VISUAL REPORTS
From Pauper To Bitcoin Prince
Yury Dromashko got into bitcoin mining when he was going through tough times a few years ago. Now he runs one of the largest cryptocurrency-producing operations in Russia.
VOX POP: Why Doesn’t Vladimir Putin Have An Election Program?
Respondents to an informal poll in Moscow said Putin embodies his election program and is confident so doesn’t need to publish one. Several said we know everything already. One answered, “because he is a dictator - he is the program,” and one said he should have a program and if his team hasn’t developed one it is a mistake. (Russian Service)
Vladimir Pozner And Alexei Venediktov Talk Elections On Current Time TV
Russian journalist Vladimir Pozner and Ekho Moskvy Editor Alexei Venediktov discuss the Russian presidential candidates and their foreign policy positions on Current Time TV. (Current Time TV)
OTHER NEWS
Kremlin Defends 'Devastating' Syria Bombing Amid Outcry
Russia is defending a massive assault on a Damascus suburb by Syrian and Russian warplanes that an independent monitor says killed at least 250 civilians in two days.
Reporter's Notebook: On The Trail Of A Missing Russian Mercenary
Two RFE/RL reporters traveled to Nizhny Novgorod Oblast to find the mother of 26-year-old Aleksei Shikhov, who was believed killed on February 7 along with an untold number of other Russian mercenaries fighting in Syria.
Poroshenko Signs Law Deeming Russia An 'Aggressor'
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said in a February 20 tweet that he has signed into law a bill to help restore control of the country’s eastern regions, and that the law does not violate Ukraine's international obligations, including the Minsk accord.
Poroshenko To Provide Video Testimony In Yanukovych Treason Trial
A court in Kyiv has ruled that President Petro Poroshenko will testify via video-link at the trial of his ousted predecessor Viktor Yanukovych's trial on February 21, following a request by prosecutors that he be questioned in the courtroom.
Russian Claims U.S. Planning To Meddle in March Elections
The Russian news outlet Izvestia has written that Andrei Manoilo, a member of the academic board of the Russian Security Council, asserted in a recent report that Washington views March 18 as a "historic opportunity" and is trying to interfere in the Russian election.
Federal Channels Reportedly Blocking Coverage Of Sobchak Campaign
A report by the Russian election monitoring group Golos claims that state-run media have blocked coverage of presidential candidate Ksenia Sobchak following her filing of a lawsuit on February 14 demanding the invalidation of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s candidacy in next month’s elections. Golos calculates that media mentions of Sobchak have decreased by more than twofold, making her the least mentioned candidate on national channels. (Russian Service)
Banned Russian Athletes File Libel Lawsuit Against Doping Whistle-Blower
Three Russian athletes are suing Grigory Rodchenkov, the former Moscow anti-doping laboratory director, saying he lied and destroyed their careers.
EU Parliament Urged To Adopt Magnitsky Act
Lawyers and activists from ex-Soviet republics on February 20 urged the European Union to adopt legislation mirroring a U.S. law aimed at punishing officials for corruption and rights abuses anywhere in the world.
EU Urges Belarus To Undertake 'Serious' Electoral Reform
The European Union has called on Minsk to immediately work on a "serious and comprehensive" reform of the election law and procedures following local elections held in Belarus on February 16.
Deaths From Measles Quadrupled In Europe Last Year
Measles deaths in Europe quadrupled to 35 last year, as the total number of cases in 2017 increased to 21,315 from 5,273 cases the year before, the World Health Organization reported on February 19. Ukraine, with 4,767 cases, was among the list of those countries most affected, together with Romania and Italy.
FURTHER AFIELD: Why Does Iran Fear The Dervishes?