VISUAL REPORTS
High-Ranking Kherson Official Suspected In Ukrainian Activist's Death
Prosecutor-General Yuriy Lutsenko has notified Vladyslav Manher, the head of Ukraine’s Kherson regional parliament, that he is suspected of organizing the killing of anticorruption activist Kateryna Handzyuk last year. According to a document posted by Lutsenko, Manher felt "personal enmity" toward Handzyuk because of her efforts to reveal "illegal deforestation" in the region. Handzyuk, 33, died in November, three months after suffering severe injuries from an acid attack.
Nine Russian Protesters Detained During 'Marches Of Maternal Anger'
Protesters took to the streets in as many as 10 Russian cities on February 10 in solidarity with Anastasia Shevchenko, an activist who had been refused permission to visit her sick daughter in the hospital until the girl was in a critical state. At least nine participants were detained.
Belgrade Witnesses 10th Protest Saturday
Serbian opposition supporters marched in Belgrade for a 10th Saturday in a row on February 9.
U.S. Embassy In Beijing Following Case Of Wanted Ethnic Kazakh
The U.S. Embassy in Beijing says it is following the case of a Chinese citizen of Kazakh ethnicity who has asked the international community for help to prevent his forcible return to China from Uzbekistan.
OTHER NEWS
Pompeo Begins Central Europe Trip With Focus On Russia, China
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has begun a five-nation European tour that administration officials say will focus on opposition to the growing influence of Russia and China in Central Europe.
Russia Has Deployed More Medium-Range Missiles Than Previously Thought
The German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung (FAZ) reported on February 10 that Russia has deployed its controversial 9M729 cruise missile in Mozdok in North Ossetia and in Shuya, close to Moscow. That’s in addition to battalions stationed in Kapustin Yar in southern Russia and in Kamyshlov, east of Yekaterinburg, the paper said.
Bulgaria Set To Probe Report Of Third Skripal Suspect
Bulgarian officials say they will investigate reports that a third suspect in the 2018 nerve-agent attack on a former Russian spy in Britain may have also been involved in a 2015 poisoning in Bulgaria.
Crimea Is Ours: Google Maps Peninsula
When Crimea is accessed on Google Maps in Russia, the peninsula is shown as belonging to Russia -- at least most of the time. The tech giant has told the Russian state information agency TASS that some users in Russia may see Crimea marked as foreign territory, but that the company's branch in Russia endeavors to follow Russian law.
Parasite Puzzle: Answers Sought As Tapeworms Strike Russian Cadets
Did some 25 cadets at a Defense Ministry military academy in the Volga River city of Ulyanovsk become infected with dog tapeworm from petting a stray dog? Parents and academy staff are calling for an investigation after an unprecedented outbreak was discovered last month.
Amnesty: Ukraine 'Slow To React' To Attacks Against Journalists
The year 2018 saw a sharp increase in “violent attacks” against individuals and groups “often in the name of patriotism and ‘traditional values,’” the human rights watchdog said on February 8. Amnesty said the attacks targeted journalists, human rights activists, members of ethnic minorities, and “those whose political views the attackers regarded as ‘pro-Russian.’"
Three European Countries Pledge Financial Support To Donbas
The governments of Denmark, Switzerland and Sweden have announced they will allocate a total of $14 million by 2022 under the United Nations Development Programme to help solve key problems in Ukraine-controlled areas in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, including strengthening access to justice, public safety, and environmental protections. (in Russian, Current Time TV)
Armenia Sends Deminers To Syria As Part Of Russia-Backed Mission
The Armenian Defense Ministry says Yerevan has sent a team of demining experts and other personnel to Aleppo, Syria as part of a Russia-backed mission. The ministry stressed that the personnel will not be involved in fighting.
German Tech Firm's Turkmen Ties Trigger Surveillance Concerns
Human Rights Watch is reporting that a high-level visit one year ago by an executive from German electronics firm Rohde & Schwarz may be related to efforts by Turkmen authorities to obtain "technology for monitoring and blocking mobile and satellite communications, which would also enable the government to block Internet access." Rohde & Schwarz, a major global player in surveillance technology, has declined to disclose details about its dealings with the Turkmen government.
Turkmen Students Forced To Clean Roads For President’s Visit
School directors in Ashgabat received an early morning call from education officials on February 2 to gather hundreds of students on a Saturday in a compulsory cleaning campaign to make the Turkmen capital's roads pristine in time for President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov's weekend visit.
POLL: Most Russians Believe The Government Is Lying
A Levada Center poll published on February 11 finds that 52% of respondents believe the country’s leaders are lying about domestic affairs. Levada head Lev Gudkov attributed the poll’s results to general discontent among the populace, including with regard to pension reform and an increase in the excise tax. (Russian Service)
MAJLIS PODCAST: What Was Lavrov Looking For In Central Asia?
PRESSROOM: RFE/RL Deplores Attempt To Silence Russian Journalist
PRESSROOM: RFE/RL’s Balkan Service Marks 25 Years Of Speaking With One Voice