Timeline: Forty-Two Years Of The Moscow Helsinki Group
VISUAL REPORTS
Pashinian Alliance Scores 'Revolutionary Majority' In Armenia
Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s alliance scored a landslide victory in Armenia’s snap parliamentary elections on December 9, capturing more than 70 percent of the vote and giving the Caucasus nation what he called a "revolutionary majority."
'Criticism Is Not Welcome': The Rise And Fall Of Russia's TV2
TV2 in Tomsk, Siberia was one of the last free and independent regional media outlets in Russia. But the company's unfettered journalism was not in sync with the country's increasingly restrictive political climate, and its broadcasts were shut down at the end of 2014.
All For Nothing: Maidan Protester Deeply Disillusioned Five Years On
Halyna Trofanyuk joined the mass protests in Kyiv known as the Euromaidan that began in November 2014, hoping Ukraine would have a prosperous future and closer ties with the European Union. Five years later, she travels to neighboring Poland for work.
Buses Shelter Homeless Ahead Of Russian Winter
Ivan Mankovsky runs a homeless charity in the southeastern Russian town of Khabarovsk. He's converted old buses into shelters to help people get through the winter after their old shelter burned down.
Kazakhstan’s Militant Hot Spot
Lonely grandparents watch videos of small children reciting Islamic slogans in Arabic. This is a slice of life in Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan’s “hot spot” for extremist recruiting.
OTHER NEWS
Alekseyeva Remembered As 'Force Of Nature' And 'Giant' Of Human Rights
Lyudmila Alekseyeva, a veteran defender of human rights who challenged the Soviet government and President Vladimir Putin's Kremlin, died in a Moscow hospital on December 9. She was 91.
U.S. First In Global Arms Sales, As Russia Rises To No. 2 Spot
The United States remains the global leader in arms sales, while Russia has surpassed Britain to take the no. 2 spot. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute said on December 10 in its annual report that the combined sales of arms and military services by U.S. companies rose 2 percent in 2017 to $222.6 billion, while sales by Russia totaled $37.7 billion, up 8.5 percent from a year earlier.
Russia Appoints Vice-Admiral Kostyukov As GRU Head
Russian media is reporting that Vice-Admiral Igor Kostyukov has been appointed head of Russian military intelligence, formerly known as the GRU. His appointment follows the death of his predecessor, Colonel-General Igor Korobov on November 21. Kostyukov is under U.S. sanctions in connection with alleged interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. (Russian Service)
Bribes In Russia Up By 10 Percent
To mark International Anticorruption Day on December 9, the Russian prosecutor- general's office published data showing 2,251 recorded bribes for the period January - October 2018, a 10.5 % increase over the 2,037 cases recorded for the same period the previous year. Within the Federation, the Moscow and Krasnodar metropolitan regions lead in the charts. (in Russian, Current Time TV)
Hundreds Rally In Kazan Against Government ‘Lawlessness’
Hundreds of people have gathered to demonstrate in Kazan, the capital of Russia’s Tatarstan region, to protest against what organizers described as the "lawlessness” of the authorities and to raise concern about local economic development, the status of the Tatar language, and the rights of those they believe have been illegally convicted.
Russian Director Serebrennikov's Trial Adjourned Again
The embezzlement trial of Russian theater and film director Kirill Serebrennikov has been adjourned again due to the hospitalization of Aleksei Malobrodsky, the former director of Moscow's Gogol Center, who is a co-defendant in the case.
Breaking Badski: Former Russian Science Teachers Caught Making Drugs
Russian prosecutors in St. Petersburg have charged a former high-school physics teacher and a chemistry teacher with the large-scale production and sale of amphetamine that mirrors the hit television series Breaking Bad.
Russia's Serial-Killer Cop Gets Second Life Sentence For 56 More Murders
A former Russian police officer who was sentenced in 2015 to life in prison for the killings of 22 women has received a second life sentence for murdering 56 more women. Dubbed the Angarsk Maniac by Russian media, Mikhail Popkov is the most prolific known serial killer in Russian and Soviet history.
Belarusian Regrets Playing Role To Discredit Euromaidan For Russian TV
Vitaly Yurchenko, a young Belarus national, has told RFE/RL that he is "totally ashamed" that he agreed to play the role of a disgruntled Ukrainian in a report broadcast in November by Russia's state-owned Channel One, calling it a "monstrous mistake."
Fugitive Nephew Of Former Armenian President Sarkisian Detained In Prague
Armenian police say that Narek Sarkisian has been detained holding a fake Guatemalan passport in the Czech capital, and is being processed for extradition to face criminal charges in Armenia.
Former Kyrgyz Prime Minister Arrested On Corruption Charges
Kyrgyz authorities have arrested former Deputy Prime Minister Duishenbek Zilaliev on corruption charges and placed him in pretrial detention after investigators found almost $900,000 in undeclared cash and property in Zilaliev's possession.
MAJLIS PODCAST: The Repercussions Of Beijing’s Policies In Xinjiang
PRESSROOM: On World Human Rights Day, RFE/RL Reports Increased Attacks On Its Journalists