VIDEO REPORTS
The Most Talked About Man In Russia
In January, Russian media mentioned Donald Trump more often than Vladimir Putin, according to the Interfax news agency. What are Russian news outlets saying about the new U.S. president?
Romanians Continue Protests, Demand Government Resign
Protests outside government buildings in Bucharest entered a seventh consecutive night, with demonstrators calling for the government to resign.
Smog Suffocates Bosnia
Beijing? No, this is Bosnia, one of the most polluted countries in Europe.
OTHER NEWS
Wife Says Kremlin Critic Diagnosed With 'Acute Poisoning'
The wife of well-known Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza, Jr., who fell critically ill last week in Moscow for the second time in two years, said doctors have diagnosed him with "acute poisoning by an undetermined substance."
Merkel Urges Putin To Help End Violence In Eastern Ukraine
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to use his influence on separatists in eastern Ukraine to stop the violence there.
Authorities Try To Thwart An Azerbaijani Investigative Reporter
Khadija Ismayilova, an Azerbaijani investigative reporter, has been harassed, stalked, banned from traveling, and imprisoned by the government, but what she says happened to her on February 6 as she spoke to a European Parliament panel by video conference may have charted new territory.
Aliyev Cancels Brussels Meeting With EU Parliament President
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has canceled a meeting with the European Parliament president in Brussels, where he held talks with EU officials on a new partnership agreement between Baku and the European Union.
Russian Activist Galperin Detained In Moscow
Russian civil-rights activist Mark Galperin has been detained in Moscow.
Astrakhan Man Fined For Not Reporting Terrorism-Linked Crime
A court in Russia's southwestern region of Astrakhan has, for the first time, fined a man for not reporting crimes linked to terrorism, as required under a new law.
Russia Doubles Orders For Inflatable Tanks
A spokesperson for RusBana, a company that produces inflatable military hardware, says Russia’s defense ministry nearly doubled orders in 2016 for simulated Mig-31 aircraft fighters, T-80 tanks, and C-300 missiles and anti-aircraft systems. (in Russian, Current Time TV)
Fox News' O'Reilly Refuses To Apologize For Calling Putin 'A Killer'
Fox News television presenter Bill O'Reilly has refused to say he was sorry after the Kremlin demanded an apology for describing Russian President Vladimir Putin as "a killer."
Many Russian Track Coaches Can’t Work Without Doping
Russia's deputy prime minister in charge of sport has admitted that many Russian coaches have been responsible for track-and-field athletes using performance-enhancing drugs.
Report Says Russian Internet In A State Of War
A report on internet freedom in Russia issued by the rights group Agora finds that 116,000 cases of alleged restrictions were registered last year, an eight-fold increase over 2015. Instances of administrative pressure rose by a factor of 10 to 53,000, and instances of restricted internet access rose by a factor of 20, totaling 35,000. The rate of court injunctions increased by three times over 2015. (Russian Service)
Electricity Shortages Leave Crimea In The Cold
Residents of the Crimean cities Kerch, Yalta and Sudak are complaining about frequent power outages resulting from the extreme cold, and the insufficiency of Russia’s energy bridge across the Kerch strait to address the peninsula’s consumption needs. (Krym Realii website)
Belarus High Court Upholds Blogger’s Extradition To Azerbaijan
Russian-Israeli blogger Aleksandr Lapshin has exhausted his last legal recourse in Belarus to avoid extradition to Baku.
Moldovan President In Brussels For Talks With EU, NATO
Moldova's President Igor Dodon is due to hold talks with EU and NATO leaders in Brussels on February 7.
No Freedom For Uzbek Rights Defender Despite Prison Amnesty
Imprisoned Uzbek rights activist and journalist Dilmurod Saidov is being kept behind bars despite a recent amnesty in the Central Asian country.
SCHEMES: The Enduring Corruption Of Ukraine's Former Ecology Minister
RFE/RL’s investigative program Schemes has found that former ecology minister Mykhailo Zlochevsky grew immensely rich during the government of former President Viktor Yanukovych, when his consortium, the Burisma Group, became one of the country’s largest gas producers. Three years after he fled Ukraine, following the Euromaidan protests, the consortium continues to operate, criminal investigations against him have been dropped, and companies associated with President Petro Poroshenko and his closest aides continue to purchase Burisma Group gas. (Ukrainian Service)
MOST READ/RUSSIA: Putin ‘Chef’ Offers Broad Menu
Yevgeny Prigozhin, a former convict known as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s favorite ‘chef,’ made his fortune by winning state tenders to control over 90 percent of the supply of food to the Russian army and Moscow schools, in return for which he set up a “troll factory” in St. Petersburg to spread disinformation on the Internet, orchestrate cyber attacks against critical websites, and infiltrate opposition organizations to leak fake “kompromat” on their members to the media. The independent RBK media outlet reports that Prigozhin is also associated with the Wagner group, a private Russian militia that has operated in Syria. (over 30k views on Russian Service website)
INFOGRAPHIC: Russia In The World