COVID-19 REPORTING
U.S. To Send Ventilators To Russia Amid Surge In Coronavirus Cases
The United States will donate 200 medical ventilators to Russia after the country saw a spike in new coronavirus cases, Voice of America (VOA) has reported. The first 50 ventilators will be shipped to Moscow next week with the remaining arriving on May 26, the news agency said on May 16.
First Person: An RFE/RL Correspondent's Battle With COVID-19 In Russia
Lyubov Chizhova, a correspondent with RFE/RL's Russian Service, developed a fever and other symptoms of COVID-19 in late April. This is a story of her experience of getting sick and overcoming the virus.
Passport Data Of Muscovites Fined For Quarantine Violations Leaked Online
Russian media reports that the passport data of as many as 35,000 Muscovites who received fines for violating the self-isolation regime during the coronavirus pandemic have been published online. The prosecutor's office says it is investigating the leak. (in Russian, Current Time TV)
Daghestan Says More Than 40 Doctors Have Died Of COVID-19, Pneumonia
Daghestan’s top health official has said more than 40 doctors have died from either the coronavirus or "community-acquired pneumonia." Questions have been raised about the accuracy of Russia’s reported cases and deaths from COVID-19, and officials have been accused of lowering COVID-19 mortality rates by ascribing deaths to pneumonia.
MAJLIS PODCAST: Pandemic Makes Life Even Harder For Central Asia's Disabled
OTHER NEWS
Two Months Later, The Russian Diplomat At The Center Of A Poison Scandal Remains In Prague. Why?
On March 14, Andrei Konchakov arrived at Vaclav Havel International Airport on a flight from Moscow. The 34-year-old Russian had lived in the Czech capital for years, and was recently appointed director of two state-run Russian institutions in Prague. But in early April, the investigative weekly Respekt reported that he had a suitcase containing the toxic poison ricin, and that it had uncovered a Kremlin poisoning plot targeting up to three Prague municipal officials whose actions had recently angered Moscow.
Russian Foreign Minister Calls For Konev Statue In Prague To Be Reinstalled
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says Czech officials should reinstall a controversial statue of Soviet Marshal Ivan Konev's statue in Prague after city officials removed it last month. In an interview with the Russian news agency RBK published on May 15, Lavrov called the Czech explanation for the move "childish" and "a blatant violation" of the 1993 Russian-Czech agreement on friendly relations.
The Raid On A Shaman Who Vowed To Topple Putin
Police in Russia's Far East have again detained a man who calls himself a shaman and who has twice attempted to walk to Moscow with the aim of toppling President Vladimir Putin. (video)
U.S. To Begin Shipping Oil To Belarus
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says the first shipment of U.S. crude oil to Belarus will depart this week. Pompeo said on May 15 that the deal strengthens Belarusian sovereignty and independence and “demonstrates that the United States is ready to deliver trade opportunities for American companies interested in entering the Belarusian market.”
Thousands In Sarajevo Protest Mass Honoring WWII Nazi Collaborators
Several thousand people defied coronavirus-related mass gathering restrictions to lay flowers on a monument to Nazi-regime victims of World War II in central Sarajevo and to protest a controversial church service held in a cathedral nearby. Despite widespread condemnation, the Catholic Churches of Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia organized the mass under the auspices of the Croatian parliament on May 16. (video)
Serbia Deploys Army To 'Secure' Three Migrant Camps
Serbia has deployed troops near a town not far from the border with Croatia where some 1,500 people, mostly from Syria, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, are located, hoping to reach the European Union.
Independent Bulgarian TV Station Accuses PM Of 'Spreading False Rumors'
An independent Bulgarian television station has accused Prime Minister Boyko Borisov of "spreading false rumors" after he insinuated it was working at the behest of exiled oligarch Vasil Bozhkov, the nation's wealthiest businessman.
Two Georgian Opposition Leaders Pardoned In Bid To Save Election Deal
Georgia’s president says she has pardoned two jailed opposition leaders -- a former Tbilisi mayor and an ex-defense minister -- in a bid to salvage a foreign-brokered deal between the opposition and the ruling party on election reforms. The opposition parties threatened to abandon the agreement if "political prisoners" were not released.
Rare Protest In Turkmenistan Draws Hundreds
Hundreds of people have taken part in a rare protest in Turkmenistan to call attention to the government's failure to help repair damage caused by recent wind and rainstorms that devastated eastern parts of the country. The country’s authoritarian government does not tolerate dissent.
Turkmenistan Pardons 1,402 Prisoners
Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov has pardoned 1,402 prisoners, including 210 foreign nationals, who "sincerely regretted their criminal deeds," according to state media. The pardon coincides with the Night of Power, the holiest Muslim night, celebrated this year on May 19.
Signs Of Hope (And Conflict) On Central Asia's Borders
Having a good neighbor in a tough part of the world is a real plus. Two very different stories from the borders of Central Asia feature the two wealthiest countries in the region working to cultivate better ties despite the obstacles, and the two poorest countries failing to improve relations that continue to fissure.
SCREENING: State Funeral: The Death Of Stalin
Largely unseen footage of the funeral and official mourning following the death of Soviet leader Josef Stalin is featured in a new documentary, State Funeral, by Ukrainian director Sergei Loznitsa, shown on Current Time in Russian, here.
AFGHANISTAN: President Ghani and Rival Abdullah Agree On Power-Sharing Deal
PHOTOGALLERY: From Stonewall To Skopje: The Battle for LGBT Rights
PRESSROOM: RFE/RL Devastated By Tragedy Involving Film Crew In Belarus