VISUAL REPORTS
Boos And Whistles Disrupt Georgian Dream
A Tbilisi concert hall was filled with disharmony when Georgia's ruling party tried to explain constitutional changes to the public.
Opposition Candidate Hauled Away By Armenian Police
Police hauled away an opposition candidate who went to complain about alleged vote-buying by the ruling Republic Party in municipal elections.
Protests Against 'Dictatorship' In Serbia
Around a hundred people marched on the streets of central Belgrade on May 12 in a protest against what they call the "dictatorship" of Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic, who was elected as president on April 2.
To Save Her Home, Kazakh Covers It With Portraits
A Kazakh woman has covered her home with portraits of the country's president, in a desperate hope it will stop the bulldozers leveling it as part of efforts to give Astana a makeover before Expo-2017.
OTHER NEWS
Poroshenko Restricts Access To Russian Websites, Social Networks
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has ordered access to several leading Russian social networks and search engines to be restricted or blocked entirely in Ukraine.
Russian Tycoon Sues AP Over Report About Ex-Trump Advisor
A Kremlin-connected billionaire has sued the Associated Press (AP) for defamation and libel over a report on his business ties to U.S. President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman.
Russia, Saudi Arabia Support Extending Oil Output Cuts Into 2018
Major oil exporters Saudi Arabia and Russia say that an agreement to cut output should be extended through March 2018, causing oil prices to rise on world markets.
Stalin Portrait Goes Up At Moscow Metro Station
A portrait of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin has been hung at a Moscow subway station in celebration of the 82nd anniversary of the opening of the Russian capital’s underground transport network.
Russian State TV Edits Out Criticism And 'Untruth' In Hit U.S. TV Series
When Russian state TV aired popular American TV show Fargo, viewers saw a version not only dubbed into Russian, but also tailored for their desired political beliefs: namely one lacking criticism of President Vladimir Putin.
Ukrainian Amendment Threatens Anticorruption Agency’s Independence
Activists gathered in front of Ukraine’s parliament to protest amendment 6220, which they say would amend the criminal code to deprive the Anticorruption Bureau of independence by forbidding the agency’s detectives to investigate cases declared closed by other law enforcement agencies. (Ukrainian Service)
Azerbaijan Hits Armenian Missile System In Nagorno-Karabakh
The Defense Ministry of Azerbaijan says it has destroyed an Armenian air defense missile system in the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
RFE/RL Reporter Roughed Up In Armenia
An RFE/RL reporter Sisak Gabrielian has been attacked for the second time in two months while investigating potential vote buying.
Adam & Eve Challenge Darwinism In Serbia
A group of intellectuals has exposed a deep rift within Serbian society by challenging the veracity of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.
Turkmenistan Gets Low Score For Olympic-Sized Sports Investment
Turkmenistan will be unveiling its lavish new "Olympic Complex" this September when it hosts the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, but the monetary and human investment has led to questions of whether it is worth the effort.
SCHEMES: Where Are PrivatBank’s Billions?
In an investigation of PrivatBank, Ukraine’s largest bank, recently owned by oligarchs Ihor Kolomoiskiy and Gennadiy Bogolyubov, RFE/RL’s anti-corruption program Schemes found that just prior to being nationalized in December 2016, the bank made loans amounting to approximately $4.16 billion to companies that exist only on paper. (Ukrainian Service)
COMMENTARY: The Social Pyramid Of The Occupied Donbas
May 11 marked the third anniversary of so-called “referendums” creating the self-declared republics of Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine. Russian state media broadcast parades and fireworks marking the day, but in reality an unhappy hierarchy exists. At the bottom are the territories’ “disenfranchised” - the unemployed, pensioners, disabled, and children who struggle to survive; in the middle are the “adjusted,” comprising the local professionals - the medics, teachers, and businessmen whom the new authorities cannot survive without; and at the top of the pyramid are the “elites” - the Russian troops and local separatists who are sponsored by the Kremlin and who are very costly to sustain. (Donbas Realities, Ukrainian Service)
ANALYSIS: Georgian Opposition Wants Vote On Draft Constitutional Amendments
Broad public discussion of a series of amendments to the Georgian constitution drafted by a commission dominated by the ruling Georgian Dream party is currently under way.
PRESSROOM: Azerbaijani Court Blocks RFE/RL Website