VIDEO REPORTS
'Why Didn't The West See Crimea Coming?'
In an exclusive interview, part of RFE/RL’s “Russia & Me” video project, former Latvian President Guntis Ulmanis says the West must raise its Russia IQ.
Ukraine Vaccinates Against Polio In Donetsk Region
The government has administered the vaccination to over 100,000 children residing in areas near battle zones. (Ukrainian Service)
Ukraine Seeks Protection With ‘Wall’ On Russian Border
This attempt at low-tech self-defense, observed in the Kharkiv and Chernigiv regions, makes use of a three-meter deep and six-meter wide anti-tank ditch, earth embankments, and a barbed wire metal fence to repel enemy attacks. (Current Time TV)
The Lives Of Kyrgyzstan’s Rich But Not So Famous
Their parents, including Kyrgyzstan’s minister of interior and senior customs officials, avoid publicity, but these children do not hesitate to show off their wealth on social networks. (Kyrgyz Service)
Syrian Children, Now Refugees, Say Everything Was Destroyed
The Bab al-Salam refugee camp is in Syria, just over the Turkish border. Among the 10,000 refugees who live there, many are children who escaped the horrors of Syria's war. (Current Time TV)
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS
Russian Opposition Labels Kadyrov National Security Threat
At a press conference that was repeatedly interrupted by bomb threats, police with bullhorns, and hecklers, liberal opposition politician Ilya Yashin presented a long-awaited report condemning Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov and calling on Russian President Vladimir Putin to dismiss him.
Chechen Leader Scoops Opposition Expose
Hours before opposition leader Ilya Yashin presented a report on Ramzan Kadyrov, the Chechen leader published it himself, calling it “nothing but blabber.”
Ukraine Investigates Attacks On Russian Banks
Authorities say they are investigating multiple attacks on Russian banks that were perpetrated over the weekend by Ukrainian nationalists angered by what they perceive as authorities' failure to address endemic corruption, and the role of the country’s oligarchs in supporting corruption and pro-Russia separatists.
Experts Wonder Who Was Behind Last Weekend’s Protests In Kyiv
Protests in Kyiv last weekend were organized by three different groups that lack any known association among themselves, prompting experts to speculate either that they lack any following, or that they are fronts for Russia’s FSB. (In Ukrainian)
Document Reveals Ukrainian Reactions To Crimea Annexation
The transcript of a meeting of Ukraine’s security council that was held during Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 documents members’ conversations about the demoralization of Ukrainian forces, support for Russia among the population, and threats from Russian President Vladimir Putin. (Current Time TV)
Pussy Riot’s Maria Alyokhina Now
Two years after the infamous “punk prayer” in Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ The Savior, Maria Alyokhina talked to RFE/RL about prison conditions and abuses, the NGO she launched to promote prisoners’ rights, her two years of freedom, and where Pussy Riot is today. (In Russian)
EU Loses Magic For Balkan Countries
Citing the migrant crisis and concerns about Britain leaving the bloc, Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic told reporters at a European Bank for Reconstruction and Development conference that joining the European Union “is no longer the big dream it was in the past."
MOST READ/RUSSIA: ‘I Refused To Be Part Of Their Team’
Self-exiled businessman Maxim Freidzon, who was involved in property disputes in St. Petersburg in the 1990s, said that benefits and opportunities in the business sector were exchanged for loyalty to the KGB team. Their influence, he says, could have been countered with a lustration policy. (Over 70k on RFE/RL’s Russian Service website).