Current Time

Russian Activist Reportedly Asks For Political Asylum in Ukraine, Tried In Absentia

A trial in absentia was held on October 24 in a Moscow court, which issued an arrest warrant for Sergei Gavrilov, 26, who is accused of co-founding an extremist group to overthrow the Russian government and who has reportedly asked for political asylum in Ukraine.

Zelenskiy On Donbas Troop Withdrawal: 'Everything Will Be Calm'

Separatists' Prison Sentence For Ukrainian Journalist Aseyev Sparks Outrage

Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine have sentenced journalist Stanislav Aseyev, an RFE/RL contributor, to 15 years in prison on charges of espionage. Aseyev has already been held since 2017, when he was captured while reporting on the separatist conflict. Rights defenders and press freedom groups are calling his imprisonment "illegal" and "shocking."

How YouTube Gave Russia A Voice

YouTube has grown to be the most popular website on the Russian Internet, but the Kremlin wants to take steps to limit its influence. Government critics are using the platform to voice their political opinions and can reach audiences on a scale similar to government-controlled TV stations. Yet the question remains: Will the authorities actually be able to hold back this online wave of opinion? The final episode of Andrey Loshаk’s InterNYET series looks at the YouTube phenomenon in Russia.

Policing the Russian Internet: 'Everyone Will Take The Chinese Model'

The Ukraine crisis coincided with a Russian crackdown on independent online media. New laws since then have brought new restrictions, and the Internet adviser to President Vladimir Putin tells Current Time that China is the model for further online regulation. This story is part of a documentary series, InterNYET, by Current Time that explores the history of the Russian web.

Russian Police Detain Doctors' Union Head Outside Barricaded Clinic

Police detained the head of one of Russia's doctors' unions as she came to help colleagues barricaded inside a rural tuberculosis clinic set for closure. The protest is part of a wider battle to save dwindling rural health care services in Russia.

Kyrgyz Walnuts, The Forbidden Fruit

Arslanbob is an ancient walnut forest on the slopes of the Tian Shan mountains in southern Kyrgyzstan. Every fall, the locals, mostly ethnic Uzbeks, harvest walnuts for sale at Central Asia's biggest walnut market.

Ex-Ukrainian Prisoners: Free To Talk About Russia, But Not To Go Home

Vladimir Balukh and Oleksiy Sizonovych were part of Russia and Ukraine's landmark September 7 exchange of 70 prisoners, seen by many as a step toward reducing hostility between the two countries. But for both men, their freedom does not mean they are home yet: Balukh is from annexed Crimea and Sizonovych from separatist-controlled Luhansk. With other Ukrainians still in Russian prisons, the two hope to use their freedom to spread the word about "what's really happening" in Crimea and Donbas.

Russian Prison Boss Suspended After Video Of Abuse Emerges

The head of a prison in the Russian region of Karelia denied charges that staff had abused inmates -- until a video surfaced this month showing a brutal beating. Several prisoners say one of the attackers seen in the footage is the prison chief himself.

Inside The Factory: How Russian Trolls Manufacture Fake News

Their impact stretches beyond the 2016 U.S. presidential election that made them an international household name. Russian trolls, says blogger Ilya Varlamov, have changed “the whole picture” for online news in Russia. But how did they do it? In this video, taken from Current Time’s InterNYET: A History Of The Russian Internet series, former employees at a St. Petersburg troll factory get down to specifics.

Families Say Young Tajiks Are Grabbed And Forced Into The Army

Young Tajik men are being taken from the streets by people in plain clothes and reportedly sent to serve in the army for two years. Sometimes, the men are taken without any prior notice.

Russia Investigates Prison Warden For Violence Against Inmates

Russian Lawyer Who Defended Detainees Fined For 'Attack' On Police

A Russian lawyer and human rights activist has been found guilty of attacking police and fined 30,000 rubles ($468) by a Krasnodar court in connection with his detention while he was trying to provide legal advice to protesters being taken into police custody at an anti-government rally a year ago.

Single-Person Pickets Held In Moscow To Support Sentenced Activist

A series of one-person pickets have been held across the Russian capital in support of an opposition activist sentenced to four years in prison for repeatedly taking part in unauthorized rallies.

Defying Stereotypes: Ukraine’s Modeling Agency For The Disabled

Defying Stereotypes: Ukraine’s Modeling Agency For The Disabled

Ukraine’s first modeling agency for the disabled hopes to make wheelchairs as acceptable as stilettos on local catwalks. In a country that, until recently, officially termed the disabled "invalids," that could prove a challenge. But 27 aspiring models in the city of Kharkiv are ready to take that challenge on.

Ukraine’s Zelenskiy: No Autonomy For Breakaway Donbas Regions

Baku Fight Over Freedom Of Assembly All About Location, Location, Location

Azerbaijan: Opposition Allowed Protest Outside City Government, But Denied Stadium

Denied permission to rally at a downtown stadium, the Azerbaijani opposition received it to stage an October 8 protest in one of Baku’s most sensitive locations – directly in front of city hall, a few blocks away from the presidential administration building.

Zelenskiy: No Knowledge of Frozen Military Aid During Trump Phone Call