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 Fri, 06 Nov 2026 07:21:26 +0100 Pangea CMS – RFE/RL Three senior Ukrainian officials have been accused by the country's anti-graft agencies of taking part in a criminal organization uncovered in a major investigation, as Kyiv seeks to tackle corruption amid its bid to join the European Union. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-corruption-graft-investigation/33891819.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-corruption-graft-investigation/33891819.html Thu, 05 Nov 2026 21:52:12 +0100 News As Serbia’s new parliamentary majority plots a new path for the country, its hands may be tied by old economic dependencies on Russian energy resources and Chinese investments. https://www.rferl.org/a/serbia-s-new-government-will-face-old-economic-dilemmas-as-deadlines-loom/33891691.html https://www.rferl.org/a/serbia-s-new-government-will-face-old-economic-dilemmas-as-deadlines-loom/33891691.html Thu, 05 Nov 2026 18:02:34 +0100 Serbia Ukraine's 3rd Army Corps kept its counteroffensive secret for months. Operation Vivaldi liberated 277 square kilometers and disrupted Russian supply lines. Ukrainian commanders reveal details of the operation in an interview with RFE/RL. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-s-quiet-counteroffensive-inside-operation-vivaldi/33891774.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-s-quiet-counteroffensive-inside-operation-vivaldi/33891774.html Thu, 05 Nov 2026 17:44:03 +0100 Russia Invades Ukraine US President Donald Trump, with roughly two months before a Democratic Congress takes control, faces a set of less-than-ideal options with the Iran war: negotiate, escalate, or sit tight. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-us-midterms-trump-options/33891689.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-us-midterms-trump-options/33891689.html Thu, 05 Nov 2026 17:43:39 +0100 Iran An increasing number of cases point to the human cost of a recruitment system in Russia that increasingly relies on private companies and intermediaries who often work on the fringes to bolster the ranks of a military depleted by the war against Ukraine. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-war-recruitment-big-business-ukraine-military/33891653.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-war-recruitment-big-business-ukraine-military/33891653.html Thu, 05 Nov 2026 15:50:37 +0100 Russia Twenty years after investigative journalist Anna Politikovskaya was shot dead, the paper she worked for is crushed under pressure from the Russian state. A small cease-fire in Ukraine is followed by a massive attack, while a seismic political shift in the US precedes new trilateral peace talks. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-novaya-gazeta-ukraine-war-peace-talks/33890879.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-novaya-gazeta-ukraine-war-peace-talks/33890879.html Thu, 05 Nov 2026 12:26:40 +0100 Steve Gutterman's Week In Russia A reported plan to deport dozens of Afghan nationals has been temporarily halted by a New York-based federal judge following a warning from several US lawmakers and rights groups that sending them home or to neighboring Pakistan could put their lives at risk. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-court-temporarily-blocks-afghans-deportation/33890357.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-court-temporarily-blocks-afghans-deportation/33890357.html Thu, 05 Nov 2026 11:12:46 +0100 Afghanistan A growing list of countries are lining up against a court decision allowing Russia to rejoin international ice hockey events, saying they will boycott any team Moscow sends, putting the World Championships next year in jeopardy. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-hockey-ukraine-war/33890409.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-hockey-ukraine-war/33890409.html Wed, 04 Nov 2026 14:25:42 +0100 News Ukrainian authorities are monitoring eight tankers carrying more than 300,000 tons of Russian diesel fuel that could be bound for the United States, Ukrainian government sources told RFE/RL on November 3. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-tankers-russian-diesel-united-states/33890246.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-tankers-russian-diesel-united-states/33890246.html Wed, 04 Nov 2026 08:47:46 +0100 News US first lady Melania Trump will host Russian and Ukrainian representatives at the White House on November 5 for a meeting following a localized cease-fire in Ukraine's southern Kherson region, as a new round of US-mediated peace talks is set to take place next week. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-oleshky-melania-trump-talks/33889941.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-oleshky-melania-trump-talks/33889941.html Tue, 03 Nov 2026 22:18:10 +0100 News Crowds clashed with Ukrainian riot police and national guardsmen in a Kyiv suburb on November 2 in the latest tensions over military efforts to catch alleged deserters and enlist men -- sometimes forcibly -- to fight in the war against Russia. https://www.rferl.org/a/clashes-near-kyiv-highlight-tension-over-military-manpower-challenges/33889849.html https://www.rferl.org/a/clashes-near-kyiv-highlight-tension-over-military-manpower-challenges/33889849.html Tue, 03 Nov 2026 17:21:42 +0100 Ukraine Two tigers are now prowling the Kazakh wilderness, nearly 80 years after the last spotting of the apex predators in the country. https://www.rferl.org/a/tigers-kazakhstan-extinction-return-reserve/33889763.html https://www.rferl.org/a/tigers-kazakhstan-extinction-return-reserve/33889763.html Tue, 03 Nov 2026 16:56:02 +0100 Kazakhstan Russia plans to reduce funding for key federal health-care programs in its 2027 budget. With medical services already difficult to access in many regions, the proposed cuts are raising fears that patients will face greater obstacles in obtaining treatment and essential medicines. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-budget-healthcare-regions-military-spending/33889735.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-budget-healthcare-regions-military-spending/33889735.html Tue, 03 Nov 2026 16:00:51 +0100 Russia A crowd clashed with police and National Guard troops in a Kyiv suburb amid allegations that men were being held and tortured in a private house. The incident highlights growing tensions over Ukraine’s controversial military recruitment practices as it strives to repel Russia’s full-scale invasion. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-men-soldiers-recruitment-busification/33889589.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-men-soldiers-recruitment-busification/33889589.html Tue, 03 Nov 2026 12:51:57 +0100 News A Russian drone strike left Ukrainian soldier Oleksandr Pylypets without both arms and eyes along with with devastating facial injuries. After weeks in a coma, he began a long recovery. With his wife and children by his side, he is learning to regain his independence and rebuild his life. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukrainian-soldier-learns-to-live-again-after-losing-his-arms-and-eyes/33889619.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukrainian-soldier-learns-to-live-again-after-losing-his-arms-and-eyes/33889619.html Tue, 03 Nov 2026 12:48:16 +0100 Ukraine The United States says it will host new Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Abu Dhabi on November 10-11, but analysts caution that deep divisions over a cease-fire and security guarantees make a major breakthrough unlikely. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-russia-ukraine-peace-talks-abu-dhabi-ceasefire/33889451.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-russia-ukraine-peace-talks-abu-dhabi-ceasefire/33889451.html Tue, 03 Nov 2026 08:46:55 +0100 News President Donald Trump repeated his assertion that the United States is winning the war with Iran and said that Tehran wants a deal, adding: “It could happen.” https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-live-blog-trump-middle-east/33803414.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-live-blog-trump-middle-east/33803414.html Tue, 03 Nov 2026 07:24:04 +0100 Iran The United States has struck Iran’s strategic Qeshm Island in a series of previously undisclosed attacks. The strike, conducted on the eve of the US midterm elections, was carried out even as President Donald Trump played down the prospect of renewed war and signals hope for a diplomatic deal. https://www.rferl.org/a/33889371.html https://www.rferl.org/a/33889371.html Tue, 03 Nov 2026 03:15:24 +0100 Iran Afghanistan has asked the US government to “act responsibly” amid reports that it plans to deport dozens of Afghans via Pakistan, possibly in the coming days. https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-taliban-pakistan-us-deportations/33888974.html https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-taliban-pakistan-us-deportations/33888974.html Mon, 02 Nov 2026 17:44:43 +0100 Afghanistan Events have moved fast since Student List won Serbia’s parliamentary elections on October 25. Here are some of the notable happenings that have unfolded in the week since former President Aleksandar Vucic was ousted from office after more than a decade in power. https://www.rferl.org/a/serbia-post-election-happenings-arrests-resignations-vucic/33888976.html https://www.rferl.org/a/serbia-post-election-happenings-arrests-resignations-vucic/33888976.html Mon, 02 Nov 2026 17:10:54 +0100 Serbia Former longstanding Serbian leader Aleksandar Vucic has said he’ll “come back” after losing elections in October. But is his future more likely to be in a court dock instead of the court of public opinion? https://www.rferl.org/a/serbia-vucic-election-defeat-students-corruption/33888914.html https://www.rferl.org/a/serbia-vucic-election-defeat-students-corruption/33888914.html Mon, 02 Nov 2026 15:25:39 +0100 Serbia A statement attributed to Iran's supreme leader says any future response to an attack would have no geographical limits. The remarks have fueled speculation that Tehran could target Europe and abandon its self-imposed 2,000-kilometer limit on missile range. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-europe-target-missile-range/33888908.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-europe-target-missile-range/33888908.html Mon, 02 Nov 2026 14:20:21 +0100 Iran Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country would cease strikes on Russian oil refineries – as demanded by US President Donald Trump -- if the US would provide Kyiv with Patriot air-defense missiles. https://www.rferl.org/a/zelenskyy-patriot-missile-russia-refinery-trump/33888449.html https://www.rferl.org/a/zelenskyy-patriot-missile-russia-refinery-trump/33888449.html Mon, 02 Nov 2026 00:00:50 +0100 News On November 1, 2024, 20-year-old Andjela Ruman arrived by train in Novi Sad, where her boyfriend, Milos Milosavljevic, was waiting for her. They died together when the station's canopy collapsed. Two years on, her parents, Zorica and Zlatko Ruman, speak to RFE/RL about how they have been coping with their loss. They said they are still waiting for someone to be held accountable for what happened. https://www.rferl.org/a/victim-s-family-speaks-two-years-after-serbia-s-novi-sad-station-collapse/33888371.html https://www.rferl.org/a/victim-s-family-speaks-two-years-after-serbia-s-novi-sad-station-collapse/33888371.html Sun, 01 Nov 2026 15:37:21 +0100 Serbia Moscow and Kyiv traded strikes on November 1, with dozens of drones reportedly destroyed over Russia's Nizhny Novgorod region and energy infrastructure hit in four Ukrainian regions, leaving hundreds of thousands without power. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ukraine-war-drone-nizhny-novgorod-power/33888277.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ukraine-war-drone-nizhny-novgorod-power/33888277.html Sun, 01 Nov 2026 12:20:00 +0100 News At least 22 people in Belarus recognized as political prisoners by rights defenders face indefinite confinement inside secretive psychiatric hospitals. Cut off from amnesties and pardons, rights defenders warn that these individuals have effectively vanished into a legal "black zone." https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-political-prisoners-hospitals-human-rights/33887558.html https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-political-prisoners-hospitals-human-rights/33887558.html Sun, 01 Nov 2026 10:32:25 +0100 Belarus The 31st meeting of the Chinese and Russian heads of government held in St. Petersburg on October 21 was notable for its focus on cooperation in the Arctic, where Beijing and Moscow are increasingly challenging the United States and its allies. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-china-competition-in-arctic-intensifies/33888021.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-china-competition-in-arctic-intensifies/33888021.html Sun, 01 Nov 2026 09:27:14 +0100 Features US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he was unsure whether a negotiated end to the war in Ukraine was possible, while European officials told RFE/RL the top US diplomat privately expressed doubts that Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend December’s Miami G20 summit. https://www.rferl.org/a/rubio-atlanta-ukraine-russia-putin-lavrov-20/33888075.html https://www.rferl.org/a/rubio-atlanta-ukraine-russia-putin-lavrov-20/33888075.html Sun, 01 Nov 2026 00:02:01 +0100 News After nearly four years under Russian occupation, hundreds of residents from the southern Ukrainian city of Oleshky have arrived in Ukrainian-controlled territory following a cease-fire brokered by US first lady Melania Trump. A convoy of 25 buses helped facilitate the evacuation. https://www.rferl.org/a/tears-of-joy-as-ukrainians-evacuated-from-russian-occupied-oleshky-reunite-with-family/33888013.html https://www.rferl.org/a/tears-of-joy-as-ukrainians-evacuated-from-russian-occupied-oleshky-reunite-with-family/33888013.html Sat, 31 Oct 2026 16:11:50 +0100 Ukraine The scene outside Tura's main food store looked like something from the Soviet era: With the mercury at -15 C, residents lined up for hours to pay high prices for staples short supply. The shortages stemmed from geography and negligence, but Russia’s war on Ukraine has taken its toll on the town. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-food-shortages-war-remote-siberia/33887359.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-food-shortages-war-remote-siberia/33887359.html Sat, 31 Oct 2026 13:45:45 +0100 Ukraine Evacuation of residents from the Russian-occupied southern Ukrainian city of Oleshky had been completed as Moscow and Kyiv continued to stick to the temporary cease-fire brokered by US first lady Melania Trump. https://www.rferl.org/a/zelenskyy-warns-of-long-delay-as-us-approves-patriot-interceptors-sale/33887884.html https://www.rferl.org/a/zelenskyy-warns-of-long-delay-as-us-approves-patriot-interceptors-sale/33887884.html Sat, 31 Oct 2026 09:18:32 +0100 News Protests are spreading across Kosovo after a woman who repeatedly pleaded for protection was killed, allegedly by her brother-in-law. An official investigation found multiple institutional failures, including a prosecutor's refusal to act on a death threat. Eleven police officers and two prosecutors have been suspended, but as RFE/RL's Doruntina Baliu explains, the justice and interior ministers are refusing to resign despite mounting public pressure. https://www.rferl.org/a/kosovo-domestic-violence-women-protests-police/33887610.html https://www.rferl.org/a/kosovo-domestic-violence-women-protests-police/33887610.html Fri, 30 Oct 2026 20:27:42 +0100 Kosovo Ukrainian and Russian delegations have arrived in Russian-occupied Oleshky as a cease-fire allows humanitarian aid deliveries and civilian evacuations. Ukraine has prepared 25 buses and ambulances to evacuate residents, while those who remain will receive humanitarian assistance. https://www.rferl.org/a/evacuations-humanitarian-mission-begin-in-russian-occupied-ukrainian-city-of-oleshky/33887434.html https://www.rferl.org/a/evacuations-humanitarian-mission-begin-in-russian-occupied-ukrainian-city-of-oleshky/33887434.html Fri, 30 Oct 2026 14:40:23 +0100 Ukraine Foreign ministers from the Group of 20 leading economies are gathering in Atlanta on October 30-31 for talks expected to expose continuing divisions among Western governments over Russia's war in Ukraine. https://www.rferl.org/a/g20-meeting-atlanta-us-ukraine-russia/33887200.html https://www.rferl.org/a/g20-meeting-atlanta-us-ukraine-russia/33887200.html Fri, 30 Oct 2026 11:16:00 +0100 News Novaya Gazeta, the venerable investigative Russian newspaper whose reporting staff included the slain Anna Politkovskaya and at least five others who were killed or died under suspicious circumstances, announced it was shutting down. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-newspaper-media-novaya-gazeta-press/33887221.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-newspaper-media-novaya-gazeta-press/33887221.html Fri, 30 Oct 2026 10:46:43 +0100 News Moscow and Kyiv say the evacuation of residents from the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Oleshky was completed "without incident," as buses filled with civilians left the area for the first time in more than four years under a US-brokered truce that is set to remain in effect until November 1. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-oleshky-evacuation-melania-trump/33887157.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-oleshky-evacuation-melania-trump/33887157.html Fri, 30 Oct 2026 07:30:17 +0100 News Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tells RFE/RL that Vladimir Putin has shown no willingness to end the war in Ukraine and warns of growing cooperation between Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea. He also discusses prospects for peace and the risks of negotiating with Moscow. https://www.rferl.org/a/mike-pompeo-interview-putin-ukraine-russia-china-iran/33886869.html https://www.rferl.org/a/mike-pompeo-interview-putin-ukraine-russia-china-iran/33886869.html Thu, 29 Oct 2026 21:54:12 +0100 Russia Intermediaries on Iranian Telegram channels are offering newborns for up to $1,100 under the guise of charity, with some promising to falsify birth records and others arranging placements with Iranian families abroad, despite a ban on the sale of babies. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-selling-babies-telegram-illegal/33886696.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-selling-babies-telegram-illegal/33886696.html Thu, 29 Oct 2026 19:09:33 +0100 Iran Amid the swirl of efforts to end to the Ukraine war and normalize US-Russian ties, one idea under consideration: lifting sanctions on a massive Russian investment fund, whose chief is the Kremlin’s main go-between with White House negotiators. What is the Russian Direct Investment Fund anyway? https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-rdif-investment-dmitriev-ukraine-negotiations/33886754.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-rdif-investment-dmitriev-ukraine-negotiations/33886754.html Thu, 29 Oct 2026 18:45:31 +0100 Russia Moldovan President Maia Sandu has called a national security meeting after a major cyberattack exposed personal data linked to some 750,000 people. Authorities are investigating possible foreign involvement in the attack, which may have been aided by artificial intelligence. https://www.rferl.org/a/moldova-cyberattack-data-breach-750000-sandu/33886733.html https://www.rferl.org/a/moldova-cyberattack-data-breach-750000-sandu/33886733.html Thu, 29 Oct 2026 16:55:21 +0100 News A Russian drone struck a railway station in Dnipro, killing at least 14 people and injuring others, Ukrainian officials said. The attack hit a platform where a passenger train bound for Zaporizhzhya was standing. https://www.rferl.org/a/russian-drone-strikes-railway-station-in-dnipro/33886701.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russian-drone-strikes-railway-station-in-dnipro/33886701.html Thu, 29 Oct 2026 15:00:53 +0100 Ukraine Serbian voters dealt a blow to Moscow, while a spike in tensions with Kyiv raised questions ahead of the expected resumption of trilateral talks on an end to Russia’s war against Ukraine. Prospects for progress are deeply clouded by doubts about the Kremlin’s intentions and differences on major issues including territory in the Donbas. https://www.rferl.org/a/week-in-russia-gutterman-serbia-election-ukraine-talks-donbas/33885865.html https://www.rferl.org/a/week-in-russia-gutterman-serbia-election-ukraine-talks-donbas/33885865.html Thu, 29 Oct 2026 11:55:34 +0100 Steve Gutterman's Week In Russia A Russian attack on Ukraine's eastern city of Dnipro killed at least 14 people and injured more than 10 others, according to Ukrainian officials, as a fragile cease-fire around Russian-occupied Oleshky entered its third day on October 29. https://www.rferl.org/a/oleshky-ukraine-russia-melania-trump-ceasefire/33886379.html https://www.rferl.org/a/oleshky-ukraine-russia-melania-trump-ceasefire/33886379.html Thu, 29 Oct 2026 02:17:39 +0100 News A US-brokered cease-fire went into effect on October 27 to let humanitarian aid arrive in the Russian-occupied suburb of Oleshky and allow civilians to leave. On the opposite side of the Dnieper River, in the Ukrainian-held city of Kherson, locals said the pause in fighting produced a rare sense of normalcy as people went shopping and walked the streets without fear of air strikes. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-kherson-oleshky-cease-fire/33886202.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-kherson-oleshky-cease-fire/33886202.html Thu, 29 Oct 2026 01:05:53 +0100 Ukraine Russian bombs and artillery have devastated the city of Bilozerske in Ukraine's Donetsk region. With the city in ruins and colder temperatures approaching, remaining residents are bracing for a rough winter. https://www.rferl.org/a/locals-brace-for-rough-winter-as-russia-bombards-ukraine-s-bilozerske/33886143.html https://www.rferl.org/a/locals-brace-for-rough-winter-as-russia-bombards-ukraine-s-bilozerske/33886143.html Wed, 28 Oct 2026 18:47:40 +0100 Ukraine Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that technical-level talks involving Ukraine, Russia, and the United States aimed at ending the war will take place in Abu Dhabi between November 6 and 10. https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-zelenskyy-putin-meeting-ukraine-peace-talks/33885793.html https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-zelenskyy-putin-meeting-ukraine-peace-talks/33885793.html Wed, 28 Oct 2026 10:23:06 +0100 News A military airfield in Crimea has been transformed into a hub for drone launches, new satellite images sourced by RFE/RL show. We spoke to one Crimean military insider about why Ukraine has been unable to take the site out of action. https://www.rferl.org/a/crimea-drone-strike-russia-ukraine-war-shahed/33885309.html https://www.rferl.org/a/crimea-drone-strike-russia-ukraine-war-shahed/33885309.html Tue, 27 Oct 2026 21:36:41 +0100 Russia Invades Ukraine Aleksandar Vucic’s election defeat has ended more than a decade of political dominance and handed victory to Serbia’s student-led opposition movement. RFE/RL's Balkan Service spoke with Ilija Srdanovic, the top candidate for the Student List party on what comes next for the country. https://www.rferl.org/a/serbia-srdanovic-student-list-interview-russia-kosovo-vucic-srebrenica/33885299.html https://www.rferl.org/a/serbia-srdanovic-student-list-interview-russia-kosovo-vucic-srebrenica/33885299.html Tue, 27 Oct 2026 19:58:08 +0100 Serbia In an interview with RFE/RL, Ilija Srdanovic, the lead candidate for Serbia's Student List, which ousted longtime leader Aleksandar Vucic in the country's recent parliamentary elections, pledged to remain committed to EU integration. He also said Serbia's stance on sanctions against Russia could be reconsidered through public debate. https://www.rferl.org/a/serbia-student-list-lead-candidate-vows-eu-integration/33885347.html https://www.rferl.org/a/serbia-student-list-lead-candidate-vows-eu-integration/33885347.html Tue, 27 Oct 2026 17:32:35 +0100 Serbia Residents fleeing Russian-occupied Oleshky describe hunger, soaring food prices, and threats from Russian soldiers. Cut off from supplies, civilians risk mines and drone attacks to escape. Now, a proposed cease-fire could open a humanitarian corridor for those still trapped in the Ukrainian city. https://www.rferl.org/a/get-killed-or-starve-life-under-russian-occupation-in-oleshky/33885344.html https://www.rferl.org/a/get-killed-or-starve-life-under-russian-occupation-in-oleshky/33885344.html Tue, 27 Oct 2026 16:27:34 +0100 Ukraine