VISUAL REPORTS
Ukrainian Court Sentences Five Men Over Death Of Acid Attack Victim
A court in Ukraine's eastern Dnipropetrovsk region has sentenced five men to prison terms in connection with the death of anti-corruption activist Kateryna Handzyuk, who died in November after being severely injured in an acid attack near her home in the southern city of Kherson.
Nurses Of The Urals Unite: Russians Push For Livable Wage
Poorly paid Russian health-care workers are pushing for higher wages and forming local branches of a union with the backing of anti-Kremlin activist Aleksei Navalny.
Armenian Piano Prodigy Poised For Classical Career
She plays Bach, Chopin, and jazz -- and dreams of having a pet dog. Aida Avanesian, a 12-year-old in Yerevan, is rapidly collecting kudos as a piano prodigy, but she also tries to find time to be a kid.
Stalin-Era Mass Grave Found In Kazakhstan
A Kazakh man discovers a Stalin-era mass grave in his backyard.
Covering Kazakhstan’s June 9 Elections
Kazakhstan will hold presidential elections on June 9 to provide for an official transition after the surprise resignation of President Nursultan Nazarbaev on March 19. Continuous coverage in Russian is here. (in Russian, Kazakh Service)
OTHER NEWS
Putin Puts Down Arms Control Marker At St. Petersburg Forum
In a far-ranging discussion on foreign policy, President Vladimir Putin said that Russia is prepared to drop the New START arms control treaty if the United States is not interested in renewing it, and declared, "Everything ends in 2021.There will be no instruments left to curb the arms race.”
Kudrin Calls Calvey Arrest A ‘Shock’ To Russian Economy
Aleksei Kudrin, Russia's former finance minister and a close confidant of President Vladimir Putin, told an audience at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on June 6 that the arrest of prominent American investor Michael Clavey. was a “shock” to Russia’s economy, contributing to cash outflows from the country that have doubled since February.
Putin, Xi And 'Panda Diplomacy'
Meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow ahead of the St. Petersburg economic forum, China’s Xi Jinping presented two rare pandas to the city's zoo, and called Putin his "best friend."
Prominent Meduza Journalist Detained On Drug Charges In Moscow
Prominent Russian investigative journalist Ivan Golunov, who reports for the Latvia-based independent Meduza news site, has been detained and beaten in Moscow for allegedly attempting to sell illegal drugs. Golunov's lawyer, Dmitry Dzhulai, told Meduza that police detained his client in the city on June 6, and later took out a bag from his backpack apparently containing drugs. Golunov rejects the charges.
Roskomnadzor Threatens Google With New Fine
Russian media reports that the country’s media regulator is threatening Google with a new fine of approximately $10,000 on grounds that the search engine has failed to adequately filter banned content. Roskomnadzor claims that Google deleted nearly 80% of content deemed “extremist” in April, but only 67.5% in May. (Russian Service)
Russian Security Agents Continue Crackdown On Jehovah's Witnesses
Russian news agencies said security agents have detained 15 members of the Jehovah's Witnesses in the North Caucasus region of Daghestan, charging them with organizing "conspiratorial gatherings with the aim of studying extremist literature."
Russia To Create ‘Genetic Passport’ For New Conscripts
The Russian Academy of Sciences and the Military Medical Academy are working on creating a so-called “genetic passport” to enable the military to select and assign conscripts “on a genetic level,” in accordance with physiological and behavioral characteristics. The President of the Academy of Sciences says the passport is needed to fight “the wars of the future.” (Russian Service)
Russian Village Rejects Chinese Investment
Local farmers in far eastern Chuvashia have been displaced as a result of a deal developed by the head of the region to lease the land to Chinese investors to build a dairy farm that locals say is scant on details.
Zelenskiy And The Curious Case Of 'Plagiarism' In Brussels
Volodymyr Zelenskiy, a political outsider who beat former President Petro Poroshenko in a landslide in April, is being accused of plagiarism in remarks he delivered in the EU capital during his first trip abroad as Ukrainian president on June 4-5.
Lawyer Reveals Details Of Yushchenko Corruption Charges
The Ukrainian prosecutor-general’s office on June 6 announced that former President Viktor Yushchenko has been charged with abuse of office and possession of state property in what investigators called the illegal privatization of a residential complex near Kyiv that served as a residence for his prime minister and successor Viktor Yanukovych.
Lithuanian Lawmakers Recognize 1944 Deportation Of Crimean Tatars As ‘Genocide’
Lithuania's parliament approved a resolution on June 6 recognizing the deportation of Crimean Tatars in 1944 by the government of the Soviet Union as an act of genocide.
UN Group Calls On Tajik Government To Release Imprisoned Rights Lawyer
A UN agency is calling on authorities in Tajikistan to free lawyer Buzurgmehr Yorov from prison, saying Yorov's rights have been consistently violated during his detention.
Mashhad-Dushanbe Flight Marks Sign Of Improving Ties Between Tajikistan, Iran
An Iranian Varesh Airlines flight has landed in the Tajik capital, Dushanbe, marking a resumption of air travel between the two countries after an eight-month pause.
PRESSROOM: RFE/RL EXPERTS AVAILABLE: Kazakhstan’s Presidential Election