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.
Investigation Shows Contractors At Russian Base In Kyrgyzstan 'Dispatched To Ukraine'
An investigation by RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service indicates that Russia has redeployed at least dozens of troops from its air base in Kyrgyzstan to the frontlines of the war in Ukraine. Residents of Kant, the town where the Russian air base is located, say some 300-500 contract soldiers from the Russian Republic of Tyva were deployed there in late 2021. The contractors have since been dispatched to Ukraine, the residents said, a claim confirmed by activists and a soldier’s family in Tyva. By Aibek Biibosunov and Kubat Kasymbekov
Ukrainian Troops Post Jubilant Videos Of Kharkiv Conquests
Russian artillery litters the fields in areas of the Kharkiv region that Ukrainian troops have taken back in the last few days. Ukrainian soldiers have posted videos of themselves raising Ukrainian flags on buildings and being greeted by grateful residents. They say they have taken back some 20 towns and villages since September 8. Russia claims their retreat to the east is part of a planned operation to "regroup" its forces. By Current Time
Ukrainian Forces Find Bodies, Torture Stories In Liberated Town
When Current Time visited the newly liberated town of Balaklia in Ukraine's eastern Kharkiv region, they met a man who said he'd been electrocuted by Russian interrogators and a mother who said her son was shot dead at point-blank range by Russian forces the day before their retreat. By Current Time and Borys Sachalko
The Russian Photographer Who Immortalized The First Balkan War, Then Vanished
An archive in Serbia holds rare images of the war that freed the Balkans from Ottoman rule 110 years ago. The photographer who made the striking pictures disappeared without a trace. By Amos Chapple
In Russia's Sanctions-Hit Motor City, Men Still Love Their Cars
The Russian car industry is in crisis after the country's invasion of Ukraine prompted new sanctions and an exodus of Western car companies and capital. But in the western Russian city of Tolyatti, home to Lada manufacturer AvtoVaz, Russians still love their Soviet-era cars. By Current Time
Montenegrin President Defends Record, Offshore Holdings
President Milo Djukanovic has led Montenegro to the fore among aspiring EU members. But in a wide-ranging RFE/RL interview, he responds to criticism of Podgorica's record on organized crime and corruption, and talks about his use of offshore bank accounts and tensions with neighbor Serbia. By RFE/RL's Balkan Service
Dnipro Diary: Not Far From The Front Line, A Ukrainian Outpost City Digs In
Dnipro, a hub for the displaced by the war in Ukraine and a key line of defense against Russian aggression, gears up for winter as the war rages on in three directions. Meanwhile, despite unity in the face of the invasion, relations with Kyiv are chilly. By Aleksander Palikot
Women's Rights: A Year After The Taliban Takeover
Despite claims by the Taliban that women would not be discriminated against by its new government, the rights and freedoms of women and girls have been dramatically curtailed in Afghanistan, raising alarm among international human rights organizations. By Giovana Faria
Reporter's Notebook: Civilians In Newly Liberated Ukrainian Areas Tell Of Hardship And Abuse Under Occupation
RFE/RL spoke with locals of several towns in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region that were recently liberated in a successful Ukrainian counteroffensive that drove back occupying Russian forces. During the months of occupation, all of them experienced shortages – and some of them told of much worse. By Sam Skove
Saying The Quiet Part Out Loud: Ukrainian Victories Push Kremlin Toward Potential Mobilization
Since launching its February 24 invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin has balked at the idea of mass mobilization. But Ukraine’s stunning battlefield victories last week have pushed the question back to the front and center: Will Moscow be forced to declare war? By Mike Eckel
