VIDEO REPORTS
Ukraine Patrols Sea Border At Kherson
Ukrainian servicemen are guarding the administrative sea border between Ukraine and Crimea, patrolling for diversions and attempts to smuggle weapons. (Ukrainian Service)
VOX POP: Should Yuriy Lutsenko Be Ukraine’s Next Prosecutor-General?
In an informal street poll in Kyiv about the possible appointment of the leader of President Poroshenko’s parliamentary bloc to be Ukraine’s new prosecutor-general, many respondents said he should be given a chance, but several insisted the post requires a law degree, which Lutsenko lacks. (Ukrainian Service)
Krasnapolle: Living In The Fallout Of Chernobyl
Thirty years after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, its consequences are evident in Belarus, where numerous villages that were evacuated as a result of the catastrophe remain largely empty today.
Skopje Protesters Call For 'Colorful’ Revolution
Thousands of protesters gathered in Macedonia’s capital city for an eighth straight night of anti-government demonstrations on April 20.
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NEWS HIGHLIGHTS
Crackdown on RFE/RL’s Crimea Site Draws International Condemnation
A call by Moscow-backed authorities to block RFE/RL’s Crimea news site has drawn international condemnation, with the United States denouncing it as "the Russian government's growing crackdown on independent voices" on the annexed peninsula.
Russia Receives Query On Savchenko Repatriation
Russian news agencies on April 20 reported that Ukraine’s Ministry of Justice faxed a request to Russian authorities the previous day requesting paperwork related to the possible transfer of Nadia Savchenko to serve out her 22-year-sentence in Ukraine.
In a further indication that the Kremlin is systematically curtailing the powers of Chechen Republic head Ramzan Kadyrov, the Russian civil-aviation authority has suspended the right of Chechen carrier Grozny Avia to conduct international flights.
New State Company Heads Vow To Reform Ukraine’s ‘Monsters’
Ukrainian legislators appointed Igor Smelyansky to head the national postal service and Polish logistics manager Wojciech Balczun to manage Ukrainian Railways during their first official session under the leadership of Prime Minister Volodymyr Hroysman on April 20. (In Ukrainian)
Ukraine Bans Russian Movies As National Security Threat
A new law bans all Russian films made after January 1, 2014, and any movies produced by Russia after 1991 that "glorify the work of government bodies" of Russia.
Lukashenka Declares ‘Pragmatic Relations’ With Russia
In his annual address to the National Assembly, President Alyaksandr Lukashenka proposed selling the Minsk Wheel Tractor Plant to Russia in exchange for an oil field to help Belarus address its energy needs. (In Russian/Current Time TV)
Azerbaijan Brings Criminal Proceedings Against Meydan TV
The prosecutor-general’s office has reportedly brought charges of financial misconduct against Meydan TV, among the few remaining independent media sources in Azerbaijan. Observers say the case continues a government campaign targeting independent media and civil society and resulting in the jailing of over 100 political prisoners since 2012. (In Russian/Current Time)
Rights Watchdog Condemns 'Forcible Return' Of Uzbeks
Amnesty International finds in an April 21 report that hundreds of asylum seekers, refugees, and migrant workers have been deported or abducted and tortured in forced returns to Uzbekistan.