VIDEO REPORTS
Ukrainian Army and Separatists Exchange Prisoners
Nine Ukrainian soldiers have been exchanged for 11 separatists in the Ukrainian town of Schastya. (Current Time TV)
Muscovites Remember Victims Of Stalin's Purge
Speakers at yesterday’s ceremony at the Solovetsky Stone memorial on Moscow's Lubyanka Square read aloud the names, ages, occupations, and dates of execution of some 30,000 Muscovites killed by Soviet authorities in 1937-38.
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS
US Senator To Urge Azerbaijan To Release Political Prisoners
Illinois Senator Dick Durbin told RFE/RL on October 29 that he plans to press Azeri authorities to release independent journalists, human rights defenders, and civic activists who have been arrested in a government campaign against dissent.
EU Suspends Most Belarus Sanctions For Four Months
Citing the release of all Belarusian political prisoners in August and improving EU-Belarus relations,the ЕU announced that it would suspend asset freezes, visa bans, and other restrictions on blacklisted persons and companies.
Putin Decrees New Komsomol-Type Youth Group
A decree published on October 29 establishes the All-Russian Social-State Child-Youth Organization Russian Movement of Students for the “betterment of state policies in the realm of the upbringing of the rising generation.”
Newest Russian Submarine Unexpectedly Returns To Port
The latest model diesel-electric submarine "Rostov-on-Don" was forced to return to port for technical reasons while en route from the Northern Fleet’s base in Severomorsk to the Black Sea. (Current Time TV)
Russians Fearful Of Syria-Related Costs And Fatalities
A Levada Center survey finds that 41 percent of Russian respondents fear the military operation in Syria will exhaust funds needed to solve social problems, while another 39 percent fears the death of Russian soldiers in Syria or as a result of terrorist attacks at home. (In Russian)
Tajikistan’s Crackdown on Islam Helps IS Recruit
A Tajik diaspora leader in Russia says a crackdown by Tajikistan's government against certain forms of Islam has played into the hands of recruiters for the militant group Islamic State. According to him, young people are joining IS because they do not see any prospects for religious development at home.