VISUAL REPORTS
Thoroughbreds Or Posers? Russia’s New-Age Cossacks
Members of a Russian socio-military group who call themselves Cossacks have been using their nagaikas to whip up a storm of controversy lately. The origins -- and the intentions -- of these neo-Cossacks are being hotly debated.
Kosovar Soccer Legend Buried After Sudden Death
State funeral ceremonies were held on June 10 in Pristina for Fadil Vokrri, 57, the head of Kosovo's Football Federation, who died on June 8 after a heart attack.
1968 Revisited: Czechs Honor Moscow Protesters
Eight Russians who demonstrated in Moscow in 1968 against the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, and who were punished for their protest by being dispatched to labor camps and psychiatric hospitals, have been honored by the Czech Republic.
OTHER NEWS
European Parliament To Call For Boycott Of Soccer World Cup
RFE/RL’s Brussels correspondent reports that members of the European Parliament plan to include a section in a resolution on human rights in Russia, tabled for June 14, calling for a diplomatic boycott of the FIFA World Cup in Russia. (Russian Service)
Putin Says Premature To Talk Details Of Possible Prisoner Exchange
In response to reporters’ questions during a summit in Qingdao, China, Russian President Vladimir Putin indicated that back-channel talks were being held on the possible exchange of prisoners with Ukraine, which could involve the release of dozens of prisoners just days ahead of the start of the soccer World Cup in Russia this week.
Peacekeepers Expected To Be Focus Of Berlin Talks On Ukraine Conflict
The foreign ministers of Germany, France, Russia, and Ukraine are scheduled to meet in Berlin on June 11 to discuss the conflict in eastern Ukraine. The issue of deploying a UN peacekeeping mission in the conflict zone is expected to be discussed.
Muscovites Rally To Protest 'Catastrophic' Rights Violations
No fewer than 1,700 demonstrators gathered on Moscow’s Sakharov Avenue on June 10, two days ahead of that national holiday Russia Day, to protest against mass violations of human rights in Russia and to call for the release of political prisoners.
Russian Prison Service Seeks Extension Of Navalny Sentence
Russia's Federal Penitentiary Service has asked a Moscow court to extend by one year the five-year suspended prison sentence that opposition leader Aleksei Navalny is currently serving on an embezzlement conviction in the so-called Kirovles case.
Editor Of Russian Forbes Magazine Fired
The editor in chief of the Russian edition of Forbes magazine, Nikolai Uskov, has been fired, he says, for participating in a program on the Ekho Moskvy radio station.
Rosneft Contract Awarded To Fund Belonging To Putin’s Alleged Daughter
Russian media reports that the National Intellectual Development fund, which is associated with Moscow State University under the brand name “Innopraktika” and is led by the alleged daughter of Russian President Vladimir Putin Ekaterina Tikhonova, has received a contract for approx. $5.6 million from the majority state-owned company Rosneft, run by close Putin ally Igor Sechin. (in Russian, Current Time TV)
Eulogy For A Subway: Siberian City Decides To Bury Its Metro Once And For All
After spending billions of rubles to build a subway system over more than 25 years, the Siberian city Omsk, with more than 1 million residents and one station completed, has called it quits.
'Nemtsov Square' Sign Unveiled Near Russian Embassy In Vilnius
A sign honoring slain Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov now stands near the Russian Embassy in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius. Dozens of residents and representatives of the Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats party attended the ceremony for the unveiling of the Boris Nemtsov Square sign on June 9.
Large Gay-Pride Rallies Take Place In Bulgaria, Romania, Elsewhere
Thousands of people took to the streets of Europe and elsewhere for gay pride rallies to support lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights, with marchers assailing all types of discrimination.
Tajikistan To Institute Mandatory Blood Tests To Combat HIV
Tajikistan is set to take strict new measures to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDs and other sexually transmitted diseases that many believe have been brought to the country primarily by labor migrants returning from Russia. One new measure involves setting up medical booths at entry points, including airports, to administer blood tests.
MOST READ/RUSSIA: ‘The Sobchak Case’: Missing Pieces In The Biography Of Putin’s Patron
Former presidential candidate and socialite Ksenia Sobchak will present to a Moscow audience on June 12 her documentary, “The Sobchak Case,” about her father, former St. Petersburg mayor Anatoly Sobchak, an early patron of Russian President Vladimir Putin. In the film, numerous people who knew Mr. Sobchak, including Putin, talk about his life and St. Petersburg politics in the early 1990’s. (over 91k views in Russian Service website)
MAJLIS PODCAST: Kyrgyzstan’s Anticorruption Campaign