Accessibility links

Breaking News

SvobodaToday


Belarus -- The Sanctions Curtain Is Lifted (RFE/RL Belarus Service)
Belarus -- The Sanctions Curtain Is Lifted (RFE/RL Belarus Service)

VIDEO REPORTS

‘Putin’s Plan Was To Leave A Wound’

In this exclusive video, part of RFE/RL’s “Russia & Me” interview series with 12 post-Soviet leaders, former Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko says his country hasn’t had a day of peace in 350 years.

Kyiv Prepares To Commemorate Maidan Victims

The government has pledged to lift restrictions around the city center’s government buildings during the events to mark the deaths of Ukraine’s “Heavenly Hundred,” the name given to demonstrators who died in violent clashes with police in Kyiv on February 20, 2014. (Ukrainian Service)

VoxPop: How Would You React To Putin’s Resignation?

In an informal street poll in Moscow one day after the government of Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk survived a no-confidence vote, respondents overwhelmingly said they see no alternative to Russian President Vladimir Putin. (Russian Service)

Murder Of Boy Sparks Racial Tensions In Kazakhstan

Riot police faced off with demonstrators demanding justice after the killing of a 5-year-old boy in the southern Kazakh village of Buryl. The suspect is a Meskhetian Turk, an ethnic minority that comprises about a third of the village’s population.

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

Petro Poroshenko’s House of Cards

In this commentary, prominent journalist and Ukrainian Member of Parliament Serhiy Leshchenko describes the maneuvering behind Tuesday’s no-confidence vote.

Russian Germans: Between Propaganda And Populism

Germany’s Russian community, which is a political factor in Europe and Russia’s relations with the EU, is strongly influenced by propaganda produced by the country’s right-wing populist parties and the Kremlin. (In Russian)

Vimpelcom Negotiating With U.S. Over Corruption Allegations In Uzbekistan

The Dutch-headquartered telecom that runs one of the largest mobile communications providers in Russia said in a corporate filing on February 17 that it would acknowledge Dutch laws and “certain violations of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act" related to its investments in Uzbekistan, and pay fines and financial penalties.

Tymoshenko Denies Aspirations To Lead Government

In remarks accompanying her party’s withdrawal from Ukraine’s governing coalition, Yulia Tymoshenko said a transitional government should be formed that is composed of technocrats, free of party quotas, and led by someone outside politics. (In Ukrainian)

Witness in Sentsov Trial Moved To Punishment Cell

Hennadiy Afanasyev, who testified in a Russian court against Ukrainian filmmaker Oleh Sentsov but later recanted his testimony claiming it was coerced, has been transferred to a punishment cell and is being denied medical care despite worsening health.

Russia Bans Book By Jan Nowak-Jezioranski

The Polish embassy in Moscow has protested a Russian decision to ban a book by Polish journalist and World War II resistance fighter Jan Nowak-Jezioranski, on grounds that it contains “extremist content.” (In Russian)

One Step Away From A Major War

In a roundtable discussion about the likelihood of nuclear conflict between Russia and the West, prominent military analyst Pavel Felgenhauer said that current tensions could lead to a war between Russia and Turkey. Commentator Jefim Fistein said that Putin’s “improvised” politics could result in conflict among Russia, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Alexander Melman, a commentator for the newspaper Moskovsky Komsomolets, called Putin’s politics a bluff, but believes the consequences are irreversible. (In Russian)

Why Everything Went Wrong In Russia

Journalist and writer Sergey Loyko says that Russian society has not learned to appreciate democracy because Russia paid “an insanely low price” for freedom in 1991. (In Russian)

Longread: One Year After Debaltseve

In this extended, multi-media report by front-line correspondent Levko Stek, Ukrainian soldiers who fought in Debaltseve talk about the February 18, 2015 withdrawal from what they called “the cauldron.” (In Ukrainian)

About Svoboda Today

Svoboda Today is a quick guide to developments in Russia, Ukraine, and the region, delivered from our bureaus direct to your inbox.

Click here to subscribe to the Svoboda Today newsletter.

XS
SM
MD
LG