Some of the most compelling photographs from RFE/RL's coverage area and beyond for the 31st week of 2017. For more photo galleries, see our Picture This archive.
Photos Of The Week #31
![A bride walks in a fountain on a hot summer day in Kyiv, where temperatures reached over 36 degrees Celsius. (epa/Sergey Dolzehnko)](https://gdb.rferl.org/da96dcb9-4a67-49ef-aec6-5bfc50ca09d9_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
1
A bride walks in a fountain on a hot summer day in Kyiv, where temperatures reached over 36 degrees Celsius. (epa/Sergey Dolzehnko)
![Israelis watch and take photos of hot air balloons flying during the Gilboa Hot Air Balloon Festival near Kibbutz Ein Harod in northern Israel's Jezreel Valley. (AFP/Menahem Kahana)](https://gdb.rferl.org/0e10b503-0a79-4e70-a3e0-7214f6c8235f_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
2
Israelis watch and take photos of hot air balloons flying during the Gilboa Hot Air Balloon Festival near Kibbutz Ein Harod in northern Israel's Jezreel Valley. (AFP/Menahem Kahana)
![A boy jumps into the Cijevna River to cool off near Tuzi as a heatwave hit Montenegro. (Reuters/Stevo Vasiljevic)](https://gdb.rferl.org/ee8d788a-f970-494c-b02c-c9e07d4b4682_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
3
A boy jumps into the Cijevna River to cool off near Tuzi as a heatwave hit Montenegro. (Reuters/Stevo Vasiljevic)
![Ukrainian militants of the Azov battalion take part in an exercise on a shooting range close to the village of Urzuf near Mariupol. (epa/Volodymyr Petrov)](https://gdb.rferl.org/3fb8c264-3e37-4e24-82fb-c5950511ea88_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
4
Ukrainian militants of the Azov battalion take part in an exercise on a shooting range close to the village of Urzuf near Mariupol. (epa/Volodymyr Petrov)
![A boy can be seen through a giant soap bubble in Central Park in New York. (epa/Alba Vigaray)](https://gdb.rferl.org/3e2e2d23-c096-4369-99eb-3bc475fbb3f1_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
5
A boy can be seen through a giant soap bubble in Central Park in New York. (epa/Alba Vigaray)
![Afghan protesters shout against the Islamic State extremist group following a mosque attack that killed 33 people in Herat. (AFP/Hoshang Hashimi)](https://gdb.rferl.org/d73ea12d-44e7-4429-b7e5-e745eae2d785_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
6
Afghan protesters shout against the Islamic State extremist group following a mosque attack that killed 33 people in Herat. (AFP/Hoshang Hashimi)
![Festivalgoers take part in the traditional mud bath on the first day of the 23rd Przystanek Woodstock (Woodstock Bus Stop) festival in Kostrzyn nad Odra, Poland. (epa/Lech Muszynski)](https://gdb.rferl.org/1b18a907-e1c9-493a-a8a1-61e4835af9b2_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
7
Festivalgoers take part in the traditional mud bath on the first day of the 23rd Przystanek Woodstock (Woodstock Bus Stop) festival in Kostrzyn nad Odra, Poland. (epa/Lech Muszynski)
![Swimmers cool down at the Dreamland aquapark in Minsk, Belarus. (epa/Tatyana Zenkovich)](https://gdb.rferl.org/8263f05e-3852-488f-8972-ab73a2b53f0f_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
8
Swimmers cool down at the Dreamland aquapark in Minsk, Belarus. (epa/Tatyana Zenkovich)
![Russian airborne veterans celebrate Paratroopers' Day at Gorky Park in Moscow. (AFP/Aleksandr Nemenov)](https://gdb.rferl.org/cba1c20f-c099-4f1d-9e25-132c2563f3cf_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
9
Russian airborne veterans celebrate Paratroopers' Day at Gorky Park in Moscow. (AFP/Aleksandr Nemenov)
![Indonesian students take cover from volcanic ash falling from Mt. Sinabung as they ride on a pickup truck and a motorcycle after the volcano erupted at Beganding village in Karo, North Sumatra, Indonesia Province. Mt. Sinabung is one of the most active volcanos in Indonesia. The 2,460-meter volcano had been dormant for 400 years before it erupted in August 2010. (epa/Dedi Sinuhaji)](https://gdb.rferl.org/96ef5428-1bd9-4f23-8c30-0b5c90af3552_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
10
Indonesian students take cover from volcanic ash falling from Mt. Sinabung as they ride on a pickup truck and a motorcycle after the volcano erupted at Beganding village in Karo, North Sumatra, Indonesia Province. Mt. Sinabung is one of the most active volcanos in Indonesia. The 2,460-meter volcano had been dormant for 400 years before it erupted in August 2010. (epa/Dedi Sinuhaji)
![U.S. troops assess the damage to an armored vehicle belonging to the NATO-led military coalition after a suicide attack in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. (Reuters/Ahmad Nadeem)](https://gdb.rferl.org/6bc09c1e-336c-42e3-9537-ea0554355138_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
11
U.S. troops assess the damage to an armored vehicle belonging to the NATO-led military coalition after a suicide attack in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. (Reuters/Ahmad Nadeem)
![A Jewish worshipper prays in front of an entrance to the compound known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount, on Tisha B'Av, a day of fasting and lament, in Jerusalem's Old City. (Reuters/Amir Cohen)](https://gdb.rferl.org/fba1861a-59e6-47d8-9937-b1ef14031556_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
12
A Jewish worshipper prays in front of an entrance to the compound known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount, on Tisha B'Av, a day of fasting and lament, in Jerusalem's Old City. (Reuters/Amir Cohen)
![Lorens Listo jumps from the Old Bridge during the 451st diving competition in Mostar, Bosnia- Herzegovina. (Reuters/Dado Ruvic)](https://gdb.rferl.org/0ae6ed6e-af69-4ac4-8678-152492308e46_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
13
Lorens Listo jumps from the Old Bridge during the 451st diving competition in Mostar, Bosnia- Herzegovina. (Reuters/Dado Ruvic)
![Damaged buildings in the Old City in western Mosul, Iraq, which was recently recaptured from the Islamic State extremist group. (AFP/Safin Hamed)](https://gdb.rferl.org/94b2679d-9c2d-4fa7-8ec9-0e75322e397f_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
14
Damaged buildings in the Old City in western Mosul, Iraq, which was recently recaptured from the Islamic State extremist group. (AFP/Safin Hamed)
![Sumo wrestler Kaiho eats a "chanko" meal in the main hall of the Ganjoji Yakushido temple in Nagoya, Japan. (Reuters/Issei Kato)](https://gdb.rferl.org/8a501093-9a7a-4db9-b7b8-80e9058eba7c_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
15
Sumo wrestler Kaiho eats a "chanko" meal in the main hall of the Ganjoji Yakushido temple in Nagoya, Japan. (Reuters/Issei Kato)
![A woman holds an umbrella while using her mobile phone as a lightning storm rolls into Prague, in the Czech Republic. (epa/Martin Divisek)](https://gdb.rferl.org/4bafc648-9f92-41ff-afd8-fb335a6ff94d_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
16
A woman holds an umbrella while using her mobile phone as a lightning storm rolls into Prague, in the Czech Republic. (epa/Martin Divisek)
![A couple enjoys the view at Serebryano-Vinogradnii Lake in Moscow on July 30. (AFP/Mladen Antonov)](https://gdb.rferl.org/893269f1-acc1-496c-9246-726e10d0961d_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
17
A couple enjoys the view at Serebryano-Vinogradnii Lake in Moscow on July 30. (AFP/Mladen Antonov)
![Flames erupt as clashes break out during civil unrest in Caracas, Venezuela, on July 30. (Reuters/Carlos Garcia Rawlins)](https://gdb.rferl.org/72912e79-53bc-470f-9005-5ec361495b30_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
18
Flames erupt as clashes break out during civil unrest in Caracas, Venezuela, on July 30. (Reuters/Carlos Garcia Rawlins)
![A dog plays in a pool with colored balls during the Freaky Summer Party 2017 city festival in Minsk, Belarus, on July 30. (epa/Tatyana Zenkovich)](https://gdb.rferl.org/89840766-ab41-4bc5-ba93-480d024d3e89_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
19
A dog plays in a pool with colored balls during the Freaky Summer Party 2017 city festival in Minsk, Belarus, on July 30. (epa/Tatyana Zenkovich)
![Residents of the village of Vilardevos in northwestern Spain observe a large forest fire that prompted warnings from authorities. (epa/Brais Lorenzo)](https://gdb.rferl.org/ccfd098b-4805-441c-9f8f-f22667c5c188_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
20
Residents of the village of Vilardevos in northwestern Spain observe a large forest fire that prompted warnings from authorities. (epa/Brais Lorenzo)