An analysis of satellite images by @cxemu, @svoboda_radio's Ukrainian investigative unit, indicates that Russia is actively building up its production capacity for military equipment and developing new factories as it continues to reorient its economy toward its war against Ukraine.
https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ramping-up-war-production/32658857.html
https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ramping-up-war-production/32658857.html
Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
Satellite Images Suggest Russia Is Ramping Up Production Capacity For Its War Against Ukraine
An analysis of satellite images by Schemes, RFE/RL's Ukrainian investigative unit, indicates that Russia is actively building up its production capacity for military equipment and developing new factories as it continues to reorient its economy toward its…
Investigators don’t yet know whether the pipeline damage was sabotage or an accident, but Finnish intelligence said the involvement of a state actor “cannot be ruled out.”
https://www.rferl.org/a/china-baltic-pipeline-damaged-russia-newnew-polar-bear/32667867.html
https://www.rferl.org/a/china-baltic-pipeline-damaged-russia-newnew-polar-bear/32667867.html
Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
Hunt For Answers Continues Over Chinese Ship's Suspected Role In Damaging Baltic Pipeline
Finnish investigators say a Chinese vessel, which is currently making its way to China through Russian waters, damaged the Balticconnector pipeline that brings gas between Finland and Estonia. Was it an accident or another example of sabotage in the Baltic…
In Photos: Soviet flags as well as imagery of Marx, Lenin, and Stalin now appear to be a rallying point for Russian troops in Ukraine.
https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-invasion-russia-soviet-symbols/32667534.html
https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-invasion-russia-soviet-symbols/32667534.html
Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
Red Flags: Soviet Symbols Return To Russia's Military
Nearly two years into an invasion with increasingly vague goals, recent photos show symbols from Russia’s Soviet past becoming increasingly mainstreamed as a rallying point for Russian troops.
A native of China’s Hebei Province, a 26-year-old man completed the so-called Balkan Route for migrants, joining tens of thousands of asylum seekers from around the world who are fleeing war, poverty, and repression.
https://www.rferl.org/a/balkans-route-chinese-asylum-seeker/32673586.html
https://www.rferl.org/a/balkans-route-chinese-asylum-seeker/32673586.html
Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
Fleeing China: A Chinese Migrant's Journey Across The Balkans To The EU
Fleeing increasingly repressive policies and a dimming future in China, a 26-year-old man's one-month trail through Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia highlights the growing number of Chinese asylum seekers coming to the EU this year.
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"There is nothing we want to happen more than to get Alsu back. My children need her, I need my wife back."
Pavel Butorin, the husband of detained RFE/RL journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, says his wife is a "political prisoner" as she remains behind bars in Russia.
Pavel Butorin, the husband of detained RFE/RL journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, says his wife is a "political prisoner" as she remains behind bars in Russia.
Serbian companies are exporting dual-use goods to Russia that have been targeted by Western sanctions due to their use in Russian armaments deployed in Ukraine -- despite a pledge by President Aleksandar Vucic that his country would not serve as a conduit for circumventing U.S. and EU sanctions.
https://www.rferl.org/a/serbia-russia-sanctions-dual-use-technology/32676159.html?fbclid=IwAR1d8ceNW14-7QnNugpt0oGtDr0baWPvrl2i_F7I9yYRC08hLrVka0PBXYY
https://www.rferl.org/a/serbia-russia-sanctions-dual-use-technology/32676159.html?fbclid=IwAR1d8ceNW14-7QnNugpt0oGtDr0baWPvrl2i_F7I9yYRC08hLrVka0PBXYY
Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
Investigation: Serbian Firms Ship Sanctioned Dual-Use Tech To Russia
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has vowed that "no one can bypass" Western sanctions on Russia via the Balkan country he leads. But a new RFE/RL investigation shows that the types of Western electronics used in Russian weapons are flowing to Moscow from…
When they refused to renew their contracts, at least two volunteer soldiers ended up in a “pit” -- a detention cellar or hole in the ground where food, water, and medicine are denied.
https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-systema-investigation-contract-soldiers-pay-pardons-promises-broken/32676712.html?fbclid=IwAR3F9UUdq02Hk8ZzGC0dUQRltPB94PtxEHid9jxeorz4sRcBF7TejDKuwck
https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-systema-investigation-contract-soldiers-pay-pardons-promises-broken/32676712.html?fbclid=IwAR3F9UUdq02Hk8ZzGC0dUQRltPB94PtxEHid9jxeorz4sRcBF7TejDKuwck
Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
Investigation: Russia Violates Promises Of Pay, Pardons For Contract Soldiers
Russia maintains manpower and avoids a politically risky call-up by offering contract soldiers what the Kremlin calls “very, very attractive” terms for signing up to fight in Ukraine. But RFE/RL’s Russian investigative unit, Systema, found numerous cases…
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An Iranian woman tells her story of defiance and coping. She joined the protest after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died just days after her detention by the morality police for allegedly wearing her head scarf incorrectly.
In another incident more than a year later, 17-year-old Armita Garavand died after she was allegedly attacked on the Tehran subway for not wearing a hijab.
In another incident more than a year later, 17-year-old Armita Garavand died after she was allegedly attacked on the Tehran subway for not wearing a hijab.
When Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Kazakhstan last week, he was greeted by his counterpart, Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev, and accorded the full pomp befitting a strategic ally. But there was a change in emphasis that was difficult to ignore. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-central-asia-diplomatic-activitiy-surge-ukraine-war/32683831.html
Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
Living In The Limelight: Can Central Asia Sustain Surge Of Newfound Diplomatic Activity Without Russia?
As traditional partner Russia’s struggles continue, the countries of Central Asia are enjoying diplomatic attention not seen since gaining independence and the start of the U.S-led invasion of Afghanistan. But will the region be able to sustain these intensified…
After more than five months, Ukraine’s counteroffensive may be faltering. An audacious effort to set up bridgeheads across the Dnieper River could change that narrative.
https://www.rferl.org/a/bridgehead-dnieper-russia-ukraine-counteroffensive/32684589.html
https://www.rferl.org/a/bridgehead-dnieper-russia-ukraine-counteroffensive/32684589.html
Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
Bridgehead On The Dnieper: Russia Struggles To Contain A Ukrainian River Crossing. What Will It Do For The Counteroffensive?
Amid a grinding five-month counteroffensive, Ukrainian marine infantry forces are trying to pull off a complicated and audacious river crossing that has tied up a chunk of Russian troops on the left bank of the Dnieper near Kherson. Here's why you should…
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Ukrainian troops continue to hold out in Avdiyivka as Russian forces attack the industrial city in the Donetsk region. Moscow launched an offensive on the area in early October in an effort to seize the frontline territory. Russian forces have suffered heavy losses during the onslaught, according to Ukrainian officials. Despite the daily fighting, some 1,500 residents continue to live among the ruins of their once peaceful neighborhoods.
“My great-grandfather didn’t participate in World War II for four years so that Russia would become a fascist state and attack Ukraine.”
https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-artist-skochilenko-sentenced-final-words-court-prison/32687860.html
https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-artist-skochilenko-sentenced-final-words-court-prison/32687860.html
Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
'Five Tiny Pieces Of Paper': St. Petersburg Artist Sasha Skochilenko's Defiant Final Words In Court
Shortly before being sentenced to seven years in prison over a protest against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, St. Petersburg artist Sasha Skochilenko addressed the court, telling the judge “I am freer than you.”
Do the Ukrainian government’s media restrictions run counter to the country’s EU membership ambitions? Some Ukrainian politicians think so.
By @cxemu
https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-parliament-press-restrictions-censorship-journalists/32701375.html
By @cxemu
https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-parliament-press-restrictions-censorship-journalists/32701375.html
Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
Ukraine's Parliamentary Press Restrictions: Protecting Journalists Or The Government?
Only one state-controlled media outlet has been able to report from inside Ukraine’s parliament since Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion. The government cites the risk of Russian strikes and other possible security threats to justify the ban, but critics worry…
A recent Russian police raid targeting migrant workers at a top retailer's warehouse near Moscow for military recruitment could hardly have gone unnoticed. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-migrants-raids-attacks-pressure-fight-ukraine/32703657.html
Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
Migrants In Russia Face Raids, Political Attacks As Pressure To Fight In Ukraine Increases
Russian politicians have ramped up rhetoric against migrants in recent months with calls for more foreign-born workers to fight in the grueling war against Ukraine topping their list of demands. But as experts point out, Moscow’s labor-short economy needs…
The wife of a Russian ministry official, an interpreter for Vladimir Putin, and a former diplomat whom Western intelligence suspects of spy links: These are the Russians whose employment by the OSCE has raised concerns amid what critics call Kremlin efforts to paralyze the European security body.
https://www.rferl.org/a/32693816.html
https://www.rferl.org/a/32693816.html
Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
Revealed: The Kremlin-Connected Russians Employed By Europe's Top Security Body
The wife of a Russian ministry official, an interpreter for Vladimir Putin, and a former diplomat whom Western intelligence suspects of spy links: These are the Russians whose employment by the OSCE has raised concerns amid what critics call Kremlin efforts…
Did Western countries hand Russia a victory by caving into Kremlin demands and snubbing Estonia as the 2024 chair of the OSCE?
https://www.rferl.org/a/news-analysis-russia-triumph-osce-meeting-skopje/32707080.html
https://www.rferl.org/a/news-analysis-russia-triumph-osce-meeting-skopje/32707080.html
Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
Is The OSCE Meeting In Skopje A Triumph For Russia?
There were two big questions looming over the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) ministerial meeting in Skopje, which on November 30-December 1 will bring together the foreign ministers from the 57 members of the Vienna-based security…
An October Systema (@radiosvoboda) & @cxemu investigation revealed that a purported Russian private army called Redut operating in Ukraine is actually a shadowy recruitment network run by the Russian military’s main intelligence directorate, the GRU.
A follow-up investigation, based on battlefield records and multiple interviews with Redut fighters and recruiters, provides an unprecedented look into a hall of mirrors: contracts signed with nonexistent companies, fighters attached to military units on paper only, and in one case, a posthumous state award from Putin for a fighter of whom the Defense Ministry said it had no record.
This legal mirage has made it difficult for relatives of Redut mercenaries to track down those in charge to ask about unpaid wages, death benefits, or fighters’ whereabouts, leading to exasperated posts on Russian social media networks.
Recruiters say this system offers multiple benefits, such as being able to quit without the threat of a court-martial and "avoid paying taxes," according to one recruiter. But for those who return to Russia, it can be difficult to prove that they fought in Ukraine at all.
https://www.rferl.org/a/redut-fake-russia-gru-pmc-ukraine/32708853.html
A follow-up investigation, based on battlefield records and multiple interviews with Redut fighters and recruiters, provides an unprecedented look into a hall of mirrors: contracts signed with nonexistent companies, fighters attached to military units on paper only, and in one case, a posthumous state award from Putin for a fighter of whom the Defense Ministry said it had no record.
This legal mirage has made it difficult for relatives of Redut mercenaries to track down those in charge to ask about unpaid wages, death benefits, or fighters’ whereabouts, leading to exasperated posts on Russian social media networks.
Recruiters say this system offers multiple benefits, such as being able to quit without the threat of a court-martial and "avoid paying taxes," according to one recruiter. But for those who return to Russia, it can be difficult to prove that they fought in Ukraine at all.
https://www.rferl.org/a/redut-fake-russia-gru-pmc-ukraine/32708853.html
Although the most active opponents of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and other policies of President Vladimir Putin have either left the country or been imprisoned, there are increasing signs of low-key resistance targeting the ubiquitous Z symbols of support for the war. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-war-z-symbol-resistance-legal-actions-vandalism/32713146.html
Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
Quiet Resistance: From Legal Actions To Vandalism, Russia's Pro-War Symbols Coming Under Attack
Although the most active opponents of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and other policies of President Vladimir Putin have either left the country or been imprisoned, there are increasing signs of low-key resistance targeting the ubiquitous Z symbols of support…
You’ll be able to pay your taxes, share cat videos, find a romantic partner, or be summoned to fight in the war in Ukraine.
“For any authoritarian state, that's the absolute dream scenario,” one expert said.
https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-internet-app-social-media-surveillance-/32711114.html
“For any authoritarian state, that's the absolute dream scenario,” one expert said.
https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-internet-app-social-media-surveillance-/32711114.html
Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
One App To Rule Them All: Coming Soon To Russia's Internet
A single app that can be used for everything from social media and instant messaging to government services like paying taxes. It’s a “dream scenario” for the Russian authorities, a way to dramatically expand surveillance -- and manipulate public opinion.…