VISUAL REPORTS
THE POWER VERTICAL: The Human Cost Of Putin’s War
Launched three years ago this week, the war in Ukraine has cost 10,000 lives, 23,000 wounded, and 1.8 million persons displaced.
A Train Car Named Disaster
Ukrainian soldiers have sparked outrage by posting video of the appalling conditions they face on military trains, sometimes traveling for days without adequate heating, sanitation, or beds.
Lost Kazakh Chopper Pilots Make Unlikely Landing
The pilots of a military helicopter in Kazakhstan landed in the middle of a highway -- to ask for directions.
'Be Strict': Tajik President Lectures Son On Leadership
In a father-son lecture before hundreds of officials, Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon gave his son, the new 29-year-old mayor of Tajikistan's capital city Dushanbe, some advice.
OTHER NEWS
RFE/RL Contributor In Turkmenistan Released
Turkmen journalist and RFE/RL contributor Khudayberdy Allashov and his mother, Kurbantach Arazmedova, have been released from custody after spending 2 1/2 months in detention.
Kremlin Cautious On New U.S. National Security Adviser
The state news agency RIA quoted Frants Klintsevich, a member of the Defense and Security Committee in Russia's upper house of parliament, as saying that Army Lieutenant General H.R. McMaster was a "100 percent hawk" who represents a threat to Russia.
Russian Defense Chief Says New Weapons Tested In Syria Campaign
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has expressed satisfaction with Moscow's military campaign in Syria and says it has been a good test of new weapons and special-forces units.
Russia Establishes ‘Information Operation Troops’
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told Duma members on Wednesday that the military has set up a division dedicated to information operations, declaring that "propaganda must be smart, competent and efficient,” and must surpass earlier, Soviet-era “counter-propaganda” efforts. (in Russian, Current Time TV)
Russian Activist Kara-Murza Seeks Criminal Probe Into Alleged Poisoning
A lawyer for Russian opposition political activist Vladimir Kara-Murza Jr. has filed a request to prosecutors asking them to open a criminal case on suspicion of attempted murder.
Russian High Court Vacates Dadin Conviction
The Presidium of Russia's Supreme Court has set aside the conviction of political activist Ildar Dadin on charges of participating in multiple unsanctioned protests and has ordered his release from custody.
Parliament Of Ingushetia Approves Ban On Commemorating Stalin
On the anniversary of the day marking the deportation of the Ingush and Chechen people to Kazakhstan in 1944, the parliament of the North Caucasus Republic of Ingushetia has approved a law prohibiting the commemoration of former Soviet leader Josef Stalin. (in Russian, Current Time TV)
Russia Detains 11 Crimean Tatars
Russian authorities in Ukraine’s Crimea region have sentenced 11 Crimean Tatars to administrative arrest after convicting them of holding an illegal public gathering.
Putin Backs Push To Raze Ramshackle Soviet-Era Housing
For millions of Soviet citizens in the decades after World War II, they were home: the prefabricated apartment buildings known as khrushchyovki, named after Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev.
Akhmetov Companies Incur Losses As Donbas Trade Blockade Continues
The massive Krasnodonvugillya mining company and Yenakiyeve Iron and Steel Works, both owned by Ukrainian oligarch Rinat Akhmetov and located on Ukraine’s separatist-controlled territories, have halted production, generating losses of as much as $30 million a month, experts say. The stoppage is the result of prolonged military conflict in the region and a controversial blockade on rail traffic. (Ukrainian Service)
EU Envoys Approve Visa Liberalization For Georgia
European Union ambassadors have agreed to endorse visa liberalization for Georgia, a key step toward visa-free travel for Georgians to the Schengen zone.
Prominent Uzbek Journalist Bekjon Released From Prison
Prominent journalist and political prisoner Muhammad Bekjon, who was editor in chief of the opposition Erk (Freedom) newspaper, has been released after spending almost 18 years in prison.
Turkmen Court Sentences Dozens For Alleged Ties To Fethullah Gulen
A Turkmen court sentenced more than 30 people, mostly teachers and businessmen, to long prison terms, charging them with having connections to exiled Turkish opposition figure Fethullah Gulen. (Turkmen Service)
INFOGRAPHIC: Europe’s Economic Momentum