Here are some of the highlights produced by RFE/RL's vast team of correspondents, multimedia editors, and visual journalists over the past seven days, including content from Gandhara, the RFE/RL website focusing exclusively on developments in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
'They Were Sent As Cannon Fodder': Locals Confront Russian Governor Over 'Our Boys In Ukraine War
A governor in Siberia faced tough questions about why young men were sent to invade Ukraine, a testy exchange that comes as the Kremlin moves aggressively to stamp out any opposition to the war with its neighbor. By Carl Schreck
Putin May Use Chechen War Playbook In Ukraine, Says Russian Human Rights Activist
Memorial International Director Aleksandr Cherkasov warns that with Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine facing difficulties, Russian President Vladimir Putin is turning to the indiscriminate tactics of the Chechen wars. By Ksenia Sokolyanskaya
A Detention, A Recording, A Brutal Beating: Another Window Into Russian Police Interrogations
By the standards of Russian police brutality, documented for years by rights groups, the beating and verbal abuse that the woman endured was shocking, but not out of the ordinary. The surreptitious recording was revelatory, conveying in painful detail how police interrogations are frequently conducted—and the violence that is also frequently employed. By Mike Eckel
How Russia's Media War Leaves People Oblivious To The Death, Destruction In Ukraine
As Russia wages a brutal war against Ukraine, targeting civilian areas and drawing global condemnation, many people living in Russia and Russian-occupied Crimea consume false narratives promoted by Kremlin-controlled media. Calling the invasion a war and not a "special military operation" is a criminal offense under Russian law. When RFE/RL spoke to people in Crimea, part of Ukraine seized by Russia in 2014, there was ignorance about what is going on. The interviews in this report were conducted before RFE/RL was forced to halt its operations in Russia and Crimea on March 6, amid intense government pressure to stop independent reporting there. By Ray Furlong, RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, RFE/RL's Russian Service, and Current Time
'Prisoners In Our Homes': How The Taliban Takeover Changed The Lives Of Afghan Women
The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan has upended the lives of millions of people, especially women and girls whose right to education and work has been severely curtailed. On International Women’s Day, RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi spoke to several women about how the militant takeover has radically altered their lives. By Freshta Shikany
Russia’s War In Ukraine: The Beginning Of The End Of An Energy Superpower?
Russia’s status as an energy superpower is headed toward collapse following the invasion of Ukraine, as Europe accelerates alternatives to its oil and gas and Western companies end financial and technological support for projects, analysts said. By Todd Prince
Ukrainian Troops Attempt To Drive Russian Forces From Village Near Kyiv
Ukrainian troops launched a counterattack to drive occupying Russian forces from a village in the Kyiv region on March 10. Maryan Kushnir, a reporter for RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, joined them as they battled for control. For security reasons, the exact location of the village could not be revealed. The Ukrainian military has not made any statement about casualties or if the mission was successful. By RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service and Maryan Kushnir
'We Are Desperate': War In Ukraine Diverting World's Attention From Afghan Humanitarian Crisis
The rapidly growing humanitarian crisis in Ukraine is quickly diverting international attention from Afghanistan, where aid workers warn of a looming catastrophe. More than 23 million Afghans face hunger as the country of 39 million slides into universal poverty under Taliban rule. By Abubakar Siddique
China's Censorship, Propaganda Push Russian Version Of The War In Ukraine
While Beijing is threading the needle diplomatically over its close ties with the Kremlin, its tightly controlled state-media and “wolf warrior” officials are increasingly converging with Moscow's skewed coverage of the war -- and pushing conspiracy theories in the process. By Reid Standish
'Our Children Are Dying': Kharkiv Resident Tearfully Calls For The Skies To Be Closed Over Ukraine
In an emotional interview with RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, Kharkiv native Yulia Sukhovyeyeva has called on the world to close the skies over Ukraine in order to prevent shelling from Russian forces. Yulia is one of millions of Ukrainians fleeing the country to escape the war. Once she takes her child to safety abroad, she says that she plans to return to her hometown where her parents remain, and which is now being constantly attacked by the Russian forces. By Serhiy Andrushko and RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service
