In 1998, days after Vladimir Putin was named to head the FSB, a journalist digging into his past was beaten to death -- a brutal attack that's examined in the final installment of an investigative series by RFE/RL on the early part of Putin's rise to power.
At an annual economic forum that was once his window on the West, President Vladimir Putin lashed out at Washington and repeated baseless claims in an effort to justify the invasion of Ukraine.
President Vladimir Putin likened himself to Peter the Great and suggested that grabbing land is the main motive for his war against Ukraine. How might this affect the course of the conflict -- and how crucial are the actions of the West?
Does President Vladimir Putin think Russia is winning its war against Ukraine? And does he face a threat from Russians who favor the war but think it’s losing? Irina Lagunina, associate standards editor at RFE/RL, joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss.
Author and analyst Mark Galeotti joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss the latest developments in the war in Ukraine – as well as the speculation about Russian President Vladimir Putin's health and the possibility that he could pushed from power.
What's the connection between the largest cocaine bust in Russian history and the man who was the city's deputy mayor at the time, Vladimir Putin?
The Kremlin’s decision to recognize the independence of the Russia-occupied Donetsk and Luhansk regions of eastern Ukraine, then launch an invasion of Ukraine, created new tensions between Kazakhstan and Russia.
This week’s Majlis podcast looks at the roots and manifestations of gender discrimination and violence in Central Asia.
The Tajik government is continuing its "counterterrorist operation" in the eastern Gorno-Badakhshan region. Tales of brutality continue to emerge, but communication with the region was cut immediately after violence broke out last month, so it's difficult to know what's happening.
As countries in Central Asia ban food exports and prices rise, this week’s Majlis podcast looks at food security in Central Asia and what governments there are doing to ensure their populations have enough to eat.
Kazakhstan is holding a national referendum on potential amendments to the country’s constitution on June 5. This marks the first referendum in Kazakhstan in 27 years. The amendments, as proposed, would alter more than one-third of the current constitution.
Tensions have been simmering in Tajikistan’s restive Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region since November, when security forces killed 29-year-old Gulbiddin Ziyobekov. Why is Gorno-Badakhshan such a volatile area and are there any prospects for a peaceful solution to the problems there?
