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.
Iranian Woman Defiant Despite 'Medieval' Flogging For Hijab Violation
Since Kurdish-Iranian woman Roya Heshmati was lashed 74 times for an alleged hijab violation, her case has led to widespread condemnation in Iran and abroad and left her defending herself against attempts to smear her name. By RFE/RL's Radio Farda
The Russian Anti-War Volunteers Who Defied Threats And Helped Ukrainians Flee
Russian volunteers who oppose Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine have used a network of contacts to take Ukrainians out of Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine or to funnel humanitarian assistance in. By Anton Starikov
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Exiled Expression: A Russian Street Artist's Defiant Political Activism From Abroad
Exiled Expression: A Russian Street Artist's Defiant Political Activism From Abroad
A street artist known as Philippenzo has left his native Russia after authorities issued arrest warrants over his stance against Moscow's ongoing war in Ukraine. Filip Kozlov, 39, now lives in Lithuania but continues his activism. He recently sold a work in support of Russia's LGBT community for over $7,000 after the Russian Supreme Court ruled the nonexistent "international LGBT social movement" was "extremist." By RFE/RL's Russian Service and Neil Bowdler
The Yacht Collector: Russian Tycoon Linked to ‘Putin’s Yacht’ Fights Straw-Owner Claim In U.S. Court
A Russian tycoon accused of being the straw owner of a superyacht actually belonging to Russian President Vladimir Putin is fighting to wrest control of a second luxury vessel seized by the United States over its links to a Kremlin-loyal billionaire. By Maja Zivanovic and Carl Schreck
Empty Promises: Families Of Kazakh Mine Fire Victims Struggle For Aid
When a deadly fire struck a coal mine in Kazakhstan last year killing 46 people, the state and mine operator were quick to promise compensation to the victims' families. But two months later, the families still struggle to get the funds and benefits that were pledged while complaining about complicated procedures to prove their eligibility. By Yelena Weber
Machine-Gun Poet: The Work And Untimely Death Of Maksym Kryvtsov
The funeral for acclaimed poet and photographer Maksym Kryvtsov is scheduled to be held on January 11 in Kyiv. Kryvtsov’s death added another name to a long list of Ukrainian artists who have died defending their country from the ongoing Russian invasion. By Amos Chapple
Set In Stone: How Lenin's Mausoleum Was Built And Rebuilt, 100 Years Ago
After Vladimir Lenin died in January 1924, Moscow's Red Square became the site of a series of block-shaped structures made to house the embalmed corpse of the Soviet founder. By Amos Chapple
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What's Driving A Rash Of Suicides In A Remote Kyrgyz Town?
What's Driving A Rash Of Suicides In A Remote Kyrgyz Town?
The remote town of Andarak, located in southern Kyrgyzstan near the Tajik border, has seen a disturbing increase in the number of suicides among young, married women. In just one year at least 11 women have attempted suicide, resulting in six deaths and leaving several young children without mothers. What all the cases appear to have in common are young women taking desperate action to escape a life of grinding poverty and domestic violence. By Aigerim Akylbekova, Baktygul Chynybaeva, and RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service
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'Bring Our Husbands Back Home': Russian Women Call For Soldiers To Be Pulled From Ukraine
'Bring Our Husbands Back Home': Russian Women Call For Soldiers To Be Pulled From Ukraine
After Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a "partial mobilization" in fall 2022, over 300,000 reservists were drafted into the war in Ukraine, which Russia calls a "special military operation." A year later, women formed The Way Home initiative to demand that their family members be discharged and sent back home. The women wear white shawls as a symbol of their protest. By RFE/RL's Russian Service and Vladimir Sevrinovsky
On The Ground, Two Years In, Polish Volunteers Labor To Help Ukrainians Cope With War
Nearly two years into Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, hundreds, possibly thousands, of Poles remain committed to finding ways -- big and small -- to help Ukrainians, civilians and soldiers alike. By Aleksander Palikot