Checkered past of chekist puts Minsk barbershop on activists' map.
Persecuted at home, a transgender woman from Uzbekistan is seeking asylum in Belarus -- a country that is not exactly known as a haven of tolerance when it comes to sexual orientation.
Russian President Vladimir Putin helped usher in the Orthodox Christmas at services at the Church of Saints Simeon and Anna in St. Petersburg.
The trial of three Belarusian journalists charged with illegal entrepreneurship and inciting ethnic hatred has resumed in Minsk after a two-week break.
How would you sum up 2017 in one word or phrase? Correspondents for Current Time, the Russian-language network run by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA, asked people in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus.
One of the biggest consumers of alcohol in the world, Belarus is looking at ways to reduce drinking.
2017 saw increased targeting of gay communities in former Soviet republics by official crackdowns and homophobic thugs. Horrific tales have emerged from Chechnya, Azerbaijan, and Central Asia -- even leading activists to create a secret “underground railroad” to bring victims to safety in the West.
Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has signed a decree that legalizes transactions in cryptocurrencies, like Bitcoin.
Amnesty International says groups that defend LGBT rights are facing a rise in hostility in parts of the former Soviet Union, fueled by discrimination, homophobia, and what it called Russia's crusade against "nontraditional sexual relationships."
Three Belarusians who have contributed articles to the Russian news outlet Regnum went on trial in Minsk on December 18 on hate-crimes charges.
Belarusian Foreign Minister Uladzimer Makey said improvements in ties with the European Union since the EU removed most sanctions in 2016 must be made "irreversible." Makey was speaking to Current Time TV on the sidelines of an OSCE ministerial meeting in Vienna on December 8.
Belarusian volunteers have been fighting on both sides of the Ukrainian government's war with pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine. But when they return to Belarus, their treatment may depend on which side they backed. (RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service)
Load more
![Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami called on the authorities to keep "foreign networks" blocked, saying they were "teaching people to riot [and] commit crimes."](https://gdb.rferl.org/7F216FC6-9CCC-4673-83BD-E9AAA879C766_cx34_cy13_cw66_w100_r1.jpg)
![Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami called on the authorities to keep "foreign networks" blocked, saying they were "teaching people to riot [and] commit crimes."](https://gdb.rferl.org/7F216FC6-9CCC-4673-83BD-E9AAA879C766_cx34_cy13_cw66_w33_r1.jpg)
