VIDEO REPORTS
A Big Tax Bill Is Keeping This Veteran Russian Pilot Grounded
This retired Russian pilot wants to cruise the skies again, but first he must pay a large tax bill.
'Humanitarian Emergency' After Fighting Escalates In Eastern Ukraine
The OSCE said renewed fighting around the eastern Ukrainian town of Avdiyivka between government troops and Russia-backed separatists has sparked a humanitarian emergency.
Disturbing Tales From A Kyrgyz Morgue
When a Turkish cargo plane crashed in Kyrgyzstan, resulting in 39 deaths, it cast a light on the appalling conditions faced by pathologists at the country's national forensic science center.
Turkmen President Treats Factory Workers To A Song
During a visit to a gas plant in Turkmenistan’s southern Ahal Province, President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov surprised workers with a song entitled Rays of Happiness (Bagt Nury) that he dedicated to the country’s women. (in Russian, Turkmen Service)
OTHER NEWS
Ukrainian Journalist, RFE/RL Contributor, Told To Leave Minsk
Vitaliy Sizov, a journalist with Ukraine’s Hromadske TV Donbas, who was in Belarus to report on the meeting of the Minsk group, was briefly detained on January 31 and ordered to leave the country. Local police explained that Moscow has banned him from entering Russia until 2021, and since Belarus is a Russian ally, the ban also applies to Belarus. (Ukrainian Service)
NATO, U.S. Want Dialogue With Russia 'From Position Of Strength'
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says the alliance and the new U.S. administration agree on the need for dialogue with Russia "from a position of strength."
More Casualties Reported As Fighting Flares in Eastern Ukraine
Ukraine says one of its soldiers has been killed in the country's east, where fighting between government forces and Russia-backed separatists has flared over the past four days.
Navalny Retrial Resumes In Kirov
The retrial of Aleksei Navalny, a prominent Russian anticorruption campaigner and foe of President Vladimir Putin, resumed on February 1 in the city of Kirov.
Moscow Spy Scandal Snowballs: What We Know
The murky investigation of Russian intelligence officers reportedly facing treason charges has taken a fresh turn, with the Interfax news agency quoting unnamed sources as saying that two suspects are accused of collaborating with the CIA.
The New Face Of Chechen Militancy
Despite the significant number of Russian troops stationed there,Chechnya is contending with a new wave of violence as militants target local police, or “Kadyrovtsy,” loyal to Ramzan Kadyrov. (in Russian, North Caucasus Service)
Analyzing Avdiyivka
Commenting on resurgent fighting in eastern Ukraine, military expert Yuri Butusov portrayed it as the latest episode in a three-year effort by Russian President Vladimir Putin “to test” reactions to his deployment of force on Russia’s borders. Journalist Arkady Babchenko agreed, dismissing any purported connection between the renewed fighting and the recent Putin - Trump telephone call. (Russian Service)
Russia Debates The Hijab
A proposal by Russia’s Education Minister to reinforce secularism in education by banning hijabs in schools has drawn criticism from Chechen Duma member Samail Sarailiev, who told RFE/RL that the overwhelming majority of people in Russia are religious, and the policy should take into account their interests. Deputy Oleg Smolin said secular education was originally understood in Russia to mean the absence of religious rites in state schools, but the law is silent on the "secular character of a school uniform.” (Russian Service)
Four Alleged Extremists Killed In Azerbaijan
Security forces in Azerbaijan have killed four alleged extremists suspected of plotting terror attacks, the Caspian Sea country’s State Security Service says.
Kosovo, Serbia Leaders To Hold Talks As Tensions Persist
The presidents and prime ministers of Serbia and Kosovo are due to meet on February 1 for a new round of talks aimed at improving their relations, which are still strained nearly two decades after a deadly conflict.
Czech Top Diplomat Believes Foreign State Behind E-Mail Hack
Hackers breached dozens of e-mail accounts at the Foreign Ministry of the Czech Republic in an attack that resembled the 2016 hacking of the U.S. Democratic Party during the U.S. presidential campaign.
POLL: Great Majority Of Russians Resigned To Economic Crisis
A recent poll by the Levada Center found that nearly 80 percent of respondents believe the country’s economy is in crisis; almost half of these believe the crisis will continue for a year or more. Seventeen percent of respondents do not detect an economic crisis in Russia. (Russian Service)
THE POWER VERTICAL: Tinker Tailor Hacker Spook
ANALYSIS: Azerbaijani Political Movement Said To Have Been Suborned By Iran
ANALYSIS: Nursultan Nazarbaev -- Now You See Him, Now You Don't