https://www.rferl.org Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty is an international news organization serving Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Russia, the Middle East and Balkan countries https://www.rferl.org/Content/responsive/RFE/en-US/img/logo.png https://www.rferl.org en Copyright 2026 - RFE/RL, Inc. 60 Wed, 15 Apr 2026 14:11:00 +0200 Pangea CMS – RFE/RL Russian shelling destroyed children's sports facility and an administrative building in the center of Slovyansk in the Donetsk region, as Moscow launched hundred of drones on Ukrainian regions. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-drone-strikes-deadly-attack/33732737.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-drone-strikes-deadly-attack/33732737.html Wed, 15 Apr 2026 12:44:53 +0200 UkraineNewsRussiaRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories Russia launched more than 300 drones and three missiles at Ukraine, according to Ukrainian officials, hitting civilian buildings in Sumy, Slovyansk, and Dnipro. Survivors told RFE/RL on April 15 how the blasts came in the early hours sparking fires and causing widespread destruction. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-sumy-slovyansk-dnipro-zaporizhzhya-russia-drone-strike-civilian/33732756.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-sumy-slovyansk-dnipro-zaporizhzhya-russia-drone-strike-civilian/33732756.html Wed, 15 Apr 2026 12:44:18 +0200 UkraineRussiaVideo ArchiveVideosRussia Invades Ukraine US President Donald Trump suggested that peace talks with Iran could resume in a day or two as the US military chokes off the country's maritime trade in a move to get Tehran to the negotiating table. https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-peace-talks-iran-blockade-china-russia/33732708.html https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-peace-talks-iran-blockade-china-russia/33732708.html Wed, 15 Apr 2026 11:48:04 +0200 IranNewsRussiaThe Rundown StoriesChina Azeem Ibrahim, a longtime Middle East observer, tells RFE/RL that the Strait of Hormuz is increasingly becoming more than just a chokepoint for oil, describing it as a space where economic pressure, military risk, and geopolitical ambition converge. https://www.rferl.org/a/azeem-ibrahim-iran-conflict-will-be-decided-by-who-can-endure-the-most/33732700.html https://www.rferl.org/a/azeem-ibrahim-iran-conflict-will-be-decided-by-who-can-endure-the-most/33732700.html Wed, 15 Apr 2026 11:27:36 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown Stories As the US-Israeli war with Iran continues to impact and shape the region, journalists from RFE/RL deliver ongoing updates and analysis. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-protests-live-blog-trump-khamenei/33640284.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-protests-live-blog-trump-khamenei/33640284.html Wed, 15 Apr 2026 07:05:00 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown Stories Russian attacks killed five people in the frequently targeted city of Dnipro and a child in Cherkasy on April 14, Ukrainian authorities said, while President Volodymyr Zelenskyy received promises of further support from Germany and Norway. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-attacks-germany-norway-weapons/33732227.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-attacks-germany-norway-weapons/33732227.html Tue, 14 Apr 2026 20:46:04 +0200 NewsRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories In its war on Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry is on the offensive in the biggest conflict in Europe since World War II. Internally, it’s plagued by corruption, political infighting, firings, and bitter rivalries with outside security agencies. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-defense-ministry-corruption-investigations-shoigu-putin/33732103.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-defense-ministry-corruption-investigations-shoigu-putin/33732103.html Tue, 14 Apr 2026 17:19:35 +0200 RussiaFeaturesRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories US President Donald Trump suggested that talks with Iran could resume in a day or two, while the US military said that no ships slipped through a naval blockade targeting vessels headed to or from Iranian ports in the first 24 hours of the restrictive measure. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-blockade-iran-ships-transit-hormuz/33731994.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-blockade-iran-ships-transit-hormuz/33731994.html Tue, 14 Apr 2026 14:32:22 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown HeadlineMiddle East The Russian foreign minister’s trip comes amid a US blockade and Beijing’s push to seize diplomatic openings from the war in Iran. https://www.rferl.org/a/china-russia-iran-xi-trump-blockade-war-energy-middle-east/33731921.html https://www.rferl.org/a/china-russia-iran-xi-trump-blockade-war-energy-middle-east/33731921.html Tue, 14 Apr 2026 13:06:49 +0200 NewsIranRussiaThe Rundown StoriesChina This week, RFE/RL Europe Editor Rikard Jozwiak drills down on one issue: What will happen with NATO after a few tough weeks https://www.rferl.org/a/wider-europe-nato-future-rutte-trump-meeting-ukraine/33731398.html https://www.rferl.org/a/wider-europe-nato-future-rutte-trump-meeting-ukraine/33731398.html Tue, 14 Apr 2026 11:39:07 +0200 Wider EuropeFeaturesUkraineThe Rundown StoriesEurope As expected, the launching of US and Israeli air strikes on Iran -- and retaliatory strikes by Tehran on targets in the Mideast -- has hit the economies of the region. But the shockwaves are arguably being felt just as much in Central Asian nations who rely on goods flowing through Iran. https://www.rferl.org/a/central-asia-fallout-gulf-war-iran-us/33731180.html https://www.rferl.org/a/central-asia-fallout-gulf-war-iran-us/33731180.html Tue, 14 Apr 2026 06:37:56 +0200 IranNewsFeaturesKazakhstanKyrgyzstanTajikistanTurkmenistan UzbekistanThe Rundown Stories RFE/RL spoke with Max Meizlish, a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and a former official at the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, on the intersection of naval blockades and financial warfare as Washington halts traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. https://www.rferl.org/a/33731428.html https://www.rferl.org/a/33731428.html Mon, 13 Apr 2026 23:32:28 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East Telling reporters that a US naval blockade on Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz had started, US President Donald Trump said other countries are instead turning to US oil and gas to compensate. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-us-blockade-hormuz-trump/33731419.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-us-blockade-hormuz-trump/33731419.html Mon, 13 Apr 2026 22:44:24 +0200 IranVideo ArchiveVideos The US military said it would begin a blockade of ships traveling to and from Iranian ports following the failure of peace talks with Iran on the weekend. Former sailors who navigated tankers through the Strait of Hormuz during the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s say today’s crisis echoes that conflict. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-hormuz-us-israel-persian-gulf-tanker-oil-blockade-mine-strait-hormuz/33731366.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-hormuz-us-israel-persian-gulf-tanker-oil-blockade-mine-strait-hormuz/33731366.html Mon, 13 Apr 2026 19:02:13 +0200 IranIraqVideo ArchiveVideos A US blockade on ships entering Iranian ports and coastal areas has taken effect, following failed peace talks between the US and Iran. And it already poses a dilemma: risk attack from Iranian assets near the Strait of Hormuz or hold back and hope to catch vessels breaking out into the open seas. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-naval-blockade-iran/33731316.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-naval-blockade-iran/33731316.html Mon, 13 Apr 2026 18:02:17 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown Stories After nearly six weeks of war, air strikes on Iran have paused, but uncertainty remains. As they brace for what may come next, Tehran residents describe anxiety on the streets of the Iranian capital amid rising prices, job losses, and an ongoing Internet blackout. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-ceasefire-after-war-residents-fear-future/33731253.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-ceasefire-after-war-residents-fear-future/33731253.html Mon, 13 Apr 2026 16:26:32 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown Headline Hungarian opposition leader Peter Magyar has scored a landmark election victory over Prime Minister Viktor Orban, ousting US President Donald Trump's closest ally in Europe on promises of rebuilding the country's European Union ties and curbing them with Moscow. https://www.rferl.org/a/hungarian-opposition-leader-magyar-landslide-victory-orban/33730633.html https://www.rferl.org/a/hungarian-opposition-leader-magyar-landslide-victory-orban/33730633.html Sun, 12 Apr 2026 23:48:33 +0200 NewsRussiaUkraineHungaryThe Rundown Stories Ukrainian troops near the front lines celebrated Orthodox Easter with traditional sweets after Russia and Ukraine agreed to a 36-hour truce in honor of the holiday. But both sides accused the other of violating the cease-fire, reporting thousands of incidents of drone strikes and artillery attacks. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-orthodox-easter-truce/33730616.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-orthodox-easter-truce/33730616.html Sun, 12 Apr 2026 21:58:08 +0200 UkraineVideo ArchiveVideos Mahmood Shah Habibi’s daughter hasn’t seen her father since she was 11 months old. That was in 2022, when the American was abducted in Kabul and detained by the Taliban’s intelligence agency, US officials say. “We have had no news of his fate for four years,” his mother told RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi. https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-american-detained-family-search-taliban/33729615.html https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-american-detained-family-search-taliban/33729615.html Sun, 12 Apr 2026 12:21:11 +0200 AfghanistanFeaturesThe Rundown Stories Ukraine and Russia again accused each other of violating an Orthodox Easter truce, with both sides alleging thousands of attacks and other violations. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-easter-truce-violations/33730471.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-easter-truce-violations/33730471.html Sun, 12 Apr 2026 11:00:23 +0200 NewsRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories