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The Week's Best

The Week's Best: 11 Stories And Videos You Shouldn't Miss

Photo: Alexander Ermochenko (Reuters)
The Week's Best

The Week's Best: 11 Stories And Videos You Shouldn't Miss

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.

Near The Front, Ukraine's Drone Pilots Wage A Modern War On A Shoestring Budget

Before the Russian invasion, one was a bodybuilder, another a civil engineer, and the third worked in real estate. Their journey from green recruits to seasoned drone operators shows how much Ukraine has achieved – and just how far Ukraine has to go in matters ranging from weapons to intelligence. By Sam Skove

Death And Ruins: Ukrainians Recall Horrors Of Russian Occupation In Lyman And Yampil
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Death And Ruins: Ukrainians Recall Horrors Of Russian Occupation In Lyman And Yampil
by RFE/RL

No media source currently available

0:00 0:05:23 0:00

Death And Ruins: Ukrainians Recall Horrors Of Russian Occupation In Lyman And Yampil

Ukrainian troops liberated the towns of Lyman and Yampil in the Donetsk region in early October. Russian forces had controlled the area since May. Locals told RFE/RL journalists what life was like during Russian occupation and about the difficulties they face now that their towns are in ruins and they are forced to live without basic necessities, including heating and electricity. By RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service

'Afghanistan Is Hell': Supporters Of Late Afghan General Claim Taliban Killings, Persecution

Former Afghan government officials say the Taliban has engaged in extensive retribution killings, forced disappearances, and the displacement of followers of a late Afghan general in southern Afghanistan. Supporters of General Abdul Raziq allege the militant group continues to persecute them. By Abubakar Siddique

The Rise Of Prigozhin: 'Putin's Chef' Steps Further Into The Limelight

Yevgeny Prigozhin's notoriety has long been peppered with indictments, murky business transactions, mercenary brutality, and the weaponization of Internet trolling. Eight months into the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the man dubbed "Putin's Chef" is stepping further out of the shadows, picking political fights and commanding an even more visible role at a tense time. By Mike Eckel

'Til Death Do Us Part: Sharp Spike In Marriages As Russian Men Are Mobilized For Ukraine War

Across Russia, marriages have shot up since President Vladimir Putin ordered a mobilization amid steep losses in the war on Ukraine. Many couples who were living together are making things legal after the man received his call-up notice -- in part to lock in spousal death and disability benefits. By RFE/RL's North.Realities and Robert Coalson

On The Rails Across Wartime Ukraine

RFE/RL's Russian Service correspondent Oleksandra Vagner witnessed drone strikes and the quiet determination of ordinary Ukrainians while traveling by train from western Ukraine to the port city of Odesa. By Oleksandra Vagner

After The Russian Withdrawal, Memories Of Resistance And Collaboration Linger In A Ukrainian Village

Some residents of Shevchenkove told Schemes, the investigative unit of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, how they withstood torture and threats to resist collaboration with the Russian forces occupying their village in Ukraine's Kharkiv region. Others described what compelled them to cooperate. By Valeria Yehoshyna and Kira Tolstyakova

Ukrainian Gunners In Bakhmut Battle Rely On Weapons Older Than They Are
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Ukrainian Gunners In Bakhmut Battle Rely On Weapons Older Than They Are
by RFE/RL

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Ukrainian Gunners In Bakhmut Battle Rely On Weapons Older Than They Are

Near Bakhmut in Ukraine's Donetsk region, Ukrainian forces often rely on artillery from the 1970s and '80s. The front line there is one of the most hotly contested areas. The soldiers say that although the Soviet-era weaponry is old, it is still very effective. By Maryan Kushnir and Will Tizard

Afghan General Says Russia's Vagner Group Recruiting His Former Troops For Ukraine War

A shadowy private Russian mercenary force with close ties to the Kremlin is attempting to boost its ranks fighting in Ukraine by recruiting Afghan commandos who were trained by and fought alongside U.S. forces in Afghanistan. By Safiullah Stanikzai

'Only Putin Will Be Left In His Bunker': Muscovites Are Asked How The War In Ukraine Is Going
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'Only Putin Will Be Left In His Bunker': Muscovites Are Asked How The War In Ukraine Is Going
by RFE/RL

No media source currently available

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'Only Putin Will Be Left In His Bunker': Muscovites Are Asked How The War In Ukraine Is Going

RFE/RL asked people in Moscow how they thought the war in Ukraine -- which Russian President Vladimir Putin maintains is a "special military operation" -- is going. By RFE/RL's Russian Service and Reuters

Life In The Ruins Of Mariupol

A man pulls a cart toward a destroyed suburb of Mariupol on October 29.
1/10 A man pulls a cart toward a destroyed suburb of Mariupol on October 29.
Months after the Russian takeover of Mariupol, images emerge of a city still in ruins.
Football players train in front of a heavily damaged building.&nbsp;<br /> <br /> These photos, which were released by Reuters on October 30, offer a rare view inside Russian-occupied Mariupol, five months after Moscow seized control of the Ukrainian port city.&nbsp;
2/10 Football players train in front of a heavily damaged building. 

These photos, which were released by Reuters on October 30, offer a rare view inside Russian-occupied Mariupol, five months after Moscow seized control of the Ukrainian port city. 
Months after the Russian takeover of Mariupol, images emerge of a city still in ruins.
Construction workers in a war-damaged apartment building.<br /> <br /> Images of the devastated city became emblematic of Russia&#39;s ruinous invasion of Ukraine, but in recent months only occasional photos have been released by Russia&#39;s state-run news agencies.&nbsp;
3/10 Construction workers in a war-damaged apartment building.

Images of the devastated city became emblematic of Russia's ruinous invasion of Ukraine, but in recent months only occasional photos have been released by Russia's state-run news agencies. 
Months after the Russian takeover of Mariupol, images emerge of a city still in ruins.
A photo taken on October 19 shows Russian military trucks in front of a heavily damaged building in the center of Mariupol.
4/10 A photo taken on October 19 shows Russian military trucks in front of a heavily damaged building in the center of Mariupol.
Months after the Russian takeover of Mariupol, images emerge of a city still in ruins.
A Mariupol man and his young nephew work in the yard of a damaged building on October 29.&nbsp;<br /> <br /> Mariupol was captured by Russian forces in May after months of fighting left some 90 percent of the city&#39;s buildings damaged or destroyed. Thousands of people died in what became known as the siege of Mariupol.
5/10 A Mariupol man and his young nephew work in the yard of a damaged building on October 29. 

Mariupol was captured by Russian forces in May after months of fighting left some 90 percent of the city's buildings damaged or destroyed. Thousands of people died in what became known as the siege of Mariupol.
Months after the Russian takeover of Mariupol, images emerge of a city still in ruins.
An August 21 photo of the rebuilding of the Mariupol Chamber Philharmonic building.&nbsp;<br /> <br /> Reconstruction work began almost immediately after the Russian takeover on some buildings in the center of Mariupol, but the images in this gallery that were released by Reuters on October 30 appear to show that vast swathes of the city remain uninhabitable.&nbsp;
6/10 An August 21 photo of the rebuilding of the Mariupol Chamber Philharmonic building. 

Reconstruction work began almost immediately after the Russian takeover on some buildings in the center of Mariupol, but the images in this gallery that were released by Reuters on October 30 appear to show that vast swathes of the city remain uninhabitable. 
Months after the Russian takeover of Mariupol, images emerge of a city still in ruins.
A woman walks past a ruined apartment building on October 29.&nbsp;
7/10 A woman walks past a ruined apartment building on October 29. 
Months after the Russian takeover of Mariupol, images emerge of a city still in ruins.
The heavily damaged Azovstal steel mill photographed on October 29.<br /> <br /> The historic Azovstal metalworks was the final holdout for members of Azov, a controversial Ukrainian regiment that previously used neo-Nazi imagery on its uniforms.<br /> <br /> Russian&nbsp;President&nbsp;<strong><a data-sys="1" href="https://www.newsweek.com/topic/vladimir-putin">Vladimir Putin</a></strong>&nbsp;initially claimed &quot;de-Nazification&quot; as a justification of the February invasion of Ukraine, but the Kremlin has more recently framed the conflict as a war against &quot;satanism.&quot;
8/10 The heavily damaged Azovstal steel mill photographed on October 29.

The historic Azovstal metalworks was the final holdout for members of Azov, a controversial Ukrainian regiment that previously used neo-Nazi imagery on its uniforms.

Russian President Vladimir Putin initially claimed "de-Nazification" as a justification of the February invasion of Ukraine, but the Kremlin has more recently framed the conflict as a war against "satanism."
Months after the Russian takeover of Mariupol, images emerge of a city still in ruins.
The ruins of the Azovstal steel mill.&nbsp;<br /> <br /> According <strong><a href="https://tass.com/economy/1520761">to TASS</a></strong>, the ruined Azovstal site is set to be turned into an &quot;industrial park, a tech park, an eco-park, and a transport and logistics center&quot; at a cost of around $831 million.
9/10 The ruins of the Azovstal steel mill. 

According to TASS, the ruined Azovstal site is set to be turned into an "industrial park, a tech park, an eco-park, and a transport and logistics center" at a cost of around $831 million.
Months after the Russian takeover of Mariupol, images emerge of a city still in ruins.
A child&#39;s playground in the courtyard of a ruined apartment block on October 29.&nbsp;<br /> <br /> Mariupol was once home to around 431,000 people. Less than a quarter of that number are estimated to remain in the city today.&nbsp;
10/10 A child's playground in the courtyard of a ruined apartment block on October 29. 

Mariupol was once home to around 431,000 people. Less than a quarter of that number are estimated to remain in the city today. 
Months after the Russian takeover of Mariupol, images emerge of a city still in ruins.
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Life In The Ruins Of Mariupol

Months after the Russian takeover of Mariupol, images emerge of a city still in ruins. By RFE/RL and Reuters

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