The Week's Best: RFE/RL Stories You May Have Missed

We know that rferl.org isn't the only website you read, and it's possible that you may have missed some of our most interesting journalism from the past week. To make sure you're up-to-date, here are some of the highlights produced by RFE/RL's team of correspondents, multimedia editors, and visual journalists over the past seven days.

'Мany Corpses Of Children': Witnesses Recount Horror Of Crimean School Shooting

One student said he hid in a classroom, hoping the shooter wouldn’t find him. Another said students ran outside through gaps in a fence. "My friend was killed right before my eyes." By Mike Eckel

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Private Hell: A Mother's Crusade For Justice

Private Hell: A Mother's Crusade For Justice

The death of a private in the Belarusian Army in 2017 was attributed to suicide, but his mother did not believe it. Her crusade for justice led to the case being reopened -- along with dozens of others of alleged military suicides. By RFE/RL's Belarus Service

Lonely Witness: A Gay Russian's Stalled Bid For Justice In Chechnya Crackdown

One year ago, Maksim Lapunov became the first -- and only -- person to publicly claim he was abducted and beaten by police in an antigay crackdown in Russia's Chechnya region. But his hopes for redress in Russia appear increasingly implausible. By Carl Schreck

​'They've Stolen Everything': In Russia's Far East, Dreams Deferred Amid Grim Mood Over Pension Reform​

Pension reform has elicited backlash here against official corruption and vocal local anger toward a president Russians rarely criticize in public. By Matthew Luxmoore

What Comes Next As Ukrainian Orthodox Church Pushes For Independence From Moscow?

On October 11, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church moved one big step closer toward independence from the Moscow Patriarchate. But the road ahead might be even more daunting. By Robert Coalson

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Afghan Women Seek Change Via Ballot Box

Afghan Women Seek Change Via Ballot Box

When Afghans vote for a new parliament on October 20, they will have an unprecedented number of women on the ballot. The road to politics in this conservative country has been bumpy but some sense a change. By RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan and Turkmen Service

'Harrods Shopaholic' From Azerbaijan Focuses Attention On Aliyev Family's London Properties

The U.K.'s focus on a multimillion-dollar luxury shopping splurge by the wife of a jailed Azerbaijani banker raises the specter that President Ilham Aliyev and his family might be asked to explain their overseas wealth. By Pete Baumgartner and RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service

Will Macedonia's Orthodox Church Also Break Away?

When the spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians took steps toward recognizing the Ukrainian church's independence from Moscow, the move raised the attention of Orthodox Christian believers on both sides of a dispute between churches in Serbia and Macedonia. By Ron Synovitz

​Baby Steps: Young Afghan Candidates Take On Old Guard​

Hundreds of young, first-time Afghan candidates are contesting the October 20 parliamentary elections in a bid to bring new ideas to a tradition-bound establishment. By Frud Bezhan

​Putting An End To 20 Years Of Death Along The Tajik-Uzbek Border​

Tajik officials have announced that work has started to demine the border with Uzbekistan with help from Uzbek authorities. Dozens of citizens of Tajikistan have been killed and maimed by these land mines that Uzbekistan laid nearly 20 years ago. By Bruce Pannier