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.
'Creating Havoc And Panic': Kremlin-Friendly Fake News Takes Aim At Paris Olympics
From bogus news to a dubious documentary with an AI-generated voice that sounds like Tom Cruise, Russia-friendly agents have been churning out disinformation to discredit the International Olympic Committee and foment fear ahead of the Paris Summer Olympics. By Tony Wesolowsky
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Afghan Sisters Escape The Taliban To Achieve Olympic Dreams
Afghan Sisters Escape The Taliban To Achieve Olympic Dreams
Sisters Yulduz and Fariba Hashimi are set to become the first female cyclists from Afghanistan to compete in the Olympics. The siblings fled their country after the Taliban seized power in 2021 and cracked down on women's rights, including banning women from participating in sports. By RFE/RL's Radio Azadi and Austin Malloy
Tajikistan Silences One Of The Last Voices Of Dissent In The Country
While most Tajik opposition leaders have left the country amid a brutal government crackdown, Shokirjon Hakimov remained in Dushanbe and continued to openly criticize the authorities. Earlier this month, Tajikistan arrested the opposition politician and silenced a rare voice of dissent. By RFE/RL’s Tajik Service
Long Lines, Worries As Ukraine Pushes To Bolster The Ranks For The Fight Against Russia
Two months after a controversial military call-up law took effect, Ukrainian authorities say that conscription has speeded up. As Russia’s invasion persists, the state is walking a tightrope between discontent about the draft and the dire need to replace weary troops and continue fighting. By RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service and Aleksander Palikot
Crowdsourcing Russia's Future: Poll Of Experts Considers What Comes After Putin
How and when will Russian President Vladimir Putin’s 25-year rule come to an end? And who might take his place? These are the questions RFE/RL's Russian investigative unit posed to dozens of international Russia experts, who in all mentioned 34 possible successors by name. By Yelizaveta Surnacheva, Irina Snegovskaya, Systema, and Current Time
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How A Dressmaker, Toy Maker, And Carpenter Work On Through The Shelling of Kharkiv
How A Dressmaker, Toy Maker, And Carpenter Work On Through The Shelling of Kharkiv
Entrepreneurs in Kharkiv continue to work under constant shelling and often without electricity. The attacks on the city 40 kilometers from the Russian border have intensified in recent months with Russian forces having opened up a new front in the north of the Kharkiv region. By Current Time and Polina Morozova
Dead Fish And Dirty Air: Chinese Firms Leave Waste As They Mine Tajikistan’s Gold
Chinese firms are tapping into Tajikistan’s vast mineral wealth and angering Tajiks as they pollute the environment in the process. Yet they still get preferential treatment from the government, an RFE/RL investigation has revealed. By RFE/RL Tajik Service correspondents
'Don’t Even Whisper In Your Language': Russian Course For Central Asian Migrants Lays Down Strict Rules
Russian officials are pushing strict rules for migrants from Central Asia in a new introductory lecture. The measures include migrants only speaking Russian in public and being told not to even “whisper” in their mother tongue. By Baktygul Chynybaeva and RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service
Call To Investigate Iran's 1980s 'Genocide' A Step Toward Ending 'Cycle Of Impunity'
A UN special rapporteur says the flurry of executions that followed the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran amount to genocide. While not the first time the executions have been described as such, analysts say it is an important step toward holding Iran accountable for its "atrocity crimes." By Kian Sharifi
'City Of The Sun': How A Christian Metropolis Was Planned In Soviet Siberia
In the 1920s, Soviet authorities helped plan a city in deepest Siberia where Christians could worship freely (and be watched closely) under the light of a giant electric "sun." By RFE/RL's Siberia.Realities