https://www.rferl.org Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty is an international news organization serving Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Russia, the Middle East and Balkan countries https://www.rferl.org/Content/responsive/RFE/en-US/img/logo.png https://www.rferl.org en Copyright 2026 - RFE/RL, Inc. 60 Wed, 17 Jun 2026 21:20:02 +0200 Pangea CMS – RFE/RL On June 17, Uzbekistan will become the first ever Central Asian nation to compete in the FIFA World Cup after multiple previous attempts to reach the coveted football contest. https://www.rferl.org/a/uzbekistan-football-world-cup-first-history/33783063.html https://www.rferl.org/a/uzbekistan-football-world-cup-first-history/33783063.html Wed, 17 Jun 2026 18:08:08 +0200 Photo GalleriesUzbekistanPhoto Galleries A blaze on June 15 amid Russia's all-out invasion of Ukraine is the latest war wound inflicted on Kyiv's centuries-old Pechersk Lavra, the most iconic religious landmark in the Ukrainian capital. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-invasion-lavra-monastery-caves-pechersk-history/33781318.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-invasion-lavra-monastery-caves-pechersk-history/33781318.html Mon, 15 Jun 2026 14:39:33 +0200 UkrainePhoto GalleriesPhoto GalleriesRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories A massive panorama depicting a battle in the 1853-1856 Crimean War has been heavily damaged by what Russian-occupation authorities in Sevastopol say was a Ukrainian drone attack. https://www.rferl.org/a/crimea-sevastopol-panorama-drone-strike-russia-ukraine-war-artwork-destroyed/33778268.html https://www.rferl.org/a/crimea-sevastopol-panorama-drone-strike-russia-ukraine-war-artwork-destroyed/33778268.html Thu, 11 Jun 2026 15:11:01 +0200 Russia Invades UkraineRussiaUkrainePhoto Galleries Kazakhstan has offered to host Iran's enriched uranium in order to streamline a potential peace deal between Tehran and Washington. The offer comes more than 30 years after a massive haul of weapons-grade uranium was taken out of the Central Asian country and flown to the US. https://www.rferl.org/a/kazakhstan-iran-project-sapphire-enriched-uranium/33773568.html https://www.rferl.org/a/kazakhstan-iran-project-sapphire-enriched-uranium/33773568.html Sat, 06 Jun 2026 13:06:22 +0200 Photo GalleriesFeaturesIranKazakhstanPicksThe Rundown Headline A fuel supply crisis in Crimea is worsening as Ukraine's "middle strike" drone campaign targets fuel tankers and storage facilities. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ukraine-crimea-war-fuel-shortage-invasion-drones/33772606.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ukraine-crimea-war-fuel-shortage-invasion-drones/33772606.html Thu, 04 Jun 2026 17:32:02 +0200 Russia Invades UkraineNewsUkrainePhoto GalleriesPhoto GalleriesThe Rundown Stories Russian military vehicles painted in patterns resembling WWI-era dazzle camouflage can potentially hide them from Ukrainian drones, but AI experts say any vivid pattern has a short shelf life. https://www.rferl.org/a/zebra-dazzle-camouflage-ai-hornet-drones-russia-ukraine-invasion/33771856.html https://www.rferl.org/a/zebra-dazzle-camouflage-ai-hornet-drones-russia-ukraine-invasion/33771856.html Thu, 04 Jun 2026 06:58:20 +0200 RussiaFeaturesUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories A donation of 16 Gripen C/D fighter jets from Sweden to Ukraine has the potential to significantly impact the ground war with Russia, depending on what weapons will be provided with the jets, experts say. https://www.rferl.org/a/gripen-fighters-ukraine-war-impact-russia-aviation/33768477.html https://www.rferl.org/a/gripen-fighters-ukraine-war-impact-russia-aviation/33768477.html Sat, 30 May 2026 16:27:17 +0200 UkraineFeaturesRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories After Ukraine’s tourism industry was decimated by the Russian invasion, tour operators in Ukraine are catering towards travellers who want to see the impacts of the war firsthand. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-war-dark-tourism-russia-invasion/33767624.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-war-dark-tourism-russia-invasion/33767624.html Fri, 29 May 2026 10:22:25 +0200 UkraineFeaturesPhoto GalleriesPicksRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories Dramatic images of glowing projectiles streaking down from space on May 24 marked the latest combat use of Russia's Oreshnik missile against Ukraine. Here is how the missile works, and why some of its payloads don't explode. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ukraine-missile-oreshnik-kinetic-strike-war-invasion/33766001.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ukraine-missile-oreshnik-kinetic-strike-war-invasion/33766001.html Tue, 26 May 2026 18:45:56 +0200 FeaturesRussiaUkrainePicksRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Headline Some experts believe the recent emergence of fiber-optic drones piloted by Hezbollah militants indicates Russia is feeding Iran intelligence about drone warfare, others believe a more worrying potential is more likely. https://www.rferl.org/a/israel-iran-fiber-optic-drones-russia-ukraine-war/33761841.html https://www.rferl.org/a/israel-iran-fiber-optic-drones-russia-ukraine-war/33761841.html Thu, 21 May 2026 20:28:57 +0200 FeaturesIranRussiaUkraineThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East A major military museum in the western German city of Koblenz is denying entry to nationals from 26 countries, causing tense scenes with some visitors who arrive with children. https://www.rferl.org/a/germany-military-museum-bans-ukrainians-russians-security-risk/33756719.html https://www.rferl.org/a/germany-military-museum-bans-ukrainians-russians-security-risk/33756719.html Sat, 16 May 2026 13:28:17 +0200 FeaturesAfghanistanArmeniaAzerbaijanBelarusGeorgiaIranKazakhstanKyrgyzstanMoldovaRussiaTajikistanTurkmenistan UkraineUzbekistanTatar-BashkirPakistanPicksThe Rundown Stories A loosening of rules for tourists entering Turkmenistan has been noticed by travellers and tour agencies but locals say the sudden liberalization is not extending to Turkmen citizens. https://www.rferl.org/a/turkmenistan-tourism-thaw-locals-travel-visas-repression/33757731.html https://www.rferl.org/a/turkmenistan-tourism-thaw-locals-travel-visas-repression/33757731.html Fri, 15 May 2026 17:03:06 +0200 Turkmenistan The Rundown Stories Migrant workers from India, Bangladesh, and elsewhere are taking up manual labor jobs inside the warring countries as Moscow and Kyiv struggle to offset shortages in their labor forces. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ukraine-migrant-workers-india-demographic-crisis/33754530.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ukraine-migrant-workers-india-demographic-crisis/33754530.html Mon, 11 May 2026 18:44:06 +0200 FeaturesRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories The absence of Mount Ararat from Armenia's new biometric passports is the latest effort from Yerevan to decouple Armenians from the iconic Turkish landmark that has long been used by Armenia as a national symbol. https://www.rferl.org/a/armenia-passport-mount-ararat-conflict/33751105.html https://www.rferl.org/a/armenia-passport-mount-ararat-conflict/33751105.html Wed, 06 May 2026 14:48:11 +0200 FeaturesArmeniaAzerbaijanThe Rundown Stories Arrests and confiscated terminals are being reported in Turkmenistan as locals set up secret Starlink connections to access the internet in the authoritarian country. https://www.rferl.org/a/starlink-internet-turkmenistan-raids-police-restriction/33746166.html https://www.rferl.org/a/starlink-internet-turkmenistan-raids-police-restriction/33746166.html Thu, 30 Apr 2026 16:04:45 +0200 Turkmenistan FeaturesThe Rundown Stories Why a sprawling war memorial that was opened on April 26 commemorates only a fraction of the estimated thousands of troops Pyongyang lost in Russia. https://www.rferl.org/a/north-korea-ukraine-russia-war-memorial-opening-casualties/33744304.html https://www.rferl.org/a/north-korea-ukraine-russia-war-memorial-opening-casualties/33744304.html Tue, 28 Apr 2026 15:36:32 +0200 Russia Invades UkraineFeaturesRussiaUkrainePhoto GalleriesPhoto GalleriesThe Rundown Stories Satellite imagery sourced by RFE/RL shows two major Christian monuments have been demolished in recent weeks inside Azerbaijan's Nagorno-Karabakh region. https://www.rferl.org/a/cathedral-church-demolished-nagorno-karabakh-azerbaijan-armenia-conflict/33743489.html https://www.rferl.org/a/cathedral-church-demolished-nagorno-karabakh-azerbaijan-armenia-conflict/33743489.html Mon, 27 Apr 2026 17:37:01 +0200 FeaturesArmeniaAzerbaijanThe Rundown Stories Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin has touted the creation of 175 “museums” inside schools in the Russian capital dedicated to the invasion of Ukraine. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ukraine-invasion-moscow-school-war-museums/33741672.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ukraine-invasion-moscow-school-war-museums/33741672.html Fri, 24 Apr 2026 20:32:52 +0200 RussiaNewsFeaturesUkrainePicksRussia Invades Ukraine First-person-view (FPV) drones controlled via fiber-optic cables have proved nearly impossible to counter since emerging in 2024 in the war in Ukraine. But recent battlefield images suggest both Russia and Ukraine have developed systems that may offer an answer to the threat. https://www.rferl.org/a/anti-drone-technology-russia-invasion-ukraine-elka-fpv-threat/33737266.html https://www.rferl.org/a/anti-drone-technology-russia-invasion-ukraine-elka-fpv-threat/33737266.html Wed, 22 Apr 2026 08:24:30 +0200 UkraineFeaturesRussiaRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories As Russia returns to the Venice Biennale for the first time since Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the event is embroiled in a defunding feud with the EU. Ukrainian artist Zhanna Kadyrova says her team will not protest Russia's participation, but focus on its own message. https://www.rferl.org/a/venice-biennale-russia-return-eu-funding-feud-ukraine-protest/33734585.html https://www.rferl.org/a/venice-biennale-russia-return-eu-funding-feud-ukraine-protest/33734585.html Tue, 21 Apr 2026 10:14:00 +0200 RussiaFeaturesUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories