VISUAL REPORTS
Hero In Ukraine, Hated In Belarus
Mikhail Zhyzneuski, who was shot dead during the Euromaidan protests of 2014, is considered a hero in Ukraine. But in his home city of Homel in Belarus, his grave has been vandalized and his family say they have been treated as pariahs.
Tajik Blogger Attacked: Moscow Cop Looks The Other Way
A flamboyant Tajik blogger has been roughed up in Moscow, as seen in video posted by his alleged attackers, right under the nose of a policeman. He has since said he's afraid to leave home.
Fakescape: Czech Game Fights 'Fake News'
Czech students have developed a game to teach teenagers how to distinguish between reliable sources and disinformation. It's being played at schools across the country, as part of wider efforts to combat "fake news."
OTHER NEWS
Veteran Rights Defender Alekseyeva To Be Buried In Moscow
Veteran human rights advocate Lyudmila Alekseyeva is to be buried in Moscow on December 11. At a ceremony at the House of Journalists, colleagues and foreign dignitaries paid their last respects to her, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, U.S. Ambassador Jon Huntsman, and Mikhail Fedotov, head of Russia's Human Rights Council.
Putin Hails Solzhenitsyn On Centenary Of His Birth
President Vladimir Putin has praised late Russian writer Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn as a "true and real patriot" after unveiling a statue honoring the Nobel Prize-winning author in central Moscow.
U.S. Diplomat Warns Of Kremlin Interests In Nord Stream 2
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources Francis Fannon has warned that Russia wants to increase leverage over Europe and its grip over Ukraine, using the proposed Nord Stream 2 natural-gas pipeline under the Baltic Sea.
Two Russian Long-Range Bombers Arrive In Venezuela
Russia's Defense Ministry has sent two nuclear-capable Tu-160 bombers to Venezuela, in an unusual display of Russian military force in South America.
EU Ministers Discuss New Human Rights Sanctions Regime
European Union foreign ministers on December 10 gave political consent to a Dutch proposal to introduce a new sanctions regime that would target individuals accused of human rights abuses worldwide.
EU Blacklists Nine People Over Russia-Backed Vote In Ukraine
The European Union has blacklisted nine individuals involved in the organization of last month’s elections in Ukraine’s separatist-controlled regions for “actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence of Ukraine.”
Roskomnadzor To Fine Google Over Searches
Russian media regulator Roskomnadzor has announced that it will fine Google $7,543. for failure to comply with procedures governing prohibited websites and exclude them from search results. The regulator also announced that by year’s end it would review Facebook and Twitter for compliance with requirements to store users’ personal data inside Russia. (Russian Service)
Russian National Guard Chief Sues Opposition Leader Navalny For Libel
The head of Russia's National Guard, Viktor Zolotov, has filed a lawsuit against opposition politician and anticorruption activist Aleksei Navalny, demanding 1 million rubles ($15,000) in compensation for damaging his honor and dignity.
Russia Jails Former Police Officer On High Treason Charge
A Russian court has found former police officer Aleksandr Zhitnyuk guilty of handing classified materials to Norwegian intelligence, and sentenced him to 13 years in prison.
Poroshenko Terminates Ukrainian-Russian Friendship Treaty
President Petro Poroshenko has signed into law a bill to terminate Ukraine's friendship treaty with Russia, calling it "part of our strategy towards fully breaking with the colonial past and reorientation towards Europe."
Monitors Hail Armenian Vote, Call For Further Electoral Reforms
Armenia’s snap December 9 parliamentary election respected fundamental freedoms and was characterized by “broad public trust” and “genuine competition,” international observers say, calling for further electoral reforms to preserve public trust.
New Law Requires Kazakhs To Register Phone Or Lose Service
In Kazakhstan, 12 million cellular service subscribers may lose service next month for failing to register the IMEI codes of their phones, as required by a new law adopted last year. The law is meant to ensure that every mobile device is identified with a specific individual, and prohibits cellular companies from providing services to customers with unregistered gadgets. (in Russian, Current Time TV)
Uzbek Police Swear On Koran They'll Be Good Cops
Police in a district near the Uzbek capital entered new territory last week when they were required to swear on the Koran that they would "not take bribes" or "engage in extortion."
Gulnara Karimova Supports Uzbekistan’s New Leadership
Gulnara Karimova remains in prison on charges of extortion, embezzlement, and tax evasion, but her son has said on Instagram that she supports her father’s successor, current President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, and has pledged “to do everything in her power’ to support the country’s development. (in Russian, Uzbek Service)
FROM THE ARCHIVES: 1977 Radio Liberty Interview With Lyudmila Alekseeva
Human rights veteran Lyudmila Alekseeva spoke to RFE/RL’s Russian Service about her membership in the Communist Party - from which she was expelled in 1968 - saying it had felt like a burden, “because I could not fail to see the screaming discrepancy between what was proclaimed in the party documents, what was written in Soviet newspapers, and what I saw with my own eyes.” She said that Soviet media extolled the “heyday of socialist agriculture,” while villages were struggling with poverty right outside of Moscow. (Russian Service)
INFOGRAPHIC: Confidence In Putin: What Does Europe Say?