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A Parting Gift From Obama: SANCTIONS (RFE/RL Ukrainian Service)

VIDEO REPORTS

THE POWER VERTICAL: And Then Putin Came For The West

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s assault on the West did not come out of the blue.

Biden Urges Continued U.S. Backing Of Ukraine, Sanctions

Outgoing U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden urged the incoming Trump administration to continue to be a strong supporter of Ukraine.

We Will Need Fighters' - Teaching Russian Kids Combat

Battle-hardened veterans belonging to an ultra-nationalist paramilitary group in Russia have been training young children for combat.

Turkish Cargo Plane Crashes In Kyrgyzstan, Killing Dozens

At least 38 people were killed when a Turkish cargo plane crashed into homes near the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek.

Traveling To Tajikistan For Transplants

Tajikistan is seeing booming business in organ transplants, a treatment that has been available there for only five years.

OTHER NEWS

In Kyiv, Biden Urges World To Stand Against Russian Aggression

Making his final visit to Kyiv as U.S. vice president on January 16, Joe Biden urged the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump to support Ukraine.

Russia’s Lavrov Denies Meddling In European Votes, Blasts U.S. Intelligence

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says any claims that Moscow is staging cyberattacks to interfere in European elections are "dreamt-up."

Moscow Welcomes Trump Calling NATO 'Obsolete'

Moscow has welcomed U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s reference to NATO as "obsolete," calling the alliance a “vestige” of the past, as key NATO ally Germany reacted with concern to his remarks.

Lawyers Prepare For $50 Billion Appeal In Yukos Case

Lawyers for the Russian government and former shareholders of defunct Russian oil giant Yukos are back in court in what could be the final stages of a $50 billion battle over ex-tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky’s once-massive energy company.

Kadyrov Bodyguard Reportedly Executed

Alikhan Muzaev, a former police officer and personal bodyguard to Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, was detained on January 15th on suspicion of plotting an armed anti-government attack. Authorities presented his body to his family a few hours later, explaining his death as a suicide. (In Russian, Current Time TV)

Protest Artist Pavlensky Flees Russia Over Attempted-Rape Allegation

Russian protest-performance artist Pyotr Pavlensky says he has fled Russia after authorities questioned him about allegations that he tried to rape a woman.

Russian PEN Center Claims Alexievich Was Not A Member

An exodus from the Russian PEN Center took a new turn when the organization claimed that 2015 Nobel Literature Prize winner Svetlana Alexievich could not have quit because she was neve

Kyiv Sues Moscow At UN Court

Ukraine has sued Russia at the UN International Court of Justice in The Hague, accusing Moscow of acts of "terrorism" and "discrimination" in eastern Ukraine and Crimea.

Kushners To Fund Holocaust Memorial In Belarus

Charles Kushner, the father of President-elect Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, whose family has roots in today’s Belarus, will donate $60,000 to fund the construction of a memorial wall in the Museum of Jewish resistance in the town of Navahradak. (Belarus Service)

Moldovan President In Moscow To Meet Putin, Discuss Transdniester

Russian media are reporting that Moldovan President Igor Dodon has arrived in Moscow to meet President Vladimir Putin for talks, with the breakaway Moldovan region of Transdniester to be on the agenda.

Turkish Nightclub Attack Suspect Uzbek-Born, Trained In Afghanistan

Turkish authorities say they have captured the man they believe gunned down 39 people at an Istanbul nightclub on New Year's Day.

Former Nazarbaev Deputy Chief Of Staff Arrested After Abrupt Dismissal

In the latest in a series of high-level detentions in Kazakhstan, a former deputy chief of President Nursultan Nazarbaev's administration has been arrested.

Mail-Order Kazakh Matchmaker Elicits China Fears

A commercial matchmaker has come under fire in Kazakhstan over efforts to recruit bachelorettes for wealthy Chinese customers willing to plonk down hard cash for a mate.

PODCAST: What's At Stake After Turkmenistan Turns Off The Taps To Iran?

COMMENTARY: Serbia-Kosovo Train Crisis Just Latest Test Of Mettle

MOST READ/RUSSIA: Russia Vulnerable To China’s ‘Box of Wonders’

Political analyst Andrey Piontkovsky told RFE/RL that Russia needs the U.S. to counter China’s expansion, since any Western partnership with China leads to Russia’s marginalization, the subordination of its interests to China, and a loss of control over the Far East and Siberia. (over 42k views on Russian Service website)

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