VIDEO REPORTS
Dissident Artist Slams 'Clericalization' Of Russian Culture
A "clerical ideology" is playing the role that atheism did under Communism, and is being forced upon Russian society, according to performance artist Pyotr Pavlensky.
Protesters Threaten Hunger Strike For Flats
Protesters, many mothers of multiple children among them, were dispersed by police after gathering near the Moscow offices of the ruling United Russia party to demand their requests for flats be expedited. For some, the waiting time for an apartment is 90 years. (Russian Service)
Contaminated Russian Town Belies National Holiday Message
The Russian town of Karabash, ravaged by a century of copper smelting, is reportedly one of the most polluted places on earth.
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS
The Power Vertical: Warsaw, Son Of Wales
Two years ago, NATO was in emergency mode. Today it is planning for a long and tense conflict.
Ahead of the July 8 - 9 NATO summit, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Russia’s actions in Ukraine have eroded mutual trust with the West and unsettled the alliance’s Eastern European member states.
U.S. And Georgia Announce Deeper Military Ties Ahead Of NATO Summit
During a July 6 visit to Georgia, Secretary of State John Kerry pledged enhanced military cooperation and underscored Washington’s commitment to supporting the ex-Soviet nation in its long-running standoff with two separatist regions backed by Russia.
Russia, Diversifying Reserves, Buys Chinese Yuan
Russia's central bank has started buying the Chinese yuan to diversify its foreign-currency reserves and become less vulnerable to Western sanctions.
Despite Ban, Russian Athletes Pushing For Rio
Russia's national athletic federation has published a list of 68 track-and-field athletes who have applied for permission to compete at next month's Olympics, despite the doping ban.
Ukrainians Overwhelmingly Support NATO
Seventy seven percent of Ukrainians approve the country joining NATO, according to a poll by the Democratic Initiative Fund and Razumkov Center. Support for NATO among respondents in eastern Ukraine has increased to 71.5 percent from 57 percent in 2015. (In Ukrainian)
Anti-Maidan Judge Named Court Spokesperson
RFE/RL’s investigative program Schemes has reported that Bogdan Sanin, a judge with Kyiv’s administrative district court, has been appointed to serve as the court’s spokesperson. Sanin is known to have implemented a request by the previous Yanukovych administration to ban peaceful demonstrations in Kyiv from December 1, 2013 to January 7, 2014. (In Ukrainian)
Chechen Refugees Flee To Belarus With Dream Of Reaching EU
At least one thousand citizens of Chechnya have fled their homes and are currently in Brest hoping to get asylum in the European Union.
COMMENTARY: Radioactive Ashes Of Partnership
On the eve of the Warsaw NATO summit, prominent political commentator Andrey Piontkovsky accused Russia of using “nuclear blackmail” to advance its hybrid war, and said the Kremlin’s ambitions and claims in the region undermine its desire to dominate its neighbors. (In Russian)
PODCAST: Turkmenistan's Afghan Dilemma
An expert panel considers a rare and little publicized visit by Turkmenistan’s Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov to three northwestern Afghan provinces in June, the latest evidence that Turkmen authorities are having to adjust their policies in response to the breakdown in security in Afghanistan.
'As Long As I'm Dead, My Family Is Alive'
One defector among the estimated 29,000 North Koreans who have fled to the South since the Korean War in the early 1950s agreed to share his story about the world’s most reclusive country.