November 2009
Thousands of people marched through the center of Prague on November 17, retracing the steps of the 1989 student march that kicked off Czechoslovakia's Velvet Revolution.
RFE/RL Azerbaijani Service Director Kenan Aliyev explains why the conviction of two bloggers is a significant precedent for the free media in Azerbaijan.
Horst and Rita Zinke lived for more than 40 years in the "restricted zone," a heavily guarded area that ran along East Germany's border with the West.
The dramatic fall of communism across Eastern Europe cannot be traced to one event, one decision, or one person. But there was a singular wind of change sweeping across the continent in 1989, blowing down the Iron Curtain, and revealing the public's yearning for freedom.
Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev spoke with RFE/RL Moscow correspondent Lyudmila Telen about his role in the disintegration of the Soviet bloc in 1989 and whether today he feels he made mistakes.
October 2009
The Laleli market in Istanbul, Turkey is a place were historical hatreds and animosities don't seem to matter. Immigrants from all over the former Soviet Union come sell their wares at the market enjoy each other's company, and seem thankful that in Turkey they can earn enough money to feed their families.
On August 17, a massive blast destroyed a turbine at the Sayano-Shushenskaya power station in Siberia, causing major flooding and killing 75 people. A government report found that years of bad decisions and neglect set the stage for the accident. RFE/RL spoke to the survivors who lost friends and family in the disaster.
In an exclusive interview with RFE/RL's Russia Service, former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev criticized the pro-Kremlin United Russia party, which he blamed for fraud in regional elections earlier this month. Widespread allegations of serious violations prompted general outrage and calls to reform the country's authoritarian political system. Gorbachev also discussed U.S. President Barack Obama's Nobel Peace Prize and his own role in history.
Former Czech President Vaclav Havel is asked by RFE/RL correspondent Kathleen Moore in Prague on October 21, 2009 about U.S. Vice President Joe Biden's visit to Central Europe, including the Czech capital.
Former Czech President Vaclav Havel talks in a wide-ranging RFE/RL interview about what he expects to hear from U.S. Vice President Joe Biden when he visits the Czech Republic this week. The man many credit with leading Czechoslovakia's Velvet Revolution also talks about Russia and NATO enlargement. The interview was conducted by RFE/RL correspondents Jeremy Bransten and Kathleen Moore.
As U.S. Vice President Joe Biden begins his travels through central Europe, arguably the region's loudest voice for strong trans-Atlantic ties is up-front about what he expects to hear: a clear vision of American policy for the region. RFE/RL talks with Vaclav Havel, the former dissident credited with leading the revolution that toppled communism in Czechoslovakia.
RFE/RL's Kazakh Service was on hand to film military exercises this week by the CSTO Collective Operational Reaction Forces.
RFE/RL's Russian Service asked people in Moscow in the wake of the October 11 elections to fill regional dumas whether they trusted the fairness of the vote.
RFE/RL Tatar-Bashkir Service Director Rim Gilfanov discusses reasons why U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited the city of Kazan in Tatarstan.
For an entire generation of young Armenians, Nagorno-Karabakh is the only home they've ever known. The region split from Azerbaijan in a brutal conflict following the breakup of the Soviet Union. Born in war and raised in an uneasy peace, this generation is reaching adulthood and could see their world change yet again. Momentum is building for a final settlement between Armenia and Azerbaijan that could mean an end to Nagorno-Karabakh's isolation. It could also mean the return large numbers of Azerbaijanis displaced by the war. RFE/RL's Brian Whitmore traveled to the enclave and spoke to young people about their views on the conflict and their hopes for the future.
September 2009
Every Rosh Hashana, thousands of Jewish pilgrims come to the Ukrainian town of Uman to dance for joy. Why? Because a famous Jewish rabbi asked them to. Although Rabbi Nachman died almost 200 years ago, they still come to pay their respects, and lift the economy of Uman at the same time. Produced by Iryna Tuz of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service in Uman.
The three-day celebration of Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of Ramadan, has come to an end. Many Muslim families took part in great feasts to break the month of fasting. Gifts are given to children, and for many, it is a holiday filled with great joy. But hard economic times are making it difficult for parents afford the traditional meal and keep smiles on children's faces. In Dushanbe, Sayida Abdughaffor showed us the challenges that she faced in putting the festivities together.
In the 1960s, the Soviet Union pursued its own version of the ill-fated U.S. "Operation Plowshare," in which scientists hoped to harness the atom for major infrastructure and other types of projects. Soviet officials used a peaceful nuclear explosion to blast out a lake in Kazakhstan. Far from being a benefit to the local residents, as RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports, many fear that the so-called atomic lake has contaminated their environment.
Volodymyr Perebyinis was sent to a Soviet labor camp more than 60 years ago on charges of anticommunist agitation. Today, his relatives have turned to the archives of the Ukrainian Security Service to shed light on their family history -- and on the repression of the Soviet era.
In the final part of the series, the migrants finally arrive in Moscow after four days of travel across Central Asia. Some have jobs lined up already, but for others, only uncertainty awaits.
In the sixth segment, migrants on their way to Moscow debate the legacy of Tajikistan's civil war of the 1990s, and defend their right to work in Russia.
In the fifth segment, the Dushanbe-Moscow train transits ancient Uzbek cities as Gulya, a chef and mother of four, describes the life and work waiting for her in Russia.
In the fourth part of the series, the train crosses into Turkmenistan, and the RFE/RL correspondents narrowly escape with their footage after Turkmen police suspect them of spying.
In the third part, the migrants aboard the Dushanbe-Moscow train wait through hours of drug inspections at the Uzbek border, but that doesn't stop them from enjoying a little music and dance.
In the second segment, 28-year-old farmer Umed says good-bye to his family in Tajikistan before boarding the train to Russia.
In the first part of the series, we meet judo instructor Muhammed Ali and schoolteacher Jamshed Nabiev, who bid farewell to their families and friends in Dushanbe before they board the train.
August 2009
It was 60 years ago, on August 29, 1949, that the Soviet Union first tested its nuclear arsenal. In the first of many tests, an atomic bomb was detonated at the Semipalatinsk test site, which would become a main hub of the arms race over the next 40 years. On the anniversary of the first test, Yermek Boltayev and Regina Kozhikova of RFE/RL’s Kazakh Service visited the former nuclear site in East Kazakhstan.
Rovshan Nasirli, a 25-year-old Azerbaijani, was called to the National Security Ministry on August 12 to explain why he voted for an Armenian song in the televised Eurovision Song Contest in May. The officials said Nasirli's vote for Armenia -- Azerbaijan's long-standing rival -- was a matter of national security, and asked him for a written explanation before releasing him. RFE/RL's Ulviyya Asadzade spoke to Nasirli about his experience.
On August 16, Afghan voters tuned in to watch and hear a debate between three of the four leading presidential candidates, including President Hamid Karzai. The event on Afghan state television, just days before the August 20 election, also featured former Finance Minister Ashraf Ghani and former Planning Minister Ramazan Bashardost. Former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah did not take part. Here are some of the highlights from the debate.
Large, Big Brother-like pictures of Chechnya's stocky 32-year-old leader hang everywhere, along with signs of praise and thanks. But as RFE/RL correspondent Gregory Feifer discovered during an August 2009 visit to interview Ramzan Kadyrov, there are signs of a deep fear beneath the veneer of devoted optimism.
Prominent Russian human rights activist Natalya Estemirova was abducted outside her home in the Chechen capital, Grozny, last month. Hours later, her body was discovered in a forest in the neighboring region of Ingushetia. Estemirova, who'd investigated abductions, torture and other rights abuses in Chechnya, had been shot in the head. Estemirova's colleagues blame Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov. They accuse him of fostering an atmosphere of impunity in which the abductions and killings of his critics take place. But in an exclusive interview with RFE/RL, Kadyrov denies the accusations. He says his only concern is the welfare of Chechnya's residents, and blames the West for spreading lies about him.
One year after war broke out between Russia and Georgia, many issues remain unresolved. South Ossetia and the breakaway region of Abkhazia unilaterally declared independence, tens of thousands of Georgians are still displaced, and political tensions between Tbilisi and Moscow are simmering. Here is a look back at the key events in the conflict over the past 12 months.
RFE/RL Georgian Service correspondent Koba Liklikadze was on the front lines at the start of the Russia-Georgia conflict, reporting from the breakaway region of South Ossetia. One year after the conflict, Liklikadze recalls the challenges of reporting from the battlefield.
July 2009
RFE/RL correspondent Bruce Pannier explains why critics say Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiev has failed to live up to his democratic promises.
Begijon Pirov, a retired driver in Tajikistan, has found an innovative way to supplement his pension during lean times.
The presidents of Armenian and Azerbaijani again failed to make a breakthrough on the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh when they met in Moscow on July 17, and a peace deal seems as elusive as ever. Ahead of the meeting, RFE/RL correspondents asked Azerbaijanis and Armenians whether they are ready for a possible peace agreement.
Life on the road isn't easy for the Eshimbekovs, a family of Kyrgyz circus performers. Work is scarce, their performances are physically demanding, and traveling means being apart from loved ones back home. But they take great pride in their craft, and in being part of the long tradition of Kyrgyz horsemanship.
June 2009
Villagers in Koshkarata, Kazakhstan, live without telephones, running water, or a local hospital. Many would like to see more assistance from local authorities, but have little hope that help will come.
At least a dozen statues of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin remain standing in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. Some residents see them as simple historical monuments; others have tried to take down the statues with their own hands. But as disputes continue at the municipal and national levels, Lenin isn't likely to disappear from the city any time soon.
Serbia’s Roma minority has been the target of violent attacks and other hate crimes in recent years. But some Roma leaders say that hidden, institutionalized racism presents an even greater danger.
The lilacs at the Gryshko Botanical Garden in Kyiv are a hallmark of the Ukrainian capital. In mid-May, at the peak of lilac season, hundreds of thousands of people flock to see the flowers in full bloom.
Fatima Sadigova’s carpet business specializes in portraits of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and his family – and the expensive carpets are selling fast. Their popularity confirms that many Azeris remain devoted to the dynasty founded by former President Heidar Aliyev, the current president’s father.
With Iran's presidential election approaching, incumbent Mahmud Ahmadinejad is under fire. RFE/RL's Radio Farda correspondent Mehrdad Mirdamadi says all three of his main opponents have more authority in the Islamic republic and will be able to stand up to the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in changing policy in Iran.
May 2009
In Almaty, as in many cities, there are homeless children who have fled abusive families or other domestic problems to fend for themselves on the streets. On the eve of International Children's Day, Yermek Boltayev of RFE/RL's Kazakh Service got to know one such teenager, 16-year-old Sava.
With a little more than two weeks to go before Iranians go to the polls to pick a president, RFE/RL correspondent Golnaz Esfandiari sketches the candidates and outlines the political landscape. She says the vote represents a marked change from four years ago, when reformists organized a boycott and a little-known former Tehran mayor rode populist pledges to victory. And just as was the case ahead of the 2005 balloting, the outcome is difficult to predict.
In an exclusive and wide-ranging interview with RFE/RL, the head of U.S. Central Command talks about Guantanamo and "enhanced interrogation techniques," a looming deadline in Iraq, and cutting off and combating militant Islamist extremists. He also looks at successes and setbacks in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the region, and highlights the need for international forces to keep Afghan civilian casualties "to an absolute minimum."
The finals of the Eurovision Song Contest take place on May 16, with pop singers from across Europe competing for votes from international viewers. The contest is one of the longest-running television shows and draws millions of viewers around the world. It also provokes controversy and accusations of political maneuvering.
On May 1, Iran executed a 23-year-old woman, Delara Darabi, for a crime committed when she was a minor. Darabi is one of scores of juvenile offenders facing execution in the Islamic Republic. RFE/RL's Radio Farda has been provided with a video that documents the suffering of Iran’s child offenders, co-produced by one of Iran’s leading advocates against child execution, Mohammad Mostafaei. In this edited version of the video, the filmmakers talk to juvenile offenders on death row, as their parents and advocates frantically beg the victims' family for forgiveness, the only way their lives can be spared.
April 2009
At the Moscow State Girls Boarding School, young women learn hand-to-hand combat, target shooting, and military discipline – and all in time to change into ball gowns for an evening dance with the male cadets across the street. RFE/RL’s Moscow bureau visited the school to learn what goes into training a new generation of Russian officers.
Residents of the Armenian village of Margara can't trade with their neighbors across the border in Turkey, and can't even get to their farmland in the restricted border zone. But as speculation grows about the possibility of the border reopening, the villagers are expressing hope for new opportunities.
As Barack Obama spoke in Prague, opponents of plans for a U.S. radar base in the Czech Republic turned out to voice their dissent. But the overall reaction to the new U.S. president was overwhelmingly positive.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, during a visit to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Prague headquarters, sat down for an exclusive interview with Radio Free Afghanistan’s Director Akbar Ayazi, during which she answered questions from listeners in Afghanistan.
Sixty years ago in Washington, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization was born. After World War II, fears of Soviet attack in Europe convinced Western leaders of the pressing need for a defensive military alliance. The world has changed dramatically since 1949, and NATO had to adapt constantly to deal with new and unanticipated global threats. RFE/RL looks at the dramatic and difficult moments in NATO history with rarely seen NATO archive films and exclusive interviews with former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and U.S. Ambassador to NATO Kurt Volker.
March 2009
Across much of the non-Arab Muslim world, people are celebrating Norouz, the pre-Islamic festival that marks arrival of spring and the beginning of the new year.
On March 3, a day Armenians are calling "Black Tuesday," the U.S. dollar rose against the Armenian dram by more than 20 percent. The effects of the currency crisis have hit ordinary Armenians hard, and are likely to be felt for a long time to come.
February 2009
A Russian court has found three defendants not guilty of charges of assisting in the murder of Anna Politkovskaya, an investigative journalist known for her criticism of the Kremlin. As Rinat Valiulin, the executive editor of RFE/RL's Moscow bureau, explains, the verdict is unlikely to provoke a strong reaction in Russia, and the investigation is not expected to continue.
In the first major military decision of his presidency, U.S. President Barack Obama is significantly strengthening the combat presence of U.S. forces in Afghanistan.
Kosovo is celebrating one year since its declaration of independence, but the change in status did little to heal the ethnic divisions in the northern town of Mitrovica. RFE/RL's associate director for visual media, Ricki Green, visited Mitrovica soon after Kosovo's declaration of sovereignty on February 17, 2008, to see how the town's ethnic Albanian and Serb communities were responding.
January 2009
Afghan students and workers told RFE/RL about their hopes and expectations for the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama and his policy toward Afghanistan.
As a record crowd converged on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., to see Barack Obama sworn in as the 44th U.S. president on January 20, RFE/RL Associate Director for Visual Media Ricki Green talked to some of them about what made the occasion momentous in American history.
RFE/RL energy correspondent Bruce Pannier discusses the ongoing gas dispute between Russia and Ukraine, which has also affected energy supplies to many countries in Western and Southeastern Europe.