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Ksenia Sobchak Runs For President (RFE/RL Russian Service)
Ksenia Sobchak Runs For President (RFE/RL Russian Service)

VISUAL REPORTS

Assault At Ekho Moskvy – What Happened

Ekho Moskvy Editor In Chief Aleksei Venediktov describes the assault and stabbing of colleague Tatyana Felgengauer at the radio station on October 23.

RFE/RL Kazakh Service Reporter Wins Courage Award

Saniya Toiken, a reporter for RFE/RL’s Kazakh Service, has been honored with the 2017 Courage in Journalism Award by the International Women’s Media Foundation. Asked why she is willing to run the risks associated with working as an independent journalist in her country, Toiken said, “I can't offer any simple explanation. Some people think I am doing it to be famous or to make a lot of money. Well, both are wrong… For me, journalism is my life, and there's nothing I can do about it.”

VOX POP: Is Sobchak Putin’s Or Navalny’s Opponent?

A majority of respondents to an informal street poll in Moscow rejected Ksenia Sobchak as a “real” or “serious” candidate for the Russian presidency, although some said she could create problems for Aleksei Navalny. (Russian Service)

Frozen Conflict Keeps Moldovan Farmers From Their Land

The frozen conflict over Moldova's breakaway region of Transdniester has taken a heavy toll on the people, and their livelihoods, on both sides of the boundary.

OTHER NEWS

State Department Weighs In On FARA, Says ‘Working On’ Russia Sanctions

The U.S. State Department says it is still "working on" steps to implement legislation that Congress passed in July in an effort to strengthen sanctions against Russia, and addressed Russian threats about possible restrictions on the operations of RFE/RL, VOA and other U.S.-based media in Russia.

German, Russian Presidents To Hold Talks In Moscow

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is set to meet separately with Russian President Vladimir Putin, former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, and human rights activists when he visits Moscow on October 25, the first visit to Russia by Germany's ceremonial head of state in seven years.

New Cyberattacks Hit Ukraine, Russia

A cyberattack on October 24 targeted a major Ukrainian international airport, the Kyiv subway ticketing system, and three Russian media outlets.

South Ossetia And Self-Proclaimed Donetsk Republic Pledge Mutual Support

An agreement reportedly ratified by South Ossetia’s parliament on friendship and cooperation with the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic in Ukraine suggests that Russia is creating a network of interconnected, separatist territories. According to local media, the agreement implies mutual military assistance and other forms of cooperation. (Caucasus Realities website)

Russia, Former Soviet Region Largest Source Of Foreign Fighters In Syria, Iraq

A U.S.-based security research firm the Soufan Group says Russia, and the former Soviet region more broadly, is the single largest source for foreign militants fighting in Syria and Iraq.

Russian Journalist's Stabbing Prompts Debate Over Vilification Of Critical Voices

The October 23 knife attack on Tatyana Felgengauer, who survived and is recovering in a Moscow hospital, has stirred fresh debate in Russia over whether state media has played a role in attacks on government critics.

Russian Prosecutor-General Urges U.S. Attorney General To Probe Browder

Russian Prosecutor-General Yury Chaika has urged U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions to launch a criminal case against British investor William Browder, the man who initiated the Magnitsky Act, which sanctions Russians for alleged human rights abuses.

Russia's Pussy Riot Takes Ukrainian Filmmaker Case To Trump Tower

Members of the Russian performance-art collective Pussy Riot have carried out a protest in support of jailed Ukrainian filmmaker Oleh Sentsov at Trump Tower in New York City.

Ukraine Signals Intent To Restructure NaftoGaz Energy Giant

Ukraine's deputy energy minister has told local media that the state energy giant Naftogaz benefits neither the country nor the people, and signalled that the monopoly may be reorganized pending a ruling by a Stockholm court on a dispute between Naftogaz and Gazprom. (Ukrainian Service)

Saakashvili Rallies Supporters As Kyiv Moves To Extradite Him

Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili called upon his supporters in Ukraine on October 24 to protect him from Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, who, he said, “wants to extradite me."

BLOGGING CENTRAL ASIA: Warming Uzbek-Iranian Relations Worth Watching

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