https://www.rferl.org Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty is an international news organization serving Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Russia, the Middle East and Balkan countries https://www.rferl.org/Content/responsive/RFE/en-US/img/logo.png https://www.rferl.org en Copyright 2026 - RFE/RL, Inc. 60 Mon, 18 May 2026 12:42:23 +0200 Pangea CMS – RFE/RL As the US-Israeli war with Iran continues to impact and shape the region, journalists from RFE/RL's Central Newsroom and Iranian service, Radio Farda, deliver ongoing updates and analysis. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-us-hormuz-oil-blockade-gulf-israel/33640284.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-us-hormuz-oil-blockade-gulf-israel/33640284.html Mon, 18 May 2026 06:00:00 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown Stories In the wake of massive drone strikes on Kyiv, Ukraine launched air attacks on May 17 called the heaviest to hit the Moscow area in over a year. At least four people died, officials said on Sunday, in strikes on the Moscow and Belgorod regions. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-moscow-russia-drone-strike-kyiv-zelenskyy/33758823.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-moscow-russia-drone-strike-kyiv-zelenskyy/33758823.html Sun, 17 May 2026 17:35:26 +0200 UkraineRussiaVideo ArchiveVideosRussia Invades Ukraine Three people have been reported dead as Russia's Moscow region faced the largest Ukrainian assault in over a year on May 17. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-drone-attack-moscow-russia/33758725.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-drone-attack-moscow-russia/33758725.html Sun, 17 May 2026 10:22:41 +0200 NewsRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories In Chechnya, defying authority or tradition can carry consequences beyond life. Activists say domestic violence victims, LGBT people, and political dissenters are increasingly denied Islamic burial rites -- a final act of control and humiliation. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-chechnya-killings-burial-opprssion-violence/33756653.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-chechnya-killings-burial-opprssion-violence/33756653.html Sun, 17 May 2026 09:39:01 +0200 North CaucasusFeaturesArmeniaRussiaThe Rundown Stories The Trump administration has allowed a controversial waiver on sanctions targeting Russian seaborne oil to expire, reimposing restrictions that had temporarily enabled countries such as India to continue purchasing Russian crude despite Western efforts to curb Moscow’s wartime revenues. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-seaborne-oil-waiver-iran-energy-war/33758687.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-seaborne-oil-waiver-iran-energy-war/33758687.html Sun, 17 May 2026 09:07:28 +0200 IranNewsRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories Russia is preparing to assault the city of Dobropillya, according to Ukraine’s military. Located a few kilometers from the front line, the city is burning and being destroyed by bombs, artillery, and drones. Despite daily shelling, some civilians flatly refuse to leave and remain in Dobropillya.  https://www.rferl.org/a/a-night-under-russian-bombs-in-dobropillya/33757592.html https://www.rferl.org/a/a-night-under-russian-bombs-in-dobropillya/33757592.html Sun, 17 May 2026 07:51:00 +0200 UkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories Mourners paid tribute to Ukrainians killed on May 14 when a Russian air attack caused an apartment building to collapse in Kyiv. "They just wiped out people," said one witness about the attack at a makeshift memorial near the ruins. Meanwhile, Russia followed up with more attacks May 16. https://www.rferl.org/a/kyiv-apartment-drone-strike-memorial-russia-sumy-counterstrike/33758370.html https://www.rferl.org/a/kyiv-apartment-drone-strike-memorial-russia-sumy-counterstrike/33758370.html Sat, 16 May 2026 18:07:19 +0200 UkraineRussiaVideo ArchiveVideosRussia Invades Ukraine A major military museum in the western German city of Koblenz is denying entry to nationals from 26 countries, causing tense scenes with some visitors who arrive with children. https://www.rferl.org/a/germany-military-museum-bans-ukrainians-russians-security-risk/33756719.html https://www.rferl.org/a/germany-military-museum-bans-ukrainians-russians-security-risk/33756719.html Sat, 16 May 2026 13:28:17 +0200 FeaturesAfghanistanArmeniaAzerbaijanBelarusGeorgiaIranKazakhstanKyrgyzstanMoldovaRussiaTajikistanTurkmenistan UkraineUzbekistanTatar-BashkirPakistanPicksThe Rundown Stories A leaked EU threat assessment seen by RFE/RL warns that terrorism and violent extremism “pose a significant threat to the EU,” citing heightened risks from Afghanistan and Iran as well as negative spillover effects from the war in Ukraine. https://www.rferl.org/a/leaked-eu-report-rising-terror-risk-iran-afghanistan-russia/33758305.html https://www.rferl.org/a/leaked-eu-report-rising-terror-risk-iran-afghanistan-russia/33758305.html Sat, 16 May 2026 13:21:43 +0200 FeaturesAfghanistanIranRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown HeadlineEurope Iran's publishing industry is staging a virtual book fair amid compounding wartime crises: physical damage to bookshops from US-Israeli strikes, an Internet blackout, and a paper shortage worsened by sanctions. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-book-fair-publishing-industry-war/33758285.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-book-fair-publishing-industry-war/33758285.html Sat, 16 May 2026 12:55:37 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown Stories Representative Brian Mast told RFE/RL during a Council on Foreign Relations event that he believes Europe should take greater responsibility for supporting Ukraine because the war is "in their backyard." https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-military-aid-us-congress/33758257.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-military-aid-us-congress/33758257.html Sat, 16 May 2026 10:57:57 +0200 NewsRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories Luke Coffey, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute focusing on national security and transatlantic relations, told RFE/RL in an interview that Iran appears to be borrowing directly from Russia’s negotiation strategy. https://www.rferl.org/a/coffey-hudson-iran-kremlin-negotiation-russia/33757144.html https://www.rferl.org/a/coffey-hudson-iran-kremlin-negotiation-russia/33757144.html Sat, 16 May 2026 10:35:24 +0200 IranNewsRussiaRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East Eyewitness video captured an explosion as a Ukrainian drone hit an apartment building in the Russian city of Ryazan, killing at least four people, according to local officials. The drone attack targeted a major oil refinery in the city southeast of Moscow. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ryazan-drone-strike-apartment-oil-refinery/33757934.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ryazan-drone-strike-apartment-oil-refinery/33757934.html Fri, 15 May 2026 23:45:58 +0200 RussiaVideo ArchiveVideos In an interview with RFE/RL, Sam Brownback argued that Russia, China, and Iran are increasingly operating as part of a “dark alliance” of authoritarian states -- one built on surveillance technology, censorship, ideological control, and the suppression of religious and civil society groups. https://www.rferl.org/a/sam-brownback-religious-freedom-russia-iran-china/33757881.html https://www.rferl.org/a/sam-brownback-religious-freedom-russia-iran-china/33757881.html Fri, 15 May 2026 20:42:15 +0200 IranFeaturesRussiaRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown StoriesChina A loosening of rules for tourists entering Turkmenistan has been noticed by travellers and tour agencies but locals say the sudden liberalization is not extending to Turkmen citizens. https://www.rferl.org/a/turkmenistan-tourism-thaw-locals-travel-visas-repression/33757731.html https://www.rferl.org/a/turkmenistan-tourism-thaw-locals-travel-visas-repression/33757731.html Fri, 15 May 2026 17:03:06 +0200 Turkmenistan The Rundown Stories Iranian traders are smuggling over 6 million liters of fuel to neighboring Pakistan each day, traders and transporters in the South Asian country told RFE/RL. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-pakistan-smuggling-fuel/33757626.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-pakistan-smuggling-fuel/33757626.html Fri, 15 May 2026 15:48:04 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown Stories Nina Litvinova, a prominent Russian human rights activist and dissident whose suicide was reported recently by Russian media, left a note blaming President Vladimir Putin for her death, according to her cousin. https://www.rferl.org/a/nina-litvinova-suicide-note-putin/33757694.html https://www.rferl.org/a/nina-litvinova-suicide-note-putin/33757694.html Fri, 15 May 2026 15:13:36 +0200 NewsRussiaUkraineThe Rundown Stories If organizers’ hopes are fulfilled, thousands of devout Belarusians -- Baptists, Adventists, other Protestants – could jam a Minsk stadium for a 2-day religious festival, where famed preacher Franklin Graham is expected to speak. It’s an exceedingly rare event for Belarus’ authoritarian regime. https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-religion-protestant-graham-festival-prayer/33757689.html https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-religion-protestant-graham-festival-prayer/33757689.html Fri, 15 May 2026 15:04:08 +0200 FeaturesBelarusThe Rundown Stories A senior US State Department official warned that Russia is likely to reposition forces toward NATO’s eastern flank once the war in Ukraine ends, raising concerns that the Baltic states could face intensified military and hybrid pressure from Moscow in the years ahead. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-nato-baltic-ukraine-war-eastern-flank/33757418.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-nato-baltic-ukraine-war-eastern-flank/33757418.html Fri, 15 May 2026 12:11:38 +0200 NewsRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories Rescue crews searched through the rubble after Russian forces hit a Kyiv apartment building in an attack that killed at least 24 people, and US President Donald Trump suggested the strike could set back peace efforts. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-kyiv-apartment-building-russia-strike/33757413.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-kyiv-apartment-building-russia-strike/33757413.html Fri, 15 May 2026 02:31:33 +0200 NewsRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories