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.
'We Laugh So We Win': The Wartime Missions Of Zelenskiy's Comedy Troupe
As the story of a comic becoming president and wartime leader has been told again and again, little room remained for his former troupe. But Kvartal 95 continues to entertain and sometimes outrage Ukrainians amid the ongoing full-scale war. By Aleksander Palikot
Serbian Mercenary: Russia's War In Ukraine Built On Lies And Death
One former recruit's account of the secretive dealings that feed Moscow's war effort in Ukraine under the guise of "construction work." He was left bitter at the broken promises, haphazard training, and casual disregard for human life among Russian commanders and Balkan intermediaries. By Mark Krotov, Milos Katic, and Maja Zivanovic
'The Taliban Will Kill Me': Panic As Germany Announces First Afghan Deportations
Germany deported several dozen Afghans in August -- all of them convicted criminals -- for the first time since the Taliban takeover in 2021. But the move has fueled panic among Germany's large Afghan community, many of whom fear they could be next as Berlin tightens the country's asylum policies and anti-immigration parties rise in popularity. By Frud Bezhan and Neil Bowdler
Life On The Edge: Inside Pokrovsk, Ukraine's Besieged Frontline City, As Russian Forces Close In
There are currently some 16,000 people living in the strategic city of Pokrovsk in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region; 177 of them are children. The evacuation of the city continues, as Russian forces advance. How do people live in a frontline city under constant Russian shelling? RFE/RL recently visited Pokrovsk to find out. By Serhiy Nuzhnenko
Satellite Images Reveal Massive Scale Of Russian Ammunition Storage Explosions
Photos taken before and after a series of strikes deep inside Russian territory show entire storage facilities have been leveled by attacks apparently made using Ukrainian-made cruise missiles. By RFE/RL
A Year After Brazen Attack In Kosovo, Questions Remain
On September 24, 2023, dozens of ethnic Serb gunmen attacked a police unit in the village of Banjska in northern Kosovo. A protracted gunbattle left one police officer and three militants dead. This month, Kosovar authorities indicted 45 people over the attack, including a politician who is thought to be at large in Serbia. Though the motives remain unclear, Kosovar authorities say the attackers aimed to set off a conflict that would allow part of northern Kosovo to join Serbia. By RFE/RL's Kosovo Service, Shkelqim Hysenaj, Arben Hoti, Bujar Terstena, Ibrahim Berisha, and Margot Buff
Is This The End Of Nuclear Arms Control?
Russia and the U.S. may be getting closer to a renewed nuclear arms race. New START is the last remaining disarmament or strategic weapons limitation treaty between the two countries and is due to expire in 2026, with Russia already having suspended its participation. By Ivan Gutterman
ALSO READ:
Putin Rattles The Nuclear Saber Again. Bluster? Probably, Experts Say.
Sustained By The Syr Darya: How One River Keeps Tajik Farmers Afloat
RFE/RL met with the Tajiks who depend on the Syr Darya River, a waterway that was once bled nearly dry under Soviet rule and is now under strain from power stations and agriculture. By Petr Trotsenko
RFE/RL Reveals Spike In War Deaths From Russia's Ethnic Regions
Two years after President Vladimir Putin’s mobilization order, regions with large non-ethnic-Russian populations, continue to suffer disproportionately. Bashkortostan and Tatarstan top the list. By RFE/RL’s Tatar-Bashkir Service
Animals 'Nervous' At Ukrainian Zoo As Russian Army Draws Near
Animals at a zoo near Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine get nervous when they hear explosions in the distance, as Russian forces advance on the town. Many people have fled the area but there's nowhere for the animals to go. By Borys Sachalko, Current Time and Ray Furlong
