The Week's Best: Stories You May Have Missed

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.

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'Fake News' Law Targets Russian Media Over Coronavirus Info

'Fake News' Law Targets Russian Media Over Coronavirus Info

Russians who share information about the coronavirus crisis that's judged to be "fake news" can now face a fine or even prison time. Critics say the new law can be used to silence independent media and maintain official control over information concerning the pandemic. By Current Time

Powers Down: The 60th Anniversary Of The U-2 Spy Plane Incident​

Sixty years ago, Soviet Air Defense Forces shot down a U.S. spy plane piloted by Francis Gary Powers as he was on a photographic-reconnaissance mission deep inside the U.S.S.R. The incident caused an international furor and Powers was later exchanged for Soviet spy Rudolf Abel in 1962. By Kateryna Oliynyk and Stuart Greer

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Funeral Fears Rise In Russia As Mourners For COVID-19 Victims Go Online

Funeral Fears Rise In Russia As Mourners For COVID-19 Victims Go Online

Russian funeral homes and undertakers have been adapting to new regulations governing the burial or cremation of COVID-19 victims. Meanwhile, mourners are being offered the chance to attend funeral services online. By Current Time and Neil Bowdler

Russia's 'Captain Tom': 97-Year-Old Stalingrad Veteran Raising Money For COVID-19 Doctors

Zinaida Korneva, a 97-year-old Red Army veteran, has launched a campaign to raise money for the families of Russian doctors who have died from coronavirus. Her inspiration was Tom Moore, the British centenarian and fellow World War II combatant who traversed his garden 100 times to help the UK’s National Health Service. By Matthew Luxmoore

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Afghan Man Marries Fiancee After 12 Years Paying Bride Price

Afghan Man Marries Fiancee After 12 Years Paying Bride Price

Afghan shopkeeper Saeed Wali has finally married his fiancee after taking 12 years to pay a $2,800 bride price. By RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan and Sharifullah Sharfat

'They Were Laughing': Iranian Border Guards Accused Of Torturing, Drowning Afghan Migrants

Iranian border guards have been accused of torturing and then forcing a group of Afghan migrants to jump into a river, where some of them reportedly drowned. By Shapoor Saber and Frud Bezhan

'We Would Have Lost': Did U.S. Lend-Lease Aid Tip The Balance In Soviet Fight Against Nazi Germany?

Ever since the Cold War, many Soviet and Russian politicians and academics have downplayed the role that U.S.-provided weapons and supplies played in the Red Army's ultimately victorious campaign against Hitler's Germany. But there is substantial evidence that the huge influx of materiel made an irreplaceable contribution, as many figures during the war acknowledged. By Robert Coalson

Russia's Monumental Tributes To The 'Great Patriotic War'

It is known in Russia as the "Great Patriotic War" and there are a number of imposing monuments across the country to mark the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. The Soviet Union suffered an estimated 25 million war deaths, half of whom were civilians. As Russia and other former Soviet states prepare to mark the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II on May 9, here is a look at some of Russia's monumental memorials. By RFE/RL