VIDEO REPORTS
Pavlensky, Released, Tells Russians To Stay Vigilant
Russian performance artist Pyotr Pavlensky was set free after more than six months in detention over his protest actions, but emerged from a Moscow courtroom warning that political repression remains the basis of the Russian government's power.
Russia’s ‘Graffiti Gift’ To Belarus Rebuffed
Activists from Belarus’s Youth Front shouted slogans declaring “No to the union with Russia” and “Putin is Hitler” to protest the opening of the “graffiti gift” from Russia, a mural depicting a young boy from Minsk and a young girl from Moscow intended to reflect friendship and unity between the two countries. (Belarus Service)
Jailed For Social Media Posts In Transdniester
Human rights defenders contend that authorities may have fabricated social media posts to convict a man in the Moldovan breakaway region of Transdniester of extremism.
The Monument That Destroyed Its Creator
Czech filmmaker Viktor Polesny is making a film about the life of sculptor Otakar Svec, who in the early 1950s created the world's largest monument to Soviet tyrant Josef Stalin, and committed suicide less than one month before the "monster" was unveiled.
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS
Russian Sports Minister Accused Of Direct Involvement In Doping
A German television station says embattled Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko was directly involved in covering up cheating and avoiding bans.
Russia's Independent Media Take On State TV
After NTV accused a regional newspaper of doing Washington's bidding, independent media have rallied to defend their peers and launched a nationwide campaign to denounce propaganda on state television.
Elite Russian Performance Jet Crashes
A Su-27 jet belonging to the renowned Russian aerobatic team “Russian Knights” crashed in a forest near the village of Muranovo near Moscow following a performance on June 9, killing the pilot in a calamity that is being attributed to equipment failure.(In Russian/Current Time TV)
Georgia Calls For ‘Bold’ Action On NATO
Senior Georgian officials say "bold" action is needed on Tbilisi's NATO aspirations, and that the Western military alliance should be "desperate" for it to gain membership to show that Russia is not dictating its policies.
Nazarbaev Says Aqtobe Attacks Orchestrated From Abroad
Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev has stated that the perpetrators of the recent attacks in the northwestern city of Aqtobe "received instructions from abroad," and suggested they will face the death penalty.
Russian Investigators Eye 'Golden Youth'
The children of Russia's ruling elite have a long record of extricating themselves from sticky legal situations, often stirring grassroots outrage, but the political winds may be shifting.
Controversial Magnitsky Film Set For Newseum Screening
А controversial film that examines the case of whistle-blowing Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky is shaping up to be the latest skirmish in a pitched battle over his legacy and a resulting U.S. law that has infuriated the Kremlin.
In an interview with RFE/RL, Russian-born Booker Prize laureate Arkady Ostrovsky, author of “The Invention Of Russia,” an account of the media’s influence in the USSR and contemporary Russia, said meaning in today's Russia is to a large extent constructed by television, which works like a psychoactive drug. (In Russian)
COMMENTARY: Macedonia’s Moment Of Truth