https://www.rferl.org/z/23311 The main stories of the day from the RFE/RL Central Newsroom. https://www.rferl.org/Content/responsive/RFE/en-US/img/logo.png https://www.rferl.org/z/23311 en Copyright 2026 - RFE/RL, Inc. 60 Sun, 02 Aug 2026 04:47:34 +0200 Pangea CMS – RFE/RL In the wake of the latest deadly Russian air strikes on Kyiv and other cities, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed frustration with his Western allies, urging speedier delivery of urgently needed Patriot air defense missiles and other weapons. https://www.rferl.org/a/kyiv-kherson-ukraine-patriot-ballistic-missiles-zelenskyy/33819849.html https://www.rferl.org/a/kyiv-kherson-ukraine-patriot-ballistic-missiles-zelenskyy/33819849.html Sun, 02 Aug 2026 00:03:14 +0200 NewsRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories The United Arab Emirates is trying to keep channels open with Tehran while strengthening its military ties with Washington and Israel, a delicate balancing act shaped by security concerns and deep economic links with Iran. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-uae-war-usa-israel-sheikh-mohamed-bin-zayed-al-nahyan/33819782.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-uae-war-usa-israel-sheikh-mohamed-bin-zayed-al-nahyan/33819782.html Sat, 01 Aug 2026 22:01:28 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East A hunger strike by death-row prisoners at Qezl-e-Hesar Prison has ended after Iranian authorities met with the striking inmates and promised a temporary halt to drug-related executions at the facility, according to the Iranian Human Rights organization (IHRNGO). https://www.rferl.org/a/prison-hunger-strike-iran-executions/33819769.html https://www.rferl.org/a/prison-hunger-strike-iran-executions/33819769.html Sat, 01 Aug 2026 14:44:43 +0200 Human RightsThe Rundown Stories Russia launched dozens of ballistic missiles at Kyiv, killing at least nine people and injuring 23, according to emergency services. Zelenskyy said a shortage of air defense missiles limited Ukraine's ability to intercept the attack. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-launches-deadly-ballistic-missile-attack-on-kyiv/33819745.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-launches-deadly-ballistic-missile-attack-on-kyiv/33819745.html Sat, 01 Aug 2026 12:30:23 +0200 UkraineRussiaVideo ArchiveVideosRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories A renewed exchange of military strikes and threats between the US and Iran has raised fresh fears of a wider Middle East war. But Jacob Stoil, research professor of Middle East security studies at the US Army War College, argues the more important story may be what has not happened. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-stoil-army-war-college-interview/33819707.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-stoil-army-war-college-interview/33819707.html Sat, 01 Aug 2026 10:25:00 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East In 2022, Oleksandra Paskal lost her leg following a Russian missile strike on Ukraine’s Odesa region. She was just six years old. Following months of intense rehabilitation, she learned to walk with a prosthesis -- and made a remarkable return to rhythmic gymnastics. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukrainian-gymnast-wins-gold-after-losing-leg-in-russian-strike/33819012.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukrainian-gymnast-wins-gold-after-losing-leg-in-russian-strike/33819012.html Sat, 01 Aug 2026 09:21:28 +0200 UkraineVideo ArchiveVideosRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories As the conflict in the Persian Gulf continues to impact and shape the region, journalists from RFE/RL's Central Newsroom and Iranian service, Radio Farda, deliver ongoing updates and analysis. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-live-blog-trump-middle-east/33803414.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-live-blog-trump-middle-east/33803414.html Sat, 01 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0200 IranNewsHuman RightsThe Rundown Stories US President Donald Trump's decision to step back from his earlier pledge to allow Ukraine to manufacture Patriot missile interceptors has prompted renewed debate in Washington over the future direction of US military support for Kyiv. https://www.rferl.org/a/patriot-missile-trump-bacon-republicans-ukraine-zelenskyy/33819653.html https://www.rferl.org/a/patriot-missile-trump-bacon-republicans-ukraine-zelenskyy/33819653.html Sat, 01 Aug 2026 06:41:57 +0200 NewsRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories Afghanistan's Badakhshan Province has been the scene of a spate of attacks in recent weeks carried out by armed opposition groups that have waged a low-level insurgency against the Taliban in recent years. https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-taliban-badakhshan-opposition-attacks/33819192.html https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-taliban-badakhshan-opposition-attacks/33819192.html Fri, 31 Jul 2026 16:08:31 +0200 AfghanistanFeaturesThe Rundown Stories US President Donald Trump has confirmed that he will send his envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, to Kyiv in the coming weeks. RFE/RL spoke with Kurt Volker about the significance of their visit. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-war-russia-kyiv-visit-us-envoys-witkoff-kushner/33819200.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-war-russia-kyiv-visit-us-envoys-witkoff-kushner/33819200.html Fri, 31 Jul 2026 15:34:20 +0200 UkraineFeaturesRussiaRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories A Ukrainian drone attack targeted another Wildberries facility ⁠in Russia, this time in Volgograd. Russia's largest online retailer said on July 31 that a logistics hub had been hit. The strike is the latest in a series of attacks that have damaged at least 13 Wildberries warehouses since mid-July. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-drone-wildberries-volgograd-refinery-strike/33819070.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-drone-wildberries-volgograd-refinery-strike/33819070.html Fri, 31 Jul 2026 12:49:57 +0200 UkraineRussiaVideo ArchiveVideosRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories Russia said it had designated Telegram founder Pavel Durov a “terrorist” and “extremist,” further tightening the screws on the popular messenger app ahead of parliamentary elections in September. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-telegram-durov-terrorist-extremist-internet-crackdown/33818974.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-telegram-durov-terrorist-extremist-internet-crackdown/33818974.html Fri, 31 Jul 2026 11:45:17 +0200 NewsRussiaThe Rundown Stories Former Trump White House official Allison Minor says Iran's latest attacks exposed the limits of the traditional US security guarantee in the Gulf. She argues Washington should shift toward a regional security model built on shared capabilities, integration, and stronger partnerships. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-gulf-security-us-role-allison-minor-interview/33818576.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-gulf-security-us-role-allison-minor-interview/33818576.html Thu, 30 Jul 2026 20:08:49 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East When Human Rights Watch's Georgi Gogia heard that several independent journalists were handed lengthy sentences this week by a court in the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, he didn't know what motivated the judge. But he does know the message is an "unmistakable warning." https://www.rferl.org/a/azerbaijan-independent-journalists-court-sentencing-crackdown/33818515.html https://www.rferl.org/a/azerbaijan-independent-journalists-court-sentencing-crackdown/33818515.html Thu, 30 Jul 2026 19:58:56 +0200 NewsAzerbaijanThe Rundown Stories Ukrainians who've taken refuge in Poland from the Russian invasion say they’re increasingly under threat, targeted by xenophobic, racist attacks. The fears come as tensions between Kyiv and Warsaw fester due to grievances dating back to World War II. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-poland-war-refugees-hate-crimes/33818435.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-poland-war-refugees-hate-crimes/33818435.html Thu, 30 Jul 2026 18:42:47 +0200 UkraineFeaturesRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories A day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the Senate, lawmakers overwhelmingly advanced legislation to tighten sanctions on Russia and extend key Iran sanctions for another five years. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-senate-advances-russia-iran-sanctions-bill-bipartisan-support/33818432.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-senate-advances-russia-iran-sanctions-bill-bipartisan-support/33818432.html Thu, 30 Jul 2026 15:00:39 +0200 News AnalysisIranUkraineThe Rundown Stories The US military said it launched dozens of strikes against targets linked to Iran's powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) in response to Iranian attacks on American troops in Jordan after President Donald Trump had vowed to retaliate and "hit them very hard." https://www.rferl.org/a/us-strikes-target-iran-revolutionary-guards-corps/33818316.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-strikes-target-iran-revolutionary-guards-corps/33818316.html Thu, 30 Jul 2026 12:59:30 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown Stories The emerging partnerships between Pakistan and Middle Eastern countries are also reshaping the region's security dynamics, which analysts believe may add new strains to relations among states. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-security-dynamics-middle-east-pakistan/33816861.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-security-dynamics-middle-east-pakistan/33816861.html Wed, 29 Jul 2026 21:22:51 +0200 News AnalysisIranPakistanThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East Iranian writers, filmmakers, and other cultural figures have joined the outcry against a surge of executions in the country, using the hashtag "Do Not Execute" to criticize the continued use of the death penalty in a crackdown on political dissent from mass protests in January. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-executions-hangings-protests-/33817572.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-executions-hangings-protests-/33817572.html Wed, 29 Jul 2026 15:54:58 +0200 Human RightsThe Rundown Stories As Beijing threatens to widen its net beyond its borders to pursue anyone who “undermines ethnic unity,” Chinese-born majority Muslim Turkic minorities in neighboring Kazakhstan are feeling the pressure. https://www.rferl.org/a/kazakhstan-china-ethnic-unity-law-human-rights/33816706.html https://www.rferl.org/a/kazakhstan-china-ethnic-unity-law-human-rights/33816706.html Wed, 29 Jul 2026 14:24:05 +0200 KazakhstanFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesChina