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 Thu, 18 Jun 2026 03:47:25 +0200 Pangea CMS – RFE/RL Russian authorities said a Ukrainian drone hit a bus carrying a Belarusian children's football team in Russia's Bryansk region, a claim Kyiv said was "false." https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-ukraine-russia-drone-strike-bus-children/33783067.html https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-ukraine-russia-drone-strike-bus-children/33783067.html Wed, 17 Jun 2026 18:38:55 +0200 NewsBelarusRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories On June 17, Uzbekistan will become the first ever Central Asian nation to compete in the FIFA World Cup after multiple previous attempts to reach the coveted football contest. https://www.rferl.org/a/uzbekistan-football-world-cup-first-history/33783063.html https://www.rferl.org/a/uzbekistan-football-world-cup-first-history/33783063.html Wed, 17 Jun 2026 18:08:08 +0200 Photo GalleriesUzbekistanPhoto GalleriesThe Rundown Stories US President Donald Trump said the United States could resume military action against Iran if he is dissatisfied with the implementation of the memorandum of understanding reached between Washington and Tehran. https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-us-iran-deal-talks/33783001.html https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-us-iran-deal-talks/33783001.html Wed, 17 Jun 2026 14:41:02 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East The question now confronting negotiators is what should happen to that stockpile as part of a broader agreement between Tehran and Washington. In recent weeks, Kazakhstan has been mentioned as a possible third-party custodian. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-uranium-stockpile-kazakhstan-united-states-iaea/33782975.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-uranium-stockpile-kazakhstan-united-states-iaea/33782975.html Wed, 17 Jun 2026 13:45:32 +0200 IranFeaturesKazakhstanThe Rundown Stories Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) nations have pledged their "unwavering support" for Ukraine and agreed to increase pressure on Russia through sanctions and weapons supplies to Kyiv amid signs Washington is turning its focus back toward ending Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II. https://www.rferl.org/a/g7-support-ukraine-us-pressure-kremlin-russia-trump-putin/33782886.html https://www.rferl.org/a/g7-support-ukraine-us-pressure-kremlin-russia-trump-putin/33782886.html Wed, 17 Jun 2026 11:18:47 +0200 NewsRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories In an interview with RFE/RL in Washington on June 16, Georgia’s fifth president, Salome Zurabishvili, warned that the West risks “giving away” Georgia to Moscow’s interests through inattention, even as Tbilisi becomes increasingly central to the wider strategic balance across the Caucasus. https://www.rferl.org/a/with-georgia-sliding-toward-russia-former-president-appeals-for-renewed-us-attention/33782876.html https://www.rferl.org/a/with-georgia-sliding-toward-russia-former-president-appeals-for-renewed-us-attention/33782876.html Wed, 17 Jun 2026 11:00:05 +0200 GeorgiaFeaturesRussiaThe Rundown Stories As the US-Israeli war with Iran 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-war-us-hormuz-oil-blockade-gulf-israel/33640284.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-us-hormuz-oil-blockade-gulf-israel/33640284.html Wed, 17 Jun 2026 07:15:00 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown Stories Videos posted online captured drone attacks on sites in Moscow and the surrounding region early on June 16. The Kapotnya oil refinery near the capital was seen in flames. Kyiv has intensified its attacks on Russia's energy infrastructure as it tries to disrupt the funds driving Russia's war effort. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukrainian-drones-strike-moscow-refinery/33782393.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukrainian-drones-strike-moscow-refinery/33782393.html Tue, 16 Jun 2026 18:37:07 +0200 RussiaUkraineVideo ArchiveVideosRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories Despite Russian strikes from the Black Sea, real estate agents say Odesa’s property market is surging. Seaside homes and apartments are selling fast, driven by locals, Kyiv buyers, and displaced Ukrainians. For many in the city, life by the sea continues -- guarded by air defenses. https://www.rferl.org/a/odesa-s-property-boom-defies-war-as-buyers-return-to-black-sea/33782169.html https://www.rferl.org/a/odesa-s-property-boom-defies-war-as-buyers-return-to-black-sea/33782169.html Tue, 16 Jun 2026 14:56:14 +0200 VideosRussiaUkraineVideo ArchiveRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories The European Union opened accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova on June 15 after the election of a new government in Hungary removed the final hurdle to moving the process of joining the 27-member bloc. https://www.rferl.org/a/eu-accession-talks-ukraine-moldova-jozwiak/33782255.html https://www.rferl.org/a/eu-accession-talks-ukraine-moldova-jozwiak/33782255.html Tue, 16 Jun 2026 14:34:44 +0200 News AnalysisMoldovaUkraineThe Rundown StoriesEurope US President Donald Trump held a “very good meeting” with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the G7 summit in France, adding that “Russia should make a deal” while hinting that Europe’s largest conflict since World War II might be moving up his priority list. https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-ukraine-focus-iran-russia/33782190.html https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-ukraine-focus-iran-russia/33782190.html Tue, 16 Jun 2026 12:57:38 +0200 NewsIranRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories Ukraine opens EU accession talks -- now comes the hard part. https://www.rferl.org/a/wider-europe-briefing-jozwiak-ukraine-eu-russia-sanctions/33781601.html https://www.rferl.org/a/wider-europe-briefing-jozwiak-ukraine-eu-russia-sanctions/33781601.html Tue, 16 Jun 2026 11:43:27 +0200 Wider EuropeThe Rundown Stories RFE/RL spoke with Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley, a former US diplomat and current distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council focusing on Middle East security and strategy, to unpack the framework deal between Iran and the US, what remains unsettled, and what the world should watch for next. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-deal-framework-agreement-memorandum-of-understanding/33782127.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-deal-framework-agreement-memorandum-of-understanding/33782127.html Tue, 16 Jun 2026 11:00:56 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown Stories Locals evacuated paintings and other artworks from the Kharkiv Art Museum after it was struck by a Russian drone on June 14. The attack started a fire in the building, which houses thousands of works by prominent Ukrainian artists. https://www.rferl.org/a/kharkiv-art-museum-struck-by-russia/33781501.html https://www.rferl.org/a/kharkiv-art-museum-struck-by-russia/33781501.html Mon, 15 Jun 2026 16:31:35 +0200 VideosRussiaUkraineVideo ArchiveRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories Iranians say they have been warned by security officials not to speak to US-funded Persian-language media, such as RFE/RL’s Radio Farda, amid a crackdown in which the Iranian authorities say they have charged increasing numbers with espionage for “cooperation with the enemy.” https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-fear-crackdown-protests-dissent-media/33781430.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-fear-crackdown-protests-dissent-media/33781430.html Mon, 15 Jun 2026 15:32:46 +0200 IranFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East The detention of a Tajik activist in Germany and the threat of his expulsion have sent shockwaves through opposition circles in exile, reviving fears of the dangers that await activists forced to return home. https://www.rferl.org/a/germany-immigration-deportation-tajikistan-asadullo-boboev/33781392.html https://www.rferl.org/a/germany-immigration-deportation-tajikistan-asadullo-boboev/33781392.html Mon, 15 Jun 2026 14:59:45 +0200 TajikistanFeaturesThe Rundown StoriesEurope A blaze on June 15 amid Russia's all-out invasion of Ukraine is the latest war wound inflicted on Kyiv's centuries-old Pechersk Lavra, the most iconic religious landmark in the Ukrainian capital. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-invasion-lavra-monastery-caves-pechersk-history/33781318.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-invasion-lavra-monastery-caves-pechersk-history/33781318.html Mon, 15 Jun 2026 14:39:33 +0200 UkrainePhoto GalleriesPhoto GalleriesRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories For nearly three months, Nartai Zhengis, who lives in Kazakhstan, has not heard directly from his father, Zhengis Reskhan a prominent ethnic Kazakh writer and satirist from China’s Xinjiang region. https://www.rferl.org/a/family-seeks-answers-after-prominent-kazakh-writer-disappears-xinjiang/33781302.html https://www.rferl.org/a/family-seeks-answers-after-prominent-kazakh-writer-disappears-xinjiang/33781302.html Mon, 15 Jun 2026 12:27:11 +0200 KazakhstanFeaturesLocked up in China China In EurasiaThe Rundown StoriesChina The UNESCO-protected Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, Ukraine's most important Orthodox monastery, was set ablaze during a massive overnight missile and drone barrage that killed at least 11 people and injured dozens across the country. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-trump-putin-zelenskyy-kyiv-lavra/33780576.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-trump-putin-zelenskyy-kyiv-lavra/33780576.html Mon, 15 Jun 2026 05:46:06 +0200 NewsRussiaUkraineRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories Qatari negotiators flew to Tehran early on June 14 in a bid to finalize an agreement between the United States and Iran to end the monthslong conflict, but renewed Israeli attacks on Iran's ally Hezbollah in Lebanon earlier the same day could potentially delay the signature. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-deal-qalibaf-trump-qatar/33780190.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-deal-qalibaf-trump-qatar/33780190.html Sun, 14 Jun 2026 16:25:55 +0200 IranNewsThe Rundown StoriesMiddle East