VISUAL REPORTS
Russia Slams ‘Thoughtless’ U.S. Strikes On Syria
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova attacked the U.S. cruise missile strikes on Syria as a "thoughtless" show of force on a country that was fighting terrorism.
THE POWER VERTICAL: Brothers In Arms
Vladimir Putin’s regime is an accomplice to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s war crimes.
Thousands Rally In Moscow In Support Of St. Petersburg Bombing Victims
Thousands of people jammed into a central Moscow square near the Kremlin in a show of solidarity for the victims of the deadly April 3 terrorist bombing in the St. Petersburg subway.
Russian Truckers Protest Toll Increase, Face Crackdown
Russian truckers say they are determined to continue their campaign against increased road taxes despite arrests and intimidation from the authorities.
Surviving On Three Dollars A Day In Baku
The monthly minimum wage in Azerbaijan is 155 manats, or about $91. RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service asked a volunteer in Baku to try to live on that amount.
OTHER NEWS
Russia Suspends Flight Safety Cooperation With U.S. Over Syria
In an April 7 statement, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs says Moscow will suspend the agreement with the U.S. on providing aviation safety during operations in Syria in response to the American strike on a Syrian airbase in Idlib. (in Russian, Current Time TV)
European Parliament Approves Visa-Free Travel For Ukrainians
The European Parliament has approved visa liberalization for Ukraine, a crucial step toward enabling Ukrainians to travel to the European Union without obtaining visas.
European Parliament Blasts Russia Over Navalny, Protest Clampdown
The European Parliament has approved a resolution calling for the "immediate release and dropping of all charges" against Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny "and all the peaceful protesters and journalists detained” after recent demonstrations in Russia.
Apartment Searched In St. Petersburg Subway Bombing Probe
Russian investigators have searched a St. Petersburg apartment where several citizens of unspecified Central Asian countries who reportedly had been in contact with subway bombing suspect Akbarjon Jalilov lived.
Prominent ‘Bolotnaya Prisoner’ Released In Russia
Opposition activist Leonid Razvozhayev, who was sentenced in July 2014 for “organizing riots” on Moscow’s Bolotnaya Square on May 6, 2012 and sentenced to 4.5 years in prison, was released on April 7 in Krasnoyarsk. (Russian Service)
Belarus Expels Three Ukrainian Evangelical Activists
Three Ukrainian Evangelical Christian activists who served 15 days in a Belarusian jail are being deported to Ukraine.
Moldova Urges Moscow Not To Recognize Transdniester Documents
The government of Moldova has condemned a recent appeal by the de facto authorities in the country's breakaway Transdniester region asking Russia to recognize the region's travel documents.
Serbians Stage Fourth Night Of Protests Over Presidential Vote
Thousands of mostly young people gathered in Belgrade and other Serbian towns on April 6 for a fourth straight evening of protests over the election of Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic as Serbia's new president.
A Quarter-Century Later, Sarajevans Still Haunted By Siege
April 5 is the 25th anniversary of the shootings in Sarajevo of two peace demonstrators, the first casualties in the 1,425-day siege of the Bosnian capital by Bosnian Serb forces.
Kazakh Union Activist Sentenced Over Oil Workers' Strike
Kazakh labor union activist Nurbek Qushaqbaev has been sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison over a January oil workers' strike.
Tajikistan Postpones Suspension Of Russian Flights
Tajikistan has postponed the suspension of flights by two Russian air companies to Tajikistan after Russia's Transport Ministry invited Tajik aviation authorities to Moscow for negotiations.
Analysis: No End In Sight To Kadyrov Vs. Rosneft Standoff
COMMENTARY: TV vs. Internet In Russia
Protests in Russia against corruption on March 26th showed that young people use the internet as their main source of information, and trust videobloggers more than state TV channels. Media expert Anna Kachkaeva, journalist and media expert, says even “the next political campaign and the election can do without TV.” (Russian Service)
COMMENTARY: By 2035, Russia’s Oil Production Will Fall By Half
Andrey Movchan, Director of the the Carnegie Moscow Center’s Economic Policy Program, says that Russia’s oil production is at its peak now and will decline after 2020 as a result of high production costs and inefficient methods. “The ratio of oil production is 10 -15 percent lower than in the world on average,” he told RFE/RL, and the gap is growing, “because we're trying to get [the oil] out as quickly as possible at the expense of the total volume of recoverable reserves in the future.” (Russian Service)
COMMENTARY: Turkmen Energy Chief Fired For Failing To Achieve The Unachievable
MOST READ/RUSSIA: After St. Petersburg, Russians Debate Security
Gennady Gudkov, Russian opposition politician, told RFE/RL, “It’s a serious failure of the security services to have information about the possibility of terrorist attacks in the metro and not to be able to prevent it.” Journalist Viktor Tereshkin, who witnessed the April 3 bombing, said, “... instead of spending billions on a military operation in Syria, we should strengthen our southern borders and develop intelligence work.” (over 125k views on Russian Service website)