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Ray Furlong

Ray Furlong has reported for RFE/RL from the Balkans, Kazakhstan, Georgia, and elsewhere since joining the company in 2014. He previously worked for 17 years for the BBC as a foreign correspondent in Prague and Berlin, and as a roving international reporter across Europe and the former Soviet Union.

FurlongR@rferl.org

Also by Ray Furlong

April 30, 2024
Ukraine Says Russia Used Cluster Bomb In Odesa Strike On 'Harry Potter' Castle

A Ukrainian Army spokesman told RFE/RL on April 30 that Russia used a cluster bomb in a deadly attack on a law school dubbed "Harry Potter's Castle" in Odesa. Among the wounded was a pregnant woman, a small child, and a former pro-Russian politician once awarded a state honor by Vladimir Putin.
April 29, 2024
Toomaj Salehi, The Iranian Rapper Sentenced To Death Amid Global Outcry

There has been global outrage after Iran handed a death sentence to Toomaj Salehi, a rapper who was detained for supporting protests following the death in custody of Mahsa Amini in 2022. One supporter has told RFE/RL she hopes Tehran will back down to avoid sparking a new wave of mass protests.
April 25, 2024
What's Behind The Arrest Of Russia's Deputy Defense Minister?

Russian Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov has been arrested on suspicion of taking bribes worth $10 billion, according to Russian media. He could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted. Analysts weigh in on why it could weaken his boss, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
April 24, 2024
Iran's 'Ambassadors Of Kindness' Enforce Hijab In New Head Scarf Crackdown

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) has established a new unit in Tehran to enforce a crackdown on women not wearing a head scarf. Called "Ambassadors of Kindness," the unit has issued videos of girls happily receiving hijabs. But footage on social media shows women without a hijab being detained.
April 23, 2024
The Iranian Cartoonist Arrested For Her Art

Prominent Iranian cartoonist Atena Farghadani has been detained by the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) after attempting to post her work on a wall near the presidential palace in Tehran, multiple sources in Iran have told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL).
April 22, 2024
As Ukraine Considers Recruiting Convicts, A Drug Smuggler Wants To Fight Russia

A Ukrainian drug smuggler says he'd rather be in the army than in jail -- and he may get his chance if a law is passed allowing convicts to be recruited for the war with Russia. RFE/RL gained exclusive access to a Ukrainian prison as legislation was being debated in the Ukrainian parliament.
April 18, 2024
U.S. Journalist Detained In Russia Defiantly Insists She Will Walk Free

Six months since being detained in Russia, U.S. journalist Alsu Kurmasheva has insisted she will walk free. Kurmasheva, who works for RFE/RL, is charged with failing to register as a foreign agent and spreading misinformation - charges are widely seen as reprisals for her journalistic work.
April 15, 2024
Iranians Voice Concern Following Attack On Israel

Despite images of celebrating crowds on the streets of Tehran, RFE/RL listeners in Iran have contacted us to voice apprehension about the possible consequences of their country's massive attack on Israel.
April 04, 2024
Navalny Mural In Argentina Prompts Confrontation With Police

Supporters of the late Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny gathered to paint a mural in his honor in Buenos Aires, before a face-off with Argentine police who said they had received complaints. Activists told us they believed the Russian Embassy was behind phone calls to the authorities.
March 29, 2024
The Pro-Putin Pop Idols Pitched To Preach Patriotism At Russian Schoolkids

Russian schools could soon be teaching children "patriotic" songs by pop musicians loyal to President Vladimir Putin who have performed in occupied parts of Ukraine. The idea was proposed by a member of Russia's rubber-stamp parliament and has been backed by the Education Ministry.
March 26, 2024
Exclusive: What We Know About The Moscow Shooting Suspects

RFE/RL has reached out to relatives in Tajikistan and trawled the social media accounts of some of the eight men who have now been charged over the Moscow shootings, in which at least 139 people were killed at the Crocus City Hall concert venue.
March 25, 2024
The Moscow Shooting Heroes Who Saved Dozens Of Lives

Amid the horror of the shooting at the Moscow concert, stories have emerged of three people who saved not only themselves but more than 100 others from the gunmen: a 15-year-old Kyrgyz boy, a 14-year-old Russian, and an Uzbek man who worked as a waiter at the Crocus City Hall.
March 22, 2024
The Albanian Island Where Jared Kushner Plans A Luxury Resort

A communist-era fortified island off the coast of Albania may now become a luxury resort under plans by Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of former U.S. President Donald Trump. A team of RFE/RL journalists explored the abandoned bunkers and tunnels of Sazan.
March 20, 2024
Russia Evacuates Children From Area Near Ukraine Border

Thousands of Russian children have been evacuated from a border area near Ukraine amid days of attacks, with videos posted by locals showing damage to cars and buildings.
March 17, 2024
Thousands Join Navalny-Backed Anti-Putin Protests As Russians Vote

Thousands of Russians appeared to join an opposition call for protests by gathering at polling stations at midday local time, amid a presidential election engineered to deliver Vladimir Putin six more years in the Kremlin. Long lines of people formed in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and elsewhere.
March 15, 2024
Russian Opposition Plans 'Noon Against Putin' Election Protests

Russian opposition figures have called on people to all go to polling stations at the same time -- midday on March 17 -- in a sign of protest against a presidential election widely dismissed as a charade that Kremlin incumbent Vladimir Putin is sure to win.
March 14, 2024
Lithuania Says Hammer Attack On Navalny Aide 'Well-Planned' After Blaming Putin

A Lithuanian security official has said the investigation into the hammer attack on Russian dissident Leonid Volkov, an ally of late Kremlin critic Aleksei Navalny, shows it was "professional" and "well-planned."
March 12, 2024
What Happens In LGBT 'Conversion Therapy' In Russia

Russians who underwent LGBT conversion therapy in Russia have told RFE/RL about brutal treatment they experienced, amid an ongoing crackdown on sexual minorities in the country. The interviews were recorded before the Russian authorities designated RFE/RL an "undesirable organization."
March 04, 2024
Named And Shamed: The Russian Troops Laying Banned Land Mines In Ukraine

A new report by Schemes, the investigations unit of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, reveals the names and identities of Russian soldiers responsible for laying antipersonnel mines in Ukraine. The mines are banned under an international agreement, which Ukraine is party to but Russia is not.
March 01, 2024
Russians Overcome Fear At Emotional, Defiant Funeral For Navalny

Thousands of people bade farewell to Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny as he was laid to rest in Moscow on March 1. Amid a heavy security presence, crowds chanted his name and political slogans.

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