Stay updated with breaking news from Features Blogs. Get real-time updates on events, politics, business, and more. Visit us for reliable news and exclusive interviews.
The announcement of Russia’s retreat from the Dnieper River’s west bank hit like a lightning bolt, seen instantaneously as another tactical victory for Ukraine, another embarrassing setback for Moscow, and a political problem for President Vladimir Putin. But it’s not clear what’s happening and why.
Dozens of contract soldiers from Bashkortostan have renounced their contracts and refused further combat duty in Ukraine. One of those soldiers who returned home last month described his ordeal for RFE/RL.
Iran admits sending drones to Russia, a new investigation finds that Iranian drones are packed with Western components, and hard-liners call for the authorities to take lethal measures against protesters.
Ethnic Kazakhs who have returned to their ancestral homeland from abroad say they are being resettled in northern areas that have large numbers of ethnic Russians. The government insists the program tackles underpopulation -- but others say Astana wants to balance the ethnic makeup of those regions.
A report from the NGO Safeguard Defenders about Chinese "police stations" abroad has created ripples around the globe and sparked investigations across Europe. But in Hungary and Serbia, two countries with warm relationships with Beijing, authorities appear keen to "sweep it under the rug."