https://www.rferl.org/z/23310 The main story of the day from RFE/RL Central Newsroom. https://www.rferl.org/Content/responsive/RFE/en-US/img/logo.png https://www.rferl.org/z/23310 en Copyright 2026 - RFE/RL, Inc. 60 Mon, 07 Sep 2026 14:08:01 +0200 Pangea CMS – RFE/RL Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for the resumption of trilateral negotiations between the United States and Russia as US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner concluded talks in Kyiv and Moscow, as part of efforts to end the conflict, now in its fifth year. https://www.rferl.org/a/kushner-witkoff-putin-zelenskyy-ukraine-russia/33847622.html https://www.rferl.org/a/kushner-witkoff-putin-zelenskyy-ukraine-russia/33847622.html Sun, 06 Sep 2026 00:03:14 +0200 NewsRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Headline A scientific facility on a secluded island that is closed to the public is affiliated with an institute accused of developing biological weapons for the Russian military, RFE/RL’s Russian Service and Systema, RFE/RL’s Russian investigative unit, have found. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-biological-weapons-systema-investigation/33845781.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-biological-weapons-systema-investigation/33845781.html Thu, 03 Sep 2026 20:19:24 +0200 RussiaFeaturesRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Headline Iran has claimed that a US strike hit a wedding party, killing several people. What do we know about the alleged incident? https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-us-strike-wedding-minab/33845617.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-us-strike-wedding-minab/33845617.html Wed, 02 Sep 2026 16:12:05 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown Headline Germany has accused Russia of carrying out what the country's top police official called a “hybrid attack” involving an explosive-laden drone that disrupted flights at Leipzig airport in early August, saying it was part of a long-term campaign of destabilization operations against Europe. https://www.rferl.org/a/germany-russia-drone-hybrid-attack-leipzig/33844978.html https://www.rferl.org/a/germany-russia-drone-hybrid-attack-leipzig/33844978.html Tue, 01 Sep 2026 19:14:49 +0200 NewsRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown HeadlineEurope The Russian military is deploying faster, remotely controlled, jet-powered drones to paralyze Ukraine’s energy and logistics infrastructure, creating a growing challenge for the country’s air defenses. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ukraine-jet-powered-drones-shahed-geran/33841747.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ukraine-jet-powered-drones-shahed-geran/33841747.html Mon, 31 Aug 2026 17:37:09 +0200 UkraineFeaturesRussiaRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Headline Serbia has become an oasis for Russian propaganda. Pro-Russian narratives are spread not only through official Russian media but also through a complex network of aggregator websites. https://www.rferl.org/a/how-kremlin-propaganda-is-spreading-through-serbia/33841742.html https://www.rferl.org/a/how-kremlin-propaganda-is-spreading-through-serbia/33841742.html Sun, 30 Aug 2026 12:55:53 +0200 SerbiaFeaturesThe Rundown Headline Officials in Belarus are pushing for a law requiring citizens to supply the state with DNA samples, but RFE/RL’s Belarus Service has learned that authorities in the tightly controlled country have already been quietly compiling a DNA database of people viewed with suspicion by the state. https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-dna-law-mandatory-saliva-dissident/33842635.html https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-dna-law-mandatory-saliva-dissident/33842635.html Sat, 29 Aug 2026 09:54:57 +0200 BelarusFeaturesThe Rundown Headline Six months after US-Israeli strikes, the Iran conflict remains unresolved. Despite military losses, Iran retains leverage over the Strait of Hormuz. Experts say key questions involve economic pressure, diplomacy, shipping, and support from Russia and China. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-six-months-four-issues-experts/33842411.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-six-months-four-issues-experts/33842411.html Fri, 28 Aug 2026 11:27:32 +0200 News AnalysisFeaturesIranThe Rundown Headline Bosnian Serb wartime military commander Ratko Mladic, known as the "Butcher of Bosnia," has died aged 84 in The Hague, where he was serving a life sentence for genocide and crimes against humanity. https://www.rferl.org/a/butcher-of-bosnia-ratko-mladic-dies-aged-84/33841851.html https://www.rferl.org/a/butcher-of-bosnia-ratko-mladic-dies-aged-84/33841851.html Thu, 27 Aug 2026 14:51:20 +0200 SerbiaNewsThe Rundown Headline CIA Director John Ratcliffe made an unannounced visit to Moscow on August 25, US officials confirmed to RFE/RL, a rare trip that comes as Washington’s efforts to end Russia’s war against Ukraine have stalled and tensions over Moscow’s relationship with Iran have intensified. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-us-cia-unannounced-rare-visit/33839330.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-us-cia-unannounced-rare-visit/33839330.html Tue, 25 Aug 2026 22:01:55 +0200 NewsIranRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Headline US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced a new effort to ramp up the pressure on Tehran, saying the United States is "launching an economic onslaught against Iran’s financial connections around the globe." https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-us-sanctions-bessent-oil-trade/33837303.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-us-sanctions-bessent-oil-trade/33837303.html Mon, 24 Aug 2026 20:18:38 +0200 NewsIranRussiaThe Rundown HeadlineChina French leader Emmanuel Macron has vowed to accelerate delivery of new French air interceptor missiles to Kyiv following devasting Russian air attacks on a Ukrainian city and a call with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. https://www.rferl.org/a/macron-interceptor-missiles-ukraine-zelenskyy-russia-kryviy-rih/33836260.html https://www.rferl.org/a/macron-interceptor-missiles-ukraine-zelenskyy-russia-kryviy-rih/33836260.html Sun, 23 Aug 2026 00:00:51 +0200 NewsRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Headline A Russian drone attack on a shopping mall in the south-central city of Kryviy Rih killed at least six people and left about 100 others injured, including several children, Ukrainian authorities said. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-attack-kryviy-rih-drone-war/33835760.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-attack-kryviy-rih-drone-war/33835760.html Fri, 21 Aug 2026 19:16:36 +0200 NewsRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Headline Russia launched a large-scale barrage of ballistic and cruise missiles and drones on Kyiv and its surrounding region, killing at least 17 people and injuring more than 30 others, according to Ukrainian authorities. https://www.rferl.org/a/russian-deadly-attack-on-kyiv-ukraine/33834170.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russian-deadly-attack-on-kyiv-ukraine/33834170.html Thu, 20 Aug 2026 07:27:29 +0200 NewsUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Headline Ukraine's anti-corruption agency has announced new investigations focusing on lawmakers and people from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's office, a day after popular former Defense Minister Mykhaylo Fedorov issued a video calling for him to hold new elections . https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-anti-corruption-raids-fedorov-zelenskyy/33833537.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-anti-corruption-raids-fedorov-zelenskyy/33833537.html Wed, 19 Aug 2026 13:40:31 +0200 NewsRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Headline A popular former Ukrainian defense minister whose dismissal last month sparked protests has assailed wartime corruption, warned of a crisis of governance in Ukraine, and said the country must find a way to hold elections despite Russia's continuing invasion. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-defense-chief-nuclear-plant-missiles/33832964.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-defense-chief-nuclear-plant-missiles/33832964.html Tue, 18 Aug 2026 17:54:25 +0200 NewsRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Headline Russia and Ukraine traded overnight attacks into August 16, with Ukrainian officials reporting at least five killed in Russian strikes and damage to the country’s largest steel plant, while Russian officials said Ukrainian drones killed at least six and set warehouses ablaze. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-moscow-wildberries-facilities-drones/33831405.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-moscow-wildberries-facilities-drones/33831405.html Sun, 16 Aug 2026 09:59:55 +0200 NewsRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Headline A lack of rights, falling wages, deteriorating living conditions: Five years of Taliban rule have brought changes to Afghanistan, but not the ones most Afghans hoped for. https://www.rferl.org/a/taliban-afghanistan-five-years-isolation-growing-resistance/33825977.html https://www.rferl.org/a/taliban-afghanistan-five-years-isolation-growing-resistance/33825977.html Sat, 15 Aug 2026 13:55:47 +0200 AfghanistanFeaturesThe Rundown Headline Just before the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, RFE/RL spoke with several young Afghans in Kabul who voiced their fears and anxieties about the future. We have since followed how their lives have unfolded. We reconnected with them on the fifth anniversary of the Taliban’s seizure of power. https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-kabul-young-professionals-taliban/33827745.html https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-kabul-young-professionals-taliban/33827745.html Fri, 14 Aug 2026 16:42:47 +0200 AfghanistanFeaturesThe Rundown Headline Iran’s war with the United States and Israel has pushed the Islamic republic to the verge of economic collapse. Observers say that Washington is betting that economic pressure will force it to capitulate. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-economy-sanctions-trump/33829720.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-economy-sanctions-trump/33829720.html Thu, 13 Aug 2026 16:57:04 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown Headline