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VIDEO REPORTS

Tillerson's Russia Ties Face Senate Scrutiny

The director of Russia’s National Energy Security Fund expresses his view, as the U.S. Senate begins confirmation hearings on January 11 for U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's nomination of former ExxonMobil chief Rex Tillerson as secretary of state.

Migrants Sleep Rough In Freezing Belgrade Weather

About 1,500 migrants are braving freezing weather in Belgrade, as they continue to wait for permission to travel.

Kazakh Oil Workers Extend Hunger Strike After Union Shut

Kazakh oil company workers extended their hunger strike into a fifth day, as they seek to overturn a court decision to close their union.

Funeral Or Philanthropy?

A Tajik retiree used her funeral savings to repair neighborhood roads instead. She said "a good deed" pays better dividends.

Aleppo Peace March Enters Czech Republic

Peace campaigners marching from Berlin to Aleppo arrived in the Czech Republic on the 15th day of their journey to demand an end to war in Syria.

OTHER NEWS

Kremlin Deplores ‘Unprecedented Degradation’ Of U.S. - Russia Ties

A Kremlin spokesman says a U.S. decision to impose personal sanctions on three Russians and a U.S. Senate proposal to expand sanctions against Russia are "further steps in the artificially created degradation of our relations."

U.S. Sanctions Russia's Bastrykin And Alleged Litvinenko Killers

The United States has slapped sanctions on five additional Russians for alleged human rights violations, including powerful senior law-enforcement official Aleksandr Bastrykin and lawmaker Andrei Lugovoi.

Savchenko Publishes Prisoner Lists From Both Sides Of Ukraine Conflict

Ukrainian lawmaker and former political prisoner Nadia Savchenko published a list of persons imprisoned in the separatist-controlled territories of eastern Ukraine and in Russia, and prisoners whose release has been requested by the territories’ leadership. (in Russian, Current Time TV)

Suspected Militant Extradited From Czech Republic To Russia

An alleged militant suspected of involvement in the murder of an investigator in Russia's Daghestan region has been extradited from the Czech Republic to Russia.

Death Of Russian Diplomat In Greece Believed From Natural Causes

A top Russian diplomat who was found dead in his apartment in Athens died of natural causes, Russian and Greek officials say.

Ankara Street Renamed After Slain Russian Ambassador

The street in Ankara where the Russian Embassy to Turkey is located has been renamed in honor of Andrei Karlov, the Russian ambassador who was assassinated in December.

Belarus Introduces Visa-Free Five-Day Stay For Citizens Of 80 Countries

Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has signed a decree allowing citizens of 80 countries to stay in the country for up to five days without a visa.

Macedonian President Asks Gruevski To Form New Government

Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov has asked the country's conservative leader Nikola Gruevski to form a new government based on the results of elections held in December.

Azerbaijani Anticorruption Blogger Charged With Disobeying Police

Mehman Huseynov, whose efforts to expose high-level corruption have irked members of President Ilham Aliyev's government, has been detained and charged with disobeying the police.

Uzbek President Calls On Prosecutors To Shed ‘Soviet Image’

Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyaev has harshly criticized the country's prosecutors, calling on them to treat ordinary citizens and entrepreneurs properly.

Turkmenistan Raises Bar For Women Smokers

Effective January 1, women in the western city of Turkmenbashi must produce a medical document certifying their dependence on tobacco in order to purchase cigarettes. The new order produced a queue of approximately 300-350 women at a local drug dispensary. (Turkmen Service)

Do Putin And Trump Need Each Other?

During a roundtable discussion with RFE/RL, journalist Mikhail Taratuta said that Russian President Vladimir Putin is hoping for renewed membership in the G-7 under a Trump presidency, but questioned what Russia has to offer the U.S. Political analyst Andrey Piontkovsky said that “Trump believes that Putin is needed in the fight with ISIS, and also as a counterweight to China. (Russian Service)

MOST READ/RUSSIA: Good And Evil In The Russian Mind

Commenting on the resurgent popularity of Russia’s most notorious leaders, prominent writer Olga Sedakova told RFE/RL that it’s rooted in a Russian mindset that dismisses the good as powerless: “If God wants to do something, it won’t succeed without the help of evil. That’s why we see new monuments to Stalin, Ivan the Terrible and others.” (over 35k views on Russian Service website)

COMMENTARY: Prospects for Chechnya's Oil Sector Remain Unclear

COMMENTARY: A Day Of Reckoning For Bosnia?

INFOGRAPHIC: The Countries Sanctioned By The West

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