VISUAL REPORTS
Ukrainian Separatists Have Russia's Latest Weapons
Russia denies supplying separatists in eastern Ukraine with weapons and military gear, but pictures from the region have regularly shown modern versions of Russian weaponry.
Moscow Protesters Block Police Bus Transporting Navalny
Protesters on March 26 used private cars to block the road in front of the police bus transporting detained anti-corruption crusader Aleksei Navalny, while police dispersed the crowd and pushed cars off the road to make way.
Heavy Riot Police Presence In Minsk Following Crackdown
Riot police deployed in force in the Belarusian capital on March 25, preventing protesters from holding a rally one day after a violent crackdown that activists said saw hundreds of people arrested and many beaten.
OTHER NEWS
Navalny In Court After Protests; U.S., EU Condemn Mass Detentions
Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny was in court on March 27 for a hearing on an administrative charge, a day after he was detained by police along with hundreds of other demonstrators at protests held in dozens of cities nationwide.
Funeral Of Russian Ex-MP Voronenkov Held In Kyiv
The funeral of former State Duma deputy Denis Voronenkov, shot dead in Kyiv on March 23, was held in Kyiv’s Vladimir Cathedral on March 26. Voronenkov’s widow Maria Maksakova, self-exiled Russian deputy Ilya Ponomarev, and other Russian opposition figures now living abroad attended the ceremony. (in Russian, Current Time TV)
Medvedev’s Air Of Invulnerability Dented As Communists Back Corruption Probe
Communist lawmakers in Russia are pressing for a parliamentary investigation into possible corruption by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, the latest attack on the former president since a report by opposition forces this month accused him of amassing huge illicit wealth.
OPEC, Russia, Others To Consider Extending Oil Supply Cuts
OPEC and several nonmember oil producers meeting in Kuwait say they have agreed to review whether an agreement to cut supplies should be extended by six months.
Truckers Launch All-Russia Protest Against ‘Platon’ Tax
Members of the all-Russian Association of Drivers launched a national protest against a new tax system on March 26, lining up columns of heavy trucks along the roads to demand that tariffs be abolished or reduced. Russia’s finance minister told journalists that the “Platon” system would yield approximately $404.9 million for the state, and the operating company, owned by magnate Igor Rotenberg, would receive approximately $186.6 million. (in Russian, Current Time TV)
Separatist Chechen Politician Speaks About Attack On Russian Military Base In Chechnya
In an interview with RFE/RL, separatist Chechen leader Akhmed Zakayev claimed that a March 24 attack on Russian National Guard forces in Chechnya was not perpetrated by ISIS, as the extremist group claimed, but was a situation in which “young people -- desperate, exhausted by the injustice they experience in Chechnya -- rebel against the existing regime.” (RFE/RL Caucasus Realities website)
Missing Belarusian Opposition Leader Freed After Three-Day Detention
Belarusian opposition leader Mikalay Statkevich, now at home, told reporters on March 27 that he spent three days in a KGB detention center.
Five Dead After Ukrainian Military Copter Crash
Ukraine's Defense Ministry said a military helicopter has crashed in the eastern Donbas region on March 26, killing five people aboard.
Pro-West Bulgarian Party Tops Vote; Socialists Concede
Official results in Bulgaria have given the pro-Western party of former Prime Minister Boyko Borisov victory in national parliamentary elections, and the pro-Russia Socialists have conceded defeat.
Kyrgyz Police Detain Scores At Protest Over Jailing Of Ex-Lawmaker
Police in Kyrgyzstan have used stun grenades to disperse hundreds of protesters at a rally against the detention of a former parliamentary deputy who plans to run for the presidency.
Bulldozing History: Ancient Uzbek City's UNESCO Status At Risk
In its haste to build a national identity and squeeze more tourism income out of its ancient past, Uzbekistan may have killed the goose that lays the golden eggs in the ancient southeastern city of Shahrisabz.
POWER VERTICAL PODCAST: The Streets Of Russia And Belarus
EXPLAINER: With 'Nothing Left To Lose,' Belarus's 'Social Parasites' Make A Stand
Strongman President Alyaksandr Lukashenka had announced a rare concession on the night of March 23 in an effort to thwart a snowballing protest movement that had sparked rare street demonstrations all around the country.
COMMENTARY: Thousands of Daghestanis Branded 'Suspected Religious Extremists' Without Their Knowledge
FURTHER AFIELD: How To Deal With The Taliban In Afghanistan (podcast)
Bill Roggio, Long War Journal; Eric Jones, Foreign Intrigue; Hekmatullah Azamy, Centre for Conflict and Peace Studies, Kabul; Abubakar Siddique, RFE/RL.
INFOGRAPHIC: Deadly Attacks In Europe