VISUAL REPORTS
Ukraine Presidential Rivals Take Blood Tests
Both candidates in Ukraine's presidential election took blood tests in Kyiv on April 5, ahead of a live TV debate.
'I Don't See A Future Here'
In the run-up to the fifth anniversary of the outbreak of war in eastern Ukraine, the Donbas Desk of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service spoke with 12 people who described life under separatist rule in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
More Activists Detained At Belarus’s Kurapaty Memorial
Two activists in Belarus have been detained as protests continued over the fate of a wooded area on the outskirts of Minsk where at least 30,000 people killed by Soviet authorities were buried during the 1930s and 1940s.
Sarajevo Honors British Metal Star For Siege Solidarity
Sarajevo's city council has granted honorary citizenship to Bruce Dickinson, the frontman of the British heavy metal band Iron Maiden, in recognition of a concert he gave in the city in December 1994 as Bosnian Serb troops were holding it under siege.
Russian 'Whale Jail': Cousteau Says Freeing Them Will Take Time
French oceanographer Jean-Michel Cousteau has arrived in Russia to help free dozens of whales captured for a failed business venture.
OTHER NEWS
Russian Director Serebrennikov Freed From House Arrest
A Moscow court has ordered the release of theater director Kirill Serebrennikov and two associates from house arrest, although has instructed them not to leave Moscow until the end of their trial. The case has been widely criticized as politically motivated, and Serebrennikov has characterized the trial as “absurd.”
U.S. Embassy Says Russia Still Not Providing Evidence In Whelan Case
The U.S. Embassy says officials have visited Paul Whelan at a notorious Moscow jail, and complained that Russia has yet to offer evidence to back up espionage charges filed against the former U.S. Marine more than three months ago.
Turkey's President To Meet Putin In Moscow
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is due to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on April 8, just days after a dispute between Washington and Ankara intensified over Turkey's military plans in Syria and its purchase of a Russian S-400 air-defense system that is not compatible with NATO systems and is seen as a threat to U.S.-made F-35 fighter jets.
Canadian PM Warns Of Russian Interference In This Year’s Parliamentary Elections
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has warned of the risk of interference by Russia and other foreign players in the country’s parliamentary elections, scheduled for October 21.
Novichok Survivor Meets With Russian Ambassador To U.K.
Charlie Rowley, a survivor of a Novichok poisoning in England last year, met with the Russian ambassador to Britain on April 6 to ask questions about Russia's involvement in the string of attacks. Recounting the meeting, Rowley said he “liked the ambassador,” but found his statements about the substance “ridiculous.” The ambassador “kept saying the substance definitely wasn’t the Novichok [the Russians] had made because if it was it would have killed everyone."
Former Russian Deputy Culture Minister Charged In Hermitage Fraud Case
Grigory Pirumov, a former deputy culture minister of Russia, has been charged with organizing a criminal network to embezzle as much as 450 million rubles ($6.9 million) designated for new construction at St. Petersburg's Hermitage Museum.
Anti-Drone Systems In Donbas Interfere With Ukraine’s Aerial Surveillance
RFE/RL’s Donbas unit, citing the Ukrainian military and the OSCE, reports that modern anti-drone systems, which have not yet been fully integrated into the Russian military, are being used by Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region to obstruct drone surveillance. (Ukrainian Service)
Anti-Vucic Protesters Gather At Belgrade’s City Hall, Pink TV
Protests demanding the resignation of President Aleksandar Vucic were held in the Serbian capital, Belgrade, for the 18th week in a row, with the latest demonstration marked by a minute of silence to honor victims of the 1941 World War II bombing of the capital.
POLL: Russians Divided Over New Internet Law
A recent Levada Center poll found that 53% of Russian respondents do not support a new law’s provision prescribing penalties for websites that "insult" authorities and state symbols, however, 55% of respondents support a different provision authorizing the blocking of websites that publish information deemed to be "fake news." (Russian Service)
MAJLIS PODCAST: Feminism In Central Asia