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.
You're Hearing A Lot About Ukraine's New Counteroffensive. One Week In, It's Only Getting Started.
Roughly one week into a counteroffensive that it hopes will change the course of the 15-month Russian invasion, Ukraine has made advances on the southern and eastern parts of the front line, but Russia is fighting back, destroying Western-supplied weaponry. Will the Ukrainian efforts be enough? By Mike Eckel
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'We Want To Defeat Russia,' Says British Historian Figes, 'But We Don't Want To Push It Into Civil War And Chaos'
The British historian Orlando Figes says President Vladimir Putin's decision to invade Ukraine won't end with him going down in Russian history as one of its greatest leaders, warning the conflict could end with chaos inside Russia. By Vazha Tavberidze
The Ukrainian Cities Obliterated In Russia’s Self-Proclaimed 'Liberation'
Russia’s full-scale war on Ukraine has nearly wiped multiple cities and towns from the face of the earth, despite the Kremlin's claim that it is conducting a campaign of “liberation.” By Donbas.Realities, Svitlana Kuzmenko, and Carl Schreck
'Monotony And Tension': Life's On Pause As Familiar Unrest Roils Kosovo
In Kosovo's famously divided city, residents talk about coping with life when the languor of late spring gives way to security cordons, blaring alarms, and customers in bulletproof vests. By Doruntina Baliu and Ibrahim Berisha
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Deadly Wildfires In Kazakhstan Kill At Least 15
Deadly Wildfires In Kazakhstan Kill At Least 15
The death toll from wildfires in Kazakhstan's Abai region rose to 15 after the body of a tractor driver was discovered on June 13. This comes a day after the Central Asian nation held a day of mourning for 14 firefighters who died in the blaze. Locals say poor funding due to corrupt officials has contributed to the tragedy. By RFE/RL's Kazakh Service and Austin Malloy
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'Everything Turned Red': Russia Launches Deadly Cruise Missile Attack On Odesa
'Everything Turned Red': Russia Launches Deadly Cruise Missile Attack On Odesa
A Russian cruise missile attack killed at least three people and injured 13 others in Ukraine's southern port city of Odesa. The strike destroyed civilian infrastructure, including a residential complex and a food warehouse. The onslaught comes as Russian forces have stepped up aerial assaults across Ukraine in recent weeks. Before this attack, the Black Sea city had enjoyed relative calm when compared to other major Ukrainian urban centers. By Current Time, RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, and Austin Malloy
Ukraine's Kherson Region Faces 'Ecological Catastrophe' Amid Ongoing Fighting
The civilian population of the Kherson region, which first survived the brutal Russian occupation and later lived alongside daily shelling and air attacks, is now bound to face what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy described as "an environmental bomb of mass destruction." By Aleksander Palikot
The Ugly Reaction To A Journalist's Suicide In Romania Shows How Mental Illness Is Still A Huge Taboo
The reaction to the death by suicide of Romanian journalist Iulia Marin, who openly wrote about her struggles with depression, revealed the widespread prejudice against people with mental health issues, a societal hangover from the Ceausescu era. By Alison Mutler
'Cost Of War': Czech President Says Russians In West Should Be 'Monitored'
Czech President Petr Pavel said security services should monitor Russians living in the West, calling it "simply the cost" of the Kremlin's war against Ukraine, but a spokeswoman for the president clarified that he did not mean creating internment camps or any type of persecution. By RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service
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'Veep' Director Iannucci Says Putin May Be Left Only With 'His Shadow'
'Veep' Director Iannucci Says Putin May Be Left Only With 'His Shadow'
Scottish screenwriter and director Armando Iannucci says he views Russian President Vladimir Putin as an increasingly isolated figure. In an interview with RFE/RL's Vazha Tavberidze, Iannucci, who created the HBO political satire Veep and the 2017 satirical film The Death Of Stalin, said Putin "lives in a world where people get further and further away from him" and that he may be left only with "him and his shadow." By RFE/RL's Georgian Service and Vazha Tavberidze