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 Sat, 09 May 2026 13:22:54 +0200 Pangea CMS – RFE/RL Russia staged its most pared-down Victory Day parade in years on May 9 amid heightened fears that Ukraine might disrupt proceedings. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ictory-day-parade-putin-speech-ukraine-war/33753222.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ictory-day-parade-putin-speech-ukraine-war/33753222.html Sat, 09 May 2026 11:47:28 +0200 Russia Invades UkraineNewsRussiaUkraineThe Rundown Stories 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 Sat, 09 May 2026 09:01:00 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown Stories In an online post, US President Donald Trump said Russia and Ukraine had agreed to his request for a three-day cease-fire deal starting on May 9. The date coincides with major celebrations in Russia commemorating the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said there would be no attacks on the site of the celebrations. https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-putin-zelenskyy-cease-fire-victory-day/33752919.html https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-putin-zelenskyy-cease-fire-victory-day/33752919.html Fri, 08 May 2026 23:33:19 +0200 UkraineVideo ArchiveVideos US Secretary of State Marco Rubio sought to steady ties with Italy and the Vatican during a visit to Rome shaped by disputes over Iran, NATO, and migration. He also defended Washington’s military posture in the Middle East and warned Tehran against trying to assert control over the Strait of Hormuz. https://www.rferl.org/a/rubio-rome-vatican-iran-hormuz-ukraine-nato-troops/33752859.html https://www.rferl.org/a/rubio-rome-vatican-iran-hormuz-ukraine-nato-troops/33752859.html Fri, 08 May 2026 18:52:11 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown Headline When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Leonid and Valentyna Stoyanov, two veterinarians in Odesa, took in as many injured and abandoned animals as they could. Soon, they were making regular trips to the front lines to rescue animals affected by the war. They've now treated monkeys and lions freed from zoos, rescued sea birds caught in an oil spill, and found new homes abroad for hundreds of their patients. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-veterinarians-rescued-animals-front-lines/33752175.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-veterinarians-rescued-animals-front-lines/33752175.html Fri, 08 May 2026 15:45:30 +0200 UkraineVideo ArchiveVideosThe Rundown Stories Sources in the Pakistani Taliban told RFE/RL that the group’s leadership has been ordered to relocate from the Afghan capital, Kabul, where it is allegedly based. https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-pakistan-taliban-ttp/33752593.html https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-pakistan-taliban-ttp/33752593.html Fri, 08 May 2026 15:02:29 +0200 AfghanistanFeaturesPakistanThe Rundown Stories US President Donald Trump announced a three-day cease-fire in the war between Russia and Ukraine, with both sides quickly confirming they had agreed to the truce along with a major prisoner swap. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-victory-day-cease-fire-drone-attacks/33752482.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-victory-day-cease-fire-drone-attacks/33752482.html Fri, 08 May 2026 08:39:19 +0200 UkraineNewsRussiaRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories Security is tight as Moscow prepares for the May 9 Victory Day parade on Red Square, marking the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945. For the first time in nearly 20 years, the event will be held without military hardware. Mobile Internet restrictions are already in effect across the Russian capital. Moscow has warned foreign embassies and organizations in Kyiv that it will launch a massive attack on the city if Ukraine disrupts its Victory Day events. https://www.rferl.org/a/snipers-checkpoints-limited-internet-moscow-prepares-for-victory-day/33752111.html https://www.rferl.org/a/snipers-checkpoints-limited-internet-moscow-prepares-for-victory-day/33752111.html Thu, 07 May 2026 19:20:10 +0200 VideosRussiaVideo ArchiveThe Rundown Stories The United States sees energy security in the Western Balkans as a national security priority and is stepping up efforts to help the region reduce its dependence on Russian supplies, Joshua Volz, a special envoy for energy integration at the U.S. Department of Energy, told RFE/RL. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-envoy-balkan-energy-security-national-security-priority/33751868.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-envoy-balkan-energy-security-national-security-priority/33751868.html Thu, 07 May 2026 13:15:50 +0200 FeaturesBosnia-HerzegovinaMontenegroSerbiaKosovoNorth MacedoniaThe Rundown Stories Oil production cuts, plumes of smoke, altered plans for President Vladimir Putin: Ukraine’s strikes on oil facilities, military installations, and air defense systems are taking a toll on Moscow’s capacity to fight its war against Ukraine. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-drone-deep-strikes-oil/33751182.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-drone-deep-strikes-oil/33751182.html Thu, 07 May 2026 10:42:28 +0200 RussiaFeaturesUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories In an interview with RFE/RL, Barry Pavel, a former senior director for defense policy and strategy at the National Security Council, who served as a special assistant to the president under George W. Bush, unpacks the strategic meaning behind recent developments in the US war with Iran. https://www.rferl.org/a/pavel-interview-security-iran-ceasefire-war/33751442.html https://www.rferl.org/a/pavel-interview-security-iran-ceasefire-war/33751442.html Thu, 07 May 2026 09:53:39 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown Stories Iran said it was reviewing the latest US proposal that sources say would end the fighting but leave several key issues open, as US President Donald Trump claimed a deal was “very possible” but also warned of renewed fighting if Tehran rejected the deal. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-peace-proposal-trump-ceasefire-hormuz/33751441.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-peace-proposal-trump-ceasefire-hormuz/33751441.html Thu, 07 May 2026 01:31:41 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown Stories Russia warned Kyiv-based diplomats and representatives of international organizations to prepare to evacuate the Ukrainian capital, saying its forces would launch a "massive" missile attack against the city if Ukraine disrupted its May 9 World War II commemorations. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-kyiv-ukraine-victory-day-wwii-attack-parade/33751440.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-kyiv-ukraine-victory-day-wwii-attack-parade/33751440.html Thu, 07 May 2026 00:20:24 +0200 NewsRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories A Russian drone hit a kindergarten in northern Ukraine, and Moscow launched scores of drones and missiles across the country, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of ignoring a Kyiv-proposed cease-fire. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-kindegarten-drone-cease-fire-attacks-war/33751265.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-kindegarten-drone-cease-fire-attacks-war/33751265.html Wed, 06 May 2026 19:34:41 +0200 NewsRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Headline A French shipping ⁠group has confirmed that one of ⁠its vessels was attacked while transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The CMA CGM San Antonio was damaged and several crew members were injured and evacuated from the Maltese-flagged ship for treatment. The attack came on May 5 as US President Donald Trump announced that operation Project Freedom to guide ships through the Strait of Hormuz would be "paused for a short period of time." https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-ship-strait-of-hormuz/33751343.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-ship-strait-of-hormuz/33751343.html Wed, 06 May 2026 17:59:28 +0200 VideosIran In response to the US naval blockade on Iran’s ports and vessels, Tehran is using alternative routes to transit goods, including through Pakistan, Turkey, and the Caspian Sea. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-pakistan-turkey-russia-caspian-china/33751260.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-pakistan-turkey-russia-caspian-china/33751260.html Wed, 06 May 2026 16:46:21 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesNews Analysis US President Donald Trump has warned Iran it will face "a much higher level and intensity" of strikes if it fails to agree to a peace deal that the two sides are reportedly closing in on. https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-warns-strikes-iran-refuses-deal/33751227.html https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-warns-strikes-iran-refuses-deal/33751227.html Wed, 06 May 2026 15:37:44 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown Stories The absence of Mount Ararat from Armenia's new biometric passports is the latest effort from Yerevan to decouple Armenians from the iconic Turkish landmark that has long been used by Armenia as a national symbol. https://www.rferl.org/a/armenia-passport-mount-ararat-conflict/33751105.html https://www.rferl.org/a/armenia-passport-mount-ararat-conflict/33751105.html Wed, 06 May 2026 14:48:11 +0200 FeaturesArmeniaAzerbaijanThe Rundown Stories Russian Shahed drones hit a kindergarten in Ukraine's Sumy region on May 6. There were no children present during the strike but a woman who worked as a security guard was killed, according to officials. The attack came during a May 5-6 cease-fire unilaterally declared by Kyiv. Russia has declared its own cease-fire to coincide with Victory Day celebrations on May 9, marking the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945. https://www.rferl.org/a/russian-drone-attack-hits-ukrainian-kindergarten-amid-kyiv-declared-cease-fire/33751192.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russian-drone-attack-hits-ukrainian-kindergarten-amid-kyiv-declared-cease-fire/33751192.html Wed, 06 May 2026 14:40:49 +0200 VideosUkraineVideo ArchiveThe Rundown Stories Beijing has reiterated its call for a “comprehensive ceasefire” in the Iran-US conflict and for a return to normal passage through the Strait of Hormuz as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi kicked off his first visit to China since the conflict erupted at the end of February. https://www.rferl.org/a/china-ceasefire-iran-us-trump-xi-summit/33751180.html https://www.rferl.org/a/china-ceasefire-iran-us-trump-xi-summit/33751180.html Wed, 06 May 2026 14:03:13 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown StoriesChina