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 Tue, 09 Jun 2026 07:15:43 +0200 Pangea CMS – RFE/RL The summer tourist season is starting in Russian-occupied Crimea, but with Ukrainian drone attacks, Internet outages, and fuel shortages, just how many people will visit the peninsula? As Current Time correspondent Andrey Cherkasov explains, tour operators are trying to put a positive spin on the crisis, but it's being met with skepticism. https://www.rferl.org/a/oil-on-the-beach-but-no-fuel-for-cars-tourist-season-opens-in-crimea/33776035.html https://www.rferl.org/a/oil-on-the-beach-but-no-fuel-for-cars-tourist-season-opens-in-crimea/33776035.html Mon, 08 Jun 2026 18:17:29 +0200 Videos Iran launched ballistic missiles at northern Israel on June 7, describing the attack as retaliation for Israeli strikes in Lebanon. Israel responded with a "large-scale strike" on Iran's strategic defense systems. US President Donald Trump urged both sides to avoid further escalation. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-israel-exchange-fresh-strikes/33775841.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-israel-exchange-fresh-strikes/33775841.html Mon, 08 Jun 2026 12:55:51 +0200 Iran Russian authorities suspended train service for Crimea after a Ukrainian drone knocked out a locomotive, further squeezing commerce to the occupied Black Sea peninsula struggling with fuel shortages. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-crimea-drone-train-fuel-shortages/33775808.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-crimea-drone-train-fuel-shortages/33775808.html Mon, 08 Jun 2026 12:19:07 +0200 News More than three months into Iran's conflict with the United States and Israel, Iranians inside the country say they are increasingly desperate about meeting basic needs. Some say they're down to one meal a day, meat is rare, and household appliances are sold off to pay utility bills that have tripled. Some Iranians have sent voice messages to RFE/RL's Radio Farda recounting the deepening economic hardship amid a tense cease-fire with the United States and Israel. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-economy-crisis-inflation-us-israel-war-unemployment-internet-irgc/33772766.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-economy-crisis-inflation-us-israel-war-unemployment-internet-irgc/33772766.html Mon, 08 Jun 2026 12:06:01 +0200 Iran 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 Mon, 08 Jun 2026 07:00:00 +0200 Iran The Israeli military said its forces targeted Iranian regime sites early on June 8 in retaliation for Tehran's latest attacks on Israel and shortly after US President Donald Trump said he would tell Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to conduct such strikes. https://www.rferl.org/a/israel-attack-trump-netanyahu-ceasefire-retaliation/33775004.html https://www.rferl.org/a/israel-attack-trump-netanyahu-ceasefire-retaliation/33775004.html Mon, 08 Jun 2026 03:52:50 +0200 Iran Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian early on June 8 declared victory for his Civil Contract party over several pro-Russia groupings, with his party hovering around 50 percent as votes are counted, higher than pre-vote surveys suggested. https://www.rferl.org/a/armenia-pashinian--parliament-assembly-election/33774709.html https://www.rferl.org/a/armenia-pashinian--parliament-assembly-election/33774709.html Mon, 08 Jun 2026 01:28:39 +0200 News US President Donald Trump said a deal with Tehran to turn a cease-fire into a peace settlement is still "very close," even after Iran launched its first wave of air strikes against Israel since the fragile April truce took effect. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-israel-trump-ceasefire-irgc-attack/33774693.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-israel-trump-ceasefire-irgc-attack/33774693.html Sun, 07 Jun 2026 23:35:45 +0200 Iran Russian forces hit a storage facility for spent nuclear fuel near Ukraine's Chernobyl power plant, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said June 7. He called the strike an "extremely vile" attack as international atomic energy monitors announced it did not lead to a spike in radiation. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-chernobyl-strike-nuclear-radiation-russia-iaea/33774622.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-chernobyl-strike-nuclear-radiation-russia-iaea/33774622.html Sun, 07 Jun 2026 17:40:05 +0200 Ukraine When Kazakhstan launched Central Asia’s first large-scale cloud-seeding program on May 17, it called it a high-tech response to drought, water scarcity, and accelerating desertification. https://www.rferl.org/a/kazakhstan-cloud-seeding-central-asia-weather/33772843.html https://www.rferl.org/a/kazakhstan-cloud-seeding-central-asia-weather/33772843.html Sun, 07 Jun 2026 10:24:36 +0200 Features The ruling Civil Contract party of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has taken a big lead in a crucial parliamentary election, gaining 51.4 percent of the vote as initial ballots are counted. https://www.rferl.org/a/armenia-election-parliament-pashinian-russia-eu/33774157.html https://www.rferl.org/a/armenia-election-parliament-pashinian-russia-eu/33774157.html Sun, 07 Jun 2026 06:00:51 +0200 News Ukraine launched hundreds of drones at targets across Russia, including the St. Petersburg region, around 1,000 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. Residents filmed drones overhead and smoke rising from military sites. The attack came on the final day of Russia’s flagship investment forum. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-launches-scores-of-drones-on-russian-regions/33774079.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-launches-scores-of-drones-on-russian-regions/33774079.html Sat, 06 Jun 2026 14:31:34 +0200 Russia Kazakhstan has offered to host Iran's enriched uranium in order to streamline a potential peace deal between Tehran and Washington. The offer comes more than 30 years after a massive haul of weapons-grade uranium was taken out of the Central Asian country and flown to the US. https://www.rferl.org/a/kazakhstan-iran-project-sapphire-enriched-uranium/33773568.html https://www.rferl.org/a/kazakhstan-iran-project-sapphire-enriched-uranium/33773568.html Sat, 06 Jun 2026 13:06:22 +0200 Photo Galleries Crimea, the Ukrainian Black Sea region occupied by Russia, is heavily dependent on Russian visitors for its economy. This summer, it faces major gasoline shortages, as Ukraine’s military drone campaign squeezes transport routes, making life even more difficult for vacationers. https://www.rferl.org/a/crimea-ukraine-drones-gasoline-crisis-summer/33773507.html https://www.rferl.org/a/crimea-ukraine-drones-gasoline-crisis-summer/33773507.html Sat, 06 Jun 2026 11:43:08 +0200 Ukraine Ukraine launched hundreds of drones at targets across Russia, including scores over the St. Petersburg region, on the final day of Russia’s most important investment forum. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-drones-investment-forum-attacks-petersburg/33773988.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-drones-investment-forum-attacks-petersburg/33773988.html Sat, 06 Jun 2026 09:56:20 +0200 News Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected a proposal by his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to meet for talks to end the war as senseless, calling for the country's military to "do the job." https://www.rferl.org/a/putin-zelenskyy-ukraine-russia-war/33773619.html https://www.rferl.org/a/putin-zelenskyy-ukraine-russia-war/33773619.html Fri, 05 Jun 2026 20:07:55 +0200 News The United States has reaffirmed its support for Armenia's sovereignty and democratic institutions amid growing concerns over what Western officials describe as an intensifying Russian campaign to weaken Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian ahead of the country's upcoming elections. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-support-armenia-election-rubio-trump-pashinian-russia/33773349.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-support-armenia-election-rubio-trump-pashinian-russia/33773349.html Fri, 05 Jun 2026 13:14:03 +0200 Armenia Armenians go to the polls on June 7 in parliamentary elections in which the country’s basic foreign policy orientation is at stake. While Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has pulled the country towards the West, Russia has responded with multiple moves aimed at halting the shift. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-economy-armenia-westward-tilt-elections/33773229.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-economy-armenia-westward-tilt-elections/33773229.html Fri, 05 Jun 2026 12:49:41 +0200 Features RFE/RL spoke with Lisa Gable, a former US ambassador who served during the George W. Bush administration and is now the chairwoman of World In 2050, about the prospects for diplomacy with Iran, the challenges of verification, and the broader geopolitical stakes of the current conflict. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-negotiations-promises-ambassador-lisa-gable/33773278.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-negotiations-promises-ambassador-lisa-gable/33773278.html Fri, 05 Jun 2026 11:47:38 +0200 Iran Gas stations across Russian-occupied Crimea are facing worsening fuel shortages, with long queues, rationing, and voucher-based distribution reported by residents. Ukrainian strikes on fuel-supply routes to the peninsula are cited as one of the contributing factors to the crisis. https://www.rferl.org/a/fuel-crisis-hits-russian-occupied-crimea/33773280.html https://www.rferl.org/a/fuel-crisis-hits-russian-occupied-crimea/33773280.html Fri, 05 Jun 2026 11:16:11 +0200 Ukraine