Here's an item from RFE/RL's Brussels correspondent Rikard Jozwiak:
Imprisoned Director Sentsov Shortlisted For Sakharov Prize
BRUSSELS -- Oleh Sentsov, a Ukrainian film director imprisoned in Russia after opposing Moscow's takeover of his native Crimea, has been placed on a shortlist of candidates for the 2018 Sakharov Prize.
Sentsov, who said last week that he was forced to end a 145-day hunger strike in a prison in northern Russia, was selected as one of three finalists in a closed October 9 vote by members of the European Parliament's foreign affairs and development committees.
The other shortlisted candidates are Moroccan activist Nasser Zefzafi and 11 NGOs that work to save the lives of migrants traveling across the Mediterranean Sea to Europe.
The winner will be chosen on October 25 in Strasbourg, and the award ceremony is scheduled for December 12.
The prize, named in honor of the Soviet physicist and dissident Andrei Sakharov, was established by the European Parliament in 1988 to honor individuals and organizations who defend human rights and fundamental freedoms.
Sentsov, a Crimean native who opposed Russia's 2014 takeover of the Ukrainian peninsula, is serving a 20-year prison term after being convicted of terrorism in a trial that he, human rights groups, and Western governments contend was politically motivated.
He is currently imprisoned in the Far Northern Yamalo-Nenets region of Russia where he started a hunger strike on May 14, demanding that Russia release 64 Ukrainians that he considers political prisoners in Russia.
He ended his hunger strike on October 6, saying he had to do so to avoid being force-fed by the prison authorities.
With reporting by RFE/RL Brussels correspondent Rikard Jozwiak
Our multimedia department has now issued Reuters video of the blasts at the munitions depot.
Explosions At Ukrainian Ammo Depot Light Up The Sky, Thousands Evacuated
Amateur video shows explosions and fire lighting up the night sky above an ammunition depot in Ukraine. This was in the early hours of October 9 near the town of Ichnya, some 180 kilometers east of Kyiv. About 12,000 people were evacuated from homes nearby but there were no reports of injuries. Ukrainian officials said they are probing potential causes, including possible sabotage. Ukrainian government forces have been fighting Russia-backed separatists further east in the country since 2014.
