainian schools switched to online learning. As students return to in-person teaching, city officials announced some classes would be held underground for safety reasons. By RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, Current Time, and Mykyta Peretiatko
Ukraine's Defense Ministry has adapted a summer field uniform specifically designed by volunteers for the country's tens of thousands of female soldiers amid the Russian invasion. Production has not yet begun, but one soldier says, "We're getting there, and that's wonderful." By Yulia Zkukova
Moldova Kicked Out Most Of Russia's Diplomats, But The Embassy In Chisinau Still Has Close Ties To Spies
In August, Moldova kicked out 45 Russian diplomats and embassy staff, citing fears of Moscow's efforts to "destabilize" the country. But among the diplomats remaining in Chisinau, a new investigation by RFE/RL has found that many of them are linked to Russian intelligence agencies. By Denis Dermenji and Carl Shreck
It's been three months since Ukraine launched its biggest counteroffensive of the 18-month Russian invasion. Advances have been grueling and slogging, and for some Western officials, frustratingly slow. But Ukrainian forces may now be on the verge of a small, but notable battlefield breakthrough. By Mike Eckel
'Many Guys Come To Find A Belarusian Girl': Émigré Cultural Classes Thrive In Poland
One year after its founding, the School of Belarusian Traditional Culture in Warsaw is attracting both emigrants from Belarus, and Poles wanting to learn the culture of their embattled eastern neighbor. By RFE/RL's Belarus Service
In the midst of a growing water crisis in Central Asia, Uzbek well diggers are forced to constantly go deeper to supply rural farmers. With water tables falling, diggers can no longer guarantee farmers they will find a reliable source of irrigation. Climate change, misuse of resources, and government policies are being blamed. By RFE/RL's Uzbek Service and Will Tizard
A stretch of prime Black Sea beachfront in Bulgaria is effectively owned by the Moscow city government. Activists say the Russians acquired the land illegally and want Sofia to seize it, adding it is also a security risk given the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine. By Genka Shikerova
