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, 22 Sep 2026 03:37:08 +0200 Pangea CMS – RFE/RL The European Union looked set to remove Russian-Uzbek oligarch Alisher Usmanov and Russian-Israeli oligarch Mikhail Fridman from its sanctions list while prolonging the asset freezes and visa bans for the near 3,000 other individuals and entities on the blacklist by an unprecedented three years. https://www.rferl.org/a/eu-remove-sanctions-russian-oligarchs-usmanov-fridman/33860522.html https://www.rferl.org/a/eu-remove-sanctions-russian-oligarchs-usmanov-fridman/33860522.html Mon, 21 Sep 2026 17:59:38 +0200 News As inflation soars in Iran amid country's protracted war with the United States, Iranians are cutting back on food, giving up everyday comforts, and putting plans for the future on hold. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-inflation-war-economy/33859839.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-inflation-war-economy/33859839.html Mon, 21 Sep 2026 14:52:09 +0200 Iran RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service correspondent Maryan Kushnir walked some 20 kilometers to reach the embattled city of Bilozerske, in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, which soldiers say has been effectively destroyed by Russian strikes over the past year. https://www.rferl.org/a/drones-and-emptiness-donetsk-bilozerske-ukraine-russia-invasion/33860238.html https://www.rferl.org/a/drones-and-emptiness-donetsk-bilozerske-ukraine-russia-invasion/33860238.html Mon, 21 Sep 2026 14:21:46 +0200 Russia Invades Ukraine Officials in Moscow have announced a new record victory for the Kremlin-controlled United Russia party in what the European Union dismissed as “sham elections” on September 21. https://www.rferl.org/a/33860268.html https://www.rferl.org/a/33860268.html Mon, 21 Sep 2026 12:19:13 +0200 Russia As the conflict in the Persian Gulf 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-live-blog-trump-middle-east/33803414.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-live-blog-trump-middle-east/33803414.html Mon, 21 Sep 2026 07:00:00 +0200 Iran There was no let up in fighting between Russia and Ukraine on September 20, as voters in Russia cast ballots on the final day of parliamentary elections from which a political party calling for peace was excluded. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ukraine-elections-drone-missile-strikes/33859774.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ukraine-elections-drone-missile-strikes/33859774.html Sun, 20 Sep 2026 16:33:26 +0200 News Hundreds of drones targeted Moscow and its surrounding region on the final day of Russia's parliamentary elections, killing at least two people and damaging a major oil refinery, according to Russian authorities. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-strikes-moscow-on-final-day-of-russia-parliamentary-elections/33859740.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-strikes-moscow-on-final-day-of-russia-parliamentary-elections/33859740.html Sun, 20 Sep 2026 12:35:49 +0200 Russia Work is now underway to the restore Afghanistan's Minaret of Jam, which experts say reflects a welcome departure from the icon-smashing rule of the Taliban of the 1990s. The change contrasts with the current Taliban rulers' draconian restrictions on other facets of life in the country. https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-restoration-taliban-unesco-minaret-of-jam/33858876.html https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-restoration-taliban-unesco-minaret-of-jam/33858876.html Sun, 20 Sep 2026 12:17:26 +0200 Afghanistan Russia is racing to build Rassvet, its answer to Starlink, after losing access to the satellite network on the battlefield in Ukraine. But troubled satellites, tight deadlines, and a lack of ground terminals could leave Moscow waiting years. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-rassvet-starlink-satellite-internet-ukraine/33858763.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-rassvet-starlink-satellite-internet-ukraine/33858763.html Sun, 20 Sep 2026 10:16:24 +0200 Russia Families of dozens of Kyrgyz women imprisoned in Iraq are calling on the government to bring them home. The women -- mostly wives and relatives of Islamic State fighters -- traveled to Iraq and Syria more than a decade ago as the extremist group seized swaths of territory.  https://www.rferl.org/a/kyrgyzstan-iraq-syria-islamic-state-rusafa-terrorism/33859396.html https://www.rferl.org/a/kyrgyzstan-iraq-syria-islamic-state-rusafa-terrorism/33859396.html Sat, 19 Sep 2026 15:17:38 +0200 Kyrgyzstan Russian officials claimed voting systems came under cyberattack, as the country entered the second of three days of voting for the State Duma, the lower house of parliament. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-duma-vote-election-ukraine/33859408.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-duma-vote-election-ukraine/33859408.html Sat, 19 Sep 2026 15:01:40 +0200 News US President Donald Trump signed into law legislation aimed at increasing economic pressure on Russia over its war on Ukraine, including by targeting Moscow's energy revenues as well as countries that continue to buy Russian oil and gas. https://www.rferl.org/a/33859294.html https://www.rferl.org/a/33859294.html Sat, 19 Sep 2026 07:53:39 +0200 News At least 16 people were reported dead and dozens were injured after an attacker drove a vehicle packed with explosives into a police complex in Pakistan. Officials said several other attackers died in a shootout with police after the initial blast in the city of Kohat in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. Parts of Pakistan near the border with Afghanistan have seen a sharp increase in violent incidents in recent months, which Pakistani leaders blame on armed groups with ties to... https://www.rferl.org/a/pakistan-suicide-attack-khyber-pakhtunkhwa/33859068.html https://www.rferl.org/a/pakistan-suicide-attack-khyber-pakhtunkhwa/33859068.html Fri, 18 Sep 2026 21:35:49 +0200 Pakistan An attack involving an explosion and gunfire at a police headquarters killed at least 20 people and injured dozens of others in the Pakistani city of Kohat in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, which borders Afghanistan. https://www.rferl.org/a/pakistan-afghanistan-explosion-police-blast-gunfire/33859034.html https://www.rferl.org/a/pakistan-afghanistan-explosion-police-blast-gunfire/33859034.html Fri, 18 Sep 2026 19:28:22 +0200 News Plans for Ukraine to produce Patriot interceptor missiles under license are “not going to solve this winter's problem” as it reels under Russian aerial bombardment, US ambassador to NATO told RFE/RL. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-nato-envoy-whitaker-patriot-shortage-ukraine/33858935.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-nato-envoy-whitaker-patriot-shortage-ukraine/33858935.html Fri, 18 Sep 2026 17:52:35 +0200 Features Fighting has escalated between the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels in Yemen and Saudi Arabia. The hostilities could have global implications, including for oil prices already high amid the Iran war. https://www.rferl.org/a/yemen-houthis-saudi-arabia-oil-iran/33858936.html https://www.rferl.org/a/yemen-houthis-saudi-arabia-oil-iran/33858936.html Fri, 18 Sep 2026 16:55:07 +0200 Iran US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker has warned that global demand for missiles for Patriot air defense systems is “outpacing supply” and that Washington and its allies would have to “dig deep” to support Ukraine. Speaking to RFE/RL correspondent Ray Furlong on September 18, Whitaker said an increasingly dangerous international environment was leading to a shortage of Patriot interceptor missiles and that manufacturing capacity was not keeping up. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-nato-envoy-matthew-whitaker-ukraine-iran/33858954.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-nato-envoy-matthew-whitaker-ukraine-iran/33858954.html Fri, 18 Sep 2026 16:44:58 +0200 Videos US President Donald Trump says Washington and Warsaw are making "major progress" toward establishing a permanent US Army base in Poland, potentially expanding the American military presence on NATO's eastern flank. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-poland-us-army-base-nato-russia/33858649.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-poland-us-army-base-nato-russia/33858649.html Fri, 18 Sep 2026 08:40:30 +0200 News Russians cast ballots to choose lawmakers for the State Duma, with the more-than-4 ½-year-old war on Ukraine and a slowing economy looming over the country’s first parliamentary elections since the 2022 invasion. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-duma-election-vote-putin-ukraine-war/33858191.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-duma-election-vote-putin-ukraine-war/33858191.html Fri, 18 Sep 2026 00:01:52 +0200 News With a sweeping Russia sanctions bill headed to President Donald Trump’s desk, US Senator Jeanne Shaheen tells RFE/RL the legislation is intended to squeeze Moscow’s energy revenues and pressure countries buying Russian oil and gas. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-senator-jeanne-shaheen-putin-ukraine-russia/33858412.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-senator-jeanne-shaheen-putin-ukraine-russia/33858412.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 23:34:53 +0200 Russia Jeanne Shaheen, the senior senator from New Hampshire, spoke to RFE/RL shortly after the passage of sanctions legislation intended to target Russia’s energy revenues. Shaheen said the sanctions will force other countries, notably China, to wean themselves off of Russian oil and gas. https://www.rferl.org/a/united-states-senator-shaheen-russia-sanctions-china/33858411.html https://www.rferl.org/a/united-states-senator-shaheen-russia-sanctions-china/33858411.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 23:27:09 +0200 Russia John Coale, the US special envoy to Belarus, spoke to Current Time shortly after Washington helped secure the release of 25 Belarusian political prisoners in exchange for the easing of sanctions. Coale said his negotiation efforts are also meant to eventually help Belarus normalize its relations with other countries. https://www.rferl.org/a/united-states-envoy-coale-belarus-prisoner-release/33858393.html https://www.rferl.org/a/united-states-envoy-coale-belarus-prisoner-release/33858393.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 22:20:21 +0200 Belarus After brokering the release of 25 prisoners from Belarus, US envoy John Coale tells RFE/RL discuss the deal, sanctions relief, Washington’s tentative thaw with Minsk -- and where Russia fits in. https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-envoy-coale-interview-prisoners-us-sanctions/33858363.html https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-envoy-coale-interview-prisoners-us-sanctions/33858363.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 21:14:24 +0200 Belarus Billions of dollars in oil revenue are missing from Iran’s coffers. At the center of the scandal are shadowy middlemen known as "trustees" who help Tehran sell oil, steel, petrochemicals, and other goods abroad while bypassing international sanctions. But the middlemen Iran used have not all been handing over the sales revenues -- instead, many have absconded with it, to the tune of over $11 billion. Roya Maleki from RFE/RL's Negah-e-Farda (Iran Tomorrow) program explains. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-oil-money-trustees-middlemen-abscond-sanctions-sales-revenues-billions/33858381.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-oil-money-trustees-middlemen-abscond-sanctions-sales-revenues-billions/33858381.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 20:59:10 +0200 Iran A web of contractors, suppliers, and others with links to Russian state giant Rosneft’s big Arctic oil project includes a billionaire associate of Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin and the father of President Vladimir Putin’s purported partner, Alina Kabayeva, among others. Systema investigates. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-oil-arctic-rosneft-vostok-investigation/33858300.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-oil-arctic-rosneft-vostok-investigation/33858300.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 19:27:20 +0200 Russia A military airfield in Russia's Rostov-on-Don and the Slavneft-YANOS oil refinery in Yaroslavl were reportedly hit during a major overnight drone attack. Ukraine’s Security Service says three military transport planes and three helicopters were hit. https://www.rferl.org/a/russian-military-airfield-major-oil-refinery-targeted-in-massive-ukrainian-drone-attack/33858180.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russian-military-airfield-major-oil-refinery-targeted-in-massive-ukrainian-drone-attack/33858180.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 14:31:04 +0200 Videos Russia resumed its missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities on September 17, hours after the US Congress passed a sanctions package that supporters say will increase pressure on Moscow and countries that help finance its war against Ukraine. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-attack-ukraine-graham-bill-sanctions/33858069.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-attack-ukraine-graham-bill-sanctions/33858069.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 11:31:36 +0200 News Iranian cinema has a long history of confronting censorship. But the Women, Life, Freedom protests changed the terms of that confrontation. Where filmmakers once worked within, or carefully around, an elaborate approval system to tell their stories, many now bypass it entirely at great risk. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-cinema-woman-life-freedom-protests/33857408.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-cinema-woman-life-freedom-protests/33857408.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 07:42:32 +0200 Iran The US Congress on September 16 passed sweeping legislation targeting Russia and Iran, sending to President Donald Trump a sanctions package supporters say will increase pressure on Moscow and countries that help finance its war against Ukraine. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-congress-sweeping-russia-iran-sanctions-bill/33857946.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-congress-sweeping-russia-iran-sanctions-bill/33857946.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 07:18:57 +0200 News Twenty-five freed political prisoners arrived in Vilnius, Lithuania, on September 16 after they were released by Belarusian authorities. The US special envoy to Belarus, John Coale, said their release was secured in exchange for Washington's agreement to lift sanctions on two Belarusian companies. https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-political-prisoners-released-sanctions-deal/33857731.html https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-political-prisoners-released-sanctions-deal/33857731.html Wed, 16 Sep 2026 22:53:02 +0200 Belarus The US military says traffic in the Strait of Hormuz continues to gain momentum amid concerns that escalating fighting between Saudi Arabia and Iran-aligned Houthi rebels in Yemen threatens another vital artery for global oil supplies in the region. https://www.rferl.org/a/centcom-hormuz-houthi-saudi-fighting-iran-us/33857667.html https://www.rferl.org/a/centcom-hormuz-houthi-saudi-fighting-iran-us/33857667.html Wed, 16 Sep 2026 18:42:17 +0200 Iran A military training exercise in Serbia featured Chinese-designed quadruped robots firing weapons, as concerns mount over Beijing-linked technology facilities being set up in the Balkan country. https://www.rferl.org/a/serbia-china-military-dogs-quadraped-weapon/33857596.html https://www.rferl.org/a/serbia-china-military-dogs-quadraped-weapon/33857596.html Wed, 16 Sep 2026 17:46:17 +0200 Serbia Russian drones hit a passenger train in southern Ukraine on September 16, setting a train ablaze. No causalities were reported. Another Russian drone strike killed five people on a bus near the frontline city of Nikopol, according to officials. The strikes follow an uptick in attacks on civilian transport in recent days. https://www.rferl.org/a/russian-drones-hit-ukrainian-passenger-train-and-bus-killing-5/33857562.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russian-drones-hit-ukrainian-passenger-train-and-bus-killing-5/33857562.html Wed, 16 Sep 2026 16:04:41 +0200 Ukraine The 58-year-old Thaci, and three other former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army who fought Serb forces in the 1998-99 war, was convicted on four counts of war crimes: illegal and arbitrary arrest and detention, cruel treatment, torture, and murder. Judge Charles Smith said the men, widely regarded as national heroes in Kosovo, had been engaged in a "common criminal purpose" that involved arbitrary detention of at least 385 people at locations in Kosovo and northern Albania... https://www.rferl.org/a/thaci-war-crimes-kosovo/33857531.html https://www.rferl.org/a/thaci-war-crimes-kosovo/33857531.html Wed, 16 Sep 2026 15:45:21 +0200 Videos In an interview with RFE/RL, Asrin Mohammadi recalls how her brother was killed during the brutal state crackdown on the Women, Life, Freedom protests that began four years ago. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-women-life-freedom-protests-crackdown/33857477.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-women-life-freedom-protests-crackdown/33857477.html Wed, 16 Sep 2026 15:01:50 +0200 Iran US special envoy John Coale announced that 25 people were released from Belarusian prisons in exchange for the lifting of US sanctions on two Belarusian companies following his talks with the country’s longtime authoritarian leader, Aleksandr Lukashenko. https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-us-prisoners-release-sanctions/33857455.html https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-us-prisoners-release-sanctions/33857455.html Wed, 16 Sep 2026 13:55:01 +0200 Belarus An international tribunal in the Hague on September 16 said it has found former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) commander and later Kosovo President Hashim Thaci guilty of war crimes and sentenced the 58-year-old to 25 years in prison. https://www.rferl.org/a/hague-court-former-kosovo-president-thaci-guilty-war-crimes/33857358.html https://www.rferl.org/a/hague-court-former-kosovo-president-thaci-guilty-war-crimes/33857358.html Wed, 16 Sep 2026 11:28:12 +0200 News The US indictment targets five people, including two men linked to Russia's main intelligence agency, who plotted assassinations and sabotage in the United States and Europe. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-charges-five-russian-intelligence-sabotage-assassination-plot/33857324.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-charges-five-russian-intelligence-sabotage-assassination-plot/33857324.html Wed, 16 Sep 2026 11:15:32 +0200 Russia sweeping Russia sanctions bill championed by the late Senator Lindsey Graham cleared a key procedural hurdle in the US House of Representatives on September 15, setting up a final vote on legislation that supporters say would increase pressure on Moscow and strengthen US support for Ukraine. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-sanctions-bill-us-house-trump-ukraine/33857261.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-sanctions-bill-us-house-trump-ukraine/33857261.html Wed, 16 Sep 2026 10:10:06 +0200 News The hijab has long been a hot topic in Muslim-majority Central Asia, where many authoritarian governments have suppressed Islamic political and religious groups and any outward signs of religiosity. The debate has been rekindled as the new academic year started this month. https://www.rferl.org/a/islam-hijab-ban-schools-kazakhstan-tajikistan-uzbekistan/33856857.html https://www.rferl.org/a/islam-hijab-ban-schools-kazakhstan-tajikistan-uzbekistan/33856857.html Wed, 16 Sep 2026 09:44:04 +0200 Features Four years after Mahsa Amini died in police custody following her detention over Iran’s mandatory hijab law, increasing numbers of Iranian women are appearing in public without head scarves. Amini's death became the catalyst for the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom protest movement. The defiance has grown amid war with the United States and mounting political and economic pressures. While Iran's so-called morality police have largely disappeared from public life across major cities,... https://www.rferl.org/a/four-years-after-mahsa-amini-s-death-iranian-women-defy-hijab-law/33856890.html https://www.rferl.org/a/four-years-after-mahsa-amini-s-death-iranian-women-defy-hijab-law/33856890.html Tue, 15 Sep 2026 22:01:49 +0200 Iran By most accounts, the Ukrainian counteroffensive is shaping up to be one of the largest shifts on the battlefield in months, possibly in a year. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-counteroffensive-lyman/33856852.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-counteroffensive-lyman/33856852.html Tue, 15 Sep 2026 17:30:04 +0200 Ukraine Ukrainian skeleton racer and Olympian Vladyslav Heraskevych is urging US lawmakers and the State Department to deny visas to Russian athletes who seek to compete under the Russian flag at the 2028 Olympic Games in LA, arguing that Moscow has turned sport into an instrument of war propaganda. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-heraskevych-russian-athletes-us-visa-ban-los-angeles-olympics/33855970.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-heraskevych-russian-athletes-us-visa-ban-los-angeles-olympics/33855970.html Tue, 15 Sep 2026 14:20:21 +0200 News In this week's briefing, FE/RL Europe Editor Rikard Jozwiak is drilling down on two issues: The EU's game plan in the Black Sea and whether the bloc can succeed in its second attempt to ban Russian ex-soldiers from entering the EU. https://www.rferl.org/a/eu-black-sea-grain-russia-ukraine-ex-russian-soldiers-jozwiak-europe-briefing/33855946.html https://www.rferl.org/a/eu-black-sea-grain-russia-ukraine-ex-russian-soldiers-jozwiak-europe-briefing/33855946.html Tue, 15 Sep 2026 13:54:43 +0200 Wider Europe As militancy surges in Pakistan's Balochistan Province, former Afghan security personnel are reportedly being recruited for pro-government armed groups -- allegations that could add a dangerous new dimension to tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan. https://www.rferl.org/a/former-afghan-soldiers-recruited-pakistan-balochistan/33853984.html https://www.rferl.org/a/former-afghan-soldiers-recruited-pakistan-balochistan/33853984.html Tue, 15 Sep 2026 13:19:22 +0200 Features The US House Rules Committee has advanced legislation imposing tougher sanctions on Russia and Iran, clearing a key procedural hurdle for a possible House vote later this week but exposing deep Democratic concerns over the measure’s expansion of presidential tariff authority. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-house-panel-advances-russia-iran-sanctions-bill-putin/33855848.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-house-panel-advances-russia-iran-sanctions-bill-putin/33855848.html Tue, 15 Sep 2026 10:52:41 +0200 News A NATO fighter jet shot down a drone carrying an explosive device after it entered Lithuanian airspace early on September 15, Lithuanian authorities said, as a series of incidents involving Russia and NATO members raised fresh concerns about the spillover of the war in Ukraine. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ukraine-drone-strikes-nato-lithuania/33855738.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ukraine-drone-strikes-nato-lithuania/33855738.html Tue, 15 Sep 2026 07:53:22 +0200 News It’s the first time since the all-out invasion of Ukraine in 2022 that Russians will cast ballots to fill the 450-seat lower house of parliament. Here are five things to know about the tightly controlled vote for the State Duma. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-duma-elections-united-russia-parliament-putin/33854025.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-duma-elections-united-russia-parliament-putin/33854025.html Tue, 15 Sep 2026 07:28:37 +0200 Russia An international tribunal is due to deliver a verdict in the war crimes trial of former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) commander and later Kosovo President Hashim Thaci in a case that could shape how the country’s 1990s war of independence from Serbia is remembered. https://www.rferl.org/a/kosovo-war-crimes-verdict-president-thaci/33853881.html https://www.rferl.org/a/kosovo-war-crimes-verdict-president-thaci/33853881.html Tue, 15 Sep 2026 07:26:48 +0200 Kosovo Schools in Moldova’s breakaway Transdniester region are now beginning each week with students raising the separatist region's flag and singing its anthem. Authorities in the regional capital, Tiraspol, say the ceremonies are meant to promote patriotism and discipline. But officials in Chisinau accuse the administration there of using schools to indoctrinate children and deepen the region's political divisions with Moldova. https://www.rferl.org/a/moldova-school-children-russian-propaganda-ceremony-transdniester-separatist-mr-nobody-putin/33854388.html https://www.rferl.org/a/moldova-school-children-russian-propaganda-ceremony-transdniester-separatist-mr-nobody-putin/33854388.html Tue, 15 Sep 2026 07:26:37 +0200 Moldova