VIDEO REPORTS
The Daily Vertical: What Kind Of Peace for Ukraine?
Expectations for the Kerry-Lavrov talks today in Zurich are high.
Watch How Ukrainians Celebrated The Epiphany
Some adherents in Chongar, Zaporizhya, Sumy, Karlyvka, Starobilsk, Heorhiivka, Dnepropetrovsk and Kyiv take the frigid plunge in novel ways. (Ukrainian Service)
A new train line linking Odesa and China, bypassing Russia, took its maiden voyage yesterday. (Current Time TV)
New Life For An Ancient Sport In Kyrgyzstan: Ski Archery
An event in Bishkek on January 19, combining bows, arrows, and skis, revisited a tradition of Kyrgyz nomads, who are believed to have hunted on horseback and skis.
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS
Amal Clooney Offers To Take Jailed Azerbaijani Journalist's Case
Human rights lawyer Amal Clooney has offered to defend Khadija Ismayilova, who is serving a 7.5 year prison term in Azerbaijan, before the European Court of Human Rights.
Vowing Not To ‘Spare The Enemy,’ Kadyrov Ramps Up Vilification Campaign
RFE/RL translates Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov’s latest screed, published on January 19 in Izvestia, against the “vile liberals,” “murderers,” “haters,” “jackals,” and “traitors” threatening Russia.
Writer Ulitskaya On Kadyrov: He Says What Government Won’t Say
In a long commentary on Kadyrov’s offensive against government opponents in Russia, Ludmila Ulitskaya told RFE/RL there is “a thin line” separating the present moment, “when repressions are sporadic,” from the time “when they will be massive.” (In Russian)
Separatist Commander Ordered Executions According To Stalinist Laws
Speaking on a radio talk show, Igor Girkin, otherwise known as Igor Strelkov, described ordering executions and installing a military court and laws based on those implemented by Stalin in 1941 to stop rampant looting during his command over the eastern Ukrainian city of Slovyansk in 2014.
Advisor Says Saakashvili Not Eyeing Prime Minister Post
Sasha Borovik, an advisor to Mikheil Saakashvili, dismissed suggestions that the Odesa mayor’s anti-corruption movement is a de facto political party and described the mayor’s goal as limited to reforming the country and the political elite. (In Ukrainian)
Ukraine Survives Heating Season, Part One
The country has been helped by warm weather and some energy optimization initiatives, but experts debate whether reserves are sufficient to last until spring. (In Ukrainian)
Crude Reckoning: The Far-Reaching Effects Of Cheap Oil
From Russia, to the anti-ISIS campaign, to the BRICS, and Al Jazeera America in between, plummeting oil prices are challenging economies, politics, and security and defense capacities across the globe.
Majority Of Russians Shun Foreign Travel
A Levada Center poll finds that 70 percent of respondents believe that Russians should curtail foreign travel for security reasons. (Current Time TV)
INFOGRAPHIC: Two Top Diplomats, One Globe-Trotting Year
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov visited 50 countries in 2015.