VISUAL REPORTS
PHOTOGALLERY: Boris Nemtsov: A Life And Death In Pictures
Boris Nemtsov was shot dead on the night of February 27, 2015 on a bridge near the Kremlin. Nemtsov, 55, was a liberal politician who became a symbol of Russia’s struggle for democracy. While his alleged killer and four accomplices are in prison, his friends and family fear those who ordered the assassination may never be caught.
Not All Crimeans Supported The Annexation
Five years ago, some Crimeans objecting to the annexation told RFE/RL, “I don’t want to live in Russia, where I am told how to live, where the flag of my country is not allowed....” One said, “We all speak Russian, there’s no need to defend the language, but we’re against the Russian intervention in Crimea.” Another said, “I’m going to speak Tatar now.” (Crimea Realities)
The Changing Story Of Russia’s ‘Little Green Men’ Invasion
When soldiers without insignia on their green uniforms seized control of Crimea in 2014, top Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, repeatedly denied that they were Russian. Until a year later, when Putin started boasting that, actually, they were.
INFOGRAPHIC: Women Behind Bars
Greenland has the highest ratio of female prisoners in Europe. On the other hand, the proportion of female inmates serving time in Balkan countries tends to be less than 4 percent.
OTHER NEWS
In Moscow Treason Trial, A Major Scandal For Russian Security Agency
At issue is Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) cybersecurity unit, called the Center for Information Security, which has had working partnerships with the FBI and other Western agencies to crack down on spammers, child pornography, cyberextortion, and other issues. On February 26, a Moscow military court formally sentenced its deputy director to 22 years in prison, having convicted him of state treason for passing classified information to Western intelligence agencies.
Moscow Court Denies Calvey Appeal
A Russian court has ruled that American investment-fund manager Michael Calvey should remain in pretrial custody, rejecting his appeal to be released on bail or moved to house arrest.
Investigation Charts Massive Haul For Companies Linked To 'Putin's Chef'
Companies that can be tied to oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin have won at least 5,393 Russian government contracts since 2011 worth more than 209 billion rubles ($3.2 billion), according to an investigation by Current Time and the Municipal Scanner anticorruption website. But the actual number of contracts could be much larger, in part because of Prigozhin’s opaque ownership network, and as the result of a decision issued by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in 2017 allowing the Voentorg military-supply agency and its subsidiaries to conceal information about its tenders on national-security grounds.
Kiselyov Nephew Gets German Prison Sentence For Fighting In Eastern Ukraine
A nephew of Dmitry Kiselyov, Russia’s chief propagandist and state media boss, has been sentenced to over two years in prison in Germany on a charge of planning to take part in military activities alongside Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. Investigators say 48-year-old Sergej Kisseljow, a German citizen, went through military training in the Russian city of St. Petersburg in August 2014. (in Russian, Current Time TV)
'Crimea Must Be Returned To Ukraine,' U.S. Tells Russia
The United States has reaffirmed that it will maintain sanctions on Russia until it returns control of Crimea to Ukraine, nearly five years after Moscow annexed the peninsula.
Russian Woman Sentenced To 10 Years In 'Krasnodar Cannibals' Case
A court in Russia's southern region of Krasnodar has sentenced a woman to 10 years in prison in connection with a murder case known as the "Krasnodar cannibals."
Ukraine's Constitutional Court Annuls Legislation On Illegal Enrichment
Ukraine's Constitutional Court has annulled legislation aimed at fighting against illegal enrichment among officials, in a move that was denounced by a Ukrainian law enforcement agency fighting against corruption as a "step back."
Ukraine Pulls Out Of Eurovision After Local Winner Rejects Conditions
Ukraine has announced it will not participate in the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest, after its selected contender Anna Korsun, known as Maruv, refused to sign a contract stipulating that she would not perform in Russia for at least three months after the competition and would not make "statements that may call into question the issue of the territorial integrity and security of Ukraine."
U.S. Expresses Concerns While Welcoming 'Generally' Fair Moldova Vote
In a congratulatory statement to the people of Moldova, the United States says it welcomes the assessment of international monitors that the February 24 parliamentary elections were “competitive and generally” fair, but shares concerns about a variety of alleged violations.
In Continuing Purge, Uzbekistan Arrests Another Top Justice Official
In the latest among a dozen arrests of senior Uzbek security officials, top Justice Ministry official Yusuf Khodjaev was reportedly taken into custody on February 22 in a case related to former State Security Service Chairman Ikhtiyor Abdullayev, who was arrested for alleged abuses of power and corruption earlier this month. (in Russian, Uzbek Service)
Tajikistan Urged To Lift Ban On Opposition Group 24
Several former members of the Tajik opposition movement Group 24 have called on the country's Supreme Court to remove it from the list of banned extremist parties, saying "the group no longer poses a threat" to the government. But the leader of the group has suggested the appeal was made under pressure.
ELSEWHERE: Diplomatic Dead Man Walking? Iranians Parse Zarif Reneg
PRESSROOM: Kazakhstan Detains Two RFE/RL Journalists