RFE/RL Is Back With The News In Hungary
VISUAL REPORTS
In Budapest, Thousands Form Human Chain In Support Of University’s Independence
Thousands of students formed a human chain through the Hungarian capital, Budapest, to protest the imposition of a government-appointed board to oversee the country's prestigious University of Theater and Film Arts (SZFE).
Thousands Protest Use Of Serbian Symbols At Postelection Rallies In Montenegro
Tens of thousands marched in Montenegro's capital, Podgorica, to protest the use of Serbian national symbols by opposition parties that claimed victory in parliamentary elections. During the September 6 rally, protesters chanted, "This is not Serbia" and, "We will not give Montenegro away."
PHOTOGALLERY: Crimean Military Park Opens With Historical Bang
A Kremlin-funded military theme park dedicated to "reviving the 2,000-year history of Crimea" has opened in Ukraine's Russian-occupied peninsula.
TOP NEWS
Belarusian Opposition Fears One Of Last Presidium Members Detained
Colleagues of Maksim Znak, one of the last free members of the presidium of the Belarusian opposition's Coordination Council, say they have lost contact with him and fear he has been detained. The concerns come amid several suspected abductions and forced deportations this week, one month into massive protests after the country’s disputed August 9 election. Presidium member Maryya Kalesnikava was snatched off the street in Minsk on September 7 by masked men. Her father earlier today told local media that she is now being held in a detention facility in Minsk. Presidium member and Nobel Laureate Svetlana Alexievich, also at large, has called on the Russian intelligentsia to more actively condemn the Belarusian authorities. “Why are you silent? ...We are still your brothers,” she said in a statement posted on the website of the Belarusian PEN Center. (Belarus Service, Current Time)
Moscow has accused the Group of Seven (G7) nations of an "unfolding massive disinformation campaign" to whip up support for sanctions over the case of poisoned Kremlin critic Aleksei Navalny. The Russian Foreign Ministry said "groundless attacks on Russia continue" amid an "unconstructive approach by German authorities."
Navalny Team In Novosibirsk Attacked With Unknown Chemical Liquid
Two attackers threw a glass jar with an unknown chemical liquid into an office housing the independent political coalition supported by opposition politician Aleksei Navalny's team in Russia's third-largest city, Novosibirsk. The attack came as Navalny's group was giving a lecture to staff and volunteers on how to monitor regional elections scheduled for September 13.
The Poland-based Blogger Who’s Become A Driving Force Behind The Belarus Protests
Twenty-two-year-old Stysyapan Putsila's Nexta is at the vanguard -- both in documenting the demonstrations in Belarus and in supporting them. His Telegram channel provides over 2 million subscribers with a real-time, relentlessly updated mix of news bits, comment, video, aerial photos, and street diagrams for protesters.
Family Of Sanctioned Ukrainian Politician Selling Refined Oil Products To U.S.
The family of sanctioned Ukrainian politician Viktor Medvedchuk has been selling refined oil products to an arm of ExxonMobil via a Swiss-registered trader, an investigation by Schemes, a joint program of RFE/RL and Ukrainian public broadcaster UA:First, has found. Medvedchuk heads a political council of a pro-Russian political party in Ukraine and has close personal ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
MAJLIS PODCAST: What Has Changed Over Mirziyoev’s Four Years In Power?
With University of Pittsburgh’s Jennifer Murtazashvili, RFE/RL Uzbek Service’s Alisher Siddiq, and RFE/RL veteran Central Asia watcher Bruce Pannier.
POLL: Forty Percent Of Russians Reject Union With Belarus
The latest poll by the Russian state-owned Public Opinion Research Center finds that more than 40% of Russians reject a union with Belarus and instead prefer good-neighborly relations. According to the poll, 22% of respondents support a unified state, 17% favor Belarus joining Russia as one or several constituent regions, and 1% favor Russia joining Belarus. (Russian Service)