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.
Remembering Shovi: One Year After The Tragic Landslide In Georgia
It has been a year since a disaster struck Shovi, a picturesque resort town located in the Greater Caucasus Mountains, claiming the lives of 33 people on August 3, 2023. The once vibrant resort is now covered in massive stones and gravel, and the search for one missing minor has been abandoned. By RFE/RL's Georgian Service, Eka Kevanishvili, and Ilia Ratiani
'Defeating Russia Is The Best Thing We Could Do For Russia': Historian Timothy Snyder On The Ukraine War
American historian and author Timothy Snyder spoke to RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service about scenarios for ending Russia’s war against Ukraine, the possibility of the collapse of Russia, mobilization motivation in Ukraine, and the importance of wording in talks and promises by Western leaders. By Sashko Shevchenko
Deadly Turning Points Over Vladimir Putin’s 25 Years In Power
On August 9, 1999, President Boris Yeltsin picked the 47-year-old former KGB officer Vladimir Putin as prime minister. Twenty-five years on, Putin still rules Russia, now in his fifth presidential term. RFE/RL takes a look at some of the deadly turning points that shaped Russia’s path under Putin. By Robert Coalson
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'I'm Finally In Good Hands': Freed RFE/RL Journalist Alsu Kurmasheva On Life After Russian Prison
'I'm Finally In Good Hands': Freed RFE/RL Journalist Alsu Kurmasheva On Life After Russian Prison
Alsu Kurmasheva, an RFE/RL journalist and mother of two, was reunited with her family near Washington, D.C., after she was freed in a historic prisoner swap following nine months in Russian detention. She had been sentenced to 6 1/2 years in prison on a charge of spreading falsehoods about the Russian military, a charge rejected by her employer. Joined by her husband, Pavel Butorin, Kurmasheva, 47, spoke with RFE/RL on August 5 from Texas about how she is adjusting to freedom after her release from a Russian prison. By Mike Eckel, Austin Malloy, and RFE/RL
Olha Kharlan, Ukraine's Most-Awarded Olympian, Dedicates Medals To 'Athletes Killed By Russia'
Saber-fencing world champion Olha Kharlan won Ukraine's first medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics on July 29, giving her country something to celebrate as it battles invading Russian forces. By RFE/RL's Bulgarian Service and Dilyana Teoharova
'Overwhelmed By Misery': Taliban’s Harvest Tax Squeezes Impoverished Afghan Farmers
Afghan farmers, already reeling from natural disasters that have struck the impoverished country in recent months, have criticized the Taliban’s move to impose ushr, an Islamic tax, on their harvests. By RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi
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Russian Pianist Dies In Custody After Hunger Strike Against War
Russian Pianist Dies In Custody After Hunger Strike Against War
A 39-year-old pianist has died in a Russian pretrial detention facility after staging a dry hunger strike in protest against his country's invasion of Ukraine. Pavel Kushnir had been charged with inciting terrorism after making anti-war videos on a YouTube channel that had just five subscribers. By Yekaterina Kochkina, Current Time, and Ray Furlong
Iran And Russia See Africa As A Land Of Opportunity
As Russia and Iran look to break out of their isolation, they see Africa as the perfect place to boost their international and military standing. Often their focus is similarly drawn to restive areas where anti-Western sentiment is high and chaos reigns. By Michael Scollon
Ceausescu's Grand Vision: A Legacy Built On Rubble
It's been nearly half a century since Romanian communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu decided to build the House of the Republic in the heart of Bucharest. It was to be Europe's largest building at that time. Over 10,000 houses were razed, transforming a project initially conceived by Romanian King Carol II into a North Korean-style megalomaniacal endeavor. By RFE/RL's Romanian Service
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Back To Black: Iranian Woman Jailed After Amy Winehouse Performance
Back To Black: Iranian Woman Jailed After Amy Winehouse Performance
Incredible footage has emerged from Iran showing a woman, defying the law by not wearing a mandatory head scarf, singing the Amy Winehouse hit Back To Black on the streets of Tehran. The woman, Zara Esmaili, has now been jailed. By Mohammad Zarghami, RFE/RL's Radio Farda, and Ray Furlong
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Young Kyrgyz Mother's Yurt Camp On Central Asia's Highest Peak
Young Kyrgyz Mother's Yurt Camp On Central Asia's Highest Peak
A 21-year-old Kyrgyz woman has established a yurt camp at the base of the 7,000-meter Lenin Peak, near the Kyrgyz-Tajik border, which has gained popularity among foreign tourists. Inspired by her interactions with international visitors during her childhood, Gulburak Begmataeva decided to launch her own yurt camp. She hopes for the Kyrgyz-Tajik border to reopen, as its closure is severely affecting cross-border tourism in the region. By Almira Abidinova and Baktygul Chynybaeva
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The Bullfights Bringing Bosnians Together
The Bullfights Bringing Bosnians Together
Every August, Bosnian Serbs, Bosnian Croats, and Bosniaks who have spent thousands of dollars on raising bulls battle for glory in one of the Balkans' oldest and most coveted sporting prizes. By Amos Chapple