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 Used To Photograph Weddings. Now A Ukrainian Couple Is Documenting The Horrors Of Russia's Invasion.
Before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Vlada and Kostyantin Liberov were wedding photographers in Odesa. Seven months later, they are war correspondents, working hard to make images that won’t let the world forget about Ukraine. By Mark Krutov
The Inside Story Of Ukraine's Kharkiv Counteroffensive
Ukrainian soldiers recount their exploits during the counteroffensive that swept Russian forces out of most of the Kharkiv region. They claim that many Russian soldiers seemed completely unprepared and fled immediately. By Yegor Loginov
Iranian Regime Facing Major Challenge From Intense 'Hijab' Protests After Woman's Death In Custody
Protests sparked by the death of a 22-year-old woman after her arrest by Tehran's morality police for allegedly violating the hijab rule is one of the biggest challenges the clerical establishment has faced in recent years, analysts tell RFE/RL. By Golnaz Esfandiari
Izyum's Residents Describe Desperate Life Under Russian Occupation
A Ukrainian man said 62 people hid in a basement used as a bomb shelter during World War II. Izyum was captured by Russian forces in March and retaken by the Ukrainian Army in early September. A local woman said that for much of the occupation, people stayed hidden underground as Russian troops went door-to-door with lists of people they were hunting. By Oksana Necheporenko and RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service
In Bulgaria, Soviet War Memorials Are Turning Into Ghosts
With Russia waging war on Ukraine, Soviet war memorials across Eastern Europe have been under renewed scrutiny, with some being pulled down. In Bulgaria, a French artist has found a unique way to confront the past: turning the monuments into ghosts. By Teodora Barzakova
War, Grief, And The Risk Of Repeat On The Kyrgyz-Tajik Border
Kyrgyzstan has argued that "border clashes" is an "irrelevant term" for a conflict that left at least 100 people dead, according to official tolls. By Chris Rickleton
Kosovo's Beleaguered Minorities: Three Degrees And Another On The Way, But Still No Job
The EU and the government in Pristina both acknowledge the ongoing problem with joblessness in the Romany, Ashkali, and Balkan Egyptian communities. The woefully low hiring in the public sector isn't helping. By Nadije Ahmeti
An Eyewitness To Shelling Along The Armenian-Azerbaijani Border
Veteran photojournalist Karen Minasyan recalls what he saw after being one of the first to arrive on the scene of recent shelling of Armenian territory by Azerbaijani forces. By Amos Chapple
Returning Pakistani Taliban Employs Extortion As Control Grows
The Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has engaged in a growing extortion campaign since hundreds of its fighters returned to the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Locals view the extortion campaign targeting businesses and wealthy families as a sign of a return to Taliban control. By Abubakar Siddique
Bulgarian Archaeologist Calls For More Money To Discover The Country's Unexplored Treasures
Perperikon is one of the most well-known archaeological sites in Bulgaria, and European Union money has helped turn it into an important place for study and international tourism. But leading Bulgarian archaeologist Nikolay Ovcharov says the Bulgarian government must do more to fund excavations there and at other important archaeological sites across the country. By RFE/RL's Bulgarian Service
Buryatia's Bone Breakers Get A Crack At Big-Time Competition
In Siberia, a sport of the Buryat people that involves breaking the bones of dead animals has been accepted as part of the World Nomad Games. The Buryat tradition of smashing spinal bones dates back to ancient times. According to belief, the spirit of an animal lives in the spine, and by breaking it, a person helps the soul to be reborn faster and move to another world. By Vladimir Sevrinovsky
