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 Sun, 19 Apr 2026 07:02:24 +0200 Pangea CMS – RFE/RL After nearly two years of frozen ties, Washington and Tbilisi are talking again. But the sudden outreach appears driven less by a strategic reset than by competing pressures over trade corridors, China’s growing footprint, and shifting regional priorities, analysts say. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-georgia-black-sea-iran-trump-trade/33727854.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-georgia-black-sea-iran-trump-trade/33727854.html Sat, 11 Apr 2026 17:32:21 +0200 GeorgiaFeaturesIranThe Rundown Stories As Russia faces a manpower shortage in 2026, reports surface of intoxicated men increasingly being tricked into signing military contracts at local enlistment offices. https://www.rferl.org/a/drunk-sign-here-russia-recruits-intoxicated-men-as-military-manpower-crisis-peaks/33722376.html https://www.rferl.org/a/drunk-sign-here-russia-recruits-intoxicated-men-as-military-manpower-crisis-peaks/33722376.html Thu, 02 Apr 2026 13:20:18 +0200 RussiaFeaturesUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Headline Israeli strikes on Bandar Anzali shattered the illusion of the Caspian Sea as a "closed" route. By hitting this northern hub, Israel punctured the most secure military link between Tehran and Moscow, proving the Russia-Iran drone route is no longer beyond the reach of Western-aligned power. https://www.rferl.org/a/israel-hits-the-caspian-sea-port/33718210.html https://www.rferl.org/a/israel-hits-the-caspian-sea-port/33718210.html Wed, 01 Apr 2026 10:20:46 +0200 IranRussiaThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East As Azerbaijan and Armenia expand trade, analysts see a strategic move to sunset Russia’s influence in the region. With the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict closed, Moscow has lost its primary security lever; now, trade and diplomacy are cementing a new path for the long-time rival, an analyst told RFE/RL. https://www.rferl.org/a/armenia-azerbaijan-trade-russia/33713709.html https://www.rferl.org/a/armenia-azerbaijan-trade-russia/33713709.html Tue, 24 Mar 2026 11:37:23 +0100 FeaturesArmeniaAzerbaijanRussiaThe Rundown Stories Georgia’s State Security Service has launched an investigation into claims that Iran is expanding its influence in the country through Georgian Shi'ite communities, growing concerns about Tehran’s religious and political outreach in the South Caucasus country. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-georgia-azerbaijan-shia-us/33703933.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-georgia-azerbaijan-shia-us/33703933.html Fri, 13 Mar 2026 00:49:24 +0100 IranFeaturesAzerbaijanGeorgiaThe Rundown StoriesMiddle EastNews Analysis In Iran’s northwestern neighbor, Azerbaijan, there are fears that the country could become embroiled in the US-Israeli war against the Islamic republic. On March 5, drones hit Azerbaijan’s Nakhchivan region near the Iranian border. https://www.rferl.org/a/azerbaijan-iran-war-drone-attack-widening-war/33696181.html https://www.rferl.org/a/azerbaijan-iran-war-drone-attack-widening-war/33696181.html Thu, 05 Mar 2026 16:46:31 +0100 IranAzerbaijanThe Rundown HeadlineMiddle East Drones launched from neighboring Iran struck Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan autonomous region, injuring two people. One drone struck Nakhchivan Airport on March 5, damaging the facility. A second drone landed near a school building in the Shekerabad area, the ministry said. https://www.rferl.org/a/azerbaijan-nakhchivan-iran-drone-attack/33695890.html https://www.rferl.org/a/azerbaijan-nakhchivan-iran-drone-attack/33695890.html Thu, 05 Mar 2026 10:47:21 +0100 NewsAzerbaijanIranThe Rundown Stories Sandwiched between Iran and Russia and shaped by decades of conflict, Armenia and Azerbaijan drew rare high-level attention this week as US Vice President J.D. Vance visited both, signaling renewed US engagement in a region long dominated by Moscow. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-vance-armenia-azerbaijan-energy-security-nuclear-partnerships-genocide/33675242.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-vance-armenia-azerbaijan-energy-security-nuclear-partnerships-genocide/33675242.html Wed, 11 Feb 2026 17:39:00 +0100 FeaturesArmeniaAzerbaijanThe Rundown Stories The loss of access to Starlink satellite Internet service comes at a crucial time in Russia's war on Ukraine. As Moscow scrambles for short-term fixes and longer-term alternatives for battlefield communications and aiming drones, analysts say the lasting impact will depend on how well it adapts. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-s-starlink-setback-will-moscow-snap-back-from-a-new-battlefield-blow-in-ukraine-/33675248.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-s-starlink-setback-will-moscow-snap-back-from-a-new-battlefield-blow-in-ukraine-/33675248.html Wed, 11 Feb 2026 17:01:29 +0100 RussiaFeaturesUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories Once Washington’s closest partner in the South Caucasus, Georgia now finds itself stranded in US regional diplomacy. And as Tbilisi deepens ties with China while maintaining its engagement with Russia, Washington’s attention is increasingly shifting toward Azerbaijan and Armenia. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-caucasus-georgia-vance-azerbaijan-armenia-relations/33672635.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-caucasus-georgia-vance-azerbaijan-armenia-relations/33672635.html Sun, 08 Feb 2026 16:53:12 +0100 GeorgiaNewsFeaturesArmeniaAzerbaijanThe Rundown Stories Over more than two decades, Russia has built deep ties inside Venezuela’s military, energy sector, and political elite -- connections analysts say could allow Moscow to retain influence even after the US capture of President Nicolas Maduro. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-may-stay-in-venezuela-after-maduro/33655964.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-may-stay-in-venezuela-after-maduro/33655964.html Thu, 22 Jan 2026 16:53:44 +0100 VideosRussia Over more than two decades, Russia has built deep ties inside Venezuela’s military, energy sector, and political elite -- connections analysts say could persist despite the capture of Nicolas Maduro. But with the new US clout and focus on the country’s oil, how much of a presence can Russia retain? https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-putin-venezuela-maduro-oil-trump/33647223.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-putin-venezuela-maduro-oil-trump/33647223.html Wed, 14 Jan 2026 10:45:09 +0100 RussiaFeaturesRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories The Belarusian state has freed hundreds of people considered political prisoners in a bid to improve ties with the West. Among those still behind bars are some 200 convicted of fighting on Ukraine’s side, planning to do so, or otherwise supporting Kyiv’s defense against the Russian invasion. https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-war-ukraine-russia-prison-punishment/33631246.html https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-war-ukraine-russia-prison-punishment/33631246.html Fri, 02 Jan 2026 13:32:22 +0100 BelarusFeaturesRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Headline Armenia is facing its gravest church-state clash since gaining independence, as tensions continue to grow between Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Catholicos Garegin II, the supreme head of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

 https://www.rferl.org/a/pashinian-catholicos-garegin-armenia-conflict/33629278.html https://www.rferl.org/a/pashinian-catholicos-garegin-armenia-conflict/33629278.html Sun, 21 Dec 2025 15:28:07 +0100 Armenia Ukraine’s need to get people to the front to fight the Russian invasion is also creating a manpower problem nationwide, with labor shortages hitting many industries and some towns virtually empty of conscription-age men. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-war-creates-labor-shortages-in-ukraine/33606226.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-war-creates-labor-shortages-in-ukraine/33606226.html Mon, 01 Dec 2025 09:52:56 +0100 UkraineFeaturesRussiaRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories Russian strikes have already sparked power reductions to Ukrainians across the country, increasing fears of how people will cope during the harsh winter. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukrainians-brace-harsh-winter-energy-crisis-russian-attacks/33591917.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukrainians-brace-harsh-winter-energy-crisis-russian-attacks/33591917.html Sun, 16 Nov 2025 13:30:09 +0100 UkraineFeaturesRussiaRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Headline Georgia’s government has reacted angrily to a critical assessment from the European Union over the country’s backsliding on democratic reforms on the way to joining the bloc, accusing Brussels of interfering in domestic affairs. https://www.rferl.org/a/tbilisi-accuses-eu-political-interference-damning-enlargement-report/33582199.html https://www.rferl.org/a/tbilisi-accuses-eu-political-interference-damning-enlargement-report/33582199.html Wed, 05 Nov 2025 15:47:10 +0100 NewsGeorgiaThe Rundown Stories When a swarm of 39 Russian drones attacked a compressor station in western Ukraine this month, it was a sign of how Russia has shifted the focus of its attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-us-gas-imports-russia/33510194.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-us-gas-imports-russia/33510194.html Tue, 26 Aug 2025 00:17:43 +0200 UkraineFeaturesRussia As Russia remains preoccupied with its war in Ukraine, its influence is weakening along its southern border, particularly in Armenia and Azerbaijan. Analysts told RFE/RL that this vacuum may create opportunities for other players, such as Turkey, the EU, and the US, to influence the region. https://www.rferl.org/a/south-caucasus-russia-losing-influence-armenia-azerbaijan/33475018.html https://www.rferl.org/a/south-caucasus-russia-losing-influence-armenia-azerbaijan/33475018.html Wed, 16 Jul 2025 00:02:59 +0200 FeaturesArmeniaAzerbaijanThe Rundown Headline Ukrainian officials have launched the ChildrenAreNonNegotiable campaign aimed at rescuing thousands of children who are being held in Russian-occupied areas. https://www.rferl.org/a/zelenskyy-russia-ukraine-children-campaign/33391790.html https://www.rferl.org/a/zelenskyy-russia-ukraine-children-campaign/33391790.html Tue, 22 Apr 2025 00:39:20 +0200 NewsUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Headline