Current Time

‘Infodemic’ Of Fake Coronavirus Info Spreads Throughout Russia, Ukraine, Central Asia

Police Disperse Demonstrators Protesting Constitutional Reform in St. Petersburg

At least eight people demonstrating against Russia’s constitutional changes were detained in St. Petersburg on February 1. (Current Time)

Death Sentences For Brothers In Belarus Also 'A Punishment For Their Families'

Two brothers who killed their next-door neighbor in the town of Cherykau were sentenced to death this month by a Belarusian court. The country is the last in Europe to impose the death penalty. In interviews with Current Time, the convicts' mother and sister expressed their grief, saying that the sentence also inflicts a harsh punishment on the family.

Ukraine's Ex-Foreign Minister Klimkin: Pompeo's Ukraine Question To NPR Only 'An Emotional Outburst'

Shot, Then Rescued, Kyrgyz Snow Leopard Begins Recovery

A Kyrgyz wildlife center is nursing a snow leopard named Zhaabars back to health after he was badly wounded by a shotgun. Despite conservationists' efforts, the rare cats are sometimes targeted by poachers and farmers protecting their herds.

'It Disappeared...And Now It's Back': Russia's Izhorian Community Strives For Cultural Revival

Nazi occupation and Soviet repression decimated the Izhorian people, a tiny ethnic minority from northwest Russia. Now just hundreds remain, but efforts are being made to revive their language and culture.

Auschwitz Survivors And Liberator Recall The Holocaust

Seventy-five years ago today, the Red Army liberated the Auschwitz concentration-extermination camp in Nazi-occupied Poland. An estimated 1.1 million people had died there by the war’s end. For Soviet tank crewman David Dushman, the condition of the camp’s “unfortunate” inmates was a shock. Many of those prisoners, like Vera Kriegal Grossman, see their survival as a victory in itself.

Comedian Flees Russia Amid Probe Over 'Offending Religious Feelings'

Aleksandr Dolgopolov wasn't afraid to joke about Christianity or Vladimir Putin during his standup routine in Moscow. But when he became the subject of a criminal probe, he decided it was time to leave the country.

Seven Children, Two Wives: A Tajik Guest Worker In Russia

A Tajik guest worker in Russia spends most of his time there so he can send money back to Dushanbe, where he has two wives and seven children.

Chechen Minister Says Reading Of Koran Therapeutic For Lesbian

A minister in Russia's Chechnya region has said it would be "remedial" for an openly gay woman to read the Koran, following beatings she accused her parents of orchestrating over her homosexuality. 

Sex Trafficking: A Kyrgyz Teenager's Search For Justice

It started with an invitation to a birthday party. And reportedly ended with repeated rape and beatings in a Bishkek brothel. This 16-year-old Kyrgyz girl’s story as a sex-trafficking victim is tragically familiar in Central Asia, though investigations do not always occur rapidly. After Current Time’s January 22, 2020 report about her story, however, Kyrgyz police detained three suspects in the case. Her identity has been concealed.

Russian Stand-Up Comedian Who Joked About Church, Putin Flees Country

Russian stand-up comedian Aleksandr Dolgopolov has fled Russia fearing for his safety after learning police had started investigating videos taken at his performances in different clubs.

Lukashenka Says Russia Blocking Kazakhstan From Delivering Oil To Belarus

Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka says Russia is blocking deliveries of Kazakh oil amid a tariff dispute with Moscow, Minsk's regular supplier.

Novichok's Hometown: No Shame, ‘No Future,' Residents Say

In southwest Russia,lies an ordinary-looking town with an extraordinary background: Shikhany is the presumed birthplace of the military nerve agent Novichok, used in the 2018 poisoning of ex-Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia.

Putin Sends Proposed Constitutional Changes To Parliament

Russian President Vladimir Putin has submitted a package of proposed constitutional amendments to parliament, after announcing last week a surprise overhaul of the country's political system.

Azerbaijan's 'Black January': Remembering The Crackdown That Helped End Soviet Rule

The use of Soviet troops against civilians in Baku on January 19-20, 1990 cemented Azerbaijan’s resolve to leave the USSR and reclaim its independence. The crackdown occurred amidst signs that Moscow was losing control of the situation on the ground in Azerbaijan. Tensions were spiraling with neighboring Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region and Azerbaijani protesters wanted officials to resign. Current Time spoke with an eyewitness of these events.

Frozen Families, Ice-Bound In Irkutsk

A building in Irkutsk, Siberia, looks more like a fridge in need of defrosting than a home. Yet several families, with children, live here, saying local authorities have neglected them. An official said they must prove that they have the right to live in the building before they can be rehoused.

Russian Oscar Nominee Hopes 'Family Values' Film Will Win Glory

Oscar-nominee Daria Kashcheeva is still at film school but has her sights set on winning an Academy Award for a short animated film, which she says is all about family values and forgiveness.

Russia’s Political Shakeup: Giving The World ‘A Lot To Learn’ About Democracy?

StreetVoices: What Putin Should Tell Russia's Political Elite

On January 15, 2020, Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered his annual address to Russia's Federal Assembly about the state of the country and changes for the future. Ahead of the speech, Current Time spoke with Russians in Moscow, Kaliningrad, Vladivostok, and Yekaterinburg about what they would tell parliament in Putin's place.