VISUAL REPORTS
Uzbek Antislavery Activist Held In Mental Institution
Elena Urlaeva, who has spent years fighting against forced labor and child labor in Uzbekistan's cotton industry, was arrested on March 1 and sent to a psychiatric facility.
Belarusian Police Detain More Opposition Leaders, Journalists Amid Latest Tax Protests
The March 12 arrests occurred in the eastern city of Vorsha, during a rally that featured several hundred people chanting antigovernment and anti-tax slogans. An RFE/RL journalist was among those detained.
'You Often Strangled Me' -- Domestic Violence In Russia
Russia recently decriminalized some types of domestic violence, amid protests that the government is trivializing a serious social problem.
OTHER NEWS
Kremlin Spokesman Says Russia Impatient With Trump Administration
The Kremlin's main spokesman has said Moscow is frustrated with President Donald Trump's administration and a lack of progress in improving relations.
EU To Extend Sanctions Over Crimea Annexation
The European Union is expected to extend sanctions against dozens of individuals and entities over Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula.
Russia To Include South Ossetia Troops In Russian Army
The Russian government announced on March 13 that it has approved a draft agreement with Georgia’s separatist region of South Ossetia to include military units from the region among Russia’s armed forces. (in Russian, Current Time TV)
Separatist Weapons Contradict Russian Testimony at The Hague
Despite official Russian testimony at The Hague that militants in Ukraine’s Donbas region are fighting with Soviet-era weapons that were stockpiled in the district’s coal mines, RFE/RL’s Donbas Realities website has documented the recent-issue weapons separatists have actually used, including T72B3 tanks, light-armored BMP97 vehicles, Aistenok radars, Forpost drones, and the Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft artillery weapon system. Many of these have also been used by Russia in Syria. (Ukrainian Service)
Russian Orthodoxy Opens Church To St. Patrick, Other Western Saints
The Russian Orthodox Church will mark St. Patrick's Day and more than a dozen other days commemorating saints who lived in the west before the Great Schism that divided Christianity into east and west in 1054.
'Pokemon Go' Blogger Goes On Trial
A Russian blogger charged with hooliganism and inciting religious hatred for allegedly playing Pokemon Go in a Russian Orthodox church went on trial in the city of Yekaterinburg on March 13.
E-Mail Hack Gives Glimpse Into Russia's Influence Drive In Eastern Europe
Belarusian Alyaksandr Usovsky describes himself as a historian and publicist. His works include titles such as Who Set Hitler Against The U.S.S.R?, Churchill's Cannon Fodder, and God Save Stalin! Tsar Of The U.S.S.R. Josef The Great.
State Media Says Russians Not Leaving ‘The Motherland’ Anymore
Sergey Lagodinsky, a sociologist with Germany’s Heinrich Boll Foundation in Berlin, debunked a recent Kremlin-led report claiming that thousands of Russian nationals have left EU countries and returned to Russia because of “the demonization of Russia and its citizens living abroad.” According to Lagodinsky 21,633 citizens of Russia moved to Germany and sought permanent residence there in 2015, whereas 10,584 people with a Russian passport left Germany. (Russian Service)
Russia Chooses Entry For Eurovision, Despite Boycott Threats
Russia has chosen Yulia Samoilova to represent the country at the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest in Kyiv, an event some Russian pop stars and lawmakers wanted to boycott.
Anti-Corruption Protesters In London Challenge Ukrainian Oligarch
Protesters gathering near the London apartment of Ukrainian oligarch Rinat Akhmetov on March 12 called on authorities to verify that Akhmetov’s earnings comply with British anti-corruption and anti-terrorism laws, and to transfer his properties to Ukraine if his income is found to be illegal. (Ukrainian Service)
Moldovan President Looks To Bolster Russia Relations With Moscow Visit
Moldovan President Igor Dodon says he will look to strengthen relations with Moscow when he travels to Russia to meet President Vladimir Putin on March 16-18.
Georgians Celebrate European Court Ruling In Favor Of Rustavi 2 TV
Thousands of supporters of Georgia's Rustavi 2 TV have gathered in central Tbilisi to celebrate a recent ruling in favor of the broadcaster by the European Court of Human Rights.
Georgia Says Elections In Abkhazia Are Illegal
Georgia says legislative elections held by Russia-backed separatists who control the breakaway Abkhazia region on March 12 were illegal.
Serbia Defense Chief Says Putin Soon To Approve Delivery Of Fighter Jets
The Serbian defense chief says he expects Russian President Vladimir Putin to soon approve delivery of six MiG-29 fighter jets to Serbia.
Turkmen Media Glorifies Presidential Mother
On International Women's Day on March 8, Turkmenistan’s media paid tribute to the mother of President Gurbanguly Berdymuhammedov, broadcasting tributes that referred to her as the "Mother who gave birth to the hero." (Turkmen Service)
ANALYSIS: Tajikistan's Deadly Export
A new report by a counter-terrorism center based in The Hague investigates why Tajikistan finds itself the world's leading exporter of suicide bombers to Islamic State battlefields.
MAJLIS PODCAST: Uzbekistan’s New President Tries His Hand At Foreign Policy