VISUAL REPORTS
Kyiv Court Releases Russian Journalist Vyshinsky From Custody Ahead Of Trial
A Kyiv court has ruled that Russian journalist Kirill Vyshinsky, who is in detention in Ukraine on charges of high treason, can be released on his own recognizance as he awaits trial.
'This Is Our Forest': Russians Seek Answers After Woodlands Destroyed
Residents of Russian villages near the Gulf of Finland are fighting against the construction of a huge port for coal shipments and the destruction of a nearby forest.
PHOTOGALLERY: Beslan: Three Days Of Terror
On September 1, 2004, Chechen militants stormed an elementary school in the town of Beslan in the Russian republic of North Ossetia. They took 1,100 teachers, children, and their relatives hostage, demanding the withdrawal of federal forces from Chechnya as a condition for their release.
OTHER NEWS
Kremlin Says U.S. Senators Claiming They Were Denied Visas Are On Blacklist
Russia’s Foreign Ministry says U.S. Senators Ron Johnson and Chris Murphy “knew well” they were on a list of officials barred from the country that was drawn up in response to "unfounded restrictions” brought by the United States against members of the Federation Council, Russia’s upper house of parliament.
Russian Media Reporting Sentsov Transferred To Moscow Detention Center
Ukrainian film director Oleh Sentsov, whose imprisonment has been widely criticized, has reportedly been moved from a remote prison in Russia's Arctic region to Detention Facility No. 2, also known as the Butyrskaya prison, in Moscow.
Bolton Says U.S. 'Strongly Believes In Moldova's Sovereignty, Independence'
U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton has held talks on "security matters" with Prime Minister Maia Sandu of Moldova’s pro-Western Now Platform as part of an Eastern European trip with stops in Belarus and Ukraine.
Former Chechen Commander Gunned Down In Berlin
On August 23, as Zelimkhan Khangoshvili left his mosque and walked along a wooded path, a man rode up to him on a bicycle and shot him twice in the head, killing him nearly instantly. He had sought refuge in Germany in 2016, fleeing a series of assassination attempts and seeking distance from his past life as a company commander battling Russian troops in the Second Chechen War.
Yashin Braces For Fifth Consecutive Jail Term
Russian opposition politician Ilya Yashin, who has been struggling to register for Moscow city council elections next month, has been detained immediately after serving his fourth consecutive 10-day jail term for organizing and attending unsanctioned rallies.
Majority Of Donbas Residents Believe It Belongs To Ukraine
A report published by the Berlin Centre for East European and International Studies ZOiS has found that 54% of people living in Ukraine’s Luhansk and Donetsk regions, including in the Russia-backed separatist territories, believe the regions are part of Ukraine. At the same time, the number of people in the separatist-held territories who would like to see them join Russia has increased from 11% in 2016 to almost 18.5% in 2019. (Russian Service)
Ukraine's New Parliament Has Packed Agenda For First Session
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s ruling Servant of the People party held a closed-door meeting to hammer out the new parliament's first-day agenda for August 29. The 27 items slated for the marathon session include appointing a prime minister and forming a new cabinet.
Ukraine Prepares For Russian Freeze On Gas
Ukraine’s state-run Naftogaz’s 10-year contract to transport Russian gas through Ukraine to Europe is due to expire at the end of the year. With no new contract signed, the company is increasing its gas reserves and modernizing several compressor stations in case Russia closes the spigot, as it did 10 years ago. (Ukrainian Service)
Romanian Lawmakers Reject Amnesty Law Seen Favoring Former Majority Party
Romanian lawmakers overwhelmingly voted against a bill that would have given politicians a way to avoid jail for corruption, in a move seen as a major victory for the opposition and in line with European Union demands.
Azerbaijani Journalist Says Five Years In Prison Did Not Change Him
Azerbaijani journalist Seymur Hazi, who was released from prison after serving a five-year term for hooliganism, a charge he has rejected as politically motivated, says the incarceration did not make him change his views.
AFGHANISTAN: Pro-Government Afghan Commander Killed By His Own Son’s Taliban Unit
A pro-government commander in Afghanistan has been killed in a battle against a group of Taliban fighters that included his own son. The overnight battle in the northern province of Jowzjan took place just hours after the slain commander, Baz Muhammad, spoke to RFE/RL about the need to end a war which pits "sons against fathers and brothers and against brothers."
PHOTOGALLERY: Inside Pankisi: Life In Georgia’s Troubled Muslim Enclave