Current Time

​In Second Wave, Consecutive Days Of Record New COVID-19 Cases Hit Ukraine

Authorities in Ukraine said lockdowns may be reimposed at a regional level after days of record new coronavirus cases. One badly hit region in western Ukraine quickly announced a return of preventive measures, including restricting road travel beyond the region, a ban on gatherings of more than 20 people, and closures of indoor cafes and restaurants.

The Raftsmen Of Siberia Move Timber The Old-Fashioned Way

Little has changed over the past century for timber raftsmen in Russia's Krasnoyarsk region, who still rely on the same working methods that their grandfathers used.

Voters Allege Pressure, Payments To Take Part In Russia’s Constitutional Vote

Moscow Court Sentences U.S. Citizen To 16 Years After Trial That U.S. Ambassador Calls 'Mockery Of Justice'

The Moscow City Court has sentenced former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan to 16 years in prison after convicting him on espionage charges in a trial held behind closed doors. Whelan, who also holds British, Canadian, and Irish citizenship, has denied all the charges. Addressing reporters outside the courthouse on June 15, the U.S. Ambassador to Russia, John Sullivan, called the trial "a mockery of justice."

Gulag Survivors Have 'Important Messages' For Today

Generation Gulag: Stopping The Rewriting Of Soviet History

An Abandoned Russian Base's Failing Fortunes

A decade ago, Russia's Defense Ministry closed down a military base in Pskov Oblast, leaving hundreds of people unemployed. Without income or investment in infrastructure, the town began to collapse around its residents. (Current Time)

Life In Osh, 10 Years After Kyrgyzstan's Deadly Ethnic Conflict​

A decade has passed since ethnic violence tore through towns and cities in southern Kyrgyzstan, killing 470 people according to an international report. RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service and Current Time talked with ethnic Uzbek and Kyrgyz people in Osh, the city where the violence started, to get a sense of how people feel about life today and about the events of June 2010.

Video Shows Strange Circumstances Of Belarusian Politician's Arrest

Belarusian authorities have charged opposition leader Syarhey Tsikhanouski with planning mass violations of public order, but what really happened when he was arrested? Video on his YouTube channel shows him being hounded by a mysterious woman in a denim jacket, before he is seized by riot police.

Russia’s Kremlin-Friendly Media Uses Movie, Misidentification To Hype U.S. Turmoil

COVID-19 Torpedoes Russian Nuclear Sub Facilities

In the Soviet era, Severodvinsk was a closed city because of its defense industries. Now it's been cut off again amid an outbreak of the coronavirus at nuclear submarine factories. Since June 6, nobody has been allowed in or out except workers and special forces.

How Russian Media Covers The U.S. Protests

Kremlin-friendly Russian media is telling viewers that unrest in the U.S. over the May 25, 2020 death of George Floyd amounts to “anarchy” reminiscent of the movie Joker, fueled by everything from COVID-19 to trade wars. Yet these outlets overlook how Russia itself has recently responded to protests over civil rights.

‘The Police Officer Thought That I Wanted To Attack Him And Sprayed Me With Gas’: Photos From The Minneapolis Protests

Within Current Time’s coverage zone, government-allied media have often propagandized both the peaceful U.S. protests against George Floyd’s death and the street unrest that followed. To let viewers decide for themselves about these events, Current Time spoke with Skorykh, a Russian speaker, who shared his photographs and impressions of the initial demonstrations and disturbances in Minneapolis.

Russia: Mega-Million-Dollar COVID-19 Hospital Built ‘To Help People’ Lacks Medicine, Protective Gear, Contracts

The Moscow Region's government has paid millions for this new facility, built by Azerbaijani-Russian businessman Araz Agalarov, but to what effect for COVID-19 patients?

Citing COVID-19 Lockdown, Russian Police Detain Protesters But Not Promenaders

A Bug Or A Feature? Russian COVID-19 Patients Complain Of Unfair Fines From Quarantine App

Thousands of Russians say an app designed to enforce quarantines imposed after a COVID-19 diagnosis doesn't work properly and is repeatedly issuing them fines for no apparent reason. A Moscow nurse who caught the coronavirus said said her fines added up to nearly $1,000.

Current Time Report Sparks Investigation At Makeshift Hospital In Moscow Region

Prosecutors in Moscow say they have started an investigation after Current Time reported alleged shortages of medicines and labor violations at a makeshift hospital for coronavirus patients set up by a well-known Azerbaijani-Russian businessman Araz Agalarov.

Experts Question Reliability Of Prospective Russian Vaccine For COVID-19

A Bishkek Florist's Generosity Blossoms Amid The Pandemic

Salamat Baktybek-Kyzy, 21, had been saving the profits from her florist business in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan to buy herself a prosthetic leg. But when orders collapsed amid the COVID-19 lockdown, she decided to start donating flowers for free.

A Project To Share 'What We Dream About'

Thanks to scant media coverage, many outsiders struggle to say how Belarus actually ticks. From Minsk market workers to domestic violence shelters and state-assigned jobs, our Unknown Belarus series introduced viewers to the people, places, and phenomena of the real, little-seen Belarus.