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 Fri, 21 Aug 2026 02:26:27 +0200 Pangea CMS – RFE/RL A visit to a weapons manufacturing plant by Belarusian leader Aleksandr Lukashenko on August 18 highlighted an assault rifle Minsk is claiming was made entirely inside Belarus. https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-assault-rifle-iran-vsk-100b/33834995.html https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-assault-rifle-iran-vsk-100b/33834995.html Thu, 20 Aug 2026 18:58:49 +0200 BelarusFeaturesThe Rundown Stories More than a dozen people were killed in overnight Russian ballistic missile attacks on Kyiv, according to Ukrainian authorities on August. 20. The large-scale barrage injured more than 30 as apartment buildings were hit, sparking fires as emergency teams tried to rescue victims. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-kyiv-russia-missile-drone-civilian-strike-ballistic/33834342.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-kyiv-russia-missile-drone-civilian-strike-ballistic/33834342.html Thu, 20 Aug 2026 11:55:22 +0200 UkraineRussiaVideo ArchiveVideosRussia Invades Ukraine Russia launched a large-scale barrage of ballistic and cruise missiles and drones on Kyiv and its surrounding region, killing at least 17 people and injuring more than 30 others, according to Ukrainian authorities. https://www.rferl.org/a/russian-deadly-attack-on-kyiv-ukraine/33834170.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russian-deadly-attack-on-kyiv-ukraine/33834170.html Thu, 20 Aug 2026 07:27:29 +0200 NewsUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Headline Russia marks Cheburashka’s 60th birthday on August 20 amid both enduring love for the creature and debate over his morality and even his “ethnicity.” https://www.rferl.org/a/cheburashka-soviet-childrens-character-lunar-demon-lovable-misfit/33833663.html https://www.rferl.org/a/cheburashka-soviet-childrens-character-lunar-demon-lovable-misfit/33833663.html Wed, 19 Aug 2026 20:28:34 +0200 RussiaFeaturesPhoto GalleriesPhoto GalleriesThe Rundown Stories Ukraine's anti-corruption agency has announced new investigations focusing on lawmakers and people from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's office, a day after popular former Defense Minister Mykhaylo Fedorov issued a video calling for him to hold new elections . https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-anti-corruption-raids-fedorov-zelenskyy/33833537.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-anti-corruption-raids-fedorov-zelenskyy/33833537.html Wed, 19 Aug 2026 13:40:31 +0200 NewsRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Headline Iranian authorities have moved against the popular online platform Azad, accusing it of publishing “falsehoods” and signaling what an Iranian political activist and commentator says could be a broader crackdown on independent Persian-language YouTube channels. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-azad-youtube-ban-dissent/33833478.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-azad-youtube-ban-dissent/33833478.html Wed, 19 Aug 2026 12:06:55 +0200 IranThe Rundown StoriesNews Analysis Russian drivers are facing more long waits and lines at gas stations in several regions amid continuing Ukrainian air attacks on refineries. They describe another wave of fuel shortages and Kremlin-imposed limits on gas station sales. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-gasoline-shortage-ukraine-drone-strikes-refinery-travel/33833485.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-gasoline-shortage-ukraine-drone-strikes-refinery-travel/33833485.html Wed, 19 Aug 2026 11:58:15 +0200 UkraineRussiaVideo ArchiveVideosRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories Arseny Turbin was 15 when he was arrested in 2023, and was described as Russia's youngest political prisoner. He turned 18 on August 19. He was given a 5-year sentence in 2024 -- and may now face new charges. RFE/RL's Russian Service spoke to family members about his life behind bars. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-teen-prisoner-protest-putin/33832932.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-teen-prisoner-protest-putin/33832932.html Wed, 19 Aug 2026 09:25:47 +0200 RussiaFeaturesRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories As the conflict in the Persian Gulf 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-live-blog-trump-middle-east/33803414.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-live-blog-trump-middle-east/33803414.html Wed, 19 Aug 2026 07:15:00 +0200 IranNewsHuman RightsThe Rundown Stories As the war in Ukraine drags on, the Kremlin is looking beyond its borders for help sustaining its military machine. Russian President Vladimir Putin has recently ordered negotiations to revise military cooperation agreements with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-kazakhstan-uzbekistan-military-defense-cooperation/33832996.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-kazakhstan-uzbekistan-military-defense-cooperation/33832996.html Tue, 18 Aug 2026 20:57:00 +0200 UkraineFeaturesKazakhstanRussiaUzbekistanRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories A popular former Ukrainian defense minister whose dismissal last month sparked protests has assailed wartime corruption, warned of a crisis of governance in Ukraine, and said the country must find a way to hold elections despite Russia's continuing invasion. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-defense-chief-nuclear-plant-missiles/33832964.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-defense-chief-nuclear-plant-missiles/33832964.html Tue, 18 Aug 2026 17:54:25 +0200 NewsRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Headline A former patient has leaked multiple videos about conditions at a high-security psychiatric hospital in Kazakhstan, sparking widespread discussion about what happens behind its guarded walls. https://www.rferl.org/a/aktas-mental-hospital-kazakhstan-videos/33832790.html https://www.rferl.org/a/aktas-mental-hospital-kazakhstan-videos/33832790.html Tue, 18 Aug 2026 12:46:02 +0200 KazakhstanFeaturesThe Rundown Stories Patients at a high-security psychiatric hospital in Aktas, Kazakhstan, described abuse in secretly recorded videos obtained by RFE/RL: forced injections, days tied to beds, and manual labor. The hospital denied the allegations as authorities launched several investigations. https://www.rferl.org/a/secret-videos-allege-abuse-at-kazakh-psychiatric-hospital/33832707.html https://www.rferl.org/a/secret-videos-allege-abuse-at-kazakh-psychiatric-hospital/33832707.html Tue, 18 Aug 2026 09:52:53 +0200 KazakhstanVideo ArchiveVideosThe Rundown Stories Almost a month after two prominent Iranian graphic designers were detained by security forces, friends and relatives of the pair have issued a statement demanding public disclosure of the charges against them and immediate access to independent legal counsel. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-graphic-designers-french-diplomats-arrest/33832095.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-graphic-designers-french-diplomats-arrest/33832095.html Mon, 17 Aug 2026 17:43:34 +0200 IranNewsHuman RightsThe Rundown Stories Russia's Supreme Court has rejected an appeal by the Yabloko party, the sole officially registered party to openly oppose Moscow's war on Ukraine, against its removal from the ballot for September parliamentary elections. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-anti-war-party-yabloko-court-appeal-elections/33832027.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-anti-war-party-yabloko-court-appeal-elections/33832027.html Mon, 17 Aug 2026 16:57:51 +0200 NewsRussiaRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories Falling water levels in the Danube River have uncovered Nazi warships in Serbia and a military motorcycle in Hungary amid a drought affecting much of Europe. https://www.rferl.org/a/serbia-danube-wwii-shipwrecks-relics-drought-exposed/33831999.html https://www.rferl.org/a/serbia-danube-wwii-shipwrecks-relics-drought-exposed/33831999.html Mon, 17 Aug 2026 14:56:51 +0200 Photo GalleriesSerbiaPhoto GalleriesBulgariaHungaryThe Rundown Stories Iran’s hardline-dominated parliament has approved the framework of a bill that criminalizes a range of interactions with "hostile" foreign media and other institutions with ties abroad as authorities look to curb what they consider foreign infiltration of the Islamic republic. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-parliament-bill-hostile-media-criminalize/33832009.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-parliament-bill-hostile-media-criminalize/33832009.html Mon, 17 Aug 2026 12:15:28 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown Stories Russia is proposing an overhaul of its foreign-worker recruitment system in 2027, tying migrants to specific employers, jobs, and regions. Experts warn that tighter rules could worsen labor shortages and push more migrants into informal employment. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-migrant-worker-rules-central-asia-uzbekistan-tajikistan/33831461.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-migrant-worker-rules-central-asia-uzbekistan-tajikistan/33831461.html Sun, 16 Aug 2026 14:34:08 +0200 RussiaFeaturesKazakhstanKyrgyzstanTajikistanTurkmenistan UzbekistanThe Rundown Stories A Ukrainian drone attack on the Moscow region reportedly struck a warehouse belonging to Wildberries, Russia’s largest online retailer. Ukraine has targeted Wildberries since mid-July as part of a broader campaign by Ukraine to disrupt its logistics networks, military sites, and energy hubs. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukrainian-launches-hundreds-of-drones-at-moscow/33831468.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukrainian-launches-hundreds-of-drones-at-moscow/33831468.html Sun, 16 Aug 2026 13:01:24 +0200 VideosRussiaVideo Archive Russia and Ukraine traded overnight attacks into August 16, with Ukrainian officials reporting at least five killed in Russian strikes and damage to the country’s largest steel plant, while Russian officials said Ukrainian drones killed at least six and set warehouses ablaze. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-moscow-wildberries-facilities-drones/33831405.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-moscow-wildberries-facilities-drones/33831405.html Sun, 16 Aug 2026 09:59:55 +0200 NewsRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Headline