https://www.rferl.org/z/666 RFE/RL's latest news, features, commentary, and multimedia content on Russia https://www.rferl.org/Content/responsive/RFE/en-US/img/logo.png https://www.rferl.org/z/666 en Copyright 2026 - RFE/RL, Inc. 60 Tue, 09 Jun 2026 07:08:28 +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 Victory for Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian in parliamentary elections marks a firm slap down of Russian efforts to derail his pro-Western policy moves, although failure to win a two-thirds majority in parliament will complicate the ongoing US-brokered peace process with Azerbaijan. https://www.rferl.org/a/pashinian-armenia-victory-election-russia-rejection/33775876.html https://www.rferl.org/a/pashinian-armenia-victory-election-russia-rejection/33775876.html Mon, 08 Jun 2026 14:00:38 +0200 News Analysis 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 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 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 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 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 Riding into Russia on a motorcycle to see his ailing father, Mikhail Loshchinin was detained at the border, tortured, and tried on a treason charge over a $245 transfer to a Ukrainian ex-girlfriend, he and relatives and supporters say. This week, he was convicted and sentenced to 16 years in prison. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-prison-belgian-sentenced-treason-claim/33772656.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-prison-belgian-sentenced-treason-claim/33772656.html Fri, 05 Jun 2026 11:00:07 +0200 Russia From Ukraine to Tehran, asymmetric warfare is redefining the modern battlefield. Superiority is no longer measured solely by jets and naval fleets, but by inexpensive unmanned drones. https://www.rferl.org/a/drones-iran-ukraine-russia-houthis-hezbollah/33772693.html https://www.rferl.org/a/drones-iran-ukraine-russia-houthis-hezbollah/33772693.html Fri, 05 Jun 2026 10:52:16 +0200 Iran WASHINGTON -- In a rare display of bipartisan cooperation and a rebuke to the administration's approach toward Ukraine, the US House of Representatives approved a sweeping Ukraine aid and Russia sanctions package, with 18 Republicans joining Democrats to pass the legislation. https://www.rferl.org/a/house-vote-ukraine-support-russia-sanctions-trump/33773123.html https://www.rferl.org/a/house-vote-ukraine-support-russia-sanctions-trump/33773123.html Fri, 05 Jun 2026 05:49:11 +0200 News Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has written an open letter to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, urging him to attend a meeting between the two leaders at a neutral location to agree an end to the war. https://www.rferl.org/a/zelenskyy-open-letter-putin-peace/33772829.html https://www.rferl.org/a/zelenskyy-open-letter-putin-peace/33772829.html Thu, 04 Jun 2026 21:54:45 +0200 News Latvia's eastern region of Latgale is adjusting to a new reality of air raid alerts after several drones crossed into the country's airspace in recent weeks. The warnings have disrupted school exams, interrupted public events, and raised concerns about safety in communities near the borders with Russia and Belarus. The repeated drone incidents have increased concerns about the Russia-Ukraine war spilling over NATO and the EU's borders. https://www.rferl.org/a/military-drone-incursions-bring-russia-ukraine-war-to-latvia-nato-s-eastern-border/33772769.html https://www.rferl.org/a/military-drone-incursions-bring-russia-ukraine-war-to-latvia-nato-s-eastern-border/33772769.html Thu, 04 Jun 2026 19:13:17 +0200 Videos A number of European Union member states are pushing the European Commission to put forward legislation that makes it easier to deny tourist visas to Russian citizens over Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. https://www.rferl.org/a/eu-tougher-rules-russians-tourist-visas/33772574.html https://www.rferl.org/a/eu-tougher-rules-russians-tourist-visas/33772574.html Thu, 04 Jun 2026 14:22:48 +0200 News As Russia struggles to replace soldiers being killed in high numbers in the fifth year of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, these is mounting evidence of the military returning men to the war despite severe injuries and, sometimes, medical findings saying they are not fit for further service. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ukraine-war-casualties-wounded-return/33771000.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ukraine-war-casualties-wounded-return/33771000.html Thu, 04 Jun 2026 08:56:45 +0200 Russia Russian military vehicles painted in patterns resembling WWI-era dazzle camouflage can potentially hide them from Ukrainian drones, but AI experts say any vivid pattern has a short shelf life. https://www.rferl.org/a/zebra-dazzle-camouflage-ai-hornet-drones-russia-ukraine-invasion/33771856.html https://www.rferl.org/a/zebra-dazzle-camouflage-ai-hornet-drones-russia-ukraine-invasion/33771856.html Thu, 04 Jun 2026 06:58:20 +0200 Russia