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With fighting raging in eastern Ukraine as winter sets in, attention is also shifting to the war's southern front in Zaporizhzhya, where Ukrainian forces are eager to cut Russian forces off from the so-called "land bridge" connecting the Crimean Peninsula to the mainland.

Many Ukrainians fleeing the war have sought refuge in nearby Bulgaria. But critics say the government's support for refugees has been chaotic and insubstantial, meaning that highly skilled workers and professionals have no other options but to take menial work.

Energy officials blame low tariffs for poor performance, but leaders fear hikes will cause backlashes as energy shortages plague Central Asian countries.

"If a year ago somebody had told me I'd become a partisan or kill somebody, I'd have laughed at them. But here we are," says Vladyslav Nedostup, a sociology graduate and car-parts dealer who sought "bloody revenge" after a former classmate and her daughter were killed by a Russian missile.

They were supposed to meet this week -- technical experts, engineers, and treaty officials from Russia and the United States – to find a way to resume nuclear weapons inspections. Moscow pulled out at the eleventh hour, alarming arms experts, who say it’s a bad omen, now and for future talks.   

The five Caspian countries agreed to use the sea for peaceful purposes and turn it into a zone of peace and friendship. But is it possible to call the Caspian Sea, which Russia uses to launch missiles at Ukrainian civilian targets, a "sea of peace and friendship"?

As the cold bears down and Russia’s onslaught against Ukraine persists, President Vladimir Putin tries to justify the untimely deaths of Russian soldiers -- but has no words for the Ukrainians his war has killed. A prominent opposition politician goes on trial, and Americans remain behind bars.

Ahead of the EU's December 5 embargo on Russian oil, LUKoil and Sofia recently claimed a deal was afoot to exchange hundreds of millions in taxes for the right to export fuel to Europe. However, a deal is still very much on the table in what could be a tough test of European solidarity.

An investigation by RFE/RL and a Georgian environmental NGO has found a cement and concrete conglomerate with ties to influential politicians guilty of many violations. The company, though, has only been fined a few times, with most of those penalties being paltry.

The head of the Russian occupation administration in Crimea has signed off on a program of "preliminary military training" for students on the peninsula. Kyiv is castigating the move as an illegal attempt to wipe out Ukrainian identity and instill the perception that Ukrainians are an enemy.