Merhat Sharipzhan is a senior correspondent for RFE/RL who focuses on developments in the former Soviet Union.
Volodymyr Mykolayenko, the former mayor of the Ukrainian city of Kherson, spent more than three years in Russian captivity. Now 65, he is thin, frail, and recovering, but ready to help rebuild his war-torn hometown.
Several European Union defense ministers are urgently holding talks on a "drone wall" after a cascade of mysterious drones violated EU member-states' airspace
Poland has reopened its border with Belarus after a nearly two-week closure tied to the Russia–Belarus “Zapad-2025” military exercises, with Beijing playing a quiet but important role in the decision.
The European Commission is aware of Russia’s attempts to influence Moldova’s September 28 parliamentary elections, Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos told RFE/RL during a visit to Sarajevo on September 23
Russia is reviving Intervision, a Soviet-era song contest once pitched as an alternative to Eurovision. Officials frame it as cultural exchange, but critics see a Cold War throwback aimed at projecting Moscow’s influence.
The Afghan Taliban’s demolition of a memorial of Alisher Navoi in Mazar-e Sharif sparked outrage among Uzbeks. The move was reversed after backlash, with promises to rebuild. The incident reveals how Taliban's rigid ideology can yield to diplomacy and economic ties, especially with Uzbekistan.
As the world marks the Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, the vanishing of exiled Belarusian diplomat Anatol Kotau in Turkey echoes a grim legacy. From Minsk to abroad, Lukashenko's regime is accused of reviving the dark tactic: when critics speak out, they vanish.
European, US, and UN leaders condemned Russia's overnight missile and drone barrage against Kyiv, with Britain and the European Union summoning Russian diplomats to express outrage, which killed civilians and damaged EU and British Council offices.
Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko confirmed her brother lives abroad, sparking debate over fairness and transparency amid wartime travel bans for Ukrainian men. Though legal, the case highlights tensions over elite privilege, public trust, and calls for reforming Ukraine’s war-time mobility rules.
In many families in Central Asia, corporal punishment is not only common, it is the norm. Slaps for poor grades, ear-pulls for disobedience, beatings "to instill discipline" -- these all remain embedded in the parenting culture.
Speculation grows over possible Zelenskyy-Putin talks, but hopes for peace remain dim. Russia’s demands are unchanged, US commitment is cautious, and Europe is left to lead. As air strikes continue, diplomacy is clouded by distrust, secrecy, and the threat of a frozen conflict.
As peace talks between Ukraine and Russia gain traction, Western leaders insist on enforceable security guarantees for Ukraine. “Article 5-like” protections, European troop deployments, and U.S. support may form a new deterrence model—if backed by credible enforcement.
In a surprise move, Trump called Belarus's Lukashenko before meeting Putin in Alaska last week, urging the release of 1,300 political prisoners. Critics fear it legitimizes a dictator; others see it as a rare humanitarian opening and potential new diplomatic channel.
Russia launched 270 drones and 10 missiles against Ukraine on August 19, just hours after President Zelenskyy met with U.S. President Trump and European leaders in Washington to discuss security guarantees. The strikes killed 15 people and wounded at least 76.
US President Donald Trump has written that it's going to be "a big day in the White House" as his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and European leaders arrived for talks on ending the fighting in Ukraine.
Kazakhstan has chosen China to build its third nuclear plant, deepening Beijing’s role in its energy sector. As Russia faces sanctions and funding issues, Astana is shifting toward China as a more stable partner, signaling a strategic pivot in its nuclear and geopolitical future.
In the Russian-occupied cities of Donetsk and Mariupol, an escalating water crisis has pushed daily life to the brink of survival, forcing officials from the local level all the way up to President Vladimir Putin to seek solutions.
In Russian-occupied Donetsk and Mariupol, the taps have all but run dry. What little water reaches homes comes for only a few hours every few days—often rust-colored, foul-smelling, and undrinkable.
Today the most significant "no-fly" areas are a consequence of sharply rising military risks and blanket airspace closures by nations around the globe. The sky is no longer neutral territory. It's contested, fragmented, and weaponized.
In a theatrical session of dynastic diplomacy, the former president of Turkmenistan, Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov, and his daughter, Oguljahan Atabaeva, traveled to Baku in mid-July and were received by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and his daughter, Leyla Aliyeva.
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