VISUAL REPORTS
Dozens Hurt After Powerful Earthquake Shakes Central Azerbaijan
Dozens of residents in Azerbaijan's central city of Samaxi and nearby villages are calling for help from medical personnel after an earthquake measuring 6.0 at the epicenter hit the area late on February 5.
The Ironworks Are Gone, But The Show Must Go On
In Krasny Sulin in Russia's Rostov region, an amateur theater company set up by the founder of the town's ironworks is still performing, almost a decade after the plant was shut down and broken up for scrap.
Kyrgyzstan's #MeToo Moment? Moving To Outlaw Sexual Harassment
Female lawmakers in Kyrgyzstan plan to introduce a bill to outlaw sexual harassment.
INFOGRAPHIC: Hello, Vladimir Speaking
From 2013 to 2018, Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone over 700 times to the heads of state of 55 countries. RFE/Rl compiled a number of calls between the top 10 countries.
OTHER NEWS
Moscow Says New Missile Systems Planned To Counter U.S. By 2021
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu says Moscow will push to develop two new land-based missile systems before 2021 in response to Washington's planned exit from the landmark Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty.
Netanyahu, Putin To Meet To Discuss Iran's Presence In Syria
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced he will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow later this month for talks on Iran's presence in Syria. If confirmed, the talks will be Netanyahu's third meeting with Putin since July 2018.
Lavrov Calls Russian Military Base In Tajikistan 'Important Security Factor'
Speaking to journalists in Dushanbe on February 5, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov affirmed the importance of Russia’s 201st Military Base inside Tajikistan, and said Moscow is ready to assist the country in modernizing its armed forces and strengthening its borders, especially with regard to continuing threats from Afghanistan.
NATO, Macedonia Sign 'Historic' Pact, Paving Skopje's Way To Membership
NATO's 29 members have signed an accession agreement with Macedonia, a key step toward Skopje becoming the military alliance's 30th member.
Danish Jehovah's Witness Found Guilty Of Extremism In Russian Court
A Russian court has found Dennis Christensen, a Danish adherent of the Jehovah's Witnesses religion, guilty of "organizing the activity of an extremist organization," sentencing him to six years in prison. Christensen has already spent 622 days in detention.
Judge Suspends Trial Of Russian Director Serebrennikov
A Russian judge has suspended the trial of famed theater director Kirill Serebrennikov and ordered a new investigation into the activity of the film studio from which millions of rubles were allegedly embezzled.
Court Tells Navalny To Retract And Remove Allegations About National Guard
A Moscow court has ruled in favor of the meat-packing plant Druzhba Narodov against opposition politician Aleksei Navalny, and ordered him to publish a retraction of his allegations against the company online. Navalny had published information last year suggesting that the company had received a single-source contract from Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to supply the National Guard, and raised its prices after securing the deal. (in Russian, Current Time TV)
Moscow Activists Defiant After City Bans 'March Of Maternal Anger'
Moscow authorities have banned a "March of Maternal Anger" planned for February 10, but the organizers plan to hold it regardless. The rally was announced on January 31 after news emerged that Anastasia Shevchenko, an activist for the NGO Open Russia, had been refused permission to visit her disabled daughter in hospital until the girl was in a critical state.
Chechen Refugee Vows To Sue Over Report He Was Caught Up In 'Gay Purge'
People who complain about abuse or corruption in Russia's North Caucasus region of Chechnya tend to do so anonymously. The few who are bold enough to speak out publicly against the leadership of Ramzan Kadyrov tend to experience difficult-to-explain changes of heart.
Medvedchuk Supporters Condemn Treason Investigation
The Ukrainian political party Opposition Platform -- For Life has lambasted the prosecutor-general’s criminal case against Viktor Medvedchuk on suspicion of treason as “predictable and legally insignificant slander.” The investigation of Medvedchuk, a leader of Ukraine’s pro-Russian opposition, follows statements he made last week proposing the creation of an “autonomous region of Donbas” (Ukrainian Service)
Kyiv Court Says U.S.-Born Suprun Can No Longer Head Health Ministry
A court in Kyiv has ruled that U.S.- born Acting Health Minister Ulyana Suprun can no longer head the ministry, citing a Ukrainian regulation that says a person can serve in an acting cabinet position for only one month. Suprun, who is officially the deputy health minister, has been serving as acting minister since August 1, 2016.
Ukraine Suspends Exchange Of Legal Information With Russia
Ukraine announced on January 6 that it has suspended a 1995 agreement with Russia on the exchange of legal information in accordance with established international standards of commutation. (Ukrainian Service)
Kosovar President Says Russia Will Support Reconciliation With Serbia
Kosovo President Hashim Thaci told a Washington audience on February 5 that Russia had promised to support efforts by Belgrade and Pristina to reconcile, a positive sign for the two Balkan nations estranged since Kosovo declared independence in 2008.
Romania Seeks To Block Own Candidate From EU Chief Prosecutor's Job
The Romanian justice minister says he will do everything in his power to block the appointment of Laura Koevesi, the lauded former head of Romania's anticorruption agency, as the EU’s new public prosecutor.
Hundreds Of Mothers Protest In Astana After Five Girls Killed In House Fire
Hundreds of mothers have staged a protest in Astana demanding the government provide proper housing, more places for children in public kindergartens, and increased social allowances for families with more than one child. A fire on February 4 took the lives of one family’s five children while both parents were away working overnight shifts.