Michael Scollon is a senior correspondent in RFE/RL's Central Newsroom in Prague.
After the Belarusian security services allegedly "hijacked" a passenger plane that journalist Raman Pratasevich was traveling in and forced it to land in Minsk on May 23, he reportedly told fellow passengers: "They will execute me here."
In his speech, Russian President Vladimir Putin focused mainly on domestic matters, painting a picture of unity months ahead of important elections. He dropped no foreign-policy bombshells but delivered warnings to the West.
Russian journalist Roman Anin says his recent interrogation was intended to accuse him of illegally obtaining photos published on Instagram, and raids on his home and office appeared to be done to "find something else," including documents related to recent critical coverage of high-profile figures.
When St. Petersburg resident Margarita Yudina stepped in front of an OMON riot police officer to ask why he was detaining a young protester, she was kicked hard in the stomach.
As Russian athletes prepare to compete in the Olympics without the backing of a national flag or anthem, they have suggested that a popular WWII song be played during ceremonies. Katyusha, a song that gained popularity after the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union, is being floated as a replacement.
After a long battle trying to mute the messaging site Telegram, Russia threw in the towel and Belarus conceded it was powerless to stop it. But as the company looks to Iran and China as closed media areas in need of a free-speech platform, concerns remain about the app harboring extremist content.
Whether in the stands, or the beach, or even at schools and houses of worship -- for many, China's announcement of the COVID-19 outbreak on New Year's Eve turned out to herald a year that just wasn't there.
Belarusians got a glimpse of how to bring about immediate change when they saw Kyrgyz protesters' rapid success in getting disputed election results overturned. But while some may envy them, others see stark differences in the two situations and urge continued nonviolent resistance.
As soon as weekend protests against President Alyaksandr Lukashenka wrapped up, demonstrators begin planning their next move. As the Belarusian authorities try to keep the movement under their thumb, protesters are employing online avenues to spread the word on the street.
Despite efforts by the authorities to stop people from flying the red-and-white flag adopted by the opposition, Belarusians are finding unique ways to show their solidarity.
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