NOT IN OUR NAME
Not In Our Name is a research and documentary project developed by RFE/RL to help communities in Central Asia understand and prevent the spread of violence and extremism. Screening at GWU’s Central Asia Program at 2:30pm, October 16.
VISUAL REPORTS
Ukraine Seeks To Boost Forces In Sea Of Azov
The Ukrainian military has released video of its vessels being constantly shadowed by Russian forces in waters near Crimea, which Moscow annexed from Kyiv in 2014. The United States has now given Ukraine two patrol boats to bolster its response to what Washington calls Russian "harassment" of international shipping in the area.
Titiyev, Imprisoned In Chechnya, Describes Ordeal
Oyub Titiyev, a dogged Russian activist who is in jail and on trial in his native Chechnya on what he says is a fabricated drug charge, says his age is the only thing that has saved him from torture.
Forest Reclaiming Abkhazian Ghost Town
A ghost town in the Georgian breakaway region of Abkhazia is being slowly swallowed by nature.
Breakthrough Broadcaster Calls The Shots In Kosovo
She has been told that her place is in the kitchen, but Kosovo sports journalist Qendresa Kvelani has become the first woman to provide play-by-play broadcasts of soccer on the country's national radio station.
OTHER NEWS
Bellingcat: Second Novichok Suspect Also Honored As Russian Hero
Cybersleuthing group Bellingcat reports that two men suspected by Britain of poisoning former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter received Hero of the Russian Federation medals four years ago for conducting covert operations in Ukraine.
Petrov And Boshirov Spied On Skripal In Czech Republic
Czech media reports that Russian GRU agents Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, who are suspects in the Skripal poisoning case, visited Prague in 2014 and spied on the former double agent. Speaking to Current Time TV earlier this year, the Czech Republic’s foreign minister confirmed that Skripal had visited Prague. (in Russian, Current Time TV)
Russia’s High Court Chief Sets Stage For Constitutional Reform
Amid speculation that the 25th anniversary of Russia’s constitution may herald reforms, the head of the Russian Constitutional Court Valery Zorkin has published a text in the Kremlin daily Rossiyskaya Gazeta on the document’s “deep legal meaning,” signalling the possibility of changes “to adapt the text to changing social and legal realities.” Zorkin cited flaws in the law, including the lack of proper balance and clarity in the system of check and balances. (Russian Service)
Russia To Resume Gas Imports From Turkmenistan
Russia's Gazprom next year will resume imports of natural gas from Turkmenistan that it stopped three years ago due to price disputes.
Russian Soccer Stars Face The Boot Over 'Drunken Brawl'
High-profile Russian soccer players Aleksandr Kokorin and Pavel Mamayev are under investigation for involvement in the separate beatings of a government official and the driver of a state television presenter in Moscow on October 8.
Imprisoned Ukrainian Director Sentsov Short-Listed For Sakharov Prize
Oleh Sentsov, a Ukrainian film director imprisoned in Russia after opposing Moscow's takeover of his native Crimea, has been placed on a short list of candidates for the European Parliament’s 2018 Sakharov Prize.
Stand, Or Else! Montenegro Eyes Penalty For Sitting Out National Anthem
Montenegrins who don't stand for their national anthem may have to pay dearly if the parliament approves new legislation proposed by the government that would confer a fine of 300-2,000 euros ($345-$2,300) on those who fail to rise to their feet when Oh Bright Dawn Of Montenegro is played.
Germany Detains Suspect In Bulgarian Journalist Slaying
Police in Germany have detained a man in connection with the rape and killing of Bulgarian television journalist Viktoria Marinova, and are verifying conditions for extraditing him to Bulgaria.
BLOGGING CENTRAL ASIA: Tajikistan’s Unconquerable Gorno-Badakhshan Region