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Kristyna Foltynova

Kristyna Foltynova is a data and visual journalist in RFE/RL's Central Newsroom. She produces a wide variety of data-driven content, including infographics, animated videos, and interactive multimedia features. She is passionate about the topics of gender equality, climate change, and data privacy.

Also by Kristyna Foltynova

March 04, 2021
Sputnik V: The Story Of Russia's Controversial COVID-19 Vaccine

Despite serious concerns by experts that Russia's Sputnik V vaccine was rushed out without the necessary trials, more than 40 countries have so far decided to put their faith in it and, to varying degrees, have approved it for use. Here's what you need to know about it.
January 20, 2021
We See You! How Russia Has Expanded Its Video-Surveillance System

In 2020, Russia ranked third in the world in terms of the number of CCTV cameras on its territory. The country also invested millions of dollars in facial-recognition software and launched one of the world's most comprehensive surveillance systems in Moscow. While authorities say this will increase
December 30, 2020
Mad Maps: Kaliningrad: The Tiny Russian 'Ham' Inside An EU 'Sandwich'

Seventy-five years have passed since the German city of Koenigsberg and its surrounding area became Kaliningrad, now an odd piece of Russia disconnected from the rest of the country. So how did a German region become a Russian exclave? And what role does it play for Russia today?
November 23, 2020
Everything You Need To Know About Novichok

After the Soviet Union collapsed in the early 1990s, scientists who claim to have worked on its chemical weapons program spoke publicly about a nerve agent they had named Novichok -- Russian for "new guy" or "newcomer."
November 02, 2020
Leon Theremin: Inventor Or Spy?

Meet Leon Theremin, a Russian physicist, inventor, and musician, who developed not only a musical instrument that can be played without being touched, but also a spying device that was successfully planted in the U.S. ambassador's residence in Moscow.
October 26, 2020
How The Russian Revolution Brought The Father Of The Helicopter To America

Aviation pioneer Igor Sikorsky was designing bombers for the Russian Empire when World War I broke out. Nowadays, the company he founded in the United States makes the "choppers" that transport U.S. presidents. This is the story of how the "father of the helicopter" crossed the Atlantic and made it
September 30, 2020
The Women Taking The Fight To Lukashenka

It's been more than 50 days since anti-government protests started in Belarus following the alleged reelection of Alyaksandr Lukashenka in a disputed presidential vote. One noteworthy feature of these demonstrations is the leading role women have played in events. Not only is the main political chal
August 05, 2020
Sweltering In Siberia: What's Behind The Heat Wave?

Why is Siberia, one of the coldest places on Earth, becoming so warm? And what has Russia been doing about it?
June 18, 2020
Migrants Welcome: Can Foreigners Solve Russia's Demographic Crisis?

161,170. That's how many passports Russian authorities issued to foreigners between January and March this year. It's more than twice the number that the country issued during the same period in 2019.
February 04, 2020
Winging It: How A Lack Of Clear Rules Contributed To The PS752 Tragedy

When it comes to flying over conflict zones, it turns out everyone's in charge and no one's in charge.
December 30, 2019
By The Numbers: 20 Years Of Putin's Russia

Twenty years ago, on December 31, 1999, Vladimir Putin became the acting president of Russia. Now serving his fourth term in office, Putin is dealing with a struggling economy, tough Western sanctions, unpopular government reforms, and a drop in his approval rating. Let's take a look at how Russia was doing when Putin took charge and how it's faring today.
December 13, 2019
Cosmic Clash: The Nightmare Scenario For An Arms Race In Space

Kamikaze satellites, orbital lasers, and anti-satellite missiles -- these are just some of the weapons being developed in an arms race to militarize space. Concerned about the vulnerability of Western satellites, NATO leaders have approved a new space defense strategy. But what would a conflict in the cosmos actually look like?
November 27, 2019
No Joke: The List Of Countries Russia Is Accused Of Meddling In Is Long

Considering all the media attention, you could be forgiven for thinking that Russia's alleged attempts to influence elections is limited to the United States. But what about Spain, Madagascar, Bolivia, Italy, and Libya, to name a few?
October 11, 2019
1989: The Year Communism Ended In Europe

In 1989, a wave of revolutions spread through countries in Central and Eastern Europe, resulting in the end of more than four decades of communist rule.
October 04, 2019
The Day The Russian White House Was Shelled

A Russian constitutional crisis came to a dramatic climax on October 4, 1993, when President Boris Yeltsin ordered the army to shell Moscow's parliament building. Official figures put the final death toll in the crisis at 187. Others say up to 2,000 may have died.
August 22, 2019
Molotov-Ribbentrop: The Pact That Changed Europe's Borders

Eighty years ago -- on the night of August 23, 1939 -- Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union surprised the world by signing a nonaggression pact in Moscow that also contained a secret protocol carving up Eastern Europe into mutual spheres of influence. A week later, World War II began.
April 05, 2019
The Kurile Islands: Stolen Territory Or Spoils Of War?

Russia and Japan have been at loggerheads over the Kurile Islands for more than seven decades. Here's what you need to know about territory that's been hotly disputed since the end of World War II.
March 04, 2019
The Weird And Wonderful Words We Use For @

It's a "snail" in Italy, but it's a "worm" in Hungary. You might be surprised at how descriptive some of the words for the "at" sign are in other languages.
February 01, 2019
Remembering The 1979 Iranian Revolution

Forty years ago, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini spearheaded a revolution that deposed a monarchy in Iran. A repressive theocracy had replaced an authoritarian monarchy. We explain some of the key events of that revolution.
November 21, 2018
Remembering The Holodomor, The Stalin-Era Famine In Ukraine

Each year, on the fourth Saturday of November, Ukraine remembers the millions who died during the Holodomor, the Stalin-era famine that devastated the population in 1932-1933. Many countries consider it to have been genocide.

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