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 New Offensive, Azerbaijan Tightens Grip On Nagorno-Karabakh
A cease-fire has been agreed between Baku and the ethnic Armenian authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh after Azerbaijan launched a new offensive on September 19. But why has Azerbaijan attacked now? Analysts say that Baku is frustrated with the slow pace of the peace talks and has calculated that it won't face any significance consequences from Russia or the West. By Joshua Kucera
Hungarian Hip-Hop Artists Aren't Just Rapping About The Hood. They're Also Taking On The Government.
A new wave of Hungarian hip-hop artists is embracing politics, mostly by boisterously mocking the right-wing Fidesz government. For Hungarians who have grown up during Orban's 12-year rule, rappers and their concerts have become a crucial outlet for dissent. By Lili Rutai
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Ukrainian Boy With 80 Percent Burns Returns Home After More Than 30 Operations in Germany
Ukrainian Boy With 80 Percent Burns Returns Home After More Than 30 Operations in Germany
An 8-year-old Ukraine boy who suffered burns to 80 percent of his body following an air strike has returned home after undergoing over 30 operations in Germany. Roman Oleksiv was injured and his mother was killed in a July 2022 Russian missile attack on the central Ukrainian city of Vinnytsya. By RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service and Roksolana Bychai
'The Wiliest Is The Winner': Ukrainian Marine Infantry Gradually Breaks Through Russian Defenses
Ukraine has deployed four NATO-trained, Western-equipped brigades in a small sector of the southern front and made significant advances there. From recently recaptured trenches, the war seems endless, but from headquarters, it’s a battle of wits as well as weapons -- and the smarter side will win. By Aleksander Palikot
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Taking Ground 'Meter By Meter': Ukrainian Counteroffensive Liberates Village Bordering Donetsk Airport
Taking Ground 'Meter By Meter': Ukrainian Counteroffensive Liberates Village Bordering Donetsk Airport
Capitalizing on "any gaps in the enemy's defense," Ukrainian troops said on September 12 they were slowly but steadily reclaiming ground in their counteroffensive to Russia's invasion. The cost is high, they explain, because Russian artillery usually razes retaken villages to the ground. By Current Time, Andriy Kuzakov, and Will Tizard
The Romanian Ghost Village Where Air-Raid Shelters Are Being Built After Russian Strikes On Ukraine
The Romanian Defense Ministry has built air-raid shelters in Plauru after repeated Russian attacks on Ukrainian sites across the river and multiple discoveries this month of rocket fragments on Romanian soil. By Cezar Amariei and Carl Schreck
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Ukraine's Camo Queen Helps Protect Soldiers, Costly Weapon Systems From Russian Forces
Ukraine's Camo Queen Helps Protect Soldiers, Costly Weapons Systems From Russian Forces
Ukrainian volunteers are making low-cost DIY camouflage nets that are being used to safeguard soldiers and conceal expensive weapons systems. Many of them learned the craft from Olesia Koryahina, one of the founders who popularized the movement. For nearly a decade, she has helped lead a web of predominantly female volunteers dedicated to masking Ukrainian forces from Russian reconnaissance. The women claim to have woven hundreds of thousands of square meters of the protective netting for soldiers on the front line. By Austin Malloy
The Teenage Sons Of Kremlin-Backed Chechen Leader Ramzan Kadyrov Are In The Spotlight. Why?
Three teenage sons of Kremlin-backed Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov have often been in the spotlight, and some of their siblings have also been showered with accolades. What’s behind the prominence of the trio? By Andrei Besedin
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Thousands Of Ukrainian Civilians Reportedly Imprisoned By Russia
Thousands Of Ukrainian Civilians Reportedly Imprisoned By Russia
International monitoring organizations estimate thousands of Ukrainians have been illegally held prisoner and deported by Russian forces since the beginning of the full-scale attack on Ukraine in February 2022. Their families fight for scraps of information while first-hand witnesses recount how civilians with no military role were arrested on the street while going about daily routines: shopping, going to work, or visiting relatives. By Current Time, Yulia Zhukova, and Will Tizard
Ukraine Is Once Again A Focus Of U.S. Politics. This Time, The Stakes Are Higher.
After a 2020 election in which Kyiv played a role it never wanted, many in Ukraine hoped the country could avoid further entanglement in U.S. politics. But Russia’s war, a new impeachment bid, and other factors have again thrust Ukraine into the U.S. political spotlight ahead of the 2024 vote. By Todd Prince