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.…
In a new memoir, former Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev has admitted to fathering two sons with Miss Kazakhstan 1999 outside his official marriage.
https://www.rferl.org/a/nursultan-nazarbaev-admits-his-relationship-with-asel-qurmanbaeva-/32714668.html
https://www.rferl.org/a/nursultan-nazarbaev-admits-his-relationship-with-asel-qurmanbaeva-/32714668.html
Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
Former Kazakh President Admits To Polygamy
n a new memoir, former Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev has admitted to fathering two sons with Miss Kazakhstan 1999 outside his official marriage. The book, My Life, went on sale on December 1 and has received public criticism in the Central Asian nation.
A RFE/RL's Russia service investigation has found that a former Russian envoy to the EU whom multiple European diplomats say works for Russian intelligence is now coordinating between Wagner forces and local police in the Central African Republic following the mysterious death of Kremlin-connected warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin. https://www.rferl.org/a/wagner-russia-central-african-republic-investigation/32719917.html
Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
With Wagner In Disarray, A Russian Diplomat With Spy Links Surfaces In The Central African Republic
An RFE/RL investigation found that a former Russian envoy to the EU whom European diplomats say works for Russian intelligence is coordinating between Wagner forces and local police in the Central African Republic following the mysterious death of Kremlin…
A former Ukrainian lawmaker gunned down in a Moscow suburb is the latest hit in a shadowy assassination campaign that Ukraine has winkingly ducked responsibility for.
https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-assassination-campaign/32721025.html?fbclid=IwAR3Khu7n8pcb2ezKUgi3BjfqfIYpSQcgE8OWAtqeImAyxQqyJimIlnnY7zk
https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-assassination-campaign/32721025.html?fbclid=IwAR3Khu7n8pcb2ezKUgi3BjfqfIYpSQcgE8OWAtqeImAyxQqyJimIlnnY7zk
Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
The Ukrainian Fingerprints On A Shadowy Assassination Campaign On Russian Soil
For at least 18 months, Ukraine has been waging a not-so-secret sabotage campaign in Russia, targeting everything from border-town pipelines to the Kremlin itself. Then there's a shadowy assassination campaign that has targeted Ukrainians and Russians, with…
He was a Russian diplomat until he was expelled by the EU for "illegal and disruptive actions."
Now he is an OSCE election observer.
A new investigation ⬇️⬇️⬇️
https://www.rferl.org/a/32726073.html
Now he is an OSCE election observer.
A new investigation ⬇️⬇️⬇️
https://www.rferl.org/a/32726073.html
Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
Russian Diplomat Expelled Amid EU Spy Purge Is Now An OSCE Election Observer In Serbia
Aleksandr Studenikin was blacklisted last year for working “against the interests and security of the EU and its member states” while serving as a diplomat at Russia’s mission in Brussels. Now this alleged intelligence operative is serving as an OSCE election…
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Russia's second missile assault on Kyiv this week injured at least 53 people, including 9 children, and damaged homes and a children's hospital, Ukrainian officials said on December 13. https://buff.ly/46VqHv5
Russian riot police raided an LGBT club in Yekaterinburg less than two weeks after Russia's Supreme Court banned the activities of the "international LGBT movement" --which legally does not exist -- in the country. Dozens of visitors were detained while police recorded their personal information.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYMhWfe5jJA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYMhWfe5jJA
YouTube
Russian Riot Police Raid Gay Club Amid Crackdown On 'LGBT Movement'
Russian riot police raided an LGBT club in Yekaterinburg less than two weeks after Russia's Supreme Court banned the activities of the "international LGBT movement" --which legally does not exist -- in the country. Dozens of visitors were detained while police…
Some 3.6 percent of the world's population is on the move; one in every eight migrants is a child.
Our journalists traveled to Mexico, Poland, Georgia, India, and further to report on the migration issues most affecting the 23 countries we broadcast in.
https://www.rferl.org/a/international-migrants-day-stories-hope-survival-refugees/32706880.html
Our journalists traveled to Mexico, Poland, Georgia, India, and further to report on the migration issues most affecting the 23 countries we broadcast in.
https://www.rferl.org/a/international-migrants-day-stories-hope-survival-refugees/32706880.html
Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
Fleeing Home, Chasing Hope: The Refugee And Migrant Experience
Upwards of 300 million people are classified by the UN as international migrants. That’s some 3.6 percent of the global population on the move and chasing hope. RFE/RL’s language services have come together to mark International Migrants Day on December 18…
Controversy continues over the methods used to remove Sofia's Red Army monument and whether it will be restored as promised.
Officially, the plan is to display it at a site where it will serve an “educational” role.
https://www.rferl.org/a/bulgaria-red-army-soviet-monument-uncertain-future/32738055.html
Officially, the plan is to display it at a site where it will serve an “educational” role.
https://www.rferl.org/a/bulgaria-red-army-soviet-monument-uncertain-future/32738055.html
Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
Angle Grinders And Uncertainty: The Fate Of Bulgaria's Downed Soviet Monument
Controversy continues over the methods used to remove Sofia's Red Army monument and whether it will be restored as promised.
Ukraine is slowly losing ground, men, morale, support from the West -- and possibly the war against Russia.
Not since the opening weeks following Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, when its forces seemed poised to capture the Ukrainian capital and force the government to capitulate, has the outlook for Ukraine's military commanders and its political leadership been so gloomy. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-western-weapons-doubt-russia-war-military/32740637.html
Not since the opening weeks following Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, when its forces seemed poised to capture the Ukrainian capital and force the government to capitulate, has the outlook for Ukraine's military commanders and its political leadership been so gloomy. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-western-weapons-doubt-russia-war-military/32740637.html
RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
Western Weapons In Doubt, Ukraine Ponders How Long It Can Hold Out
Not since the opening weeks of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, when its forces seemed poised to capture Kyiv and force the government to capitulate, has the outlook for Ukraine’s military commanders and its political leadership been so gloomy.