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Azerbaijani Lawmaker Says 'Strong Possibility' Russia Shot Down Passenger Jet

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 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.
February 28, 2024
Crimean Restaurant Rebukes Russian Embassy In Poland

In fear for his life, Ernest Suleymanov fled Crimea shortly after Russian forces seized the peninsula from Ukraine in 2014. Now he runs a restaurant in Warsaw, directly opposite the Russian Embassy. "It's like a slap in the face," he says, "Crimea is not theirs."
February 28, 2024
'Engineered Elections': Iran To Vote On Assembly That May Name Next Supreme Leader

Iran is holding two sets of elections on March 1, for a new parliament and also for the Assembly of Experts -- the body that selects the country's supreme leader. The current holder of that office, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is 84 years old, so it's likely that the new assembly will name his successor
February 26, 2024
'Aware Of The Risks': A Crimean Tatar Woman Defies Russia's Occupation Authorities

From her home in Russia-occupied Crimea, Mumine Salieva fights for human rights while also raising four children single-handedly after her husband was imprisoned. The 38-year-old PhD student helps families of people detained since Russian forces seized control of the peninsula 10 years ago.
February 23, 2024
The Most Dangerous Train Ride In Ukraine

The train runs from Kyiv to Kramatorsk, the last stop before the front line in eastern Ukraine. Its carriages are filled with soldiers returning from leave who exchange final kisses with family on station platforms. The emotional farewells come as Russia's full-scale invasion enters a second year.
February 22, 2024
Former Navalny Doctor Says Poison Could Be Removed From Body

A Russian doctor who was involved in efforts to diagnose Aleksei Navalny after he was poisoned in 2020 says traces of poison can be removed from a dead body. Speaking to Current Time, Aleksandr Polupan also said there was no reason for the Russian authorities not to hand over the body..
February 21, 2024
Ukraine's Frontline Street Cleaners Tidy Rubble Instead Of Trash

Cleaning the streets of Kurakhove, in eastern Ukraine, was once mostly about removing trash dropped by residents. Two years into Russia's full-scale invasion street cleaners are busier than ever – removing the rubble left behind by Russian rocket strikes. "You don't get used to it," says Oksana.
February 19, 2024
Navalny's Widow Vows To Continue His Work

Aleksei Navalny's widow, Yulia Navalnaya, has vowed to continue his work in a video posted on social media. In it, Navalnaya also claimed that Russian authorities were delaying handing over his body until traces of Novichok poison disappeared from it.
February 18, 2024
Exclusive: Inmates Repeatedly Denied Medical Care At Navalny Prison, Documents Reveal

Court documents examined by RFE/RL reveal that medical care was repeatedly denied to inmates at the prison where Aleksei Navalny was held. In one case, this resulted in the death of an inmate. The revelation comes amid questions over how Navalny died.

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