VISUAL REPORTS
THE POWER VERTICAL: What’s Mine Is Mine; What Yours Is Negotiable
The Kremlin has mostly gotten away with treating its neighbors as colonies.
Thousands Protest Cathedral Transfer In St. Petersburg
Several thousand people have demonstrated in St. Petersburg to protest the transfer of St. Isaac's Cathedral to the Russian Orthodox Church. (Russian Service)
Navalny Campaign Event Halted Due To Bomb Threat
A presidential campaign event organized by Russian anti-Kremlin activist Aleksei Navalny was abruptly halted, due to an alleged bomb threat. He blamed "idiotic authorities" for trying to stop him by evacuating the event.
OTHER NEWS
'Separatism' Trial Of RFE/RL Contributor Set To Begin In Crimea
An RFE/RL contributor goes on trial on March 20 in Russia-annexed Crimea on separatism-related charges for an article he wrote criticizing Moscow's seizure of the Ukrainian peninsula.
Defense, Foreign Ministers Of Japan, Russia Meet In Tokyo
The foreign and defense ministers of Japan and Russia have begun "two-plus-two" talks in Tokyo, with both sides saying regional security and the dispute over a small chain of islands will be discussed.
Russia To Host Talks On Afghanistan
Russia plans to host international talks on the conflict in Afghanistan on April 14, a high-ranking Afghan official said.
Russia Conducts Large-Scale Military Exercises In Crimea
Military drills involving Russia’s airborne forces and its Black Sea fleet on March 20 are, according to the forces’ commander, the first time in the Russian military’s history that airborne formations from three separate locations are being simultaneously mobilized and brought to Crimea with weapons, live ammunition, and heavy equipment. (Russian Service)
Putin Approves Incorporating South Ossetian Units Into Russian Army
Russian President Vladimir Putin formally approved this week an intergovernmental agreement to incorporate "some military units" of Georgia's breakaway Republic of South Ossetia into the Russian armed forces.
Undercover FSB Officer Indicted By U.S. Worked For Moscow Investment Bank
One of the two Russian FSB agents indicted by U.S. officials this week worked as an undercover officer at Renaissance Capital, a Moscow investment bank owned by billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov.
Russian Activists Say Suspicious Military Deaths Often Tied To Extortion Schemes
According to government figures, cases of extortion in Russia overall more than doubled between 2015 and 2016, and rights activists say cases inside the military are on the rise.
Child Suicide Rate In Russia Up By 60 Percent In Last Year
Russia’s Children’s Rights Commissioner has reported that child suicides increased 57 percent in 2016 over the previous year, reversing a downward trend between 2011 to 2015. She cited the avalanche of so-called "death groups" on social networks, which provide links to graphic information and methods for taking one’s life, as a leading cause. (in Russian, Current Time TV)
Russian Space Official Found Dead In Jail After Transfer To Unmonitored Cell
A former executive director of the Russian space agency, Roskosmos, has been found dead in his jail cell with stab wounds.
Thousands Of Soldiers Killed In Donbas, Thousands More Wounded
A spokesman for Ukraine’s defense ministry declared on March 20 that the conflict in Ukraine’s eastern region, which began in the spring of 2014, has claimed the lives of 2629 soldiers and wounded 9,4000. (Ukrainian Service)
Belarus Protest Leaders Detained As Hundreds Rally Against 'Parasite Tax'
Authorities in Belarus on March 19 detained at least three organizers of continuing protests against a controversial tax on the unemployed.
Former Moldovan Deputy Arrested Amid Allegations of Spying For Russia
A former member of the Moldovan parliament has been arrested amid allegations he spied for Russia.
Bulgaria Says Ready To Reinforce Border With Turkey If Needed
Bulgarian officials say they are prepared to increase patrols and complete a razor-wire fence along its border with Turkey to prevent any new flood of migrants.
Government Critic Flees Kazakhstan, Fearing For Her Safety
Zhanar Akhmet, a Kazakh blogger who has criticized President Nursultan Nazarbaev's government, has fled the country, saying she fears for her safety.
Religion Blamed For Parents' Refusals To Vaccinate Kids In Kazakhstan
Kazakh officials are complaining that a growing number of parents are refusing to inoculate their children based on religious objections.
COMMENTARY: Vucic’s Popularity Could Pack A Hidden Punch In Serbia
POWER VERTICAL PODCAST: The Belarusian Spring
MEJLIS PODCAST: Human Rights In Uzbekistan Take One Step Forward, Two Steps Back