We know that rferl.org isn't the only website you read, and it's possible that you may have missed some of our most interesting journalism from the past week. To make sure you're up-to-date, here are some of the highlights produced by RFE/RL's team of correspondents, multimedia editors, and visual journalists over the past seven days. Share this story on social media if you liked what you read.
Smash Or Flop, Ukraine's Zelenskiy Steps Into Role Of A Lifetime
The president-elect will take the reins of a country that requires radical reform, remains ensnared in a war with Russia-backed separatists, and is at the heart of the West's geopolitical fight with Russia. But for a day, at least, Volodymyr Zelenskiy's apparent victory is about Ukrainian public optimism. By Christopher Miller
Afghan Crane Hunter Snares Spring Bounty
Afghan Jan Agha has hunted cranes since his childhood. He uses a tethered crane as a lure to trap other birds, with the cranes sold at market, mostly for meat. He's one of many Afghans who live from bird hunting, with few restrictions in place in the country to limit the number of birds killed. By Reuters and Neil Bowdler
What's Changed? Armenia One Year After Revolution
In their own words, eight working Armenians open up about how their country's 2018 "velvet revolution" has affected their lives. By Amos Chapple
Inside The Soviet KGB's Secret War On Western Books
A newly declassified 1979 memo gives intriguing details about the Ukrainian KGB's efforts to thwart a "plot by Western security agencies" to undermine the Soviet Union by importing subversive literature into the country under the framework of the 1975 Helsinki Accords. By Eduard Andryushchenko and Robert Coalson
The Next Aral Sea? Caspian Suffers Impact Of Pollution, Climate Change
Disappearing seals, plummeting fish stocks, and a falling water level all point to the deteriorating health of the Caspian Sea. Ahead of Earth Day, observed on April 22, environmentalists in Azerbaijan have warned that it will take rapid action to save the Caspian from the fate of its eastern neighbor, the dying Aral Sea. By Margot Buff
'Not A Spy In The Traditional Sense:' How The Butina Case Lifted The Lid On Alleged Russian Operations
Ahead of Russian agent Maria Butina's sentencing, U.S. prosecutors offered a window on how the FBI thinks views Russian intelligence operations. By Mike Eckel
Gulag Graphic Novel Draws A Dark Portrait Of Russia's Past
With nearly half of young Russians having never heard of the mass political repressions carried out by Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, a Moscow museum has produced a graphic novel aimed at sharing stories from some of Russia's darkest times. By RFE/RL, Robert Coalson, and Stuart Greer
Russia Charges Baptist Pastor In A Sign That Its Religious Clampdown Could Be Spreading
As congregants celebrated Annunciation in Verkhnebakansky, law enforcement officers stormed into their meeting house and halted the service. By Matthew Luxmoore
Mueller Report? What Mueller Report? As U.S. Scrutinizes Document, Moscow Claims 'More Important Things To Do'
When a redacted version of U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation report was issued in Washington, Moscow was ready with a mix of studied disinterest and well-practiced disdain. By Matthew Luxmoore
'Like An Undeclared War': Russia's Toxic Test Sites In Kazakhstan
In Kazakhstan, villagers living close to military test sites struggle with "mysterious" illnesses and a toxic nuclear legacy. For 40 years, the Semipalatinsk test site was a massive experiment on the effects of nuclear explosions on land, water, animals, and people. Even after its closure in 1991, Kazakhstan leased territories to Russia to test modern weapons. Thousands live near the borders of the test sites. Many live on contaminated land and struggle with illnesses. By Harutyun Mansuryan, Roman Kupka, and Sanat Urnaliev
