VISUAL REPORTS
Lavrov Says Trump's Stress On Sovereignty 'Very Welcome'
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he welcomed comments by U.S. President Donald Trump on the importance of respecting national sovereignty.
Ukraine's President Repeats Call For UN Peacekeeping Mission
Ukraine's president has repeated his call for a full-fledged United Nations peacekeeping mission, telling the world body that such a mission should be authorized to patrol Ukraine's border with Russia.
Matilda Director Urges Russian Government To Respond To Violence
The director of a controversial forthcoming film about the early life of Tsar Nicholas II has called on the Russian government to do more to forestall violence as the film opens in cinemas next month.
Activists In Kyiv Rally For Affordable Housing For Displaced People
Demonstrators in Kyiv called on the government to fund a program for affordable housing in 2018 that would extend benefits to, among others, persons forced to flee from war in the country’s eastern regions. (Ukrainian Service)
OTHER NEWS
Lukashenka Says Russian Troops Will Go Home After Zapad Drills
Belarus President Alyaksandr Lukashenka observed the joint Zapad 2017 military exercises with Russia on their final day, and said that all Russian troops in his country would return home when the drills conclude.
European Union Sets Conditions For More Aid To Ukraine
A top European Union finance official said Kyiv needs to do more to fight corruption and pass pension and land reforms as conditions for receiving more financial aid from Brussels.
Russia's Central Bank Taking Control Of Troubled B&N Bank
The Russian Central Bank says it is taking over B&N Bank, the country’s 12th-biggest lender by assets, less than a month after another leading Russian bank needed rescue.
Watchdog Calls On Ukraine To Establish Independent Anticorruption Court
Transparency International has called on Ukraine to create an independent anticorruption court to strengthen the country’s efforts to fight graft.
Russia, Defying Sanctions, Exploits Crimea Oil Shelf
Russia has taken over four oil rigs belonging to the Ukrainian state enterprise Chernomorneftegaz since annexing the Crimean peninsula in 2014. While U.S. and EU sanctions have sought to limit the Kremlin’s seizure of Ukrainian assets, a member of the Chernomorneftegaz board told RFE/RL that Moscow continues to illegally exploit the shelf, extracting 1.67 billion cubic meters of gas in 2016 and 0.95 billion cubic meters of natural gas in the first seven months of 2017. (in Russian, Crimea Realities)
Ramzan Kadyrov Heads To Belarus
Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov is planning to visit Belarus on September 25-26, according to the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to discuss deepening industrial cooperation. Belarus seeks to increase exports of trucks, agricultural, and transport equipment to Chechnya and provide experts to develop the region’s infrastructure. (Belarus Service)
Explosion Injures Two Israeli Pilgrims At Rosh Hashanah Celebrations In Ukraine
Ukraine's National Police said that an unidentified explosive device went off early in the morning on September 21 in a garage near the site where pilgrims are celebrating the Jewish New Year.
Pavel Sheremet Documents Ruled Classified In Ukraine
A decision by Ukraine’s national police dated July 24, 2017 calls for classifying all court decisions relating to the murder of journalist Pavel Sheremet, who was killed on July 20, 2016, when his car exploded in the center of Kyiv. More than 200 documents relating to the case have already been removed from open access. (Belarus Service)
Crimean Tatar Leader Tells Court He's 'Only A Citizen Of Ukraine'
A Crimean Tatar leader declared himself "only a citizen of Ukraine" as he lashed out in a final court statement at Russian prosecutors who have charged him with separatism.
In Russia's Chechnya, Lesbians Tell Of Suffocating Existence
A report by a Russian rights group highlights the often terror-filled double lives that lesbians are forced to live in mainly Muslim Chechnya.
Fictional Presidential Candidate Draws Votes In Experimental Levada Poll
In a polling experiment conducted by the Levada Center in anticipation of Russia’s March 2018 presidential elections,18 percent of respondents voted for Andrei Semenov, a fictional politician whose name was deliberately included in the list of candidates by the researchers and was described as being aligned with Vladimir Putin. (in Russian, Current Time TV)
Moscow Mulls Movie Ban On British Farce 'Death Of Stalin'
The Russian Culture Ministry has warned it may ban a British satirical film about Soviet leader Josef Stalin’s death amid an outcry from Communist Party lawmakers who call it the latest example of Western "psychological warfare."
Morgan Freeman Video Draws Kremlin Attack
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman has lashed out at Morgan Freeman over a video the American actor made for a U.S. organization in which the actor calls for investigations into Moscow’s alleged interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
Tajik Officials Ban Loud Wailing, Black Clothing At Funerals
New guidelines released by Tajik authorities this month say family and friends may cry to mourn their dead but that screaming or hiring others to howl "is forbidden."