Eastern Europe

'Berlin Wall's Lessons For Today'

In an op-ed for "USA Today," Jeffrey Gedmin discusses RFE and the role of free media in societies living under repressive regimes. More

Moldova Reports Increase In Swine Flu Infections

Moldova's Health Ministry says 25 high-school students in Chisinau have tested positive for swine flu, raising the number of those infected in the country to 65, RFE/RL's Moldovan Service reports. More

Ukrainian Election May Be Postponed Due To Swine Flu

Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko is considering postponing the country's presidential election scheduled for January due to the spread of swine flu in the country. More

Polish TV Company Director Refused Belarusian Visa

Belarusian authorities have refused to issue a visa to the director of the Warsaw-based Belsat television company that broadcasts to Belarus, RFE/RL's Belarus Service reports. More

Ukraine PM Says 'Difficult' Russian Bill Settled

Ukraine has paid Russia for October gas supplies on time, despite European Union fears that bills would not be settled but the process had proved "extremely difficult," Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has said. More

Ukraine Says Has Enough Gas For Winter Flows

Ukraine has told the European Commission that it has 25 billion cubic meters of gas in storage, which should be enough to prevent disruptions to flows to Europe this winter, a spokesman has said. More

Belarusian Parliamentarians To Visit South Ossetia, Abkhazia

A group of Belarusian lawmakers will travel to Georgia and its breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia to decide if they should have parliamentary discussions about the recognizing the regions as independent states, RFE/RL's Belarus Service reports. More

Blood And Velvet

Some were peaceful and some were violent. Some were popular revolts and some were orchestrated within the Communist Party leadership. The revolutions of 1989 cast aside Europe's Cold War dictators, paving the way for democracy and the free-market reforms of the 1990s. More

Swine Flu Death Toll Rises In Ukraine

Four more Ukrainians have been confirmed to have died of swine flu, with more than 70 other respiratory deaths still being investigated, RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service reports. More

Unmasking The Truth About Swine Flu

As concerns over massive outbreaks of swine flu rise in many countries with the onset of the influenza season, doctors say much is misunderstood about how people contract the disease. We speak to experts to learn more, and whether there is any cause for panic. RFE/RL correspondent Charles Recknagel reports. More

In Fear Of The Flu

Public fears of a major outbreak of swine flu are growing in countries from Ukraine to Afghanistan. What is not clear is how many cases are actually the dreaded H1N1 strain, and whether fears of a pandemic are justified. More