Features

• January 19, 2026

  Iranians Living Under Virtual Lockdown After Deadly Protests

  Since protests erupted on December 28, a lockdown has upended life across Iran, with residents likening nighttime in major cities to outright martial law.

• January 19, 2026

  China's Diplomatic Pressure Looms Over Case Against Xinjiang Activists In Kazakhstan

  Kazakhstan’s prosecution of 19 Atazhurt activists over a Xinjiang-related protest has escalated into one of the country’s most sweeping cases against rights defenders, highlighting growing Chinese influence and a sharp squeeze on dissent at home.

• January 19, 2026

  Father Ill, Son Injured: Car Crash Further Clouds Chechnya's Future

  Adam Kadyrov, the 18-year-old son of Chechnya’s Kremlin-backed leader, has been hospitalized after a deadly car crash, multiple sources say, adding to uncertainty about the future in the volatile Russian region. Authorities in Grozny and Moscow are silent. Here’s what we know and why it matters.

• January 18, 2026

  New Sanctions On Russian Oil Hit Indian, Turkish Refineries. Enter China?

  New sanctions will ban imports to the EU of products derived from Russian oil from January 21. But critics point to enforcement loopholes and also warn that Chinese ‘teapot’ refineries may be picking up oil now shunned elsewhere.

• January 17, 2026

  China Expands Its State Media Footprint In Taliban-Run Afghanistan

  China has significantly expanded its media presence in Afghanistan since the Taliban seized power in 2021, with Afghan journalists saying Chinese outlets are producing content that highlights Beijing’s positive role while avoiding stories about poverty, repression, or human-rights abuses.

• January 16, 2026

  Freezing Temperatures, Fraying Nerves: Russian Attacks Weaponize Winter In Ukraine

  Nerves are fraying, patience in thinning, and Kyiv is freezing, as Ukrainians struggling to cope with relentless Russian attacks that have destroyed vast parts of the country’s energy infrastructure.

• January 15, 2026

  Behnam Ben Taleblu: Iran's Mass Protests Are A 'Social Revolution' Against Clerical Rulers

  RFE/RL interviewed Behnam Ben Taleblu, senior director of the Iran program at the Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies, about the unprecedented protests inside Iran and possible US intervention.

• January 15, 2026

  How Important Is Iran For Russia's War Effort?

  Iran has been a major supplier of military equipment to Russia in recent years, especially since the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but experts have told RFE/RL that this support no longer plays a key role in Moscow's war effort.

• January 14, 2026

  The Quiet Of The Kremlin: Upheaval In Iran, Venezuela Gets A Muted Moscow Response

  You might think a cascade of allies being destabilized or imploding would prompt a more robust response in Moscow. But the less-than-thundering public statements from Russian officials – not to mention crickets from Vladimir Putin – about events in Venezuela and Iran has raised eyebrows.

• January 14, 2026

  Gregory Brew: Iran's Clerical Rulers Likely To Survive Protests, But 'Gradual' Collapse Looms

  RFE/RL spoke to Gregory Brew, an Iran analyst at the New York-based Eurasia Group, about the trajectory of the protests in Iran and the implications of possible US military action in the country.

• January 14, 2026

  China's Ties With Iran Show Their Limits Amid Protests And US Threats

  Amid mass protests and an escalating crackdown, Beijing has shown limited support for its partner in Tehran. 

• January 14, 2026

  On The Ground In Iran: Security Forces Flood Karaj As Families Hide Their Dead

  An Iranian journalist in the city of Karaj describes the atmosphere in the city after the brutal and unprecedented killing of protesters.

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