We know you're busy and probably don't have the time to read all of our coverage each and every day. That's why we've put together The Week's Best. Here are some of the highlights produced in English by RFE/RL's vast team of correspondents, multimedia editors, and visual journalists over the past seven days.
Exclusive: How A Secretive Uzbek Firm Linked To The President's Family Earned Millions On Sweetheart Deals
Three years ago, an unknown Uzbek company registered in an apartment emerged from nowhere to land more than $100 million in state contracts before vanishing again. A new RFE/RL investigation reveals the firm's ties to the Uzbek president's son-in-law. By RFE/RL's Uzbek Service, Riin Aljas, and Elitsa Simeonova
Exclusive: Inside A Crippled Ukrainian Power Plant Destroyed By Russian Missiles
RFE/RL has been given exclusive access to a Ukrainian thermal power plant that was badly damaged after Russian missile attacks in late March. Officials, who asked that the location not be identified, revealed the extent of the damage and explain how Ukraine's largest private energy firm has lost five out of six plants and 80 percent of its electrical output. By Halyna Tereshchuk, RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, and Austin Malloy
One Winner Of The Ukraine War Is Azerbaijan
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has just visited Vladimir Putin in Moscow, days after Russian peacekeepers began to leave Nagorno-Karabakh, more than a year ahead of schedule. With Russia's sway in the Caucasus at a nadir, Azerbaijan's star is perhaps higher than ever. By Joshua Kucera
With New U.S. Aid, Ukraine Looks To Stabilize The Line, Seize The Initiative
The impending adoption of $61 billion in U.S. aid for Ukraine could help the embattled country maintain its lines and begin inflicting serious losses on Russia, while giving it time to prepare troops for a 2025 counteroffensive, analysts say. By Todd Prince and Current Time
Iran Homing In On Africa With Trade Promises, Chaos
Tehran is making a major push to increase trade and political ties to African states, giving it new routes to bypass sanctions and confront global adversaries. But its involvement in African hotspots has led to concerns that Iran really seeks to cash in on instability. By Michael Scollon
Mass Snowmelt, Heavy Rains Worsen Flood Devastation Across Central Asia
Sudden spring warming and rains are continuing to complicate flood recovery across Central Asia. Devastating mudslides in Kyrgyzstan and overflowing rivers in Kazakhstan and Russia are the worst current threats. They follow weeks of floods and a burst dam in Orsk, Russia, on April 6. Mass snowmelt in that region has also wiped out communities and roads along the Ural river in both Russia and Kazakhstan. By RFE/RL's Kazakh Service, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service, Current Time, and Will Tizard
Exiled Journalist Warns Georgia's 'Foreign Agents' Law Is 'First Step On Road To Repression'
Georgian-Russian journalist Yekaterina Kotrikadze talked to RFE/RL's Georgian Service about the risks facing Georgians if a government bill to curb "foreign influence" is passed. She would know better than most: She was declared a "foreign agent" in Russia and forced to flee. By Anastasia Slovinskaya
See Also: As Georgia Bids To Become A Tax Haven, Critics Worry It's All To Protect Oligarch Ivanishvili
The Iranian Cartoonist Arrested For Her Art
Prominent Iranian cartoonist Atena Farghadani has been detained by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps after attempting to post her work on a wall near the presidential palace in Tehran, multiple sources in Iran have told RFE/RL. By Ray Furlong, Kian Sharifi, Hannah Kaviani, and RFE/RL's Radio Farda
Why Is Viktor Orban Keeping The 100-Year-Old Treaty Of Trianon Alive?
A newly refurbished museum in Hungary is devoted to the 1920 Trianon Treaty, in which Hungary lost around two-thirds of its territory. The state-funded museum is part of a campaign by the right-wing government to foster national unity and a sense of injustice among ordinary Hungarians. By Lili Rutai
The Ascent Of Ukrainian Rap As The Soundtrack To War
A genre in its infancy at the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, hip hop has flourished amid a cultural boom in wartime Ukraine. It’s a two-way street, with lyrics reflecting Ukraine’s fight for survival and concerts helping raise cash for the cause. By Kollen Post
At Home In Kharkiv, My City Under Siege
Ten years after witnessing Russian-backed separatists attempt to seize her native city of Kharkiv, photographer Olga Ivashchenko returned to witness what may be the beginning of another attempt by Russia to seize Ukraine's second city by force.
