The Week's Best: 12 Stories And Videos You Shouldn't Miss

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.

On The Battlefield, Russia Leans Into A Window Of Opportunity That Ukraine’s Trying To Shut

Things aren’t looking as bleak for Ukraine as they were in the spring. Despite stabilizing many of its lines, Ukraine still faces a concentrated Russian effort that appears to be aimed at making tangible gains before more Ukrainian soldiers and Western weapons show up at the front. By Mike Eckel

'When Will We Come Home?': A Belarusian Volunteer's Notes From The Front Lines In Ukraine

Hundreds of Belarusians have volunteered to fight alongside the Ukrainian military since Moscow's February 2022 full-scale invasion. Dozens have been killed. Friends of one volunteer have given access to his letters from the front, opening a window onto the motivations and hardships they face. By RFE/RL's Belarus Service

'Everything Is Burning': Ukrainian Troops Defend Donetsk Region Hot Spot

'Everything Is Burning': Ukrainian Troops Defend Donetsk Region Hot Spot

Ukrainian soldiers are fighting to hold defensive positions near the city of Toretsk as Russian forces try to capture more land in the Donetsk region. The frontline industrial city was said to have been relatively calm until June, when advancing Russian troops stepped up attacks on the area. RFE/RL correspondent Maryan Kushnir spent several days with Ukrainian units pushing back against Russian attempts to advance farther in the eastern Ukrainian region. By Maryan Kushnir, RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, and Austin Malloy

Dad Loved His Country, But It Didn't Love Him': A Photojournalist's Chronicle Of Life In 1980-'90s Belarus

In the 1980s and '90s, Belarusian photojournalist Syarhey Brushko documented the turbulent period of Belarus's transition from a Soviet republic to an independent state that saw the rise of authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka. By RFE/RL's Belarus Service

'Why Did They Shoot?': Mother Still Seeks Answers 10 Years After MH17 Shot Down

'Why Did They Shoot?': Mother Still Seeks Answers 10 Years After MH17 Shot Down

Ten years after a Malaysian airliner was blown out of the sky over Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board, the mother of one of the victims says she still has questions. A Dutch court has ruled that Russian intelligence agents worked with a Ukrainian separatist leader to transport a Russian military missile system that was used to shoot down flight MH17. More than two-thirds of the victims were Dutch, and three people were convicted in absentia of murder by a Dutch court -- with investigators concluding there were "strong indications" of Russian President Vladimir Putin's personal involvement. Selene Fredriksz, who lost her son and his girlfriend, says she believes Putin is "guilty as hell" and still hopes for further convictions. By Olena Abramovych, Ray Furlong, RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, and Current Time

Former NATO Assistant Secretary-General: We Shouldn't Be 'Carving Up Somebody Else's Country'

Patrick Turner, who served as the NATO assistant secretary-general from 2018 till 2022, discusses Ukraine's NATO candidacy and what to make of Donald Trump's statement that he could end the Ukraine war in 24 hours. Interview by Vazha Tavberidze

Ukrainian Man Braves Bombs To Feed Stray Dogs

Ukrainian Man Braves Bombs To Feed Stray Dogs

Ukrainian policemen urge locals to evacuate Lyptsi, a war-torn village in the country's Kharkiv region some 5 kilometers from the border with Russia. Only a handful of villagers have remained in the once peaceful settlement amid increased Russian aerial assaults. One local man has chosen to stay in the area and is feeding abandoned dogs that live among the ruins of the destroyed village. By Andriy Kuzakov, Current Time, and Austin Malloy

'She Was An Inconvenience': Remembering Rights Activist Natalya Estemirova 15 Years After Her Killing

Fifteen years after prominent Chechen human rights activist Natalya Estemirova was found shot to death, her case remains officially unsolved. Former friends and colleagues recall her as a fearless thorn in the side of Chechnya’s notorious strongman leader, Ramzan Kadyrov. By Natalya Kildiyarova

'We Are Being Killed': A Gay Man Forced To Escape Turkmenistan

'We Are Being Killed': A Gay Man Forced To Escape Turkmenistan

David Omarov, a native of Turkmenistan, says he was arrested and tortured there for being gay -- a crime under the country's repressive regime. He was also charged with "disseminating AIDS" while imprisoned in 2019 and forced to sign a confession before he was finally able to flee to Poland. In his new home, Omarov works to raise awareness of the threats facing the LGBT community in Turkmenistan. By RFE/RL's Turkmen Service, Toymyrat Bugayev, Roman Kim, and Will Tizard

Ancient Scythian Gold From Crimea On Display In Kyiv After 9-Year Legal Battle

Ancient Scythian Gold From Crimea On Display In Kyiv After 9-Year Legal Battle

An exhibition of over 500 artifacts including Scythian gold telling the ancient history of Crimea has opened in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. The items were loaned from museums in Crimea, Kyiv, and Odesa to an Amsterdam museum before Russia occupied and annexed Crimea in 2014. Now the items have been returned to Ukraine after a nine-year legal battle. By Borys Sachalko and Serhiy Dykun

How The Ukraine War Could Revamp Trade In Eurasia

The Middle Corridor -- a 6,500-kilometer trade route connecting China to Europe through Central Asia and the Caucasus -- has expanded since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But can countries work to overcome the problems that have long plagued trade between Europe and Asia? By Reid Standish, Wojtek Grojec, and Ivan Gutterman

'Being A Herder Is Hard': The Exhausting, Dangerous Lives Of Modern-Day Kyrgyz Shepherds

'Being A Herder Is Hard': The Exhausting, Dangerous Lives Of Modern-Day Kyrgyz Shepherds

Every spring, hundreds of shepherds and herders across Kyrgyzstan move into mountainous pastures on a long, complex, and often dangerous route. Modern Kyrgyz nomads need to travel higher into the mountains than they did a few years ago in search of greener places to keep their animals. By Mirlan Kadyrov, Bektur Stamkulov, and Baktygul Chynybaeva