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 Sat, 02 May 2026 07:49:16 +0200 Pangea CMS – RFE/RL Arrests and confiscated terminals are being reported in Turkmenistan as locals set up secret Starlink connections to access the internet in the authoritarian country. https://www.rferl.org/a/starlink-internet-turkmenistan-raids-police-restriction/33746166.html https://www.rferl.org/a/starlink-internet-turkmenistan-raids-police-restriction/33746166.html Thu, 30 Apr 2026 16:04:45 +0200 Turkmenistan FeaturesThe Rundown Stories Why a sprawling war memorial that was opened on April 26 commemorates only a fraction of the estimated thousands of troops Pyongyang lost in Russia. https://www.rferl.org/a/north-korea-ukraine-russia-war-memorial-opening-casualties/33744304.html https://www.rferl.org/a/north-korea-ukraine-russia-war-memorial-opening-casualties/33744304.html Tue, 28 Apr 2026 15:36:32 +0200 Russia Invades UkraineFeaturesRussiaUkrainePhoto GalleriesPhoto GalleriesThe Rundown Stories Satellite imagery sourced by RFE/RL shows two major Christian monuments have been demolished in recent weeks inside Azerbaijan's Nagorno-Karabakh region. https://www.rferl.org/a/cathedral-church-demolished-nagorno-karabakh-azerbaijan-armenia-conflict/33743489.html https://www.rferl.org/a/cathedral-church-demolished-nagorno-karabakh-azerbaijan-armenia-conflict/33743489.html Mon, 27 Apr 2026 17:37:01 +0200 FeaturesArmeniaAzerbaijanThe Rundown Stories Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin has touted the creation of 175 “museums” inside schools in the Russian capital dedicated to the invasion of Ukraine. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ukraine-invasion-moscow-school-war-museums/33741672.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ukraine-invasion-moscow-school-war-museums/33741672.html Fri, 24 Apr 2026 20:32:52 +0200 RussiaNewsFeaturesUkrainePicksRussia Invades Ukraine First-person-view (FPV) drones controlled via fiber-optic cables have proved nearly impossible to counter since emerging in 2024 in the war in Ukraine. But recent battlefield images suggest both Russia and Ukraine have developed systems that may offer an answer to the threat. https://www.rferl.org/a/anti-drone-technology-russia-invasion-ukraine-elka-fpv-threat/33737266.html https://www.rferl.org/a/anti-drone-technology-russia-invasion-ukraine-elka-fpv-threat/33737266.html Wed, 22 Apr 2026 08:24:30 +0200 UkraineFeaturesRussiaRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories As Russia returns to the Venice Biennale for the first time since Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the event is embroiled in a defunding feud with the EU. Ukrainian artist Zhanna Kadyrova says her team will not protest Russia's participation, but focus on its own message. https://www.rferl.org/a/venice-biennale-russia-return-eu-funding-feud-ukraine-protest/33734585.html https://www.rferl.org/a/venice-biennale-russia-return-eu-funding-feud-ukraine-protest/33734585.html Tue, 21 Apr 2026 10:14:00 +0200 RussiaFeaturesUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories Before-and-after images capture the breakneck demolition and development drive that is leaving some locals of the Tajik capital unable to recognize their own city. https://www.rferl.org/a/dushanbe-tajikistan-demolition-architecture-development-soviet/33732917.html https://www.rferl.org/a/dushanbe-tajikistan-demolition-architecture-development-soviet/33732917.html Sat, 18 Apr 2026 16:42:51 +0200 TajikistanPhoto GalleriesPicksPhoto GalleriesThe Rundown StoriesChina 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 Despite a fragile US-Iranian cease-fire, only a few ships carrying oil and gas are making it through the Strait of Hormuz as hundreds of vessels remain stuck in the Persian Gulf. Former sailors who navigated tankers during the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s say the current crisis echoes that conflict. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-strait-of-hormuz-oil-tanker-captain/33730121.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-strait-of-hormuz-oil-tanker-captain/33730121.html Sat, 11 Apr 2026 22:22:41 +0200 IranVideo ArchiveVideos Sailors who survived the 1980s tanker war in the Persian Gulf in which scores of merchant sailors were killed say the current crisis over the Strait of Hormuz risks a descent into another all-out maritime conflict. https://www.rferl.org/a/tanker-war-1980s-survivors-hormuz-strait-iran-us/33729502.html https://www.rferl.org/a/tanker-war-1980s-survivors-hormuz-strait-iran-us/33729502.html Fri, 10 Apr 2026 21:17:16 +0200 IranFeaturesPicks Recent images from around the world show far-reaching impacts of the fuel crisis caused by the war in the Middle East. https://www.rferl.org/a/energy-crisis-photos-war-israel-us-iran-fuel-oil-gas/33728553.html https://www.rferl.org/a/energy-crisis-photos-war-israel-us-iran-fuel-oil-gas/33728553.html Thu, 09 Apr 2026 18:42:08 +0200 Photo GalleriesPhoto Galleries Amid reports Iran and the US are considering charging vessels a “toll” to transit the Strait of Hormuz, maritime insiders says such a move could backfire if other countries decide to charge ships for passing through natural maritime chokepoints. https://www.rferl.org/a/strait-of-hormuz-tolls-maritime-law/33727801.html https://www.rferl.org/a/strait-of-hormuz-tolls-maritime-law/33727801.html Thu, 09 Apr 2026 09:57:12 +0200 FeaturesIranPicksThe Rundown Stories Images chart the transformation of a desolate coral island in the Persian Gulf into Tehran’s primary oil export hub. Kharg Island has become a key target in the US-Israeli war with Iran. https://www.rferl.org/a/kharg-island-iran-us-israel-war-history/33722515.html https://www.rferl.org/a/kharg-island-iran-us-israel-war-history/33722515.html Wed, 01 Apr 2026 20:35:33 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown Stories Despite powerful resistance and lengthy delays, a monument projected to become the “world’s largest” Jesus statue is taking shape near Yerevan with a newly scheduled completion date. https://www.rferl.org/a/worlds-largest-christ-statue-armenia-construction/33710649.html https://www.rferl.org/a/worlds-largest-christ-statue-armenia-construction/33710649.html Thu, 19 Mar 2026 16:27:34 +0100 ArmeniaFeaturesPhoto GalleriesPhoto GalleriesThe Rundown Stories A photojournalist gained access to a mountain stronghold in Iraq where exiled Iranian Kurds are preparing for conflict against the Iranian regime. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-iraq-kurds-militants-mountains-war/33704824.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-iraq-kurds-militants-mountains-war/33704824.html Tue, 17 Mar 2026 12:07:00 +0100 IranFeaturesPhoto GalleriesThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East A symbol with its origins in a 1954 convention on protecting cultural sites during war has been spotted on the rooftops of buildings in Iran. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-israel-us-blue-shield-heritage-protection-photos/33700690.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-israel-us-blue-shield-heritage-protection-photos/33700690.html Tue, 10 Mar 2026 18:54:44 +0100 IranFeaturesPhoto GalleriesThe Rundown Stories Just months ago, weddings were celebrated around a statue to young lovers in Ukraine’s eastern city of Druzhkivka. Today the monument is surrounded by ever-increasing destruction as Russian forces use long-range first-person-view drones and aerial bombs on the industrial city. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-invasion-donbas-statue--love/33699624.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-invasion-donbas-statue--love/33699624.html Mon, 09 Mar 2026 22:20:58 +0100 UkraineFeaturesPhoto GalleriesPhoto GalleriesRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories Futuristic laser weapons are now deployed with some militaries and are being demonstrated by Ukrainian startups. Industry insiders say the technology can counter the threat of cheap kamikaze drones, but there are significant caveats. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-ukraine-russia-israel-laser-weapons-future-war/33696183.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-ukraine-russia-israel-laser-weapons-future-war/33696183.html Sun, 08 Mar 2026 09:15:34 +0100 IranFeaturesRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories America's ongoing Epic Fury is the latest military operation with its own name. Here's how that title differs from previous operation names, and where the tradition comes from. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-us-war-epic-fury-nickname-codenames/33693259.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-us-war-epic-fury-nickname-codenames/33693259.html Wed, 04 Mar 2026 15:12:31 +0100 IranFeaturesThe Rundown Stories Yaroslav Amosov walked away from a stellar mixed martial arts career to fight against Russian forces occupying his home town of Irpin. Four years on, he has just been signed to the world's premiere MMA promotion. https://www.rferl.org/a/yaroslav-amosov-ufc-mma-fighter-russian-invasion-ukraine/33683381.html https://www.rferl.org/a/yaroslav-amosov-ufc-mma-fighter-russian-invasion-ukraine/33683381.html Tue, 03 Mar 2026 12:31:26 +0100 UkraineFeaturesRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories