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Ukraine (RFE/RL Ukrainian Service)

VIDEO REPORTS

Daily Vertical: Don’t Mention The Baltic War!

The chairman of the Russian Duma’s international affairs committee said a BBC report on NATO’s likely response to a war in the Baltics was an “information crime.”

Pussy Riot Take Aim At Russian Prosecutor Chaika

Having made a scene at the altar and crashed the Sochi Olympics, the Russian punk rock collective has now turned its attention to Prosecutor-General Yury Chaika with an elaborate production of political satire.

Activist Urges EU To Keep Pressure On Belarus

Speaking in Brussels on February 3, Belarus human rights activist Ales Byalyatski told EU leaders that President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has no foreign policy independent of Russia and no capacity to support democracy.

License Plates Chopped For Top Kyrgyz Officials

Kyrgyzstan’s parliament has revoked special license plates for top officials because of drivers abusing their privileges and violating traffic rules. Only the president gets a special plate.

Tajikistan Demands Genetic Tests For Couples Planning To Wed

To reduce future cases of congenital disabilities among children, a new law requires that couples submit to a genetic test to prove that bride and groom are not related.

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

Iran Calls For Energy Cooperation with Russia, Iraq
Ali Akbar Velayati, a top adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said during a visit to Moscow on February 3, "In the energy sector, Iran and Russia should feel no rivalry and must cooperate with each other."

Chechnya Under Kadyrov: 20 Things You Didn’t Know

The Interpreter’s Paul Goble provides a checklist of the most important trends in Chechnya under the leadership of Ramzan Kadyrov.

Azerbaijan Says Soldier Killed In Clash Along Armenian Border

Armenia has rejected a statement by Azerbaijan that one of its soldiers has been killed as a result of a clash with an Armenian "sabotage" group.

Savchenko’s Last Questioning

RFE/RL reviewed Ukrainian pilot Nadia Savchenko’s testimony to date as she faced questioning for the second and final time in a Russian court on February 3 about the events of June 17, 2014, when her plane went down. A new stage of the trial commences today. (In Russian)

OSCE’s Strange Watchtower

Ukrainian war journalist Andriy Tsaplienko related concerns to RFE/RL about a video camera installed by OSCE monitors near Mariupol that reportedly provides a broad view of Ukrainian positions, but only a limited view of separatist ones. (In Russian)

Russia's Constitutional Court To Review Denial To Women Of Trial By Jury

Currently, a trial by jury is mandated only in cases involving a sentence of life in prison or death. Russia prohibits conferring such sentences on women, thus denying them of the right to a jury trial even when charged with the same crimes as men. (In Russian)

Russia's Ruling Party Grooms Its Candidates

United Russia has assembled a collection of videos to instruct party candidates on how to talk to voters about such topics as President Vladimir Putin's long reign, the troubled economy, and corruption.

MOST READ/RUSSIA: Putin Gives Erdogan No Choice

Russian political and military analyst Yuri Fedorov discussed Russia’s violation of Turkish airspace on January 29 with RFE/RL’s Russian Service, insisting that it was “pure provocation,” not an accident. (60k on RFE/RL’s Russian Service website).

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