VISUAL REPORTS
Belarusian Oppositionist Detained For Calling Lukashenka 'Self-Proclaimed Leader'
Belarusian opposition politician Zmitser Dashkevich, the organizer of a March 24 rally in Minsk and leader of the unregistered Young Front political movement, reportedly has been detained by police.
Serbia, Kosovo Mark Anniversary Of NATO Bombings
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic blasted NATO’s 1999 bombing campaign of his country, calling it “a crime.” Neighboring Kosovo, the beneficiary of the attack, said it will “forever be grateful” to the Western military alliance for intervening to help stop the bloodshed in the region.
Letter To Putin Brings Strangers' Gifts, Neighbors' Anger
Twelve-year-old Tasya wrote to Vladimir Putin in December, asking the president to help her overworked mother. After RFE/RL reported on her story, strangers sent money and gifts to the family. And that is when Tasya's mother says their real problems began.
INFOGRAPHIC: The Biggest Bribe Cases In Russia
Russian State Duma deputy Vadim Belousov has been detained on suspicion of accepting a $49 million bribe. Here's how this compares to other cases that have been tried in the courts.
OTHER NEWS
Senior Russian Lawmaker Welcomes Findings Of Mueller Report
Konstantin Kosachyov, who heads the Federation Council’s International Affairs Committee, said in a Facebook post on March 25 that Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe was accompanied by "two years of incessant lies," and that its findings give the two countries a chance to repair ties.
G7 Letter Takes Aim At Role Of Ukraine’s Violent Extremists
As the Ukrainian presidential election nears, the world's leading industrialized nations have some strong words for Ukraine's top cop amid recent far-right violence in Kyiv and other cities.
It's Official: Kazakh Capital Now Called Nur-Sultan
Interim Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev signed a decree on March 23 renaming the capital Astana after former President Nursultan Nazarbaev, who stepped down abruptly earlier in the week.
Kazakh Ex-Prime Minister Appointed Interim President's Top Aide
Interim Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev has appointed recently dismissed prime minister Bakytzhan Sagintaev as his chief of staff, following Nursultan Nazarbaev’s surprise announcement last week that he was stepping down as president.
Russian Activist Charged Over Facebook Post Amid 'Crackdown' On Social Media
Human Rights Watch has called on Russian authorities to drop the case against Aleksandr Korovainy, an opposition activist who is facing administrative charges for posting an infographic from a news outlet backed by former oil tycoon and Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky.
Russian Orthodox Church Calls Sex Change A Crime
The head of external relations for the Russian Orthodox Church has called sex change operations blasphemy and a crime. Metropolitan Illarion said on state-run TV channel Rossiya 24 that “the church never recognizes the perversions that exist in many Western countries, when, for example, a child ... is told that there is biological sex, as well as a gender that the child can choose.” (Russian Service)
Russian Museums Ordered To Promote 'Patriotic Education'
Late last month, Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky set off alarm bells among culture aficionados when he sent a letter to regional administrations ordering them to bring the museums in their purview into line with "the state's priorities."
Kemerovo Fire Victims Remembered In Siberia
The Russian city of Kemerovo is remembering the victims of a fire that swept through a busy mall on a Sunday afternoon one year ago and killed 60 people, including 37 children.
The Belarusian Hospital Trying To Break The Country’s Abortion Habit
Iryna Kazlouskaya was a student in Minsk years ago when she got the news she was pregnant. She eventually had the child, but became convinced that a large part of Belarusian society, which has one of the highest rates of abortion in the world, views it as a form of birth control.
Romania To Move Its Embassy To Jerusalem
Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dancila has announced at the annual policy conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) in Washington, D.C. that Bucharest will move its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Bulgarian Justice Minister Resigns Amid Real Estate Scandal
Bulgarian Justice Minister Tsetska Tsacheva has resigned following RFE/RL investigative reports that revealed she and three other ruling GERB party politicians purchased luxury apartments at below market prices from the same firm.
MAJLIS PODCAST: The Kazakh President’s Departure And What Happens Next
JOURNALISTS IN TROUBLE: RFE/RL Journalists In Kazakhstan Targeted While Covering Protests
PRESSROOM: Columbia Journalism Review On RFE/RL: The US Still Supports Journalism Around The World, Even If Donald Trump Doesn’t